Football World Cup: France to England: This is how big teams dealt with the upheaval

The German national team is facing a change that could extend far into the DFB. But it is not the first major football nation that was on the rocks not long ago and fought its way back up. There are parallels in two topics: structure and identity.

France and the Knysna crisis

The 2010 World Cup was a disaster for France. There is even a separate Wikipedia entry and a Netflix documentary about the Knysna fiasco. Striker Nicolas Anelka, who was considered difficult, clashed so violently with coach Raymond Domenech that he was sent home shortly afterwards. The team went on strike in solidarity with Anelka, causing a scandal at home. Without a win they were eliminated from the group stage. Les Bleus were just an embarrassing laughing stock.

In July 2012, Didier Deschamps took over as national coach. The 1998 world champion managed to turn highly gifted stars like Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann and later Kylian Mbappé into players who were able to put their ego aside and put the team’s success above all else. There was also a treasure that France already had: the national talent factory of Clairefontaine, which repeatedly produced exceptional players. The result: European Championship final in 2016, world champion in 2018, World Cup final in 2022, European Championship semi-final in 2024. And they are also considered favorites at this World Cup – Deschamps’ last.

Spain and the escape from the Tiki-Taka cage

Actually, Spain is playing at such a high level that they couldn’t be on the list as a crisis team. But since the title in 2010, not much has been achieved at the World Championships. Exit from the group in 2014, in the round of 16 in 2018 and 2022. The problem: Tiki-Taka was decrypted. The opponents fell back deep and the Spaniards got their feet wet. The recipe for success became a cage.

It was only four years ago that they finally broke out of this situation with the promotion of Luis de la Fuente to national coach. The now 65-year-old created a kind of Tiki-Taka 2.0, relying on ball possession and passing relays on vertical and faster play with a higher weight on the wings. There, de la Fuente was also fortunate to have two exceptional talents in the squad in Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams. In addition, La Masia, FC Barcelona’s academy, continues to produce reliable talent. After the 2024 European Championship title, de la Fuente said he had “rediscovered the spirit of 2010.”

The Netherlands and pragmatism

The Dutch nadir made the rounds worldwide. They missed qualification for both the 2016 European Championships and the 2018 World Cup. They held on to the 2010 runner-up world champions for too long and only then made a clear break. Ronald Koeman became bond coach, broke with the sacred 4-3-3 system in his first term and relied on a three- or five-man chain defensively. “Total Voetball” was history; a new pragmatism was supposed to lead to success. In 2019 they reached the final of the Nations League and qualified for the European Championships.

The Dutch reinvention has not yet been the great success story. Koeman’s successor Frank de Boer turned out to be the wrong choice, and the 2021 European Championship ended in the round of 16. Louis van Gaal took over at short notice for the 2022 World Cup, where it ended in the quarter-finals against eventual world champions Argentina. Koeman returned, but they recently failed in the round of 16 at the World Cup. Oranje has broken away from the Voetball-total romance, but there is still a lack of consistency in the coaching position.

England and DNA

England probably experienced the most remarkable upswing in the recent past. The Three Lions are reasonably reliable these days, even in penalties. When the national football center St. George’s Park – now a factor of success – opened in 2012, England’s team was not yet at its lowest point. People still hoped that the golden generation around Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard would somehow deliver. But after the elimination in the 2016 European Championship round of 16 against Iceland, people came to the conclusion that more profound changes were necessary.

The FA had already launched the “England DNA” program in 2014, which provided a uniform philosophy and identity for all youth national teams. In 2016, U21 coach Gareth Southgate was promoted to national coach, which was ultimately the decisive step. The ex-professional underwent a cultural change, relying on humility, clear leadership of the team, great trust in young players and tactical flexibility. In addition, a project supported by scientists was launched in 2018 to remedy the penalty weakness. The results: 2018 World Cup semi-finals, 2021 European Championship finals, 2022 World Cup quarter-finals, 2024 European Championship finals.