Euro 2012 - The Luck of the Irish

On the eve of the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament it's not all black and white, there is a little bit of green behind the iron curtain. With all the talk of Spain, Germany, Holland and hooligans, maybe it will be the boys from the Emerald Isle that light up Europe's flagship event.

Although not having the strength and depth of squad of some of the tournament's heavyweights, Ireland do have  experience in abundance. With John O'Shea and Richard Dunne, fresh from his heroics against Russia in qualifying, and Shay Given between the sticks, Ireland should be difficult to beat. They do miss the authoritative central midfielder, a hole vacated by the retirement of Roy Keane, but Darron Gibson has European experience and has been playing more regularly at Everton. They will likely operate an honest 4-4-2, looking to exploit wide areas and play on the break. Asides from goal machine Robbie Keane, there is Jonathan Walters, Shane Long, Kevin Doyle and Simon Cox available to spearhead the attack. A selection I'm sure England would trade for. But Ireland's most lucrative area of the squad is their wingers. With the determination of Stephen Hunt, the trickery of Aidan McGeady, the heavily capped Damien Duff and of course not forgetting the Derry Pele himself , James McClean, Ireland's wide men will cause problems for any team. McClean i feel could be the Irish secret weapon, having only arrived on the British stage halfway through last season, teams will not be asserting him as a serious threat. His youth, hunger and ability to beat a man, as well as put the ball in the back of the net, could see him become Ireland's star performer.

In Giovanni Trapattoni Ireland have one of the greatest managers of all time. His age should not be seen as a disadvantage, his two finger whistle is as strong as ever, and this wealth of knowledge and experience should  provide Ireland with a very solid tactical base. Having managed Italy in major tournaments in 2002 and 2004, Il Trap will know exactly what to expect, and with screaming Italian hero Marco Tardelli by his side, you will not see Ireland making too many individual errors.

Ireland undoubtedly have a tough group with reigning champions Spain along with Italy and Croatia, the odds are against Trapattoni's men. Despite Spain starting favourites for the tournament they are not the invincible side of 2 or 3 years ago, Italian football is in a state of match fixing turmoil and Croatia have an outgoing coach, in Slaven Bilic which could result in taking their eye off the prize.With almost no history in the European Championships (having only qualified once in 1988) the greens find themselves as somewhat of an unknown quantity. This may play into their hands as Italy, Spain and Croatia will be looking at them as the easier of their group games, potentially underestimating their experienced squad.

With one of the most celebrated managers in football history and a solid, if not electric, squad behind him, perhaps the Irish will be the dark horse of the tournament. Let's hope everyone's second team can spring a few surprises and add a bit of fun and charm after a depressive build up to the tournament


JLloyd

Euro 2012 - The French Revolution?

Recently i have spent a fair amount of time discussing the Euros and in particular these three questions. Who will win it? Who will be top scorer? And who will be the break out player? And to my surprise very rarely has anybody mentioned the French. Unbeaten in their last twenty games and boasting a hungry young squad they are a team that are at the forefront of our minds due to England's opening fixture but this i feel has led to them being overlooked as tournament contenders.

This is a completely different team from the one that crashed and burned at the World Cup. No longer are they an unsettled squad but the new coach Laurent Blanc has brought a cohesion and happiness to the French camp. In fact it has been argued that the current squad is too inexperienced with many players plying their trade in the French league and possessing less than 20 caps. However this contrast's with the star studded squads that have braced previous tournaments and has led to a lack of egos and an increase in unity in the squad. Something that can be viewed as nothing but positive. 

Blanc is likely to utilize an effective 4-2-3-1 formation which places strong emphasis on keeping the ball and using it efficiently. This is possible due to the attacking and flexible threat players such as Benzema, Nasri, Martin and Ribery bring to the team. They are complemented nicely by the defensive base that can be provided by the likes of Cabaye, M'vila and Diarra. Although there are worries about the French central defenders, the Mexes and Rami partnership looks shakey with some even calling for the much improved but inexperienced Laurent Koscienly to start against England , they have the magnificent Lloris in goal and a number of solid full backs to choose from (Evra, Clichy and Debuchy). If the French can overcome some defensive issues and their tricky opening fixture they will be well placed to perform strongly throughout the rest of the tournament due to the strength of their squad.. Odds of 10/1 to win the tournament look very appealing. 

This brings me on the subject of top goalscorer. Robin Van Persie and Mario Gomez are in some sense the rightful favourites to win the golden boot. However many are talking about Jelavic or Lewandoski as potential dark horses due to their blistering club form. Yet criminally, Karim Benzema is being overlooked. His impressive goal tally for Real Madrid (32 goals in 52 games) has been overshadowed by the astonishing feats of Ronaldo and Messi and although it is true that he is yet to light up the international stage he is currently in the form of his life. He will be the sole focal point of the French attack and will be given plenty of opportunities to score from the creative three behind him with Ribery in particular determined to impress. Therefore not only do France possess the squad to challenge at the Euros they also have a world class striker who could light up the tournament. 

Finally my last question - biggest breakout player? Every international tournament always throws up a player or players that makes their name on the world stage with some dazzling performances. In the 2010 World Cup  it was Muller, whilst the 2008 European Championships gave us Arshavin. Players who although relatively well known in their own league or country had yet to have their class appreciated on a global scale. My tip for the break out player of the tournament is Mathieu Debuchy. Almost certain to start at right back due to absence of Sagna. Debuchy is a tough tackling, adventurous full back who is able to produce consistently good crosses. He needs some work on the defensive side of his game but with top class sides like Man United and Barcelona supposedly on the look out for a new full back a good tournament for Debuchy could lead to great things. 

Could Euro 2012 herald a new era for the French? Unfortunately for England the signs are positive but we will find out soon enough. 

jgeorge 

England's Liverpudlian Squad - Time to 'Calm Down'

As the UEFA Euro 2012 Championship draws near the England squad are dropping like flies. The latest inclusion of Liverpool's Martin Kelly has brought their representation in the squad up to 6. With their poor league form, this has drawn a great deal of controversy. But if they have invested heavily in English youth unlike many other top teams, then why should there not be a heavy Merseyside presence. Liverpool have provided some of England's finest young talents over a number of years. In addition senior players such as Steven Gerrard, Stewart Downing and Glen Johnson, with 162 caps between them would likely help Henderson, Carroll and Kelly bed in.

I am a big believer in having club contingencies within the national set up. The successful Spain side of recent years has incorporated successful combinations within club sides into the national side. Of course I am not suggesting that Henderson and Carroll are like Xavi and Iniesta, however the bond of club football and consistency this brings is surely something which would benefit at least the team camp and morale if not on pitch performances. Although this heavy presence from the red side of the Mersey was largely due to unforeseen circumstances, one would suggest that it is not all doom and gloom. Their league form was poor, they drew far too many games at home, but the European Championship is not a league, its a cup. Cup football is a different animal as Chelsea showed us with their seemingly impossible cup double and 6th placed league finish, a feat that we will seldom see again. Liverpool weren't too bad in the cups. Reaching the final of both domestic tournaments, in which we saw some of their best performances both as a team and from individuals such as Downing and Carroll. The FA Cup in particular saw Downing score 2 and gain 2 assists in 6 games and Carroll put 4 in the back of the net en route to second place. With both in with a shout of featuring in the opening game of the tournament perhaps the boys from the North West will paint the East red, again.


Jlloyd

European Championship Betting

The purpose of this section is to track my betting history throughout the Championship. It will be updated the night before game days, with trials, tribulations and hopefully some winners.