Spain, which after a decade of disappointments is trying to recover the level of its golden age – in which it was European champion in 2008 and 2012 and the world champion in 2010 -, will not have an easy life at Euro-2024, where it shares group B with Italy, Croatia and Albania, in what is considered the strongest of the tournament.
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Spain: youth in power
Used to working with the youth teams, coach Luis de la Fuente is betting on youth and players like Yamine Lamal (16 years old), Nico Williams (21) and Pedri (21) are the coach’s starters, who can also play a role as protagonist to other more ‘newbies’ such as Pau Cubarsà (17) and FermÃn López (21).
Twelve years after the continental title that marked the peak of the golden generation (Casillas, Xavi, Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Villa, Piqué, etc.), ‘La Roja’ continues the process of building a team that will once again lead back to the elite.
It was just over ten years of disappointments. Spain has been unable to go beyond the round of 16 in the last three World Cups and the 2016 Euro Cup. The Euro semi-finals in 2021 were the only joy, in addition to winning the Nations League in 2023, a title without tradition and prestige of the two major tournaments but a sample of the potential that the group formed by De la Fuente has.
This youth, and the inexperience that results from it, is however the Achilles heel of this Spain, where players like Rodri, Carvajal, Laporte and Morata have the role of providing what the younger players lack. The calendar does not benefit ‘Roja’ either, as they will debut against Croatia (runner-up in the 2018 World Cup and 3rd place in the 2022 World Cup) and then face Italy (current European champion), with the need to add points if you don’t want to arrive with a rope around your neck for the last match, against Albania.
Italy: feeling of ‘déjà vu’
The trauma of missing out on the 2018 World Cup was partially healed with the European title in 2021, which makes Italy’s current situation have an air of ‘déjà vu’. Also absent from the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the ‘Azzurra’ will fight to become the second country to retain the cup, after Spain in 2008 and 2012.
As happened in 2021, the Italian team does not have big stars as was common in the past (Baggio, Del Piero, Pirlo, Buffon, etc.), but it does have a coach with a remarkable personality on the sidelines: Luciano Spalletti, the man who won the historic ‘Scudetto’ with Napoli in 2023 and replaced Roberto Mancini at ‘Nazionale’.
The current group does not include big names from the 2021 Azzurro locker room, such as Marco Verratti and Ciro Inmobile, but goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, the title’s standout three years ago, remains in the team.
The data is not very optimistic, as Italy qualified for the tournament with difficulties, did not obtain very impressive results in recent times and will not be able to count on defenders Francesco Acerbi and Giorgio Scalvini, both due to injury and who were called up with the mission. of having an important role in Spalletti’s scheme.
On the other hand, the Italians have the calendar in their favor. They will debut against Albania, theoretically the weakest team in the group, and in case of victory they will practically have one foot in the round of 16, as, in addition to the first two in each group, the four best third-placed teams (out of six groups).
Croatia: Modric as ‘maestro’
Despite his 38 years, Luka Modric is still the conductor of a Croatian orchestra that always seems to be in tune when major tournaments arrive.
The veteran star won his sixth Champions League with Real Madrid on June 1st, but is still fighting for his first title with his country’s national team shirt, despite the regularity of the ‘Quadriculada’, finalist in the 2018 Russian Cup and semi-finalist in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as well as runner-up in the League of Nations in 2023, losing the final precisely to Spain.
Livakovic, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Brozovic and Perisic, among others, continue as Modric’s faithful squires in a team that, if it misses anything, is a great goalscorer.
Albania: Sylvinho’s team wants to surprise
Due to history and tradition, Albania can be considered a potential ‘zebra’ of group B, but it has already shown in the Euro-2024 Qualifiers that it has improved a lot, suffering a single defeat and winning its group. They finished ahead of the Czech Republic and sent Lewandowski’s Poland to the play-offs.
In charge of the Balkan national team is former Brazilian player Sylvinho, who took office in November 2023 with the mission of putting Albania on the map of European football.
“Our strength is the team”, assured the former Barcelona defender in an interview with AFP.
However, Sylvinho has outstanding players, such as midfielder Kristjan Asllani from Inter Milan, defender Berat Djimsiti (who won the Europa League with Atalanta in May) and striker Armand Broja (on loan from Chelsea to Fulham).
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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