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As we near the finale of the group stages of Euro 2016, how do we reflect on the tournament thus far?
UEFA were lauded for increasing the number of finalists to 24 teams up from 16 in previous tournaments. The qualifying campaign was fiercely competitive and a number of countries who have spent years in the footballing wilderness, suddenly found themselves qualifying for a major tournament. Countries such as Northern Ireland, Wales and Iceland surprised many and were rightly praised for their efforts during the qualification campaign. Others, such as Republic of Ireland, qualified through the play-off system having finished third in their group and could also look forward to playing their part in France this summer.
Fast forward to the tournament proper and it is fair to say it has been a let-down. Under the previous format, the process was simple; the top two from each group progressed and one win would be unlikely to get you through. However, with the expanded tournament seeing only 8 teams eliminated from the group stage, the order of the day has been defensive, turgid football with the emphasis on avoiding defeat. France is famed for its campsites and many of the teams attending the Euros have pitched up and camped on their own 18 yard box, defending for their lives. Last night, England won the possession war but were unable to break down a stoical Slovakian defence. The Slovak attack was blunt and they set out to gain the point which would see them qualify in 3rd place. Earlier today, Northern Ireland were compact and defensive as they sought to achieve a 0-0 draw against Germany. However, the plan coming unstuck on the half hour when the Germans scored. Surely Northern Ireland would open up at some stage to chase an equaliser? No chance. A 1-0 defeat would see them leapfrog an equally negative Albanian side in the race to be a best 3rd place finisher. This is an Albanian side that have scored only 1 goal all tournament yet still had a chance of qualifying. Northern Ireland have only fared marginally better, with a good performance against Ukraine sandwiched between two ultra-defensive displays against the Poles and Germans. To put this in context, in qualifying Scotland achieved 2-2 draws against Poland both home and away. Further, although defeated on each occasion, Scotland also managed 3 goals across both games with the Germans in qualifying. All attacking, open games blessed with the most cherished currency of goals.
We all know that football is an industry driven by money and the increase in games means an uplift in TV revenue. However, the new format has led to very few, if any, memorable games in the group stages. One can only hope that as we move into the knock-out phase, we see a greater emphasis on teams seeking to attack, with the shackles off having accomplished the unlikely goal of qualifying for the last 16. However, I fear that many of the teams will continue to pack their defence as they try and eek their way through the tournament. The revised format may be great for UEFA's coffers. But it hasn't been great on the eye.
Written by Alan Clark
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