20)So what will you remember of the UEFA European (Mens) Football Championship of 2024? A period of great frustration as England stuttered and stumbled their way through the various stages giving way to the hope that always slays most fans’ dreams? They couldn’t could they? No. They couldn’t,writes Nigel Anderton.
I have been asked by many people who are not great watchers of football ‘why do they seem to play the ball sideways and backwards so much?….It’s slow and boring’. It is difficult to argue with such a view. And it’s an ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’ moment. They play it sideways and backwards, it is suggested, because they are coached to retain possession until the right moment when the ball can be passed through the lines etc etc. Minimise risk. Keep possession. Unfortunately, too often, players did not have the passing skills required and the ball was given to the opponents. Where were the dribblers, the takers of chances, the buccaneers? Often to be found in unexpected teams; Austria, Turkey and magically in Georgia. Of course I will recall for a time, Jude Bellingham’s overhead kick versus Slovakia, Olly Watkins late winner in the Semi Final against the Netherlands and Cole Palmer’s stroke of beauty in the final. They got me off my feet but mainly because I am English and some residual aging passion was stirred. But it was SPAIN who were the worthy winners of the competition. Winning all their matches in style and demonstrating how to keep possession, move off the ball imaginatively, pass accurately to a team mate, dribble and shoot when necessary. In my Selection XI of the Euros 24 I make no apology for including 7 players from Spain – though Unai Simon, Le Normand, Laporte and Morata also made valuable contributions to the success. So below are 11 players who impressed with some explanation. Obviously you will have your own views and mine is of course wrong. That’s a beauty of the game.
Goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili (Georgia) Just finished his second season playing in La Liga for Valencia. A 1.99cm giant of a man (6ft 5ins to older readers) Mamardashvili made a record-equalling 21 saves in the group stage — eight more than any other goalkeeper — and prevented 3.6 goals, based on expected goals on target (xGOT). That was the best-ever performance recorded in the group stage.
Defenders Dani Carvajal (Spain) Carvajal..love him or loathe him. He is a master of what he does. He tackles and passes well, motivates teammates, reads the game superbly, weighs in with an occasional goal (eg.v Croatia in Spain’s opening game). Yes he is aggressive and winds up the opposition. But a winner –plays for Real Madrid after all.
Pepe (Portugal) now 41 and the oldest ever player in the Euros. And still class. Hates to be beaten.
William Saliba (France) Arsenal fans knew how good he is but Deschamps took time to be persuaded. Rarely puts a foot wrong.
Marc Cucurella (Spain) Had his critics before the tournament but proved them wrong with tenacious, energetic displays culminating in providing the cross for Spain’s winner in the final.
Midfield Rodri (Spain) if Pep Guardiola thinks he is the best player around who are we to argue? He can captain the side.
Fabian Ruiz (Spain) he and Rodri dominated midfield in all games played. Why disrupt the partnership?
Attackers Lamine Yamal (Spain) Pele announced himself to the world as an 18 year old in 1958. Yamal was 16 until just before this final. His goal against France in the Semi Final will live long in the memory. And he provided Spain with width and threat in every game as well as tracking back to do his defensive work.
Nico Williams (Spain) Ditto. Perfect foil to Yamal on the other flank. They combined for Williams to score a classy goal against England.
Dani Olmo (Spain) use him as a false 9. Very intelligent, skilful, mobile player. Winner of the Golden Boot.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia) watching him play, particularly in the match against Portugal, brought back memories of George Best. Joyful.
Subs Jordan Pickford, Marc Guehi, Jamal Musiala, Arda Guler, Marcel Sabitzer, Bukayo Saka and Niclas Fullkug (the only convincing number 9 I saw and Germany used him too late in my opinion)
What I will also remember of the Euro 2024 tournament was the moment that Toni Kroos clattered Spain’s Pedri to the ground after only 6 minutes in their Quarter Final match. A foul so bad that Pedri missed the rest of the tournament. Referee Anthony Taylor must have joined the Kroos Appreciation Society that was lavishing so much praise on the German. That he failed to at least book Kroos was inexplicable. Sadly a reminder of refereeing standards in the Premier League.
22)32 men,32 women are seeded to make the third round of the two Wimbledon singles competitions so any unseeded player to make the last 32 has had to overachieve. Two British platers were seeded this year, Katie Boulter and Jack Draper.
The luck of the draw saw both drawn against British opponents in the second round which canny organizers called the Battle of Britain. Both seeds were beaten, both in scrappy matches; both played well below their best as if both would have preferred to play Johnny or Jenny Foreigner. Still, two Brits into the third round.
But wait, quite understandably, we’d forgotten Sonay Kartal, a Brit who did not even get a wildcard that the LTA had scattered like confetti among British hopefuls. Sonay played 3 preliminary rounds to earn her spot. Sonay made the third round and gave Coco a hard match. Three then.
Oops, forgotten Emma Radacanu, the US Open Champion of 2021.Emma’s last three years had seen an ever changing series of coaches and an unending sequence of injuries. Emma too made the third round so that makes FOUR the answer, which only optimists got right.
Emma though won her first three matches like her 2021 self and hopes were high for second week action at least for Emma had been drawn to play against an unknown Kiwi wildcard inn the fourth rounds.
Feeling her back, shaking her wrist, a long medical time out after an awkward fall. Emma was out in three sets. Plainly then physical issues but also perhaps the effect of a social media spat with Judy Murray. Emma withdrew from a proposed mixed double partnership with Andy to protect her singles prospects. An internet hoo-ha followed. How good are we Brits at building our sporting heroes up, then knocking them down.
22)Then your tennis correspondent (usually mustard keen) got distracted.
Could Jimmy take a farewell five for?(He could not)
Could Cav win another stage? (He could not)
Could out of form(fitness, position) Harry K be in line for a few studs from the Golden Boot?(He could)
Back in action on Saturday to find the Women’s Final between the 7th seed, Jasmine Paolini, and the 31st seed ,Barbora Krejcikova. Deceptive as ever in women’s tennis for Barbora was a former Grand Slam champion and Jasmine the rising star had in fact been around for years before becoming this year’s crowd favourite. Easy first set to Barbora; easy second set for Jasmine. Set THREE was much more even but one break was enough for Barbora to win her second Slam. Would the crowd get consolation with an Alcaraz win on Sunday?(How many different ways to boo Novak?)
24)All three options were possible with nine holes left in the British Open golf. A journey man South African was the big hope for OTHER, Stalwart of British golf for quarter of a century, Justin Rose, was the big hope for EUROPE. Quite a story for Justin had had to play qualifying rounds to get to Troon, so far had he fallen through the ranks.
Spearheading the many pronged AMERICAN challenge was Xander Schauffele with a background even more complicated than his name. The reigning Olympic champion(Justin had won in 2016) and a winner of of his first major a few weeks ago, Xander was implacable through the final nine holes in weather that was almost benign after the horrors of the first three rounds. Though his final margin was only two shots, the engraver was already at work as Xander and Justin walked down the 18th.
23)A very rare Quiz bird indeed in the Tour De France with nobody at all thinking the King of the Mountains polka dot jersey would be won by the ECUADORIAN Richard Carapaz. Carapaz is the reigning Olympic road race champion as well as a previous winner of a Grand Tour, Italian version. Until the last three Alpine mountain stages, fans had assumed that Tadej Pogacar, who was putting in one of the greatest ever Tour performances in racing away from the field on five mountain stages, would bag both the yellow and the polka. Carapaz was not a threat to to the yellow jersey and so was allowed to join in the breakaways of the last week and hoover up points for climbs in the middle of the stage.
Far behind, Cav toiled up the mountains without even the incentive of a winning last day dash up the Champs Elysée, just for pride of finishing his last ever Tour. Job done though, Cav had won an early sprint stage and so broken the record for stage wins.35 times Cav has held his nerve in the mayhem and emerged triumphant. 35 times I shouted and shrieked in the living room.
A British legend; an inspiration; I’ll miss him.
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