Spain and France lay down a marker for Euro 2020

 Spain and France lay down a marker for Euro 2020

In recent years both Spain and France have laid down the most prominent marker for the way in which football should be played. Both have shared an impressive collection of World Cup Final victories and European Championship triumphs. The quality of their football and the mannerisms that have characterised those victories are like golden hallmarks etched onto both trophies. They are now shining lights in football's often turbulent world of pressure at the highest level. 

Earlier on in the week Spain, who have been magnificent and princely ambassadors of the Beautiful Game, were quite astoundingly held to a goal-less draw by a very poor and limited Sweden who were simply determined to keep Spain at arm's length and just cling on for dear life. And yet for all Spain's delicious ball skills, natural possession game and flawless pedigree, they failed to break down a Swedish defence that looked as though it had nailed a thousand pieces of wood across their back four and just battened down the hatches in the hope that Spain would just get fed up.

The truth is that you could hardly forgive the Spanish for throwing in the towel. For 90 minutes they had passed and passed the ball almost indefinitely among themselves. From kick off the baggage carousel of passes kept whirring around 11 stubborn Swedish shirts. Their passing had an almost idyllic quality, circular, triangular, rectangular, geometric, beautifully executed, feet to feet, the ball never leaving the ground for a single minute. 

With every passing minute Spain kept the ball spinning like plates in a circus, tapping, controlling, thinking, timing, co-ordinating, concentrating and then moving the ball like something on a conveyor belt in a factory. The pundits think that although Spain are almost too good to be true, paradoxically they may not have enough to win the tournament. 

But led brilliantly by captain Jordi Alba and marshalled exceptionally by the commanding Aymeric Laporte, and Pau Torres this Spain could make imperious progress to at least the quarter final stage. But that may be pushing it slightly. Spain could even win Euro 2020 most surprisingly but realistically both France and a rejuvenated Italy could be standing in their way. Belgium may also take a defiant stand and from a neutral's point of view the sight of Belgium finally lifting a major international trophy would not be before time and quite deservedly so. 

For Spain, the wondrous generation of Xavi, Iniesta, Isco, the masterful Cesc Fabregas and Fernando Torres have now disappeared into the ether. The craftsmanship and collective brilliance that they brought to their World Cup and Euro exploits are now museum pieces. But it was the legacy and template that they have now left behind that means Spain will have something to chew on in this latest team of many rainbows. For the time being Spain's patent failure to beat Sweden may be a shape of things to come. 

Last night though France met Germany which has always had the air of a grudge match at the best of times. Both are Europe's poster boys, pin ups, teams with a wealth of  skilful and gorgeous playmakers, players capable of winning matches with moments of heavenly magic. France of course have ruled the roost in both World Cups and European Championships in.recent times with Emmanuel Petit, Zinedine Zidane, Didier Deschamps,Thierry Henry, Robert Pires all providing moments of genius, multi layered and three dimensional art work. In 1998 France won their first World Cup winning team and have never really looked back since. 

Meanwhile 37 years ago France owed an enormous debt of gratitude to master magician Michel Platini, a player so vastly talented and full of poetry in motion that Spain their opponents in the 1984 European Championship Final must have thought they were imagining things. But both Platini, Jean Tigana, Dominic Rocheteau, the elegant Alan Giresse and Didier Six were the epitome of the French Renaissance era, a team of the French bohemian age, a stylish cabaret act, swaggerers, purists and moralists. France inevitably became the romantic sweethearts, flirtatious on the ball and driving back the boundaries. 

Last night the current French team, World Champions again going into Euro 2020, broke into a German backyard and stole old German treasures. Germany of course have had innumerable purple periods winning countless World Cups and European Championships but this time Germany were stunned into submission. France have continued where they left off in Russia three years ago and their football still has the air of a Degas or Matisse, football with depth, versatility, profundity and stunning expression. 

The current crop of French playmakers and artistes gathered around football's European top table and devoured a la carte. Both Benjamin Pavard, Raphael Varane, Lucas Hernandez and the enormously creative N'Golo Kante give the French substance, breeding and character, players of effortlessness and purity and world class gifts at their feet. Adrien Rabiot could be the future of French football while Paul Pogba, although infuriating at times, can pass the ball with almost laser precision.

When all of France come together and read from the same script, French football can often remind you of its literature: fluent, articulate, dramatic, melodramatic at times but at times wretchedly wishy washy. Last night the 11 musketeers of French football gave us splendour, refinement and yet more oil paintings. Pogba, the still menacing Karim Benzema, Antoine Griezmann and the world class of Kylian Mbappe all threaded the ball together in a maze that simply bemused the Germans. 

France beat Germany with an own goal from helpless defender Matts Hummels who could only steer the ball into the net after another spell of French wizardry outside the German penalty area. The partisan German crowd could only look in stunned bewilderment as the French went through the motions. There may be a long way to go yet in Euro 2020, but after a year's absence and postponement, football misses its European pass masters.