Greece

Greece has qualified once more for an international tournament in typical resilient fashion. The 2004 winners have never escaped the group stages of any tournament before or after this achievement and even in Portugal they mustered a mere 7 goals in 6 games. On route to qualifying the Greeks had four games where they scored twice and one match at home to Malta where they notched an unprecedented 3. It took a 92nd minute goal to break the deadlock when the teams met 3 months earlier in Ta’ Qali. It isn’t a surprise therefore that three players topped the national list of goalscorers in the qualifying phase. Giannis Fetfatzidis (midfielder), Kyriakos Papadopoulos (defender) and Vassilis Torossidis (defender) all reached the dizzy heights of 2. Out of all the teams competing in the Euros only Poland and Ukraine qualified with fewer goals. Still, at least we know what we are getting from Fernando Santos’ men. A hard working, disciplined side will compete in Group A, whereupon they will meet Russia, Poland and the Czech Republic. In March and November last year Greece faced Poland and Russia in friendlies, drawing both 0-0 and 1-1 respectively. This exemplifies how tight Group A could be. Greece is led by the aging Giorgos Karagounis. The 35year old midfielder will look to control games and use his dead ball skills to provide chances from set pieces. He scored the first goal for Greece in Euro 2004 against Portugal and will look to inspire the side once again in Poland. At the heart of the Greek defence is the rising star of Greek football. 20 year old Schalke central defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos has gone from strength to strength this season. Anybody who has watched the Europa League will know of his exploits. Tall, physical, commanding and great heading ability make him a strong asset to any team. Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have all been interested in the potential. This summer could be an important one for this international inexperienced player. Leading the quest for goals could be Celtic’s Giorgos Samaras. His debut came back in 2006 yet despite his skill on the ball he has never managed to impose himself effectively on the international scene. His selfless, hard working nature means he fits in with the Greek ethos, but it will still be set pieces rather than from open play where the goals will come from. One player who may be able to spark some life into the Greek fight could be Ioannis Fetfatzidis. Only 21, “Fetfa” is an attacking winger who plays for Olympiacos. In 12 matches for the national team he has netted twice and will look to use his close control and quick feet to get the Greek fans cheering. He loves a flick and a quick revolving circle around opponents so hopefully we shall see some magic from Fetfa this summer. Greece have a physical squad who will look to defend their way through the group stages. Fernando Santos’ men remained unbeaten in qualifying and by fortunately landing in Group A, could progress through the group stages for only the second time in their history. A lot will rely on the two youngsters Papadopoulos and Fetfa. A good campaign from both could see Greece worry more competitive nations in the quarters. But unfortunately this won’t be the fairytale that 2004 was for them.

Germany

Germany was one of only two teams who won every game in qualifying for the Euros in Poland and Ukraine this summer. They have a wealth of young talent, most of who perform at the highest level across Europe. This certainly gives head coach Joachim Low a pleasant, but considerable, challenge in deciding who represents Germany in the Arena Lviv on the 9th of June in their opening encounter against Portugal. After Portugal the matches get no easier for the Germans. Both Denmark and a tasty tie against the Netherlands await. If you thought the rivalry between the English and Germans was strong, it is nothing compared to these footballing superpowers. Frank Rijkaard spitting into Rudi Voller’s hair is an unforgettable piece of footage from Italia ‘90 and although we don’t want to witness acts like this again, a fair, physical match combined with an artful collection of silky football could potentially provide the game of the tournament. The Metalist Stadium on the 13th of June is the place to be and may only be eclipsed if both reach the final. Low is likely to implement a 4-2-3-1 formation in the finals. This will allow the free-flowing attacking German spirit that tore England apart in the previous World Cup, taking the ease of a potentially vulnerable defence. The isolated man at the head of the German attack may still be Miroslav Klose. At 33 Klose is by far and away the oldest man in the running to make the German squad. 9 goals in qualifying added to his outstanding record of 63 goals in 114 matches. He has scored numerous goals in international tournaments, including 14 in the World Cup – ranking him joint 2nd in the list of FIFA World Cup goalscorers – and it is this reputation that may place him ahead of Mario Gomez. The three players behind Klose need no introductions either. Arsenal’s new signing Lukas Podolski, Real Madrid’s Mesut Ozil and Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller are three of the most exciting attacking players in the world. With an average age of 24 and 152 international caps and 63 goals between them their stats speak for themselves. Their pace, power, precision and finishing combined with Klose makes Germany a goal machine. Behind the four attacking superstars sits Real Madrid’s Sami Khedira and the master puppeteer Bastian Schweinsteiger. Still only 27 Schweinsteiger has represented his country a phenomenal 90 times. He controlled the midfield in Michael Ballack’s absence in South Africa and led the tournament on assists. He is the complete midfielder and when he has scored, Germany has never lost. The German defence is potentially the weak link, however it is not poor. Captain Philipp Lahm is perhaps the best full back in the world. Despite his height his energy and technical ability allow him to sprint forward to join the wealth of attackers. Jerome Boateng is equally adept but also brings power to his game on the opposite side. It is the central defensive partnership that creates an issue. Low appears to favour Bayern Munich’s Holger Badstuber and Arsenal’s Per Mertesacker. However, German Champions Borussia Dortmund have a strong centre-back in Mats Hummels. Mertesacker has a lot more experience than the other two but Low has never had trouble with giving youth a chance. Hamburger’s Dennis Aogo may also challenge Boateng for the wing back position. In goal will no doubt be Manuel Neuer. The German’s impressive season for Bayern Munich has made his spot secure. He broke Bayern Munich’s record of minutes without conceding a goal, previously held by Oliver Kahn, reaching past the 1000 minute mark. He also recently saved penalties from Ronaldo and Kaka to take Bayern through to the Champions League final. Of course, nothing is set in stone. Low has many other prestigious talents breaking through the ranks in German football that may well throw a spanner in the works, Toni Kroos, Andre Schurrle and the exciting Mario Gotze to name a few. But the problem now is that the current team is still relatively young. There is no excuse for replacing youth with youth and the players that currently hold the starting 11 places are potential world beaters. It’s been 16 years now since Germany were last crowned as champions, this year could be their year.

France

France has had a mixed few years in international football. In 2010 the players appeared to go on strike during the World Cup in South Africa when Nicolas Anelka was expelled from the squad for verbally abusing coach Raymond Domenech. They crashed out of the tournament after only scoring one goal and finishing bottom of the group. Since then World Cup winner Laurent Blanc has taken the helm and guided France through a tricky qualifying group. A loss to Belarus at the start of the campaign caused a stir but since then France has looked solid and have beaten Brazil, England and Germany in friendlies. So what to expect from this volatile nation? The answer is, we don’t really know. Laurent Blanc’s side only conceded 4 goals during qualifying, a stat only beaten by Germany, who conceded only twice. The ex-Manchester United centre-back has clearly brought his knowledge into the squad but they do possess a lot of talent in defence. Stripped of his captaincy Patrice Evra has remained Blanc’s favoured left back with Barcelona’s Eric Abidal converting to a more central role. The tall Adil Rami will probably play alongside Abidal, keeping the likes of Philippe Mexes, Younes Kaboul or Laurent Koscielny on the bench. Arsenal’s Bacary Sagna would have completed the back four with but his injury has put him out of the tournament. Anthony Reveillere, Mathieu Deduchy and Gael Clichy, of Lyon, Lille and Manchester City respectively, are all possibly wingback replacements. The new French captain is goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. He has kept 12 clean sheets for Olympique Lyon this season as well as 6 for the French national side during qualifying. His quick reflexes and command of the box make him a dependable player. Further up the pitch, Blanc favours two defensive midfielders, with three more advanced players behind the one focal attacker. The French certainly have the players to utilise this formation. Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery will use his trickery on the left wing whilst Florent Malouda will scamper down the right. Samir Nasri will play in the hole just off Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema. Yoann Gourcuff scored 3 goals in his 3 qualifying appearances before injuring his ankle. The Lyon creative midfielder could provide another exciting spark to the French side. If fit, expect to see him pulling the strings and provide skills that have made some liken him to Zidane. He is yet to live up to this high expectation mind. The two defensive players in the heart of the French team are Rennes Yann M’Vila and Newcastle United’s superb midfielder Yohan Cabaye. M’Vila is a natural powerful defensive player whereas Cabaye runs box-to-box. Cabaye has excelled beyond all imagination at Newcastle with his vision, technical skill and final ball helping the northeast side to an impressive season that could saw them finish within touching distance of a Champions League spot. Their group in Euro 2012 include hosts Ukraine, Sweden and, the old enemy, England. With their exceptional attacking ability throughout the team coupled with a solid goalkeeper, France just need to keep their emotions under control to progress through to the knockout phrase. From there this French side could go all the way.

England

After much, and yet surprisingly unvaried, debate amongst the media it finally happened, the FA picked up the phone and rang Roy Hodgson. Looking back on it now, it is no wonder the FA waited so long to make the phone call, any earlier and the papers would have gone crazy, criticising the FA over their snubbing of their particular favourite Harry Redknapp. However, Hodgson’s record is a strong one and despite his failure at Liverpool, the majority of his tenures have been successful. Whichever way you stand on the managerial front, now the question is how to take England forward? Does Hodgson rely on experience or does he bring in some younger players to gain valuable experience before England embarks on qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil? Most people expect little from England this summer so why not give the youth an opportunity, what is the worst that could happen? However, Hodgson has now named his provisional 23 man squad and it is clear that little change is going to be brought about in this tournament. A host of usual players make the trip with only one major surprise. Yet, the European Championship has not been a happy hunting ground for English football in the past. In 96 they reached the semis, losing to Germany on penalties, and in 2004 they reached the quarters, losing to Portugal on penalties. Otherwise though, England has never made it past the group stages and in 2008 they didn’t even qualify. So, for once in an international football tournament, there really shouldn’t be any pressure on the English national side. Joe Hart has been in exceptional form for Manchester City and, even if he got injured, should still start ahead of Rob Green or John Ruddy in goal. Hart is of the top order and is beyond doubt the best English keeper since David Seaman. The rest of the team is much more debatable. Ashley Cole or Leighton Baines are the two players competing for the left-back spot. Baines has played well for Everton for the past few seasons and is a real danger from free-kicks and set pieces. England lack a set-piece specialist so this could be to Baines’ advantage. However, Cole is still one of the best wing-backs in the world. His strong athleticism and all-round ability cannot be questioned. Starting at right-back will be Glen Johnson with out-of-favour Mikah Richards not even in the squad. Richards has power, pace, aggression and his hot-headed attitude has calmed under the guidance of Roberto Mancini. He has played a focal part in Man City’s title challenge but yet couldn’t push past current right-back Glen Johnson in the pecking order. At the heart of the English defence there are only two places for at least six major options. John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Joleon Lescott and Gary Cahill all have a strong case for the number 5 or 6 shirt. Smalling’s battle for fitness has unfortunately seen him as too big a risk but to leave Rio Ferdinand out is baffling. His exclusion is surely due to the inclusion of John Terry, who despite being a good centre-back should have spent his summer at home. An experienced centre back is vital to success in international competitions and therefore it should have been Rio placed alongside Cahill in Ukraine. Gary Cahill’s recent performances for Chelsea, especially against Barcelona, have been of the highest order and have surely earned him the right to a starting shirt. The midfield has equally contentious decisions to be made. Gareth Barry or Scott Parker are the mostly likely candidates for the fun defensive midfielder role. Ashley Young and Stewart Downing provide real potential occupiers of elusive left wing spot with the opposite wing being run by Theo Walcott or maybe even the impressive Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The final space in the middle could be claimed by James Milner, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard or any of the aforementioned players. Unfortunately, Jack Wilshere’s continuing injury issues have ruled him out of the Euros whereas Adam Johnson and, extremely surprisingly, Aaron Lennon have not been selected for this summer’s tournament. Lennon has been particularly dangerous for Spurs when fully fit. His speed matches that of Walcott and his quick footwork, final ball and finishing exceeds that of his London rival. Wayne Rooney will be one of the forwards however his two match suspension means that he won’t be available for most of the group stages. Jermain Defoe has fallen out of favour at Spurs and Andy Carroll has struggled at Liverpool. Danny Welbeck has had a decent season for Man U and is able to hold the ball up front if placed there alone. However, Peter Crouch and Grant Holt both of whom have scored numerously this season in the Premier League don’t travel. The plethora of attacking midfield players, along with the difficulty of finding two world class strikers, means that a 4-3-3 formation may have real merit. The pace and creativity of Young and Oxlade-Chamberlain could provide a strong attacking wide threat leaving Parker, Gerrard and Milner, who all have the energy, discipline and passing ability, to control the midfield. Whichever England team that Hodgson fields is going to have world class players in. The only difference this tournament is that nobody expects the English to win. This should relieve the pressure allowing for some free attacking football that England have lacked in major tournaments recently. The games against France, Sweden and Ukraine will not be easy, but it is certainly not the hardest group in this year’s tournament. Yet, will Hodgson succeed where previous managers have failed in the Euros? Winning the tournament may be out of reach, but a semi-final may well be achievable.

Denmark

The Danes shocked the football community with a stunning 2-1 victory over Portugal in the final match of qualification to top Group H and book their flight to Ukraine. This fighting spirit needs to be taken forward into the Euros however as Denmark got drawn in an extremely tough group. Group B consists of the 2010 World Cup runners-up, the Netherlands, and 3rd place finishers, Germany. If this was not hard enough, Portugal occupy the final spot but at least Denmark can take heart from the fact that they beat that particular foe in qualifying. Morten Olsen’s energetic, structured team has risen to 9th in the FIFA World Rankings and come into Euro 2012 having won seven of their last nine matches, failing to beat Scotland in a friendly at Hampden before losing their latest friendly to Russia 2-0. Denmark have two more friendly matches against Brazil and Australia before their opening game against the Netherlands in Kharkiv. With the opposition so strong it is clear that the Danes are in for an exciting summer. An attacking 4-3-3 formation with a vast amount of pace on the wings should provide a showcase for goals. Dennis Rommedahl, once the fastest man in football, still starts with fellow Brondby winger Michael Krohn-Dehli teasing defenders on the opposing flank. Both will provide opportunities for Sunderland frontman Nicklas Bendtner to convert. In charge of keeping the ball out of the net you will find the omnipresent Thomas Sorensen. The Stoke City keeper has reached the 100 cap mark and is a solid performer for both club and country. He only conceded 6 goals during qualifying but 4 of which were to Portugal. An impressive centre-back pairing of Daniel Agger and Simon Kjaer should provide a strong defensive basis. Liverpool’s Agger captain’s the national team. His strength, commitment and goalscoring prowess make him a dangerous player. AC Roma’s Simon Kjaer’s is still only 23 and is been watched by all the major sides in Europe. 32 year old Lars Jacobsen will be posted at right-back with his replacement at Stuttgart William Kvist likely to occupy a defensive midfield role. Christian Eriksen, the youngest player at the World Cup in 2010, is the man to watch out for. Still only 20 the Ajax creative midfielder has already provided an assist against England and scored against Scotland. His quick feet, tricks, pace and accuracy have made the likes of ex-Ajax manager Martin Jol liken him to Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart and Danish legend Michael Laudrup. Eriksen’s performances along with the front trio will be crucial. Without these four players Denmark’s chances decline slightly but with a full compliment defenders will be wary. Morten Olsen has been the head coach of Denmark since 2000, making him the longest serving manager at the Euros. His blend of youth and experience, coupled with an aggressive, organised defence, and flair in attack has made Denmark a force to be reckoned with. I doubt they will repeat their heroics in ‘92 but I do believe this could be the shock team of Euro 2012. Although, with a talent such as Christian Eriksen in the starting line-up, it shouldn’t really be a surprise.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic narrowly edged out Scotland to grab an all important play-off match against Montenegro. The tie was always going to provide Euro 2012 with a potent attacking force, the Czech Republic only scored 12 goals in qualifying, Montenegro a dismal 7. Thankfully goals from Pilar, Sivok and Jiracek, none of whom are strikers, saw the Czechs on their way to Poland. Luckily, the Czech Republic landed a spot in what is the undoubtedly the easiest group in Euro 2012 Group A. Poland qualified by right as they are co-staging the tournament, whereas Greece and Russia made it through qualifying. Although both are very adept football nations, neither are considered unbeatable. Yet, if history is to go by then this should be another great year for Czech football. In Euro 96 they finished second, Euro 2000 10th, Euro 2004 back up to 3rd, Euro 2008 back down to 11th, meaning that this year’s finish of 4th would do nicely for symmetrical reasons. Realistically though this should be a tough group to call. The Czech’s do have a small number of Europe’s elite in their squad. Petr Cech remains one of the best keepers in the world whilst Czech captain Tomas Rosicky is just finding form again for Arsenal after some poor seasons at the London club. Between them they have 174 caps and their experience will be vital in guiding a team that has had little exposure to high level tournaments. Out of the four defenders who started both play-off games against Montenegro, Tomas Sivok is the eldest at 28 and Michal Kadlec the highest capped at 33, exemplifying the demand on Cech to pass guidance onto his players. The Czech Republic’s head coach Michael Bilek tends to change the formation of the team depending on their opponent. He has started with both 4-5-1 and 4-3-3 formations depending, obviously, on whether they want to defend or attack. However, recently a standard 4-4-2 formation has been reverted to. The Peval Nedved lookalike Jarsoslav Plasil is a regular in midfield alongside Rosicky. The attacking left winger helped Monaco reach the Champions League final in 2004 and will be looked upon along with Vaclav Pilar to provide service from the wide areas. Leading the search for goals could be ex-Liverpool, Aston Villa and Portsmouth striker Milan Baros. Despite Baros’ lack of goals in qualifying, he scored once against Liechtenstein, the Czech has notched up an impressive 40 goals from 86 international matches. His lack of recent goals could hamper his chances of making the starting 11 with Jan Rezek, Tomas Pekhart and David Lafata all attempting to occupy the forward roles, albeit with only 9 international goals between them. The lack of goalscorers in the squad mean that the Czech Republic have little chance of winning the tournament. However, Michael Bilek’s men could still progress out of Group A provided their defence remains strong. A 4th place finish though, may be optimistic.

Croatia

Croatia qualified for Euro 2012 through beating Turkey in the play-offs after finishing behind Greece in the group stages. After a convincing 3-0 win in Istanbul the Croatians settled for a 0-0 draw at home amidst much celebration. This is the 7th major tournament the country has qualified for since gaining independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, a remarkable feat for a population of just over 4 million. However, despite their short existence English football fans will be no strangers to the red and white chequered shirts. The pair has met 7 times already with numerous goals between them. Some of the more memorable encounters include a thrilling 4-2 loss for the Croatians in Euro 2004, Croatia’s 3-2 victory at Wembley preventing England from qualifying for Euro 2008 and the 4-1 and 5-1 reverse in the qualifying stages for the World Cup in South Africa. The four goals Croatia conceded in way back in Euro 2004 were incidentally scored by Rooney, Lampard and Scholes. The Croatian’s are in a tough group in Poland. Group C hosts Spain, Italy and the Republic of Ireland. Some may argue this is the ‘Group of Death’ but with Group B in the fray it is hard to discern. Either way, Croatia has an uphill battle ahead of them. Therefore it is vital that their opening game in Poznan on the 10th of June against the Republic of Ireland ends in a victory. A draw would be problematic. A loss fatal. Slaven Bilic has a strong squad though, with some players of creativity coupled with a good resilience at the back. They conceded only 7 goals in the qualifying stages although, Turkey, Greece, Israel, Latvia, Georgia and Malta do not really scream goal scoring nations. Bilic will probably opt for a standard 4-4-2 formation with potentially some familiar faces such as Vedran Corluka at left-back and Luka Modric in the middle of the park. Nico Kranjcar was Croatia’s top scorer in the qualifiers with 4 but the Spurs midfielder has a knee injury that may make him questionable for the finals. Ivan Perisic, who plays for Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund, may fill the gap after a disappointing season from Sevilla’s Ivan Rakitic. Tomislav Dujmovic or Ognejen Vukojevic will lead the defensive fight in midfield whilst Croatia’s influential captain Darijo Srna will maraud the wing. At the back it looks like Croatia may be without Dejan Lovren. The young Lyon defender picked up an injury in the Coupe de France Final and is a doubt. The Dinamo Zagreb trio of Simunic, Vida and Vrsaljko could potentially all start. Going forward Croatia have options. Ivica Olic, who plays for Champions League finalists Bayern Munich, and Mario Mandzukic are the preferred pairing. However, Nikica Jelavic’s recent form for Everton has been sensational, scoring 10 goals in 14 appearances for the Toffees, so don’t be surprised to see him start upfront. The fourth striker Bilic will probably take to Poland is ex-Arsenal frontman Eduardo, however, he also is questionable with a hamstring injury therefore opening a gap potentially for ex-Blackburn striker Nikola Kalinic or Bolton Wanderers’ Ivan Klasnic. Despite this strong frontline, the opposition Croatia will face make it hard to visualise many Croatians seeing Ukraine. To get through the group stages of Euro 2012 Croatia need some sublime performances. Yet, we have witnessed such feats before from this nation, everyone remembers a certain golden boot winner in France 98. Unfortunately Croatia’s all time record top goalscorer Davor Suker is long retired.