England
Preparations
haven’t exactly gone to plan, the manager has only been in place for around a
month and the star player is suspended for the first two fixtures. It is hard to see the positives; expectations
are understandably excruciatingly low.
Qualification
didn’t exactly go as smoothly as expected, but with five wins and three draws
it crucially means they stayed unbeaten.
One plus point they can take is how the goals were shared, Wayne Rooney,
Jermain Defoe, Ashley Young and Darren Bent, who unfortunately failed to make
the cut through injury, all finished equal with three goals.
Two
unconvincing 1-0 wins against Norway
and Belgium
have done little to generate any hope; realistically it seems like the quarter
finals at best. That is if they can
navigate their way through the first games without their talisman.
Key Man
With Rooney
suspended for those first two encounters, it is up to Steven Gerrard to really
stand up and be counted as captain. As
one of the remaining members of the ‘golden generation,’ you would expect that
this will be his last chance to taste success at international level.
Over the
years he has been seen dragging Liverpool out
of the mire time and time again, similar inspirational performances could be
required this summer. If takes
responsibility to stand up and be counted, the others may well just follow
suit.
One To
Watch
Arsenal
wonder kid Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain could explode on to the scene, if given the
chance this summer. Although well known
on our shores, on a European and Worldwide scale knowledge of the 18-year-old
will not be as vast.
His
fearless nature could be his real advantage, not afraid to turn and run at a
Defender no matter who they are and no matter their reputation. He will however have to overhaul club mate
Theo Walcott and maybe the preferred James Milner for that chance though.
France
Laurent
Blanc has worked wonders to transform a team that performed so miserably at the
World Cup two years ago, into genuine contenders this time around. There is undoubted talent running right
through the side, and the 4-0 demolition of Estonia in their final warm up,
accompanied by some lovely goals, was the perfect tonic.
However, it
didn’t look all so rosy in Blanc’s first competitive game in charge. A 1-0 home defeat to Belarus
threatened to derail their campaign before it had even began. Four consecutive victories thereafter though
turned things around, and three draws and two wins in the final five games was
enough to seal qualification.
Key Man
When plying
his trade in France Karim Benzema was one of the hottest properties in the
world, but after opting for Real Madrid his performances fell off. Now though he is justifying the €30m,
and under Jose Mourinho has been flourishing in La Liga as his side ended the Barcelona monopoly and
stormed to the title.
Benzema is
now charged with leading the French attack into Euro 2012, but will have to be
on the top of the game to keep Olivier Giroud on the bench. The Montpelier
hit man has flourished when given a chance in the national side, and will be
determined to showcase his talents this summer.
One To
Watch
One man the
Premier League has been hearing a lot about in recent months is holding midfielder
Yann M’Vila. Despite only having made a
handful of appearances at international level his stock continues to rise, with
his club resigned to losing him this summer.
Arsenal are long time admirers and have been urged to make a move by
many parties, but many other top European club are waiting in the wings ready
to make a move.
Sweden
Perennial
nemesis of the Three Lions, you could almost sense that the same group would
beckon for these nations. After failing
to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa,
Sweden
will be keen to make amends and progress from the group stages would be seen as
huge positive.
However it
nearly didn’t happen this time around either, with seven victories and two
defeats in nine qualifiers they need to beat the Netherlands at home to secure their
place. Not an easy prospect against a
side who had stormed all put before them, but they duly delivered and
progressed in a best runners up spot.
Key Man
When you
think of Sweden,
the imperious Zlatan Ibrahimovic springs to mind. Wherever he has plied in trade he has scored
goals galore, but the one major doubt that has blighted his career in his
ability to do so at the very highest level.
If Sweden
are to progress here though they will need him on top form and firing on all
cylinders.
One To
Watch
Sebastian
Larsson could perhaps go down as one of the most underrated players in the
Premier League. The Sunderland
midfield has a terrific crossing ability, often makes a nuisance of himself by
getting in the right areas in and around the box and everyone knows of his
tremendous quality from dead ball situations.
These qualities could be key for Ibrahimovic finding the net on a
regular basis, you have been warned.
Ukraine
The
co-hosts qualify automatically of course, so Ukraine have been preparing through
a series of friendlies. When their
crippling injury problems didn’t take over that that is. They will take huge heart from last years
draw with Germany
and the fact they are currently unbeaten in four, but on the whole results have
been four. With the greatest of respects
to Ukraine,
you would expect it to be a straight fight between the other three teams in the
group for the top two spots.
Key Man
The most
capped player in Ukrainian footballing history will have to be at his ultimate
best if Ukraine
are to avoid being whipping boys. Step
forward Anatoliy Tymoshchuk. The Bayern
Munich midfielder is the rock at the heart of the midfield, and will to produce
inspirational performances to spur on his troops.
One To
Watch
22-year-old
winger and striker Andriy Yarmolenko could well be the one big hope for a bright
future for Ukrainian football. After netting
on his international debut, he followed that up last year by underlining his credentials
with a goal against Germany.
He has progressed
through the ranks at Dynamo Kiev and has been a full international for some three
years, he could well be on to bigger and better things with a good showing this
summer.
