France, England, Germany, Austria? The Best and Worse Teams from the Euro 2024 Group Stage

Summer break is my favorite time of year: beaches, traveling, family and friends, the weather, it is truly the best time of year. The one downside to such a long break is the loss of club football for three months. This summer, however, we football fans are treated to the Euro games throughout June and July and the Olympic games during August. For the past two weeks, football fans have glued themselves to their couch cushions rather than their beach towels as the Euro group stage took place and provided nothing less than pure entertainment. Now that the group stage is over, let's look at the best and worst-performing teams so far:

BEST:

SPAIN

(Image via NDTV Sports)

This is what every team dreams of: maximum points and no goals conceded in their first three games. The Spanish team is not what it used to be ever since they took home the 2012 Euro trophy. After that triumph, the squad has failed to impress in the last decade. After the greats of Spanish football started to retire, the team struggled to find solid replacements to lead the team. In recent years, the youth of Spain has been producing some serious talent: Pedri, Yamal, Zubimendi, Nico Williams, etc. Further, the older players are proving to be great leaders. This Spanish squad will want to win this Euros to give their fans something to cheer about.

GERMANY

(Image via beIN SPORTS)

The host nation, similar to Spain, has failed to impress the world since its win in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. It all fell apart for Germany after their poor performance at the 2018 World Cup where they failed to get out of the group stage, this was followed up by a loss in the Round of 16 at Euro 2020 and their elimination from the group stages of the 2022 World Cup. 

With the Germans being the host nation this summer, the squad is ready to put on a show. As the top scorers of the group stages, their attack is unmatched. Musiala has showcased his stellar dribbling abilities, Writz the same, along with the likes of Leroy Sane off the bench to bring more pace into the attack. I can see the Germans going far in this tournament. 

AUSTRIA

(Image via TSN)

The true underdog story; Ralf Ragnick’s Austria finished top of their group ahead of France and Netherlands. Leading up to the opening day of this tournament, the media highlighted Austria as the team to watch, but nobody would have predicted them to finish top. There is a running theme in this tournament that the stronger teams are struggling to play together rather than individually while the weaker sides have shown a sense of teamwork and togetherness, Austria is a great example. The squad has good chemistry and knows each other’s strengths and how to exploit them. This sense of team harmony can go a long way in this tournament.

WORST:

ENGLAND

(Image via Daily Express)

“It’s coming home!” A phrase that is on repeat anytime a summer tournament rolls around. British fans deserve all the credit because of their constant support for Gareth Southgate and his set of players. You have to feel sorry for them, there is no doubt in my mind that England has been the worst team in this tournament simply because the players at their disposal are failing to work together. The root cause of the problem starts and ends with the manager. Southgate continuously picks the wrong players every game and parks the bus throughout the match. This British team is experiencing a golden generation of talent with a rusty coach. To have an attack with the Premier League player of the year, La Liga and Bundesliga top goalscorer and still struggle to score is baffling. It is a miracle that the Three Lions made it out of the group stages. I think the best thing to do in England's case is to see how the tournament goes and afterward fire Southgate for a better coach and throw everything at World Cup 2026.

CROATIA

(Image via The Sun)

Their campaign was very disappointing. In recent years Croatia went from underdogs to a side that regularly reached the semi-finals of any tournament. This year, however, it did not work. It is not as if the side has weakened, I would say the squad was stronger than usual, but the team looked burnt out. It is a shame to see Modric’s last international tournament end so early. Hopefully, this was a blimp and not the end of the great generation of Croatian football. 

FRANCE

(Image via Goal. com)

They were not terrible, but for their very high standards, the group stage was concerning. Similar to England, the French side has so many high-quality attacking players that were not clicking. Kylian Mbappe’s broken nose injury hurt the side during the match against the Dutch but the squad should not be relying on one player. It has become apparent in past tournaments that the French side saves their goals for the knockout round and struggles to score in the group stages. I still see France going far in this tournament, but goals win games, there are no second chances going forward. 

ITALY

(Image via The Guardian)

The reigning champions faced a tricky group with Croatia and Spain. They have secured a spot in the next round but the process was tough. The team achieved one win out of three against Albania, a game which required them to come back from behind. Their match against Spain was a game to forget as their opponents dominated throughout the 90. In their final group match, it took a 98th-minute equalizer to ensure they would take second place. This Italian team looks solid on paper but they are struggling to find team chemistry. Compared to their winning campaign three years ago where they scored for fun, this team is a shadow of its former self. I am worried for Italy but I do believe they will do well in this tournament.

BELGIUM

(Image via SportsMax)

Similar to Italy, Belgium are through to the next round but their group stage performances were not good. The running theme of good teams struggling to play together continues with Belgium; the squad is filled with good players who cannot play well together. Goalscoring is a problem for the team and unlike Italy, I do not think Belgium will go past the RO16. The golden generation of Belgium has passed and it is disappointing that they do not have a trophy to show for it.