Euro 2024 has provided plenty of shocks and surprises as the group stages and Round of 16 matches have gone on, with major names struggling for performances and lower-ranked sides proving that they are not simply there to make up the numbers.
However, two teams have stood out throughout the chaos and drama and consistently demonstrated their title credentials. Spain and Germany have barely put a foot wrong so far and provided a strong argument as to why they could be the ones to lift the trophy into the Berlin sky on 14 July.
Ultimately, though, only one can get their hands on the silverware, and the clash between the two in the quarter-finals this Friday will help to determine which of them it could be, with them going head-to-head in Stuttgart in a match that could well be one of the most closely-contested yet. With that in mind, this tactical analysis will look at each of the two teams in greater detail to see what can be expected from them strategically and what could help one edge the other when the action does get underway.
Spains attacking play
The feeling that many have had when watching Spain so far has been that this is the start of a new era, with them underperforming at recent tournaments and largely failing to match their potential, and it does appear as though head coach Luis de la Fuente has found a way to get them challenging once again.
This has particularly come across when they have been in possession and on the attack, with their structure being to play forwards and demonstrate positivity whenever they have the ball at their feet. In this case, it can be seen how the full-backs are ahead of the centre-backs and that the midfield trio is biased towards offering a greater attacking threat rather than protecting the back line. That is one of the reasons that Spain have been so effective when in transition and have registered a highly impressive 90.6% passing accuracy.
Some pundits have labelled their style “possession with a purpose,” and that really comes across when watching them shift the ball into different spaces and constantly look to play forward. It is abundantly clear that their intention is not simply to retain the ball but to test their opponents where they can, and this proactive mindset has led to them averaging 2.25 goals per game.
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