guaranteeed
Pretty much a regular
quick notes on each group
A
France – obviously group favorites, they have won of the top keepers in the tournament, an extremely strong midfield led by Pogba and Matuidi and arguably the most young attacking talent in Europe up front.
Think they coast through this cupcake group, but I wonder if this team’s time is 2 or 4 years away, they remind me of Germany 2010 in a lot of ways. Not a ton of experience, is Pogba ready to grab the game and take it?
Biggest weakness is the back 4 mostly due to injuries, they are old at fullback and don’t have a lot of pace, could run in to issues against an attacking side.
Albania – not very good and the team you want to see if you want to watch a bus get parked. Only scored 7 goals in 7 qualifying games.
Key stat for them is their lack of attack, they were last on shots taken per qualified team in qualifying with only 8
They also relied heavily on crosses and set pieces with almost half their goals coming from headers. They are going to sit press defensively, try and create turnovers, and win 1-0
Romania – Very much like Albania, they do not attack, and they are not very good at it, they were 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] last in EQF in shots per match and qualified with 11 goals in 10 games coming out of what might have been the worst group in Euro qualifying history.
That being said they did their job there and only conceded twice in 10 games but their best CB Chiriches does have a tendency to make a mistake, he’s excellent on the ball and likes to show it off sometimes rather than going for the safe play.
To me they have an outside chance at grabbing 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] and qualifying that way, will look to play them vs Albania depending on the line
Swiss – Better than they showed in 2014. Outside of losing twice to England they were very good in qualifying and showed a lot more than expected going forward.
Xhaka just made a big money move to Arsenal and this should be his big coming out tournament, in Rodriguez and Lichtsteiner they might have one of the best sets of attacking fullbacks in Europe, and if Shaqiri is allowed to roam he can create plenty of chances.
They do lack a good finisher up top and could be their downfall. They play fast and move the ball well, I expect they take 2[SUP]nd[/SUP].
B
England – favorites for the group, they dominated qualifying but this team will look very different than that one.
Biggest weakness is the center backs, Chris Smalling and Gary Cahill aren’t world class. They lack any real defensive midfielder beside Dier too, most likely he will be flanked by 2 of Wilshere/Henderson/Rooney who are all in the squad more for their passing than anything.
The strength though lies in the attacking. In Kane they have one of Europe’s most prolific strikers outside the big 2 (Lewe/Ibra) and he’s surrounded by plenty of options beside him or coming off the bench. This is a team that will go as far as they can score.
One thing to note in tournament play a big factor is how quickly teams can get familiar with each other. Germany have been so Bayern Munich based the last few tournaments, Spain up until now were built around the midfield trio from Barcelona. This England team is likely to start 5 players from spurs including the spine up the middle with Dier/Alli/Kane and two very attacking fullbacks in Rose/Walker. It could be a factor.
I expect they win the group but like France they will peak in the next few tournaments
Wales - They are much better than people think, they have proven premier league talent all over the place. But when push comes to shove, this is the Gareth Bale show
They play a defensive 5-2-2-1 mostly. They are going to sit back and defend and when they get the ball they are going to rely on Bale and to a lesser extent Ramsey to create. Basically if you have ever soon Portugal play with how they rely on Ronaldo, Wales do the same with Bale
If Bale gets shutdown they will go home early but the rest of the team is used to this level of competition so they wont be overawed, plus he can score in so many ways and he has a habit of really picking up his game for Wales, I think they surprise and get through the group, in mostly low scoring games
Russia – Best thing this team did was get rid of Capello and bring in Slutsky. They moved back to an attacking style and it suits their strengths better
The biggest issue is going to be the CB’s, they are old, and they are slow and the fullbacks like to attack which means they could ship goals, plus the injury to Dzagoev is really going to hurt their midfield play.
Dzyuba is going to cause issues for almost every defense, he’s huge and he can move, he’s not the most skilled with the ball but will be dangerous on balls in the box. I think they compete with Wales for 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] spot in the group, and could be good shout for some overs
Slovakia – bit of a Jekyl and Hyde team, they are somewhat like Wales in that they give Hamsik a free role and build the team around him, which is why I am down on them as a whole because when he’s not ticking they really lack any cutting finish, and he’s not Gareth Bale
The one area they do excel in a bit is pace on the wings in midfield and fullback, especially on the right with Weiss and Pekarik, but outside of that their players don’t offer much and wont breakdown a good defense
Goals will be an issue, they are likely to start with Duris up top and he has 4 goals in 26 caps. This is another team that looks to sit back. I know some are high on them but I expect they struggle, don’t see them winning a game.
C
Germany – World Champions come in with some injury issues but still have so much talent all over the field, and the bench, and the players that didn’t make the cut, and just any random german…
They struggled a bit in qualifying but I wouldn’t read too much in to that, they have a history of that and then showing up for a tournament and ending up in a semi-final.
They do come in with a bit of a weakness though, Boateng and Hummels are carrying injuries and Rudiger is out of the tournament.
Losing Reus hurts but Draxler is a ready made replacement, he will likely play with Ozil and Muller behind the forward, either Gotze as a false 9 or going back to plan B they could put Mario Gomez up top and play around a big man. They do lack a great striker and if Muller isn’t scoring they could struggle for goals
Its hard to predict what Germany will do on any given day, which is their biggest strength, they have the deepest team and with all their talent they are also the most versatile, anything less than the final would be a disappointment for them, but I don’t think they make it
Northern Ireland – they won their qualifying group, conceding 1 goal or less in all of their games
And yet… this is too big a step up. Outside of being organized defensively they lack any type of game breaking talent
Their blueprint for success is to park the bus and take advantage of their set pieces, they scored 6 goals from headers in qualifying which was 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] behind Poland’s 7, so it is an area they are strong in. The problem is their group, Poland conceded 0, Germany only 2, Sweden 3.
I think they struggle, getting an extremely tough group wont help much either, it could be a donut in the points table
Poland –
Top scorer in qualifying, arguably the best striker in Europe and in his prime. This team is built around him and they have a real set up for him to succeed.
They are going to do almost all their attacking down the right with Piszczek and Blas and with them providing service in to Lewandowski this team is a threat to score against anyone.
They can push forward too because Krychowiak is one of the best in the world as a DM breaking up play, he might even be more important for them this tournament than Lewandowski, if he has a good tournament they are going to force plenty of turnovers and be able to hit teams on the counter with pace, if he struggles they are going to allow a ton of chances.
They have a lot to prove after a disastrous hosting performance in 2012 and I think they are a dark horse here to not only get to the KO rounds but also perform there too. A strong evenly balanced squad who don’t have a real weakness.
Ukraine – They will be tough to beat, and are very familiar with Poland and Germany
Ukraine are built around two things, playing on the counter and a reliance on the wingers, their two best players by a huge margin are Yarmolenko and Alex Gruv favorite Konoplyanka.
The other 3 midfielders are going to sit back and defend in front of the back 4 to break up play, and the instant they get the ball look for a break to one of those two.
Their qualification could come down to game 3 vs Poland, I expect they play for a draw vs Germany
A
France – obviously group favorites, they have won of the top keepers in the tournament, an extremely strong midfield led by Pogba and Matuidi and arguably the most young attacking talent in Europe up front.
Think they coast through this cupcake group, but I wonder if this team’s time is 2 or 4 years away, they remind me of Germany 2010 in a lot of ways. Not a ton of experience, is Pogba ready to grab the game and take it?
Biggest weakness is the back 4 mostly due to injuries, they are old at fullback and don’t have a lot of pace, could run in to issues against an attacking side.
Albania – not very good and the team you want to see if you want to watch a bus get parked. Only scored 7 goals in 7 qualifying games.
Key stat for them is their lack of attack, they were last on shots taken per qualified team in qualifying with only 8
They also relied heavily on crosses and set pieces with almost half their goals coming from headers. They are going to sit press defensively, try and create turnovers, and win 1-0
Romania – Very much like Albania, they do not attack, and they are not very good at it, they were 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] last in EQF in shots per match and qualified with 11 goals in 10 games coming out of what might have been the worst group in Euro qualifying history.
That being said they did their job there and only conceded twice in 10 games but their best CB Chiriches does have a tendency to make a mistake, he’s excellent on the ball and likes to show it off sometimes rather than going for the safe play.
To me they have an outside chance at grabbing 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] and qualifying that way, will look to play them vs Albania depending on the line
Swiss – Better than they showed in 2014. Outside of losing twice to England they were very good in qualifying and showed a lot more than expected going forward.
Xhaka just made a big money move to Arsenal and this should be his big coming out tournament, in Rodriguez and Lichtsteiner they might have one of the best sets of attacking fullbacks in Europe, and if Shaqiri is allowed to roam he can create plenty of chances.
They do lack a good finisher up top and could be their downfall. They play fast and move the ball well, I expect they take 2[SUP]nd[/SUP].
B
England – favorites for the group, they dominated qualifying but this team will look very different than that one.
Biggest weakness is the center backs, Chris Smalling and Gary Cahill aren’t world class. They lack any real defensive midfielder beside Dier too, most likely he will be flanked by 2 of Wilshere/Henderson/Rooney who are all in the squad more for their passing than anything.
The strength though lies in the attacking. In Kane they have one of Europe’s most prolific strikers outside the big 2 (Lewe/Ibra) and he’s surrounded by plenty of options beside him or coming off the bench. This is a team that will go as far as they can score.
One thing to note in tournament play a big factor is how quickly teams can get familiar with each other. Germany have been so Bayern Munich based the last few tournaments, Spain up until now were built around the midfield trio from Barcelona. This England team is likely to start 5 players from spurs including the spine up the middle with Dier/Alli/Kane and two very attacking fullbacks in Rose/Walker. It could be a factor.
I expect they win the group but like France they will peak in the next few tournaments
Wales - They are much better than people think, they have proven premier league talent all over the place. But when push comes to shove, this is the Gareth Bale show
They play a defensive 5-2-2-1 mostly. They are going to sit back and defend and when they get the ball they are going to rely on Bale and to a lesser extent Ramsey to create. Basically if you have ever soon Portugal play with how they rely on Ronaldo, Wales do the same with Bale
If Bale gets shutdown they will go home early but the rest of the team is used to this level of competition so they wont be overawed, plus he can score in so many ways and he has a habit of really picking up his game for Wales, I think they surprise and get through the group, in mostly low scoring games
Russia – Best thing this team did was get rid of Capello and bring in Slutsky. They moved back to an attacking style and it suits their strengths better
The biggest issue is going to be the CB’s, they are old, and they are slow and the fullbacks like to attack which means they could ship goals, plus the injury to Dzagoev is really going to hurt their midfield play.
Dzyuba is going to cause issues for almost every defense, he’s huge and he can move, he’s not the most skilled with the ball but will be dangerous on balls in the box. I think they compete with Wales for 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] spot in the group, and could be good shout for some overs
Slovakia – bit of a Jekyl and Hyde team, they are somewhat like Wales in that they give Hamsik a free role and build the team around him, which is why I am down on them as a whole because when he’s not ticking they really lack any cutting finish, and he’s not Gareth Bale
The one area they do excel in a bit is pace on the wings in midfield and fullback, especially on the right with Weiss and Pekarik, but outside of that their players don’t offer much and wont breakdown a good defense
Goals will be an issue, they are likely to start with Duris up top and he has 4 goals in 26 caps. This is another team that looks to sit back. I know some are high on them but I expect they struggle, don’t see them winning a game.
C
Germany – World Champions come in with some injury issues but still have so much talent all over the field, and the bench, and the players that didn’t make the cut, and just any random german…
They struggled a bit in qualifying but I wouldn’t read too much in to that, they have a history of that and then showing up for a tournament and ending up in a semi-final.
They do come in with a bit of a weakness though, Boateng and Hummels are carrying injuries and Rudiger is out of the tournament.
Losing Reus hurts but Draxler is a ready made replacement, he will likely play with Ozil and Muller behind the forward, either Gotze as a false 9 or going back to plan B they could put Mario Gomez up top and play around a big man. They do lack a great striker and if Muller isn’t scoring they could struggle for goals
Its hard to predict what Germany will do on any given day, which is their biggest strength, they have the deepest team and with all their talent they are also the most versatile, anything less than the final would be a disappointment for them, but I don’t think they make it
Northern Ireland – they won their qualifying group, conceding 1 goal or less in all of their games
And yet… this is too big a step up. Outside of being organized defensively they lack any type of game breaking talent
Their blueprint for success is to park the bus and take advantage of their set pieces, they scored 6 goals from headers in qualifying which was 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] behind Poland’s 7, so it is an area they are strong in. The problem is their group, Poland conceded 0, Germany only 2, Sweden 3.
I think they struggle, getting an extremely tough group wont help much either, it could be a donut in the points table
Poland –
Top scorer in qualifying, arguably the best striker in Europe and in his prime. This team is built around him and they have a real set up for him to succeed.
They are going to do almost all their attacking down the right with Piszczek and Blas and with them providing service in to Lewandowski this team is a threat to score against anyone.
They can push forward too because Krychowiak is one of the best in the world as a DM breaking up play, he might even be more important for them this tournament than Lewandowski, if he has a good tournament they are going to force plenty of turnovers and be able to hit teams on the counter with pace, if he struggles they are going to allow a ton of chances.
They have a lot to prove after a disastrous hosting performance in 2012 and I think they are a dark horse here to not only get to the KO rounds but also perform there too. A strong evenly balanced squad who don’t have a real weakness.
Ukraine – They will be tough to beat, and are very familiar with Poland and Germany
Ukraine are built around two things, playing on the counter and a reliance on the wingers, their two best players by a huge margin are Yarmolenko and Alex Gruv favorite Konoplyanka.
The other 3 midfielders are going to sit back and defend in front of the back 4 to break up play, and the instant they get the ball look for a break to one of those two.
Their qualification could come down to game 3 vs Poland, I expect they play for a draw vs Germany
