FROM GREECE TO ARGENTINA: HOW TEAMS HAVE WON TOURNAMENTS IN LAST 20 YEARS

As England prepare to face Switzerland in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 on Saturday, Gareth Southgate finds himself being inundated with advice from all quarters. But should he really throw caution to the wind and rip up his teamsheet while also playing a left footer at left-back? We look back at the previous 10 major international tournaments across the previous 20 years for a possible template for glory.

Euro 2004: Greece

Otto Rehhagel’s Greece finished as they started, clinching the trophy courtesy of a 1-0 victory against their Portuguese hosts. Exhibiting perfect synchronicity, “King Otto’s” deeply unfancied side had beaten Portugal by the same score in Group A’s tournament opener. They proceeded to draw with Spain and lose to Russia, finishing second in the group before really hitting their stride and recording a trio of 1-0 knockout wins against France, the Czech Republic and, ultimately, Portugal. Their German coach claimed to have little interest in tactics but confused opponents by deploying a man-marking system while playing 4-5-1 against lone strikers and 5-4-1 when confronted with front twos. With sometime sweeper Traianos Dellas shining in central defence and Angelos Charisteas, scorer of the winner in the final, a specialist at heading goals from crosses and corners, Rehhagel reminded everyone that, sometimes, sitting deep before eventually undoing opponents with ultra-direct counterattacks really works. Fortune does not always favour the brave.

Related: Euro 2024 power rankings: how the teams in the last 16 shaped up

World Cup 2006: Italy

During a month in Germany, Marcello Lippi’s Italy conceded only once from open play – and that was an own goal in a draw against the United States during a group stage also featuring wins against Ghana and the Czech Republic. After topping Group E, Australia were dispatched 1-0 and Ukraine 3-0 before a 2-0 semi-final victory over the hosts. The final against France saw the Azzurri fall behind to a controversial Zinedine Zidane penalty before Marco Materrazi’s equaliser prefaced an impasse eventually ended by Italy’s 5-3 triumph on penalties. That final is remembered for Zidane’s extra-time sending off for butting Materrazi in the chest but Fabio Cannavaro’s outstanding defending and Gianluigi Buffon’s brilliant goalkeeping proved the bedrocks of a campaign featuring Lippi’s highly innovative interpretation of 4-4-2. By accommodating two wonderful playmakers, Andrea Pirlo and Francesco Totti, stationed at the base and apex of midfield respectively, that formation bewitched fans and bewildered opponents in equal measure.

Euro 2008: Spain

Tiki-taka was born on the international stage in Austria and Switzerland as Luis Aragones proved you do not have to be young to be modern. As his 70th birthday beckoned, Spain’s previously pragmatic coach adjusted his tactics to the team’s personnel. Possession, short, slick passing and plenty of inter-match positional rotation became the order of the day, protected by Marcos Senna’s midfield anchoring ability while Xavi, Andrés Iniesta and David Silva ran rings around rivals and provided David Villa and Fernando Torres with the through-balls they craved. After topping Group D thanks to wins against Russia, Sweden and Greece, Spain survived a tough quarter-final against Italy, prevailing 4-2 on penalties following 120 goal-free minutes. All that remained was a 3-0 semi-final canter against Russia and a 1-0 final win against Germany with Torres scoring the winner to usher in a new era of Spanish tactical dominance.

World Cup 2010: Spain

A Spain side now coached by Vicente Del Bosque recovered from a 1-0 opening defeat to Switzerland to top Group H following restorative wins against Honduras and Chile. Despite much aesthetically pleasing kaleidoscopic passing and drifting between the lines, Del Bosque’s players proved surprisingly efficient, keeping five clean sheets and scoring only eight goals in seven games. The knockout rounds involved Spain registering successive 1-0 victories against Portugal, Paraguay, Germany and the Netherlands. The bruising, yellow card-strewn final against a combative Dutch team was dubbed a “battle for football’s soul” and, following the Netherlands’ reduction to 10 men, was won by Iniesta’s goal, deep in extra time. Del Bosque dubbed Spain’s first World Cup triumph “a reward for beautiful football” but subsequently acknowledged: “We had a lot of luck along the way, I believe we were pre-destined to win.”

Euro 2012: Spain

Spain’s third successive major tournament win involved Del Bosque’s exquisite creation continuing to blindside opponents by continuing to defy the game’s longstanding conventions and orthodoxies. A 4-0 final victory against Italy in the final showcased a Spanish starting XI lacking a specialist forward. Instead, a front three of Silva, Iniesta and Cesc Fàbregas shattered the Azzurri’s midfield diamond, yet a showpiece staged across Poland and Ukraine did not prove entirely plain sailing. Admittedly, Del Bosque’s finely turned orchestra topped Group C after drawing with Italy and beating Republic of Ireland and Croatia, and an often-breathtaking change of pace dispatched France 2-0 in the quarter-finals. But a bad-tempered and less than fluent semi-final against Portugal ended 0-0 after extra time, leading to a penalty shootout Spain eventually won 4-2. The final reflected the winners’ imperious talents, with Del Bosque’s 4-6-0 formation not merely proving one of football’s most courageous tactical ploys but presenting Italy with an arguably impossible challenge. Elevated to new heights, tiki-taka had reached a zenith.

World Cup 2014: Germany

Two things gradually became clear in Brazil: Germany’s head coach, Joachim Löw, had a strong bench and he knew how to use it. The prime example arrived in the final. With the game against Argentina goalless, Löw introduced Mario Götze in the 88th minute and challenged him to upstage Lionel Messi. Götze’s 113th-minute strike not only secured the trophy for Germany but emphasised that this was a triumph of teamwork. Back in an era when Germany’s trains still ran like clockwork, Löw’s team presented similar efficiency. With Toni Kroos frequently dictating an elegant midfield, they topped Group G thanks to wins against Portugal and the US either side of a draw with Ghana. A perhaps unexpectedly tight 2-1 last-16 win against Algeria after extra time preceded a 1-0 quarter-final undoing of France and then, the pièce de résistance; a 7-1 semi-final thrashing of Brazil. Southgate will doubtless be aware that, despite being primarily right-footed and more usually deployed in central defence or at right back, Benedikt Höwedes proved a mainstay of Low’s team at left-back.

Euro 2016: Portugal

Despite only being in the lead for 11% of their time on the pitch in France, and seeing Cristiano Ronaldo depart the field on a stretcher in the final against the hosts, Portugal somehow ended up lifting the trophy. It seemed emblematic that the then Lille forward Éder, scorer of the decisive goal as Fernando Santos’s side prevailed 1-0 in extra time in the final, had recently been described by the South Wales Echo as “one of the most disappointing signings” in Swansea’s history. Indeed no one - except perhaps Ronaldo - imagined Portugal finishing first after they finished third in Group F following draws with Iceland, Austria and Hungary. Nonetheless, as one of the best third-place finishers, Santos’s side proved defence really can be the best form of attack as Ronaldo and co overcame Croatia 1-0 after extra time in the last 16, defeated Poland on penalties in the quarter-final and beat Wales 2-0 in the semi-finals.

Related: Is Cristiano Ronaldo’s unquestioned starting role really Portugal’s best route to success?

World Cup 2018: France

Didier Deschamps’s streetwise France emphasised they could both win ugly and turn on the style as Kylian Mbappé announced himself on the international stage, dissecting defences with his skill-suffused pace and Deschamps showed managerial counterparts precisely how to unlock Paul Pogba’s mercurial midfield talent. Les Bleus limbered up by topping Group C, beating Australia and Peru before drawing with Denmark. Argentina were beaten 4-3 as an awkward knockout route subsequently saw Uruguay beaten 2-0 and Belgium 1-0 before a Luka Modric inspired Croatia were sunk 4-2 in the final. There were a few nervous moments along the way but it was difficult to argue that a France side often brilliant in transition were anything less than worthy winners.

Euro 2020: Italy

The value of practising penalties was highlighted as Italy won a tournament postponed until 2021 because of Covid. This was a highly unusual Euros that saw teams traverse the continent, shuttling back and forward between 11 host cities, culminating in a Wembley final. The Azzurri held their nerves to not merely win a shootout 3-2 against England in London but also undo Spain on penalties in the semi-finals having beaten Belgium 2-1 in the quarter-finals. Having topped Group A with wins against Turkey, Switzerland and Wales, Roberto Mancini’s men made life hard for themselves during a 2-1 extra-time last-16 win against Austria. Overall, though, Mancini’s attractive, intelligent side were arguably the tournament’s best.

World Cup 2022: Argentina

After Argentina were shocked by Saudi Arabia in their opening game of the tournament, they and their supporters must have wondered if the world had stopped turning on its axis. Yet without always being entirely convincing, Lionel Messi and co recovered to top the group thanks to restorative wins against Mexico and Poland in the first World Cup to be held in winter, and in the Arab world. Australia were then eliminated 2-1 prior to a narrow and thrilling quarter-final victory over Netherlands and a 3-0 semi-final canter against Croatia. The denouement proved breathtaking; a final against France that ended 3-3, featuring a Mbappé hat-trick and two goals from Messi before the latter fulfilled his destiny as Argentina won 4-2 on penalties. Lionel Scaloni’s streetwise side had confounded the doubters, but only after soul-baring squad talks following the Saudi debacle allied to Scaloni’s ruthless willingness to rotate both players and tactics.

In conclusion …

With history suggesting there is no precise template for tournament glory, Southgate can press whatever tactical button he fancies. But a mean defence, accomplished penalty-takers and sheer luck do, it appears, airbrush quite a few flaws.

2024-07-04T10:21:57Z dg43tfdfdgfd