Euro 2024 Final Round-Up

The Euros is over and we have our winners. Spain are European Champions and to be honest, deservedly so. They were the best team throughout the tournament beating some of Europe’s best teams and dominating every game they played. On paper, they may not have the best team, but what they do in comparison to a lot of teams throughout the Euros is that they play together and have a style of play which isn’t reliant on an individuals skill. England finished runners-up for the second Euros in a row but were lucky to even get to the final this time round. Throughout the tournament, they haven’t looked amazing and have relied on special moments to get to the final. As everyone knows, this style is not sustainable and will eventually fail as seen in the final.

Spain vs England (2-1)

My Man of the Match – Fabian Ruiz & Nico Williams

The first half was a very edgy affair where neither team looked great and both teams seemed reluctant to take a risk in fear of making a mistake. However, it has got to be said that even when not looking their best, Spain were still the better team who looked the most threatening. They dominated possession, pressed well and were impressive with their intricacy in attack. England defended well whilst getting plenty of numbers behind the ball and crowding out the Spanish attack. However, attack-wise, they were restricted to playing the long ball in an attempt to trigger a quick counter. This style of play struggles to get the likes of Harry Kane involved in the game and puts a lot of pressure on the wingers to create opportunities for themselves. The wingers could not do this with the final ball always being poor and the Spanish defence rarely being tested.  

The biggest worry for Spain came during the halftime break when news broke that potentially the World’s best midfielder Rodri had to come off injured. However, Martin Zubimendi put in a shift in midfield and really took on the Rodri role well. Furthermore, Fabian Ruiz used his experience to offer cover for the missing Rodri and took the reigns of the match. He dominated the centre of the pitch and, what’s more, kept on popping up all

over the pitch in vital positions offering an extra man in both attack and defence. As seen on the radar, he was the perfect box-to-box midfield being vital at both ends and was easily the best midfielder on the pitch. In comparison to the likes of Mainoo, Rice and Zubimendi the only player who came close was Rice, but Ruiz offered so much more in build-up play with his passing and footballing mindset. He makes every pass look simple with the wide range of passes he has in his locker and his footballing mind which can see the game in differently to everyone else on the pitch.

The second half of the game was a lot better than the first as England looked to take a few more risks with both Watkins and Palmer being brought on who when on to make a positive difference. However, they still couldn’t compete with Spain’s speed, press and structure which went on to win them the game. They attacked fast but also were offensively precise and fluid. The wingers were given free roam of both sides of the pitch whilst Olmo sat in well behind the striker picking up loose balls and playing creative passes. One player in the attack whose work rate will often go under the radar is Spanish captain Morata. He occupied the defence throughout his time on the pitch whilst dropping deep to get involved in the build-up play. His positioning allowed the wingers to get further forward and provide the goal threat that Morata was missing. He has done this throughout the tournament and was vital in Spain scoring a record 15 goals during these Euros. For England, John Stones had a good game with a lot of last-ditch challenges whilst blocking 2 shots and making 8 clearances. He clearly understood the Spanish press and how attempting to play out of defence could lead to a lot of trouble and create unneeded risk.

Another star of the show during this game was young winger Nico Williams. He was a

danger throughout the entire with his speed, dribbling and work rate. He never gave Kyle

Walker any time off and even got himself a well-taken goal. With Walker, due to his speed, he leaves a lot of space behind under the assumption that he can recover quickly, however, against someone as fast as Williams, this doesn’t work. Williams exploited the space to perfection and positioning to drag Spain up the pitch. He created 2 big chances, made 3 passes in the penalty area (most for Spain), made 6 shot-creating actions (most for Spain) and took on the English defence 4 times (also most for Spain). He has used Euro 2024 as his break-out tournament and it worked as there are plenty of big clubs circulating around him now. All in all, Spain deserved to win this game and are the rightful European Champions.