Scroll on social media sites like Facebook or X, listen to football podcasts or spend five minutes in your local public ale house and the message is the same: Euro 2024? YAWNFEST.
For whatever reason, this summer’s competition just doesn’t seem to have hit the sweet spot. So, as I sat messaging my good friend FM Grasshopper one evening we stumbled upon a wondrous idea to reinvent the wheel and breathe life back into Euro 2024. An idea we would trial through a FM24 network save.
How do we do it?
One simple rule: each player is limited to a maximum of three appearances from the Group Stage through to the Semi Final - this includes starts and sub appearances. The appearances reset for the final… should you make it.
As someone who has once sampled a little known exotic dish called paella (pah-AY-yə), it was natural I would take on the task of managing Spain. FMG, by way of birth right, would manage England in an effort to “bring it home”. We’d both be managing using the 26 man squad selected by our real life counterparts which would make the challenge all the more interesting.
In order to keep a track of the players we had used, and to ensure complete transparency, appearances by round were marked down on a shared Google Sheets which counted down how many appearances any given player had left.
Aleksander Čeferin, if you’re reading this, give me a call and we’ll set something up.
Selección Española de Fútbol
For those that need reminding of the squad that Spain took to Germany, it was as follows:
Little to complain about between the sticks as I’d be happy to rotate between Raya, Remiro and Simón as required.
Defensively it probably looks a bit weaker in central defence than I’d like but plenty of room to rotate on the full backs with a young Jesús Navas looking to really burst onto the international scene as Spain’s true wonderkid.
It’s across the midfield where this squad really shines bright. Rodri - yet to ever taste defeat in his entire career - and PSG’s Fabián Ruiz as the two central midfielders behing an exciting trio of Nico Williams (who opted for Spain over Wales apparently), Pedri and the infantile Lamine Yamal who I have heard rumoured is apparently only 16 at the outset of this tournament - they kept that quiet. Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimend, Dani Olmo and Mikel Oyarzabal (copy & paste) are among the more than capable rotational options with Ferranando Torres returning to the Spanish international fold for one last dance.
Up top it’s Morata or Joselu to fill a shirt.
Am I confident? You could say that.
We’ll line up in a 4-2-3-1 that focuses on possession - both retention and regaining. The first choice XI looks as such:
Group B
Using a database downloaded by FMG, we are pitted with our real life opponents however the fixtures are not as in real life and potentially fall kindly for us. Italy in the opener before Albania then Croatia to finish us off. My strategy was clear - full strength v Italy, full rotation v Albania then assess the scene before deciding what is required against Croatia.
Spain 3-1 Italy
The decision to go full strength pays off early. Lamine Yamal opened the scoring before Nicolo Zaniolo latched onto a hoof forward from Donnarumma to equalise. No worries though as in the second half Dani Carvajal and Fabián Ruiz seal the win. No subs used meaning no appearances wasted. Albania beat Croatia 2-1.
Spain 2-1 Albania
Disaster strikes as I was caught out by a known issue where the game auto played on a matchday that I left the game. My AI assistant ignored my pre-selected XI and played his own team which included second appearances for Carvajal, Nacho, Cucurella, Fabián Ruiz, Rodri, Pedri and Nico Williams. They also used the full complement of five subs as an own goal from Djimsiti and one from Dani Olmo won the game which would also ensure us of top spot in the group thanks to the group sorting rules. Italy defeated Croatia 2-1.
Spain 0-1 Croatia
With progression secured it was as much rotation as could be given to keep our best players available for the knockout rounds. Croatia manage their first win of the tournament though. Italy and Albania play out a 0-0 draw which allows Albania to take 2nd place and Italy qualify as one of the best placed 3rd teams.
Knockout Rounds
The results in the group stages work in our favour and we are given what can only be described as a kind route to the final - one that also sets up the perfect narrative for a Spain-England finale.
Round of 16: Spain 3-1 Romania
With all due respect to Romania, I wasn’t too worried about them and was happy to move with a partially rotated squad. Alex Grimaldo, Aymeric Laporte, Joselu and Mikel Oyarzabal (copy & paste) play their third and final game for the tournament. Joselu scores a brace and Oyarzabal gets the third before boarding an Easyjet flight home immediately upon full time. Romania grab one back through Puscas prompting the only reaction I can think of in GIF form - I was sure he was Hungarian too.
“I thought you was dead”
Quarter Final: Spain 2-3(aet) Serbia
Hampered by the errors of my AI AssMan, I keep a semi-rotated team for this game with an eye on the potential semi final. Unai Simón, Rodri, Pedri and Nico Williams are benched in favour of Raya, Merino, Olmo and Ferranando Torres.
An 8th minute Morata penalty has the confidence growing but in the second half Serbia hit us with wave after wave of attack. They haven’t rocked a German crowd this much since the infamous actions of Gavrilo Princip. Dusan Tadic’s 62 minute equaliser hits me and I go into a state of shock. An underperforming Torres is replaced by Ayoze Perez in the 78th minute but Perez goes on to replicate the performance of the man he replaces by giving the ball away at every opportunity.
Into extra time - an additional 30 minutes is not what’s needed with red hearts across the squad already. Filip Duricic’s goal in added time of the first half of extra time forces my hand and I bring in Rodri, Pedri and Nico Williams - none of whom will be able to play the semi final if we make it. Their introduction pays immediate dividends as Morata is played through and we equalise… VAR check… AWARDED!
With minutes ticking by, I start to think about the dread of penalties when Nemanja Maksimovic makes his way into the box and wrong foots David Raya to break Spanish hearts. We’re all going home.
Serbia: The Ultimate Underdogs?
No one saw the Serbian challenge coming, not least of all me after watching FMG’s England dismantle them 3-1 with a rotated England. Serbia go on to push through another 120 minutes as they send Austria-Hungary on that long journey home after the drama of penalties.
I baulked at the idea of a Balkan nation making it this far and paid the price. Serbia in the final of Euro 2024… how would that go? Over to FM Grasshopper to find out…
Did we Make Euros Great Again?
I can’t lie, I really enjoyed the restrictions here. Trying to manage the squad and making difficult decisions definitely heightened the drama. If Serbia were to be under the same restrictions, would the outcome have been any different?
A great short save, thanks to my good friend FM Grasshopper for the highs and lows we played out via our Whatsapp Chat. I don’t think this is the last time we’ll experiment with this idea… Who’s in for next time?