Tag Archives: Denmark

Portugal’s biggest attacking threat, Cristiano Ronaldo. (Photo: Getty Images)

Group B looks to be one of the tastiest affairs of the tournament. The likes of Ozil, van Persie and Ronaldo will all be locking horns in this group, and Denmark are no pushovers either, beating Portugal in qualifying. The Portuguese side are the only team in Group A not to have won the tournament previously, as they were edged out by a single goal from Greece’s Angelos Charisteas in the final when they hosted it themselves in 2004. All four teams have impressive attacking players, namely Holland who boast the likes of van Persie, Huntelaar and Robben, and Germany who will rely on Gomez, Muller and Ozil to deliver goals – so it may be the teams capable of keeping such prolific attackers at bay that find themselves progressing.

Germany – Key Players: Mesut Ozil, Mario Gomez – Prediction: 1st

In recent years the Germans have re-established themselves as one of the very best teams in international football. They have found a new generation of creative attacking players, for example Mesut Ozil and Mario Gotze, who have the potential to rival the world’s greatest. It’s a shift in style for the Germans, the emergence of smaller and more technically gifted players has enhanced the visual appeal of their football, in addition to providing the good results that the German supporters demand. Prolific forward Mario Gomez will take on the side’s goalscoring responsibilities, and with a strike rate of 64 goals in 94 games for Bayern Munich, you’d expect him to bag a fair few during the course of the tournament.

Holland – Key Players: Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder – Prediction: 2nd

The Dutch are also blessed with an array of attacking talent. Robin van Persie fired an underperforming Arsenal side to third in the Premier League, and has established himself as one of the world’s most feared strikers. Another man who will be expected to find his way onto the scoresheet this summer is Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who has turned out for illustrious clubs in recent years such as Ajax, Real Madrid, AC Milan, and currently Schalke. However their problems will lie in the centre of defence, with neither Joris Mathijsen nor John Heitinga looking as convincing as the rest of their starting eleven. Whether they can deal with the likes of Ozil and Ronaldo is unknown – if they manage to, then they’ll surely progress to the knockout stages.

Portugal – Key Players: Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani – Prediction: 3rd

Although they have been presented with a difficult group to contend with, Portugal will feel that they have a good chance of progressing. Their main threat will obviously come in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo. Love him or hate him, he’s possibly the best player in the world (however Messi still shades it in my opinion), and probably the best hailing from a European nation. The spotlight will be on Ronaldo to perform exceptionally at a major international tournament for the first time in his career, as his previous Euro and World Cup campaigns have been less successful. Nani will present another threat going forward, and after a disappointing season for his club, he’ll need to prove his worth in Poland/Ukraine this summer if he wants to reclaim his starting berth for the Red Devils next term. Their defence is a fair bit sturdier than Holland’s, and for me, it’s a toss-up between the Dutch and the Portuguese for second place.

Denmark – Key Players: Christian Eriksen, Nicklas Bendtner – Prediction: 4^th

Unfortunately for the Danes, they have been cursed by the draw. If they had been placed in Group A, I’d have expected them to qualify for the knockout stages, and they’d stand a good chance of doing so if they were in C or D too.  They are clear favourites to finish bottom of the group, however they won’t simply roll over at the command of the so-called ‘bigger’ footballing nations. The man who makes them tick is 20-year-old playmaker Christian Eriksen (featured in our ‘Euro 2012 – Keep an eye out for…), the hottest property to emerge from Ajax’s reputable youth system in recent years – Danish football fans believe that he has the potential to become the nation’s greatest ever player. Simon Kjaer and Daniel Agger are a sturdy pair in the centre of defence, while Nicklas Bendtner will hope to prove his many critics wrong by making an impact on the big stage of the Euros – especially while competing against such formidable teams in the group stage.