The second week at the 2024 European Championship has come and gone, with a few of the leading contenders already punching their tickets to the knockout stages and plenty still to play for elsewhere.
Here are some of the key takeaways ahead of the third week in Germany.
England still searching for balance
Hype and England go hand-in-hand at major tournaments, yet heading into Euro 2024, there were genuine expectations that the current squad could finally end 58 years of disappointment; they have the necessary experience having reached the final three years ago, boast an embarrassment of attacking riches, and in Jude Bellingham have a world-class talent around which to build the team.
Two games in, though, the flaws of this England side have been horribly exposed, even before they come up against a top-tier opponent. The absence of a left-footed left-back to provide width on a flank where Phil Foden spends much of his time cutting inside to the centre has been problematic.
But it's the failed experiment of deploying Trent Alexander-Arnold, a natural full-back, in central midfield to utilise his range of passing that best highlights the issues facing manager Gareth Southgate. No team has ever won a major international tournament without a settled and fully functioning midfield, so the decision to play the Liverpool right-back alongside Declan Rice, despite minimal game-time together, has proved a risk not worth taking.
It has left England desperately short of control in the most critical area of the pitch, resulting in the Three Lions retreating and defending early 1-0 leads against both Serbia and Denmark. While they held on unconvincingly to win their opening game, they were fortunate to escape with a draw against the Danes.
Granted, England are top of Group C and should have enough individual quality to get past Slovenia on Tuesday, but Southgate needs to quickly find a winning formula before sterner tests await in the knockout stages.
France lack cutting edge without Mbappe
Even the most cursory glance at France's squad justifies their status as pre-tournament favourites. Les Bleus have pace, power, and talent in all areas of the pitch, and are led by arguably the best forward in the world.
Weeks after securing his long-awaited move to Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappe made his way to Germany as one of the leading stars of Euro 2024 and tipped to fire his team to glory. However, a broken nose sustained during France's opening game against Austria forced the striker to sit out the second match against the Netherlands.
Mbappe's absence against the Dutch showed that for all of France's depth, they lack the cutting edge their captain provides. Didier Deschamps' side were strong in possession and created several chances but poor finishing proved costly, and they were lucky to secure a goalless draw after Xavi Simons' goal was controversially ruled out.
It means from their first two games, no France player has scored – Maximilian Wober's own goal was the difference against Austria – making Mbappe's availability even more crucial.
A masked Mbappe is expected to return to the starting XI for their final Group D match against Poland and his team will need him to start firing soon to get their tournament properly up and running.
Change in formation transforms Portugal
England could probably learn a thing or two from Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo and Co produced a disjointed and underwhelming display to edge past Czech Republic 2-1 in their opening game, but instead of persevering, manager Roberto Martinez made drastic changes for Saturday's showdown with Turkey.
By ditching the 3-5-2 and going to 4-2-3-1, Martinez was able to unlock Portugal's strengths. Joao Cancelo and Nuno Mendes were devastating at full-back against Turkey, Bruno Fernandes was given more attacking freedom in the No 10 role, and the anchor duo of Vitinha and Joao Palhinha controlled the midfield. It also allowed Portugal's two wingers, Bernardo Silva and Rafael Leao, more freedom to drift centrally both with and without the ball.
The 2016 champions were certainly given a helping hand by Turkey, who conceded a farcical own goal, but Portugal were well worth their 3-0 victory after delivering a cohesive and fluid performance.
Guaranteed top spot in Group F with a game to spare, it offers Martinez the luxury of making wholesale changes for Wednesday's final group match against Georgia. Whether he opts to make those changes, Martinez will surely stick with the formation that served his team so well.
One matter of concern for Portugal from their win over Turkey was the number of pitch invaders who entered the field, all determined to secure selfies with Ronaldo. Security will need to be beefed up to prevent any more incidents for their remaining matches.
