EURO 2012
GROUP D
Colin Cowan
England
Squad: Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), Robert Green (West Ham), Jack Butland (Birmingham City).
Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Martin Kelly (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Joleon Lescott (Manchester City), John Terry (Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (Everton).
Midfielders: Stewart Downing (Liverpool), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Scott Parker (Tottenham), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Ashley Young (Manchester United).
Forwards: Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Danny Welbeck (Manchester United).
How they qualified: England were drawn in a group alongside Montenegro, Bulgaria, Wales and Switzerland. As expected England had no trouble topping the group, ending up six points clear of Montenegro in second place. The key game in qualification for the Three Lions came in the 1-0 home win against Wales which all but secured their place at the Euro 2012 finals.
Key player: Ashley Young: The former Watford player has been in great form for both his club side Manchester United and England over the past season. With Wayne Rooney suspended for the first two group games, Young will be key if England are to have any success in the tournament. It is yet to be seen if Young is going to play in his normal position out on the wing or if he is going to be brought inside to play just behind the striker.
My prediction: England have a very tough group alongside the French and the Swedes. If they are to make it out of the group they need to get a result against Sweden in their second game and be in a position to qualify for the quarter finals. I think that they may well struggle and can see them exiting the tournament at the group stages. They do, however have the players to make it out of the group stages but I can’t see them making it past the quarter final stage if they qualify from group D.
England
Squad: Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), Robert Green (West Ham), Jack Butland (Birmingham City).
Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Martin Kelly (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Joleon Lescott (Manchester City), John Terry (Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (Everton).
Midfielders: Stewart Downing (Liverpool), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Scott Parker (Tottenham), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Ashley Young (Manchester United).
Forwards: Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Danny Welbeck (Manchester United).
How they qualified: England were drawn in a group alongside Montenegro, Bulgaria, Wales and Switzerland. As expected England had no trouble topping the group, ending up six points clear of Montenegro in second place. The key game in qualification for the Three Lions came in the 1-0 home win against Wales which all but secured their place at the Euro 2012 finals.
Key player: Ashley Young: The former Watford player has been in great form for both his club side Manchester United and England over the past season. With Wayne Rooney suspended for the first two group games, Young will be key if England are to have any success in the tournament. It is yet to be seen if Young is going to play in his normal position out on the wing or if he is going to be brought inside to play just behind the striker.
My prediction: England have a very tough group alongside the French and the Swedes. If they are to make it out of the group they need to get a result against Sweden in their second game and be in a position to qualify for the quarter finals. I think that they may well struggle and can see them exiting the tournament at the group stages. They do, however have the players to make it out of the group stages but I can’t see them making it past the quarter final stage if they qualify from group D.
Still standing...Ashley Young.
France
Squad: Goalkeepers: Cedric Carrasso (Bordeaux), Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille).
Defenders: Gaël Clichy (Manchester City), Mathieu Debuchy (Lille), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Philippe Mexes (Milan), Adil Rami (Valencia), Anthony Reveillere (Lyon).
Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle), Alou Diarra (Marseille), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Marvin Martin (Sochaux), Blaise Matuidi (Paris St Germain), Yann M'vila (Rennes), Samir Nasri (Manchester City).
Forwards: Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Olivier Giroud (Montpellier), Jeremy Menez (Paris St Germain), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille).
How they qualified: The French were given a reasonably easy group for qualification, they however, did not find it all that easy. Their group included Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Belarus, Albania and Luxembourg. The French topped the group by a single point fighting off the challenge of Bosnia and Herzegovina who claimed second place. The key game of the group for the French was the final group game where they hosted Bosnia and Herzegovina and held out for a 1-1 draw, securing top spot in the group and qualification.
Key player: Karim Benzema: The Real Madrid striker had his best season goal scoring-wise, getting 32 goals in all competitions. He is vital if the French are to have any chance of making it to the latter stages of the tournament. He comes into the tournament in good form for the French by scoring two goals in their final warm up game against Estonia. He may very well end up as the tournament’s top goal scorer.
My prediction: The French should have no problem making it out of this group. They are currently unbeaten in 21 games, which includes wins against England, Germany and Brazil. I think that this French team have to perform well to make up for the farcical performance they gave in the 2010 World Cup and I see them as having a great chance of winning the tournament. They are my pick to take home the trophy from Poland and Ukraine.
Squad: Goalkeepers: Cedric Carrasso (Bordeaux), Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille).
Defenders: Gaël Clichy (Manchester City), Mathieu Debuchy (Lille), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Philippe Mexes (Milan), Adil Rami (Valencia), Anthony Reveillere (Lyon).
Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle), Alou Diarra (Marseille), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Marvin Martin (Sochaux), Blaise Matuidi (Paris St Germain), Yann M'vila (Rennes), Samir Nasri (Manchester City).
Forwards: Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Olivier Giroud (Montpellier), Jeremy Menez (Paris St Germain), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille).
How they qualified: The French were given a reasonably easy group for qualification, they however, did not find it all that easy. Their group included Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Belarus, Albania and Luxembourg. The French topped the group by a single point fighting off the challenge of Bosnia and Herzegovina who claimed second place. The key game of the group for the French was the final group game where they hosted Bosnia and Herzegovina and held out for a 1-1 draw, securing top spot in the group and qualification.
Key player: Karim Benzema: The Real Madrid striker had his best season goal scoring-wise, getting 32 goals in all competitions. He is vital if the French are to have any chance of making it to the latter stages of the tournament. He comes into the tournament in good form for the French by scoring two goals in their final warm up game against Estonia. He may very well end up as the tournament’s top goal scorer.
My prediction: The French should have no problem making it out of this group. They are currently unbeaten in 21 games, which includes wins against England, Germany and Brazil. I think that this French team have to perform well to make up for the farcical performance they gave in the 2010 World Cup and I see them as having a great chance of winning the tournament. They are my pick to take home the trophy from Poland and Ukraine.
A Golden Boot contender? France's Karim Benzema.
Sweden
Squad: Goalkeepers: Andreas Isaksson (PSV Eindhoven), Johan Wiland, (FC Copenhagen), Pär Hansson (Helsingborg)
Defenders: Mikael Lustig (Celtic), Olof Mellberg(Olympiakos), Andreas Granqvist (Genoa), Martin Olsson, (Blackburn), Jonas Olsson (West Bromwich), Behrang Safari (Anderlecht), Mikael Antonsson (Bologna)
Midfielders: Rasmus Elm (AZ Alkmaar), Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland), Kim Kallstrom (Lyon), Anders Svensson (Elfsborg), Pontus Wernbloom (CSKA Moscow), Samuel Holmen (Istanbul BB), Emir Bajrami (Twente), Christian Wilhelmsson (al-Hilal)
Strikers: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan), Johan Elmander (Galatasaray), Tobias Hysen (IFK Gothenburg), Ola Toivonen (PSV Eindhoven), Marcus Rosenberg (Werder Bremen).
How they qualified: The Swedes were drawn in a group with European giants Holland so had a tough route to making it to the finals. The group also included Hungary, Finland, Moldova and San Marino. The Swedes finished second in their group and qualified automatically for the finals as they were named as the best placed runners up, meaning they didn’t have to go into the play offs to qualify. The key game for Sweden was the 3-2 win in the final group game against the Dutch, the victory secured their places as best runners up..
Key player: Zlatan Ibrahimovic: The AC Milan striker is one of Europe’s best strikers and he has shown this for both club and country. In the 2011/12 season for AC Milan, Ibrahimovic scored 35 goals in all competitions, showing he knows where the back of the net is. He will need to show some of this form if the Swedes are to make it out of the group stage.
My prediction: The Swedish side have a great chance of making it into the knockout stages of Euro 2012. The big game is their second group game where they face England. If they can get a positive result here and also get a win in their first game against Ukraine, then they should make it through to the knockout stages. However, I cannot see them getting past the quarter final stage.
Squad: Goalkeepers: Andreas Isaksson (PSV Eindhoven), Johan Wiland, (FC Copenhagen), Pär Hansson (Helsingborg)
Defenders: Mikael Lustig (Celtic), Olof Mellberg(Olympiakos), Andreas Granqvist (Genoa), Martin Olsson, (Blackburn), Jonas Olsson (West Bromwich), Behrang Safari (Anderlecht), Mikael Antonsson (Bologna)
Midfielders: Rasmus Elm (AZ Alkmaar), Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland), Kim Kallstrom (Lyon), Anders Svensson (Elfsborg), Pontus Wernbloom (CSKA Moscow), Samuel Holmen (Istanbul BB), Emir Bajrami (Twente), Christian Wilhelmsson (al-Hilal)
Strikers: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (AC Milan), Johan Elmander (Galatasaray), Tobias Hysen (IFK Gothenburg), Ola Toivonen (PSV Eindhoven), Marcus Rosenberg (Werder Bremen).
How they qualified: The Swedes were drawn in a group with European giants Holland so had a tough route to making it to the finals. The group also included Hungary, Finland, Moldova and San Marino. The Swedes finished second in their group and qualified automatically for the finals as they were named as the best placed runners up, meaning they didn’t have to go into the play offs to qualify. The key game for Sweden was the 3-2 win in the final group game against the Dutch, the victory secured their places as best runners up..
Key player: Zlatan Ibrahimovic: The AC Milan striker is one of Europe’s best strikers and he has shown this for both club and country. In the 2011/12 season for AC Milan, Ibrahimovic scored 35 goals in all competitions, showing he knows where the back of the net is. He will need to show some of this form if the Swedes are to make it out of the group stage.
My prediction: The Swedish side have a great chance of making it into the knockout stages of Euro 2012. The big game is their second group game where they face England. If they can get a positive result here and also get a win in their first game against Ukraine, then they should make it through to the knockout stages. However, I cannot see them getting past the quarter final stage.
Mr Mercurial, Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Ukraine
Squad: Goalkeepers: Oleksandr Goryainov (FC Metalist Kharkiv), Maxym Koval (FC Dynamo Kiev), Andriy Pyatov (FC Shakhtar Donetsk).
Defenders: Bohdan Butko (Illychivets Mariupil), Olexandr Kucher (Shakhtar Donetsk), Taras Mikhalik (Dynamo Kiev), Yaroslav Rakitskiy (Shakhtar Donetsk), Yevhen Selin (Vorskla Poltava), Yevhen Khacheridi (Dynamo Kiev), Vyacheslav Shevchuk (Shakhtar Donetsk).
Midfielders: Olexandr Aliyev (Dynamo Kiev), Denys Garmash (Dynamo Kiev), Oleh Gusev (Dynamo Kiev), Yevhen Konoplyanka (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Serhiy Nazarenko (Tavriya Simferopol), Ruslan Rotan (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Anatoliy Tymoshchuk (Bayern Munich), Andriy Yarmolenko (Dynamo Kiev).
Forwards: Andriy Voronin (Dinamo Moscow), Marko Devic (Metalist Kharkiv), Artem Milevskiy (Dynamo Kiev), Yevhen Seleznyov (Shakhtar Donetsk), Andriy Shevchenko (Dynamo Kiev).
How they qualified: Just like the Polish, Ukraine as co-host and so automatically qualified for the Euro 2012 finals. This is their first appearance at the European Championships. Ukraine’s biggest success on the international stage is when they got to the last eight of the 2006 World Cup, where they lost to the Italians who went on to win the tournament.
Key player: Andriy Shevchenko: Despite coming to the end of his footballing career, at the age of 35 Andriy Shevchenko is still a quality striker. Currently playing for Ukraine side Dynamo Kiev, Shevchenko scored 6 goals in 16 games for his club side. He will be remembed by most of Europe for winning the Champions League with Italian side AC Milan in 2003. He will need to add to his 46 international goals if Ukraine are to have a slim chance of making it out of this tough group.
My prediction: The co-hosts have been handed an extremely tough group to qualify from. I sadly cannot see them having any chance of making it out of the group as they don’t have enough quality about them to see off sides such as France, Sweden and England. They will, however be pleased to be making their first appearance at the European finals and that they get to play in front of their own fans. This might mean they may cause an upset against one of the big boys in the group, however I cannot realistically see that happening.
Still got it...Andriy Shevchenko
(c) thegoal-line 2012 All Rights Reserved
