Euro 2008 Recap--Day 3

It's fair to say that the third day of Euro 2008 didn't necessarily provide us with entertaining soccer for the duration of both games (certainly not in the first one), but the results of those games were perhaps the most unexpected of the tournament so far. The favorites had won each of the previous four games in the competition, a trend that didn't continue today.

You could've slept through the Romania-France game, which ended 0-0, and not missed anything. France had two decent chances all game, both to Karim Benzema from outside the 18-yard box, and the Lyon striker missed well wide on one and sent a weak dribbler to Romanian goalkeeper Bogdan Lobonţ on the other. Those poor efforts capped a very mediocre (at best) game for Benzema, and his strike partner, Nicholas Anelka, was invisible for large chunks of the match before being taken off in the 72nd minute, six minutes before Benzema was also replaced. France clearly missed Thierry Henry up front, a player with plenty of pace and creativity to stretch the stout Romanian defense, but also someone who would undoubtedly bury one of the half-chances mucked up by Benzema.

Florent Malouda and Franck Ribery looked lively at times, but those times were few and far between. Too often they looked content to play the ball back into the middle instead of running at the Romanian full-backs one-on-one and trying to get to the endline.

Malouda and Ribery's play was a microcosm of France's performance -- too conservative, too afraid to send numbers forward, and too willing to play not to lose instead of playing to win. If the object of the game was to see how many short, square passes a team could complete, France certainly would've won, but that isn't the case.

To be fair, Romania weren't exactly world-beaters on the attacking end either, but they did at least make a concerted effort to test the aging French defenders. The problem with that from Romania's point of view is that they don't have enough team speed to dribble by anyone, and the French back line are as solid as it comes in terms of their spacing and positioning to help one another out when necessary. They are also good at winning balls in the air, and that took away from the effectiveness of Romania's set pieces, their strength.

After about the 70th minute, Romania began to sit 9 and 10 men behind the ball in an effort to get out of there with a draw. The game ground to a standstill at that point, with Romania throwing up a wall 35 yards from their goal while letting France have all the possession they wanted outside of that range. When France lost control of the ball, Romania was happy to blast it back up the field and let a lone striker chase it down. They didn't record a single shot on goal (although they had three shots blocked), but France only put one shot on target so Romania accomplished what they set out to do -- take a positive result into their second game.

In the second match of the day, won 3-0 by Holland, Italy just didn't show up. Period. Italy didn't show up. Holland completely outclassed their opponent and deserved their victory beyond any shadow of a doubt.

It was the Oranje's first win over Italy in 30 years, and it marked an emphatic end to the Italian dominance over the low-lying nation. Ruud van Nistelrooy's cool one touch finish from close range put the Dutch ahead in the 26th minute (no, Andy Gray, he was not offside), and his teammate at Real Madrid, Wesley Snejider, finished off a brilliant counter-attack five minutes later with a high, side-footed tap-in past Gianluigi Buffon. Italy was fortunate to make it to halftime only down 2-0.

In the second half, Holland continued to put on the pressure and that allowed Italy to stay in the game. The Italians were able to generate a few chances when they caught Holland out on an attack, as they weren't content with their two-goal lead. Holland put the game away for good a little more than ten minutes before full time just after Andrea Pirlo's freekick was saved by Edwin van der Sar. The ensuing counter-attack led to a 3-on-3 for Holland. Dirk Kuyt, who also had a very good game, wound up with the ball in a dangerous position on the right side of the box. His perfectly weighted cross was slammed home by Giovanni van Bronckhorst, one of the last people you'd expect to score with his head.

Italy's age showed against the faster, more dynamic Dutch side, which Roberto Donadoni may have underestimated a little bit. He didn't make any adjustments at halftime, either tactically or personnel-wise. He continued to use three central midfielders against a team that employed five midfielders and was geared around wing play. Italy had no answer for Kuyt and Snejider, and the previously little-known Orlando Engelaar had an excellent game from his holding role. Holland's back line, which had been criticized by many coming into this tournament (myself included) and labeled as the team's weakness, stifled Luca Toni all game long and Alessandro del Piero when he came in.

Holland is now in a great position atop the group, and conversely Italy is at the bottom and looking up. The Italians do have one positive to take out of today's action -- France drew with Romania, leaving Italy with just a point to make up to advance.

Group C Standings (after one game):
1. Holland (3 points, +3 goal differential)
2. Romania (1 pt, 0)
3. France (1 pt, 0)
4. Italy (0 pts, -3)

Group D finally opens up play tomorrow, with Spain taking on Russia in the early game, followed by defending champion Greece against Sweden. Look for Spain to try and make a statement to the other three teams that they are the side to beat in this group, and that those other teams will be fighting it out for second place at best.

Euro 2008 Semifinals Predictions

The countdown to Euro 2008 is now on in earnest as we're less than three days away from kickoff in the opener, Switzerland-Czech Republic. Along with my final prediction on Friday, I'll post the complete TV schedule for the group stage for everyone's convenience. I can't wait for this thing to get started.

Onto my predictions for the semifinals.

Semifinal #1 (June 25, 2:45 PM; St. Jakob-Park, Basel):

Portugal (Winner of QF #1) vs. Germany (Winner of QF #2)

I'll be honest -- this semifinal probably would not be the most exciting game to watch.

Portugal is the more dynamic of the two nations as far as comparing the individual players, but their coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, isn't known for playing a high-octane, up-and-down system. They also employ only one natural striker at a time and when you look at the options (Helder Postiga, Nuno Gomes, Hugo Almeida), none really have the capability of even coming close to setting the world alight. The lack of talent in that role will be a problem for Portugal against Germany, whose center backs can be exploited in their matchup against strikers who are quick and can beat you one-on-one for pace. Portugal doesn't have anyone up front who can do that, so I'd expect Cristiano Ronaldo to occupy a position right behind whoever the starting striker is and just constantly run at and terrorize the tall, slow pair of Christoph Metzelder and Per Mertesacker.

Germany has a terrific center forward in Miroslav Klose, but it's unclear who will be playing alongside him. The team is loaded in the midfield and will rely on Michael Ballack for inspiration and goal-scoring, to a lesser extent. It is a team that doesn't have the firepower to outscore Portugal, so they'll need to shut down the midfield and Ballack will play in a more subdued role to help Torsten Frings.

While Portugal has a clear advantage over Germany in the center back position, Germany possesses better, more dangerous full-backs in Philipp Lahm and either Marcell Jansen or Arne Friedrich. They'll need to go forward and provide good aerial service for Klose and Ballack, both of whom are terrific headers of the ball. However, they'll also need to their pick their spots when doing so because Portugal can counter-attack with the best of them and are incredibly speedy on the wings with Ronaldo and Simão.

I just can't see where the goals are going to come from for Germany aside from either Klose or Ballack. As alluded to earlier, the center of the Portuguese back line and their defensive midfield play is very solid. If those players do their jobs, which they should, Ballack and Klose will both be negated. Portugal has the best player in the world on their side in Cristiano Ronaldo, and he's capable of scoring in a vast multitude of ways. Also, Jens Lehmann is always capable of giving up a bad goal, so that combination looks promising for Portugal.

Prediction: Portugal-1, Germany-0

Semifinal #2 (June 26, 2:45 PM; Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna):

Italy (Winner of QF #3) vs. France (Winner of QF #4)

These two nations would be well and truly sick of each other if this matchup was to occur. France and Italy played in the World Cup final in 2006, won by Italy in PK's. They were in the same qualifying group for this tournament and played twice there, with France taking four of the six possible points. They're in Group C, the "Group of Death", together this summer and will play each other on June 17, just 9 days before this game would occur.

Just like the case would be in a France-Spain quarterfinal, there isn't much to separate between France and Italy. The major difference in the first matchup is the age gap; Spain is a much younger team at the core positions than France. In this matchup, both teams are relatively equal in that regard and their players have a lot of experience at the highest level, both internationally and domestically.

If there was one key factor to look at, it's the disparity in quality between the two goalkeepers. Italy's Gianluigi Buffon is amongst the top two or three at his position in the world, whereas France's Grégory Coupet was the long-serving backup to Fabien Barthez. To be fair, Coupet is not a slouch between the sticks by any means; in fact, he's very good and has played in a number of big games in the Champions League at Lyon. I'm just unsure as to how he'll perform in the second-largest tournament in the world after never having done it before.

Everywhere else on the field seems to be a wash. Both teams are solid up front, with Thierry Henry and either Nicholas Anelka or Karim Benzema for France and Luca Toni and either Marco Borriello or Antonio Di Natale for Italy. France prefers to use out-and-out wingers in Florent Malouda and Franck Ribery, both great internationally, and use two holding midfield players at the same time (Makélélé and Vieira/Toulalan), whereas Italy will completely clog the center of the field with Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, and Daniele De Rossi, who is an absolutely fantastic player. France does have a better back line, especially with the devastating injury to Italy's Fabio Cannavaro, but they're also a little older and perhaps a bit more error-prone.

Prediction: Despite the fact that both teams have an abundance of attacking talent, goals will be at a premium in this game as it'll be played with a tight-to-the-vest, cautious style. It'll be an absolute bloodbath in the center of the park, and France's superior wing play will be the deciding factor. If Malouda and Ribery show up, France will win, if not, they'll go home. Italy-1, France-0

Euro 2008 Final Rosters--Group C

France:

GK (3): Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Grégory Coupet (Lyon), Sébastien Frey (Fiorentina)

DEF (8): Eric Abidal (Barcelona), Jean-Alain Boumsong, Francois Clerc, and Sebastien Squillaci (Lyon), William Gallas (Arsenal), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), Willy Sagnol (Bayern Munich), Lilian Thuram (Barcelona)

MID (7): Lassana Diarra (Portsmouth), Claude Makelele and Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Jeremy Toulalan (Lyon), Patrick Vieira* (Inter Milan), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Samir Nasri (Marseille)

FWD (5): Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), Karim Benzema and Sidney Govou (Lyon), Bafetimbi Gomis (Saint-Etienne), Thierry Henry (Barcelona)

*Captain

Italy:

GK (3): Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Marco Amelia (Livorno), Morgan De Sanctis (Sevilla)

DEF (7): Fabio Cannavaro* (Real Madrid), Marco Materazzi (Inter Milan), Christian Panucci (AS Roma), Andrea Barzagli (Palermo), Gianluca Zambrotta (Barcelona), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Fabio Grosso (Lyon)

MID (7): Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, and Massimo Ambrosini (AC Milan), Daniele De Rossi, Simone Perrotta, and Alberto Aquilani (AS Roma), Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus)

FWD (6): Luca Toni (Bayern Munich), Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus), Antonio Di Natale and Fabio Quagliarella (Udinese), Antonio Cassano (Sampdoria), Marco Borriello (Genoa)

*Captain

Romania:

GK (3): Bogdan Lobonţ (Dinamo Bucharest), Marius Popa (Politehnica Timişoara), Eduard Stăncioiu (CFR Cluj)

DEF (9): Cosmin Contra (Getafe), Răzvan Raţ (Shakhtar Donetsk), Gabriel Tamaş (Auxerre), Cosmin Moţi and Ştefan Radu (Dinamo Bucharest), Dorin Goian and Sorin Ghionea (Steaua Bucharest), Cristian Săpunaru (Rapid Bucharest), Cristian Chivu* (Inter Milan)

MID (7): Mirel Rădoi, Nicolae Dică, and Bănel Nicoliţă (Steaua Bucharest), Florentin Petre (CSKA Sofia), Paul Codrea (Siena), Răzvan Cociş (Lokomotiv Moscow), Adrian Cristea (Dinamo Bucharest)

FWD (4): Ciprian Marica (Stuttgart), Adrian Mutu (Fiorentina), Marius Niculae (Inverness CT), Daniel Niculae (Auxerre)

*Captain

Note: Holland's final roster was already named.

Euro 2008 Preview--Group C (Part 1)

As I said yesterday, today's plan goes like this: this preview (France and Holland), the final rosters for the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Turkey (Group A) all in one post, the final rosters for Austria, Germany, and Poland (Group B) in another post, the final rosters for France, Italy, and Romania (Group C) in another post, and then lastly, the second part of the Group C preview (Italy and Romania). Remember, Portugal, Croatia, Holland, Greece, Russia, Sweden, and Spain already announced their squads, so you can scroll down the homepage to find those.

Let's get started by taking a look at the match schedule for Group C (all times Eastern):

June 9:
Romania vs. France (Noon; Letzigrund Stadion, Zürich)
Holland vs. Italy (2:45; Stade de Suisse, Wankdorf, Berne)

June 13:
Italy vs. Romania (Noon; Letzigrund Stadion, Zürich)
Holland vs. France (2:45; Stade de Suisse, Wankdorf, Berne)

June 17:
Holland vs. Romania (2:45; Stade de Suisse, Wankdorf, Berne)
France vs. Italy (2:45; Letzigrund Stadion, Zürich)

France:

Defeated by Italy on PK's in the 2006 World Cup final, France will be hungrier than ever to get some payback for that disappointment by beating the Azzurri in the final game of the group stage.

Before they get to that match, though, France has a lot of work to do to put themselves in a position to advance to the quarterfinals and beyond, as both Holland and Romania will provide stiff competition this summer. Raymond Domenech's team finished three points behind Italy in qualifying for this tournament, although France took four of six points in the two games. There are certainly no easy games in this group, but France's best opportunity to win, at least on paper, seemingly comes in their first game against Romania.

Domenech's 23-man roster looks very similar to what we've seen in recent years, and it really wasn't a surprise when striker David Trézéguet wasn't included. While there is no denying his talent, Trézéguet and Domenech have often bumped heads (and egos) and with the emergence of Lyon's Karim Benzema, Trézéguet was viewed as unnecessary. Also not included was Louis Saha, who had an injury-plagued season at Manchester United.

In goal, Grégory Coupet will finally get a chance to prove himself on a big stage as Fabien Barthez stepped aside after the World Cup. Directly ahead of Coupet, William Gallas and Lilian Thuram headline a great back line, with either Éric Abidal or the hard-charging Patrice Evra at left back and Willy Sagnol on the right. The two stalwart defensive midfielders, Claude Makélélé and Patrick Vieira, will take up their longstanding roles and could be playing their last truly meaningful games for France. Franck Ribéry has become an automatic first choice for Domenech on the wing, and opposite him will be Chelsea's Florent Malouda. Up front, Thierry Henry should partner Karim Benzema, though Nicholas Anelka can never be counted out. My guess is we'll see a 4-2-2-2, with Vieira and Makélélé both sitting back to allow Ribéry and Malouda to really push forward.

Holland:

As the traditional big dogs in their qualifying group, Holland made life exceedingly difficult for themselves by finishing second behind Romania, only one point ahead of third-place Bulgaria. Robin van Persie led the Oranje in goal scoring with 4, but that was good enough for only a sixth-place tie. As a team, they only managed 15 goals in 12 games despite playing in a group that featured several lightweights in Albania, Luxembourg, Belarus, and Slovenia.

Suffice it to say that the Dutch underperformed in qualifying. Coach Marco van Basten, who will be joining Ajax in the same capacity after this tournament, has made it a point to usher in a new era for the national team, choosing younger players over their more experienced, more decorated counterparts. This fresh blood is unproven at this level, and although there are several holdovers in this squad, most of whom will feature, it's hardly a time to experiment with a young group of players, especially in what is by far the toughest group of the competition. With that said, van Basten has a much better relationship with the young players, and there is something to be said for that instead of possible hostility between the coach and guys like Clarence Seedorf and Marc von Bommel.

In goal, the captain, Edwin van der Sar, is at the top of his game right now after winning both the Premiership and Champions League at Manchester United. He'll need to come up large because his back line, the traditional weak link of the Dutch national team, is very uninspiring once again.

Only six defenders were included on the final roster, and as far as quality and ability goes, they are almost a wash. Wilfred Bouma had a great season at Aston Villa, playing a league-high 37 out of 38 league games, and he'll feature either at left back, where Tim de Cler plays, or in the center. John Heitinga also looks certain to start, and he can play in the center or on the right, which is Mario Melchiot's traditional position and he had a solid season at Wigan. André Ooijer has been a fixture in the middle, but Joris Mathijsen also is a natural center back. My guess? Melchiot on the right, Heitinga and Bouma in the center, and de Cler on the left, but the back line definitely is up in the air at this point.

In the midfield, van Basten has said recently that he's considering shifting to a 4-2-3-1 for this tournament instead of the 4-3-3 "total football" system typically employed by the Dutch. The breakdown of this squad by position would indicate a 4-3-3because there simply isn't enough quality in the defensive midfield slots to justify using two of them. If a 4-2-3-1 is used, expect to see Nigel de Jong and Giovanni van Bronckhorst in the holding roles, Rafael van der Vaart in the center, Wesley Snejider on one wing, and Robin van Persie on the other. If van Basten opts to go with the 4-3-3, which would be my pick, van der Vaart, Snejider, and van Bronckhorst would make up the midfield.

Up front, it again depends on the formation. Ruud van Nistelrooy is basically guaranteed the center forward position either way as he is still a few notches above Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. In the 4-2-3-1, van Nistelrooy would be by himself, but in the 4-3-3, Robin van Persie would play on one wing, with either Ryan Babel or more likely Arjen Robben on the other.

Holland's first two games are against France and Italy, so it's very likely that they'll need to beat Romania in the final group match to advance. In qualifying, only one goal was scored between both teams in their two games, with Romania taking four out of the six possible points.

Check back later on this afternoon for the second part of this Group C preview, which will feature Italy and Romania.

Capello Announces 30-Man Provisional Squad for France Friendly

David Beckham is one step closer to winning his 100th England cap after the LA Galaxy midfielder was named by Fabio Capello to the 30-man provisional squad for the Three Lions' friendly against France in Paris next week.

Capello sent his second-in-command, Franco Baldini, to Dallas last week to watch Beckham in the Galaxy's pre-season friendly against FC Dallas, a game in which he wasn't too impressive by most accounts. Baldini must've seen something positive to report back to Capello to include him in this squad, and Capello also knows exactly what Becks can do from their time together at Real Madrid.

Even so, Beckham faces some stiff competition for his wide right midfield spot in the form of David Bentley and Shaun Wright-Phillips, and both Joe Cole and Ashley Young are capable of playing on the right as well. Based on current form, you would have to say that Cole and Young will earn starts next week but obviously nothing is set in stone yet.

Capello will trim the squad down to 23 players on Saturday afternoon, and it will be interesting to see who he keeps and who he leaves out. There are only a few players -- Steven Gerrard, David James, Jermain Defoe, and Joe Cole -- who should be locks to make the 23-man roster.

I was pleased to see Defoe rewarded with a call-up because he's been playing so well recently for Portsmouth, and David James has looked great in goal all season.

It will also be interesting to see who Capello names as captain. Gerrard led the side out against Switzerland at Wembley last month, but Capello has said that he'd rotate the captaincy until World Cup 2010 qualifiers begin this fall. If I had to guess, John Terry would wear the armband next week, but I could see Rio Ferdinand or David James having the honor as well.

Provisional 30-man roster (club):

Goalkeepers: David James (Portsmouth), Scott Carson (Aston Villa), Chris Kirkland (Wigan)

Defense: Wayne Bridge, Ashley Cole, and John Terry (Chelsea), Wes Brown and Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham), David Wheater (Middlesbrough), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), Joleon Lescott (Everton)

Midfield: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Gareth Barry and Ashley Young (Aston Villa), David Bentley (Blackburn), Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, and Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), David Beckham (LA Galaxy), Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham)

Forwards: Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Michael Owen (Newcastle), Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth)

New England Away Kit

Here's a clip from Sky News unveiling England's new red away jersey, showed off by Michael Owen and Rio Ferdinand. They'll wear this at the Stade de France in Paris on March 26 when they play Raymond Domenech's squad in a friendly.

First, however, they'll host Switzerland on Wednesday. That match will mark the start of the Fabio Capello era.

Nicolas Anelka = Terrell Owens/Randy Moss?

Before I get to my idea I just want to put something out there, not just for this post but for every other post I make in the future. There is a reason I don't call "soccer" "football" on this site. As an American, I already have "football" and that's college football and the NFL, where they kick, punt, run, and throw the ball. What everyone else across the world calls "football" will always be called "soccer" here, so that's just for further reference. This particular post deals with athletes in both soccer and football, so that's why I wanted to make note of the distinction.

There is also a reason that Nicolas "The Incredible Sulk" Anelka has played for seven professional clubs even though he's still relatively young, just 28 years old. It's no coincidence that a striker who has scored (depending on what statistical site you look at) 110 goals in 327 league appearances since the 1995 season and represented his country 43 times since 1998 has bounced around from country to country (France, England, Spain, back to France, back to England, Turkey, and back to England). According to the commentators in today's Bolton-Manchester United match in which Anelka had the game-winning goal, Anelka is the second most expensive player in the world in terms of combined transfer fees paid with a total value of nearly $140 million US.

For someone who has played for some of the most historical, successful clubs in the world, Anelka sure knows how to rub his employers and teammates the wrong way. The longest he's ever stayed at one team is three seasons (Manchester City). You can't argue with his goal-scoring record; he's a prolific striker, but his problem is that wherever he goes, he's a cancer in the locker room/dressing room/changing room, whatever you want to call it.

In the NFL, a league known for its primadonna wide receivers and defensive backs, two players immediately stand out to be the same type of guy as Anelka. Mr. "I play when I want to play" Randy Moss, and Mr. "Get your popcorn ready, it's gonna be a show" Terrell Owens. Both of these guys are incredible, almost superhuman athletes; both have the talent to end up in the Hall of Fame as two of the best receivers to ever play the game of football, period. Both have already set numerous NFL records and with the way they're playing now, more will continue to fall when they're still playing.

Nicolas Anelka, Randy Moss, and Terrell Owens. When you keep them happy and they're interested, these guys all produce and are or very near the best at their positions in their respective sports. When they're disgruntled or their team is losing or they're not getting the ball enough, they start whining and become guys you simply don't want to have on your team, regardless of how naturally gifted they are.

In Anelka's case, you can't argue with a goal every three games, which is his average over his career. What you can find fault in is his inability to grow up and mature and be part of a team because his behavior has a direct correlation with how the players on the field with him perform, and it's the same for Moss and Owens. Right now, Moss and Owens are in a good situation where their teams are winning and they're getting the ball, so they can't complain. Anelka, however, is scoring but his team isn't winning; Bolton, despite their huge win today, may be relegated at the end of the season. The biggest question, then, is this: Will he, like Randy Moss, who basically campaigned his way out of Oakland last year where the team was awful and he was simply disinterested, and like T.O., who left Philadelphia two seasons ago on bad terms and joined their rival in Dallas so he could burn them when the two teams played, try and leave Bolton for a better team in January? For Bolton's sake, hopefully not.