Goals from distance, getting it launched to the big man and no money men - Euro 2024 has been a refreshing antidote to the club game

The group stage of Euro 2024 comes to a close on Wednesday night and it has demonstrated perfectly the difference between international football and club fare.

In his analysis of Scotland’s issues, David Moyes made a simple but pertinent point.

When Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson went down with injuries before the tournament, Steve Clarke could not simply go out and buy a new right-back. He had to work with the pool of players available to him.

In a football world increasingly dominated by money, the restrictions international football forces on resources is refreshing.

While Premier League teams are doing more wheeling and dealing than an Essex car boot sale, moving youngsters and money like numbers on a spreadsheet, the sight of 16-year-old Lamine Yamal starring for his country was a reminder of the pure joy that football can be.

When Hungary’s Kevin Csoboth broke Scottish hearts with a 100th-minute winner on Sunday night it was a demonstration of the spotlight international football can offer a player who would never normally receive it.

The 24-year-old spent the season battling relegation from the Hungarian top flight with club side Ujpest but with one sweep of his right foot he was at the centre of the footballing universe.

In an era of dominance of a select group of clubs, mainly concentrated in an increasingly small area, the sight of teams from Central and Eastern Europe having their moment on the big stage has also been a refreshing antidote.

Following a domestic campaign in which Manchester City won their sixth top flight title in seven seasons, all while being investigated by the Premier League for financial irregularities, this tournament has been a reminder that football does not have to be dictated by multi-club models, men in boardrooms or lawyers in courts.

There has also been delight in an international tournament in which fans can easily get to games and show their support, something that has been dearly missed due to a number of circumstances since arguably Euro 2016 in France.

Then comes the games themselves. Goals from distance, a phenomenon that is gradually being phased out of top level football in the analytics era, have made a comeback.

In the Premier League last season, 11.5 per cent of goals were scored from outside the box , the lowest figure since 2010-11.

By contrast 20.8 per of the goals scored at Euro 2024 before Tuesday’s games came from outside the 18-yard box.

The highest average distance of a shot from a team in the English top flight last season was Burnley's 17.7 yards, but 13 teams at this summer’s Championship have had a higher average distance from goal with their shots.

The notion of the big man up top has had a resurgence in recent years and that has been on full display in Germany.

From Hungary’s bulky Martin Adam to Germany’s Niklas Fullkrug, having a real physical presence up front is now greatly prized.

There are many ways to skin a cat, and after becoming accustomed to the style of play that has come to dominate football in recent years, fans are enjoying the alternatives.

It’s wrong to eulogise a tournament before it is even halfway through but so far it has been a welcome contrast from the increasingly commercialised and money-driven club game, with players and teams who would normally never do so having the spotlight turned on them. And who doesn’t love watching it get launched to the big man up top?

I’ll never complain about an international break again.

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