Friday, the European Championships begin. A manageable tournament with just 16 teams. But unlike the World Cup with its expansive, inclusive sets of teams, there is no real filler in the Euros. Just about every team playing can plausibly chart a path to the Finals. Well, perhaps all but Ukraine, who co-host, thus automatically are included. This established I’ve made predictions in a two level format, breaking them into Favored and Underdogs with explanations of why it is the teams won’t succeed.
Favored:
Heart says Spain, mind says Germany. Both teams feature players who have played far too many matches this season. Half of the Spain team just played in the Copa Del Rey a bout a week ago after playing what must seem like hundreds of matches in the last ten months. But there is no denying the awesome level of talent each possess. Spain has won the last two major tournaments so it’s at Germany’s feet…to mess up.
Underdogs:
Heart says Denmark, mind says Czech Republic. Hard to see where the goals will come from for the Danes unless Nikolas Bendtner suddenly finds form. They also lack the creativity required to break down stubborn tournament defenses happy to play for a draw. The Czechs have an in-form keeper (Petr Cech), attacking midfielder (Tomas Rosicky), but lack a threat up front. Milan Baros who must be close to 75 now, has a pretty good international scoring record for the Czechs despite being buried at Turkish giants, Galatasaray. Both Denmark and the Czech Republic will want to look at Greece in 2004 coming out of nowhere to smash and grab as their template.
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