European Championship focus: How the Euro 2024 favourites are shaping up
Euro 2024 is fast approaching and the continent’s top teams are preparing to do battle for the ultimate prize this summer.
England, after narrowly losing the final in the previous edition, will be hoping to go one step further this time around.
Elsewhere, tournament hosts Germany will look to make use of their home advantage, while Spain and Portugal both have an outside chance of going all the way.
France also have a plethora of star names in their squad and look in great shape to win this trophy for the first time since 2000.
Ahead of what promises to be a memorable tournament, we’ve delved into Twenty3’s Toolbox to assess the potential winners.
England
England are eyeing up their first ever Euros success and certainly have the attacking prowess to finally end 58 years of hurt.
Harry Kane, the Three Lions’ record scorer with 62 goals, is perhaps at the peak of his powers at Bayern Munich.
The striker has been in lethal form in the Bundesliga and the shot map below showcases just how prolific he is in the box.
The 30-year-old is remarkably instinctive around the six-yard box and, as shown by the visualisation, has finished almost every chance from that area.
Jude Bellingham, expected to play behind Kane as a No10, has been equally as impressive for Real Madrid this term.
The 20-year-old is also a devastating operator in the box, often arriving late having advanced from midfield.
The combination of the two most eye-catching players in Europe can only be a good thing for England.
Gareth Southgate found a way of getting the best out of his attacking players in a productive qualification campaign.
The Three Lions heavily outperformed their xG of 13.53, often scoring low-quality chances. That ability to take even the most minor opportunities could well be useful in the latter stages of the tournament.
France
France are another nation blessed with enviable quality. Les Blues will be one of the big favourites to triumph in Germany, after reaching the final of the 2022 World Cup.
One player in particular significantly increases their chances of success: Kylian Mbappé.
Despite incessant speculation surrounding his future, the forward has still been incredibly consistent for Paris Saint-Germain.
Mbappé ranks first in several key metrics among Ligue 1 players this season, as shown in the graphic below.
The 25-year-old has scored 24 goals from an xG of just 17.17, evidence of his ability to finish from improbable angles and distances.
Mbappé, despite his ability to single-handedly change the course of a game, thrives off good service. Antoine Griezmann is regularly the man to provide that for France.
The detailed pass map below showcases his ability to link-up play in the final third — and also his importance as a set-piece taker for France.
Griezmann’s creativity combined with Mbappé’s clinicality could be key to France’s hopes in Germany.
Spain
Spain are not considered one of the main favourites to win Euro 2024, but ruling them entirely would be unwise.
La Roja have plenty of young talent and continue to play their distinctive, aesthetically pleasing possession-based football.
The passing network below shows how Luis de la Fuente’s side work to dominate the ball.
As shown in the visualisation, Spain set up in a 4-3-3, with one holding midfielder.
The ‘DM’ labelled in the graphic will be Manchester City’s Rodri, who is the catalyst for Spain’s patient build-up play.
Based on his touch map for Spain during the qualifiers, it is clear how involved he is in most phases of play.
Rodri takes most of his touches in the middle of the park but also contributes in both boxes. His performances will be vital for a youthful Spain team.
Germany
The host nation always has a considerable advantage, so Germany will hope there are no exceptions this summer.
Die Mannschaft are going through a transition period but manager Julian Nagelsmann will still be excited by the talent at his disposal.
Florian Wirtz is yet to score for his country but has been one of Europe’s best attacking midfielders for Bayer Leverkusen this season.
His player radar shows just how influential he has been in the Bundesliga, ranking high for every attacking metric.
Germany’s success may well depend on whether or not Nagelsmann can get the same productivity from Wirtz.
Antonio Rüdiger, at the other end of the pitch, is a reliable performer for Real Madrid and will be charged with organising the backline.
The 31-year-old, as evidenced by his heat map this term, covers plenty of ground from the right centre-back position, regularly pushing up to the halfway line.
Nagelsmann’s system requires defenders to play a high line, so Rüdiger could be one of Germany’s most important players in the summer.
Portugal
Portugal had a perfect qualifying record and, under Roberto Martínez, could be dark horses for the trophy.
The average positions visualisation below shows that Martínez has set Portugal up to play with a back three.
Interestingly, it appears that Portugal overload the right-hand side, which could be a ploy to create more space for Rafael Leão on the other wing.
The 24-year-old can be an extremely tricky customer and has been in brilliant form for AC Milan.
Leão often hugs the touchline, only moving in-field once he has the ball in the final third.
Most eyes will be on Cristiano Ronaldo but perhaps the younger generation could spur Portugal on in Germany.
All graphics in this article were produced with the Twenty3 Toolbox. For more information, please get in touch below.