Stylish Spain an anomaly in a game that continues to lose its lustre

SPAIN were deserving Euro 2024 winners for propagating an attractive, free-flowing and incisive game. As the fresh innocence and joie de vivre of 17-year old Lamine Yamal took the continent by storm, the Spaniards deviated from the common rule.

They became the first nation to lift the Euro title for a fourth time, without having to compromise on their footballing philosophy.

But based on their German expedition, the Spanish conquistadores will remain an anomaly in the modern game.

Yamal’s fellow Spanish speaking coach, Marcelo Bielsa is probably right. The sport described by Pele as the beautiful game is losing its beauty.

Argentine Bielsa, speaking in a press conference in his capacity as the Uruguay coach in Copa America, played the doomsayer.

The former Leeds tactician said the modern game was becoming less and less attractive.

The veteran coach, who built his reputation as an adventurous tactician, expressed his concerns with how the modern game was evolving in the name of commercialisation.

“Football has more and more spectators but it is becoming less and less attractive,” Bielsa.

“What made the game the best game in the world at the time is not being prioritised today. No matter how many people watch football, if you don’t ensure that what people watch is something pleasant, it will only benefit the business. Because the business only cares about how many people watch it.

“But in a few years, the players who deserve to be watched will be less, and the game produced will be less enjoyable, this current artificial increase of spectators will end.

The Euro 2024 was a case in point. The tournament has lost what used to be its unique selling point – that it was a stronger competition than the FIFA World Cup since it became a 24-team competition in France 2016.

It has been a procession of low-quality matches, with heavily favoured teams exploiting the notion that they can progress from the group stages without having to shift to a higher gear.

Teams with three draws, with two goals and none from open play could advance to the knockout stage. On the last match day in Group C, no goals were scored while, in Group E, Slovakia and Romania conspired to draw 1-1.

So both advanced at the expense of Ukraine despite collecting four points.

But expansion of landmark competitions has become the norm.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) organised a highly successful Asian Cup finals in Qatar in January.

The UEFA Champions League will switch to the ‘Swiss model’ and FIFA will launch their expanded 32-team Club World Cup. The 2026 World Cup will feature 48 teams.

Ultimately as Bielsa feared, the Euros brought more income for the policymakers but devalues the tournament as a sporting spectacle.

Thankfully we had Luis de La Fuente’s Spanish squad who stayed true the philosophy espoused by Pele and the previous generations while the rest of Europe placed emphasis on athleticism and physicality in order to employ the pressing game.

Purists purred over Yamal, Nico Williams, Dani Olmo, Pedri, Rodri and Fabian Ruiz.

Yamal’s emergence especially, should be a cause of celebration for aficionados who pine for skilful technicians who throw caution to the wind.

Yamal, however, is an endangered species.

Most teams, including the early favourites – England and France – were guilty of playing with their handbrakes on. England found their rhythm and bravado perhaps in the final but was punished by a team that needed no penalties to win their games.

Individual brilliance has had to make way for the team ethos.

In contrast, Spain relied on the collective ethos of brilliant individuals as they beat four world champions – Italy, Germany, France and England – en route to the title.