With the qualification stage to the Euro 2012 complete, we take a look at the teams that will be fighting it out between them come June 2012.
The teams that have made it to the final stage of the tournament are Holland, Spain, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, England, Italy, Russia, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, France, Czech Republic, and Republic of Ireland.
Holland will be one of the favorites and will be one of the most attractive teams to watch with their high tempo attacks. The likes of Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, and Robin van Persie will be the players to watch out for.
Spain, the reigning World and European champions will look to defend their titles and they have got the players to do it. The Spanish have a style of their own and they are pioneers of pass and move football. The likes of Iniesta, Xavi, Fabregas, and Villa will be their main players.
Germany will be right up there with the very best. They have got the best squad for next years tournament with Bastian Schweinsteiger, Phillipe Lahm, Manuel Neuer, Mesut Ozil, Mario Goetze, and Mario Gomez in their ranks. Joachim Leow’s men are one of the best bets for next summer.
England will find it very difficult this time around. The likes of Lampard and Gerrard have aged and it will be the turn of the Wilsheres and Welbecks to fire for the three lions. Wayne Rooney’s absence in the group stages owing to suspension will also be a big blow.
Italy, who were world champions in 2006, have been in a rebuilding mode in the past few years. The likes of Cannavaro, Totti, and Del Pierro have been replaced by the Balotellis and Montelivos and company. The Italians have a good enough team that should make a mark in the Euros.
Portugal have increasingly improved as a team and although some of their performances have been erratic to say the least, they have the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani who can turn a match on its head with their game. It should be a treat to watch them in full flow next June. Ronaldo will know full well that a Euro win will secure him the top awards in football after Lionel Messi’s domination in the past few years.
France under Laurent Blanc are a completely different outfit. There is a lot of quality in this team and they will aim to return to the upper echelons of the footballing world next summer. The likes of Ribery, Gourcuff, and Benzema are as good as you get these days.