In The Premier League, The Sun Always Shines On TV

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“When Sergio Aguero crashed home the injury time winner to secure Manchester City’s Premier League title, he almost certainly gave little thought to the financial ramifications of his well taken goal, but it could be argued that this sublime moment provided the impetus for last week’s record television deal, which has climbed around 70% to £3 billion over the next three-year cycle. As the Premier League’s chief executive, Richard Scudamore, said, ‘We couldn’t have gone to market at a better time.'” Swiss Ramble

Gavin Hamilton Euro 2012 diary, June 20, Warsaw

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“The longer England stay in this tournament, the luckier they get. Last night’s win over Ukraine – the first time England have beaten the hosts at a tournament – included a huge dose of luck, with the match officials refusing to award Ukraine a goal after Marko Devic’s shot was cleared from behind the line by John Terry. However, England demonstrated a spirit and sense of togetherness that was lacking in South Africa.” World Soccer

Argentine title race is a sprint, relegation a marathon

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“In the rollercoaster of tournament football it took Russia little more than a week to move from possible winners to definite failures at Euro 2012. Spare a thought, then, for Argentine club Tigre who could move to either extreme in the space of 90 minutes – or even be both at the same time. Next week is the last round of the conventional season in Argentina and Tigre have a good chance of winning the title for the first time in the club’s long history. But they are also in danger of being relegated to the second division.” BBC – Tim Vickery

Euro 2012: Poland and Ukraine has given us excitement, new stars and the hallmarks of a classic tournament

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Danny Welbeck
“If these Euros maintain their winning blend of technique and tempo, Poland and Ukraine may even eclipse events in Holland and Belgium for all-round entertainment. There is so much to celebrate. The dark arts of diving, dissent and dangerous tackling have been witnessed infrequently, a hugely welcome development. Refereeing standards have, by and large, been more than acceptable. Unexpected stars have lit up the night skies, including Alan Dzagoev, Mario Mandzukic, Danny Welbeck and Mathieu Debuchy.” Telegraph – Henry Winter

England can start to dream

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“After England squeaked by the unfancied Cameroon in the 1990 World Cup quarterfinal, then-coach Bobby Robson was moved to quip, ‘We didn’t underestimate them. They were just a lot better than we thought.’ Roy Hodgson’s team may feel similarly after winning 1-0 against a frenetically impressive, attack-minded Ukraine. A dour first half was followed by the entertaining spectacle of the second. England held on and was rewarded. France’s insipid collapse against eliminated Sweden in the other Group D match means the Three Lions topped their group and avoid the world champions in the quarterfinals.” ESPN (Video)

England 1-0 Ukraine: cagey game
“Wayne Rooney returned to head in a simple goal, and England finish top of Group D. Roy Hodgson dropped Andy Carroll to bring in Rooney, so Danny Welbeck returned to his position as the primary centre-forward. Oleh Blokhin made various changes – Andriy Shevchenko wasn’t fit enough to start, and Andriy Voronin was dropped, so there was an all-new centre-forward partnership of Artem Milevskiy and Marco Devic. Serhiy Nazarenko was replaced by Denys Harmash, and Yaroslav Rakitskiy came in at the back. Like all three of England’s matches, this was poor technical game lacking in quality, and many of the chances came from set-pieces and crosses.” Zonal Marking

Three thoughts: England casts aside hype to thrive on grit
“Three thoughts on England’s 1-0 victory against Ukraine, which sent England (first place) and France (second) to the Euro 2012 quarterfinals, while Ukraine and Sweden were eliminated… This England provides plenty thrills (of a slightly different kind). No wonder manager Roy Hodgson was all smiles after the final whistle: England has already exceeded expectations at the Euros, winning Group D with seven points. The English public, too, seems to have warmed to a side that has a little bit of everything — experience, grit, fight, pace, youth — but is mercifully lacking the sense of entitlement that has hampered previous versions of the ‘Three Lions’.” SI

France has reason to worry

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“In a hurry, the optimism surrounding France at the European Championships has faded. Set to win Group D and avoid a confrontation with defending European and world champion Spain, France lost 2-0 to already-eliminated Sweden in Kiev on a steamy Tuesday night to set up that unwanted pairing in the quarterfinals. England, as group winner (yes, you’re seeing right), gets Italy instead. After France won at a major tournament for the first time in six years on Friday, out went Les Bleus’ 23-match unbeaten streak with a stunning Zlatan Ibrahimovic volley in the 54th minute.” ESPN (Video)

Spain 1-0 Croatia: Navas snatches late winner

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“Spain played an extremely cautious game, but won after Croatia pushed forward. Vicente Del Bosque kept the same starting XI, meaning Fernando Torres again spearheaded the attack. Slaven Bilic made various changes, effectively using a version of the 4-2-3-1 system he finished the Italy game with. Domagoj Vida started at right-back, pushing Darijo Srna forward to the right of midfield. Danijel Pranjic started on the left, with Luka Modric as the number ten. Nikica Jelavic and Ivan Perisic were only substitutes.” Zonal Marking

Spain still uncertain, even in win
“Spain progressed into the elimination stage after a slender 1-0 victory in a game which veered from the sterile to the dramatic. As the score in the Italy versus Ireland match heightened the suspense, both Spain and Croatia knew a single goal could carry them through at their opponent’s expense. Croatia’s passionate football may not have caused Spanish fans’ hearts to enter their mouths, but they were made to beat with an irregular rhythm like their team’s strangely out-of-sorts midfield.” ESPN

Navas scores late to secure Spain’s Group C win at Euro 2012
“Jesus Navas scored a late goal Monday to give Spain a 1-0 win over Croatia and a spot in the European Championship quarterfinals. Andres Iniesta passed to Navas inside the area after Spain broke through an offside trap, and the substitute forward kicked the ball into an empty net in the 88th minute.” SI

Proud night for Italy

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“The ghosts of 2004 can now be laid to rest. Italy was made to work hard in its Group C finale with Ireland, but in the end, the Azzurri got the result they needed, prevailing 2-0 on goals by Antonio Cassano and substitute Mario Balotelli. A 2-2 draw in the other match between Spain and Croatia would have still seen Italy eliminated, but La Roja came through with a 1-0 victory, and the Italians were left to celebrate their progression to the quarterfinals.” ESPN (Video)

Cassano, Balotelli guide Italy to quarter with 2-0 win over Ireland
“Italy qualified for the quarterfinals of the European Championship after Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli scored in each half in a tense 2-0 victory over Ireland on Monday. Cassano headed in with his back to the goal by the near post following a corner kick in the 35th minute on a warm and muggy night at the Municipal Stadium Poznan.” SI

Euro 2012: Free Mario Balotelli!

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“Or at least let him speak his mind! On Monday, the Italian striker scored his second-ever goal for Italy, roasting Ireland defender John O’Shea with a volleyed hit to put Italy up, 2-0, on Ireland, in stoppage time, and secure their passage to the Euro 2012 quarterfinals out of Group C. The above image is of Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci supressing Mario’s right to free speech, covering the Manchester City madman’s mouth with his hand to stop him from getting in some kind or all kinds of trouble.” Grantland (Video)

Portugal 2-1 Holland: van Marwijk makes changes, but Holland crash out with zero points

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“Portugal suffered an early setback, but played better football and fully deserved their win. Paulo Bento kept the same starting XI for the third game in a row. Bert van Marwijk made three changes. In defence, Ron Vlaar replaced Johnny Heitinga in a straight swap. It was further forward where he made significant alterations – Rafael van der Vaart came in for Mark van Bommel in order to add some creativity to the midfield, while Klaas-Jan Huntelaar started upfront, meaning Robin van Persie played just behind a and Wesley Sneijder went to the left, the system Holland used at the end of the Germany match. There was a huge contrast in styles here – Holland were a bunch of individuals without any cohesive structure, while Portugal were disciplined, organised and clear with their attacking intentions.” Zonal Marking

Ronaldo answers critics in victory
“The mark of a great player is responding in the face of criticism. An irritated and annoyed Cristiano Ronaldo couldn’t hit a barn door against Denmark on Wednesday, but the Ronaldo who vies with Lionel Messi for the tag of best player in the world showed up Sunday in Portugal’s pivotal Group of Death clash with the Netherlands.” ESPN (Video)

Three thoughts: Ronaldo finds form in Portugal’s win over Netherlands
“Here are my three thoughts on Portugal’s 2-1 win over the Netherlands in Group B… 1. The Dutch midfield: Finally Bert van Marwijk gave the Dutch public what it wanted, dropped Mark van Bommel and played a holding pair of Nigel De Jong and Rafael van der Vaart. And finally we saw just why Van Marwijk has been so reluctant to go into games without his two dogs of war. It all started extremely well for the Dutch, Van der Vaart showing the positive side of his game as he ran on to an Arjen Robben pass and whipped a finish around Rui Patricio. That showed the advantage of playing him: not only would Van Bommel probably not have been able to produce such an instant, accurate finish, but he wouldn’t even have been that high up the pitch. The two halves of the broken team from the first two matches were suddenly linked. That gave the Dutch a flow and a rhythm but it also left it with a desperately soft center.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Euro 2012: Holland are sent home by Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo
“After all the speculation about the tortured arithmetic that might decide this group, the sums were simple. Germany and Portugal advance. Hope had arrived for Holland in the shape of Rafael van der Vaart’s opening goal, but Cristiano Ronaldo first equalised and then struck the winner in the second half to send his side into a quarter-final meeting with the Czech Republic.” Guardian

Denmark 1 – 2 Germany

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“Denmark were knocked out of Euro 2012 as they fell to a 2-1 defeat to Germany. Needing a win over the group favourites to progress, as Portugal beat Netherlands, the Danes went behind to a Lukas Podolski strike early on but equalised through Michael Krohn-Dehli’s header. However, defender Lars Bender popped up with ten minutes to go to end their hopes of qualification and left the Germans top of the group.” ESPN

Germany disposes of Denmark to win Group B, advance to quarters
“Germany advanced to a quarterfinal against Greece after beating Denmark 2-1 on Sunday in their last Group B match at the European Championship. The Danes were eliminated. Lukas Podolski opened the scoring for Germany in the 19th minute and Lars Bender slotted home the winner in the 80th after Michael Krohn-Dehli had equalized for Denmark in the first half.” SI

Euro 2012: Lars Bender takes Germany through and dumps out Denmark
“Germany, it turns out, do not do group stage nail-biters after all. On a clear, mild night in suburban Lviv a 2-1 defeat of Denmark that was not without alarms ensured it would indeed be Joachim Löw’s fluent and excitingly youthful Nationalmannschaft who escaped Group B without the indignity of last-ditch convulsions. Germany will now play Greece, who may feel – in every sense – they owe them one.” Guardian

Czech Rep. fully deserving of victory

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Petr Jiracek
“Eight days ago, the Czech Republic’s dreams of advancement at Euro 2012 looked to be in tatters. Remarkably, the Czechs came back from the dead to beat Poland 1-0 to win Group A and send the Euro 2012 co-host crashing out of the tournament. Petr Jiracek scored the game-winner in the 72nd minute, finishing off a counterattacking move that was as swift as it was deadly. Poland, meanwhile, failed to make the most of another impressive start when it squandered several chances and in the process left a nation in despair.” ESPN (Video)

Three thoughts: Czechs surprise with 1-0 victory over host Poland
“Here are three thoughts after the Czech Republic’s 1-0 win against Poland, which gave the Czechs first place in Group A, with Greece advancing in second place and Russia and Poland being eliminated…” SI

Petr Jiracek strike puts Czech Republic through and Poland out
“Only the hardest of hearts could not feel for Poland. They had surfed a wave of emotion in the buildup to this tie and they believed that the fairytale script would play out. On their turf, in front of their passionate supporters, they would march into their first ever European Championship quarter-final. For the opening half-hour, as they subjected the Czechs to a battering and this stadium rocked to a memorable beat, it looked as though it would happen. An almighty party loomed. But football has the unerring capacity to reduce dreams to dust in the blink of an eye. Here in Wroclaw, the pain was triggered by a swing of Petr Jiracek’s boot.” Guardian

So much for the “dull” Group A

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“By the time Euro 2012 is finished, all four groups (and not just B) will be considered deadly in some way. But Saturday’s gripping conclusion wasn’t supposed to go like this. Group A was long considered to be the dull one. The ugly duckling. A quartet of teams that was impossible to love. Yet in Greece’s stoic, backs-against-the-wall 1-0 win over Russia and the Czech Republic’s 1-0 triumph over Poland, we got a weirdly beautiful conclusion given the way both sides started the tournament.” ESPN (Video)

Euro 2012: Giorgos Karagounis avoids Greece exit and makes Russia pay
“Forecasts of a Greek economic recovery have been taken more seriously than Fernando Santos’s prediction that his players would be the ones celebrating at the end of this game; yet after a famous victory, celebrate Greece did. Russia were surprisingly sent home from the European Championship by the combined might of Greece and the Czech Republic, the former pulling off an unexpected yet wholly deserved victory here and the latter claiming the other qualification spot with a win against Poland.” Guardian

Three thoughts: England switch to 4-4-2 keys comeback over Sweden

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“Three thoughts from England’s dramatic 3-2 victory over Sweden in Kiev, Ukraine. 1. England is winning with 4-4-2. There is a scene in Steve Barron’s 2001 film Mike Bassett: England Manager, an affectionate satire on the England national team, in which Ricky Tomlinson, playing the title character, reaches the end of his tether. He reacts furiously to the suggestion that he might experiment tactically. “Four-four-fookin’-two,” he shouts as the audience laughs at a poor, befuddled man out of his depth. Eleven years later, England is again playing 4-4-2. And somehow, it seems to be working.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Thierry Roland (1937-2012)

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“More than fifty years after covering his first World Cup in 1962 in Chile, French journalist Thierry Roland passed away on Saturday at the age of 74 prompting tributes from the highest spheres of France’s political scene, starting with President François Hollande, all the way down to the French players in Ukraine from Gael Clichy to Samir Nasri. Perhaps the only football-related figure that was more appreciated than Zinedine Zidane in France, Thierry Roland was one of these people which you would be forgiven to think they were immortal. After beginning his career as a football journalist as an 18-year-old in 1955, first on the radio before making the big move to live television, Roland went on to commentate thirteen World Cups and nine European Championships, spearheading more than 1300 football games in total for France’s foremost TV channels, ORTF from 1955 to 1968, Antenne 2 from 1975 to 1984, TF1 from 1984 and 2004, M6 from 2005 till yesterday.” In Bed With Maradona (Video)

England 3-2 Sweden: long balls, set-pieces and terrible defending

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Danny Welbeck, Andy Carroll
“A scrappy game low on quality, but high on entertainment. Roy Hodgson made one change. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was dropped with Ashley Young moving to the left, and Andy Carroll coming upfront as a target man. Erik Hamren brought in three players – Johan Elmander upfront, Anders Svensson in the middle, and Jonas Olsson at the back, though Sweden played pretty much the same formation as against Ukraine. This was a crazy, open match that could have gone either way – both sides had spells when they were on top.” Zonal Marking

England’s show of character
“Buzzwords in the England camp the past few days included ‘bold’ and ‘creative.’ For large parts against Sweden at the European Championships at an Olympic Stadium mostly bathed in yellow, England was anything but. However, an inspired substitution of Theo Walcott by manager Roy Hodgson will ensure most will only remember the result, a frenetic 3-2 England win that knocked the Scandinavians out of the tournament.” ESPN (Video)

Sweden 2 England 3: match report
“Danny Welbeck struck a goal of elegance, athleticism and immense significance for England, here on Friday night. It was a magical flicked finish, created by Theo Walcott, who helped turn a crazy game on its head with a vibrant second-half cameo. England were trailing 2-1 when Walcott arrived, swiftly equalising and then fashioning Welbeck’s winner with a superb darting run and cross. England were panicky at times late on but held on and now face hosts Ukraine in Donetsk on Tuesday knowing a draw sees Roy Hodgson’s side into the quarter-finals of Euro 2012.” Telegraph – Henry Winter

Euro 2012: Danny Welbeck hits late winner as England beat Sweden
“There was a point here when all of England’s old failings had resurfaced and the match was straying dangerously close to an almost implausible ordeal. Sweden had turned the game upside-down with two goals early in the second half and, at that point, it looked like Roy Hodgson’s team might finish the evening at the bottom of Group D.” Guardian

France 2-0 Ukraine: Ribery v Husiev battle decides the game

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“After a long rain delay, France took the initiative and went onto win the game comfortably. Laurent Blanc made two changes. One was a straight swap, with Patrice Evra dropping out and Gael Clichy starting at left-back. Higher up, the introduction of Jeremy Menez at the expense of Florent Malouda meant Samir Nasri moved into a permanent central position, and France switched to a 4-2-3-1. Oleg Blokhin had said before the tournament that he didn’t have a set first choice XI, and would switch from game to game, but after Ukraine’s famous 2-1 victory over Sweden on Monday, he stuck with the same side.” Zonal Marking

France comes alive in second half, beats co-host Ukraine in Group D
“France won a match at a major tournament for the first time since Zinedine Zidane’s head-butt, beating Ukraine 2-0 Friday in a storm-delayed match at the European Championship. Jeremy Menez and Yohan Cabaye scored early in the second half for the French, who last won a major match in the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup. In the final of that tournament, Zidane was given a red card for his head-butt in the last match of his career.” SI

Three thoughts: France’s tactics work in 2-0 victory over Ukraine
“Three thoughts from France’s 2-0 victory over co-host Ukraine from Donetsk, Ukraine. 1. The tactical and personnel changes of Laurent Blanc worked perfectly. France’s 4-3-2-1 against England, with Samir Nasri and Franck Ribéry on either side of Karim Benzema, was switched to a 4-2-3-1 against Ukraine. In the latter formation, Nasri was side of Ribéry and Jérémy Ménez, who came in for Chelsea’s Florent Malouda.” SI

France’s talent too much for Ukraine
“The Ukrainian national anthem, “Ukraine has not yet Perished,” rang out raucously in the driving rain ahead of the team’s game against France, yet the co-hosts could not summon a performance to match the title. In this contest, French quality snuffed out the opponents’ passion. France coach Laurent Blanc tweaked his lineup ahead of the game, dropping veterans Patrice Evra and Florent Malouda in favor of Gael Clichy and Jeremy Menez, hoping to find sharper movement in the attacking third. Blanc knew his team had mustered 15 shots on goal against England yet created few clear-cut chances. His changes would prove to be vindicated.” ESPN (Video)

Englands of the Mind

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“The English national soccer team is, as of this writing, located in Krakow, Poland, its official stamped-by-UEFA ‘Team Base Camp’ for Euro 2012. England’s hotel in Krakow, the Stary, was ‘revealed’ in November via a press announcement from the Football Association. It was then re-revealed last week via the FA’s official YouTube channel, FATV (‘Football’s Home’), or more specifically via an ‘exclusive’ synth-y corporate down-tempo waiting-room video mostly devoted to slow pans over billiards tables and shots of boxes sliding into focus.” Grantland – Run of Play (Video)

Euro 2012: Alan Dzagoev is finally meeting Russia’s expectations

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Alan Dzagoev
“Russia has been waiting since 11 October 2008. It was then that Alan Dzagoev made his international debut, coming off the bench at half-time in a World Cup qualifier away to Germany and hitting the bar. He was aged 18 years and 116 days and so became the youngest outfielder ever to play for Russia. Comparisons with the Russian forward Eduard Streltsov, who, at 17 years and 340 days, became the youngest outfielder ever to play for the USSR, were inevitable if not entirely fair. Streltsov, after all, is one of the great icons of the Russian game, a forward who scored a hat-trick against Sweden on his international debut, was jailed for a rape he may or may not have committed and returned from five years in the gulag to inspire Torpedo to a league title.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

A Few thoughts on the German Midfield

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“Two goals from Mario Gomez saw the Germans beat their arch-rivals, Netherlands 2-1 to ensure progress to the next round of Euro 2012 (Mathematically they can still be knocked out). The difference between the two sides was clearly felt in the middle of the pitch. Although both sides on paper lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, the German double pivot of Khedira and Schweinsteiger were given freedom to go forward where as Nigel De Jong and Mark Van Bommel stayed behind, guarding the Dutch defence.” The False 9

The Reducer: Orange Crushed

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“Game of the Week: Germany 2, Holland 1. When the final whistle blew on this Group of B (B is for Death) match, one image in particular kept running through my head. There was Arjen Robben and his crinkled, baby Benjamin Button face, dickishly taking the long way around to the Dutch bench after being substituted for in the 83rd minute. He didn’t try to hype up his teammates, he didn’t shake hands with his sub, Dirk Kuyt, or give a quick man-shake to his manager. Nope, instead he tore off his jersey, parading past the famously passionate, good-traveling Holland fans, looking like a kid who’d just been Tasered while sucking on a lime.” Grantland

Spain 4-0 Ireland: whitewash

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“The biggest win of Euro 2012 so far. Vicente del Bosque made one change, leaving out Cesc Fabregas and playing with a proper striker – Fernando Torres started upfront. Giovanni Trapattoni also made a single change upfront – Kevin Doyle dropped out, and Simon Cox started behind Robbie Keane. Spain were clearly the better side here – so much so, that the tactical battle was almost non-existent. Ireland did well to get to half-time at only 0-1, but Spain wrapped the game up soon into the second half. Neither side did anything different or unusual tactically.” Zonal Marking

True nine or false nine?
“True nine or false nine? That is the question Spain manager Vicente Del Bosque is wrestling with ahead of his side’s game against Ireland, its second fixture in Group C. And there are compelling reasons on both sides of the argument.” ESPN (Video)

Euro 2012: Fernando Torres and Spain end Republic of Ireland hopes
“Anything can happen in 90 minutes, said Giovanni Trapattoni. But when Spain play like this and his Republic of Ireland team see their limitations so painfully exposed, only one thing can happen. The mis-match of Euro 2012 so far concluded with Spain igniting their championship defence and Ireland beating a humble retreat.” Guardian

Euro 2012 Analysis – Day 1, Groups A, B, C, D

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“This is the first piece in our Euro 2012 Analysis series, during which we’ll analyze all the matches based on our FootballrRating score. The app is currently in public beta. Register now to gain access to our match, player, and team analysis.” chimu solutions

Italy 1-1 Croatia: Pirlo dictates first half, Croatia dominate the second after half-time switch

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“Croatia initially had problems with Italy’s 3-5-2, but a clever half-time switch by Slaven Bilic got them back into the game. Cesare Prandelli kept the same formation and starting XI, so Mario Balotelli remained upfront despite Antonio Di Natale’s impact as a substitute in the 1-1 draw against Spain. Bilic rewarded the eleven players that played in the 3-1 win over Ireland with a second start. A game of two halves. In the first, Italy recorded 11 shots compared to Croatia’s three. In the second, Croatia ‘won’ this statistic 7-3, summing up the change in the balance of play.” Zonal Marking

Croatia shows fighting spirit vs. Italy
“Fearless Croatia demonstrated that its opening-round victory was more than a fluke, recovering from a goal down to tie Italy 1-1 amid a fiery atmosphere that left Group C finely poised. The game boiled down to a fascinating tactical battle between two of the world’s finest playmakers, Italy’s Andrea Pirlo and Croatia’s Luka Modric. The first half belonged to the 33-year-old Italian, a metronomic midfielder whose departure in 2011 after a decade at AC Milan was meant to ease him into pasture. Pirlo responded by leading Juventus to the Serie A title this past season, and he reveled in this game, alongside teammate Claudio Marchisio, as Italy dominated the initial exchange.” ESPN (Video)

Croatia rallies in second half, forces 1-1 draw with Italy in Group C
“Italy sat back and paid for it Thursday in a 1-1 draw with Croatia at the European Championship. Andrea Pirlo gave Italy the lead with a curving free kick in the 39th minute but Mario Mandzukic was left unmarked to equalize in the 72nd. Italy had numerous other first-half chances from Mario Balotelli, Claudio Marchisio and Antonio Cassano, but the Azzurri lacked finishing quality. Balotelli, in particular, appeared hesitant and missed one opportunity after another. And this time, second-half replacement Antonio Di Natale never really had a chance to score.” SI

Euro 2012: Croatia’s Mandzukic grabs point after Pirlo gives Italy lead
“Italy are still waiting for their first win against Croatia and their first win in this tournament. They seemed to have done enough to secure three points when they held a first-half lead until 18 minutes from the end, though they never played with much assurance and could not complain when the Croatians came back at them to snatch a draw with Mario Mandzukic’s well-taken equaliser.” Guardian

Euro 2012: the story so far…

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“The sheer mindless idiocy of choosing Ukraine and Poland as UEFA have done for the European finals was duly and hideously exposed when the Russian and Polish fans set about each other before the game between their countries in Warsaw. The Russian hooligans have already disgraced themselves in the streets with no help on that occasion from the Poles. And to think that FIFA in their own wisdom, or perhaps something more sinister, have given the 2018 World Cup to the Russians. So much, as one has emphasised in the past, for the so-called campaign to kick out racism.” World Soccer – Brian Glanville

Holland 1 -2 Germany: The broken team…

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“A match that Holland needed to win in order to keep chances of qualifying to the knock-out stages of Euro 2012 in their own hands, ended in a bitter defeat. Germany had the better of the game, except maybe in the closing stages when Van Marwijk made some changes and Holland bravely, but desperately, chased an equalizer. In the end, Germany thoroughly deserved the victory, based on their tactical superiority and several key German players outperforming their Dutch counterparts.” 11 tegen 11

Portugal 3-2 Denmark: No tracking from Ronaldo and Rommedahl means goals come from that flank

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“Silvestre Varela grabbed a late winner as Portugal registered their first win of Euro 2012. Paulo Bento named an unchanged side from the team that lost to Germany – Helder Postiga continued upfront, despite Nelson Oliveira’s positive impact from the bench in the opening game. Morten Olsen also made no changes from Denmark’s surprise 1-0 win over Holland. Think of Portugal and Denmark – not just the current sides, but their style over the course of the century so far – and you think of width. That was the main story here, with little happening in the centre of midfield, and all the attacking thrust coming from the flanks.” Zonal Marking

Ronaldo struggles, but Portugal wins
“In this, the Group of Death, Portugal avoided a premature discovery of the afterlife. Unheralded substitute Silvestre Varela’s late goal earned them a 3-2 victory against a resilient Denmark. The game was an enormously entertaining affair, not least because of the fascinating clash of styles it presented as the wet, hair-gel look of Portugal, all ‘Night At The Roxbury,’ was pitched against Denmark’s Motorhead full-arm sleeve tattoos.” ESPN (Video)

Three thoughts: Portugal’s victory showcases great aerial play at Euro
“Three thoughts after Portugal’s 3-2 victory over Denmark in Lviv, Ukraine. 1. Heading is the new shooting. Portugal’s Pepe and Denmark’s Nicklas Bendtner both scored on headers in Wednesday’s Group B match, raising the total to 12 headed goals — out of 30 — at Euro 2012. It doesn’t seem to be a coincidence. At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the quality of crossing was noticeably poor. Players blamed everything from the Jabulani ball to the high altitude in certain stadiums. Whatever the problem was, it seems to have been solved. Aerial assists from dead-ball situations and open play are markedly improved in this tournament, passes that gives forwards (and plenty of defenders, too) the opportunity to calculate flight paths and attack the ball accordingly. Are fullbacks attacking too much to defend properly? Or is the new Tango 2012 ball simply more stable? We certainly haven’t heard the usual complaints from goalkeepers yet.” SI

Euro 2012: Denmark v Portugal – as it happened
“Good afternoon everybody. If only there was some over-used, catchy but not entirely accurate phrase to describe the one group in a major football tournament in which four apparently strong teams with no obvious whipping boys were drawn together, then it could almost certainly be applied to Group B in Euro 2012. After the first round of games in The Group Of Four Apparently Strong Teams With No Obvious Whipping Boys, Germany and Denmark are cock-a-hoop with one win each, while Portugal and Holland have been forced to lick their wounds, regroup and set about playing catch-up.” Guardian

Germany 2-1 Holland: German flexibility outwits the static Dutch midfield

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“The second excellent Group B game of the night, and another encounter decided by superiority in one particular zone. Jogi Löw continued with the same starting XI that defeated Portugal on Saturday. Despite widespread predictions that Holland would change at least one of their front four, Bert van Marwijk’s selection featured only one change, with Ron Vlaar dropping out of the side now Joris Mathijsen was fit to start. Clearly, van Marwijk believed that the majority of Holland’s play against Denmark was good – it was just the finishing that let them down.” Zonal Marking

Germans too strong for the Dutch
“The Netherlands hardly needed extra motivation heading into Wednesday night’s encounter with Germany at the European Championships. The countries have plenty of footballing history between them – as the saying goes, there’s no such thing as a friendly between these two nations, let alone in a big tournament. More importantly, the Dutch flopped against Denmark in the Group of Death opener and desperately needed all three points. They didn’t get them, losing to Germany 2-1.” ESPN

Euro 2012: Gomez strikes twice as Germany shred Holland’s nerves
“The European Championship is unremitting. Germany may have been a better-balanced side but the match still tilted when Robin van Persie trimmed the Dutch deficit to 2-1. The score, however, was not to alter further. Germany lead the group with six points but Holland, with none at all, still have some prospect of advancing to the quarter-finals.” Guardian

New Century, Old Tensions: Russian & Polish Supporters Clash In Warsaw

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“For those amongst us of a certain age, the scenes from the streets of Warsaw yesterday afternoon and evening had a wearyingly familiar look to them – streets of mostly young men, mostly wearing terrible clothes, trading kicks and punches on the street of a European city whilst others, including, of course, a media that had over the last few days given every impression of really looking forward to this moment, looked on. The Polish police had been aware of the potential for crowd trouble to come from the fixture between Poland and Russia, but even a tightly co-ordinated effort on their part to keep the peace on the streets of their capital city c0uldn’t fully contain those that wanted to fight and the result was one hundred and eighty-three arrests – with more to expected to follow – and ten injuries.” twohundredpercent

Poles Prepare for Soccer Match Against Russians With a Bitter View to History
“Poland is enjoying its turn on the European stage, co-hosting the prestigious European soccer championship, which the country’s leaders hoped to use as a coming-out party for their newly confident nation. There is only one problem, and it is a familiar one: Russia. Centuries of enmity have defined the relationship between Poland and Russia. Their history is filled with war, conquest and occupation. More recently, a significant minority of Poles have come to believe that the Russians were responsible for the plane crash in 2010 that killed President Lech Kaczynski, his wife and 94 others. However, a Polish government report last year blamed the poor training of a Polish flight crew, as well as Russian air traffic controllers, for the crash.” NY Times

Poland 1-1 Russia: Poland beef up their midfield and prevent Russia counter-attacking

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“Neither side played particularly open football – but strangely, this turned out to be a very good contest. Wojciech Szczesny was suspended, so Franciszek Smuda continued with Przemyslaw Tyton, the hero of the first game, in goal. More interestingly, he changed the structure of his side, moving to more of a 4-1-4-1 formation, dropping left-winger Maciej Rybus in favour of a solid holder, Dariusz Dudka. Ludovic Obraniak moved to the left.” Zonal Marking

Russia atop wide-open Group A
“Midway through the second half, Russia was poised to deal a mortal psychological blow to longtime rival Poland. But Jakub Blaszczykowski scored an emotional equalizer for his country, allowing the co-hosts to claim a 1-1 tie on a day that saw supporters from both teams clash outside Warsaw’s National Stadium. Russia’s Alan Dzagoev scored in the first half, redirecting Andrei Arshavin’s free kick. But after forcing Russia goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev into several sharp saves, Poland struck back through Blaszczykowski, causing an explosion of cheers from Polish supporters in the 57th minute.” ESPN (Video)

Euro 2012 Day 5: Poland, Russia clash; Czech Republic restores hope
“It was a day of howling sirens, blood-spattered pavement and the menacing thump of baton on riot shield as the warnings of violence before Poland’s game with Russia proved to be distressingly accurate. As 5,000 Russians marched through Warsaw to celebrate their country’s national day, they clashed with Polish hooligans. Police water cannons, tear gas, auditory grenades and 56 arrests were required to restore order.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Euro 2012 Football Daily: Poland strike back to stop Russia’s forward march
“James Richardson has Barry Glendenning and Rob Smyth in the pod for tonight’s Euro 2012 Football Daily. We start by analysing Poland’s draw with Russia, perhaps the best game of the tournament so far, as well as nodding favourably in the direction of the Czech Republic’s victory over Greece. Who will go through from Group A? The learned Jonathan Wilson joins us from Warsaw to share his thoughts.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson, James Richardson (Video)

Euro 2012: Poland 1 Russia 1
“Some matches have a backdrop that is more than just about football, and with more than a dozen military conflicts between the two nations over the last millennia, feelings run high. As well as a presence of around 6000 Polish police officers, an estimated 5000 Russian fans marched through Warsaw. This march wasn’t one proclaiming military might, but political freedom, as June 12 is Russia Day, a national holiday to commemorate the day the Russian parliament declared sovereignty from the former Soviet Union. With the historical context, and the warnings of hooliganism being rife in Poland, there was always a likelihood of conflict off the pitch, and while there have been skirmishes between rival fans, the feeling coming out of Poland at the time of writing is that this has been blown up by the media to satisfy their moral panic coming into the tournament.” twohundredpercent

Gavin Hamilton Euro 2012 diary, Warsaw June 12
“The violence between Russian and Polish fans overshadowed a terrific match in Warsaw tonight. But trouble had been brewing all day, with tension in the air from early on. There was a heavy police presence around the stadium, with helicopters, horses and armed cops waiting for the inevitable.” World Soccer

Czech Republic 2-1 Greece: Greece vulnerable down their left again

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“The Czech Republic had a very good first ten minutes, and that was enough to put themselves in a commanding position. Both coaches made changes to their starting line-ups, moving their XI closer to the side that finished their opening matches. Michal Bilek started holding midfielder Tomas Hubschman, with Petr Jiracek on the left of midfield. At the back, Michael Kadlec moved into the middle from the left-back position he looked uncomfortable in against Russia, so David Limbersky came into the side at left-back.” Zonal Marking

Czech Republic strikes early, beats Greece 2-1 in Group A at Euro 2012
“Petr Jiracek and Vaclav Pilar scored in the first six minutes to give the Czech Republic a 2-1 win over Greece on Tuesday at the European Championship. Jiracek shot the ball past Greece goalkeeper Costas Chalkias in the third minute after a pass from Tomas Hubschmann sliced through the Greek defense. Three minutes later, Pilar scored his second goal of the tournament, beating Greek defenders to a ball sent across the goal by Czech Republic defender Theodor Gebre Selassie.” SI

Czech Republic back in contention
“A few thoughts from Czech Republic’s 2-1 victory over Greece… What it means: Shorn of its two first-choice center backs, the vaunted Greek defense crumbled early against a grateful Czech team that strengthened its hand in an open Group A. Its final group game against Poland should be winner-take-all.” ESPN (Video)

Euro 2012: Early strikes give Czech Republic upper hand over Greece
“Both centre-backs, gone. The goalkeeper, gone. The game, gone. All with just 22 minutes gone. That was the grim reality for Greece. And then, just when they thought they had grabbed a lifeline, that was gone too, taken from them by a linesman’s flag that the full-back Vassilis Torossidis insisted was no coincidence. Once again, they rebelled. Just as Dimitris Salpigidis had come on at half‑time in their opening game and scored, so Fanis Gekas came on at half‑time in their second game and within seven minutes he too had scored.” Guardian

Euro 2012: Uefa investigates allegations of racism by fans

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“Uefa is to investigate alleged racist chanting during the Euro 2012 matches between Spain and Italy and Russia v Czech Republic. A Spanish fans’ group has said some of its supporters abused Manchester City and Italy striker Mario Balotelli. Czech Republic defender Theodor Gebre Selassie told reporters he ‘noticed’ racist chants directed at him. Uefa said that no disciplinary proceedings had been started at this stage.” BBC

France 1-1 England: France dominate possession but creativity stifled by England sitting deep

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“A match with little invention, played at a very slow pace. Laurent Blanc chose his expected side in a 4-3-3, with Florent Malouda shuttling forward from the midfield. Roy Hodgson’s side contained one surprise name – Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who started on the left. James Milner started on the other flank, and Danny Welbeck got the nod over Andy Carroll upfront. As expected, France dominated possession (65%) and had 21 shots compared to England’s 5, but many were from long-range, as Blanc’s side struggled to create clear-cut chances.” Zonal Marking

Three thoughts: England’s set play success forces draw with France
“1. England thrives with English goals. In the Balkans and perhaps elsewhere, a goal scored with a powerful header is known as an English goal. If that header comes from a set play, that makes it even more English (British, really, but in the Balkans comprehension of the distinction is blurry). So far in this tournament, that stereotype has proven to be true. Only two goals have been scored with one touch from a set play, and, appropriately, both were scored by players on English clubs: Sean St Ledger of Leicester City for Ireland and Joleon Lescott of Manchester City for England.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

France 1 England 1: match report
“Good point, average creativity. England were under sustained pressure towards the end of their opening Group D game but they held on and will take deserved satisfaction from this result, if not necessarily the display. It’s a good start though. The French were more technical, more assertive through the likes of Franck Ribery and their terrific right-back, Mathieu Debuchy, comfortably the man of the match. Uefa awarded the honour to Samir Nasri, who had brilliantly equalised Joleon Lescott’s header, but Debuchy really impressed most.” Telegraph – Henry Winter

Euro 2012: Samir Nasri’s goal for France echoes England’s old failings
“New coach, but familiar pattern. England have scored before conceding at every international tournament they have competed at since 1990. Yet so often they lose that lead with a goal struck from a similar position. For years England’s weak zone has been the space between defence and midfield and it has constantly been their downfall in opening games. In 2000 the game-changer was Portugal’s Rui Costa, who got all three assists as England squandered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2. In 2004 Zinedine Zidane scored a superb free-kick after a clumsy Emile Heskey foul in that position. Two years ago Clint Dempsey turned past Frank Lampard’s poor challenge before his weak shot squirmed between Robert Green’s legs.” Guardian – Michael Cox

Not a bad start for England, France
“Not a win for England, but not a bad start. A team devoid of four regulars, including Wayne Rooney, showed grit, organization and calm to earn a 1-1 draw with tournament dark horse France, which extended its unbeaten streak to 22 games. Les Bleus won’t be disappointed, either. Neither team wanted to lose.” ESPN (Video)

England, France draw in Group D
“England held on for a 1-1 draw with France on Monday at the European Championship, giving the Group D favorites one point each. Joleon Lescott put England in the lead with a header in the 30th minute, and Samir Nasri leveled for France shortly before halftime with a strike into the bottom corner of the net. France still has not won a match at a major tournament since the 2006 World Cup. The national team, however, is unbeaten in its last 22 matches.” SI

Lionel Messi hat-trick leads Argentina to 4-3 win over Brazil

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“The summer friendly has become a familiar genre for American fans, but this felt different. For one thing, Brazil and Argentina are perhaps the only teams in the world able to draw more than 80,000 people in the same time slot as Germany-Portugal — a European Championship game that actually matters. For another, it provided another chance to compare Neymar and Lionel Messi, excellent players in their own right and proxies in the cold war between Pele and Diego Maradona.” Guardian

4-4-2 G4M3 TH3ORY 4-3-2-1 4-2-2-2 3-4-1-2
“Brazil finds itself in an awkward position. After a desperately disappointing quarterfinal exit in the 2011 Copa América, the Seleçao has three years to put it right with only the Olympic Games this year and the Confederations Cup next in the way of ‘proper’ matches. (Even then, the Olympic Games allow only three players over the age of 23, and the quality of opposition in the Confederations Cup is questionable, as the major nations seem unsure of the tournament’s importance.) Other teams may complain about qualifiers, but they do at least offer an opportunity for competitive games.” Howler – Jonathan Wilson

Ukraine 2-1 Sweden: the Shevchenko show

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“The story of the tournament so far – Andriy Shevchenko rolled back the years to complete a surprise turnaround in Kiev. Shevchenko was named from the start, despite speculation Oleg Blokhin would use him as a substitute. The rest of the side was as expected. Erik Hamren made a surprise choice in the centre of midfield, playing Rasmus Elm alongside Kim Kallstrom. This meant Ola Toivonen started on the left, and Markus Rosenberg played upfront.” Zonal Marking

Another Euro shock
“Isn’t it fun to see your prognostications go up in flames? The tournament’s been full of head-turning incongruities — Croatian attacking verve, Greek resiliency, Spanish struggles — but the sight of Ukraine and Sweden punching relentlessly did a lot to buck the trend of scoffing pundits who reckoned it might be Euro 2012’s most grueling contest to date. In the end, further shock came from the eventual winners: not the gritty, impressive-in-qualifying Swedes led by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but a 2-1 victory for the unfavored co-host complete with a talisman of its own.” ESPN (Video)

Euro 2012: Andriy Shevchenko double gives Ukraine victory over Sweden
“The script was written for Andriy Shevchenko and Ukraine’s most iconic figure followed it to the letter. Back in the arena where he was a ball-boy before he made his name as a young forward for Dynamo Kyiv, Shevchenko turned this pulsating match around in seven remarkable second-half minutes with two opportunist headed goals. The 35-year-old’s body may be creaking but here was compelling evidence that his predatory instincts remain as sharp as ever.” Guardian

Spain 1-1 Italy: Spain start with no striker, Italy use a 3-5-2

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“A fascinating tactical battle between two systems rarely seen at international level. Vicente del Bosque supposedly had a three-way choice between Alvaro Negredo, Fernando Llorente and Fernando Torres upfront – but instead chose to play with a false nine, with David Silva and Cesc Fabregas both becoming the highest player up the pitch at different points. Cesare Prandelli went with the 3-5-2 system he’s been using in training over the past two weeks, which meant Daniele De Rossi dropping into the defence, and Emanuele Giaccherini making his international debut as a left wing-back.” Zonal Marking

Three thoughts: Spain’s striker-less attack cost them vs. Italy in draw
“1. Spain’s striker-less attack: Spain’s system, a 4-3-3-0, was the most radical seen in a major international football tournament for decades. Usually the international game, because of the lack of time the players have to work together, lags way behind the club game, but this placed Vicente Del Bosque firmly in the avant-garde. Unusual systems that have been termed “strikerless” at least have a forward — a Francesco Totti, Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi — to drop back and create space for runners from deep while still getting forward to score goals themselves. But Spain’s shape, with Andres Inietsa, Cesc Fabregas and David Silva across the nominal forward line had three players who have spent most of the season operating as orthodox attacking midfielders.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Tactics key in Italy-Spain draw
“A mouthwatering matchup between the past two World Cup winners became all the more engrossing as both managers made brave tactical decisions ahead of the game. After a 1-1 tie, one man, Italy’s Cesare Prandelli was left seeming bold. The other, Spain’s Vicente del Bosque, appeared more desperate. The decisions were different responses to a similar problem — the lack of the team’s best-fit striker. Spain’s David Villa was unable to recover from the broken leg sustained at the Club World Cup last December. Italy’s Giuseppe Rossi has been a long-term absence after suffering a double ACL tear.” ESPN (Video)

Euro 2012: Spain v Italy – as it happened
“In the end, a draw is probably the right result and both teams will perhaps be as disappointed as they are satisfied with a point. Italy had the better chances and played in an engaging fashion for much of the game, while Spain’s strikerless formation left much to be desired. But Spain’s response once behind was excellent and a fine goal from Cesc Fabregas got them out of jail; from there, they could and would have won it if Fernando Torres hadn’t been Fernando Torres. Overall another entertaining match in what is becoming a very entertaining tournament, but Spain can produce so much more than they managed in the first half, as indeed they showed in the second half. In the end, I just about forgive them for that ridiculous starting line-up.” Guardian

Rapid Reaction — Spain vs. Italy
“There was elation for Antonio Di Natale, vindication for Cesc Fabregas, and more misery for Fernando Torres. Add it all up, and it made for an action-packed 1-1 tie between Spain and Italy in the Euro 2012 opener for both sides. Italy had broken on top in the 61st minute, when Di Natale ran onto a gorgeous through ball from Andrea Pirlo and coolly finished past Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas. But three minutes later, Fabregas hammered his shot past Gianluigi Buffon after taking a deft pass from David Silva.” ESPN (Video)

Spain, Italy draw in Group C
“For Spain, a tie counted as a bit of a stumble. For Italy, a bit of a reprieve. Opening their bid for a third straight major title, the Spanish rallied to earn a 1-1 tie Sunday against Italy, which entered this year’s European Championship amid another match-fixing scandal. Antonio Di Natale put Italy in front after an excellent setup from Andrea Pirlo in the 61st minute, but Cesc Fabregas tied it for the defending champions three minutes later by finishing off a dazzling display of Spain’s trademark passing game.” SI

Croatia 3-1 Ireland: Ireland invite pressure, but deal with it poorly

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“Croatia recorded a comfortable victory over Ireland and go top of Group C. Slaven Bilic used Vedran Corluka in the centre of defence and played Darijo Srna in his traditional position of right-back in order to play Ivan Rakitic on the right of midfield, and used Ognjen Vukojevic as his holding midfielder. Giovanni Trapattoni announced his XI days ago, and they started as expected (with 1-11 on their backs). Set-pieces played a large part here, but Croatia were the better side – more inventive with their passing, cleverer with their movement, more ruthless in the penalty box.” Zonal Marking

Three thoughts: Hard-hitting Jelavic helps Croatia upend Ireland
“1. Croatia doesn’t miss Ivica Olic: When Ivica Olic returned from injury to play in the playoff games against Turkey last November, he came as a revelation. He is not as technically gifted a player as some of those Slaven Bilic has to choose from, but he has an energy and a muscularity that drives back opposing defences giving the more skilful midfielders space in which to play. Turkey couldn’t cope with him and Croatia, finding the sort of rhythm they hadn’t shown in over three years, swept to a 3-0 victory in Istanbul, taking an early lead and picking Turkey off on the break.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

No luck for the Irish
“Despite being considered a significant second fiddle to Spain and Italy’s cagey, engaging midday draw, we should have seen this coming. Group C was already pressurized given the four teams pitted against one another, yet that pressure increased thanks to the 1-1 result in Gdansk between the presumptive favorites to advance. (That, plus the tension accompanying overnight reports of fighting between fans that resulted in 14 arrested.)” ESPN (Video)

Gavin Hamilton Euro 2012 diary, Gdansk, June 10

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“It was always a little premature to hail Denmark’s victory over Holland’s as proof of a new defensive mood enveloping the European game. First Chelsea win the Champions League, then Denmark provide the tournament’s first shock by keeping a clean sheet against much-fancied Holland.” World Soccer

The history of the European Championship

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“The European Championship in Poland and Ukraine will be the 14th time that the competition has been held. It was the brainchild of Henri Delaunay, the secretary of the French Football Federation, who first came up with the idea of a continental competition in 1927. At first he had little support and it did not start until 1960. Until 1980 only four teams went through to the final stages, but it is now a 16-team competition and one of the major events on the football calendar. All 13 of the previous tournaments have provided memorable moments – and BBC Sport profiles them all ahead of this year’s competition.” BBC

Denmark 1-0 Holland: Krohn-Dehli goal provides the first surprise of the tournament

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Michael Krohn-Dehli
“Holland had the majority of possession and chances, but Denmark snatched the three points. Morten Olsen chose the XI that was widely expected to start the game, in a rough 4-2-3-1 formation. Bert van Marwijk’s starting selection was also as predicted, with Ron Vlaar in the side to replace the injured Joris Mathijsen. Jetro Willems became the youngest player in European Championship history at left-back.” Zonal Marking

Three Thoughts: Denmark gives the Netherlands more to worry about
“1. The defensive worries for the Dutch were not overstated. The Netherlands created enough chances to win this game twice over. But at the back, things were actually worse than the pessimists had anticipated. Every time Denmark ventured forward in wide positions, the Oranje fullbacks looked vulnerable. The problem was partly due to the two “controllers” — Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong — being too slow to come out to center to cover. But that didn’t excuse the utter sluggishness from Gregory van der Wiel and Jetro Willems in the one-v.-ones against decent, but not exactly stellar, opposition.” SI

Dutch face uphill battle in Group B
“All week long the Dutch have said that nothing less than winning the European Championships will do. If they’re to end a 24-year drought at major tournaments, a drought that belies their immense talent, it’ll have to happen the hard way. After losing 1-0 to Denmark in Kharkiv, Ukraine on Saturday, simply advancing from the Group of Death will take some doing. The mighty Germans are up next and Dutch manager Bert van Marwijk knows it’s a must-win game.” ESPN (Video)

Euro 2012 Day 2: Dutch loss a big story, but don’t overlook the Danes
“There were two things that the managers of Netherlands and Denmark agreed on before the teams met on a clammy Saturday evening in Kharkiv, Ukraine: The Dutch were the favorites, and their players are ‘arrogant in a good way.'” SI

Germany 1-0 Portugal: Gomez gets the nod upfront, and nods in the only goal

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“The quietest of Euro 2012’s four games so far ended with a narrow German victory. Jogi Löw had a few decisions to make – Mario Gomez, rather than Miroslav Klose, started upfront and Mats Hummels was picked over Per Mertesacker in the centre of defence. At right-back, Jerome Boateng played up against Cristiano Ronaldo, despite rumours that Lars Bender would be played out of position there.” Zonal Marking

Three Thoughts: Germany holds off Portugal 1-0, but could be better
“1. Germany has room to grow, but adjustments may be needed. His 2010 World Cup side was devastating on the counterattack, but this time around Germany manager Joachim Loew has opted for a far more possession-oriented approach. The thing is, he’s been working on tweaking the philosophy without changing the personnel. But here’s the reality: Against a team that defends well and denies the space behind, Germany is going to struggle with a trio of Thomas Mueller, Mario Gomez and Lukas Podolski.” SI

Euro 2012: Mario Gomez goal gives Germany victory over Portugal
“It took a long time coming but there was a sense of inevitability that Germany would eventually wear Portugal down. Their slow, methodical approach had failed to deliver reward and Mario Gomez was close to being withdrawn when one more patient buildup yielded a precious goal for the Bayern Munich striker and the breakthrough Germany so badly needed. Miroslav Klose, who was ready to replace Gomez, returned to the bench and Germany’s Euro 2012 campaign was up and running.” Guardian

Russia 4-1 Czech Republic: Russia’s Zenit-style counter-attacking exposes Czech weaknesses

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Roman Shirokov
“Russia made a terrific start to their Euro 2012 campaign with a high quality counter-attacking performance. Dick Advocaat named his expected side – a 4-3-3 system, with Vyacheslav Malafeev in goal. Michel Bilek’s side featured one alteration from the expected XI – Michal Kadlec moved to the left, where he frequently played during qualification, which meant Roman Hubnik playing at centre-back, and no place for David Limbersky. Russia were simply the better side throughout the game – more organised defensively, and showcasing much more penetration going forward.” Zonsl Marking

Russia too strong for Czechs
“Andrei Arshavin frustrated Arsenal fans this season, but he remains a joy in interviews. Call him a thoughtful, philosophical chap. Here was more proof as Arshavin discussed Russia’s mindset. ‘To put it simply, what lies in the Russian character, and why someone might consider us a dark horse, is that we can lose against every team and we can win against every team,’ he told UEFA.com.” ESPN (Video)

Three thoughts from Russia’s 4-1 victory over the Czech Republic
“1. Russia is excitingly fluid. The potential was always there. This is a Russian side that has been together for a long time. All of the starting XI apart from Alan Dzagoev either played at Euro 2008 or would have played if not for injury or withdrawal. Six of the starting outfielders also play for Zenit St Petersburg, providing Russia with a greater mutual understanding than just about any side at the European Championship. On Friday, that chemistry paid off: With Aleksandr Kerzhakov’s natural inclination to drop deep and operate almost as a false nine, Andrei Arshavin and Dzagoev’s cutting in from the flanks and Aleksandr Anyukov and Yuri Zhirkov overlapping from full back, Russia was superbly fluent.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Poland 1-1 Greece: Poland start brilliantly but Greece adjust admirably after red card

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“One goal each, one red card each, and one point each in an entertaining opening game of Euro 2012. Poland went with their expected side – there were no real debates to be settled in the starting line-up, and Franciszek Smuda used his usual structured yet energetic 4-2-3-1 system. Fernando Santos had two major decisions to make. The first was in goal, where Kostas Chalkias was chosen from Greece’s three distinctly average goalkeepers. The second choice was on the right of the front three, where Sotiris Ninis started over Dimitris Salpingidis. This was a game of three phases: 11 v 11, 11 v 10, 10 v 10. Both sides looked in a commanding position at one stage, but a draw was a fair result.” Zonal Marking

Greece, Poland play to 1-1 draw in opening match of Euro 2012
“Greece missed its chance for a stunning comeback victory, botching a penalty kick, then hanging on for a 1-1 draw with co-host Poland in the opening match of the European Championship on Friday. Both teams had players expelled, including Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.” SI

Dimitris Salpingidis the savior
“As Dimitris Salpingidis stood in the mixed zone, the grin on his face was akin to that of a burglar who had just made off with the heist of a lifetime. Indeed, in his back pocket he not only held the hopes of his suffering countrymen back home in Greece, but those of a Polish nation desperate to start off its hosting of Euro 2012 in style. That Poland was forced to settle for a 1-1 draw was in no small part because of his efforts.” ESPN

Euro 2012: England humbled by Auschwitz pain and misery as Wayne Rooney vows it will never be forgotten

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“Wayne Rooney and the England players kept coming back to the same photograph, the image of the SS doctor, Heinz Thilo, standing on the ramp at Birkenau and signalling whether the distressed, disorientated souls stumbling from railway wagons would work or go straight to the gas chambers.” Telegraph – Henry Winter

The Reducer: The Big Stories at Euro 2012

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Ronaldo
“Euro 2012 kicks off Friday at National Stadium in Warsaw. The producers of the Turin Olympics opening ceremony are in charge of the festivities in Poland, and it has been reported that the tournament will be inaugurated, musically, with a performance of Frédéric Chopin’s Etude in A Minor.” Grantland (YouTube)

Why You Should Root for Denmark in Euro 2012

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“International football tournaments follow a fairly predictable script. The two most predictable scenes, after England failing to live up to the hype and the Dutch being eliminated on penalties, are the precocious young player who impresses and the small country that captures the hearts and minds of casual fans. When Euro 2012 kicks off this weekend in Poland and Ukraine, those looking for an underdog to support and a young player to discover need not look any further than Denmark and their young star Christian Eriksen. There are many reasons to support both.” Grantland (Video)

Gavin Hamilton Euro 2012 diary: Warsaw, June 8

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“Welcome to Warsaw! Euro 2012 is slowly cranking into life after yesterday’s bank holiday in the Polish capital; victory for the hosts over Greece in this evening’s match may be the tonic the tournament needs to capture the imagination of the Polish people.” World Soccer

12 Potential Stars for Euro 2012

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Luuk de Jong
“A glance at the odds provided by European bookmakers for who will be named player of the tournament at Euro 2012 offers something of an insight into who fans are likely to be lauding when the event ends in Kiev on July 1. Cristiano Ronaldo, Franck Ribéry, Mesut Özil, Robin Van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Xavi. They are the elite of the elite, and they’re all listed.” NYT (Video)

The Luka Modric mystique

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“Luka Modric is an unusual footballer. The Croatian midfielder, who plays his club football in the Premier League for Tottenham Hotspur, is the strangest of players: a star who doesn’t seem to shine. For the first few minutes that you watch Modric in action, it’s difficult to work out exactly what he does. He gets the ball and gives it to someone else who promptly runs off and does something much more exciting with it. Then he runs — but not very fast. And look — now look at him. He’s standing still. And he’s raising his arms in triumph.” ESPN

Euro 2012 preview: France

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“Whatever happens at this tournament, Euro 2012 will be an improvement on the sheer embarrassment of World Cup 2010 for France. The off-field problems meant it was almost impossible to determine how good a side France could have been, and therefore it’s difficult to judge how well Laurent Blanc has performed. But then, repairing the morale of the squad was key, and Blanc seems to have handled that well; his side are now on a 22-match unbeaten run.” Zonal Marking

Euro 2012 preview: Ukraine
“It’s difficult to make a case for Ukraine performing well at this competition. They have home advantage, of course (they wouldn’t be here otherwise) but in the long-term they’ve had four coaches in four years, and in the short-term their squad has been suffering from food poisoning, which has hampered pre-tournament preparations.” Zonal Marking

Euro 2012 previews: general themes

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Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Arjen Robbe
“Team-by-team previews are on their way later today. But, to save repetition in many articles, here are some general themes based upon recent international tournaments…” Zonal Marking

Euro 2012 preview: Holland
“After a reputation for playing beautiful football was undermined by Holland’s brutal performance in the 2010 World Cup final, Holland’s strategy in the past two years has been an interesting balancing act – Bert van Marwijk wants to look as if he’s moved on to a more open style of football, but remains reluctant to abandon the structure and functionality that took Holland to the World Cup final in the first place.” Zonal Marking

Euro 2012 preview: Spain
“Spain didn’t win World Cup 2010 through pure tiki-taka. They won because they mixed tiki-taka with different options that brought more directness and urgency to their play.” Zonal Marking

Euro 2012 preview: Germany
“They didn’t win the competition, but Germany hit the greatest heights at World Cup 2010. While Spain embarked on a series of controlled but rather uninspiring 1-0 victories, Germany hit four goals past Australia, England and Argentina.” Zonal Marking

Euro 2012 preview: Czech Republic
“Michal Bilek hasn’t been particularly popular during his time as Czech Republic coach, but he has assembled a well-organised, functional side that mixes experience with youth.” Zonal Marking

Euro 2012 preview: Greece
“Greece aren’t overwhelmingly different from the team that shocked Europe to win Euro 2004. They’re not as extreme in their negativity, and not as effective, but are still broadly defensive and their main threat will come from set-pieces.” Zonal Marking

Euro 2012 preview: Italy
“In many ways, Cesare Prandelli isn’t a typical Italian coach. He’s a highly intelligent man, but one doesn’t think of him as a pure tactician like Marcello Lippi, Giovanni Trapattoni or Fabio Capello. He’s of an Arsene Wenger figure – he wants an overall, attacking philosophy rather than lots of specific tactics, and likes developing young players to suit his footballing identity.” Zonal Marking

Euro 2012 preview: England
“Roy Hodgson was the right choice as England coach – at least in the short-term – but realistically, you can’t expect a side to play good football when their coach is appointed a month before the tournament.” Zonal Marking

Euro 2012 preview: Croatia
“Of the 16 teams in this competition, Croatia are one of the hardest to define. They seem trapped between a few different ways of playing, and don’t have a specific footballing identity.” Zonal Marking

Euro 2012 preview: Sweden
“For the first time since World Cup 1994, Sweden are at a major international tournament without Lars Lagerback. Now in charge of Iceland, Lagerback was at the helm for so long (first as a joint-coach with Tommy Soderberg, then in sole charge) that his footballing style -organised, defensive – became merged with Sweden’s footballing style, to the point where it was difficult to tell the difference between the two, at least to an outsider.” Zonal Marking

Euro 2012 preview: Denmark
“It’s impossible to think of Denmark at the European Championships without thinking of their astonishing victory 20 years ago. Then, they triumphed at Euro 92 despite not qualifying for the tournament initially…yet they’re even more of outsiders this time around.” Zonal Marking

Euro 2012 preview: Russia
“There are many lessons to take from Spain’s dominance of international football over the past few years, and an important one has been the importance of bringing a solid club connection to international level.” Zonal Marking

Euro 2012 preview: Ireland
“It is a decade since Ireland last qualified for a major international tournament, and the three biggest stars from the 2002 World Cup will represent Ireland again here – Shay Given in goal, Damien Duff on the wing and Robbie Keane upfront.” Zonal Marking

Euro 2012 preview: Portugal
“Such is their habit for producing a certain type of footballer, it rather feels like we’ve encountered a Portugal side with these strengths and weaknesses many times before.” Zonal Marking

Euro 2012 preview: Poland
“Poland come into this tournament with the lowest world ranking of the 16 competitors, but they are certainly not the weakest side in the competition.” Zonal Marking

The Question: Does 4-4-2 work for England?

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“‘In 1966, English football changed forever. Alf Ramsey led his wingless wonders to the World Cup and Allen Wade sat down to start writing the FA Guide to Training and Coaching, a book that, published the following year, became a Bible to a generations of coaches. Wade’s thinking chimed with that of Ramsey, whose success legitimised an approach that might otherwise have been thought of as overly negative.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Euro 2012: France – an animated history – video

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“James Richardson rounds off our series of potted animated international football histories with France, all the way from early humblings at home to old rivals England and through to their three truly great teams, via dominance in their own back jardin. You can watch the Germany, Italy, Republic of Ireland, Spain and England animated histories too” Guardian – James Richardson (Video)

Tactics: What can we expect at Euro 2012?

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“A goal-rich European football season suggests Euro 2012 could be a high-scoring tournament, despite the likely preponderance of apparently conservative single-striker formations. The 2011-12 campaign was one of the most prolific in the modern history of the European game. Barcelona and Real Madrid both smashed through the 100-goal barrier in La Liga, the Catalans amassing 114 goals and champions Madrid plundering 121 to obliterate the 107-goal season record set by John Toshack’s Madrid side in 1989-90.” Football Further

Liverpool FC – An Alternative Lesson From History

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“The UK’s wartime leader undoubtedly had many virtues, but an interest in football was never amongst them. Nonetheless, however unintentionally, his above quote accurately summarises the current position of Liverpool FC, because if ever a football club has reason to be proud of its history and traditions, it’s Liverpool. At the same time, if ever a football club was at risk of that same tradition becoming an unintended euphemism for inertia and underachievement, it’s also Liverpool. Churchill is perceptive in his counselling that the past is there to be respected but should not be allowed to dictate the present.” Tomkins Times

Icelandic Football – Far From Crisis

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“With a population smaller than Leicester, one can acknowledge with respect why Iceland have never featured in a major international tournament. Since their first official international match in 1946 against Denmark (a 3 – 0 victory), the minnow nation has reached a high of 37 in the FIFA rankings in 1994 and has produced some impressive players over the years. With the Úrvalsdeild, or Icelandic Premier League to us, only attracting an average of 1,205 during the regular season which runs over the spring and summer months due to the harsh Icelandic winters, it is hardly a European heavy-weight.” In Bed With Maradona

Once a fan favorite, Franck Ribery seeks redemption in Euro 2012

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“Like all the best rags-to-riches stories, this one has a twist. In fact, Franck Ribery’s story dovetails nicely with that of the France national team: both were loved and supported after reaching the 2006 World Cup final, and both were vilified following the strike threat in protest of Nicolas Anelka’s exclusion from the squad four years later. Neither has been completely forgiven, but Euro 2012 offers the perfect opportunity for redemption.” SI

Euro 2012 Preview: Ukraine

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“Co-host Ukraine’s preparations for the tournament have been chaotic. Myron Markevych was forced to re-sign as coach in 2010 following a bribery scandal at Metalist Kharkiv, the club he continued to manage while running the national team. He had overseen four friendlies, three wins and one draw, and the sense until his departure was that everything was steadily improving. He was replaced by Yuri Kalitvintsev, who led the Under-19 side to the European Championship in 2009, but in seven months as caretaker, Ukraine won just one of eight matches. So it was Oleh Blokhin, the former star of Valeriy Lobanovskyi’s Dynamo Kiev side, who took charge.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Panorama In Poland & Ukraine – A Polish Perspective

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“With just a week to go before the start of the 2012 European Championships, the BBC stands accused of spreading alarmism over concerns regarding crowd trouble and racism at this summers tournament. Patryk Malinski felt that there was plenty left to be desired in this particulate programme.” twohundredpercent

Poland, Panorama and progress
“I’ve been in the stadium when it’s happened. I have witnessed as my club gets hammered by their fierce rivals, losing five goals on the way down to the third division. The news have broken up pretty quickly on the stands, soon everybody knew. Something had happened, indeed. Just on the street leading to the stadium, two huge groups, two armies of hooligans have clashed. Later it was announced that police arrested almost 230 football hooligans. One person died.” The Football Ramble