Euro 2012 Team Profile – England by Neil Patterson

January 10th, 2012
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Group Winners
Coach Fabio Capello
One to Watch Kyle Walker

As we approach the summer of 2012 all of our minds, well most of them at least, will turn away from the domestic football competitions within our own countries, towards the International arena for the eagerly awaited European Championship Finals, to be held in Poland and the Ukraine. Within a fortnight from now, the world will know the names of the last four teams/countries that will join the 12 nations already guaranteed a place at Euro 2012. Over the next three weeks, we shall be profiling each of the 16 finalists that will bid to become the champions of Europe until 2016.

In the next of our Euro 2012 team profiles, England come under the spotlight. England have the joint oldest national football team having been formed in 1870, they have a proud footballing history and see themselves as inventors of the game which has become their national sport. Needless to say England have been a regular feature at major international tournaments, appearing at the World Cup Finals on thirteen occasions since 1950 and making the European Championships eight times, the first being in 1968. Success however, has been harder to come by in the competitions themselves, the English have only ever won the World Cup once, famously on home ground in 1966, the closest they have come since then was an agonising penalty shoot-out defeat by West Germany in the semi-final at Italia 90. The European Championships, formerly the European Cup of Nations, has proven an even more difficult nut to crack, England’s best achievements in that tournament so far have been a third place finish in 1968 and, another penalty shoot-out defeat by the Germans in the semi-final of Euro 96, this time in front of their home fans.

Since then successive England managers, Glenn Hoddle, Kevin Keegan and Sven Goran Eriksson have fared no better, all successfully negotiating tournament qualification groups and then failing to deliver anything more than quarter final elimination at best. Following Eriksson’s unsuccessful 2006 World Cup campaign he was replaced as head coach by Steve McClaren. Under McClaren’s direction the England team slumped to a new low in modern times, failing to qualify for Euro 2008 was the first time they hadn’t reached a major international competition since their failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup. McClaren was duly sacked and became the shortest serving England manager ever, he was replaced by Fabio Capello.

Capello arrived with an “Iron Man” reputation, he would instil the discipline required to turn England’s ageing, so called “Golden Generation” into “lean mean winning machines”, and for a while, it looked like he had. England qualified for South Africa 2010 in impressive style, with a game to spare, sealing their place with a 5-1 home win over Croatia. Things were looking rosy, however, once again at the tournament itself, England started off in shaky fashion, only just scraping through the group stage. It was clear from the very start that the problems of old hadn’t been fixed, Capello was unsure who his goalkeeper should be, Gerrard and Lampard were still being used together despite their obvious deficiency as a partnership, and the 4-4-2 system employed by Capello looked totally out of date. By the time England faced Germany in the second round, the team were at sixes and sevens, bereft of drive or confidence in themselves or each other and pretty quickly were being put to the sword by a dynamic, exciting, young German side who knew how to play together. England went home.

Since then, Capello has been forced to ring the changes and has tried to bring in some younger, fresher talent. It seems to be working at the moment with the England side qualifying unbeaten for next year’s Euros and recently defeating World and European Champions Spain in a friendly. One of the newer players in the England fold is Kyle Walker. Walker is a whippet-like right back who can play on the right of midfield too, his pace, fearlessness and ability to deliver in the final third, along with real defensive ability make him one to earmark in the summer when the tournament begins.

It is almost impossible to predict England’s chances of success in Poland and Ukraine, they have qualified well enough, but then they have done that many times before without further achievement. I don’t think Capello knows his best eleven at all and despite having a fairly deep pool of talent to choose from, he doesn’t transmit the confidence of having a clear plan as yet. The suspension of Rooney for the Group Stage is also a major headache along with the poor form of recognised central defensive pair Terry and Ferdinand. With all of these factors in mind and their abject showing in South Africa, I would be fairly surprised if England made it past the quarter finals this time around.

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Euro 2012 Team Profile – Portugal by Neil Patterson

December 9th, 2011
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Play-off Winners
Coach: Paulo Bento
One to Watch: Fabio Coentrao

As we approach the summer of 2012 all of our minds, well most of them at least, will turn away from the domestic football competitions within our own countries, towards the International arena for the eagerly awaited European Championship Finals, to be held in Poland and the Ukraine. Within a fortnight from now, the world will know the names of the last four teams/countries, which will join the 12 nations already guaranteed a place at Euro 2012. Over the next three weeks, we shall be profiling each of the 16 finalists who will bid to become the champions of Europe until 2016.

We visit Portugal for the next in our series of Euro 2012 team profiles. Portugal played their first competitive match as a national football team in 1921, they lost 3-1 to their neighbours and rivals Spain. The Portuguese had their first taste of competitive international tournament play at the 1928 Olympics, then the foremost international tournament in football, reaching the quarter finals, before losing to Egypt. Since then, Portugal have had mixed fortunes on the international stage, qualifying for five World Cup Finals, their third place finish in 1966, the best position that they’ve achieved to date. In terms of European competition, the Portuguese have done slightly better, reaching the European Championships five times, their defeat to Greece in the final of Euro 2004 on home soil, the closest that Portugal have come to winning major honours.

The World Cup of 1966 saw Portugal produce their best ever finish in the competition. The team which included Golden Boot winner Eusebio defeated Hungary, Bulgaria, Brazil and North Korea before being beaten by eventual winners England in the semi-final. They went on to defeat the Soviet Union in the third place play-off, and Eusebio finished the tournament, in England, as top scorer with nine goals. Portugal didn’t qualify for a major tournament again until the European Championships in 1984. There they went on a run to the semi- finals, narrowly losing out in extra time to hosts, and eventual champions, France 3-2 in a thrilling encounter; a first round exit at Mexico 86 followed.

It would be ten years before the Portuguese would reach another major tournament. Euro 96, back in England, would see the coming of age of Portugal’s “Golden Generation”. The group of players, which included Rui Costa, Fernando Couto and Figo, who’d won the U-20 World Cups of 1989 and 91 had progressed into the senior ranks and were now delivering relative success. Qualification was followed by a run to the knock-out stages, where they were defeated 1-0 by tournament runners-up the Czech Republic, Poborsky doing the damage with an exquisite lob, leaving Baia stranded. Euro 96 however, was followed by a controversial failure to qualify for France 98. Portugal qualified for Euro 2000 as the best runners up, they went on a blistering run to the semi-finals, where having been 1-0 up, they lost to a Golden Goal penalty scored by Zenedine Zidane.

Portugal’s fury at the award of the penalty to France resulted in chaos which saw Xavier, Nuno Gomes and current coach Paulo Bento receive lengthy suspensions. After a poor showing at World Cup 2002 Luis Felipe Scolari took over management of the Portuguese. Having just won the World Cup with Brazil, Scolari took Portugal into Euro 2004, where, as the host nation, they were expected to do very well. They lost their opening match 2-1 against underdogs Greece, however they re-grouped and went all the way to the final. There they would again face Greece, and again they would lose, this time 1-0; a huge upset and a massive disappointment for Portugal. Scolari went on to take Portugal to the World Cup semi-final two years later, but he would leave after being knocked out in the last eight of Euro 2008.

Following defeat in the last sixteen of World Cup 2010, and a doping scandal, Carlos Queiroz was replaced as coach by Paulo Bento. Bento, a member of the “Golden Generation”, managed to secure Portugal’s qualification for Euro 2012 via a 6-2 play-off win over Bosnia. Under his tutelage, Portugal have only lost once competitively, against group winners Denmark, and look an altogether different proposition. The players look happier and more unified, the trademark flair and attacking style of play is back, and the results in qualifying and the play-off bear this out. Portugal have a number of exciting, world class players such as Ronaldo and Nani, but keep an eye out for Fabio Coentrao. A skilful left back with pace to burn he can also play as a left winger and is an excellent crosser of the ball, Coentrao plays his club football with Real Madrid in Spain.

Predicting how Portugal will fare in Poland and Ukraine is difficult, they certainly have the tools to put a run together and make it to the semi-finals, however, it depends on the draw they receive and whether they can produce their best football on the big stage. With Paulo Bento they have a coach that all the players respect, which is vitally important at international level, and results would certainly suggest that they are a team on the rise again, however there are some excellent teams in Europe at the moment and I don’t think the Portuguese are quite at that level.

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Euro 2012 Team Profile – Rep. of Ireland by Neil Patterson

December 6th, 2011
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Play-off Winners
Coach Giovanni Trapatoni
One to Watch Shane Long

As we approach the summer of 2012 all of our minds, well most of them at least, will turn away from the domestic football competitions within our own countries, towards the International arena for the eagerly awaited European Championship Finals, to be held in Poland and the Ukraine. Within a fortnight from now, the world will know the names of the last four teams/countries, which will join the 12 nations already guaranteed a place at Euro 2012. Over the next three weeks, we shall be profiling each of the 16 finalists who will bid to become the champions of Europe until 2016.

We pay a visit to the Republic of Ireland for the next in our series of team profiles for next year’s European Championships. Formerly known as the Irish Free State, the footballing nation which is officially known by FIFA as the Republic of Ireland, first took part in international competition at the 1924 Olympics. As you might expect for such a small country, in which “soccer” is not a prioritised sport, the Republic of Ireland do not have an illustrious history in major international football tournaments.

The Irish have qualified for the World Cup Finals on just three occasions, Italia 90, U.S.A 94, and 2002 when the Finals took place in Japan and South Korea; in all three instances however, they have managed to get out of the group stage and make it into the knock-out rounds, reaching the quarter finals in 1990. In terms of European competition, other than their appearance in the European Nations’ Cup in 1964, the Republic have qualified for the European Championships just once, in 1988 when the competition was held in West Germany. This was the first time that the Irish had appeared in a major international finals tournament and although they didn’t make it through the group, they were very unlucky not to progress. After defeating arch rivals England 1-0, Ray Houghton with the goal, and drawing 1-1 with the Soviet Union, the Republic came within eight minutes of achieving a draw against Holland which would have sent the Irish through and the Dutch home. As it transpired Kieft scored for the Dutch, Ireland were out, and Holland went on to be crowned European Champions 1988.

Following on from that very respectable debut on the international stage, the Republic of Ireland, under charismatic boss Jackie Charlton went on to qualify for two successive World Cup Finals. The first of these was at Italia 90 where the Irish qualified for the second round after three draws in the group stage; they went on to beat Romania on penalties, David O’ Leary with the famous fifth spot kick, before losing 1-0 to the hosts in the quarter final. Four years later Ireland made it to the second round in America after a famous victory against Italy in their opening match, Ray Houghton again doing the business in a 1-0 win. They went on to lose 2-0 to Holland in the second round.

After defeat to Holland in the play-off for Euro 96, Jack Charlton retired as Republic of Ireland manager and was replaced by Mick McCarthy. McCarthy’s charges were unlucky not to qualify for both France 98 and Euro 2000, losing out in both at the play-off stage against Belgium and Turkey respectively. Successful qualification for World Cup 2002 was followed by a bust up between McCarthy and, then captain, Roy Keane, which ended in the latter being sent home. Despite this, the Republic gave a good showing, again making the knockout stages, this time they were beaten on penalties 3-2 in the second round by Spain. Since then successive managers such as Brian Kerr and Steve Staunton brought Ireland little success, however following the appointment of Giovani Trapatoni in 2008, things began to improve.

Trapatoni has instilled a solidity and a belief within the squad and the effect of his experience and class was seen almost immediately, the Irish were very unlucky not to qualify for South Africa 2010, losing out again in the play-offs, this time after a blatant handball from Thierry Henry set up the winning goal for France. For Euro 2012 the Irish finished behind Russia in their qualifying group, gaining 21 points, and losing only once, they went on to qualify by beating Estonia in a play-off 5-1 on aggregate.

Looking at the Republic of Ireland this time around, the one thing that you have to say immediately is that they are hard to beat, they do not concede many goals, just seven in ten qualifiers and just two in their last eleven. Looking at their squad, they’ve got some really good experience with the likes of Dunne, Given and Robbie Keane, as well as some exciting youngsters such as Seamus Coleman. One to look out for in the summer is Shane Long, he’s a quick thinking, pacey goalscorer who has made the step up to the Premier League with aplomb this year, and has already netted seven times in 23 international caps, centre backs beware. Ireland can definitely make the quarter finals, as they’ve shown over the years, they are never just there to make up the numbers. Trapatoni has them settled and playing well and the Irish always pull it out in the major tournaments, none of the big boys will fancy drawing the Republic in the group stage, because with the Green Army roaring them on, Ireland have a habit of rising to the big occasion.

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Euro 2012 Team Profile – Russia by Neil Patterson

December 5th, 2011
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Qualifying Group Winners
Coach Dick Advocaat
One to Watch Alan Dzagoev

As we approach the summer of 2012 all of our minds, well most of them at least, will turn away from the domestic football competitions within our own countries, towards the International arena for the eagerly awaited European Championship Finals, to be held in Poland and the Ukraine. Within a fortnight from now, the world will know the names of the last four teams/countries that will join the 12 nations already guaranteed a place at Euro 2012. Over the next three weeks, we shall be profiling each of the 16 finalists that will bid to become the champions of Europe until 2016.

The next in our series of team profiles for Euro 2012 takes us east to Russia. The modern Russian national team played its first international fixture against Mexico in 1992 following the break-up of the Soviet Union, it is considered the natural successor to the U.S.S.R. team by FIFA, even though many of the former U.S.S.R.s best known players were actually from the Ukraine, for example, eight of the Soviet starting eleven in the final of Euro 88 were Ukrainian. Russia as the U.S.S.R., qualified for seven World Cup Finals, their best run in the competition proper took them to fourth place in 1966 in England. The U.S.S.R. fared slightly better in European competition reaching the final tournament on six occasions (as the C.I.S. in 1992), winning the European Cup of Nations, as it was then known, in 1960, and finishing runners-up to the marvellous Dutch team, which included Gullit and Van Basten, in West Germany 1988.

Since becoming an independent country Russia have managed to qualify for two World Cup Finals, U.S.A. 1994 and in the Far East in 2002, both of these trips ended in group stage elimination, with Russia managing one win and two defeats on each occasion. The European Championships have been slightly kinder to the Russians, with qualification achieved for four tournaments-counting next summer- which includes the last three in a row. Russia’s best ever showing in a major international tournament as an independent nation came in Euro 2008 under coach Guus Hiddink. Having lost their opening group game 1-4 to Spain, Russia won their next two group games to set up a quarter final match against Hiddink’s native Holland. Russia took the lead against the tournament favourites on ten minutes, and despite being pegged back, managed to get back on top and eventually win the game 3-1. Hiddink’s charges went on to play, eventual tournament winners, Spain again in the semi-final, where they lost 0-3. Under their Dutch manager, the Russians narrowly missed out on qualification for South Africa 2010, losing out agonisingly on away goals in their play-off against Slovenia.

Following the failed campaign, Hiddink was replaced as manager by another Dutchman, Dick Advocaat. The former Glasgow Rangers boss has managed to guide Russia to automatic qualification for Euro 2012, topping their group on 23 points, a run which saw them win seven out of ten games and lose only once. Advocaat has kept a similar group of players around him as were there under his predecessor and has been able to bring a number of the younger players further into the fold during his tenure. A particularly exciting young talent is Alan Dzagoev, a hard-working, skilful, attacking midfielder. Dzagoev, though still only 21 years old, is regarded as one of Russia’s most talented players, a first team regular with his club CSKA Moscow, he was awarded Best Young Player in the Russian league 2008/09. He made his debut for the national side against Germany in 2008 and scored four goals during qualification for Euro 2012 including a crucial winner in Slovakia.

Russia are an interesting proposition coming into Poland and Ukraine; they showed their quality in 2008 with a great run to the semis, and, that was without their main striker Pogrebnyak who was out injured for the whole competition. Failure to qualify for 2010 was by the narrowest of margins and they could quite easily have secured qualification earlier had they taken their chances against Germany. Advocaat inherited a decent squad and has been able to work with it and improve it slightly, adding a little more steel as results have shown. Obviously, not all sides can make it through the group stages, and it will depend largely on the draw that Russia receive what their chances will be of progressing; however, they have quality within the team and have shown that they are hard to beat, my prediction: quarter finals.

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We welcome any links to blog articles – however they may be reproduced or copied only with the prior written permission of http://e-u-r-o-2012.com.
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Euro 2012 Team Profile – Italy by Neil Patterson

December 1st, 2011
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Qualifying Group Winners
Coach: Cesare Prandelli
One to Watch: Giuseppe Rossi
As we approach the summer of 2012 all of our minds, well most of them at least, will turn away from the domestic football competitions within our own countries, towards the International arena for the eagerly awaited European Championship Finals, to be held in Poland and the Ukraine. Within a fortnight from now, the world will know the names of the last four teams/countries that will join the 12 nations already guaranteed a place at Euro 2012. Over the next three weeks, we shall be profiling each of the 16 finalists that will bid to become the champions of Europe until 2016.

In the next of our team profiles for Euro 2012 we cast our eyes upon Italy. Italy played their first match as a nation in 1910, since then they have gone on to produce an illustrious record in international football competition. The “Azzurri” as the national side is known (in reference to the blue shirts in which they play) have appeared in no fewer than seventeen World Cup Finals, hosting the event twice, 1934 and 1990, and winning it on four separate occasions, 1934, 1938, 1982 and most recently in 2006. In terms of the European Championships, the Italians have appeared in the finals tournament seven times. Their success in the competition cannot compare with their World Cup winning credentials however, winning the tournament just once, in Italy in 1968 when it was a smaller event comprised of only four teams, known as the European Cup of Nations.

Italy are best known for being a fairly defensive minded team, this comes from the Cattenaccio style of football that the national team employed certainly during the 1960’s and 1970s. This defensive system employs a sweeper behind three marking defenders, and is specifically designed to frustrate opponents, close down any space and ultimately stop the other team from scoring. Although the Italian game has moved away slightly from this rigid defensive system over the years, they are still often criticised, particularly from outside quarters for playing a very controlled form of the game , with less focus on scoring goals and more focus on keeping clean sheets. While some of the criticism stems from frustration on the part of the success of these tactics, Italy’s appearance in the 1994 World Cup Final for example, some criticism has been justified, as good Italian teams, with plenty of attacking options have found themselves heading home from tournaments early due to negative tactics. A fine example of this was in the last World Cup in South Africa when Italy exited at the group stage after poor results against Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia.

Following that embarrassing exit current coach Cesare Prandelli took the reins of power. The new coach has brought in a number of new players and has successfully managed to bring the average age of the squad down. Italy’s run in qualifying for Euro 2012 was impressive, eight wins and two draws saw them top their group on 26 points which stands them in good stead for next summer’s tournament. The squad looks good on paper and has a number of exciting prospects like Rossi and Balotelli, Antonio Cassano though is the one to look out for, an incredibly talented, composed playmaker in the prime of his career, with plenty of experience, his six goals in the qualifying campaign not to be scoffed at either.

Italian football has again been in the headlines for the wrong reasons in the last couple of seasons, with player strikes and fan violence amongst the problems revealed. This may turn out well for Italy though as they always seem to produce their best when they have something to fight against, the World Cup winning sides of 1982 and 2006 both arrived at the tournaments emerging from scandals. Given their historical strength in major championships, their results in qualifying and the rebirth that Prandelli seems to have engineered, I think Italy will certainly reach the knockout stages, how far they can go beyond that is a moot point. Although there are other, to my mind, stronger teams in next year’s finals, history has taught us never to write of the Italian’s in major tournaments, you do so at your peril.

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Euro 2012 Team Profile – Sweden by Neil Patterson

November 26th, 2011
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Best Group Runners Up
Coach Erik Hamren
One to Watch Tobias Hysen

As we approach the summer of 2012 all of our minds, well most of them at least, will turn away from the domestic football competitions within our own countries, towards the International arena for the eagerly awaited European Championship Finals, to be held in Poland and the Ukraine. Within a fortnight from now, the world will know the names of the last four teams/countries that will join the 12 nations already guaranteed a place at Euro 2012. Over the next three weeks, we shall be profiling each of the 16 finalists that will bid to become the champions of Europe until 2016.
The next of our team profiles for Euro 2012 takes us to Sweden. Sweden’s history in qualifying for the major international tournaments is impressive, having qualified for no fewer than eleven World Cup Finals, finishing third in 1958 in Sweden and in 1994 when the tournament was staged in the United States. As hosts of the 1992 European Championships, Sweden qualified automatically, marking their début in the tournament with some fine performances, topping a group that included eventual champions Denmark, in the end they were defeated 2-3 by a newly unified German side. Since then Sweden have gone to appear in the European Championships on three further occasions, 2000, 2004 and 2008, only once getting past the group stage in 2004, when they lost to the Dutch after Edwin Van der Sar saved Olaf Mellberg’s penalty in the shootout, the game having finished goalless after extra time.

Sweden have qualified for Euro 2012 by right as the best runners up from the group stages, garnering more points from their qualifying games than any other second placed team. Their formidable form during the campaign saw the Swedes rack up 24 points from ten games, a record of eight victories and two defeats, including a 3-2 triumph over group winners the Netherlands in their final match. This victory marked the end of Holland’s remarkable record of 17 successive wins in qualifying and secured Sweden a points total that would have won three out of the six, six team groups.

On this, their fifth appearance in the European Championships to date, Sweden will be looking to improve on their recent record in major competitions. Failure to qualify for World Cup 2010 was seen as a disaster and resulted in the replacement of long-time coach Lars Lagerback with Erik Hamren. Under his tutelage Sweden look refreshed, he’s brought in a couple of players who had been on the fringes under the old regime to good effect, such as Alexander Gerndt, a skilful forward known for his speed, hard work and set piece wizardry. As well as bringing the new, Hamren’s arrival seems to have rejuvenated and even reinvigorated some of the more experienced campaigners, such as Kim Kallstrom and Johan Elmander, both playing a major part in Sweden’s successful qualifying campaign. A lesser known name but perhaps one to look out for this summer is that of Tobias Hysen of IFK Goteburg. Hysen is an attacking midfielder come striker, son of Glen Hysen, who Liverpool fans of a certain age will remember, formerly a fringe player; he has been a regular in the squad under Hamren’s stewardship. Having moved to Goteburg from Sunderland in 2007, Hysen has an excellent goals per game ratio, 49 in 114 appearances, and he is now replicating that form at international level with six goals from his 18 caps.
Sweden have a good chance of progressing into the knockout stages in Poland and Ukraine, their qualification results and performances were impressive and the new coach seems to really have the players motivated and playing at something like their best. The experience contained within the team, especially its spine, will be vital; Isaksson, Mellberg, Svensson (vc) and Ibrahimovic (c) have nearly 400 caps between them. Further progress could be possible but it will depend on the form of the mercurial Zlatan Ibrahimovic, if he is firing on all cylinders then there is a chance that Sweden should reach the semi-finals and emulate the success of 1992.

Neil Patterson

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We welcome any links to blog articles – however they may be reproduced or copied only with the prior written permission of http://e-u-r-o-2012.com.
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Subsequent comments to the blog articles that appear on the site are not the opinion of ‘EURO 2012 Blog’ but only of the comment writer.
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Euro 2012 Team Profile – Germany by Neil Patterson

November 16th, 2011
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Coach Joachim Loew
Qualifying Group Winners
One to Watch Thomas Mueller

As we approach the summer of 2012 all of our minds, well most of them at least, will turn away from the domestic football competitions within our own countries, towards the International arena for the eagerly awaited European Championship Finals, to be held in Poland and the Ukraine. Within a fortnight from now, the world will know the names of the last four teams/countries, which will join the 12 nations already guaranteed a place at Euro 2012. Over the next three weeks, we shall be profiling each of the 16 finalists who will bid to become the champions of Europe until 2016.

The continuation of our Euro 2012 team profiles now brings us to Germany. Like the German nation, the German national football team found itself split into West Germany and East Germany following the end of Second World War. The two teams competed separately in international competition and achieved varying degrees of success. West Germany proceeded to win the World Cup Finals in 1954, in 1974 on home soil, and again in 1990, when the tournament was held in Italy. They also fared well in the European Championships, winning the competition at the first time of asking in 1972, before going on to be crowned Champions again in 1980. East Germany however, couldn’t match that success in the major footballing competitions, failing to qualify for the European Championships and making just one appearance in the World Cup (1974). The East German football team did, however, win Gold in the Olympic football competition of 1976, and defeated the World Cup winning West German team in 1974- the only match ever played between the two countries.

Re-unification came in 1990, and, since then, Germany have continued to be a force to be reckoned with on the international stage. Although not quite reaching the heights that West Germany reached in the past; Germany reached the final of Euro 92 losing 2-0 to Denmark, a feat repeated at Euro 96, this time they came out on top, defeating the Czech Republic 2-1 after Oliver Bierhoff scored the decisive “Golden Goal”. In 2008 Germany made the final again, only to be defeated by Spain, Fernando Torres scoring the only goal. The Germans have made their mark in the World Cup Finals too, reaching the final in 2002 when they lost to Brazil, reaching the semi-finals of World Cup 2006, in Germany, and in 2010 in South Africa. Beaten by the eventual winners on both occasions, Germany played strongly, and were unfortunate not to have progressed further.

The World Cup Finals in South Africa last year saw Germany, under head coach Joachim Loew , firmly display their credentials as one of the most exciting teams in international football. Loew who took over from Juergen Klinsmann before Euro 2008, built on his success in that tournament by taking a young team, without injured captain and talisman Michael Ballack, to South Africa. The relatively inexperienced side grew into the tournament producing a run of fine performances and results; defeating England 4-1 in the second round, before going on to destroy Diego Maradona’s heavily fancied Argentina, which included the likes of Di Maria and Messi, 4-0 in the quarter finals. Germany went on to lose to Spain 1-0 in the semis but had chances against the Spaniards, which had they taken, could have led them to the final against Holland.

Germany’s race to qualification for next summer’s European Championships was impressive to say the least, winning all of their matches, scoring 34 goals in the process and conceding just seven. Not only do the Germans have a settled squad with a great blend of youth and experience, they also have top players in key positions such as Mesut Oezil, Manuel Neuer and Bastien Schweinsteiger. In Mario Gomez they have a striker who is in the form of his career, with thirteen goals in eleven games for Bayern Munich already this season and six in Euro 2012 qualifying. One player to really look out for this summer is Thomas Mueller. Still only 22 years old, Mueller was a sensation at last year’s World Cup scoring five goals in six appearances, combined with three assists, enough to win him The Golden Boot and see him named the tournament’s Best Young Player.

On the evidence of South Africa 2010 and qualifying form since, Germany can make a serious bid to become European Championships again this summer. Along with Holland, Germany pose the most serious threat to Spain’s continued domination of international competition, and with the competition taking place just next door in Poland and Ukraine, the German fans will turn out in force to watch their team try to reach the pinnacle of European football again.

Neil Patterson

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Euro 2012 Team Profile – Spain by Neil Patterson

November 8th, 2011
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Coach Vicente del Bosque
Current European Champions
One to Watch David Silva

As we approach the summer of 2012 all of our minds, well most of them at least, will turn away from the domestic football competitions within our own countries, towards the International arena for the eagerly awaited European Championship Finals, to be held in Poland and the Ukraine. Within a fortnight from now, the world will know the names of the last four teams/countries, which will join the 12 nations already guaranteed a place at Euro 2012. Over the next three weeks, we shall be profiling each of the 16 finalists who will bid to become the champions of Europe until 2016.

We continue our team profiles by taking a look at current European and World Champions, Spain. Spain have a rich history in terms of appearing in major, international tournaments, appearing thirteen times in the World Cup and eight times in the European Championships-the latter of which they won back in 1964 when it was known as the European Nations Cup. However, over the years Spanish teams had found that success hard to emulate, making only one appearance in a tournament final over the next 43 years-namely the final of Euro 84, where they lost to France. This lack of success, in spite of the wealth of footballing talent that they always had at their disposal, led them to be thought of as “perennial underachievers” and many in football believed they may never again win a major tournament.

In 2006 however, something changed in Spanish football. Having been knocked out of the World Cup in Germany by a strong French team, coach Luis Aragones, decided that his team were not physical enough to be able to out muscle opponents, and so turned his attention to a style of play that focussed on controlling games by dominating possession, using short passes and movement to break through defences. This style of play is known as “TIKI TAKA”, it was first brought to Spain by Johann Cryuff in his spell as Barcelona boss (1988-96) and has been described by some as an upgrade to the “TOTAL FOOTBALL” made famous by the magnificent Dutch team of the 1970’s. The impact was almost immediate, and since the adoption of the “tiki taka” policy, Spain have not only won the 2008 European Championships under Aragones, but also the 2010 World Cup under current coach del Bosque.

This time around, for obvious reasons, Spain will travel to Poland and Ukraine as pre-tournament favourites. Vicente del Bosque has led them to 28 victories in 30 competitive matches since he took over before the qualifiers for World Cup 2010, including a 100% record in qualification for Euro 2012 – seeing them top group 1 on 24 points. Their style of football, ability on the ball, speed of thought, movement and the abundance of talent and quality throughout the squad, make them the team to beat. In Iker Cassillas they have a goalkeeper, though still young, who has a wealth of experience both with Real Madrid and with the national side, winning the Golden Glove in South Africa. In David Villa they have a clinical, skilful, striker who links up effortlessly with the midfield to create chances as well as being ruthless in front of goal himself. Villa was joint top scorer World Cup 2010, top scorer in Euro 2008 and has every chance of scooping that accolade again next summer. Spain have an embarrassment of footballing riches, especially in midfield, but if there’s one man in particular who could really make his mark on the tournament this time, it’s David Silva. Silva’s ability to drift between the opposition lines makes him incredibly dangerous, coupled with his vision and range of passing, he has the ability to split defences and create havoc as we have seen from his outstanding performances for Manchester City this season.

In conclusion, Spain are the favourites for a reason and it’s going to take a monumental effort to prevent them from retaining their title this time around. Germany and Holland will be the biggest threats in Poland/Ukraine, but they will have to be at their very best if they are to succeed where so many, including themselves, have failed before.

Neil Patterson

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We welcome any links to blog articles – however they may be reproduced or copied only with the prior written permission of http://e-u-r-o-2012.com.
The opinions expressed are not necessarily those ‘EURO 2012 Blog’ but of the contributor.
Subsequent comments to the blog articles that appear on the site are not the opinion of ‘EURO 2012 Blog’ but only of the comment writer.
Personal attacks, offensive language, racist, sexist, bigoted views and unsubstantiated allegations will not be printed. ‘ EURO 2012 Blog’ reserves the right to determine if comments are any of the above.

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