Euro 2016 Quarter Final Preview

We've only 7 matches remaining in a thrilling Euro 2016 and the pressure has been cranked up a notch in the quarter finals. We had some shocks in the round of 16 that has set up some very interesting matches that are difficult to predict.

Poland v Portugal

Poland were expected to defeat Switzerland in previous round but did so unconvincingly and needed a penalty shoot out to progress. The strike duo of Robert Lewandowski and Arkadiusz Milik is yet to find form and with the competition gradually getting tougher, Poland will need their stars at their peak.  Milik has only one goal to his name in the tournament so far, but has had a handful of chances, he has to start converting them if they are to launch any meaningful assault in the tournament. Jakub Blaszczykowski grabbed the goal against Switzerland and has been a threat down the right wing all tournament, linking up well with Lukasz Piscczek. These pair will be critical against Portugal.

While they had no 'big' nations in their group, Portugal struggled to get results, with Cristiano Ronaldo becoming increasingly outspoken. Portugal are the only team left in the tournament yet to win a game within 90 minutes. The introduction of Renato Sanches in the second half against Croatia gave the side a creative outlet, starting off the move which resulted in the goal for Ricardo Quaresma Neither side has been entirely convincing in this year's tournament despite both being potential dark horses. Poland will be favourites for the tie with a lethal strike force up against a suspect Portuguese defence while the Portuguese have largely rode their luck to get to this stage in the tournament but will continue to look to Cristiano Ronaldo for their inspiration. Poland to advance.

Wales v Belgium

The last British team in the tournament, take on Belgium whom they met in qualifying for the tournament. Belgium, largely regarded as one of the favourites for the tournament from the outset were shocked in their opening match against Italy but have pulled themselves together and a 3-0 win over Republic of Ireland and a 1-0 win over Sweden secured a runners up spot. Against Hungary in the previous round, they were exceptional and romped to a 4-0 win. Eden Hazard showed what ihe is capable of as he scored once and created four chances, one of which was an assist for Michy Batshuayi. Belgium are very good on the counter attack, and punished Hungary who gave them too much space, however the loss of Jan Vertonghen will be a major set back for the Red Devils. 

Wales took four points off the Belgians in qualifying, with the victory coming thanks to a winner from Gareth Bale. Wales showed that they can play football in the final group game against Russia in which they won 3-0. Joe Allen and Aaron Ramsey were very good on the ball the ball with the former sliding the latter through for the opening goal. Crucially, Wales have showed that they don't totally rely on Gareth Bale, with the aforementioned Allen and Ramsey stepping up to the plate. Against Northern Ireland, they weren't convincing, and it took a wicked ball flashed into the box from Bale to deflect off Gareth McAuley past Michael McGovern in goal. Wales will put up a fight, but with Belgium beginning to reach the heights expected of them, I tip them to progress.

Germany v Italy

Dubbed the glamour tie of the round, Germany are yet to concede a goal in the tournament having defeated Northern Ireland and Ukraine 1-0 and 2-0 in the group stage, goalless draw with Poland and a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Slovakia in the round of 16. Only selecting 1 striker in Mario Gomez could prove a tricky issue particularly against the Italians as Joachim Low has experimented with Mario Gotze up front in a false nine position with minimal success. The introduction of Gomez up top against Northern Ireland gave Germany a cutting edge and the scoreline could have been anything, if it wasn't for the exploits of Michael McGovern in the Northern Irish goal.

Antonio Conte has proved the doubters wrong once again by masterminding a 2-0 victory over the holders, Spain. Another masterplan will need to be conceived if Italy are to defeat the World Champions. Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli have patrolled the backline orchestrated by Juve team mate, Gianluigi Buffon and another top performance will be required if Italy are to win. Italy's siege mentality has produced some memorable games and has neutralised sides who are perceived to play 'attractive football.' The rotations made by Conte in the final group match against Ireland could prove crucial, particularly if the game goes the full distance. The bookies tip Germany however this match has the makings of being settled on penalties, with the Germans coming out on top.

France v Iceland

Despite topping Group A and defeating the Republic of Ireland 2-1 in the round of 16, the hosts have not been convincing, but find themselves in a favourable quarter final tie against Iceland. Two goals from Antoine Griezmann overturned a 1-0 deficit in the second half against Ireland and the dismissal of Shane Duffy allowed them to consolidate their lead. Dimitri Payet's creativity has been a major positive, and will play a big part in the match against Iceland. Laurent Koscielny and Adil Rami looked nervy, particularly in the first half against the Irish and this will be highlighted by the Icelandic side as a possible area to exploit. 

Iceland, like Wales, are exceeding all expectations. Armed with Aron Gunnarsson's long throw, they posed plenty of problems for England who didn't have the answers. Many thought the 1-1 draw against Portugal would be the highlight of the trip, but Lars Largerback and Heimer Hallgrimsson have had other ideas, guiding their side to a quarter final in their first tournament. They are very hard to break down, just ask any of their group stage opponents and are adept on the counter. Against England they showed that they can play some football, but have a major strength at the set piece. France are a better side than England so I expect them to learn from the mistakes that England made and expect them to qualify. Iceland can be proud of their achievements of everything that they have achieved and have written a great story in the year of the underdog.

A Crafty Conte

At the final whistle of Belgium vs Italy last night, Gianluca Vialli commented, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts" - never could the 59-capped Italian international be more correct. Outgoing national team manager, Antonio Conte dished out a tactical masterclass and he reaped the plaudits of a 2-0 result that not many Italian fans predicted.

Conte opted to play three centre halves, all of which he coached during his stint at Juventus. With willing runners, Matteo Darmian and Andrea Candreva occupying the two wing back roles, they were well versed defensively and attacked when the opportunity arose. Andrea Pirlo, who was the talisman four years ago, was left out of the squad leaving Daniele De Rossi to occupy the withdrawn role while Leonardo Bonucci was also capable of play-making from the back. It was Bonucci who supplied the pin point ball Emanuele Giacherrini to open the scoring half an hour into the match.

In true Italian fashion, they made themselves a very hard nut to crack, often keeping the majority of their players behind the ball. The midfield, consisting of De Rossi, Giacherrini and Marco Parolo, dominated the Belgium's star studded outfit. Parolo and De Rossi in particular were disciplined and kept Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard on a tight leash through out the match. With 56% of the possession, Conte was happy to allow Belgium to have the ball at the back, in favour of keeping their impenetrable shape. Once Belgium did get the ball into dangerous areas, the Italian midfield pressed and were able to win the ball back before calmly playing the ball out of defence. 

Unlike Roy Hodgson, Antonio Conte introduced the pacey Ciro Immobile when Belgium threw caution into the wind and it gave Italy another point of attack. After a loose ball from Belgium Immobile picked the ball up on half way and ran at the defence. After working some space to shoot, the Torino attacker cracked a shot off, only to be matched by a fine save from Thibaut Courtois. In the second minute of added time, Immobile twisted and turned before finding Candreva on the right side of the box. The Lazio player controlled the ball and committed a few Belgian defenders before dinking the ball to Graziano Pelle who fired the ball into the back of the net to give Italy a comfortable victory.

While Italy were a well drilled unit, Belgium were the opposite. They looked disorganised, weak defensively and lacking ideas in the final third. Romelu Lukaku was very poor, with his performance epitomised by his off target shot in the second half after a swift Belgium counter attack. In commentary, Martin Keown summed up the Belgian performance perfectly describing it as 'playing with the handbrake on' and likening it to Manchester United of last season. One shining light was Dries Mertens who replaced Radja Nainggolan on 62 minutes. The Napoli man caused a few problems for the Italian defence with his direct running and on one instance weaved his way to the byline before squaring the ball back into a dangerous area. Not one Belgian player was on the same wave length as Mertens and the Italians cleared easily.

The other game in this group saw Sweden come from behind to draw with the Republic of Ireland. The Irish side will undoubtedly see this as an opportunity missed when Wes Hoolahan curled a half-volley from a Seamus Coleman cross into the back of the net. Sweden equalised thanks to the work of Zlatan Ibrahimovic who fired a ball into the Irish 6 yard box to be deflected into the net by Ciaran Clark. Sweden claim a vital point despite not having a shot on target in the whole game. With the Swedes up next for Italy, Conte will have to adapt his team as it will be expected that they will have more possession than they did against Belgium.

Chelsea fans will have been salivating at the passion showed by Antonio Conte, who takes the reigns in west London at the conclusion of the tournament. Italy now have an excellent chance at proving the doubters wrong and their manager will certainly have the players in the appropriate mindset for challenges ahead.

Assessing the Favourites

It's hard to believe that we're less than a month until the tournament commences and with provisional squads beginning to be announced everyone is switching their mindset from the domestic season to what promises to be a special tournament. Having shared my opinions on some of the sides that have the ability to cause a shock on the scale of Greece '04, here are my thoughts on who is likely to lift the the Henri Delaunay Trophy on the 10th July.

France

It would be rude to not start with the hosts, who remain very strong despite the exclusion of Karim Benzema. Antoine Griezmann has been red hot for Atletico Madrid, similarly, Anthony Martial has had a sterling first season in Manchester. With a squad containing key players such as Raphael Varane, Martial, Kingsley Coman and Paul Pogba who are all under the age of 24, the core of this team will be around for the next World Cup and mixed with the experienced heads such as Hugo Lloris, Patrice Evra, Blaise Matuidi, Yohan Cabaye and Dimitri Payet. Home advantage will certainly play a part in their campaign, with France in a frenzy in the lead up to the start of the tournament. With a group consisting of Romania, Albania and Switzerland it paves the way for strong run in the tournament and don't be put it past them if they lift the trophy on home soil.

Germany

The reigning World Champions will be deserved favourites after such a scintillating show two years ago in Brazil. Despite retirements to Phillip Lahm, Mirosav Klose and Per Mertesacker and questions over the form at the start of the qualifying campaign, the Germans have a plethora of young talent coming through. Bastian Schweinsteiger steps up to replace Phillip Lahm as captain despite an injury plagued season at Old Trafford. Joachim Low has midfield options that would have any other manager dripping with envy, and will surely place a lot of emphasis on this part of the pitch. A lot rests on the shoulders of Mario Gomez, the only typical number nine striker selected, with Low perhaps opting to emulate Spain's success in 2012 with a striker-less formation as a plan 'B' option. They have a very good manager at the helm and they will be disappointed if they don't reach the finals.

Spain

After a shambolic showing in the last World Cup, Spain need a good run in this competition to prove the doubters wrong and defend their crown. Already Vicente del Bosque has omitted some notable luminaries including Fernando Torres, Diego Costa and Juan Mata, all of which would get into most of the other national squads. Similar to Germany, Spain have loads of midfield options with Koke and Saul Niguez in particular having very good seasons. Aritz Aduriz of Bilbao may be 35 years old, but he still knows where the goal is - 36 goals in all competitions this season for the Basque side - and correctly gets ahead of Costa on current form. With Czech Republic, Turkey and Croatia completing Group D, Spain will need to be focus or else face a tricky tie against Belgium or Italy in the Round of 16. Particularly after the early exit in the World Cup, Spain have a point to prove and certainly have the players to do so.

Belgium

Having been labelled as dark horses at the last World Cup, many pundits were slightly underwhelmed with their performance after losing in the quarter finals to eventual finalists, Argentina. I believe they gave as good as they got but that experience, in what was the first their first appearance at a tournament since 2002, will serve them well going into Euro 2016. Kevin de Bruyne has been in fine form this season for Manchester City, similarly Spurs pair Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld have been stalwarts for their club and helped guide them to a third placed finish in the league and conceded the least amount of goals along with Manchester United. Despite a relatively young squad, only 3 players over the age of 30, they do not lack experience. One notable absentee is Vincent Kompany whose groin injury in the Champions League tie against Real Madrid has ruled him out of the tournament. Even though the Belgians appear the weakest out of the sides mentioned, their attacking prowess and defensive solidity will give them confidence and they will fancy themselves against Europe's elite.

Italy
The Italians always seem to show up for the international competitions. In qualifying, they posted a decent record, winning seven games and drawing three pipping Croatia to the top spot in Group H. Both Italy and Belgium have a difficult group with consisting of Sweden and the Republic of Ireland who will be no pushovers and have the ability to spring a shock. Defensively Italy have been very solid over the years with Leonardo Bonucci continuing his international career at centre back. Stephan El Shaarawy has had such a promising career stunted by injuries, but at only 23, he still has the time to assert himself in the main side. Antonio Conte has called up Lorenzo Insigne and Jorginho off the back of very good domestic campaigns with Napoli. Not many people will bet on Italy doing much in this tournament, particularly with their talisman Marco Verratti injured, but with the know-how and the professionalism that we associate with the Italians, don't bet against them causing a few upsets.

Which of these sides will be lifting the trophy on the 10th July, or will it be someone entirely different? Feel free to leave your opinions as to who you think will win.

Euro 2016 - The Groups

The draw for the Euro 2016 group phase was made last Saturday with 4 home nations competing, the most ever in a single European Championship.

Group B - England, Russia, Slovakia, Wales

I don't see there being too many problems for England, with their stiffest arguably being neighbours Wales. England should almost definitely be topping the group with ease and have the potential to win all three games. As for Wales, they have nothing to fear either. Wales need Gareth Bale fit to progress in my opinion. With the way his life has been going at Real Madrid, jetting off to France with the national side will be something of a relief. Slovakia finished second in their qualifying group with 22 points, 5 behind holders, Spain. Slovakia did record a famous 2-1 victory over the holders in October 2014 when a winner three minutes to go from Bursaspor striker Miroslav Stoch secured the victory after Paco Alcacer equalised a Juraj Kucka goal on 82 minutes.

Final standings in this order are England, Wales, Slovakia, Russia.

Group C - Germany, Northern Ireland, Poland, Ukraine

After qualifying for their first Euro campaign, there will be a buzz in the Northern Ireland camp as they are named in a group with the World Champions. It is going to be very tough for Northern Ireland and I don't expect them to qualify. Northern Ireland will be just happy to be at the tournament and no doubt the fans will also. Northern Ireland will probably line up defensively and look to hit teams on the break. I see the Germans and Poland being too strong for the nation of 1.7m, while Ukraine would represent their best opportunity of picking up some points. While Northern Ireland may finish bottom of their group, I do think they will pick up a point against Ukraine.

Final standings in this order are: Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Northern Ireland.

Group E - Belgium, Italy, Ireland, Sweden

Like their neighbours, the Republic of Ireland having been handed a very tough group. Belgium are widely tipped by many to be one of the tournament favourites next summer, while Italy normally up their game for the tournaments despite not being a great Italian team compared to those over the years. Sweden heavily rely on captain and PSG striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. If Ireland are able to mark him out of the game then I expect the side to record a victory.

Final standings in this order are: Belgium, Italy, Ireland, Sweden.

 

Group A - Albania, France, Romania, Switzerland

Looking at the other groups, France have a great opportunity to claim a pole position after being handed a group with Albania, Romania and Switzerland. When Albania last met France in June a free kick form Ergys Kace gave the Eastern European side their first victory over the French in their history. I don't see any of the others offering any competition to prevent France from finishing first in their group.

Final standings in this order are France, Switzerland, Albania and Romania.

 

Group D - Croatia, Czech Republic, Spain, Turkey

I think Group D is a very interesting affair. Czech Republic toppled Group A - and the Dutch - to secure their 9th outing in the competition. Looking at Croatia, they finished second in Group H behind Italy and possess some very good players. Ivan Rakitic is a very good box to box midfielder and will offer both an attacking threat and security for the defence. Similarly Mario Mandzukic, Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Ivan Perisic are key individuals and all pose a threat going forwards. We all know the pedigree of Spain and they will be looking to correct a few wrongs after a poor performance in the World Cup. Finally, Turkey always have the potential to shake things up with Arda Turan, Hakan Calhanoglu and Burak Yilmaz.

Final standings in this order are: Spain, Croatia, Turkey, Czech Republic.

Group F - Austria, Hungary, Iceland, Portugal

Many have tipped Austria to be this year's dark horse and I can understand why. David Alaba and Marko Arnautovic are probably their stand out players and will attract the most attention of their opposing sides. Alexander Dragovic is a decent young defender as is Martin Hinteregger and this is coupled with the experience of Leicester City defender, Christian Fuchs. Iceland have qualified for their first ever tournament and included home and away wins over the Netherlands in qualifying. Hungary scraped through finishing 3rd in qualifying group F and beating Norway 3-1 on aggregate in the playoffs. As for Portugal, they rely heavily on Cristiano Ronaldo and this could be their downfall later in the tournament but I see them qualifying from this group.

Final standings in this order: Austria, Portugal, Iceland, Hungary.

Feel free to leave your thoughts on the Home Nations' prospects or any other team for that matter.

Uninspiring Belgium Defeat Cyprus in Nicosia

Belgium get the vital three points in a muggy Nicosia night, courtesy of an Eden Hazard goal. In what was a drab match, Belgium were uninspiring and have work to be done if they are to challenge next summer.

The visitors made the brighter start of the two sides, controlling the possession and creating opportunities. Kevin De Bruyne did put the ball in the Cypriots’ net but was ruled offside after receiving the ball of a ricocheted Chrisitian Benteke shot. Defensively, Belgium looked nervy, but managed to survive a few potential scares from the hosts.

In the few positive passages Belgium made tonight, a well worked move from Radja Nainggolan and Kevin De Bruyne resulted in a shot that was comfortably saved by the Cyprus keeper. The Cyprus midfield was nowhere to be seen, allowing the Roma man to make headway through the middle. The move really deserved a better finish than the one supplied by Nainggolan.

As the first half progressed, Cyprus grew into the game and were fashioning chances. Belgium were sloppy on the ball, gifting possession to the minnows, and made poor decisions in the final third. Despite all of their technical players, Wilmots’ side seemed content with swinging the ball into their target man, Christian Benteke.

Kevin De Bruyne was in the thick of the action in the first half and possibly the best chance of the half fell to the Manchester City man. Lovely one touch football between Benteke and the aforementioned allowed De Bruyne a one-on-one opportunity against the keeper, but he saved with his feet. At the interval, Belgium showed glimpses of why they’re ranked second in the world, but it was largely inconclusive as to which nation reached the World Cup Quarter Finals last year.

After a presumed rollicking from Marc Wilmots at half time, Belgium signalled their intent through a surging run from Eden Hazard, but his effort was tamely hit. As the second period grew older, it was obvious that Belgium didn’t really improve on the shortcomings in the first half. They were still lax in possession and naïve in attack.

The Cypriots grew in confidence and had a penalty appeal against Divock Origi turned down. Cyprus’ build up play was generally very good in the second half, but quite often they lacked the cutting edge or else picked the wrong option. Thibaut Courtois barely had his goal troubled by Cyprus. Against tougher opposition, the Belgians would be lucky to be only two or three goals down.

With only five minutes of normal time left, the deadlock was broken. A swift attack from the away side saw the ball end up out wide with Dries Mertens. Committing the defender he managed to work enough space in order to get a drag back. On the end of it was Eden Hazard who dispatched it and postponed Wales’ party for at least another month.

For the second time in a matter of days, Cyprus were denied a point by a late goal. In a fairly mediocre match, Cyprus can be proud of the performance they delivered and their fans sounded their appreciation at the final whistle. Widely touted as a favourite for the competition, Belgium will need to increase their intensity if they harbour any intentions of matching the title.