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By Jonathan Lewis | 9th July 2024
It was amazing to hear that Didier Deschamps, the France head coach who guided his country to the World Cup final in 2022, had to defend his playing style at EURO 2024.
Les Bleus failed to score a goal from open play in any of their opening five games at the tournament, leading to one journalist to quiz Deschamps about his side’s ‘boring’ style. “If you are bored, watch another game – you don’t have to watch us, it’s fine,” the head coach clapped back.
England boss Gareth Southgate was forced to defend his team against similar accusations, but both the Three Lions and France took up their place in the semi-finals at the EUROs – suggesting that their style, like it or not, was a successful one in Germany.
So should we brace ourselves for the era of boring football in big tournaments?
The X Factor
It’s interesting how perceived entertainment impacts those that have a football bet.
Before the tournament, most of the EURO 2024 winner bets were placed on England and France – the two teams that had taken the most flak for their conservative style. Meanwhile Spain, one of the more swashbuckling sides, had been backed into 15/8 favouritism prior to the semi-finals by punters.
Spain also led the way in the Expected Goals (xG) charts leading into the last four, confirming their ability to fashion clearcut goalscoring chances. However, that metric wasn’t exactly prescriptive of success – the team’s ranked second and third, Germany and Portugal, were dumped out of EURO 2024 in the quarter-finals. England, meanwhile, marched into the semis despite ranking just tenth in the xG standings.
France players have scored 0 goals from 8.18 non-penalty xG at Euro 2024.
— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) July 5, 2024
A more basic stat was a better predictor of success at the tournament – goals conceded. Of the teams that played five or more games at EURO 2024, Spain and France had the joint-best tally and England ranked tied-fourth; confirming that conceding fewer goals is a highway to success in these knockout-style competitions.
Is it any wonder that some of the best football-playing nations on the planet have begun to adopt such a negative philosophy on the pitch?
Front Foot Forward
Quite where this more conservative approach has come from is anybody’s guess.
The 2022 World Cup saw more goals scored than any other edition of the tournament – finalists Argentina and, yes, Deschamps’ France, in particular attacked with gusto out in Qatar.
They both scored two or more goals in every round of the knockout phase of the competition; even in that incredible final between them, which ended 2-2 after 90 minutes of play and 3-3 following a period of extra time.
In less than two years, Deschamps has repackaged France from incredible entertainers to purveyors of ‘boring’ football… or has he?
England players are tired They drop too deep and struggle to press with intensity and energy – it’s the same old story at a major tournament. Here’s why: https://t.co/oCKiEZqeGd
— Mark Ogden (@MarkOgden_) June 24, 2024
The 2022 World Cup, you’ll recall, took place in November and December – just a few months after the players had enjoyed a summer break.
But since then, they’ve had to finish that hectic 2022/23 domestic campaign, satisfy pre-season obligations all over the planet and then play out 2023/24 – which went on late into May and even June in some cases.
Many of the leading players in Europe need a rest… is it any wonder that the overriding theme of EURO 2024 has been of defensive organisation and energy preservation?
Jonathan Lewis is an MFF sports writer
Source : MyFootballFacts