TACTICS
EURO 2024
Systems of Play | Pt . 1
Lazar Šoć // UEFA A License Coach , Football Analyst
EURO 2024 once again served as a vast catalogue of different systems of play . We will concentrate on the most captivating and interesting choices of national team coaches during this year ’ s European championship edition .
CHOICE OF THE STRONGEST : 4-2-3-1 AND ITS VARIATIONS
The tournament ’ s strongest teams — Spain , France , England , Portugal , Austria , Belgium , the Netherlands and Germany — with greater or lesser consistency , were using the 4-2-3-1 . It was a dominant two-center-back system in this EURO , unlike eight years ago at EURO 2016 in France , when the 4-3-3 was often used .
What might be less noticeable are the different variations of the 4-2-3-1 . Essentially three of these were applied : a ) wide , with two wingers ( Spain , diagram 1 ); b ) narrow , with three attacking midfielders ( Germany , diagram 2 ); and c ) asymmetric , with a central midfielder on one side ( France , diagram 3 ). As we can see , the variable in all of these was the type of players on two lateral attacking midfield positions .
Besides these three variants , two additional ones might be mentioned . First , there was the use of a little bit retreated and more universal central midfielder instead of an offensive midfielder , such as in cases of Reijnders ( the Netherlands ) and Bellingham ( England ). The fifth possibility was demonstrated in the group stage by Turkey , which was , in essence , a “ strikerless ” 4-2-3-1 .
Diagram 1 – Spain ’ s wide 4-2-3-1 ( against England )
Diagram 2 – Germany ’ s narrow 4-2-3-1 ( against Switzerland )
Diagram 3 – France ’ s asymmetric 4-2-3-1 ( against the Netherlands )
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