The World Cup may be the world’s biggest international footballing party, but the most difficult? That honor is bestowed on the UEFA European Football Championships, with the current edition more affectionately known as Euro 2012.
Yes, the tournament has its powerhouses, with Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy among the favorites. But such is the depth in quality at this competition that the Euros aren’t above having an outlier sneak up and steal the trophy. It was only eight years ago that upstarts Greece road a defend and counter strategy all the way to the title. Twelve years before that, Denmark, a team whose players were called back from their summer holidays after Yugoslavia was expelled due to its civil war, shocked heavy favorites Germany to win the crown.
This edition, complete with the Group of Death to end all Groups of Death – Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Denmark – will no doubt provide its share of drama and quality. With that in mind, here are the storylines to follow as the tournament unfolds.
1. Will Spain make it into the history books?
There is more at stake than the chance to become the first repeat European champions. Spain – the reigning World Cup champions – can also become the first team to claim three international tournaments in a row.
Will they? That largely depends on the form and health of its strike force. David Villa is still racing to recover in time from a leg fracture he sustained in December. Fernando Torres’ struggles have been well documented, his clinching goal in the UEFA Champions League semifinal for Chelsea notwithstanding. That could force manager Vicente Del Bosque to rely on untested Valencia forward Roberto Soldado or Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente – whose 6-foot-4 frame would give the team a different attacking element – to finish of Spain’s unparalleled approach work.
Much of the crew that claimed both Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup is available, with Xavi, Xabi Alonso, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Iker Casillas all on hand. Group C, one that also includes Italy, Ireland, and Croatia appears navigable as does the team’s path the semifinals. No doubt, at that point, the goal of making history will become much more difficult.
2. Will Cristiano Ronaldo shine on the international stage at last?
The Portuguese star is in the process of finishing off a splendid club season, one that could see him add another UEFA Champions League winner’s medal to the La Liga crown he is almost sure to win with Real Madrid. His 54 goals – and counting – point to a player at the peak of his powers.
Rare have been the moments when he has excelled on the international stage, however. His lone goal at the 2010 World Cup came during the 7-0 romp over North Korea. The rest of that tournament was a disappointment.
Of course, Ronaldo endured similar criticisms whenever Real Madrid faced Barcelona, but his game-winner in the Super Clasico on April 21 slayed that demon at last. His two goals in the 6-2 playoff romp over Bosnia-Herzegovina hint that perhaps Ronaldo is ready to stamp his authority at international level as well.
The broader question is whether Ronaldo’s team is of sufficient quality to enable him to shine. The defense looks solid enough, and the presence of Nani on the opposite flank should provide some much needed balance to the Portuguese attack. But once again Portugal looks short of forward options. That weakness, combined with a brutal placement into Group B alongside Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands may yet prevent Ronaldo from replicating his electric club form in a major international tournament.
3. Speaking of the group of death
It seems that whenever the draw in a major tournament is announced, a group is slapped with the Group of Death label. In this instance, the tag doesn’t do justice to the four unfortunates in Group B. While the FIFA World Rankings should be taken with more than a pinch of one’s favorite seasoning, in this instance they’re instructive. All four teams are currently ranked in the top ten. Denmark, the presumed weak entrant in the group, is currently ranked ninth, with Portugal fifth, the Netherlands fourth, and Germany second.
For reasons beyond rankings, Germany and the Netherlands are the favorites to go through. Germany in particular, with its young stable of talented attackers that includes Mesut Ozil, Thomas Mueller, and Toni Kroos, ought to progress. But such is the talent elsewhere in the group that nothing can be taken for granted. The Netherlands are merely the 2010 World Cup finalists with Arsenal striker Robin van Persie enjoying the kind of form that can win a tournament on its own. The aforementioned Ronaldo gives Portugal reason to believe it can survive, and Denmark has long been a team greater than its component parts.
Then, once the group stage is over, will the teams that emerge be made stronger by their trials or will the tense encounters sap them of energy when the knockout stages commence? It will make for compelling viewing no matter what happens.
4. “Il Trap” takes on the country of his birth
Prior to the draw back in December, Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni made no secret of his desire to avoid Italy, who he managed at the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004. So of course, the footballing gods decided to place the two countries together in Group C. With Spain’s presence likely meaning that Italy, Ireland, and Croatia are playing for second place, Trapattoni will need to take out his former team in the third and final group game in order to reach the knockout stages.
It’s not the first time the two countries have squared off since the Italian took over Ireland back in 2008. The teams drew twice during qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, although it should be pointed out that Italy eventually punched their ticket to South Africa while Ireland didn’t. Now Trapattoni has a chance to return the favor.
5. Will the hosts do themselves proud?
Put it this way, Poland and Ukraine can’t do any worse than the co-hosts in the previous tournament – Switzerland and Austria – neither of whom made it out of the group stage, and between them recorded just a win and a draw. Certainly the good folks at UEFA have done everything in their power to make sure such an embarrassment doesn’t happen again. Poland has been drawn into a ridiculously easy group alongside Greece, Russia, and the Czech Republic. Ukraine has a bit more work to do given that they’ll square off against France, England, and Sweden.
Will it be enough? Poland will have to hope that the Borussia Dortmund duo of forward Robert Lewandowski and midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski have enough left in the tank to get the goals needed to go through. (The journalists having to spell and pronounce their names, won’t be as keen.) Ukraine will need the aging duo of 33-year-old midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and iconic forward Andriy Shevchenko, who is 35, to reel in the years.
Jeff Carlisle
yeyoooooooo
ReplyDelete