Many people watching Euro 2024 feel that the star players and top teams haven’t performed as well as expected. There are several important reasons for this.
Firstly, as we are in July, many club teams are starting their pre-season training. However, for players in national teams of Germany, last season is still on. Some players are playing their 60th or 70th game of the season, which makes them very tired. This fatigue is especially noticeable during the hot summer months.
It’s important to understand that we are not seeing the best versions of these teams and players right now. The thrilling performances we see in the Champions League and Premier League are not happening at this tournament. This is crucial to keep in mind when judging their performances.
Tournament football is similar to the last part of a regular season when teams are competing for titles, promotions, relegations, and European spots. During this time, getting results is more important than playing beautifully. As a result, the football we see now is focused on getting results, which might not be as entertaining as we would like.
Many people watching Euro 2024 feel that the star players and top teams haven’t performed as well as expected. There are several important reasons for this.
Firstly, as it is July, many club teams are starting their pre-season training. However, for players in Germany’s national teams, the last season is still on. Some players are playing their 60th or 70th game in this season, which makes them very tired. This fatigue is especially noticeable during the hot summer months.
It’s important to understand that we are not seeing the best versions of these teams and players. The thrilling performances in the Champions League and Premier League are not happening at this tournament. This is crucial to keep in mind when judging their performances.
Tournament football is similar to the last part of a regular season, when teams compete for titles, promotions, relegations, and European spots. During this time, getting results is more important than playing beautifully. As a result, the football we see now is focused on getting results, which might not be as much entertaining as we would like.
Teams prioritize being strong defensively before trying to play more creatively. The Champions League final often shows this: despite featuring some of the best teams in Europe, the match rarely lives up to the talent on the field because the stakes are so high, and players are afraid of making mistakes.
At Euro 2024, players and managers seem reluctant to take risks. They know that it could be very hard to come back if they fall behind. When playing against smaller or mid-ranking nations, fans might expect an open, attacking style. However, these teams have been tough and solid defensively. For example, Slovenia lost to Portugal on penalties but remained unbeaten in their four games. This makes it difficult for the bigger teams to break them down.
Improving international football to make it more exciting is a good discussion to have, but this is the reality of the game now. Despite this, there is still a lot to enjoy about major tournaments. Fans from every nation have brought energy and noise to the stadiums in Germany, similar to what we saw at Euro 2016 in France.
International football has its appeal, including tactical strategies and having star players doesn’t guarantee success. While fans often focus on attackers, some of the best defensive players in Europe are also on display. These defenders and managers ensure their style of play doesn’t benefit the opposition. For instance, a great dribbler rarely faces a one-on-one situation because the opposition always double-team them.
In international football, making it difficult for the opposition often means becoming hard to beat, which increases the chances of winning. Some might think that having more attack-minded high level managers would make the game more entertaining. However, cultural factors influence how different nations play, and international audiences’ expectations differ from those of Premier League fans.
Recently, the discussion around England’s performance has highlighted this issue. People tend to focus more on the team’s performance rather than the results. However, in the final stages of a tournament, a positive result is the main goal. For example, England could have played better in the Euro 2020 final against Italy but only lost on penalties. If they had won the shootout, few would criticize their performance. This shows the importance of grinding out results, which is a valuable skill in the final stages of a tournament.
Teams prioritize being strong defensively before trying to play more creatively. The Champions League final often shows this: despite featuring some of the best teams in Europe, the match rarely lives up to the talent on the field because the stakes are so high, and players are afraid of making mistakes.
At Euro 2024, players and managers seem reluctant to take risks. They know that if they fall behind, it could be very hard to come back. When playing against smaller or mid-ranking nations, fans might expect an open, attacking style. However, these teams have been tough and solid defensively. For example, Slovenia lost to Portugal on penalties but remained unbeaten in their four games. This makes it difficult for the bigger teams to break them down.
Improving international football to make it more exciting is a good discussion to have, but this is the reality of the game now. Despite this, there is still a lot to enjoy about major tournaments. Fans from every nation have brought energy and noise to the stadiums in Germany, similar to what we saw at Euro 2016 in France.
International football has its own appeal, including tactical strategies and the fact that having star players doesn’t guarantee success. While fans often focus on attackers, some of the best defensive players in Europe are also on display. These defenders and managers ensure their style of play doesn’t benefit the opposition. For instance, a great dribbler will rarely face a one-on-one situation because the opposition will always double-team them.
In international football, making it difficult for the opposition often means becoming hard to beat, which increases the chances of winning. Some might think that having more attack-minded elite managers would make the game more entertaining. However, cultural factors influence how different nations play, and the expectations of international audiences are different from those of Premier League fans.
Recently, the discussion around England’s performance has highlighted this issue. People tend to focus more on how the team plays rather than the results. However, in the final stages of a tournament, a positive result is the main goal. For example, in the Euro 2020 final against Italy, England didn’t play their best but only lost on penalties. If they had won the shootout, few would criticize their performance. This shows the importance of being able to grind out results, which is a valuable skill in the final stages of a tournament.
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