In Germany’s Achterland, the six(ish) appeal of Rodri and Kanté proves pivotal
Ngolo Kante has been France's most vital player at the Euros
Perhaps German newspaper editors hoped they’d be able to write it into existence. ‘Der Blick nach vorn’ went the front page of Monday morning’s Rheinische Post — ‘looking ahead’.
Yet the presence of many variations of a tearful, crestfallen Julian Nagelsmann across almost the covers of the dailies here told you Germans were still looking back. Fully 72 hours after their exit, the hosts’ remained stung, if no longer stunned. Bild was the only outlet not to feature Nagelsmann, instead still raging over the handball decision that hadn’t gone Germany’s way.
Here, where Germany’s tournament reconvenes without them on Tuesday, there was just a slight exception. Such is their all-consuming FC Hollywood pulling power, Bayern Munich were trying to drag some minds perhaps not forward but off to the side. Having shelled out tens of millions of Michael Olise the previous day, Joao Palhinha was next for the unedifying transfer-watch treatment, online accounts tracking a private jet bringing him to Bavaria.
There’s a thread tying all of this together: German exit and angst, Spain and France being the two sides who made it to Allianz Arena and Bayern turning to an English-based Portuguese international to answer its defensive midfield issues. Call it the return of the ‘Achterland' issue.
When Joachim Low was putting together his World Cup-winning side in 2014, the punditocracy here worried that Germany’s prolific production of modern playmakers had led to an imbalance. This had become ‘Achterland’, a nation of eights, and was badly lacking a ‘sechser’ in the six role.
As Spain sent Germany out in Stuttgart on Friday, Nagelsmann desperately shuffled between Emre Can and Robert Andrich in the six, Joshua Kimmich, another option, held at right back. Instead it was Rodri, who kept Kroos occupied and stunted his ability to influence what became the final game of his career, who had everyone’s number.
In a video shot from the stands at the final whistle after 120-plus minutes of an ultra-tense, tectonic quarter-final shift, Spanish subs run to celebrate and they all briefly gather in a jumping huddle on the edge of the Spain box. Rodri peels off the back and just collapses to the turf, arms and legs star-fished out. Absolutely empty.
On Tuesday night he will need to be rapidly refilled. Opposite him will be France and Didier Deschamps’ fiddly and fitful midfield in which a startlingly rejuvenated N’Golo Kanté has been the one consistent difference-maker. And what a difference.
The modern game, even the international one, has moved and morphed even since the original Achterland debate 12 years ago that defining numerical positions is, well, tricky. A contemporary six has to be a lot of things at a lot of times. Defensive shield, water-carrier, off-the-ball occupier of minds as well as space, all of the tempo and maybe a little of the talking too.
Neither Rodri nor Kanté wear six, instead 16 and 13. Yet in their own distinct ways, they are the sechser-ish linchpins for the first two semi-finalists. It is they who are the contenders to follow a line of essential European Championship-winning sixes this century. It starts with Deschamps himself in 2000, then Angelos Basinas (2004), Marcos Senna (2008), Sergio Busquets (2012), William Carvalho (2016) and a mix of Jorginho and Marco Veratti in 2021.
Rodri’s sense of timing has been a wonder for five years now in Manchester’s blue half. Here, he timed his rest perfectly, suspended for a dead rubber final group game before returning as a goalscorer in the last 16 win over Georgia. “We have Rodri who controls everything, the emotions, all the unpleasant moments in the match,” said La Roja manager Luis de la Fuente afterwards. "This is a great help for everyone.” Unpleasantness is likely to be plentiful in Munich. Even with Deschamps’ 2024 vintage taking his practicality to a barely credible extreme — trying to win an entire tournament without trying to win a single game in it — there is peril in the air. The entire right side of Spain’s defence is suspended with Kylian Mbappé and Theo Hernadez baring down.
If defensive duties take on greater importance, Rodri’s impact on Spain’s offensive flow will remain key. In dragging Kroos out of the middle on Friday, the Manchester City maestro opened passing lanes from Aymeric Laporte to Dani Olmo, who scored one and created the winner. Which is where Kanté comes in.
With Pedri injured, Olmo will start as the second Rodri foil alongside Fabian Ruiz. With Adrien Rabiot back from suspension, Deschamps will likely revert to a Kanté-Rabiot-Aurélien Tchouaméni in response with strong indications that Antoine Griezmann may be dropped.
While France’s defence has been imperiously good, its midfield has chopped and changed with Kanté the only one delivering. Disrupting that supply before it gets to Olmo or worse again is shuttled out wide where Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal have been young-blooded killers will fall on the 33-year-old who has defied age and circumstance, both he and Laporte representatives of the Saudi Pro League.
“I brought him for that,” said Deschamps after Kanté won the first of two man-of-the-match awards in the group stages. “Once I was sure that he had rediscovered his athletic means… He has tactical intelligence, the ability to win the ball back and then go forward. He’s shone.” Many French players spent Sunday night and Monday morning toasting a most stunning political turnaround for the country, stepping back from the brink of darkness to somewhere altogether more bright with the far right rejected. The question is if Deschamps will even attempt to do a version of the same with a team that has desperately disappointed.
In a compelling chat with The Guardian ahead of Tuesday, Rodri went deep into his role: “I try to…connect to the players in front of you as soon as you can, to help the game mature, to interpret it, take it where you want it to be.” With another final place on the line, Deschamps will surely want it the game to be anywhere but at the feet of the man who is now favourite to be Player of the Tournament, Ballon D’Or chatter rising too. Something termed ‘implied probability’ puts Rodri’s odds of being Euro 2024’s best at 18.2%, Kanté also among the contenders at 6.7%.
On Monday evening it turned out João Palhinha wasn’t on the plane Bayern fans had been tracking, his arrival delayed. In what is perhaps becoming a summer of the sechser, Munich can for now make do with two of the very best.
France haven't conceded a single goal in the 451 minutes Kanté has been on the pitch at Euro 2024, the most minutes played by a European player in a major tournament (EURO/World Cup) without a goal being conceded with them on the pitch.
Rodri has attempted and completed the tenth-most passes at Euro 2024 (at a 94% success rate) despite playing a game less than everyone else in the top 10. He’s also made 29 recoveries of possession, seventh most in the tournament.
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