Why do the giants stay in the Euro 2024 group stage?

France (right) needs more breakthrough plans without Mbappe - Photo: Reuters

At 2:00 a.m. on June 22 (Vietnam time), the most anticipated match of the Euro 2024 group stage will take place when France faces the Netherlands in the second match of Group D.

Health care trends

But don't be surprised if the big match that fans are waiting for is not really a big match. After the first round of matches, French fans received the sad news that Mbappe will have to miss at least one match due to a serious nose injury.

As the match neared, the news was somewhat more positive when Mbappe came out to practice with a neat nose bandage, instead of wearing a mask as expected. However, coach Deschamps is unlikely to risk letting Mbappe start in this match. He could come off the bench, or even sit out the next two matches of the group stage if the situation is not too urgent.

That's been the problem with the Euros, ever since UEFA expanded the tournament to 24 teams. Many big teams enter the group stage with a "hold on" mentality. And often just winning the first match is almost guaranteed to secure a ticket to the next round.

After a resounding 5-1 win over Scotland in their opening match, Germany slowed down their pace in the match against Hungary. They scored early in the first half, then reduced their dribbling to keep their key players occupied.

But Germany played brilliantly in the first match. As for France and England, the two teams with the most expensive players at Euro 2024, they proactively kept them… right in the first match.

In the win over Austria, France made 20 dribbles in the first half. In the second half (when they were already leading 1-0), France only made 9 more dribble attempts. On the contrary, their defensive stats increased significantly. For example, the number of clearances, France only made 9 in the first half, but 22 in the second half. The number of tackles also increased from 4 to 15 when comparing the two halves.

Why are the strong teams so cautious? Simply because they have won tickets too easily. When the 16-team format was used, the number of tickets to the next round was 8 teams (taking 50%). Now, 16 teams out of 24 teams have won tickets (67%). France and England both scored in the first half of their opening matches (against the most competitive teams in the group).

And they chose to play safe in the second half to ensure a win. Once they had 3 points, every plan after that was easier to implement.

Changes in the second round

The Netherlands, on the other hand, conceded first against Poland. As a result, the "Orange storm" played aggressively throughout the match. In this match, the Netherlands had 21 shots, but only 4 of them were on target (half as many as Poland, despite having shot twice as many). Even Gakpo's equalizer was quite lucky, coming from a shot that deflected off a defender.

The Dutch attack has weakened significantly over the past decade, since the retirement of the stars Robben, Van Persie, Sneijder. Frenkie De Jong - who is capable of replacing Sneijder - was injured and had to leave Euro 2024. Depay has declined significantly since turning 30. The younger generation like Gakpo, Simons, Brobbey still have a lot to improve. Gakpo was a bright spot in the Poland match, but Simons was a big disappointment.

Depay's poor performance may make coach Koeman think about changing the attack line against France. The Netherlands brought 6 strikers to Germany and they are all at the same level. Their promising points are Zirkzee (23 years old), Brobbey (22 years old), Malen (25 years old) who are all young and can create significant breakthroughs.

Meanwhile, coach Deschamps will likely have to deploy an attacking plan without Mbappe. Marcus Thuram is predicted by Whoscored to play "number 9" instead of Mbappe. Young player Barcola will fill Thuram's left wing. In addition, Kolo Muani is also a good choice to replace Mbappe.

When stars are absent or disappointing, maybe that is the key for the giants to play more beautiful and exciting football at Euro 2024.

Serbia and Slovenia share dramatic points

On the evening of June 20, Serbia and Slovenia had a dramatic 1-1 draw in the second match of Group C Euro 2024.

Entering the match, both teams started very tightly, causing the first half to end goalless. The turning point of the match only came in the 69th minute, when Zan Karnicnik scored the opening goal for Slovenia. It seemed that Slovenia would have their first victory, but in the 5th minute of injury time, Serbia equalized 1-1 thanks to striker Luka Jovic. This result helped Slovenia get 2 points and Serbia get 1 point after 2 matches of the Euro 2024 group stage.

France and Netherlands draw

According to expert Phan Anh Tu, the highlight match of Group D between the Netherlands and France is likely to end in a draw with goals. Mr. Tu analyzed:

"In the opening match against Austria, if the ending is better, the French team must win 3-0. France has a quality squad, balanced between positions, especially the attack. The question that many people are interested in right now is whether Mbappe will play or not? Without Mbappe, it is also difficult, but the French team still has Marcus Thuram and Dembele. However, the second team of France lacks depth. The players who entered the field in the match against Austria did not create any breakthroughs.

The remaining positions in the first team, all played well in their roles.

The French team has many stars but I'm afraid they play improvisationally. The stars are creative and talented, but they lack discipline. Only with discipline can they support each other well. Therefore, it is very likely that the Dutch team will play in a tight defensive position, waiting for opportunities.

The Netherlands have enough experience in this style of play to face a France team with many stars in the squad. By closing the spaces in front of the goal, the Netherlands will frustrate the French strikers. Based on that, they will make quick counter-attacks. If the Netherlands plays an open game, they will easily be hit by the French team. The Netherlands cannot play on par with the French if they know who is in charge. Therefore, I think the Netherlands will approach the match as the underdog and calculate their tactics reasonably.

France are capable of scoring but also have no problem conceding. Therefore, I predict a draw with goals and the score could be 1-1 or 2-2.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/vi-sao-cac-dai-gia-giu-chan-o-vong-bang-euro-2024-20240621084154966.htm