Euro 2008 Wrap: It’s the Bryant Awards!

Yes, Euro 2008’s come and gone quicker than a host nation and while “best tournament” ever calls may be a bit premature, it was pretty darn good. Plenty of goals, drama, laughable punditry and a complete lack of Britain conspired to produce an exciting couple of weeks, otherwise usually filled by Sky Sports trying to convince us to watch county cricket.

So as Spain continue to celebrate their first trophy in 44 years, it’s time for the inaugural Bryant Awards ‘08. Without further ado…

The Tottenham Hotspur Award for Most Watchable Team Despite a Woeful Defence

Spain were easily the best team, but you just couldn’t keep your eyes off Turkey. Words can’t describe how they managed to keep coming back, let alone with a more incredulous feat each time. And just as you went to write them off for being “lucky” and not that good technically, they go and play the Germans off the park. I’m hard pressed to find a more remarkable cup run. Apparently they led for 15 minutes in the whole tournament, AND were knocked out by a 90th minute goal. It wasn’t always pretty but they were a hell of an advertisement for football.

The Derby County Award for Just Turning Up.

It should be blasphemy to call the previous winners the worst team but Greece were almost offensive to watch this time around. For all the negativity around Austria’s participation, they were anything but out of place. If they could have just put the ball in the back of the net they could have been the pride of Austria. Nevertheless, Greece were just terrible. With almost every other team determined to push forward and play to win, the Greeks were determined to stick by their 9-1-1 and were justly rewarded with 1 goal, no points and no self-respect.

Best Player

Everyone knows that if Russia had beaten Spain then Arshavin would have this wrapped up, but you can’t give it to someone who played 3 games and was a bit quiet in one of them. It’s hard to judge considering Spain put in such a team performance overall while the rest were so inconsistent. But I’m probably going to have to go with UEFA and pick Xavi. His contribution is so understated. It’s not the same as Senna who it’s very easy to pick as “you don’t see much of him so he must be doing a good job”. He’s a very good player but it’s such a fashionable pick, the defensive midfielder. Xavi really was almost flawless in every game, and his goal against Russia sent them to the final.

The Jon Stead Award for Being Unable to Hit a Cow’s Arse with a Banjo

Mario Gomez scored 28 for Stuttgart last year, and I’d probably let him off if it weren’t for two things. People were tipping him for top goalscorer and he got benched after 3 woeful displays. And he managed to clear the ball from off the Austrian line from a yard. That requires new levels of incompetence.

Best Match

So many to choose, but for me I think I’m going to have to go with Holland v France. Turkey’s games only got going late and I loved the Russia/Holland game but the drama of Holland’s 4-1 was fantastic.

Worst Match

France v Romania, 2 hours of my life I’ll never get back.

Best Goal

Tough to choose as while there were some good goals, there’s not one that really stands out. My favourite probably has to be Bastian Schweinsteiger against Portugal. Great team goal as Podolski plays two 1-2s down the wing before Schweinsteiger times his run to perfection to steer the cross home.

The Guus Hiddink Award for Overachievement with a Relatively Unknown Team

Ironically, it’s not Guus Hiddink. Russia were bloody good, and Russia have never looked like winning an international game in the past 50 years. But you are some manager if you can rouse your team from a 1-0 half time deficit, a 2-0 deficit with 18 minutes to go, and equalise after conceding in the 119th minute. What tops it off was that performance against Germany. Nobody saw that coming.

The Steve McClaren “How did that moronic grinning oaf ever get put in charge of anything?” Award

It wasn’t France’s best ever team, but Raymond Domenech really was the French version of Second choice Steve. He got everything wrong, he left out 20 goal David Trezeguet, Phillippe Mexes, Gael Clichy, Mathieu Flamini and Bakary Sagna. He refused to play one of the biggest talents in the world, Karim Benzema, in his proper position. He kept playing Nicolas Anelka. He picked Lilian Thuram. To top it off, in a totally McClaren-esque move, he proposed to his girlfriend on TV IMMEDIATELY AFTER BEING ELIMINATED AT THE FIRST HURDLE WITH ONE POINT.

It was compelling just to see what he’d get wrong next.

The Lance Armstrong Award for Never Giving Up in the Face of Adversity

Jens Lehmann. No matter how bad, how inept, how incompetent, how completely and utterly rubbish, he kept on going. He kept putting those gloves on and blaming everybody else for his mistakes.

Good for him.

The Mike Riley Award for Most Partizan Decision

Let’s be honest, that was NEVER a penalty when Austria were given a 92nd minute lifeline against Poland. They’d squandered chance after chance but the selfless Howard Webb handed them a point which lifted the spirits of the whole nation, and also earned Ivica Vastic a lifetime’s supply of beer.

The Mark Viduka Award for Most Smug Celebration

Now I love Andrei Arshavin, and I love . Simply brilliant.

The Kevin Keegan “Think before you speak” Award

Like many Polish, Prime Minister Donald Tusk was slightly miffed at Howard Webb ending Poland’s tournament. However, going on record saying “As the prime minister I have to be balanced and collected. But last night I was speaking very differently about the whole thing, I wanted to kill” perhaps wasn’t the best way to go about it.

The David Pleat Award for Most Bumbling, Incoherent Piece of Commentary

Luckily Shimbomba wasn’t at the Euro’s and David Pleat wasn’t that terrible. The award goes to ever increasingly senile John Motson for this nugget during the Italy/Romania game. “And had Christian Panucci scored a day earlier, he’d be the oldest ever goalscorer at a European Championships. Ivica Vastic currently has the record after his penalty for Austria last night”.

Erm, what?

The Jermaine Defoe Award for Bad Timing

I’m not saying that Scolari’s early appointment caused Portugal to exit the competition or anything. But how many games did they win after that?

Yeah, thought so.

Best Punditry

Despite the majority being substandard there were a few brief shining lights. Martin O’Neill’s ability to disagree with himself was always amusing while Gordon Strachan was criminally underused. Danny Baker wasn’t technically a pundit but was brilliant on his return to 606. Mind you, anything would be better than the insufferable Tim Lovejoy and Spoony. Also, it does pain me to say it but I quite enjoyed Marcel Desailly on the sidelines with Ray Stubbs.

Worst Punditry

Where on earth do you start? Steve Ryder was one of the more bizarre acquisitions from ITV while Clive Tyldesley and Peter Drury continued to annoy me. I don’t think anyone enjoys the tiresome, banal witticisms from Motson and Lawrenson but Alan Green has to top them all. His rants are getting increasingly bizarre as he tries to sensationalise anything and everything in an attempt to “stir things up”.

Team of the Tournament

Iker Casillas (Spain)

Sergio Ramos (Spain)

Carlos Marchena (Spain)

Pepe (Portugal)

Yuri Zhrikov (Russia)

Wesley Sneijder (Holland)

Michael Ballack (Germany)

Xavi Hernandez (Spain)

Andrei Arshavin (Russia)

Lukas Podolski (Germany)

David Villa (Spain)

Subs: Buffon (Italy), Marchena (Spain), Senna (Spain), Torres (Spain), Pavlyuchenko (Russia), Fabregas (Spain), Semih (Turkey)

What we learned: Euro 2008 Day 18

What’s that sound? Oh yeah, that would be everybody jumping off that Russia bandwagon.

After all the hype, the hope, the tension, it wasn’t really a contest. Spain proved that they do still have Russia’s number and they are more than good enough to take home their first major trophy. Whether they will or not, is another matter entirely. You know what though, I think this game was already over once Cesc Fabregas put the ball past Buffon last week. I spoke before about that Spain inferiority complex, it’s plagued them for years but with that defeat of Italy, it’s looks like they’ve got that monkey off their back and they made Russia again look very average.

It’s was a harsh lesson for Russia who were again put to the sword, but they can go home with their heads held high. It is interesting though, it’s almost as if Russia have gone down in people’s estimations after being dominated so heavily. After simply beating Holland (who as i keep saying, really weren’t that good), the hype had grown to such an extent that people were almost expecting Spain to lose. Russia are a good side, there’s no doubt they were highly impressive against the Dutch and Sweden, absolutely dominated England in the second half on home soil, but perhaps they had reached that glass ceiling.

It’s no disgrace mind, on their day they probably could beat almost anyone. It’s just that Spain were very much on form and very well organised.

The foundations on which the Russian machine had been built clearly couldn’t adapt to the Spanish, even when David Villa was forced off early on. If anything, it only served to increase Spain’s superiority. Much was made of Russia’s superb fitness and work rates, but without the ball it was ineffective. Once Fabregas was introduced, the five man midfield made it even harder for Russia to get and keep hold of the ball. Unlike Germany’s set up, Spain’s midfielders could break from midfield much more frequently and from different areas. Their first goal was a perfect example as Xavi played the ball to Iniesta before streaking into the box to prod home with remarkable accuracy.

Previously we could perhaps dismiss Euro 2004 as a fluke but we’ll have to sit up and take proper notice now of the Croatias, Czechs, Turks and Russia’s of the game. In an intimate tournament such as the Euro’s, anything quite clearly can, and will happen.

—

Andrey Arshavin was pretty anonymous last night, thanks in no small part to the stifling play of Spain. With Russia unable to keep possession, Arshavin was unable to get into those advanced positions and just as the Holland game may have added 5 million to his value, that could have knocked a couple back off.

It’s a strange phenomenon, it can take a season of consistency for a player to get noticed at club level, and even then it can be dismissed as “just one season”. James Beattie, Peter Crouch, Andy Johnson clearly haven’t hit the heights of those one outstanding seasons that earned them big money moves. Yet at international level, one game can mean everything. It’s partially down to us not seeing these teams much in true competitive games, plus international level is seen as a higher standard.

Had Arshavin played another sensational game, there would be no doubt about is ability, even if Russia had lost, but now the hype could very well die down as quickly as it started.

Personally, I still think Arshavin is a wonderfully talented player but the concerns that I had prior to Russia’s exit still linger. Firstly whether the Barca team will be coherent enough for him to actually be effective, and whether his temperament will be an issue. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

—

Predictions for the final? It’s a difficult one. Which Germany turns up is vital, but strangely, I think they’re more likely to score if they’re playing badly. Germany for me have to be the most clinical team in the tournament. Spain may have gotten 3 last night but it was fully deserved and they could have had a couple more. Both teams have players that can make something out of nothing, but i don’t think Spain are as capable of scoring when they’re on the back foot, or playing poorly. I look at Spain’s team, their set up and I see a team that produces team goals. Plenty of dynamic midfielders who knock it about beautifully but I think perhaps only Torres, and maybe Silva could pull something out of the bag if needed. Germany meanwhile have Podolski, Ballack, Klose and Schweinsteiger, and everyone I could see nicking a goal against the run of play. Look at their equaliser against Turkey, it epitomises my point.

Still, I expect the good Germany to turn up. With the bigger teams, they know what they are getting, how they will approach. Turkey was more of an unknown factor and they struggled to deal. They should be able to prepare for Spain much better and be more effective.

My head tells me Spain but I have a nagging feeling Germany will be too good, yes, even with that defence. Tough to say, but I’m sticking my neck out and saying 3-1 Spain.

Just plain awful…

 

That was one of the most appallingly, inept, incompetent displays from a pair of goalkeepers I’ve ever seen. In what was otherwise a thrilling game last night, Rustu Recber and Jens Lehmann, no fewer than 73 years between them, were about as effective as 4th graders. I’ve criticised Paul Robinson consistently this past year for his performances but Jesus Christ even he didn’t come close to being as bad as those two were. I remember just a few seasons ago, the eccentric Rustu was quite highly rated and earned a move to Barcelona. On closer inspection they too realised he actually was terrible and played all of about 4 games. But can he have been that bad then? He was always a bit barmy but did seem to be at least a bit competent. The two games he’s played here though, he’s done nothing but fuck up quite frankly. It only serves to worsen the crime of Volkan, the suspended no.1 keeper who foolishly got himself sent off in the 90th minute against the Czech Rep.

Lehmann however is another case altogether. What really works me up about him is the sheer arrogance of the man. He’ll come out in the media, call other keepers terrible, proclaim how good he is, scream at defenders and then put in performances like that. He is the arrogant prick version of Paul Robinson. How he didn’t cost Germany the game was unbelievable. He kept coming for crosses and missing them, flapping at high balls and his positioning for Turkey’s second was just… well there aren’t even words for it. What the hell kind of goalkeeper takes that position for a low cross coming in from the by-line? He’s like thirty fucking eight, how can you be that incompetent?

Timo Hildebrand, Michael Rensing, Manuel Neuer, Rene Adler. All are streaks ahead of this bumbling liability. But it’s the old experience thing, it’s what’s holding England back and it’s what could cost Germany the final.  

It happens with players of all positions but with goalkeeper such a vital position, mistakes are so much more costly and the fact is, the step up to international level is a big psychological one. Experience is such a cliche but it really is a massive factor at tournaments like this with so few having the composure to cope. There are quite a few good English keepers around, Rob Green has bailed us out more times than I can count, Scott Carson, Joe Hart, Chris Kirkland provide heroics every week, but i wouldn’t trust any of them for England, even Rob Green. Its the simple fact that playing for England is so different, they’d get nervous and probably cost us, just like Carson did. How often does Carson blunder? Maybe twice, three times a season. One game for England and he’s a mess. 

It is a dilemma but one that does need to be addressed. David James is the best English keeper sure, but we could cope without him in the qualifiers. Getting players like Joe Hart or Ben Foster acquainted at this level is much more important for me. As for Germany, Sunday would be a very good time for him to come good, he’s due we know that much…

What we learned: Euro 2008 Day 17

I think the question now is not necessarily who Germany will be facing but which Germany is going to turn up. It wasn’t at all pretty, but Jogi Lowe’s side are through to another major final. It was harsh on the Turks who basically left it too early. Hoisted by their own petard it seemed, the patent still pending on that last minute heroics thing. Briefly, it did look like they’d done it for a incredible fourth consecutive time, but they couldn’t hold out for those four minutes.

It was a game that pretty much reversed opinion on both teams. While Russia have been sensational, Turkey perhaps hadn’t quite been sensational in the same way. It takes remarkable guile and spirit to keep coming back like they have, let alone it get more improbable each time, but the nature of the previous games, it was hard to imagine them giving Germany a tough time. The Switzerland game was unique to say the least and they were the better side in the second half but you couldn’t disagree that the Swiss deserved something. Against the Czech’s, again it’s difficult to fault the comeback but to lead 2-0 with 18 minutes to go, a lot of blame has to go to the Czech Republic. Turkey would be out of this tournament had it not been for Petr Cech’s monumental blunder. I don’t want to take away from the comeback as they still had to score the winner but the fact is, they weren’t necessarily the better team. 

Then of course the Croatia game, again they really should have lost. They were second best and lucky not to lose in normal time. Add that to the mind-boggling injury and suspension list and you really couldn’t give Turkey much hope. Their inspirational captain Nihat gone and the calamitous Rustu in goal, the omens weren’t good. 

Yet, their performance was sensational. Fatih Terim wasn’t being hailed as much of a tactical genius before hand but he got it very right against Germany last night. For long periods Germany could barely get the ball back let alone get out of their own half. The workrate was superb but ultimately the Germans were just a lot more clinical. Where have i heard that before?

Schweinsteiger put in a second consecutive good performance and produced another fantastic run for the first goal. They shot themselves in the foot for the second and were killed off by another bit of brilliance from Ballack in the dying seconds, something they had prevented him from doing for 89 minutes. 

It’s scant consolation but Turkey can go out with their heads held high. Clearly the better side and they showed some fantastic pieces of skill during the game. The way in which Sabri beat Lahm to set up Turkey’s equaliser was delightful. Still, it’s Germany who’ll contest the final in Vienna this Saturday and I think i’ll have to put them down as winning it if Spain go through tonight. 

—

I was speaking to someone yesterday about England’s absence from the Championships and they were telling me how bad England were, how we overrate ourselves. Now I could talk about everything that’s wrong with that statement for days but he used Germany as an example of how they are much more talented than us.

One good game against Portugal, it shows you how uneducated some football fans are. It’s not meant to be an insult, but a recognition of how a couple of games in an international tournament shapes opinions of players on the spot. With some, there’s no doubting there ability. Arshavin for example, unbelievable talent but there’s certainly consistency and temperament questions. But this German side still has it’s weaknesses. 

Phillip Lahm for example. I was told how he is a much better player than Ashley Cole. Ok, firstly Cole is a tosser, we all know that, but he’s brilliant defensively and one of the few players that can keep Ronaldo quiet consistently. Secondly, Lahm is very good going forward, and that will always stand out more than a good defensive performance but like so many attacking full backs he can be exposed defensively, and that is just what happened last night. Fantastic run and shot for the goal but was ruthlessly exposed at the back. Yet he still got man of the match…

Another thing, Germany must be the tallest team in the tournament and while Klose is one of the best aerial players in the world, Mertesacker and Metzelder were very poor. They’re both huge but somehow were unable to deal with the Turks and looked pretty weak. It doesn’t bode well if Spain win tonight with Villa and Torres up front. Both like to pull wide and if Lahm and Fritz have pushed up, there’s no way the German centre backs will be able to cope. 

What we learned: Euro 2008 Day 16

 

They’ll be rejoicing in the streets of Spain after that performance. It wasn’t pretty, and it was after some penalty heroics from Iker Casillas but many Spainiards will tell you that’s Spain’s best performance in a long time. 

Spain have long reveled in the role of being the team that always plays the best football, but are always tragically beaten by a cynical, more experienced side. As Spain played the role of the naive youngsters, Italy were the side who never had to play particularly well to win, the best aggravating the opponent and stealing a win. 

It’s been a convenient excuse for the “Champion of the friendlies” to fall back on. “Oh curse our ability to play the best football, we’ll never win anything”. Well in past years it’s more been the case that Spain weren’t all that good. This year, they have the best side in the Euro’s, and they’ve actually beaten Italy at their own game. 

Before the tournament even began, Spain were praying they wouldn’t have to face Italy, they cheered every opponent they faced in the hope that they wouldn’t have to face the team that supposedly had their number. No side is derided in Spain as much and after the Azzurri beat France to set up with the quarterfinal, Spanish paper Marca declared the Italians “experts in ‘the other football, the maestros of time-wasting, of destroying games and subterranean play”. It splashed a large photo of a bloodied Luis Enrique from the 94 World Cup when Tassotti got away with an unpunished elbow “that still hurts Spain”.

All very dramatic, so you can understand the disbelief and unrestrained joy at finally beating them after 88 years. But is even the final a foregone conclusion. I hate to jump on the Soviet bandwagon (although how many were on it before we saw Andrei Arshavin) but Russia could give Spain a lot to think about come Thursday. Well-drilled and clearly the fittest team in the tournament, Spain will need to start quickly to avoid a potential upset. While Spain have played well, I’m looking to see more from David Silva in midfield who hasn’t fulfilled his potential thus far. Unable to be too effective against a resolute Italian defence, Fernando Torres will be also be looking to make impose himself against a shaky Russian defence.

 

—

 

Perhaps that shootout also served as a symbolic passing of the torch for the mantle of “world’s best keeper”. Gigi Buffon has long been regarded as the top custodian in the game and it’s not as if his powers have waned that noticeably, but Iker Casillas has been simply fantastic. He “guessed” right four times out of four and kept out two of them to send Spain through, and i don’t like to use the word “guessed” as it implies too much of an element of luck. Casillas had done his homework, and it makes penalties 10x harder when the keeper knows where you’re going. I remember that FA Cup final between West Ham and Liverpool and the feeling of dread knowing Reina was in goal, we stood no chance. When the keeper knows where you’re going, the margin for error is so much smaller and Daniele De Rossi found that out. 

Casillas has saved Real Madrid time after time in La Liga and along with the ineptitude of the other supposed title contenders, effectively won the title twice for them. Madrid have limped the the title in both the past two years and many fans will tell you how bad they’ve been at times, only for Casillas to save them. 

That said, watch for him to concede a Cech-esque howler on Thursday. 

 

—

 

It marked an end to a dismal tournament for Italy who never came to life. The loss of Nesta, Cannavaro and Barzagli resulted in a makeshift defence that never really looked confident. Too negative against Spain along with an impotent strikeforce, there really was little reason for optimism and surely Donadoni will be on the way out. It’s a shame as well as it was quite a talented squad, they just never gelled. 

It’s typical Italy though, just like France and expect them to at least make a semi-final appearance in South Africa in two years time. 

What we learned: Euro 2008 Day 15

HATE to say I told you so.

After Russia took care of Sweden with relative ease last Thursday, I noticed the pre-match odds for this quarterfinal. Russia were 4-1 outsiders to win. A bit risky I thought, being of the disposition that the dutch were not as good as people thought.

I tell you something, I’d be slightly richer if Russia had have won it in normal time like they should have. What a performance though last night, Holland were a shell of the team that brushed aside and to quote Dennis Green, “they are who we thought there were!”

Even with conceding just one goal in three games previously, I’ve kept saying that that defence is not going to stand up, and it was quite simply appalling last night. Time and time again, Russia breezed down the wings, often inside the box, simply skipping past the full back and cutting it back, only for Holland to escape narrowly. It was a dangerous game to play and how Holland were still in the game at 90 minutes is beyond me, Russia’s 3-1 win was thoroughly deserved.

After Van Nistelrooy’s late header handed the Dutch a reprieve, you would have thought it might have crushed Russian spirits, that it might of galvanised Holland but no. The workrate of Russia was phenomenal, exemplified by three players swarming around Sneijder midway inside the Russian half to win the ball back and release Arshavin. From the halfway line, he kept running and running, beat Ooijer and chipped a marvellous ball for Torbinsky to prod in. As Arshavin was running down the line, there were four dutch players running into the box, and one Russian. Every single defender stopped while Torbinsky nipped in between them to score what would be the winner. Nothing more than they deserved and it was great to see Arshavin cap it off with the third.

And just what a player Arshavin is, how much must he be worth now? I’d heard good things, and he made a big difference against Sweden, but good lord I did not know he was this good. Absolutely tireless, endlessly creative and he tormented Holland all night long. As tired legs set in during extra time, he just kept running creating both goals. It’s amazing to see how a side can transform with the return of one player and on the back of this performance I’m going to make another prediction. If Italy go through tonight as i think they will, then i believe Russia’s journey ends here. But if Spain win, I’d have money on Russia to win again. Spain i think are a different outfit to Holland, and are a much better side. I was never convinced by the Dutch, but I am convinced by Spain. However, i think Spain’s negativity in their own inferiority complex will mean they won’t impose themselves on Russia should they play them. Italy meanwhile, the Spanish really do fear them. And just like Russia yesterday, if they don’t impose themselves and play their own game, they’re going out.

—

HOLLAND looked nothing like the team that breezed past the World Cup finalists and it doesn’t surprise me a bit, and I’ll tell you why.

Italy and France are two of the most schizophrenic teams in world football. Both can be fantastic when they’re playing well (see the World Cup knockout stages) and woeful at others (see France in the group stages and Italy in general). The difference is I think, Italy are a lot more used to playing badly then picking it up and playing well when it matters, France aren’t, partly due to the sheer ineptitude of Raymond Domenech.

But back to the original point, those are two huge teams, bigger than Holland who have struggled to overcome the big teams in recent years. Holland could defend well and play on the break. With Italy and France complacent, Holland could play to their strengths and watch the likes of Sneijder, Robben and Van Persie bomb forward and terrorise the fullbacks. Also, anyone who watched those group games could tell you that was some clinical finishing from the Dutch. Deserved wins but on another day it could well have been a draw.

Russia was such a different prospect. Like Greece of four years ago, they’re well drilled, they now fear noone and they have the couple of special players that can make a difference. Holland were nowhere near well organised enough and were simply outclassed by Russia who knew how to play as a team.

It’s a testament to what Hiddink can do, look at how pathetic Russia were four years ago and look at them now. Sensational turn around and those predictions of a Russia/Germany final are starting to look very smart.

What we learned – Euro 2008 Day 14

I CAN’T say i saw that one coming. What drama as Turkey continue to bring new definition to “late goal”. That’s one thing we’ve learned, these Turks don’t know when to quit, and somehow they’re still in this tournament.

On the brink of elimination against the Swiss, they came back from 1-0 down to win 2-1 in injury time. Not content with that, they somehow came back from the dead against the Czechs. 2-0 down with 17 minutes to go, they didn’t even need extra time to score 3. Then last night, with Ivan Klasnic scoring in the 119th minute, Semih rifled a volley into the top corner two minutes later. Unbelievable stuff.

Of course, this isn’t the first major semi-final they’ve made, they did it six years ago in the World Cup. But back then they were an unknown quantity, and only had to get past Senegal and Japan, this years feats are something else for a team ranked by the bookmakers as the 2nd worst team in the competition.

Turkey did have a gameplan though last night, and while it didn’t exactly go to plan, it didn’t totally backfire either. They knew how good the Croats can be if you throw too many men forward. The strategy of nicking a goal didn’t work, but they kept a good line, rode their luck on occasions and managed to keep their cool in the shootout.

I must say, my pick for the upset in this round of games was least likely to be Turkey, but they keep surprising us. Next up, the ruthlessly efficient Germans will be attempting to end the Turkish fairytale. They couldn’t possibly do it again could they?

—

DO YOU think the events of last night have sunk in yet in the Croatian camp? There are no easy games in football but Slaven Bilic’s side must have been quietly fancying their chances of making the final and being this year’s Greece. They’d been the better side all game, they should have taken the lead in regulation except for Ivica Olic somehow turning the ball onto the bar and a few stunning saves from the unpredictable Rustu. Once Klasnic pounced in extra time, that really should have been it. As Semih levelled it, you could see the energy drain and in reality, the shootout was settled before it had even begun.

Modric and Rakitic didn’t look confident at all, and to miss the goal in a game of that magnitude was a cardinal sin. By the time Petric stepped up, the game was already lost and just like that they were going home.

It’s a harsh lesson for Bilic’s men who may have to wait a long time to get another opportunity like that. But that’s football, and that’s why we love it

What we learned – Euro 2008 Day 13

 

I’M NOT sure too many people saw that coming, but there will certainly be a lot of “I told you so’s” this morning. 

It was quite the performance by the Germans who looked a completely different side to the one that struggled past Austria and limped to defeat against Croatia. The difference? The lack of Mario Gomez. I don’t wish to put the player down too much but two things were certain. His confidence was shot after some shocking misses in the group stages. If you look at a player like Luca Toni who’s also struggling, you’ll see that it doesn’t phase him, or at least not noticeably. He missed chance after chance against France and had a perfectly valid one disallowed against Romania, but he keeps at it, keeps making the chances. After Gomez somehow contrived to keep the ball out of the Austria net, he completely disappeared. 

Secondly, him being in the side was hampering Germany as a team. Podolski has struggled all season at Bayern Munich and was deployed out left to accommodate him and Gomez. Now while Podolski already has three goals to his name and has looked arguably Germany’s best player, it’s detracted from the team performance.  Him pushing forward often left the disappointing Janssen exposed. With Hitzlsperger coming in, Podolski was allowed more freedom while the German midfield clicked once again. For all the talk of the influential Frings being sorely missed, Germany seemed like they didn’t even notice he was gone. Much was said of how the Bremen captain allows Ballack to take control of a game, relieving him of defensive duties. But Ballack was in inspired form last night and with a solid midfield, the Germans simply outpassed, outworked and outplayed Portugal

 

—

 

NICE OF Bastian Schweinsteiger to show up at these finals. Ever since i saw him burst onto the international scene four years ago as a lone shining light in a poor Germany side i expected big things, but he has been remarkably inconsistent. When he’s good, he’s very very good but far too often he goes missing or is rendered ineffective. The Croatia game wasn’t the first time he’s lashed out either after a poor display. 

Last night though he was close to his best as he scored the first and laid on two more. The free kick threat of Germany was always going to be a factor and the quality of his delivery meant players like Klose and Ballack had what were effectively tap ins. What really impressed me though was his run to score the opener. It was some great play down the left by Podolski but the vision and run of Schweinsteiger was superb. Some 40 yards from goal, he burst past Ferreira and arrived in the box to divert the cross past Lehmann with the Portugese left back trailing in his wake. 

At the World Cup Schweinsteiger didn’t make an impact until the irrelevant third place playoff with 2 goals also against Portugal. This time Germany fans will be hoping that he’s arrived just in time. 

 

—

 

PORTUGAL’S FLAWS were fully on display last night and it can’t have filled Chelsea fans with confidence. For all the talk pre-game of Germany’s ability to play badly and score from set pieces, you would think Scolari would prepare his troops a lot better. Ricardo is notoriously weak at dealing with aerial balls and his defense did nothing to help him, the second goal was a complete shambles. 

Futhermore, Portugal were lucky to be back in the game at 2-1. It was that typical slice of luck from Ronaldo that his shot bounced back to Gomes, but the Portugese attack were very ineffective. Ronaldo especially seemed to go missing again in the second half. What’s for sure, this Portugese team is not Manchester United, and Ronaldo has not been nearly as effective in this tournament. 

 

Five players you haven’t heard of… yet

 

With the 16 teams of Euro 2008 now whittled down to 8, I’m going to take a quick look at players that could be the difference in the knockout stages. They may not be well known in England at the moment, but could be very soon.

 

Joao Moutinho – Portugal & Sporting Lisbon

The young Portugese midfielder first started turning heads in 2004/05 when he made his debut for Sporting at just 18. Since then, his star has risen considerably and was made the youngest ever club captain this season at 21. A tireless box-to-box midfielder, he’s stepped up to become an integral part of Scolari’s side with several dynamic performances in qualifying. His diminutive size belies an aggression and hunger to win while he hasn’t got a bad shot on him either, 18 goals for Lisbon so far in his career. He’s expected to leave Sporting this summer and should easily command a fee of over 10 million, Arsenal one of the numerous clubs he has been linked with.

 

Dario Srna – Croatia & Shakhtar Donesk

The Ukranian league hides a number of gems and Dario Srna is certainly one of them. Incredibly versatile, he is usually deployed on the right wing for the national side but plays more of a wing back role for his club. He can play on either wing and at 26, is coming to the peak of his career in the next couple of years. A fantastic free kick taker, he’s joint second in Croatia’s all time goal-scoring charts with 16. Always looking to get forward, he’s already played a hand in a couple of Croatia’s goals so far and should give Hakan Balta a tough time on Friday

 

Yury Zhirkov – Russia & CSKA Moscow

Once dubbed the “Russian Ronaldinho”, this tricky winger is making big waves in Eastern Europe with some memorable highlights for his club. He scored one of the goals of the season in 2006/07 with a fantastic solo effort against Hamburg while he was hugely impressive in Russia’s crunch game with Sweden. A great dribbler of the ball and just 24 years of age. Primarily a left sided midfielder but has good awareness, which allows him to also do a job at left back. Has an abundance of talent and skill and would fit in very well at a club like Tottenham or any club with European ambitions.

 

Ruben De La Red – Spain & Real Madrid

It’s rare that a young player breaks through from Real Madrid’s youth system, but De La Red has as good a chance as any. He spent last season in loan at Getafe and was hugely impressive, earning a call up to the national team despite barely playing a game for Los Merengues. It’s a testament to his talent that he was picked ahead of the likes of Baraja, Joaquin and Guti. Announced his arrival on the international scene last night with the equaliser for Spain’s B team with a rifle of a shot and he brings a flair to the side that may prove a difference maker if he’s given the chance. You get the feeling that De La Red’s future lies away from the Bernabeu, but this certainly won’t be the last you hear of him.

 

Arda Turan – Turkey & Galatasaray

This 21-year-old left-winger was one of the main reasons for Galatasaray taking back the Turkish league title from Fenerbache. He loves to run at defenders and has already made a huge impact for Turkey at this years’ finals. He was the man who sparked Turkey’s remarkable comeback against the Czechs by beating Petr Cech at his near post and also grabbed the winner against the hosts Switzerland. Hasn’t gotten too much press outside of Turkey but is certainly a talent. He’s a clever player who plays many incisive passes and if Turkey progress on Tuesday, we’ll be hearing a lot more about him. 

 

What we learned – Euro 2008 Day 12

WHAT a performance by the Russians last night. Faced with arguably the biggest game in their short history, Guus Hiddink again worked his magic as his side claimed the last spot in the quarterfinals.

What did we learn about this Russia team then? That they’re undeniably a lot better with Andrei Arshavin in the side. Much was made of the 27 year old playmaker prior to the tournament and his late arrival lived up to the hype. It didn’t take long before he began to turn heads, a few minutes in and he picked out Pavlyuchenko from across the field without seemingly needing to even look up.

Arshavin was a catalyst to the success Zenit St Petersburg saw this season and the national side seemed to gain in confidence with him on the ball. A marvellous reader of the game, he kept popping up out of nowhere to nick the ball away from a Swedish midfielder or receive a pass, almost ghosting about the pitch. The boost he gave to Russia reminded me somewhat of teams such as Villareal and the impact Juan Roman Riquelme had before it all went a bit pear shaped. Villareal had some talented players no doubt, but with Riquelme in the side, he seemed to make everyone better.

Another impressive performance was that of Yury Zhirkov, the diminutive left sided player from CSKA Moscow deployed at left back for the game. Normally a left-winger, Zhirkov spent most of the first half tormenting the aging Swedish back line. It was another burst from Zhirkov that set up Arshavin for Russia’s second, a near flawless counter attack that sunk the nail in the Swedish coffin.

I’m under no illusions, it was an average Swedish team but the nature of Russia’s win does give them hope for a shock upset of Holland. In fact, I’d go so far as to pick the Russians. I’m still not convinced at all by that Dutch defence and Russia would present a much different test to what they’ve faced so far. If Russia are to have a chance however, then they will have to come out and attack. The way in which they rolled over against Spain points to the inferiority complex that Hiddink has been trying to eliminate. If they fear the dutch, then it’s already over.

—–

WHAT we did learn though that this is a Swedish team whose hill is becoming more and more distant behind them. Their biggest worry for me will be the lack of leadership from their younger players who they will be looking to, to fill the void left by those departing. Ibrahimovic may have scored two in three with a dodgy knee, but it was preceeded by a two-year goal drought. He’s more than capable of making something out of nothing, but more often than not simply disappears in games. Kim Kallstrom in particular really needs to step up and be a leader from midfield while Johan Elmander needs to drop this selfish streak of his. At Toulouse he can afford to perhaps be more temperamental as he provides goals. At international level, too often he’s found not tracking back or blazing a shot wide despite having better options available. Qualification for the World Cup in 2010 could be a challenge if Denmark get their act together.

—–

HOW about that performance from Spain’s reserves? Despite the display by Holland’s second string, I really do think that Spain has the best squad depth at this tournament. It’s always difficult for players new to the international scene to step up, England have many players who have this problem but the Spanish seemed to have little problem in replicating club form. There were no doubts over the credentials of Fabregas and Xabi Alonso (who was inspired last night), but particularly impressive were the scorers De La Red and Dani Guiza who bagged 27 for Mallorca.

I do fear for Spain against the wily Italians, whom I fear could be the victim of an inspired Luca Toni performance. Should they get past the Azzuri, they surely have to be tournament favourites.