Ranking the last four teams at Euro 2024 ahead of the semi-finals | OneFootball

Euro 2024 is officially at the business end of the tournament, with the last four teams remaining duelling it out in the semi-finals this week.

We have already had to bid farewell to two of the top nations in the competition, with both Germany and Portugal knocked out in the quarter-finals.

After 49 matches, 24 countries have been whittled down to a quartet; Spain take on France in Munich on Tuesday, while England will do battle with the Netherlands in the other semi in Dortmund on Wednesday.

We’ve ranked each team based on their performances so far, not necessarily how likely they are to win the Henri Delaunay Cup.

Euro 2024: Ranking the last four teams ahead of the semi-finals

4. England

Watching England play at this Euros makes you want to go skydiving without a parachute, they have been that bad to watch.

The Three Lions have limped through every match they’ve been in so far, despite facing five teams that were clearly weaker than them in terms of talent level.

It’s no secret that Gareth Southgate took inspiration from Didier Deschamps when it comes to tactical approach; set up to defend, rely on one of your star attackers to nick a goal at the other end.

It’s been an efficient strategy to date, as England’s record at major tournaments since 2018 will attest. But it’s been rather ineffective this summer as the side have failed to create many chances of note, scoring five goals from a measly 4.3xG.

The team have been bailed out by moments of magic – Jude Bellingham’s bicycle kick against Slovakia, Bukayo Saka’s wonderful equaliser against Switzerland – but they can’t depend on that forever.

Read – Five things we learned from the Euro 2024 quarter-finals

3. France

An utterly depressing team to watch, France have managed to muddle their way through the tournament without scoring a goal from open play.

Despite all of their attacking prowess, boasting arguably the best forward talents in world football, Les Bleus have scored just goals, two of which were own goals and the other a penalty.

That’s not to say France have not been able to create chances, because they absolutely have. Their 89 attempts are the third-most of any team, while they have racked up an expected goals (xG) tally of 7.9.

Perhaps France’s journey looks a lot different if they managed to put away a few more of those chances, as the underlying numbers suggest they should. Maybe Kylian Mbappe’s broken nose is having a bigger effect than we realised. But when you watch this team, so full of quality all around the pitch, you can see that something is not right.

And yet, they are one win away from a fourth final in eight years and no one would be overly surprised to see them life the trophy in Berlin this Sunday.

Read – Five memorable clashes between Spain and France

2. Netherlands

Netherlands are the fourth favourites to win the whole thing according to the bookies, and with good reason. They did not enter the tournament as one of the favourites and were very much seen as outsider.

The Dutch have the weakest squad of all the remaining nations, but they have gotten the most out of what they have. Cody Gakpo is the joint-top goalscorer (3), Xavi Simons has the joint-most assists (3), while only Spain (10) and Germany (11) have scored more goals than the Oranje (8).

Although Netherlands were unconvincing in their final group stage defeat to Austria, they came within a whisker of beating France, decisively put down Romania in the round of 16, and did well to turn it around against a spirited Turkey side in the quarter-finals.

1. Spain

Easily the most enjoyable side to watch at Euro 2024, Spain have also put in the best performances.

La Roja came through the group stages without conceding a goal, beating Croatia, Italy and Albania by an aggregate scoreline of 5-0. They came from behind in the last-16 to beat Georgia 4-1, before eliminating hosts Germany in an absorbing tie, winning 2-1.

Spain’s chances of winning a third European Championship in 16 years took a dent in that victory over the Germans, though. Defenders Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand are suspended for the semi-final against France, while Pedri has been ruled out through injury following a nasty challenge by Toni Kroos.

Ensuring their makeshift defence holds firm against the likes of Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Randal Kolo Muani will be absolutely critical to ensuring progress.

Read – Spain vs France: Euro 2024 semi-final preview

Read More – Five players who impressed in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals

See Also – The most expensive Premier League transfers so far in summer 2024

Follow The Football Faithful on Social Media:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok