Spain

Spain, the perennial underachievers. Not anymore. The European Champions cruised to the title of World Champions in South Africa after a minor hiccup against Switzerland. They continually nullified matches through their constant possession, before scoring the one goal required to beat their opponents. Getting the ball off them seemed difficult, keeping it for long enough to create a goalscoring opportunity felt almost impossible. Yet, despite Spain’s flawless qualifying campaign there is a sense that their air of invincibility is thinning. Nobody likes a certainty. It defies the unpredictability aspect of sport that makes it so special. Everyone is willing to try that little bit harder. To throw an extra tackle in. To sit and think that little bit longer about how to defeat the tournament favourites. So much so that even friendlies take on a more competitive edge. Due to this the losses to Argentina, Portugal, Italy and England, the four highest ranked opponents in the last two years, albeit all in friendly matches, have proved significant. It has given nations hope that La Furia Roja (The Red Fury) can be defeated. The recent semi-final exits from Barcelona and Real Madrid in the Champions League has added to this concept. Yet, you would be daft to believe that Spain has placed even a toe on the slippery slope to obscurity. They are still the team to beat and are nothing but entertaining. In the 19 international matches since the World Cup final in Johannesburg there have been on average 3.6 goals per game and there has never been a 0-0 draw. A string of world-class players could all represent Spain in this summer’s finals. Barring injury Iker Casillas will don the Number 1 shirt and captain the nation. The Real Madrid keeper has represented his country 128 times, the most in Spain’s history. Still only 30 Casillas’ cat-like reflexes have kept 72 international clean sheets and have enabled him to win every major club and national tournament. Influential centre-back Carles Puyol is set to miss the tournament and one of the most potent strikers in world football David Villa is still struggling to recover after breaking his leg in December. Spain have enough quality throughout the pitch, although their all-time record goalscorer may be hard to replace. Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique are almost certainties for a starting defensive role. Ramos is renowned for his attacking presence from right-back whereas Pique’s controlled technique will aid him in starting off the Spanish passing game from the back. The midfield sees Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Busquets, Pedro, Silva, Mata and Xabi Alonso all vying for a spot on the plane to Poland, let alone a shirt that will confirm that they will play. Vincente del Bosque certainly has some huge decisions to make in this department but with David Villa potentially unavailable up front, a five man midfield may incorporate more of these major stars. For me it has to be the same four that started the World Cup final in 2010 with Silva replacing Pedro. Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets are fundamental to how the Spaniards play whereas Xabi Alonso goes from strength to strength. His control, pin-point long passing from his exceptional vision and calm head make him a driving force in the national side and undoubtedly he played a huge role in Real Madrid’s title winner season. With Villa potentially unavailable and Torres not really finding true form at Chelsea yet, the striker position is up for grabs. Fernando Llorente has impressed for Athletic Bilbao and could certainly play as the lone frontman. His height and technical ability make him a quality Peter Crouch. However, it was Roberto Soldado who took his international chance. Replacing Llorente in the game against Venezuela at half-time, the Valencia striker scored a hat-trick and had one goal disallowed. Sevilla’s Alvaro Negredo is another option. It is safe to say that Vincente del Bosque has a lot of decisions to make. Each player in the 23 man squad would arguably be a certain starter in other nations. Their group is not easy though and with Italy as an opener they could get off to a slow start. But then again, they did that against Switzerland in the World Cup and went on to be crowned champions.

Portugal

Portugal are the nearly men of football. Over the last two decades we have seen world-class talent emerge from the most westerly country in Europe. But silverware at a national level has always eluded them. The last three European Championships have seen them reach the quarters, the semis and the final but they will get no sympathy from a English writer who has witnessed them beat England at Euro 2000, Euro 2004 and the World Cup in 2006. Bias aside, Portugal have a strong team but one that it is capable of becoming the England of football, always insisting they will win but never actually doing so. The draw has not been kind to them in the last two tournaments. In South Africa they got drawn along with Brazil, Ivory Coast and North Korea. In Ukraine they face Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. Denmark topped the qualifying group that Portugal were in, meaning the Portuguese needed to win in the play-offs against Bosnia and Herzegovina to make it to the Euros. After a tight 0-0 away, a 6-2 thrashing at home booked their place in the finals. Cristiano Ronaldo was once again the main men, scoring 7 goals in 8 games for his country. The Real Madrid striker took 41 shots on goal in his 8 games during qualifying, more than anyone else throughout the phase. On average he had an attempt on goal every 17 ½ minutes. Some would say he is greedy. The fact that he only made three assists during qualifying doesn’t help. But strikers are meant to be selfish and manager Paulo Bento knows, like Europe, exactly what to expect from this match winning footballer. Ronaldo has kept up with Messi this season helping Real overcome the Catalan masters to win La Liga, both exceptional feats. Fellow Real player Pepe will be the heart of the Portuguese defence. In midfield will be two contrasting Premier League players. Manchester United’s Nani and Chelsea’s Raul Meireles sum up Portugal perfectly. Both are gifted players, yet both have failed to hold down a regular starting place this season, Nani especially has been below par. Yet, Nani has the tricks to create chances, whereas Meireles has everything a modern midfielder needs to be an instrumental performer on the park. Helder Postiga and Joao Moutinho will also be relied upon to provide creative flair in this already attacking side. Postiga scored 5 goals in qualifying and will help to lead the line as Ronaldo goes walkabout. Moutinho will try and use his attacking instincts to provide chances for the two forwards. Sporting’s Rui Patricio will probably be the man named in goal with Benefica’s Eduardo being the understudy. This will be the first major tournament for Patricio who is only 24. This inexperience may prove a costly downfall against quality attacking forces which Denmark, Netherlands and Germany all possess in abundance. Portugal definitely have a creative team, with lots of talented individuals. However, for them to even progress out of Group B they are going to need some exceptional performances. Denmark is the easiest game of the group and yet the Danes beat Portugal in the qualifying stages. The 4-4 draw at home to Cyprus and the 1-0 loss away to Norway cost them dearly in qualifying, yet both games commenced in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo. Without him, Portugal are mediocre. With him, they always have a chance.

Poland

Along with the Ukraine, Poland are the co-hosts of the 2012 European Championships. Therefore, no qualification was required for the Poles, something of a fortuitous event when you consider that they are lowest ranked FIFA side in the competition. Poland currently find themselves down in 65th position, a whooping 39 places below the nearest qualifying nation. Admittedly though, they are one place up on China, but two behind Sierra Leone. However, hosting major football tournaments is an effective way of assuring ones place in the limelight of a summer’s sporting event and the hosts are always inspired to greater things with the countries support behind them. Which is also lucky for Poland as in their only appearance at the Euros in 2008 they lost two games and drew 1-1 with failing co-hosts Austria. Safe to say, we do not expect anything too special from Poland in this year’s tournament, but stranger things have happened in the European Championships with both Denmark and Greece shocking Europe with victorious campaigns. Franciszek Smuda is the man in charge of the Polish national team. He has spent the majority of his time playing and coaching in Poland with a brief stint as a player in America representing the likes of the Los Angeles Aztecs and San Jose Earthquakes. He has been in charge since 2009 and has seen differing results in the years building up to the Euros. Whilst others have been busy qualifying Poland played a total of 22 friendlies against an array of teams. In 22 matches The White Eagles have won 8, drawn 9 and lost 5. This includes draws to Ukraine, Greece, Germany and Portugal, but losses to France and Italy. They have not beaten another team who has qualified but a 1-0 victory against Argentina shows some promise. Probably the most recognisable Polish player to British fans is Wojciech Szczesny. The Arsenal shot stopper has been in fine form for the London club, keeping 18 clean sheets this season. Still only 22 the Poles will need him to be at his best to give the nation a chance of progressing in the tournament. As well as Szczesny the Borussia Dortmund contingent will also play a vital part. Having helped their domestic club claim the Bundesliga title this season right-back Lukasz Piszczek, midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowshi and striker Lukasz Piszczek clearly provide the backbone to the Polish national side. Blaszczykowski captains the side whilst Lewandowski is the topscoring player from the current squad with 13. If these four players perform strongly then Poland have a chance of finishing in the top two in what appears to be the easiest of this summer’s groups, Group A. Russia, Greece and the Czech Republic will all prove difficult barriers but with every neutral in Europe behind them Poland could scrape through. A quarter final match against Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark or Portugal will be a spectacle but ultimately the end to their campaign. Poland will no doubt enjoy their time in the limelight. However their lack of true quality throughout the squad mean that it is extremely unlikely that they won’t do anything but emulate the last two hosts of the European Championships and exit at the first hurdle.

Russia

The 2018 World Cup hosts qualified at the top of Group B in a bid to go two places better than their attempt in Euro 2008, when they finished 3rd. This will be ex-Rangers manager Dick Advocaat’s last tournament in charge of the Russian international side after deciding not to extend his contract. Advocaat’s side stumbled through qualifying with the 3-2 away win against the Republic of Ireland back in 2010 being the real decider. The rest of the campaign only had one other notable positive score, a 6-0 thrashing of Andorra. The 1-0 loss at home to Slovakia and 0-0 draw away at Armenia do not suggest excitement. In 18 games in the last two years, they have only scored more than once five times. On the other hand, Russia has only conceded nine goals in the same period, and has not let in a goal in a competitive match in just under a year. Safe to say, this is why Group A in this year’s Euros continues to be worryingly boring. Russia drew 1-1 with fellow Group A occupants Greece in a friendly in November after opening up the game with a 2nd minute goal. The ties against the Czech Republic and Poland also fail to inspire a goal fest outlook. However, this is a good opportunity for Russia to advance to the knock-out stage and sometimes when you expect little you get back more. They certainly possess enough talent to win Group A with the likes of Arshavin, Anyukov and Zhirkov all gaining a starting shirt. Anyukov and Zhirkov play pivotal roles in the Russian side. Both are attacking wing-backs, looking to break forward at all opportunities. Anyukov was Russia’s leading player on assists in the qualifying stage with 3. In midfield is 21 year old Alan Dzagoev. Dzagoev plays for CSKA Moscow and has contributed to the national set up since 2010. He scored 4 goals in qualifying, joint top on the Russian list, including the only goal in a 1-0 victory against Slovakia that all but clinched Russia’s place in Euro 2012. The lack of goals Russia has scored is a little surprising given some of the players that Advocaat can select this summer. However, it may be due slightly to the lack of form of Arshavin. He never quite settled at Arsenal, returning on loan to Zenit Saint Petersburg in February. His return of 17 goals from 68 caps is not brilliant for a man that is employed as a forward for Russia and with others knocking on the door, Advocaat’s persistence in playing the little magician may eventually change. Fellow Zenit forward Alexander Kerzhakov may be the prominent striker for Russia. He scored his 100th goal for Zenit in the Russian league at the weekend in 216 appearances for the club. Otherwise, Roman Pavlyuchenko or Pavel Pogrebnyak will be attempting to put the ball in the back of the opponent’s net. At the opposite end of the field, in charge of protecting Russia’s net is Igor Akinfeev. After being out for 6 months with a cruciate ligament injury in his left knee the CSKA Moscow keeper will look to regain his place in time for Russia’s opening game against the Czech Republic on the 8th of June. Akinfeev kept two clean sheets at Euro 2008, one of which was against Greece and his experience and presence will be vital to their efforts. Russia has talent. They also have resistance which will bode well for the group stages. However, whether the two can be combined to threaten stronger nations is another matter. Expect to see them in the quarters but to look no further than that.

Republic of Ireland

The Republic of Ireland qualified for the European Championships for only the second time in their history. Their only previous appearance came in the 1988 Championship held in West Germany. With only 8 participants Ireland were drawn in a group with the Netherlands, the Soviet Union and England. After beating England 1-0 in the opening game and gaining a point against the Soviet Union in the second they needed a draw against the Netherlands to progress. However, an 82 minute strike from Willem Kieft sent the Dutch through instead. The Dutch went on to lift there first, and only, international championship. This was the start of Ireland’s most successful period of football (1988-1994). However, recently under the guidance of Giovanni Trapattoni there has been a resurgence of optimism in a team brimming with talent. They failed to make it to South Africa in 2010 because of a Henry handball but the play-offs this time saw no heartbreak as they demolished Estonia 4-0 in Tallinn. The Irish come into the tournament on a string of positive results with their last lost coming in March 2011 in a friendly against Uruguay. In the last two years of competitive games they suffered defeat only once, a 3-2 defeat by Group B eventually winners Russia. Trapattoni relies on the energy and commitment of his players. Every game is highly competitive, which explains why the Irish topped the charts out of the qualifying teams on fouls committed during the qualifying period. In 12 matches they committed 176 fouls and suffered 160. That is a foul in the match just over every 3 minutes. The Republic of Ireland’s main man is their all-time record goalscorer, the never static, Robbie Keane. Still only 31, Keane has played for 10 clubs, scoring goals for all. In 115 caps for Ireland he has netted 53 goals, none more memorable than his goals against Germany and Spain in the World Cup in 2002. Another of Ireland’s key attributes is goalkeeper Shay Given. The Villa keeper has 121 caps for Ireland, the most of any Irish player. His command of the box is still strong, as is his ability to prevent shots from making the net bulge. In front of Given would have sat John O’Shea and Richard Dunne. The steadfast pair have been rocks in the heart of Premier League defences for many a season now. With their uncompromising and basic style they have been highly consistent performers and often underrated. However, an injury to O’Shea has made him a doubt for the tournament. Trapattoni has a collection of established stars to select in the middle of the park. Glenn Whelan (Stoke) and Keith Andrews (West Brom) appear to be the favoured pair with Darren Gibson (Everton) and Keith Fahey (Birmingham) pushing for a spot. Out on the wings the creative pair of Damien Duff and Aiden McGeady prowl. One other midfielder has recently forced his way into the Irish squad and will be unlucky not to get a starting shirt. James McClean has been one of the standout players of the Premier League this season. His performances for Sunderland have gained plaudits galore for his strength, power, pace and scoring ability. Out on the left wing he is a rougher Gareth Bale. The Irish certainly have a tough task ahead of them. Spain, Italy and Croatia await the “Boys in Green” in Group C. Their opening game in Poland against Croatia needs to be a victory. A draw against Spain would be a good result. The final game against Italy could decide who progresses to the quarter finals along with the World Champions. So, Trapattoni’s men will need to battle hard to go further than the group stages this summer. However, they evidently have that in abundance. Add to their fighting spirit a goalscorer in Robbie Keane and the Republic of Ireland become a tricky opponent. The prospect of an England v Ireland quarter final is somewhat mouth watering.

Netherlands

The World Cup runners-up head to the Euros after a convincing campaign, during which the Dutch climbed to the top of the FIFA World rankings. After winning nine consecutive qualifying matches, assuring their ticket to Ukraine, they have had time to experiment meaning they are now only ranked a mere 4th. A loss to Sweden in their final qualifying match and a 3-0 beating by Germany in a recent friendly are their only two disappointments since their 1-0 defeat by Spain in Johannesburg. The Dutch were the top scorers in qualifying with an astonishing 37 goals in 10 games. Admittedly their record 11-0 win against the might of San Marino helped, but the Dutch still managed to beat second place Sweden 4-1 and third place finishers Hungary 5-3 and 4-0. They also had the best goals/shot ratio in the qualifiers with 37 goals from 144 shots (83 of which were on target). Their ratio of 2.243 of shots that were on target being converted to goals was only bettered by, surprisingly, England at 2.235. Naturally therefore we can expect some exciting football from the Orange Army this summer. They have a wealth of creative players who ply their trade across Europe’s best leagues and who, historically, do well at the Euros. It is only fitting therefore that we start by looking at the strike force of the Netherlands. Robin van Persie. Need I say more? He has been a goalscoring machine this season, notching an incredible 35 goals for Arsenal. Add 14 assists to that tally and it means out of the 90 goals the Gunners have scored this season Van Persie has played a fundamental role in 49 of them. In fairness to Van Persie, his finishing has never been questioned, only injuries have prevented him from reaching these heights before. And it was injuries that meant he only represented the Netherlands six times during qualifying. He still scored six goals mind. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was the overall top scorer in qualifying with 12 goals. The Schalke striker has scored 31 goals in 50 games for the Netherlands and yet, astonishingly, still may end up on the bench. The current head coach of the Netherlands Bert van Marwijk will probably play a 4-2-3-1 formation. The one spot up front means that Huntelaar may only be used as a substitute behind Van Persie. In qualifying injuries to frail members of the squad helped Huntelaar keep his place but if everyone has a clean bill of health it may be a bench warming summer for the Dutchman. But when you see who the other attacking three players are, you understand why. Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Dirk Kuyt are the Dutch creative dynamos. Robben’s trickery, Sneijder’s vision and Kuyt’s energy combine to form an artwork in goals. Robben has helped Bayern to the Champions League final whereas, admittedly, Sneijder has not had his best season for Inter Milan. However both are potentially two of the greatest Dutch midfielders ever. Fans of the Premier League may be slightly surprised to see Kuyt’s automatic inclusion but when you consider that he was the joint 7th top scorer in qualifying and also joint 3rd on assists it is clear that he plays an important role in Bert van Marwijk’s starting eleven. To combat the creative talent on show two men are charged with disrupting opposition play, enter the fray the much loved pair of Nigel de Jong and Dutch captain Mark van Bommel. Potentially two of the hardest tacklers in the game parole the middle of the park clattering opponents like we witnessed in the World Cup final. It may please you to know that only the Republic of Ireland can field a player who committed more fouls in qualifying than van Bommel. It may not please you to know that despite this he never received one booking. Dirty they may be, but they are effective. Replacing one of these tenacious players with Huntelaar may leave the Netherlands too exposed at the back. Rafael van der Vaart and PSV youngster Kevin Strootman may also feel slightly aggrieved spending the majority of summer on a bench. At the back Everton’s John Heitinga will play a leading role, alongside Malaga’s Joris Mathijsen and PSV’s Erik Pieters. Ajaz’s Gregory van der Wiel has the task of replacing the legendary Giovanni van Bronckhorst and has been labelled the new Michael Reiziger. Maarten Stekelenburg will no doubt be in goal. The Netherlands have a tough group to contend with. Group B contains Germany, Portugal and Denmark. The Flying Dutchman beat Denmark 2-0 in the previous World Cup but in Germany 2006 they lost to Portugal 1-0 in the last 16 in a fiery encounter that ended with 16 bookings and 4 red cards. The game against the Germans will be no less competitive. However, with the attacking presence that the Dutch possess I think they will too strong for Portugal and Denmark. Once out of the groups anything can happen. But I would not be surprised to see the final match in Kiev to contain a sea of orange.

Italy

Italy has had a turbulent couple of years. Rioting fans, match fixing scandals, a dismal exit from the 2010 World Cup and the emergence of the enigmatic Mario Balotelli have all added to the sarga. Yet, the Azzurri remained undefeated during qualifying and despite their shaky start, topped Group C comfortably. A 0-0 draw at Windsor Park against Northern Ireland was a worrying sign, but when 4 days later Serbian fans instigated a riot inside Genoa’s stadium, Italy were handed three points from their main rivals. After 6 minutes the game was abandoned as Serbian fans threw flares onto the pitch, the match was ruled as forfeited giving Italy a 3-0 win. From then on the Italian’s looked comfortable. They conceded just two goals in the entire qualification period. Yet goals scored were not exactly easy to come by and despite topping the group their last three friendlies have resulted in a 0-0 draw away at Poland, and two 1-0 losses at home to Uruguay and the USA. This lack of stringent testing could hamper Italy in what is a tough draw in Poland. Their opening match is against Spain in Gdansk. The last meeting between these two teams was in August the previous year with Italy winning 2-1 against the World Champions. However, the confidence gained from that result is offset by the other friendly that summer, a 2-0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland, who provide the opposition for the final game in Group C that could potentially decide who progresses to the quarter finals. Omnipresent Italian captain Gianluigi Buffon will be the man between the sticks. 113 caps, Serie A goalkeeper of the year award a record eight times and a World Cup Winners medal all clearly demonstrates the calibre of this distinguished player. Sitting in front of Buffon is fellow Juventus player Giorgio Chiellini. The hard tackling central defender put ex-captain Fabio Cannavaro out of Euro 2008, injuring him in training, which in turn has turned out fortunate for Chiellini. It provided him with the chance to represent Italy in the tournament, performing well which allowed him to cement his place in the national side. Having now reached 50 caps he is one of the more experienced players in the Italian squad. Another of those is Daniele De Rossi. The tenacious midfield player is loved by Italian fans for his high work rate and strong commitment to the game. He has been the driving force in the centre of the park for six years now and is looked upon to break up opposition play. Alongside De Rossi sits Andrea Pirlo and Thiago Motta. Brazilian born Motta comes from Italian descendent and in 2011 played his first game for the Azzurri. In only his second game Motta scored the goal that beat Slovenia in the qualifying stages for Euro 2012. His presence in the Italian midfield could be invaluable, provided he does not get injured. Head coach Cesare Prandelli likes to play with two frontmen with another sitting just behind in a playmaker role. With no natural wingers on the pitch, this could make Italy very narrow. However, with players such as Pirlo, craving paths through the middle of the park should not be an issue. One of the two strikers will be Milan’s controversial forward Antonio Cassano. Cassano’s talent has never been in doubt, he was the Azzurri’s top scorer in qualifying with 6 but his short temper and bad attitude has been his Achilles heel. I dread to think what would happen if things were not going right and his partner upfront was Mario Balotelli. Other options could be former Manchester United player Giuseppe Rossi or Inter Milan forward Giampaolo Pazzini, nicknamed ‘The Madman’. So, Italy may well be in for another bumpy summer. Their group is difficult and without a solid unity it may be hard to perform to the high standard required to progress in the tournament. If the campaign does not start strongly then we could see another internal explosion from some hot-headed players. Despite their talent, this could be another disappointing tournament for the Italians.