Euro 2012 Group D Preview

Euro 2012 - Group D
France
Qualified Winners Group D

Laurent Blanc looks to have done a great job in gelling this French squad when you consider the state they were in this time two years ago. A slightly unhinged manager in Raymond Domenech (who apparently refused to select Robert Pires because their star signs clashed) fell out with an ego driven dressing room and saw the side return home early and in disgrace.

Blanc stamped his authority early and blooded a new generation of players in the process. I don't know that dark horse is the right term as they are a quality side but with all the talk being about Germany, Spain and Holland but I do think they are to being ignored and will be challenging towards the end of the tournament.

The side is solid at the back with Lloris in goal and Patrice Evra, Philippe Mexes, Adil Rami likely to start as four of the back five. Arsenal's Bacary Sagna will be missed at right back but Lille's Mathieu Debuchy has had a good season but is largely untested at international level.

The midfield looks very strong with players like Yohan Cabaye and Yann M'Vila capable of both winning and distributing the ball well and a wealth of flair players deployed in front of them with Samir Nasri, Franck Ribery and Florent Malouda favoured in the lead up to the tournament and Jeremy Menez and Hatem Ben Arfa ready to make an impact off of the bench.

Les Blues tend to play a 4-2-3-1 formation so up front much will be expected of Karim Benzema who netted 28 times in 45 appearances for Real Madrid this season. If he fails to fire form Ligue Un forward Olivier Giroud who's goals helped Montpellier to an unlikely title win awaits. His 21 goals and nine assists have alerted Arsenal to his ability and expect him to be plying his trade for a bigger club next season.

Franck Ribery hasn't been seen at his best in a major international tournament yet but if Blanc can get him to fire France look far stronger than anyone else in their group and I think they'll top it.

Tip - Group D Winners

England
Qualified Winners Group G

Where to start? A very good qualifying campaign in which they scored 17 goals in 8 games seemed to indicate Fabio Capello's style was working and England could look forward to challenging at an international tournament for the first time since 1996. Cue one disaster after another.

John Terry's behaviour meant disruption to the squad and while the loss of Wayne Bridge may not be seen as a huge one the England captain's actions must have affected the way his team mates viewed him. Follow that with the Anton Ferdinand incident and the subsequent stripping of Terry's captaincy and resignation of Capello and things weren't looking so rosy.

The English F.A's campaign to appoint a new manager took far longer than it should have and the safe appointment of Roy Hodgson over Harry Redknapp did little to win them favour with the notoriously fickle English press. Include Wayne Rooney's suspension from the first two group games, the Ferdinand incident part two raising it's head with Rio being left out for "footballing reasons" in favour of Terry, then Phil Jagielka and then Martin Kelly and Michael Carrick and Micah Richards making themselves unavailable for the stand by list and it appears England will struggle to get out of the group.

Though the tenure is only two games old, Hodgson has got results so far, with battling one nil victories over Norway and Belgium. The style hasn't been pretty and for the most part the 4-4-1-1 set up is there to guard against losing rather than trying to win. With the players at his disposal I'm surprised Hodgson hasn't gone 4-2-3-1 with Parker and Milner sitting in front of the back four allowing captain Steven Gerrard license to get forward in support of Welbeck up front with Walcott and Young providing width, pace and crosses.

The players England don't have available says a lot about the problems they face. Darren Bent, Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, Micah Richards, Frank Lampard, Gary Cahill, Gareth Barry, Daniel Sturridge (how he didn't get selected I don't know) - that's eight players who could improve the current squad.

As they are currently set up and without Rooney I can't see England getting anything from the first match against France, they'll also have to play well to get the points against Sweden and by the time Rooney is back and they face co-hosts the Ukraine players may already be taking their duty free orders.

Tip - Group D Third

Sweden
Qualified Group E Runners Up

The Swedes qualified automatically as the best runners up after finishing second in their group to the Dutch. That effort included an impressive 3 - 2 win over the Oranje in the final group game so the Swedes can ceate chances and put sides under pressure.

Undoubtedly the most important player in the squad is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, he brings goals, creativity and leadership to a side that has talent and a high work rate. Playing in the hole behind Johan Elmander, Ibrahimovic can exploit the space between the back four and midfield either threading passes through for his striker or bringing the likes of Sebastian Larsson and Rasmus Elm into the game.

The Swedish midfield is a mixture of hard working veterans like Kim Kallstrom and Anders Svensson and young talent like the a fore mentioned Elm and Emir Bajrami - they should lay a decent platform to shield the back four and link effectively with the front third.

The weak spot of this side really is the defence where 34 year old Olympicos' Olof Mellberg is still the first choice alongside 32 year old Genoa centre back Andreas Granquist with Martin Olsson on the left who may struggle with tiredness after a long hard relegation battle with Blackburn Rovers and Celtic right back Mikael Lustig.

I think the Swedes will have enough to get through the group but probably no further.

Tip - Group D Runner Up

Ukraine
Qualified Co-Hosts

That the most important member of the Ukrainian set up is the manager Oleg Blokhin probably tells you all you need to know about his squad. Blokhin was in charge when the Ukraine made the quarter finals of the 2006 FIFA World Cup but the stars of that side are now past their best and he's having to mould a youthful squad around these old heads.

Star striker Andriy Shevchenko is now 35 and I think will be more important as a figurehead than a player for the team but the man dubbed "the young Sheva" will be one who will need to provide the bulk of the Ukrainian chances. Andriy Yarmalenko is only 22 yet is on the radar of some of Europe's top sides. His seven goals in 20 appearances for the national side under line his importance as does his ability to play wide left or through the middle.

One veteran who will be worth his weight in gold for Blokhin in this tournament is Bayern Munich libero Anatoliy Tymoschuk whose reading of the game, steady head, ball winning ability and distribution will be key to not only starting Ukrainian offences but also breaking up incursions into his teams half.

The overall inexperience of the side will be the biggest hurdle for them to overcome with many of the players still based in the Ukrainian league.

I can't see the Ukrainians making it out of the group the challenge will surely be not finishing bottom.

Tip - Group D Fourth