In the European Cup, I believe that many neutral fans support England to win the championship. For no other reason, the European Championship should also produce a new champion. Before the game, England fans shouted that football was coming home. We can hear their eagerness to reach the top of Europe for the first time as the originator of modern football. But the truth is cruel, England fell in the final of two consecutive European Championships. If they want to get to the top of Europe, I'm afraid they will have to wait a while.
England have lost their second European Championship final in a row, and it's just their own regret. And looking at the European Cup since the new century, we can also find another trend that has lasted longer - why did the south wind blow in this European Cup?
What do you mean by that? Before this European Cup, who are the champions? Italy in 2021, Portugal in 2016, Spain in 2012, Spain in 2008, Greece in 2004, what do they have in common?
All from Southern Europe.
Of course, if Europe divides its geographical plates from the perspective of football, southern Europe and other regions are not absolutely opposed. But it is indeed a football wonder that a team from the same region has won the European Championship for so many years in a row.
You know, with Euro 2024 Spain reaching the top again, the south wind of the European Cup has been blowing for two decades.
This is equivalent to Japan or Korea dominating the Asian Cup for 20 consecutive years, during which there is nothing to do with the West Asian team. Or, Egypt or Morocco won the Africa Cup of Nations for two decades in a row, without the performance time of Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal and Ivory Coast in black Africa.
Come to think of it, isn't it incredible?
The point is that there are many strong teams in European football, and they are by no means limited to southern Europe. Teams like Netherlands, France, Germany, England, Denmark, Czech Republic, etc., are not from southern Europe. However, these non-southern European teams have not grabbed the right to speak in the championship of the European Championship for 20 years.
In this European Championship, many people hoped that England would stop this southern trend, but they were still blown down by the south wind of Spain. So the question is, in the future, which team is most likely to reverse this trend?
In terms of strength, most non-southern European teams have a chance, but today we will use metaphysics and use a reversal case from the World Cup to interpret it.
We know that since the beginning of the new century, there has been a chilling curse in the World Cup, that is, the defending champions are out of the group. Since 02, the defending champions of all World Cups have lost in the group. Only Brazil in '06 dodged.
But nowadays, we don't talk about the spell anymore, because it's no longer working.
And it is France that has eliminated this curse.
The bell must be tied to the bell, and this spell actually began in France. And in the 2022 World Cup, as the defending champion, France finally did not repeat the mistakes of twenty years ago and buried the curse himself.
Let's look at the European Championships. Coincidentally, before the south wind of the European Championship blew, the last champion was France. In other words, after France won the championship, the European Championship set off a twenty-decade southerly storm. Since this trend began after France won the championship, does it also need France to stand up and stop the wind in person?
In fact, in this European Cup, France almost did it. Don't look at the poor play of France this time, many big-name superstars are not in form, but France players have outstanding individual ability after all. In the semi-finals against Spain, France scored first, and if it weren't for Yamal's magic kick, Spain really wouldn't have been able to find a chance to counterattack. Moreover, France's offensive clearly prevailed in the second half, and if Mbappe had not wasted frequent opportunities, France might have completed the reversal.
Truth be told, when it comes to player reserves and future potential, France is still the strongest team in European football, not even one more. Therefore, I think France will still be the favourites to win the next two European Championships. Perhaps, the south wind that has been blowing for two decades at the European Championship will really stop when France wins the European Championship for the third time.