Euro 2024 Semifinals Analysis and Final Outlook
What was your main takeaway from the semifinals?
Gab Marcotti: Its an obvious cliché, but goals change games ... especially when they come out of nowhere. We saw that with both Lamine Yamals equaliser for Spain vs. France in Munich and Ollie Watkins late winner for England vs. Netherlands. And, as a corollary, quality matters. When teams defend well, it takes something special to score. Yamal, Watkins and Dani Olmo (note the control in the lead-up to his winner) delivered that.
Sam Marsden: Obviously the match winners will take the plaudits, but lets talk about Rodri for a minute. Once again the defensive midfielder was brilliant for Spain against France. Its not just what he does with the ball, its what he does without it and how he talks his teammates through the game. With Brazils Vinícius Júnior out of the Copa América and Jude Bellingham not having the greatest tournament so far for England, the Ballon dOr race could open up again. Why not give it to Rodri, a Premier League winner with Manchester City, if Spain win the Euros? Its certainly been a talking point in all recent Spain news conferences.
Mark Ogden: That players are being pushed to the point of exhaustion and beyond. Harry Kane, Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé and others have looked well short of their best in Germany. Kane and Bellingham, in particular, really struggled in their semifinal and fatigue is clearly an issue for both of them. They both have a 32-team Club World Cup to look forward to next season and the 2026 World Cup a year later. Footballers need a break, otherwise the game will suffer.
James Olley: Genuine pleasure for Gareth Southgate. There has been plenty to question the 53-year-old about during these finals, as England pretty much stunk the place out until the quarterfinals. But somehow -- and, yes, theres been luck involved and a favourable draw -- he has England in the final in Berlin. His tournament record now reads: semifinal, final, quarterfinal, final. The class of players he has at his disposal demanded a deep run in Germany and, after fierce personal criticism, Southgate has delivered that. Whether he can end Englands 58-year wait for a major mens honour remains to be seen, and his weaknesses may yet be exposed. But Southgate is a decent, principled man who genuinely cares about his role and clearly has the players support. If he really has them peaking at the right time, all will be forgiven.
Julien Laurens: France boss Didier Deschamps has been telling us all tournament that as long as he wins matches, we cant argue with his defensive tactics. Well, he has stopped winning now, so we can criticise him. His substitutions against Spain were terrible, his in-game management was shocking, while his idea was clearly that Plan A, B and C were built around Mbappé. But his captain didn't show up and Deschamps didn't change anything. He will stay in charge and after four semifinals in the last five tournaments, his results are there. But things have to change for the 2026 World Cup.
