Could Portugal finally win it all?

Will there be more tears this time?

Eight years ago the tournament was held in Portugal. Eight years ago Portugal should have won it. They had the team - the home advantage - and an opponent in the final that they should beat. But we all know how it ended. The Greeks pulled off probably the biggest international shock of our time to win Euro 2004. Since then the Portuguese team has performed solidly in tournaments - 4th place in the 2006 World Cup, Quarter finalists in Euro 2008 and knocked out by the magical Spanish in the 2010 World Cup. However that elusive first major International trophy still alludes them!

At all the recent tournaments the Portuguese have looked promising and with the players they have they have consistently been seen as contenders to win. Could Euro 2012 be the tournament that breaks their reputation as nearly men?

The foundations for success are there - A very solid defensive. Perhaps the best in the tournament. The Real Madrid boys (Pepe, Coentrao) being the stand out defenders of the competition so far. I would go as far as saying Coentrao has been the best left back in the tournament. Not small praise considering who he is up against in that department - Ashley Cole and Phillip Lahm. Their midfield possess both the solid (Veloso, Moutinho, Meireles) and the spectacular (Nani and Ronaldo). They lack a potent goal scorer but Postiga holds the ball up extremely well and links with Ronaldo seamlessly and everybody knows about his goal scoring record which more than makes up for Postiga's lack of goals. Portugal also have the added strength of a wealth of options on the bench - both attacking and defensive. Custodio can be brought on to tighten up the midfield and in Nelson Oliveira and Silvestre Varela they have game changing attacking options. There main weakness is the lack of a world class goalkeeper something England, France, Germany and Spain all possess. And this could be their downfall. 

The Madrid boys could be key.

However they have a relatively kind draw. No game at this stage will be easy but the Portuguese should be considered heavy favorites to beat the Czechs; who despite qualifying top of their group were dismantled against a team (Russia) possessing pace and guile. This is something Portugal have bucket loads of. If they do manage to beat the Czechs (nothing is certain) they will face either France or Spain in the semi finals. Both will be tough fixtures - especially the Spanish. But the Portuguese are more suited to beating these two than if they had to face Germany, England or Italy. So in this respect the draw favors them. In fact the last time they faced the Spanish they won 4-0. And although they historically perform poorly against the French they would go in to the tie as favorites. If they do manage reach the final anything can happen as shown by their defeat to Greece eight years ago. 

Bento has got the Portuguese firing! 

I am not implying that winning the tournament is something the Portuguese will do. My point is that they have the resources to win it. They have a stigma of getting it wrong in big games - some even tipped them to finish bottom of Group D. However this is a different and more united side than in previous tournaments. The players are younger and more hungry for success. They have a manager in Bento who has managed to build a solid team and also incorporate the Ronaldo factor. It is easy to forget that they have the second best player in the world in their ranks and as we saw against Holland he can be just as effective for his country as he is for his club.

In fact if Portugal could be likened to one club team it would be Real Madrid (not surprising when you consider who is the Madrid manager). And of course Real Madrid beat the side many claim are the best club team ever to the league title last year. Can Portugal do the same?

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