Major European football - part 2

Author: VK

This article continues the series of materials dedicated to the European
Football Championship which began on Thursday. The subject of this article
 is Group B.

Germany

The German team, which came third at the World Cup in South Africa and
was a Euro-2008 finalist, is traditionally considered to be amongst the
most obvious favourites. The German team has been trying to come first for a
long time, but it hasn’t managed to do this yet. Germany became European
champion in 1996 by beating the Czech Republic.

Despite the impressive list of rivals belonging to the same group, there is
almost no doubt that the German team will qualify from the group. The line-up of
the current “bundesteam” is quite experienced and young at the same time.
Russian fans are almost sure to see the players of the current German team
at World Cup 2018 which will be held in Russia. The main force of the
team is players who are 23-25 years old and who play mainly in their
homeland. The German team is one of the most well-balanced ones in the
championship. It will be difficult for German managers to choose the
starting line-up. Philipp Lahm is the captain of the team and one of its
leaders. There is also a group of experienced players – Klose,
Schweinsteiger, Podolski, Mertesacker, Lahm. Every one of them (except
Miroslav Klose who will celebrate his 34th birthday soon) are less than 30
years old. There are some promising young players who have already managed to
demonstrate their abilities – Muller, Özil.

Young, athletic and ambitious. These three words describe the current
“bundesteam” quite well. No doubt the German team hopes for victory as
usual.

Holland

The Dutch team is another favourite of Euro-2012. Unlike the Spanish
team and the German one, the “Orange” team isn’t to the fore. A
The finalist of the World Cup in South Africa is eager to win first prize of the
European Championship. There is a serious background to this. The line-up of
the team hasn’t changed since the World Cup. There is a huge variety of
midfielders used for both attack and defence. The managers have to solve
this problem.

The attack of the “Orange” team is excellent. Robin van Persie played
extraordinarily for Arsenal last season. The season was also
brilliant for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar who plays as a forward for Schalke 04.
There are also Robben, Van der Vaart, Sheijder. Nevertheless, despite a
huge variety of forwards, there is the reverse side of the coin. Such a complete
concentration on attack can affect the defence, which is the Achilles
heel of this team. This concerns not only the players but the tactics
of play. In addition, the season wasn’t so good for Wesley Sneijder,
the midfielder of Inter, whose play is a crucial element of the whole team’s
play. The end of the season was quite mediocre for Arjen Robben, one of the
leaders of the team. Even the fact that several players’ shape is far from
ideal won’t influence the perspective of the “Orange” team. The managers
will certainly do their best to train the leaders. A stable line-up,
strong forwards and experience give the “Orange” team a good chance of
success.

Denmark

The Danish team is a typical “black horse”. The team prefers to attack,
paying special attention to standard principles. Morten Olsen’s team seems
to be an outsider amongst the teams belonging to Group B. The line-up of
the team is inferior to the rivals’ ones. Cristian Eriksen is one of the
most talented players in European football. But there aren’t any “stars”
such as Ronaldo, Robben or Özil; however, the Danish team has got
an experienced manager and well-organized team play.

It wouldn’t be correct to underestimate the Danish team. It has already
demonstrated its forces to the Portuguese team, which was beaten in the
qualifiers by the Danish one. It won’t be easy to play against them. If the
conditions are favorable, this team is able to surprise everybody.

Portugal

Even the Portuguese themselves don’t know what the current Portugal team is
expected to demonstrate. The Portuguese team hasn’t managed to make
progress for a long time. The line-up is apparently good, the
professionalism of the players is undoubted, but something is lacking. The
potential of this team isn’t realized. This is the most comprehensive
characteristic of the Portuguese team. It can hardly be considered to be
one of the favourites of the championship. It may even be quite
difficult for it to
qualify from the group. The German and Dutch teams, which don’t need
any introduction, are its rivals, as well as the Danish one, its old friends
who have beaten Paulu Bentu’s team in the qualifiers.

Despite the presence of two players of Real - Pepe and Coentrao - in the
line-up, this defense can’t be called impenetrable. The fact that the
Portuguese and the Cypriots drew 4-4 speaks for itself..
There isn’t any strong goalkeeper in this team. The forwards’ issue is also
complicated. There are Postiga and Almeida, but the players of Saragosa and
Beshiktasha can hardly be called strong players of European level. Nani,
one of the leaders of the team, had a very unlucky season playing for
Manchester United. There is Ronaldo, but the experience of the last
few years shows
us that he plays for the national team worse than for his club.
Furthermore, a lot of teams got used to the Portuguese play; they know that
neutralizing Ronaldo is the direct way to victory. The ability of the team
to change its tactics and to get good results when its main attack force is
neutralized is doubtful. The main manager, Paulo Bento, isn’t sure to
do well either. It will be his first large-scale championship as the manager of
the Portuguese team. The experience of the manager can play a crucial role
 in such championships.

 Resume

The German team and the Dutch one are most likely to leave Group B. But the
Danish and Portuguese teams have certainly got their own opinion on
this subject. The Danish team hasn’t got any “stars”, and the Portuguese
one can’t be characterized as a team with a strong will to win. The German
team and the Dutch one have got all of that, and this fact allows them to
 hope to qualify from the group and even win the championship.