Euro 2012 - Finally Something Everyone in Europe Can Get Behind

Euro 2012 match play begins on June 8th of next year, so you have only 6 months to work yourself into a frenzy for the tournament! Even though Messi, Eto'o, and all those amazing Brazilian players won't play in this one, it's the closest thing to a World Cup without it being the actual World Cup, and that's good enough for me.

This is the first major soccer tournament awarded to a former Iron Curtain country since 1976 (Yugoslavia).

This year's games will be co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine, and - aside from potato futures - many are speculating about which teams will escape the group phase intact. Well, the group drawing happened yesterday, and here's how it played out.


Group A

Poland	Greece	Russia	Czech Republic

Group A happens to be the weakest of the bunch, but you never know what to expect in the Euro tournament. Just ask Greece, a team that won it all back in 2004 against all odds. They're basically the Minnesota Wild of European soccer: they scrounge for a goal or two, play great defense, and bore you out of your mind.
Player to watch: Giorgos Samaras, forward

While I hate to make too many NHL references, the Russian team is what you get if you morph Ilya Kovalchuk into a team of soccer players: lots of talent, impressive stats on paper, but never a winner. For that reason, I wouldn't be surprised to see them bounced, though they probably have the most talent in the group.
Player to watch: Andrey Arshavin, forward

I'll refrain from mentioning Jaromir Jagr when discussing the Czech Republic. What I will say is that they're a team that plays to their opponent. E.g. they lost only 2-1 to Spain in qualifying in March, but then they could only manage a 2-0 victory against innocuous Liechtenstein a bit later. This resulted in them barely qualifying, but being barely good will likely be good enough for this group.
Player to watch: Petr Cech, goalkeeper

Poland had little shot of making it out of the group stages, but with this draw they just might have a chance to make the home crowd proud.
Player to watch: Robert Lewandowski, forward


Group B

Netherlands	Denmark	Germany	Portugal

Welcome to Euro soccer hell, because this is the group of death. It's easy to just write off Denmark and say that these crazy Danes have no chance, but this team actually won their qualifying group (which included Portugal) and their defense may be second best in this group to Germany. If the group's big 3 underestimate this team, they'll be in trouble.
Player to watch: Christian Eriksen, midfielder

Portugal continues to claim the title of best team never to have won anything important. A talented side, they lack consistency, including embarrassing dry spells on offense, such as getting shutout three times in last year's World Cup. For all his talent, Cristiano Ronaldo will never be the best player in the world because he's incapable of galvanizing his team like other greats have.
Other player to watch: Nani, midfielder

Germany is perhaps the most dangerous team in the tournament, and my pick to meet Spain in the final. Unlike many talented teams (Portugal, France), these great players play together and make one another better. If you don't believe me, I'll point out their perfect 10-0-0 qualifying record, which led all teams.
Player to watch: Mesut Özil, midfielder

Lastly, the Netherlands are as talented as the Dutch are freakishly tall, but of late they've been suffering from Portuguese syndrome and providing lackluster performances in friendlies, including losses to Germany and Sweden, and a lackluster 1-0 win over Moldova. Offensively, Oranje has enough talent to challenge anyone, but a new back-line and poor chemistry could be their downfall.
Player to watch: Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, forward


Group C

Spain	Italy	Ireland	Croatia

Spain returns as the defending champs, and there's little reason to doubt that they are the favorites in this rendition as well. They went undefeated in qualifying with a +20 goal differential in 8 games, and it seems like there's no end to the stream of ridiculous prospects flowing through their system (Thiago Alcántara will be a beast). They've had a few speed bumps in recent friendlies, but second-guessing this team would be pure folly - they'll be ready by June.
Player to watch: Xavi Hernandez, midfielder

Defense is the name of the game for Italy. In 10 qualifying games they allowed just 2 goals. After finishing dead last in their group for the 2010 World Cup, new coach Cesare Prandelli threw out the veterans and brought in some fresh faces, which has resulted in stronger play of late. Two of their forwards have serious ailments and may not recover in time for the tournament, but Prandelli seems to have a knack for plugging in new players and leveraging their strengths.
Player to watch: Giorgio Chiellini, defender

You can recognize Croatia from its classic checkerboard uniforms, but soon you'll also associate them with an overachieving quality of play. They lack big name talent (just try pronouncing some of their names), but they play well as a unit, and they're riding high after a 3-0 road win in Turkey to help them secure entry into the group phase. This team could be a threat to Italy for advancement to round 2.
Player to watch: Luka Modrić, midfielder

Euro 2012 represents Ireland's first Euro since 1988, a drought that's almost as old as my sister. While I'd like to say that the fun times will keep rolling, let's just raise a pint of Guinness to celebrate their participation award.
Player to watch: Robbie Keane, forward


Group D

Ukraine	Sweden	France	England

Sweden is probably the least imposing team in Group D. Many know this team as "the one that Zlatan Ibrahimovic plays for," and you'll be lucky to find anyone who can name another player or two. Whoever they are, they did knock off the Netherlands once in qualifying, so maybe this squad will be able to make a name for itself.
Other player to watch: Sebastian Larsson, midfielder

England enters the tournament with the usual hype - and baggage, given their lack of recent success. They had a fortunate 1-0 win over Spain in a friendly on Nov. 12, and 3 days later edged group mate Sweden 1-0 on an own goal, so while the results are encouraging of late, they're not exactly earning clean wins. Furthermore, their goal differential in qualifying was a mere +12 over 8 games. Don't be surprised in the slightest if our Limey friends across the pond are crying into their lagers by mid-June.
Player to watch: Wayne Rooney, forward

If soccer was won or lost on pure talent, France would likely demolish this group, but they've lacked  the cohesiveness that Zinedine Zidane used to conjure with magic and head-butting sorcery. The 2010 World Cup was nothing short of an absolute embarrassment for the nation following elimination in the group stage, and "Les Bleus" took on new meaning. Under new coach Laurent Blanc, it seems that the infighting has abated, so while expectations aren't very high for France, they do have time to coalesce into a title threat by June.
Player to watch: Karim Benzema, forward

The other host will likely have a tougher go of it in Group D, but Ukraine certainly has an opportunity to advance. They're a team with nothing to lose that will probably overachieve with the crowd support. Star forward Andriy Shevchenko (of TDZ trivia fame) is 35, meaning that, age-wise, he's the Abe Vigoda of professional soccer, but all around him are scrappy, opportunistic players that have shown no fear for any opponent, including a 3-3 friendly tie against Germany on Nov. 11.
Other player to watch: Yaroslav Rakitskiy, defender


Lastly, it wouldn't be a TDZ soccer post without your (European-themed) Alex Morgan moment of zen.