With the first round of group phase games now complete, it seems like an apposite time to cast an eye over the initial impressions made by the sixteen nations, and sort the contenders from the pretenders.
Group A
The tournament opener can often set a precedent for the tone of the rest of the group stage – at Germany ’06, the hosts’ spectacular winning start kicked off a goal-laden fortnight, before the knockout rounds saw an inevitable retreat into negativity which soured that tournament’s early promise. Unfortunately, this year’s summer football festival got underway in a rather subdued manner.
Though co-hosts Switzerland displayed a certain level of promise, it took only the desperately unlucky early loss through injury of captain and chief goal threat Alexander Frei to dishearten their youthful side. Beleaguered boss Kobi Kuhn will hope Frei’s slow, tearful limp from the St. Jakob Park pitch on Saturday is not to be the defining image of the Swiss challenge. The Borussia Dortmund forward’s replacement, deft playmaker Hakan Yakin, and wide-men Tranquillo Barnetta and Valon Behrami, will now hold the key to Switzerland’s chances of making an unlikely recovery and surviving the cull after game three.
As expected, bereft of Tomas Rosický and Pavel Nedvěd, and with Jan Koller visibly creaking at the joints, the Czechs were a quite pedestrian proposition in Basel. However, the physical strength throughout the team’s spine and considerable influence of Petr Čech at their base means that the Portugal ’04 semi-finalists remain a tough nut to crack. A probable quarter-final exit at the hands of Germany awaits.
The highlight of Group A to date has clearly been the thoroughly impressive performance of “Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal” – as the British media would have it – in their 2-0 defeat of Turkey in Geneva. With Luiz Felipe Scolari having the enviable luxury of holding back another twinkletoes, Ricardo Quaresma, while relentlessly rotating a plethora of absurdly-talented wingers, the Portuguese are perhaps yet to even hit their peak. Deco looks to have shaken off his Barça malaise and, on Saturday night, prompted expertly alongside his callow assistant Joao Moutinho, while goal-hero Pepe and Ricardo Carvalho are a defensive dream-team. As long as they can keep loose cannon Ricardo from cocking things up, Portugal must expect to make the semis at the very least.
Fatih Terim’s decision to omit the grand old man of Turkish football, Hakan Şükür, from his squad was a popular one in most quarters. However, Turkey’s showing in their first game back in major competition since finishing third in Japan/Korea ’02 clearly demonstrated why the 36-year-old was even considered a realistic proposition for inclusion. Nihat may have excelled in La Liga this year and - on his day - Tuncay is an enterprising, skilful forward, but together the two simply do not make an effective partnership. While Emre, loose of the shackles of the St James’ Park shambles, probed and linked play well, the Turkish defensive unit behind him proved far too cumbersome to keep the pacy Portugese at bay. Tomorrow’s encounter with the Swiss is now a must-win, which could then set up a decisive showdown with the Czechs.
Group B
In the run-up to the tournament, co-hosts Austria were widely touted as the worst side ever to ‘earn’ a place at the Euros. A narrow 0-1 reverse at the hands of everyone’s favourite dark horse Croatia far from embarrassed the Austrian masses who awaited this event with excitement and trepidation in equal measure. Werder Bremen-bound Sebastian Prödl made a fine impression at the heart of the defence. The giant 20-year-old confidently displayed the talents which earned him a spot in the U20 World Cup select XI last year. However, in the short term at least, his countrymen will struggle to overcome the concession of the fourth-minute penalty which did for them in Vienna. The next game against Poland provides their best chance of salvaging a point, before they are swept ruthlessly aside by their neighbours, the Germans.
The Croats have a lot to live up to; their Wembley masterclass last year left the purists purring. Highly-rated coach Slaven Bilić is at the helm of a gifted group, but has not fully been able to redress ‘the Eduardo problem’ up front. In conceding the majority of the possession to the Austrians, they relied too heavily on the counter-attack. Without a spearhead to finish moves off, their aesthetically-pleasing style may come to naught in the last eight.
Favourites Germany opened, as expected, with a performance of quality and confidence. Coach Jogi Löw’s decision to feature out-of-form striker Lukas Podolski on the left wing of his XI to face the Poles paid off handsomely – the Bayern Munich man punctured the inflated expectations of his birthland with a well-taken double. As ever, the supreme balance and composure of the Ballack/Frings midfield axis was, and will be, fundamental to the Germans’ dominant style. Though they started without a win in the Euros since their Wembley triumph of 1996, it would be a foolish man who bets against der Nationalmannschaft making a mockery of that record this time out and surging straight into the final.
Their opponents on Sunday, Poland, will not be entertaining such lofty ambitions. Though Leo Beenhakker’s re-organisation and re-motivation of the national side saw them storm through qualifying, after a shaky start, it was always going to be a tough ask for the Polish to reproduce such form on the big stage. The squad remains a limited one, and with livewire Ebi Smolarek starved of service by the misfiring Jacek Krzynówek and ineffective (and now injured) skipper Maciej Żurawski, those limitations were exposed in Klagenfurt. That said, they may fancy their chances of a positive result against the Austrians, setting up a potentially crucial game with Croatia next Monday night.
Group C
In producing the most stultifying ninety minutes of this (and perhaps any other) European Championship, France and Romania offered plenty of evidence as to why they should go no further. The Romanians stuck doggedly to a pre-conceived game-plan which achieved their goal of snatching a point. Which is all very well, but if they are to have any chance whatsoever of progressing from the group it will be necessary to beat at least one of Italy and Holland. Having nine men behind the ball and poor Adrian Mutu charged with sole creative responsibility is unlikely to get the job done.
The French, meanwhile, offered up a showing comparable with that of their recent major championship group stage form – that is to say they were abject and clueless. As ex-Bleu and BBC pundit Marcel Desailly pointed out, France have relied too heavily for too long on the incomparable talents of Zinedine Zidane (when playing half-fit in 2002 and out-of-touch in the early stages of 2006, his team-mates floundered). The mercurial Franck Ribéry may be exceptionally talented, but he is a winger and should not be expected to fill the gaping Zizou-shaped void single-handedly. That issue aside; Florent Malouda was, again, pitiful and Anelka/Benzema clearly has no potential whatsoever as a partnership. Patrick Vieira returns from injury for Friday’s clash with the Dutch, but the veteran Inter midfielder should be regarded more a liability than a source of inspiration these days. If it all continues to go pear-shaped, then Raymond Domenech may find his omissions of the energetic Mathieu Flamini and goal machine (and, yes, glorified goal-hanger) David Trezeguet indefensible. A first phase exit is on the cards.
Meanwhile, the Dutch lit up the tournament with their dismantling of World Champions, Italy; returning to a brand of sexy football that went missing at the turn of the century. Ruud van Nistelrooy gave a display of world-class centre-forward play – a dying art, Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart finally showed signs of fulfilling their enormous potential on the biggest stage, and the much-derided back four held firm under near-constant second half pressure. Sneijder’s goal was an extraordinary example of the precision and panache of the Netherlands’ counter-attacking supremacy. With Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie still to return to full fitness, they hold a very real chance of not only progressing from the ‘Group of Death’, but also making it through to the final week.
Italy, while mercilessly turned over by a rampant Dutch XI – conceding three goals in the process – will still hold out hope of progression. There was little fundamentally wrong with their play; but under-fire Roberto Donadoni (who signed a fresh 2-year contract prior to the tournament) will have to tweak his midfield line-up, ideally by bringing in Daniele De Rossi or Alberto Aquilani, and pray that their once rock-solid defence can eventually absorb the loss of Fabio Cannavaro (dropping professional disaster-zone Marco Materazzi might be a good start). Toto Di Natale gave 100 per cent as always in his support of the frustrated Luca Toni, but it was only when old master Alex Del Piero took the field that the Azzurri looked likely to breach the Dutch defence. Italy-France in Zurich next week may well prove to be the definitive clash in this ultra-tough group.
Group D
Perennial under-achievers Spain generally impress during the early stages of a competition; garnering admiration and support along the way, before an inevitable quarter-final departure. In Portugal four years ago they suffered a group-phase exit, but this time around they need not fear such a fate. Systematically dismantling Russia (the darkest of dark horses) was no mean feat, and the Torres/Villa show was a sight to behold. With a plethora of midfield craftsmen to choose from, Luis Aragonés has a tough task in selecting a balanced XI, while featuring all of his top talent. Cesc Fàbregas was unlucky to miss out initially, but showed his worth with some fine runs and a headed goal in injury time. The centre of defence remains a concern, but with Brazilian-born Marcos Senna patrolling at the base of a midfield diamond, the Spanish retain a certain solidity. They are, of course, serious contenders.
Guus Hiddink’s Russia, meanwhile, only served to show how fortunate they were to stumble through qualification for the finals. Without creative fulcrum Andrei Arshavin, who also misses the upcoming Greece clash through suspension, the Russians were largely clueless in the final third of the pitch. Hiddink has an undeniable talent for over-achieving, even with the most unpromising of raw materials, and perhaps that trend might run aground in Austria. Their clumsy defensive four was clinically exploited by Spanish flair and ingenuity, and even if Russia are fortunate enough to escape the group – a distinct possibility given the limitations of their next opponents – they will struggle to make an impact in the last eight.
Greece once more forced upon the viewing public their ugly brand of ultra-negative anti-football in the game with Sweden. The fundamental flaw with their approach is that if the opposing side are as similarly offensively inadequate, they cannot rely on their opponents to take the initiative and open the game up. Simply put, they’re only effective as underdogs. As usual, Angelos Charisteas put himself about gamely up front, and the midfield marshalled by Giorgios Karagounis worked over-time to restrict the (already restricted) Swedes. There is little chance of Otto Rehhagel producing another ‘Miracle of Lisbon’ in this year’s Championship, and his ageing side will be lucky to garner even a point from their remaining games.
Despite selecting more or less the same squad each time around, the Swedes keep qualifying for major tournaments and then keep progressing from the group stages, without ever showing any exceptional ability. With the likes of Henrik Larsson, Niclas Alexandersson and Freddie Ljungberg back again, it was familiar side that took the field on Monday night, and a similar result followed. The thunderbolt strike of Zlatan Ibrahimović illuminated an otherwise tedious game, and the Swedes will rely on the hugely-talented frontman to provide goals and inspiration against the Russians and Spain. With Johan Elmander and Markus Rosenberg waiting on the bench, Sweden carry a greater goal threat than usual, and now have a good platform for quarter-final qualification.
Predictions:
Group A - Germany & Croatia
Group B - Portugal & Czech Republic
Group C - Netherlands & Italy
Group D - Spain & Sweden
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