The late, great Scottish manager Jock Stein had a phrase to describe the conflicting challenges of international football. He said you had to wear a boiler suit during a qualifying campaign and sweat it out for the right to change into a dinner suit at the finals. Stein’s comment dates back to a time when tournaments were exclusive parties rather than the month-long jamborees of today, when the finals featured eight teams rather than the current 24.
Qualification was often a gruelling slog, with daunting trips beyond the old Iron Curtain. On several occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, England, France, Italy, Spain and others didn’t make it through to the tournament. Advertisement So, it was an evocative line, but it hasn’t aged well.
For the bigger European nations, qualifying campaigns these days are often less of a slog and more of a formality. In turn, the group stage at the finals has become less pressurised when, in the case of Euro 2024, all but eight of the 24 competing teams progress to the knockout phase. It has created a different dynamic.
You don’t have to turn up and turn on the style immediately. You don’t have to hit the ground running or else risk arriving home before your postcards. The group stage has become something to navigate without drama while trying to build the rhythm, cohesion and momentum that will be needed when the bigger tests come.
GO DEEPER Euro 2024: Our ranking of all the games in Germany this summer In some ways, Euro 2024 starts now.