Group D...D for deadly!! More like D for disaster. 2 of the "I have a big name but I under-perform" teams can be found in this group and there's a strong possibility that one of them will be out before the knock-out stage. Sounds sexy. That aside, there are some hidden gems to look out for in this group as well as some key players.
Predictions:
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England
The only team to win the World Cup but not win the Euro's. We wont say they are the most overrated team in the world because I'll be offended if we do say that. We've previously expressed our thoughts on this England team - here! However, England should have enough strength (a nice version of luck) about them to qualify from this group. We expect epic "0-0" battles with the odd "1-0". Rooney's early absence will put the team under pressure to find another outlet for goals. Currently England have managed to injure half of their squad and they haven't even left home. A positive is that this team is made entirely of England based players, who know, play, fight with each other & occasionally play wife-swap. The ability to perform is there, but will the team be able to produce this quality when under pressure?
Key man: Joe (Joseph) Hart
England will need Hart to be at his best in this tournament. He'll need to do more than just a fireball. He has a great record for England and this will help keep things tidy at the back:
18 games, 13 wins, 9 clean sheets.
My "one to watch": Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
The young man has the potential to be one of the brightest young talents in Europe, let alone England. If he gets game-time, he'll perform. Footiecall officially rates him as better than Theo Walcott.
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France
France are the only team in this group to actually have won the competition, yet possibly the most erratic team in the group. France have been World Cup winners and have followed that success up with an awful exit in the group stages. Similarly, they've gotten progressively worse in the Euro's since winning it in 2000. The 2004 exit at QF stage & a 2008 exit at Group stage show they're due a good run.
This year, however, the French have come to the party! Alors on Danse, France!!
Key man: Franck Ribery
Can you believe he is the 2nd most capped player in this French team, behind Malouda? His mix of guile & experience will serve France well & many of the younger members of the squad will look to him as the decision-maker.
My "one to watch": Mathieu Debuchy
The right-back isn't a youth anymore (26 years old), but few people know of this super-talent. He made everybody's Ligue 1 team of the year & is rated as one of the best RB's in the world. Currently at Lille, the EPL & La Liga may soon come calling.
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Sweden
The poor Swedes. A long history of semi's....they just can't go all the way. They pop before the end. Are they not hard enough? Well it seems they are since they are the tallest team in the competition with the tallest player - Andreas Isaksson (GK). Being tall doesn't win you trophies. It's about time Sweden put their foot forward as a European powerhouse & this is a group which they can qualify from if they play to their best. The Swedes have amassed a large 31 goals for the Euro's, which is more than anyone else in the group. Only the Spanish & Dutch have a higher cap average than the Swedish team (an average of 41 caps per player). This speaks to the continuity of this group of players. It also speaks to the fact that this might be the last chance for many of these players. It's do or die, now or never, shit or get off the pot.
Key man: Zlatan "the man" Ibrahimovic
If Zlatan is not everybody's key man, then he will be annoyed. Annoying Zlatan makes him angry. An angry Zlatan scores goals! A furious Zlatan wins leagues!! A RAGING ZLATAN OF INFERNO WINS THE EURO...ALONE...WITH AN ALICE BAND OF POWER & WOW!!!
My "one to watch": Emir Bajrami
The FC Twente winger has won leagues, cups & U21 caps. He hasn't featured much for the top team but we believe he should be given a chance. At 24, he is the youngest member of the ageing Swedes. A new Freddy Ljungberg? In pictures maybe.
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Ukraine
The folk at Footiecall love pronouncing the Ukrainian names. We struggled with the one in the badge above though. MS Word 97 says it's a spelling mistake and we agreed. We carried on to find more mistakes....with the team. The history of Ukrainian football is littered with "Did not qualify" or "Did not enter" notes. Once fooled by the name "Shevchenko" and their only appearance in an actual tournament (World Cup 2006), it now appears that Ukraine would have struggled to even enter this competition if they weren't co-hosts. In fact, Poland & Ukraine have never won a game at the Euro Tournament, ever. Perhaps the Soviet Union (winners in 1960, 3 times runners-up & 4th best Euro Champs team in history) should have stuck together for footballing reasons (Footiecall has no opinion on the political disbandment of the Communist state formerly named the USSR). We do, however, look forward to commentators struggling to pronounce names like: Olimpiysky Complex, Chygrynskiy and of course ex-manager, Mykhaylychenko.
Key man: Anatoliy Tymoschuck (Анатолій Олександрович Тимощук)
The midfielder has been a wonderful servant for Bayern Munich since 2009. Used in various positions, he found himself in defense in the 2012 Champions League final. Ukraine will be looking towards him for stability. We'll be looking at his lovely blonde locks.
My "one to watch": Andriy Voronin (Андрій Вікторович Воронін)
If you've never seen his "highlights" package then you haven't lived. Watch it here!! When I have a bad day, it cheers me up. The possibility of more laughter is something we cannot turn down.
Predictions:
- France
- England
- Sweden
- Ukraine
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England
Prediction: 2nd - #2
England will need Hart to be at his best in this tournament. He'll need to do more than just a fireball. He has a great record for England and this will help keep things tidy at the back:
18 games, 13 wins, 9 clean sheets.
My "one to watch": Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
The young man has the potential to be one of the brightest young talents in Europe, let alone England. If he gets game-time, he'll perform. Footiecall officially rates him as better than Theo Walcott.
_______________________________________________________________________
France
This year, however, the French have come to the party! Alors on Danse, France!!
Prediction: The cock will be on top - #1
Can you believe he is the 2nd most capped player in this French team, behind Malouda? His mix of guile & experience will serve France well & many of the younger members of the squad will look to him as the decision-maker.
My "one to watch": Mathieu DebuchyThe right-back isn't a youth anymore (26 years old), but few people know of this super-talent. He made everybody's Ligue 1 team of the year & is rated as one of the best RB's in the world. Currently at Lille, the EPL & La Liga may soon come calling.
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Sweden
The poor Swedes. A long history of semi's....they just can't go all the way. They pop before the end. Are they not hard enough? Well it seems they are since they are the tallest team in the competition with the tallest player - Andreas Isaksson (GK). Being tall doesn't win you trophies. It's about time Sweden put their foot forward as a European powerhouse & this is a group which they can qualify from if they play to their best. The Swedes have amassed a large 31 goals for the Euro's, which is more than anyone else in the group. Only the Spanish & Dutch have a higher cap average than the Swedish team (an average of 41 caps per player). This speaks to the continuity of this group of players. It also speaks to the fact that this might be the last chance for many of these players. It's do or die, now or never, shit or get off the pot.
Prediction: #3
Key man: Zlatan "the man" IbrahimovicIf Zlatan is not everybody's key man, then he will be annoyed. Annoying Zlatan makes him angry. An angry Zlatan scores goals! A furious Zlatan wins leagues!! A RAGING ZLATAN OF INFERNO WINS THE EURO...ALONE...WITH AN ALICE BAND OF POWER & WOW!!!
The FC Twente winger has won leagues, cups & U21 caps. He hasn't featured much for the top team but we believe he should be given a chance. At 24, he is the youngest member of the ageing Swedes. A new Freddy Ljungberg? In pictures maybe.
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Ukraine
Prediction: rock bottom - #4
Key man: Anatoliy Tymoschuck (Анатолій Олександрович Тимощук)The midfielder has been a wonderful servant for Bayern Munich since 2009. Used in various positions, he found himself in defense in the 2012 Champions League final. Ukraine will be looking towards him for stability. We'll be looking at his lovely blonde locks.
My "one to watch": Andriy Voronin (Андрій Вікторович Воронін)If you've never seen his "highlights" package then you haven't lived. Watch it here!! When I have a bad day, it cheers me up. The possibility of more laughter is something we cannot turn down.
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