Janice R. Andrews
There were eight after that. Following an exciting Round of 16, a breathtaking quartet of quarterfinals will kick up EURO 2024 on Friday. These are the top five queries we have before the games.
1. Is Spain Able to Ruin the Hosts’ Celebration?
It’s possibly the most notable draw of these quarterfinals and the game that, in reality, ought to have been the championship. Spain, arguably the finest team participating in EURO 2024 thus far, will play Germany, a team that has won every match.
Despite being taken aback early in their Round of 16 matchup with Georgia, La Roja eventually proved they had what it took to get to the final eight. All around the field, Luis de la Fuente’s team has made an impression, but Nico Williams on the left side has received special recognition. This summer, the Athletic Club winger has been strongly linked to moves to Barcelona, Chelsea, and Liverpool. The 21-year-old will definitely fancy his chances against Joshua Kimmich on Friday afternoon because he has been tearing full-backs apart for pleasure in this competition.
Williams and his Spanish colleagues are the ones who will spoil Germany’s homecoming celebration the most.
2. Will Cristiano Ronaldo remain with Portugal?
It has dominated conversation for the most of the competition and became clear in the final round. Roberto Martínez, the manager of Portugal, has shown loyalty thus far, but is it now time for the Seleçao to let Cristiano Ronaldo go following their victory over Slovenia in a penalty shootout?
Ronaldo seemed irritated throughout the goalless draw in Frankfurt, missing many free kicks and finding it difficult to connect with crosses. During significant competitions, he has only managed one goal in sixty attempts, raising doubts about his usefulness. Even if Jan Oblak, the goalkeeper, made a great stop on the late penalty attempt, Bruno Fernandes, the consistent, would be a more than capable backup.
Next up was France, who would face William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano at center back. Would the Iberian team try pressuring early on and using Gonçalo Ramos’s pace, using Ronaldo as an impact replacement instead?
3. Does England Have the Answers Under Gareth Southgate?
Even though they were one among the favorites going into this summer, England has been a complete bust in Germany. With the exception of the first ten minutes against Serbia and the final 16 minutes between full time and extra time, Gareth Southgate’s team has been unremarkable and totally inconsistent with their pre-tournament expectations.
Due to the poor performance of the Three Lions’ offense, there are currently substantial debates over whether to bench Jude Bellingham or Phil Foden. That would have looked crazy three weeks ago, but there doesn’t seem to be much room for both players given that Southgate is reportedly switching to a 3-4-3 formation. Many have called for speed down the sides from Kane because of his increased isolation and willingness to dive deep to recover the ball, something neither Bellingham nor Foden have.
Jarrod Bowen or Anthony Gordon might be a better fit for one of those wide attacking spots. Will Southgate have the guts to bench one of England’s top players in order to improve the team? On that one, the jury is still very much out.
4. Is Cody Gakpo leading the tournament in player count thus far?
As of the quarterfinals, Cody Gakpo is the most potent striker in this competition, which may tell more about the relative inconsistency of Europe’s top attackers. Earlier in the season, Jamie Carragher, a legend of Liverpool, bemoaned that the Netherlands wide player “played the game in slow motion,” but Gakpo has been playing at EURO 2024 at full speed.
Gakpo now leads the top scorer standings with three goals and one assist. When the Netherlands play Türkiye on Saturday, he has a wonderful opportunity to increase his total. Although Vincenzo Montella’s team has been a breath of fresh air in this competition, their first four games haven’t exactly shouted “defensive stability.” After giving up 21 shots against Austria in their previous game, Türkiye required some extraordinary saves from goalkeeper Mert Günok to survive.
There will probably only be one team that advances to the last four if Gakpo and the Netherlands are granted the same amount of time and space in the final third.
5. Who Qualifiers for the Semi-Finals?
Following an impressive group phase and a mixed final 16, the quarterfinals appear to be as open as they have been at any European Championship in the previous 20 years. It’s hard to recall a period of time when so many of the final eight countries were having trouble with at least one area of their performance. This should result in four incredibly entertaining games.
Switzerland and Denmark scared the hell out of Germany, France hasn’t clicked at all, England hasn’t been great as previously mentioned, the Netherlands needs plenty of scoring opportunities, Portugal has a Ronaldo problem, Türkiye is so gung-ho that they will eventually catch up, and the Swiss don’t have a true goalscorer. In the opening twenty minutes of their match against Georgia, Spain—possibly the only team we can truly criticize—even appeared beatable.
Therefore, it’s really as open as it gets for these tantalizing weekend matchups.
