GROUP A { CZECH REPUBLIC, PORTUGAL, SWITZERLANSD & TURKEY}
Overview: Group A; A tricky group which will see the likes of one of the favorites and Euro 2004 finalist Portugal take on the host nation Switzerland, Euro 2004 Semifinalist, the Czech Republic and dark horses Turkey.
Portugal is the favorites of the group and would like to do one better than the last Euros’ when they lost in the finals to Greece. Host Switzerland has the potential to cause an upset just like Greece did in Euro 2004. The Czech Republic, who was one of the semifinalists in the last Euro, would he hoping to improve on their performance and win the Euros and provide a farewell gift for their long serving coach Karel Brückner. Turkey are no push overs and would be hoping to spring a couple of surprises by qualifying for the next round.
The Squads:
Czech Republic
Head Coach: Karel Brückner
Goalkeepers: (1) Petr Cech, (16) Jaromir Blazek, (23) Daniel Zitka
Defenders: (2) Zdenek Grygera, (6) Marek Jankulovski, (12) Zdenek Pospech, (13) Michel Kadlec, (21) Thomas Ujfalusi, (22) David Rozehnal,
Midfielders: (3) Jan Polak, (4) Tomas Galasek, (5) Raduslav Kovac, (14) David Jarolim, (17) Marek Matejovsky, (18) Tomas Sivok, (19) Rudolf Skacel, (20) Jaroslav Plasil.
Forwards: (7) Libor Sionko, (8) Martin Fenin, (9) Jan Koller, (10) Vaslav Sverkos, (11) Stanislav Vicek, (15) Milan Baros.
Inspired Callups: Vaslav Sverkos
Shock Omissions: None
Analysis: Coach Karel Bruckner would be hoping that his side can hand him a perfect farewell gift by winning the Euro’s for him. Czech Republic did well in the last Euro’s only to fall in the semis to Greece.
They no longer have the services of long standing wingers like Karel Poborsky and Vladimir Smicer while Tomas Rosicky has also been ruled out of the tournament because of an injury. Perhaps their biggest lost is the retirement of their golden boy Paval Nedved.
At the back, The Czech Republic has a fantastic goalkeeper in Petr Cech, hailed by many fans as the best goalkeeper in the world. If the Czechs are to progress to the next round, a lot will rest on Cech's shoulders and his ability to keep the opposition at bay. He is backed up at the back by the experienced Grygera and the Italian based Ujfalasi to provide cover. Young Michel Kadlec, whose father guided the Czech to the Euro 96 finals, would add further depth and quality to an already impressive Czech squad. Another Italian based player, Jankulovski will push forward and provide much needed width.
Perhaps their weakest point is their midfield. They no longer have the services of players such as Nedved and would be hoping that Tomas Galasak can hold the midfield together. Jaruslav Plasil is the new golden child of Czech football and is being followed by a lot of big clubs in Europe. He would need to fulfill his potential if the Czechs are to get trough to the next round. The impressive Marek Matejovsky will replace the injured Rosicky.
Upfront, they still have the services of the very experienced Jan Koller whose partnership with Milan Baros during Euro 2004 captured the hearts of pundits. Although a lot of critics have slammed the selection of Baros (because of his poor club form), coach Bruckner remains defiant and believes he can get the best out of Baros.
Although many pundits have written off their chances of winning the tournament, the Czechs cannot be written off as they still have a lot of quality players in the squad like goal Petr Cech, Marek Jankulovski, Tomas Galasak, Jan Koller and Milan Baros. They also have a new breed of young talent to come trough the ranks like Jaroslav Plasil, the main hailed as the new Pavel Nedved
Despite an impressive showing in the last Euro 2004, the Czech Republic had a poor World Cup and would look to make amends. The Czechs impressed during the qualifying stages of the tournament and finished on top of their group ahead of Germany. Let’s hope they entertain us in the same way they did in Euro 2004.
Portugal
Head Coach: Luis Filipe Scolari
Goalkeepers: (1) Ricardo (12) Quim, (22) Rui Patricio
Defenders: (2) Paulo Ferreira, (3) Bruno Alves, (4) Bosingwa, (5) Fernando Meira, (13) Miguel, (14) Jorge Ribeiro, (15) Pepe, (16) Ricardo Carvalho.
Midfielders: (6) Raul Meireles, (8) Petit, (10) Joao Moutinho, (18) Miguel Veloso, (20) Deco
Forwards: (7) Cristiano Ronaldo, (9) Hugo Almeida, (11) Simao, (17) Ricardo Quaresma, (19) Nani, (21) Nuno Gomes, (23) Helder Postiga.
Inspired Callups: Raul Meireles
Shock Omissions: Nuno Maniche
Analysis: Portugal is one of the favorites to win Euro 08. They have a very talented team which consists of young and talented players like Ronaldo, Quaresma, Nani, Moutinho, Veloso mixed with experienced players like Deco, Carvalho, Gomes and Ricardo.
Coach Scolari has a very talented squad at his disposal and has done well during his tenure. He guided the team to the finals of Euro 04 and the semis of the last world cup in 2006. He has already been linked with a host of clubs and this could well be his last major tournament as the coach of Portugal.
The star of the team without a shadow of a doubt is the man that has been linked with a big money move to Real Madrid and potentially the best player in the world right now, Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo, who is also the team captain, has an impressive 50+ caps to his name scoring 20 goals in the process. He will come into the Euros fresh from helping his team retain the English Premier League and winning the Champions League. He also scored a total of 42 goals during that process. While Ronaldo might take the lime light, Portugal is by no means a one man team.
In goal, they have the charismatic Ricardo. He has been their hero in their last 2 penalty shootout victories over England. They also have a great back line which is led by the experienced Ricardo Carvalho. He would link up with Real Madrid’s prodigy Pepe. They also have Chelsea’s new summer singing, Jose Bosingwa to provide width from the back. Portugal need their defense to be on song if they are to progress as potential group winners.
Inspirational playmaker Deco runs the show in the middle of the field. He will line up along with Sporting Lisbon’s young prodigies in Joao Moutinho and Miguel Veloso. Scolari could turn to Petit if he wishes to opt for more experience down the middle. They seem have a good balance in the middle and should not miss the experienced Maniche who was dropped by Scolari. Portugal’s biggest strength would definitely be their wingers. Scolari can choose between an array of stars like Simao, Ricardo Quaresma and Nani to lineup alongside Ronaldo. This tournament will give Ronaldo the chance to cement his reputation as the best player in the world.
Upfront, they have the experienced Nuno Gomes who could line up with the impressive Hugo Almeida.
Portugal comes into this tournament with great expectations. They seem to be the team to beat on paper. They should progress from this group as group winners.
Switzerland
Head Coach: Jokob Kuhn
Goalkeepers: (1) Diego Benaglio (18) Pascal Zuberbuhler, (21) Eldin Jakupovic.
Defenders: (2) Johan Djorou, (3) Lodovic Magnin, (4) Philippe Senderos, (5) Stephan Lichtsteiner, (13) Stephane Grichting (17) Cristoph Spycher, (20) Patrick Muller, (23) Philipp Degen.
Midfielders: (6) Benjamin Huggel, (7) Ricardo Cabanas, (8) Gokhan Inler, (10) Hakan Yakin, (14) Daniel Gygax, (15) Celson Fernandes, (16) Tranquillo Barnetta, (19) Valon Behrami, (22) Johan Vonlanthen.
Forwards: (9) Alexander Frei, (11) Marco Streller, (12) Eren Derdiyok,
Inspired Callups: Alexander Frei
Shock Omissions: Johann Vogel
Analysis: The Swiss come into the tournament as co host with Austria. They would be hoping to capitalize on their impressive showing in the 2006 World Cup. It will also be Coach Jokob Kuhn last tournament as the manager of Switzerland as he had announced that he will retire at the end of the tournament. Kuhn has an impressive squad with a good mix of young talent as well as some experienced players. Perhaps the biggest surprise he made was his decision to drop former Switzerland captain Johann Vogel citing that the chemistry between Vogel and the rest of the squad was no longer there. Only time will tell if that move proves to be costly for the Swiss army.
Swiss has a young and impressive backline which is lead by the Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio. They have Arsenal young duo of Arsenal’s Philipp Sendeors and Johan Djorou to provide cover at the back while Liverpool bound Philipp Degan would be hoping to establish his name in the tournament and impress his new club. The most impressive of the lot would arguably be Lodovic Magnin, a player who already has over 40 caps to his credit. His assured and consistent performance at the back would be welcomed by the Swiss as it would complement their young and inexperience defense. Magnin also has the ability to push forward and help create chances. He is also dangerous from set pieces and has the ability to keep the opposition on its toes from his dangerous free kicks.
In the middle, the Swiss will look to the highly rated and versatile Lazio midfielder Valon Behrami to provide steel down the middle. They would also be hoping that the their talented young midfielder, Tranquillo Bernetta regains hit fitness in time for the tournament as he should provide creativity from the left side of the midfield. Perhaps their biggest concern in the midfield is the fact that they lack of an out and out creative playmaker.
The biggest lift for this Swiss side is the return of their charismatic front man and top scorer Alexander Frei who had been out of the national team for almost a year because of injury problems. He would be expected to provide the much needed ammunition upfront. Frei, who has scored an impressive 32 goals in 56 caps, would be hoping to carry his impressive goal scoring form to the tournament and help the Swiss progress to the next round. He would partner FC Basel’s Marco Streller or the young and talented Eren Derdiyok.
The Swiss will be hoping to capitalize on their advantage of playing at home. They have always suffered from a lack of goals and this is because they do not have an out and out creative playmaker that can make a difference by creating chances. They have also had several fitness issues over the last couple of weeks and would be hoping that players like Tranquillo Barnetta can regain his fitness on time. Switzerland also suffered from a couple of disastrous results in the run in to the tournament and will need to improve and capitalize on their home grown advantage if they want to make it to the next round.
Turkey
Head Coach: Fatih TerimGoalkeepers: (1) Rustu Recber (12)Tolga Zegin, (23) Volkan Demirel.
Defenders: (2) Servet Cetin, (4) Gokhan Zan, (13) Emre Gungor, (15) Emre Asik, (20) Sabri Sarioglu (22) Hamit Altintop,
Midfielders: (3) Hakan Balta, (5) Emre Belozoglu, (6) Mehmet Topal, (7) Mehmet Aurelio, (10) Karandeniz Gokdeniz, (11) Tumer Metin, (14) Arda Turan, (16) Ugur Borol, (17) Tuncay Sanli , (19) Ayhan Akman
Forwards: (8) Nihat Kahveci, (9) Semih Senturk, (18) Kazim Kazim (21) Mevlut Erdinc
Inspired Callups: Emre Gungor
Shock Omissions: Hakan Sukur
Analysis: After shocking the world with their impressive form in the 2002 World Cup, Turkey has since failed to recapture the form that made one of the most talked about teams in 2002. Fatih Terim has selected a squad that looks good in terms of flair but fail to cut it at the back. They are the dark horses of this group and will need something really special like they were able to produce in 2002, to get trough the next round.
Things do not look good at the back. Long serving goalkeeper Rustu Recber has been replaced by the inconsistent Volkan Demirel. He can sometimes produce great displays but lets himself and the team down by making a howler in the same match. Most of their center backs are slow and poor in terms of aerial ability and this has been one of the main reasons Turkey have been pretty inconsistent. If Turkey are to progress to the next round, a lot will depend on their ability to defend. In a recent friendly against Ukraine, they lost because of a host of errors made by their defense. A lot rests on the shoulders of their German based defender Hamit Altintop, who suffered a metatarsal injury in March. He returned to the squad for the Ukraine match but looks short of match fitness. They could also miss the width provided by their impressive Fenerbahce wing back Gokhan Gonul who misses the tournament because of injury.
In the middle, there are some good and quality players like the English based Emre Belozoglu and Tuncay Sanli. While Emre has had a poor season in England, Tuncay has been impressive for Middlesbrough and seems to have won over the fans. Another bright spot for the Turks would be the emergence of Arda Turan who has caught the eye of a number of clubs in Europe including Newcastle.
Upfront, they will be hoping that their new golden boy, Niaht Kahveci can step into the shadow of their beloved golden child, Hakan Sukur. He would probably partner Kazim Kazim, a player that impressed the pundits in the Champions League after his brilliant display in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinals against Chelsea. It remains to be seen if they can recapture their goal scoring form without Sukur.
Turkey seems to lack balance and consistency needed to get trough to the next round. Coach Terim has been tinkering a lot with the formation and it remains to be seen which formation he would deploy in his bid to get Turkey to the next round. Most pundits have written them off but they remain the dark horses of this group. If they can reproduce the form they showcased in the 2002 World Cup, the fans could be in for a big surprise.
No comments:
Post a Comment