New dawn
After the Spanish team won the EURO 2024 championship, 2 years and 5 days will come until the 2026 World Cup final. Spaniards have the right to dream about the achievements of the older generation. so the historic achievement of winning 3 major tournaments in a row - EURO 2008, World Cup 2010 and EURO 2012. They have enough reasons to set goals, not just hopes.
Maybe, the Spaniards are very gloating and "laughing" at UEFA, because in the picture that this organization designed to list the championship candidates there is no image of them. In fact, not only UEFA but many people also do not appreciate La Roja's championship chances. Because they have a coach who is not too famous (only makes his mark in youth teams), there are no outstanding stars, especially in terms of media image.
However, people seem to forget that the Spanish team won the UEFA Nations League last year with Luis de la Fuente as coach, crowned with a squad that did not depend on the staff of Barcelona and Real Madrid. as before. They don't have stars that attract the flash, but have truly quality professional elements.
That is proven by the results, with Rodri being the best in the tournament, Lamine Yamal being the best young player in the tournament, Dani Olmo being one of 6 players to receive the Golden Boot with 3 goals, including Dani Carvajal, Nacho Fernandez , Joselu is the 3 players to score a double in Europe this season (winning the Champions League with Real Madrid, winning EURO 2024 with the Spain team). Many other names all have common contributions to their success.
The EURO 2024 championship is considered a "new dawn" for the Spanish Team, not only because of their "change" with their new playing style. For them, they are also a group of players that promise a long future, not just a few years. Their squad for EURO 2024 only has 7 players aged 30 or older, but 3 of them can still go to World Cup 2026, EURO 2028. There are 12 players aged from 25 to under 30 and 7 players 24 years old or younger, especially, Yamal just turned 17 years old.
The night is long and dark
Talking about personnel, the England team also has many factors ready for the journey through tournaments in about 10 years - 19 players under 30 years old, but they still cannot escape their "dark area". . It was hoped that coach Gareth Southgate and his team would end the 58-year wait for a major title of the "Three Lions", but indeed, facing such a Spain, they could not be worthy of being crowned. .
Why did English football have to endure such a long period of suffering? Who says they don't have talented players? They have plenty, but the key may be the role of the coach, or simply, the England team is just a "collection of stars" and does not constitute a team.
The English Football Association wants Southgate to continue leading the team to the 2026 World Cup. That's what they said after the semi-final victory over the Netherlands. And after the final, will they think again? It is true that Southgate was more successful than many previous coaches when he brought the team to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and the finals of two consecutive EURO tournaments, but everyone can see that his limit is just that.
"Three Lions", for the most part, survive and overcome difficult matches by the moment an individual turns on their claws, not by the strength of the lion. Therefore, they will continue to hide in the dark if they do not change strongly. The type of concealment is not that of the strong, but is boringly safe.
