EURO 2012

[Jax]

5 days from now the 14th European Championships kick off in POLAND/UKRAINE with Spain hoping to become the first nation to ever successfully defend the title they won in 2008.

Personally I thought Euro 2008 was the best tournament I had ever seen, some of the football was out of this world + I find Euro's generally to beat World Cup's so I have high hopes for 2012.

My favourites are Germany and I also expect my dear England to crash out in the group stage
So get ready for 23 days of the best football Europe has to offer and hopefully it will have as much drama as this...

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0UncoRXFtk[/yt]

 

[Angel4576]

Cahill the latest casualty. Out and Martin Kelly called up to replace him.

Terry to undergo further assessment.

I think we should probably stop making our players out of glass. FFS......

 

[Jax]

Yeh its a real joke, Kelly is not even a CB at Liverpool though he can play there. If hes not going to call up Rio then why not Shawcross whose been playing all season ?

 

[HappyDayRiot]

Hodgson should have used these three games* to blood some new or younger players really. Terry and Gerrard shouldn't be there other than as coaches. Or Rooney.

As always I'll back the Netherlands to win it, but think Germany are firm favourites. Surely Spain are going to be utterly knackered by now?

*yes, three. And no more. Early plane home I'm afraid. Once England are gone hopefully it'll be like 2008 which was superb and all the better for having all the hype around the English team removed from it.

 

[Jax]

based off all these injuries my squad would be...

Hart
Green
Stockdale

Richards
Johnson
Jagielka
Ferdinand
Shawcross
Lescott
Cole
Baines

Young
Lennon
Chamberlain
Walcott

Parker (c)
Jones
Gerrard (VC)
Milner

Rooney
Welbeck
Sturridge
Defoe

------------------------------
England could get humilated more than they were in 2010 but with all our younger players coming through we might have a chance in 2014/2016 providing they STAY FIT.

Hey could be worse we could be in Italy's state at the moment

 

[Roger Wilco]

I think England is still more likely than not to advance out of the group stage. The Ukraine is overrated and Sweden is comparatively unimpressive also. They probably won't beat France, but if they can't take the second spot in this group the team is really shit.

 

[Jax]

I think England is still more likely than not to advance out of the group stage. The Ukraine is overrated and Sweden is comparatively unimpressive also. They probably won't beat France, but if they can't take the second spot in this group the team is really shit.

Losing or not selecting the likes of...

Walker
Cahill
Richards
Smalling
Lennon
Wilshere
Rodwell
Lampard
Sturridge
Rooney (out for 2 games)

+ Parker is not 100% fit IMO along with a few others

All = early exit for me.

 

[Count Zero]

I'm surprised two people already have named Germany as their favourite. Their last test games were pretty weak. I wouldn't even be that surprised if we didn't make it past the group stage with that freaking "group of death" we're in. It's traditionally a tournament team but still, I don't think we're anywhere close to winning this. I think it'll be Spain or the Netherlands.

 

[Roger Wilco]

I think Germany is very close. And while it's amusing to see German media freak out, test games really mean nothing.

 

[Count Zero]

Maybe not in results. But the way the team presented itself wasn't very impressive, either. And if you compare it to how Spain and the Netherlands have been doing lately, I don't see Germany beating any of them. Plus, they have excellent offenses and we have a mediocre defense.

 

[Roger Wilco]

Regardless. I didn't see the Israel game, but the one against Switzerland wasn't so bad considering half the team was missing.

I think there's more pressure on the German team than most people realise though, considering if they don't win this time, their next chance isn't until 2016 (Brazil will be invincible in 2014), and then it's already 20 years since the last title (a very long time by German standards), plus the now relatively young team won't be young anymore.
There's never a lack of new talents in Germany though of course.

eta: and don't forget how impressive Germany was throughout the qualification.

 

[Count Zero]

Yeah, the qualification was awesome but of late, it seems the team has lost its mirth a little. Plus, half of it consists of mentally scarred Bayern players. On the other hand, that probably means we'll be ending up in second place.

 

[Jax]

Germany in major tournaments are generally excellent, in my life time alone this is their record...

Euro 88 - Semi Final

World Cup 90 - Winners

Euro 92 - Runner Up

World Cup 94 - Quarter Final

Euro 96 - Winners

World Cup 98 - Quarter Final

Euro 2000 - Group Stage

World Cup 2002 - Runner Up

Euro 2004 - Group Stage

World Cup 2006 - Semi Final

Euro 2008 - Runner Up

World Cup 2010 - Semi Final

Great record

 

[Count Zero]

Sure, it's a great record. And because of that, expectations are always very high. I remember the outrage when Germany was kicked out in the quarter final in 1998. It cost the trainer his job.
However, as the record also shows, winning a tournament is quite difficult even if you usually do well and also that we're not that great at Euros. It usually takes that special something (and/or luck) to do it, and I just don't see us having that at the moment.

 

[Angel4576]

I'd be surprised if Germany don't make at least the SFs.

Sure it's a tough group but Denmark are there for the taking and neither Holland or Portugal have particularly impressed in their final warm up games; Holland were turned over at home by Bulgaria and Portugal were done by Turkey in Lisbon.

I don't really think it makes a great deal of difference whether Germany finish 1st or 2nd in their group as I'd expect either Germany or Holland to beat any of the teams in group A.

I predict a Germany vs Spain final.

 

[Shaytan]

I'd already be happy if the French team gets out of the bus this time.
It's nice to have great expectations.

 

[Count Zero]

I'd already be happy if the French team gets out of the bus this time.
It's nice to have great expectations.

I think they'll do a little more.

Ah, damn it, why do England matches always collide with my Schlagball obligations? Again, they'll play on the Friday evening we'll arrive at the tournament in Kiel. Maybe this time we'll arrive in a more timely fashion so I can watch the game.

 

[Jax]

Some good news for ENG, France will be without M'Vila and possibly another midfielder for our game. Also is it me or Dries Merten's push on Cahill that injured him requires punishement? how was it not dangerous play to push someone like that at pace into a another player causing a broken jaw

 

[iguana_tonante]

I don't follow football very much (yeah, treason, I know), but I always watch the World Cup and the European Championship. I hope Italy won't do too bad, but after the horrendous South African debacle, anything could happen.

 

[Count Zero]

It will be interesting to see how the Italian players deal with the fraud scandal possibly involving even players from their midst. It could be a distraction but it could also be a special motivation.
As for England, looks like they have a lot of injured players. But they are in a relatively easy group so they'll have some breathing space to find themselves as a team.