Euro 2016 Semi Final Preview

After a pathetic 1 correct correction out of 4 in the quarter finals, things can only get better in the semi finals. Gareth Bale's Wales take on Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal while Germany meet tournament hosts, France in the glamour tie of the round.

Whether they like it or not the pre-match discussions will be dominated by Real Madrid team mates Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. So far in the tournament we have seen a different Portuguese side to what we are use to - a more disciplined, defensive side, but also one that can be frustrated by teams deep defending. With Pepe an injury doubt. veteran Brun Alves is likely to step in to add experience to an inexperienced defence. 18 year old Renato Sanches has covered defensive and offensive areas of the park expertly in the time that he has been on the pitch. Now at Bayern, Sanches scored with a stunning strike to equalise against Poland in the previous round. The young protege will be just as vital as Ronaldo if Portugal are to progress.

Wales have thrilled everyone in the tournament this year with their performances. It's particularly refreshing to hear Gareth Bale liken himself to his team mates and and describe the positive atmosphere that shrouds the Welsh camp. In previous match, they were on the ropes in the first 15 minutes with Belgium attacking and the Welsh defence repelling 4 shots within a few moments that were destined for the back of the net. After falling behind thanks to a Radja Nainggolan screamer, Wales regrouped and equalised through Ashley Williams 20 minutes later. Hal Robson-Kanu adopted the persona of Johan Cruyff for the second goal when a smart goal sent several Belgian defenders the wrong way before shooting past Thibaut Courtois. Chris Coleman's side showed all the character that got them to this stage with great defensive commitment before sneaking a third goal on the break thanks to Sam Vokes.

The absence of Ben Davies and Aaron Ramsey in the Welsh side due to suspension will be a massive blow. James Collins and Andy King come are the replacements to make their first starts so there will be a bit of rustiness. Attacking wise, Collins has the potential to be a threat from set pieces. It's very tight to call and it is likely that this match will go the distance, I tip the Welsh to make history.

France were very impressive in the first half against Iceland, racing into a 4 goal lead. This allowed Didier Deschamps to haul some of the key players that were on bookings off to prevent them from being suspended for the semi final. The flowing football on display was gripping, with Dmitri Payet, Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann all linking up for a combined 4 goals and two assists. Moussa Sissoko replacing the suspended N'Golo Kante. Paul Pogba showed glimpses of what he was capable of in the midfield, but it will be unlikely that he will be afforded the time and space against Germany as he was in the previous round. One concerning issue from a French point of view was the soft goals conceded. Kolbeinn Sigthorsson poked one home at the near post while Birkir Bjarnason grabbed a second with a header. Both were unmarked and Deschamps will surely have to work on this before the match tomorrow night.

The injury to Mario Gomez, the only number nine striker taken to the competition has thrown a massive spanner in the works of Joachim Low's plans. A physical presence in the air, Gomez would have troubled the French defence and could have given Germany an upper hand in the game. Mats Hummels is also ruled out due to suspension, yet Germany are likely to come into this game as favourites. Despite such a prolific goal scoring record at the World Cup, Thomas Muller is yet to get off the mark in the Euros, but an advanced role in the absence of Gomez is likely to make him more of a threat. Mesut Ozil has been a shining light so far in the tournament, summed up with a great goal against Italy. Playing in the number ten position, teams have found him difficult to deal with so far and Germany will be looking to utilise the Arsenal playmaker at every possibility.

It's the best attack in the tournament up against the best defence. Germany will be favourites for the game, particularly with France's inconsistencies throughout the tournament so far. Like most games these days, the midfield will be where it is won. Germany have Toni Kroos and Bastian Schweinsteiger who both like to sit deep and control the play, while France's Paul Pogba will be likely to cover more ground over the pitch. With Germany's terrific record at penalty kicks, this will play in the back of the French minds. My heart says France but my head says Germany.

A Valiant Effort Falls Short for Bayern

A gutsy second half performance from Bayern Munich was not enough to overturn the 3-0 lead that Barcelona had amassed in the Nou Camp. A Neymar brace sent the Catalonian side through but goals from Medhi Benatia, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller sealed the 3-2 victory for the German side.

Similar to the first leg, Bayern adopted a risky 3 man defence at the start of the game when in possession and when the ball was conceded the holding midfielders would drop in to fill the gaps. This was the same formation that got cut open in the opening stages of the first leg but we can excuse Guardiola considering the predicament he was in.

Unlike last Wednesday, Guardiola's gamble paid off inside 10 minutes. A floated corner from Xabi Alonso was met by the head of Benatia and he guided the ball home unmarked. It was very shoddy defending from Barcelona and they put themselves under needless pressure. This lifted the Bavarians and hit the visitors. Bayern were bossing and were comfortably on top in the opening exchanges.

Their dominance only lasted 8 minutes. Completely against the run of play, Barca drained every ounce of optimism out of the very passionate and exuberant Munich vocal support with the equaliser. For the second time this match, Barca exploited Bayern's high line. A through ball from Messi found Suarez who squared it to Neymar and allowed him to roll the ball into an empty net. Shortly after, Messi was adjudged to be offside from a defence splitting pass. Bayern needed to have this 3 man transition nailed and can't give away cheap possession or else they were going to be on the end of a hammering.

Chances were coming at both ends through Lewandowski, Messi and Muller but Barca improved their lead on 28 minutes when goal scorer Benatia mistimed the ball leaving Suarez to race through and once again find his partner in crime who netted for his and Barca's second on the night. Never mind a hill, Guardiola's side had Mount Everest to climb and with the Catalans in imperious form, it was an impossible task.

Barca certainly rode their luck. A superb run from Thiago allowed Lewandowski to ghost into space. When the ball landed at the Pole's feet, 2 foot either side of the keeper and it was a certain goal. Instead, Ter Stegen parried before clawing it off the line. It was a good save, but Lewandowski really should have scored. The forward line for Munich got into excellent positions but were very wasteful tonight.  

Throughout the game, Bayern were decent in attack, fashioning numerous chances but were let down by the finish and suicidal defending at times. The second half began tentatively, as if both sides knew that the tie was over as a contest. With the league wrapped up for Bayern and no cup final to savour, they had simply pride to play for, while Barcelona have a tricky fixture against Atletico Madrid at the weekend. This probably explains the differing approaches made by managers as the game progressed. Both sides had chances, but the tempo barely exceeded a walking pace.

Bayern were rewarded for their superb pressing game inside the Barca half when they dispossessed the opposition in the final third. A shot from Lewandowski hit the net via the post and left Marc Andre Ter Stegen rooted. It was his 6th goal in the competition this year but he could easily have had 6 over the tie. Bayern enjoyed the majority of possession and Barca seemed content to soak up possession through the introuduction of Jeremy Mathieu and attempt to hit the home side on the counter. Would this defensive decision cost Barcelona? 

With 20 minutes to go, a curling shot from Thomas Muller found its was into the back of the net. I felt that Muller had been disappointing tonight as he squandered a fair few glorious chances in the first half. They took the lead on the night, probably the least that Guardiola expected from the second half. Bayern were getting chances but as 80 minutes beckoned, it seemed a little to late for the German Champions.

Munich kept pressing but they were unable to break Barca's defence for the fourth time tonight. The last action of the game was courtesy of Neymar. The Brazilian was on the hunt for his hat trick down the left flank, but instead of rolling it past Manuel Neuer, he played an over hit ball which Messi couldn't turn home. Neymar put in a decent shift, although him and Messi went missing under the dominance from Bayern in the final half.

It was a valiant second half effort from the Bavarians to win the game, but the damage was already inflicted in the first leg. I still maintain that if Lewandowski netted that open goal in the first leg, the game could have been a completely different story. Barca march on and have a treble to compete for. We could see them in Berlin competing to for the final jewel in the crown on what has been a topsy turvy season for the Spanish side.

The Ballon D'Or 2014

The shortlist for the prestigious Ballon D'Or award has been announced, and with the award in the New Year looming, let's take a look at who I think are the main contenders and what they have to offer:

Thomas Muller

Everyone's favourite raumdeuter on the award winning Football Manager series, Thomas Muller has had an impressive year with both club and country. At the World Cup, the German was awarded the Silver Boot, finishing behind James Rodriguez in the goal scoring charts with 5 goals. Also at the event he collected the Silver Ball behind Lionel Messi who received the coveted Golden Ball. With Bayern he helped them to their 23rd Bundesliga title and in the process scoring 13 goals and assisting 10 times. Muller is a work horse and is surely got be in with a shout at the award ceremony in January.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Last year's winner Cristiano Ronaldo is always going to be in with an excellent shout of retaining the award. Although his Portugal did not have a good World Cup, he has been firing on all cylinders for Real Madrid in 2014. With less than half of the season gone, he has netted 20 goals in 12 league appearances and 26 goals in total. Ronaldo was instrumental in Real Madrid achieving La Decima last season, breaking the record for number of goals scored in a single campaign (17). This led him to being awarded UEFA's Best Player in Europe accolade. For the 6th season in a row, it is looking likely that the winner of the award is likely to come from the Portuguese captain or else Lionel Messi and the raging feud between the pair continues..

Philipp Lahm

For many years, Philipp Lahm was the heart of the defence for both club and country, without notable praise abroad. Now after a World Cup triumph, his expertise is finally being noticed and complimented. Having decided to hang up his international boots in order to further his club career at Bayern Munich, he capped it off with aplomb in Brazil in July. The Munich captain is definitely more of a team player rather than relying on himself, but he does galvanise his side, and gives them a lift to the next level when he is on the pitch. Lahm may not receive the ultimate prize, but I do believe he has to be a shoe-in for Team of the Year. 

Lionel Messi

Ever since the bitter disappointment of losing in the World Cup Final in July, Lionel Messi has been breaking more records. At the tender age of 27, the Argentine recently broke Raul's record goal tally in the Champions League with a hat trick midweek against APOEL Nicosia, and it seems like there are more European goals in the future. Out of his 74 European goals, he has scored in 23 different cities in 16 countries. In Argentina's route to the World Cup Final, he found the net 4 times and also won the Golden Ball for the best player - no consolation however for losing in the Final. He'll be up there, and the new record broken, might just swing it for the the Barcelona no.10.

Manuel Neuer

You won't find a goal keeper on the list of Ballon D'Or winners in the modern award, and in fact have to look back to 1963, for the last keeper to go home with the award. Manuel Neuer will be hoping to change this drought and be the first since the Soviet, Lev Yashin to do so. The 6ft 4in keeper has been a colossus in the goal, over the past 12 months and only conceded 4 goals in the World Cup. In comparison, he conceded 40 goals in 50 matches for Bayern, not bad, considering the quality of teams he played against. Numerous awards gained this year include the UEFA Champions League Team of the Season, the Golden Glove award at the World Cup, World Cup Dream Team, World Cup All Star Team and Footballer of the Year in Germany.

Other notable contenders include Diego Costa, Angel Di Maria, Arjen Robben and Toni Kroos. Costa led the Atletico line all the way to the Champions League Final last year and although he had a disappointing World Cup, he has been in red hot form for new club Chelsea. Di Maria and Robben have had excellent seasons both with club and country, sending eachother to trophies respectively. Similar to his former Bayern team mates, Kroos, was a key figure for club and country. His ability to dictate the play around the park and spread the ball, ensured a very successful season for Bayern Munich and Germany.

Even at an awards ceremony to commemorate the sublime talent we have in this era, UEFA have seemed to have grabbed the headlines once more, with needless ramblings that have caused controversy. With little over a month to wait, let's hope that UEFA can keep their opinions muted in order to not detract anything more from the spectacle that rewards some of the most gifted players in the planet for their individual brilliance.