Hotdog & Friends

With football fever in full swing, here’s the fourth and final installment on the European Cup preview. Today we look at Group D, which I consider to be the weakest group.

Team Profiles:

Russia:

I had to go to the book for this one, but no country boasts a more fascinating footballing history than the Russians. Under the guise of the Soviet Union, Russia was home to some of the most inventive and oddest training methods this world has ever seen.

Professor Anatoly Zelentsov of Ukrainian team Dynamo Kiev devised a computer game of moving dots and boxes that was used to select the USSR’s 1988 Euro squad. A baffling selection to many journalists of the day, that team surprised everyone and made it to the finals.

There are also darker moments. In addition to rampant match-fixing and corruption, the Soviet authorities vindictively banished their best player to Siberia in advance of the World Cup.

As for this year’s team? Don’t expect much from them. After the dissolution of the CCCP, the Russians lost access to some of their best talent - a lot of which came from the Baltic states and the Ukraine.

Spain: What a debut turned in by Spanish striker Fernando “El Nino” Torres. In his first season with Liverpool, the Spanish striker slotted in beautifully with Steven Gerrard, finishing his debut campaign with an astonishing 34 goals in all competitions.

Any other season, Liverpool’s Torres would have been Footballer of the Year in England. As it happens, Torres suffers the misfortune of sharing his Golden years with the unrivaled Cristiano Ronaldo.

As for Spain, they have all the talent in the world, but have never been able to put it all together in a major tournament. Will this be the year? H&F predicts no. I have a theory that players who ply their trade in England inevitably perform poorly in summer tournaments. (England in the 2006 World Cup, anyone?)

The reasoning: there are simply too many games. While most of the other major leagues take holiday breaks, English teams play directly through the winter break, sometimes playing twice a week in the bone-chilling conditions of Newcastle or Bolton. Factor in the length of the season (cup qualifying can begin in July and matches can last until late May) and it’s a recipe for overuse injuries.

Since the performances of Torres, Fabregas (Arsenal) and Xabi Alonso (Liverpool) are so vital to their hopes, I can’t see Spain - who are playing without Raul - advancing too far into the tournament.

(Torres made Raul expendable.)

And now a special note for the ladies: If you’re looking for Latin Lover, H&F suggests avoiding Spain. Over there, the gentlemen prefer watching footie to making whoopie. (Incidentally, fellas, your best chance of getting some random play during a game is in Sweden.)

Sweden:

Case in point.

I’ve been waiting all week to run this photo. Heia Sverige indeed.

Greece:

The darlings of 2004, Greece looks a longshot to defend their championship. Then again, no one fancied them four years ago either when they ended up lifting the trophy in Portugal.

In a soft group, it will be the long-ball style of Sweden against the frenetic movement of Greece to see who’ll advance alongside the Spaniards. That’s what makes their first-round match up so crucial - should one team walk away with all three points, they are a virtual lock for the knockout stage. Greece’s defenders must hold a tight line and be strong in the air against Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic to have chance.

On the attack, Greece relies on a couple of UK-based players - Stelios Giannakopoulos (Bolton) and Giorgos Samaras (Manchester City, but played on loan at Celtic last season) for their goal-scoring ideas. Not outstanding players by any stretch of the imagination, but they embody their squad’s personality with their tenacity, energy, and passion.

Players to Watch:
Spain - David Villa, F: With so much attention being paid to Torres, Villa could easily walk out of the group stage with a handful of goals. In a weak group, Spain could be putting up 7-8 goals in the group stage: expect Villa to be in the thick of it.

Sweden - Sebastian Larsson, MF: An up-and-coming talent in the Swedish national team, Larsson’s poised to explode on the international scene. A bright spot in an otherwise dour season for Birmingham City, Larsson’s free kicks left keepers befuddled. Seb, as he is known, also showed an ability to score during the run of play:

Russia - Yuri Zhirkov, MF: C’mon. Are you kidding me with that name?

Greece - Angelos Charisteas, F: His header secured Greece’s 1-0 victory in 2004 - set pieces will once again be an important part of the Greek arsenal.

Clowns:

I’ll be honest, I made this category solely for Jens Lehmann. I really don’t like watching him play.

Predictions:

1. Sweden
2. Spain
3. Greece
4. Russia

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 8th, 2008 at 2:15 pm and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.