Group C: France, Italy, Netherlands, Romania Every major international tournament has a group of death. For Euro 2008, this is it. Just look at the group cast – 3 heavyweights who are among the tournament favourites, plus Romania. All 4 teams are having a reunion, as France & Italy were in the same Euro qualifying group; likewise the Netherlands & Romania. And of course, France v Italy will be a World Cup final rematch. Each team in this group has a case for finishing in the top 2.
World champions Italy are usually thereabouts in international tournaments. If they win Euro 2008, they will be only the third nation in history to hold the World Cup & the European championship simultaneously. Their squad is well balanced, with top quality in every position, & will be one of the most experienced squads to the tournament. Italian footballers show a very high level of professionalism, & are better than anyone else at dealing with adverse situations. They started the Euro qualifiers slowly, but put in a good string of results to qualify. However, the Azzurri’s Euro hopes have taken a huge blow, with the captain & key defender Fabio Cannavaro recently ruled out of the tournament due to an injury sustained from a training accident. Cannavaro is simply irreplaceable, & losing such a key defender (perhaps the world’s best) at such a crucial moment is sure to disrupt their preparations & perhaps provide a little encouragement to their rivals. With Cannavaro absent, the Italians will place much hope on the form & fitness of the other key players: goalkeeper Buffon, midfielders Pirlo, Camoranesi & Gattuso, and forward Luca Toni, who had such a blistering form with Bayern Munich. Italy will combine toughness with traditional Mediterranean flair. They will be very, very difficult to beat.
France are the only other European team besides Germany to have won the European Championship more than once. Like Italy, they are fancied to go a long way. France will bring a younger generation of players. They include highly-rated forward Karim Benzema, midfielders Abou Diaby & Lassana Diarra, & diminutive playmaker Samir Nasri (dubbed “the new Zidane”). With these talents, France don’t have to rely that much on the “old master” Thierry Henry. Personally, I hope Nasri will get some playing time, but he will probably start on the bench. Franck Ribery will be the first choice playmaker, & will be even more important for France since Zidane is now gone. Question mark hang on the French defence, especially central defence. So far, France’s new talent brigade are concentrated in midfield & attack. But not in central defence – where are the emerging young French central defenders to take over from the ageing Thuram & Gallas? Only Mexes (26 years old) can be considered young). Then, there is the eccentric coach Domenech. He initially omitted in-form midfielder Flamini, only to place him on standby when Vieira picked up an injury. Flamini will only come in if Vieira is ruled out. Another surprise by Domenech is selecting forward Gomis, on the basis of his 2-goal debut for France in a recent friendly. But overall, France look strong.
The Netherlands, like the French, will bring a squad younger than the Italians. They are reknowned for the “total football” philosophy popularized by the 1974 Dutch team. Consequently, they are always expected to produce entertaining, attacking football. Whether the current Dutch side can live up to “total football” is debatable. Many doubt they will, as the Netherlands are considered more results-oriented under coach Marco Van Basten. Van Basten reportedly wants to change the Dutch tendency of entertaining but underachieving. He is keen to win the tournament, to add to the Euro 1988 title he helped the Dutch win as a player 20 years ago (only trophy won by Holland so far). While the current Dutch side might not be as cavalier as past Holland sides, no one will expect them to be play cautiously, either. That’s simply not the Dutch way of playing, not when they have attacking talent like Robben, Sneijder, Van der Vaart, Huntelaar, Van Persie & Van Nistelrooy. However, their defensive capacity can be questioned – they no longer have a defender like Koeman & Stam, nor a holding midfielder like Davids. I think that is where the Dutch challenge will fall down. Interestingly, there is not much of the squabbles which have famously plagued the Dutch at past international tournaments.
Romania impressed in the Euro qualifiers, finishing ahead of the Dutch. So the tough draw must have left them feeling hard done by. This is the first tournament for the Eastern Europeans since Euro 2000; they missed the last 2 World Cups & Euro 2004. The Romanians of course no longer have the legendary midfielder Gheorghe Hagi, & the likes of Ilie Dumitrescu & Florin Raducioiu, all stars of the 1990s. Romania are reportedly a tougher outfit these days. But they still have talented players. Most notable is forward Adrian Mutu, who can also play as attacking midfielder. Mutu is Romania’s best footballer, & has matured rapidly from his old “bad boy” days, such that he is now Romania’s vice-captain. When on song, he can help Romania cause some damage, especially when his probable strike partner will be pacy Ciprian Marica. Other forward options are Marius Niculae & Daniel Niculae (not related). Christian Chivu, centre back at club level, will probably operate as defensive midfielder, giving the other midfielders freedom to attack. They have a strong defensive line, too, with Goian & Tamas playing in the middle. Technically good & well balanced they are, but missing out on international tournament experience for 8 years might put Romania at a disadvantage compared to their rivals.
Prediction:
1 – France
2 – Italy
3 – Netherlands
4 - Romania
No comments:
Post a Comment