Tag Archives: Euro 2024

Francisco Conceição comes off Portugal bench to break Czech Republic hearts

“A night of mayhem and confusion, of futures and pasts dragging each other in different directions, and at its climax a goal of pure catharsis. Portugal, one of the tournament favourites, are away: a poacher’s goal by the 21-year-old Francisco Conceição sealing victory in the first minute of injury time and underlining the bench strength available to Roberto Martínez. And this was a redemption of sorts for Martínez too, a coach who knows that he will need to shed Portugal’s past if he is to shed his own. Perhaps unfairly maligned as the man who inherited Belgium’s golden generation and won nothing, …”
Guardian

France’s altered defensive shape worked against Austria – but game state was a crucial factor

“When Didier Deschamps was asked a question about the pairing of N’Golo Kante and Adrien Rabiot in midfield after France’s 1-0 victory against Austria, he politely interrupted it to make a small correction. … France’s switch to a midfield three featuring the Atletico Madrid forward has continued throughout the European Championship qualifying campaign and into the tournament, but they slightly adjusted their shape off the ball in their opening game against Ralf Rangnick’s Austria. Usually, France’s 4-3-3 moves to a lopsided 4-4-2 when they are out of possession, with Kylian Mbappe maintaining a high position, while the right winger drops deeper to form a midfield four and the left midfielder is tasked with defending the flank. This way, Deschamps frees Mbappe of any defensive responsibilities and keeps him in an advanced position to be a threat on the transition. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku endures another painful 90 minutes at a major tournament

“Romelu Lukaku wants to be considered one of the best strikers in the world and, by most metrics, he is. The 31-year-old has been a consistent scorer at every club he has played for and has had moments when he has appeared world-class. Unfortunately, the Belgian is prone to performances like Monday’s against Slovakia, when he looked a long way short of that exalted level while his team surprisingly lost 1-0 in their opening Euro 2024 group game. Domenico Tedesco’s side arrived at this tournament unbeaten in 14 matches (10 wins) and with an attacking plan catering to Lukaku’s strengths. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Romania 3 Ukraine 0: Stanciu’s scorcher, defensive steel and a memorable Romanian triumph

“Romania returned to the European Championship in rip-roaring style with a historic victory over Ukraine in Munich. Edward Iordanescu’s side failed to qualify for Euro 2020 and had only scored three goals in a European Championship match once before, during their famous 3-2 win over England at Euro 2000, but in Munich, they got their Euro 2024 campaign off to the perfect start courtesy of goals from Nicolae Stanciu, Razvan Marin and Denis Dragus. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian – ‘Radical change’: resurgent Romania seek to forge new legacy at Euro 2024

England start Euro 2024 with a win – but there was that familiar issue of losing control

Harry Kane
“Jude Bellingham wasn’t having it. He wasn’t having Serbia forcing their way back into this match and, once it was over, he wasn’t having anyone rain on his or England’s parade. It was put to him in the post-match news conference that while the first half against Serbia had shown why England are among the favourites to win Euro 2024, the second half had shown the shortcomings that might ultimately be their undoing. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Jude Bellingham gives England winning start but Serbia make Southgate sweat

Christian Eriksen shines and scores but Denmark held late on by Slovenia

“When Christian Eriksen collapsed in Denmark’s opening game of the European Championship three years ago, his unconscious body surrounded by his teammates as he received CPR, what then would have seemed a reasonable hope for the future? To survive? To lead a relatively normal life? To resume his career? Did anybody in those dreadful moments think he might play at Euro 2024? Even the most optimistic, surely, could not have foreseen a performance quite like this. But brilliant as Eriksen was, his display was not enough to deliver a win for Denmark. …”
Guardian

Wout Weghorst rescues Netherlands after Poland give them a shock

“There was the unforgettable star turn off the bench in the World Cup quarter-finals against Argentina in the artificial surrounds of Lusail, and now Wout Weghorst can stash away another compelling piece of evidence of his nose for goal in a Netherlands shirt at a major tournament. In Qatar, Weghorst scored his first goal within five minutes of coming off the bench; the second goal, straight off the training ground from a Teun Koopmeiners free-kick, came in the 11th minute of stoppage time to force extra time. …”
Guardian

Spain 3 Croatia 0: Lamine Yamal makes history as youngest Euros player – The Briefing

“It was the first real heavyweight meeting of Euro 2024 — and the result was much more one-sided than many expected. Spain got their campaign off to an impressive start with a 3-0 win over Croatia at Berlin’s Olympiastadion thanks to goals from Alvaro Morata, Fabian Ruiz and Dani Carvajal — all scored before half-time. Real Madrid full-back Carvajal’s strike was assisted by Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal, who became the youngest player at a European Championship, aged 16 years and 338 days old. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: De la Fuente delights in variety of Spain attack spearheaded by Lamine Yamal

Italy 2 Albania 1: Bajrami scores fastest goal in Euros history, Barella leads fightback – The Briefing

“If Italy wanted a wake-up call in their defence of the European Championship they got one — after 23 seconds. Nedim Bajrami stunned the holders when he capitalised on woeful defending to score the fastest goal in the tournament’s history. The response was simply brilliant from Luciano Spalletti’s team — Alessandro Bastoni heading them level after 11 minutes and Nicolo Barellafiring them in front five minutes later. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Italy bounce back from first-minute shock as Barella strike sinks Albania

Hungary 1 Switzerland 3: Duah gamble pays off and Embolo’s comeback – The Briefing

“Switzerland got their Euro 2024 off to a winning start thanks to a hugely impressive first-half performance from Murat Yakin’s team — and a welcome late return from Breel Embolo. Having gone 2-0 down in the first half, Hungary battled back after the break and halved the deficit through a Barnabas Varga header. There were some nervy moments for the Swiss until Embolo punished Willi Orban for a misplaced header and lifted in a third on his first international appearance since the 2022 World Cup. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian – Breel Embolo: the rebellious Swiss striker with a charitable cause

Germany 5 Scotland 1 – Germany’s new era, Scotland’s nightmare and why is Kroos retiring? – The Briefing

“Euro 2024 got underway on Friday night as tournament hosts Germanytook on Scotland in Munich. Thousands of Scots had travelled to support their side in Bavaria, hoping to see a team — who have never previously progressed out of a group at an international tournament — record a famous result. Instead Germany taught them a footballing lesson, Julian Nagelsmann’s side 3-0 up at half-time and a man to the good after Ryan Porteous was sent off for a horror tackle on Ilkay Gundogan. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Germany look like a team intent on writing their own history

How is Uefa trying to make Euro 2024 more sustainable?

“‘The most sustainable European Championship of all time.’ It is a big statement, but that is Uefa’s aim for this summer’s tournament in Germany. To be the ‘most sustainable’ is, of course, difficult to quantify, with many factors involved. It is also hard to make comparisons because of the historical growth of the tournament. But, however Uefa defines it, European football’s governing body and German football are making big strides to reduce the impact of Euro 2024. What is being done? Sustainability has been an integral part of Euro 2024 since the 2018 bidding process, with its strategy focusing on environmental, social and governance pillars. …”
BBC

Euro 2024: 24 fans from 24 countries preview the tournament

“Fans from across Europe share their predictions for the Euros. Most are tipping France or England to be champions …”
Guardian

Oldest squad? Most caps? Player call-ups per club? Here’s your ultimate Euro 2024 data guide

“One player arrives at Euro 2024 with the best goals-per-cap rate, and it’s not Cristiano Ronaldo. One player will break the record as the oldest men’s player in European Championship history, and it’s… not Cristiano Ronaldo. Nearly one in five players competing in Germany play their club football in one country, but which one? Allow The Athletic to sprinkle some data-led seasoning on top of your tactical insights before the summer’s tournament, breaking down the make-up of each squad and providing some curious tidbits to fuel your excitement before the games begin. This is your definitive data guide to the squads at Euro 2024…”
NY Times/The Athletic

In Germany, football has made nationalism cool again. That’s why I’m dreading the Euros

German fans celebrate victory against Sweden during the 2006 World Cup.
“It was the summer I graduated from secondary school, when Germans openly displayed their patriotism for the first time in decades. I had survived Germany’s inherently racist education system, passed the final exams with acceptable grades, become the first in my working-class immigrant family to qualify for university. In short: I was ready to celebrate. That summer of 2006 was surprisingly summery for Germany, so my classmates and I spent June organising outdoor parties, the last before we moved away to pursue our studies in other cities. But it was also the summer when Germany hosted the football World Cup and it quickly seemed to infect almost everyone around me with an enthusiasm for the alleged greatness of the reunified country. Like zombies, my white classmates transformed into aggressively drunk nationalists and our graduation parties turned into occasions for them to celebrate their Germanness together. …”
Guardian

How to watch Euro 2024 and Copa América: A U.S.-centric guide to Fox’s perfect soccer storm

“You don’t need to be a sports television programmer to predict the dream of Fox Sports executives when it comes to this month’s UEFA Euro 2024 and the Copa América 2024 — both of which will be telecast on the networks of Fox Sports. But we decided to ask one anyway. Zac Kenworthy is the vice president of production for Fox Sports and one of the point persons for the network’s presentation of soccer. He naturally dreams of a long run for the U.S. men’s national team in Copa América — the top men’s soccer tournament for national teams in South America, plus additional invitees from the Americas — as well a famed team making its way to the final at the Euros — the quadrennial men’s tournament for European national teams. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Euro 2024: Complete guide to all 622 players

“Everything you need to know (and more) about every squad member in Germany. Click on the player pictures for a fuller profile and match ratings.”
Guardian

Euro 2024: a complete visual, audio guide to the stadiums

“Welcome to the Guardian’s Euro 2024 stadium guide, which will take you through the 10 venues being used for this summer’s tournament. Some of the names may look unfamiliar at first glance as Uefa avoid using stadium-specific sponsors for the tournament. …”
Guardian (Audio)

Georgia and Albania’s presence at Euro 2024 is sign of eastern resurgence – Jonathan Wilson

“On 14 July, the European champions will be crowned in Berlin. No one really expects a former communist country to win in the city whose division once symbolised the cold war but perhaps, finally, 35 years after the Wall came down, the eastern part of the continent is beginning from a football perspective to regather its strength. Not including Germany (two players in their provisional squad were born in the east), 11 of the 24 teams at the Euros will be from the former Soviet bloc, as opposed to eight in 2020 and 2016. Even including the two hosts, Poland and Ukraine, five of the 16 were from the east in 2012; there were five in 2008, 2004 and 1996 and four in 2000. …”
Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Euro 2024: F – Turkey, Georgia, Portugal, Czech Republic

Turkey Euro 2024 squad guide: ‘The Little Airplane’, silky playmakers and calls from Erdogan “The manager: The Little Airplane, as the 5ft 8in (173cm) Vincenzo Montella became known in his playing days because of his arms-out goal celebration, quickly achieved lift-off as Turkey manager after getting the job last September. The opening goal of his reign, by Baris Alper Yilmaz the following month, was historic in more ways than one, because it condemned Croatia to their first ever home defeat in a European Championship qualifier. Then in November, Turkey surprised Germany in another away game, coming from 1-0 down to win 3-2 in a Berlin friendly. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Georgia Euro 2024 squad guide: Kvaratskhelia in attack but defence is untested “The manager: If you lead a national team to their first major tournament, it is a fair bet that you will be adored. Former France full-back Willy Sagnol took over Georgia at a difficult time four years ago, when they had narrowly failed to qualify for Euro 2020 after losing to North Macedonia in their Path D play-off final. The game was delayed and played without fans because of Covid-19 restrictions, leaving Georgia without their vociferous home support. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Portugal Euro 2024 squad guide: The complete package, if the balance is right “The manager: After falling short of winning a title with one country’s ‘golden generation’ of players, Roberto Martinez is now tasked with going one better with another set. Martinez led Belgium to the top of FIFA’s world rankings and kept them there for more than half of his six-year tenure but, across three major tournaments, they couldn’t go that final step. They lost to World Cup winners France in the semi-finals in 2018 and European Championshipwinners Italy in the quarters in 2021. Martinez’s reign ended horribly in 2022 with an embarrassing group-stage exit from the Qatar World Cup, bowing out after drawing 0-0 with Croatia when the only target Romelu Lukaku hit was the dugout in a post-match rage. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Czech Republic Euro 2024 squad guide: Expect unadulterated no-thrills football “The manager: ‘The pressure was already enormous. Sometimes, I didn’t understand it myself.’ Those were the words of Jaroslav Silhavy, who stepped down as Czech Republic head coach in November after successfully qualifying for Euro 2024. In his place came the experienced Ivan Hasek, 60, a former midfielder who captained Czechoslovakia to the World Cup quarter-finals in 1990. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Euro 2024: F – Belgium, Ukraine, Romania, Slovakia

Belgium Euro 2024 squad guide: Talisman Lukaku, Bakayoko one to watch – but Courtois left out “The manager: Marc Wilmots and Roberto Martinez finished empty-handed despite having Belgium’s golden generation in their prime. Now, Domenico Tedesco has the task of trying to claim the national team’s first major silverware with its remaining stars now the wrong side of 30 and their successors still growing into their potential. Belgium are yet to lose a game since Tedesco took over in February 2023, with the new man typically setting up his team in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Ukraine Euro 2024 guide: A strong squad and La Liga’s top scorer – but the war weighs heavy “The manager: There was an element of destiny to Sergei Rebrov becoming Ukraine’s head coach. Andriy Shevchenko had a go, leading his country at the last European Championship, but his former strike partner and fellow national hero took over in 2023. If it was a sentimental appointment, you can understand why: if ever a national team needed an emotional connection to its manager, it is Ukraine right now. The war with Russia is into its third year and they have not played a genuine home game since March 2022. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Romania Euro 2024 squad guide: Iordanescu has a settled defence but Coman could star “The manager: The name of Romania’s coach might ring a bell. Probably not from his playing career: Edward Iordanescu was a journeyman midfielder who shuttled around a series of relatively minor Romanian clubs. Maybe not even for his coaching career either: he won the league with CFR Cluj in 2021, but otherwise there’s not much that would stand out to an outside observer. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Slovakia Euro 2024 squad guide: A familiar blend of experience led by a former coffee-seller “The manager: There can’t be many more unusual stories in international management than Francesco Calzona. Calzona didn’t have much of a playing career to speak of and, in fact, split his younger days between amateur football and selling coffee. He eventually became part of Maurizio Sarri’s coaching staff at five clubs, including his most successful years at Napoli, which is where the seeds of his appointment as Slovakia manager were sown. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Euro 2024: D – France, Netherlands, Poland, Austria

France Euro 2024 squad guide: A squad of stars. Proven winners. All other teams, beware “The manager: Didier Deschamps is the third longest-serving manager of a European nation and has overseen France’s return to the top of the world game. He was appointed in 2012, in the aftermath of a chaotic World Cup in South Africa two years prior. Blessed with an outstanding talent pool, he has turned France into a team to be feared again. His winning mentality was forged by a hugely successful playing career, which saw him win the Champions League twice, with Marseille and Juventus, before his crowning moment at the World Cup in 1998, where he lifted the trophy as captain of the national team on home soil. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Netherlands Euro 2024 squad guide: Big names like Van Dijk and De Jong, but still lacking firepower “The manager: When Koeman arrived for his second term as Netherlands manager, replacing a 71-year-old Louis van Gaal who had just completed three spells, it caused little excitement. Koeman returned to the role off the back of failures in his last two club roles — at Everton and Barcelona — though his short spell in charge of the national team between 2018 and 2020 was more successful than might have been remembered. After missing out on qualification to the 2016 Euros and 2018 World Cup, the 61-year-old ensured a no-drama qualification for the delayed finals of Euro 2020, though stepped down to take over at Barcelona before the tournament. He also led the Netherlands to the final of the first Nations League in 2019. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Poland Euro 2024 squad guide: Few strengths beyond a fading Lewandowski and a very tough group “The manager: Michal Probierz likes a 3-5-2 — and a controversial remark. Probierz was a promotion from within. In September 2023, he was coach of Poland’s under-21s when Fernando Santos was dismissed. Santos, who led Portugal to their unlikely Euro 2016 success, was not popular. His team were not good, either. A friendly win over a very poor Germany was a rare high point of a nine-month reign and Santos was sacked following an awful 2-0 defeat to Albania in their European Championship qualifying group. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Austria Euro 2024 squad guide: Revitalised under Rangnick and eyeing upsets in Group D “The manager: After working in club football for the best part of four decades, his six months managing Manchester United in the 2021-22 season appear to have put Ralf Rangnick off. Over the past two years, he has shifted into the international game for the first time, preparing Austria for a close-to-home European Championshipjust over their northern border and, whisper it, appears to have positioned them in something approaching the ‘dark horses’ category… if they can get out of a really tough group also containing France, the Netherlands and Poland. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Euro 2024: C – England, Denmark, Serbia, Slovenia

England Euro 2024 squad guide: More justifiable tournament favourites than ever before “The manager: This will be Gareth Southgate’s fourth major tournament with England. No manager has taken the team to as many since Sir Alf Ramsey. Whatever happens in Germany, Southgate is the most consequential England manager of the modern era and this will be the tournament that defines his legacy and his future. His contract expires at the end of this year and if England disappoint in Germany, that will be the end of his eight-year tenure. He may leave with a sense of not quite fulfilling the resources available to him, but if England win — or get close — this summer, then a contract extension is on the cards and one last attempt at the World Cup in the U.S. in two years’ time. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Denmark Euro 2024 squad guide: A lack of evolution fuels doubts hanging over Hjulmand’s side “The manager: Kasper Hjulmand has been in the job almost four years and is now leading Denmark to what will be, slightly surprisingly, their first back-to-back European Championship appearances since they competed in the 2000 and 2004 editions. However, his popularity is on the wane and the mood surrounding him is not what it was back in 2021. Denmark’s progress through to the semi-finals of those Euros certainly occurred under exceptional circumstances following Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest during their opening group match on home turf in Copenhagen, but it also created a swell of goodwill around the team which would actually flow into Danish football as a whole. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Serbia Euro 2024 squad guide: Tactical issues, a defensive shortage and an unpopular manager “The manager: Dragan Stojkovic is not popular. This is the second successive tournament that he has taken Serbia to. Nevertheless, his team have been in a lull since Qatar, where they failed to win any of their games (against Brazil, Cameroon and Switzerland). They qualified for Germany in second place, but they still lost home and away to Hungary, displaying tactical issues that continue to compromise their talent. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Slovenia Euro 2024 squad guide: Oblak and Sesko give these underdogs real bite “The manager: If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. Whether that is Slovenia coach Matjaz Kek’s motto, it certainly applies as, in his second spell in charge of his homeland’s national team, he has got them to the Euros at the third attempt. His first crack at the job — which began in 2007 and included their qualification for the 2010 World Cup — ended in 2011 following the failure to reach the following summer’s Euros. He returned in late 2018 and while he was unable to guide the team to Euro 2020, they won Nations League promotion to its second tier in 2021 and are now off to only their second European Championship, after their debut in the 2000 tournament. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Euro 2024: B – Italy, Spain, Croatia, Albania

Italy Euro 2024 squad guide: Trepidation for a team yet to be moulded in Luciano Spalletti’s image “The manager: Luciano Spalletti was supposed to be on sabbatical. He left newly-crowned Serie A champions Napoli last summer with the intention of spending a year on his country estate in Tuscany. The only vintage Spalletti planned to concern himself with was the latest Sangiovese from his vineyard. Not the 2024 Azzurri. But in August, the president of the Italian FA, Gabriele Gravina, called. Roberto Mancini had quit, citing differences over a reshuffle of his coaching staff. A reshuffle he initially endorsed. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Spain Euro 2024 squad guide: A teenage record-breaker and Rodri in the middle, but the scandal lingers “The manager: Even Luis de la Fuente himself was surprised when he was promoted to take over Spain’s senior team by Luis Rubiales, who had fired previous coach Luis Enrique following Spain’s last-16 exit to Morocco at the 2022 World Cup. De la Fuente was a double La Liga champion at left-back with Athletic Bilbao in the early 1980s. After moving into coaching, he worked with different generations of Spain’s national teams, winning an Under-19 European Championships in 2015, the Under-21 Euros four years later and getting the under-23s to the final of the most recent Olympics in 2021. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Croatia Euro 2024 squad guide: One last hurrah or a tournament too far? “The manager: Zlatko Dalic is the third longest-serving international manager at Euro 2024 and it’s a testament to what he has achieved with Croatia that he remains one of the most popular in his homeland. That would have been tough to predict when he was appointed in 2017, with his previous jobs being boss of Slaven Belupo, Al Faisaly, Al Hilal and Al Ain. He won the UAE Pro League with the latter and a report in Croatia at the time of his appointment with the national team stated he had earned enough money for three lifetimes, let alone one, which was helpful because the Croatian FA didn’t have much to pay him at the time. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Albania Euro 2024 squad guide: A group of unlikely heroes in more ways than one “The manager: Sylvinho! You know, the old Arsenal and Barcelona left-back? Yeah, he’s Albania’s manager. Interesting, right? The Brazilian’s playing days ended in 2010 after a brief stint at Manchester City, then he spent the best part of a decade earning his corn as a coach at Cruzeiro, Sport Recife and Nautico in Brazil, then as Roberto Mancini’s assistant at Inter Milan, then Tite’s assistant with the Brazil national team. …”

Euro 2024: A – Germany, Scotland, Switzerland, Hungary

Germany Euro 2024 team guide: Wirtz and Musiala provide spark but defence is a concern “The manager. It’s strange to talk of a 36-year-old manager or head coach as being in a career recovery phase — and perhaps that is too strong a term — but Julian Nagelsmann is certainly on the rebound after leaving Bayern Munich. Until that sacking in March 2023, Bayern had just seemed like the natural next step of his ascension. It was not to be. Amid grumbling about his clothes, his temper and, in one instance, his skateboarding, the shine came off the penny when he was fired just 18 months on from his appointment. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Scotland Euro 2024 team guide: Greater than the sum of their parts and aiming high “The manager. As the man who took Scotland to their first major tournament in 23 years, Steve Clarke’s legacy was secured the moment David Marshall saved the decisive penalty in the qualification play-off shootout against Serbia in November 2020. Making it to back-to-back Euros has elevated him to certified royalty, but a run into the knockout stages this summer would see him go down as arguably the best manager in Scotland’s history. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Switzerland Euro 2024 team guide: An under-fire manager and an underpowered front line “The manager. Quite a few people in Switzerland are surprised that Murat Yakin is still there. As a playing great for the national team, his appointment in 2021 was welcomed but after being pulverised 6-1 by Portugal in the round of 16 at the World Cup, the last year or so has been a disaster. In their last seven qualifiers, they only beat Andorra and limped to the tournament by finishing second in a weak group. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Hungary Euro 2024 team guide: Solid foundations and Szoboszlai magic cause for hope “The manager. ‘He could be filmed knocking over grandmothers in front of parliament, and people would still love him,’ says one supporter, summarising the popularity of Hungary head coach Marco Rossi. The 59-year-old Italian has been in charge since 2018 — making him the country’s longest-serving coach since the legendary Lajos Baroti in the 1960s, who was the final manager of a golden generation known as the Mighty Magyars. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Ranking the best and worst Euro 2024 home kits: a diaper, a wrestling outfit and a beautiful QR code

“The European Championships are almost upon us. Where the continent’s best and brightest gather to decide once and for all (or until 2028) who is the top dog. You have probably done all your research on the players and the teams and the tactics, so now it’s time to judge their outfits. And we’ve got some bad news for you folks: this has not been a vintage year for home kits. Too many templates, too many dull shirts, not much to get you excited about. And then there’s the kit that will make the players look like they’re wearing a diaper. So read on, and judge for yourselves…”
NY Times/The Athletic

Euro 2024 favourites: how England, France, Spain and others are shaping up

Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsi has earned a first senior Spain.
“The last international break before the end of the European club season will give those national teams who fancy their chances of winning Euro 2024 a vital opportunity to try out new players, and maybe swing the axe at a few of the old guard, too. France — World Cup finalists in 2022 — will be looking to finesse a seriously impressive squad, Euro 2020 runners-up England will be plotting to go one better this time around, while tournament masters Germany will be desperate to improve on the disappointments of the last European Championship and World Cup. The Athletic assesses how those teams and the tournament’s other big hitters are shaping up… ”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

Euro 2024 state of play: How the eight favourites are shaping up with 100 days to go

“Do England have enough cover at centre-back to be contenders? Will Kylian Mbappe’s reduced minutes at Paris Saint-Germain as his summer exit looms have an impact on France? What about the Euro 2024 hosts — can Julian Nagelsmann settle on a system and starting XI with only 100 days to go until Germany kick things off against Scotland in Munich on June 14? And, most importantly, will Italy’s players be allowed to play Call of Duty between their games? Our experts look at how the eight favourites are shaping up ahead of this summer’s tournament…”
The Athletic

Tear gas, cages and midnight lock-ins: The reality of being an away fan in Europe

“Penned in cages. Tear-gassed by police. Forced to queue for hours by heavy-handed stewards. Locked in stadiums until midnight and enduring transport chaos. This has been the reality of life for travelling supporters in European competition this season, with seemingly every fanbase having a horror story at their treatment by host clubs or local security forces. When set against a general backdrop of disorder across the continent — from fatal stabbings in France to games being played behind closed doors in Greece or called off altogether in Turkey — it appears that life for away fans in Europe is grimmer than ever. So, what is the reality? In the last week, The Athletic attended three games in two countries — Napoli vs Braga and Atletico Madrid vs Lazio in the Champions League, and Real Betis vs Rangers in the Europa League. This is what we discovered. …”
The Athletic

Euro 2024 draw analysis: Spain, Italy, Croatia in toughest group, England happy, France v Netherlands

“A virtual ‘group of death’ for Spain, Italy and Croatia, a kind draw for England and a juicy meeting between France and the Netherlands were some of the highlights of the Euro 2024 draw. Our expert panel of James Horncastle, Raphael Honigstein, Matt Slater, Dermot Corrigan and Mark Critchley assembled to offer their verdict on what lies ahead in Germany next summer — from the players who can make the tournament their own, which group they consider the toughest, and, crucially, who they are backing to win it. …”
The Athletic
W – UEFA Euro 2024