Thursday 7 June 2012

Euro 2012: Team Analysis

It's not long till the Euro 2012 kicks off now so here's a low down on all the teams that are in the tournament and my predictions as to what stage of the tournament they will be eliminated.


Group A
Poland
Greece
Russia
Czech Republic

Robert Lewandowski
Team: Poland
Where did they finish in Euro 2008?: Group Stage
Key Players: Wojciech Szczesny & Robert Lewandowski  
My Prediction of Stage of Elimination: Quarter-Finals (2nd in Group Stage)


As co-hosts of the tournament, Poland will have home field advantage. Along with reasonable, yet still challenging group opponents of Russia, Greece and Czech Republic, Poland will be aiming to reach the knock-out stages of a major international tournament for the first time since the 1986 World Cup. Two key players that are vital for this to happen are Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, and Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski. In the 4-2-3-1 formation that Borussia Dortmund predominantly play, Lewandowski has thrived as he scored 22 goals in 34 league matches, to help Borussia Dortmund obtain back-to-back Bundesliga League titles. It would come to no surprise then that Poland will be using this formation in order to exploit Lewandowski's talents. Szczesny is a young, agile and alert keeper, who is capable of pulling off fantastic saves, something which has shown in the Premier League for Arsenal over the past two seasons. With predecessors in his position such as Jerzy Dudek and Artur Boruc, Szczesny has a tradition to live up to. With the skills he has and with home field advantage, I believe Szczesny can possibly exceed his predecessors if he performs to his full potential.
Giorgos Karagounis


Team: Greece
Where did they finish in Euro 2008?: Group stage
Key Player: Giorgos Karagounis
My Prediction of Stage of Elimination: Group Stage (4th)


With an undefeated qualifying campaign, Greece enters Euro 2012 in hope of keeping that momentum going. They know how to win this tournament as they became the unlikeliest of European Champions back in 2004. Since that final though, Greece hasn't had any success in any international tournament as they didn't qualify for the 2006 World Cup, and they were eliminated in the group stage in Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup. Hoping to change all that though is Panathinaikos midfielder and captain of Greece, Giorgos Karagounis.  He is a good passer and set-piece specialist. During the competition, he will hope to match or even surpass Euro 2004 skipper Theo Zagorakis's 120 international appearances, making him the Greece's most capped player.


Alan Dzagoev
Team: Russia
Where did they finish in Euro 2008?: Semi-finals
Key Player: Alan Dzagoev
My Prediction of Stage of Elimination: Quarter-Finals (1st in Group Stage)


Failure to qualify for the 2010 World Cup has given Russia the drive and determination to perform well at Euro 2012. Entering Euro 2012, Russia hope to repeat and go better than what they did in Euro 2008, where they reached the Semi-Finals, only to be knocked out by Spain, who ended up winning the tournament. The player that can help Russia perform even better this time around is CSKA Moscow midfielder Alan Dzagoev. Dzagoev is probably the most talented player to emerge from Russia in the past four years. He is a very creative and unpredictable player, who is able to outfox opposition defences with his clever passing and movement. Russia's opponents will be aware of his talents as he regularly controls the flow of the game for CSKA Moscow in the Champions League.


Petr Cech
Team: Czech Republic
Where did they finish in Euro 2008?: Group Stage
Key Player: Petr Cech
My Prediction of Stage of Elimination: Group Stage (3rd)


After coming second to current Euro champions Spain in the qualifying stages, Czech Republic qualified for Euro 2012 after defeating Montenegro over two games in the play-offs. The key player who helped Czech Republic reach this stage and who will play a huge impact in their success in Euro 2012 is Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech. The recent Champions League winner is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. With Czech Republic being in such an even matched group, Cech could be the difference between the Czech's advancing to the knock-out stages, or going home early.


Group B
Netherlands
Denmark
Germany
Portugal 


Robin Van Persie
Team: Netherlands
Where did they finish in Euro 2008?: Quarter-finals
Key Player: Robin Van Persie
My Prediction of Stage of Elimination: Group Stage (3rd)


The Netherlands are part of the Group B, known as the 'Group of Death'. After finishing runners up in the 2010 World Cup, they will want to keep momentum on their side and hope that this they can go all the way and win it. However, first they must get past Germany, Denmark and Portugal in the group stage which won't be an easy task. The main man up front, Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie, will be a vital for them. Coming off the back of an amazing season with Arsenal, scoring 30 goals in 38 league games, Van Persie will hope to keep that form going throughout the tournament. Although he is left footed, he is capable of scoring many goals with his right foot and his head. The complete centre-forward. 


Christian Erikson
Team: Denmark
Where did they finish in Euro 2008?: Didn't qualify
Key Player: Christian Erikson
My Prediction of Stage of Elimination: Group Stage (4th)


Denmark will have to pull out all the stops in order to qualify to the knock-out stages as they will go against 2010 World Cup Runners-Up the Netherlands, Euro 2008 Runners-Up Germany and fellow group qualifying stage team Portugal. With failure to qualify for the last Euro's and elimination from the last World Cup in the group stage, Denmark's chances of qualifying aren't looking too good. However, they must remember that they were in a similar situation back in Euro 1992, the tournament which they ended up winning thanks to striker Henrik Larsen. If Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner can do what Larsen did back in 1992, all will be great for Denmark. However, he will need a player-maker, which is why my key player is Ajax midfielder Christian Erikson. With 19 assists in 30 league games, Erikson has expressed he has the ability to set up goals. He is technically gifted and his passing is second to none. He's got the ability to shoot from long range with both feet which is a fantastic tool for any team to have. With these talents, he can help steer Denmark out of the 'Group of Death' and throughout the latter stages of the tournament.


Mario Gomez
Team: Germany
Where did they finish in Euro 2008?: Runners-up
Key Players: Mario Gomez and Manuel Neuer
My Prediction of Stage of Elimination: Winners (1st in Group Stage)


Euro 2008 Runners-Up Germany will hope that they can go one better this time around and I don't see any reason why they can't. Having won their entire group qualifying stage games, scoring 34 goals and conceding only seven, they qualified as one of the favourites to win the tournament. Key to their success will be Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and striker Mario Gomez. After only conceding 7 goals in the qualifying stages and a fantastic first season at Bayern Munich, he is the undisputed number one goalkeeper for Germany and is earning himself a place on the list of the best goalkeepers in the world. He is a great penalty saver, as he demonstrated this in the Champions League against Real Madrid and Chelsea, but he has been known to make the careless mistake every now and then. Gomez is coming off the back of a season which he scored 26 goals in 33 league games, a form which is likely to continue in the Euros as he is still playing with fellow Bayern Munich team mates. He is now emerging from the shadow of Miroslav Klose and is earning himself a regular place in Germany's starting 11. He will want to forget the horror of losing on home-turf in the Champions League final against Chelsea by using it as fuel to drive his determination to earn victory in this tournament. 


Christiano Ronaldo
Team: Portugal
Where did they finish in Euro 2008?: Quarter-Finals
Key Player: Christiano Ronaldo
My Prediction of Stage of Elimination: Semi-Finals (2nd in Group Stage)


Since 2000, Portugal has never missed a European Championship and they have never been eliminated in the group stage. Hoping to keep this form going will be Real Madrid forward Christiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo is no doubt one of the best players ever to play the game. He is able to score goals with ease as he demonstrated this last season scoring 46 goals in 38 games for Real Madrid. However, he is yet to reach his full potential at a major international tournament. With his ability to rip open defences with his foot-work and win matches basically by himself, I see no doubt why Ronaldo can't finally shine this time around.


Group C
Spain
Italy
Republic of Ireland
Croatia


Xavi
Team: Spain
Where did they finish in Euro 2008?: Winners
Key Players: Xavi and Andres Iniesta
My Prediction of Stage of Elimination: Runners-Up (1st in Group Stage)


As the undoubtedly best international team in the world, Spain will be looking to win a third successive international tournament, something which no international team has ever done before. In order to obtain this, a team has to be filled with stars, which Spain has. Two stars that shine brighter than others are Barcelona midfielders Xavi and Andres Iniesta. Both of these players always rise up to the occasion for both club and country and are probably the best midfield duo the world has ever seen. They're able to control the pace and rhythm of the game, making it near to impossible for any team to stop them. It's almost as if they can communicate with each other telepathically!!


Gianluigi Buffon
Team: Italy
Where did they finish in Euro 2008?: Quarter-Finals
Key Players: Mario Balotelli and Gianluigi Buffon
My Prediction of Stage of Elimination: Quarter-Finals (2nd in Group Stage)


With no real international success since winning the 2006 World Cup, Italy are hoping to do much better in Euro 2012. They qualified for the tournament with ease as they won eight games, drew two, scored 20 goals and only conceded two. To keep the momentum going, Italy need to make sure that Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is in top form. Buffon was badly missed by Italy in the last World Cup when he came off injured against Paraguay and never played again for the rest of the tournament, resulting in Italy exiting in the group stage. They must make sure that Buffon stays fully fit if they are to get anywhere in this tournament. After coming off a fantastic season by only conceding 20 goals, helping his side win the Serie A title, Buffon seems to be in the form of his life and he will hope to continue this form throughout the tournament.


Robbie Keane
Team: Republic of Ireland  
Where did they finish in Euro 2008?: Didn't qualify
Key Player: Robbie Keane
My Prediction of Stage of Elimination: Group Stage (4th)


Euro 2012 will be the first time the Republic of Ireland has qualified for the European Championships since 1988. Sadly though, with the teams Spain, Italy and Croatia in the same group as them, I don't see them getting past the group stage. One man that could prove me wrong though is LA Galaxy Striker Robbie Keane. With 53 international goals, it is clear that Keane knows how to find the back of the net and teams shouldn't underestimate him. He scored seven of the Republic of Ireland's 20 goals in the qualifying stage. Through the help of fellow players, there's no reason why they can't pull out some surprise results in this tournament, but it will be a difficult challenge ahead of them.


Luka Modric
Team: Croatia 
Where did they finish in Euro 2008?: Quarter-finals
Key Player: Luka Modric
My Prediction of Stage of Elimination: Group Stage (3rd)


Four years ago, Croatia missed out on a place in the semi-finals thanks to a defeat by Turkey in a penalty shoot-out. This time around, they hope to equal or do better than that result this time. One player that can help Croatia obtain this is Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Luka Modric. Since Euro 2008, Modric has been recognised as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. He has good consistent weight and accuracy of his passes, causing him to gain interested by such teams as Manchester United and Chelsea. If he can bring this flair to Croatia's game, they will go far.


Group D
Ukraine
Sweden 
France 
England


Andriy Shevchenko
Team: Ukraine
Where did they finish in Euro 2008?: Didn't qualify
Key player: Andriy Shevchenko
My Prediction of Stage of Elimination: Group Stage (4th)


Euro 2012 will be the first time ever that Ukraine plays in the European Championships. Along with Poland, they are co-hosts and with this home-field advantage, they will be expected to perform well. However, with the likes of France, Sweden and England in the same group as them, it will be a difficult challenge. The only other international tournament which Ukraine has competed in is the 2006 World Cup, where they managed to reach the quarter-finals only to be knocked out by the eventual champions Italy. A vital player for their success in this tournament will be Dynamo Kyiv striker Andriy Shevchenko. At the age of 35, Shevchenko's speed and sharpness is not what it used to be and his international career is coming near to its end. So what better way to go than to win a major international tournament on home soil. The road ahead is a long one, but it is not an impossible task to achieve.


Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Team: Sweden
Where did they finish in Euro 2008? Group Stage
Key player: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
My Prediction of Stage of Elimination: Group Stage (3rd)


Sweden qualified for Euro 2012 after finishing runners-up in their qualifying group with eight wins and two losses, defeating the Netherlands along the way. Being in the same group as France, England and Ukraine, it will not be an easy road to the knock-out stages for them, but it won't be a road that they can't handle. One player that can help Sweden along this road is AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Last season for AC Milan, he scored 28 goals in 32 games and was the Serie A top goal scorer. If he can bring this form into the European Championships, Sweden will have no problem of reaching the knock-out stages. 


Frank Ribery
Team: France 
Where did they finish in Euro 2008?: Group Stage
Key Players: Frank Ribery and Hugo Lloris
My Prediction of Stage of Elimination: Semi-Finals (1st in Group Stage)


After poor performances in the last European Champions and the last World Cup, France hope to get back on their feet and become the dominant force they used to be. Key players that will help France get back on their feet are Bayern Munich winger Frank Ribery and Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Ribery had a fantastic season for Bayern Munich, achieving 20 assists in 28 league games and helping them reach the Champions League final only to lose to Chelsea on penalties. His precision passing and amazing dribbling skills will allow him to score many goals or set up Real Madrid striker and fellow countryman Karim Benzema. Lloris's rapid reflexes makes him one of the best young goalkeepers in the world, a title which he lived up to during the qualifying stage as he only conceded four goals. Hopefully Lloris and Ribery will carry on their good form to help France reach the knock-out stages of a major international competition for the first time since the 2006 World Cup.


Steven Gerrard
Team: England 
Where did they finish in Euro 2008?: Didn't qualify
Key Players: Steven Gerrard and Joe Hart
My Prediction of Stage of Elimination: Quarter-Finals (2nd in Group Stage)


It will be a very bumpy ride for England if they want to win the European Championships. With Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney out for the first two games of the group stage due to a suspension and England's defence  not at full strength, England many find it tough to get good results in the Group Stage. Two players that can change their fortunes though are Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard and Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart. Gerrard captained Liverpool to winning the League Cup against Cardiff City. This was their first trophy since winning the FA cup in 2006. Not only is Gerrard able to be a play maker, he has the capability to score from range and lead a squad through hard times. Hart acquired 17 clean sheets in 38 league games, winning himself the Premier League Golden Glove for the second consecutive year. With his high level of consistency, he has shown his desire to be the best England goalkeeper since Peter Shilton and maybe one day he will surpass his records. If both of these players perform to the best of their ability, there is a slight chance that England might be able to qualify to the latter stages of the competition.


Euro 2012 will be a classical European Championship, full of unmissable action and drama that will shock the football world and bring the fans unforgettable moments. My favourites to win are Germany, but any Greece or Denmark fans out there will tell you, sometimes the team you least suspect can come out victorious. 


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