Chapter 41 Group D

Chapter 41 Group D

The four teams in Group D are England, France, Ukraine and Sweden. The format is basically the same as Group C. The key to who can qualify is to see who is better between the strong team and the dark horse.

The favorite to appear in this group is England, but the England team in this European Cup can be summarized with two "bests", with the least superstar players and the most ordinary coach.

The Three Lions lack Beckham, Owen, Ferdinand and other international superstars who were enough to attract fans in the past competitions. They will even lack top star Rooney in the first two games. Even Wilshere, the darling of the new generation, is not in the team.

At the same time, former superstars such as Lampard, Gerrard and Terry have gradually aged and are no longer as beautiful as they were in the past. Even their wives are not as gorgeous as they used to be. The Spice Girls, Cheryl and other socialites have all disappeared. At the same time, the leader of this group of "lions" is only the old coach Hodgson. Regardless of his reputation on and off the court, it is impossible to compare with Eriksson and Capello in the past.

After Capello resigned as England coach due to disagreements with the Football Association, Redknapp was the top favorite to succeed him, but in the end Redknapp stayed at Tottenham and West Brom's Hodgson became the new England coach. .

This appointment is somewhat unexpected, but quite reasonable. Judging from Hodgson's qualifications, he is suitable for coaching mid-range teams, but not good at leading giants, because he is good at using limited resources, and now England needs his pragmatic approach. Law.

Hodgson has never led a famous national team, and his record at club giants Inter Milan and Liverpool is also very unsatisfactory. However, he has a good record leading national teams such as Switzerland and Finland.

The teams led by Hodgson are usually based on solid defense, which has a lot to do with the fact that he was a defender when he played. The decision of the Football Association to hire Hodgson was evaluated by the British media as a move that angered many English fans. As if to remind people that the England national team is an outsider in the elite ranks of national teams.

But the true status of the England national team is indeed like this. If they can clearly understand their position under the leadership of Hodgson and adopt appropriate tactics realistically, they may achieve good results under the leadership of a coach who is "a surprise".

Although he is not well-known, Hodgson has achieved very good results since he led England. Judging from the roster of this European Cup, the lineup he chose is also "balanced", with both experienced players and young rookies. Each position is equipped with more than two personnel, and the candidates for most positions are not much different from outside predictions.

Excluding superstars such as Beckham, Owen and Hargreaves who have long been away from England's lineup due to age and injuries, the biggest undrafted star in Hodgson's European Cup roster is undoubtedly Rio Ferdinand. In the choice between Ferdinand and Terry, Hodgson voted for the Chelsea captain, and Leo had no choice but to miss the competition for the third time.

Arsenal midfielder Wilshere was originally destined to be selected as the England international. However, a serious knee injury made this young genius absent. He sat out the entire last season and just underwent surgery. Naturally, he also missed the European Cup. This should have been a great stage for him to showcase himself.

In addition to Rio Ferdinand and Wilshere, Manchester United's Carrick and Smalling, Manchester City's Richards, Chelsea's Sturridge, Stoke City's Crouch, Tottenham's Lennon, Ke Paul Walker and Villa's Darren Bent were also not selected. The reasons for not being selected can be divided into four categories: voluntary staying away, being forced due to injury, poor condition and positional reasons.

In addition to the large number of stars who were not selected, the biggest problem is England's leading star Rooney. Rooney was suspended in the first two rounds of the group stage. However, the generally accepted view is that if England wants to achieve good results, it must rely on Rooney.

Even if he was suspended for two games, almost no one in England called for abandoning Xiaopang, which is enough to explain everything. Rooney really became famous at the 2004 European Cup. England had a smooth journey with him that year. When he was injured, The Three Lions were eliminated on the spot.

However, Rooney was unable to play in the first two rounds of the group stage. England needs new forwards to charge for them. Judging from the current situation, Liverpool forward Andy Carroll, who was once likely to lose the selection, is most likely to take on this responsibility. If England's defensive counterattack relies on long passes or crosses to attack opponents, Carroll can play a big role.

Another thing worth paying attention to is Gerrard, who is the captain of this England team. Gerrard not only shoulders the important task of leading the team, but also is responsible for controlling the midfield. His partner is likely to be Parker, who is responsible for the transfer. Therefore, The Liverpool star's offensive tasks are even heavier.

Gerrard is England's most experienced international player in the European Cup. He is one of the few players to have participated in the 2000 European Cup and has scored goals in the past two World Cups.

The goalkeeper problem will also be solved in this World Cup. Since David Seaman retired, England has not had a reliable goalkeeper until Joe Hart appeared. The 25-year-old Manchester City goalkeeper is important for the team to defeat Manchester United and win the Premier League. The hero has firmly occupied the number one position in England since 2010. If England enters the knockout stage, their tactics are likely to imitate Real Madrid in the "Galactico" era, relying on Hart to keep goal and Rooney to score goals.

In terms of overall tactics, regardless of the England team's player configuration or the habits of coach Hodgson, England in this European Cup is likely to come up with the most common killer trick in the Premier League of "two wings flying together plus one high and one fast striker".

The Three Lions are equipped with players who can play wingers such as Ashley Young, Theo Walcott, Downing, Chamberlain and Milner. There are various types of breakthrough, cross, inside and defensive forwards. On the top, there are high-end Carroll, fast Welbeck and Defoe, and Rooney who likes to retreat.

If everyone can play, England's main style of play is likely to be the traditional 442 formation, attacking from two wings, with Carroll and Rooney serving as forwards, and relying on Carroll's height to compete for the top, providing space for Rooney and Gerald Germany and other midfielders who came in later provided transportation tactics.

Historically, England's record in the European Cup has not been outstanding. They did not participate in the first European Cup held in France in 1960. In the 1964 European Cup in Spain, the England team failed to advance to the finals under the leadership of coach Ramsey. .

It was not until 1968 that England participated in the third European Cup held in Italy, and under the leadership of Ramsey achieved its best ranking in history - third place. However, the competition system that year was very simple, with only four teams participating in the finals. , England actually only played two games. They lost to Yugoslavia 0:1 and missed the final. In the third and fourth place finals, they defeated the Soviet Union 2:0 and won third place thanks to the goals of the famous Bobby Charlton and Hurst.

The 11th European Cup held in England in 1996 was another peak of England in the competition. With strong players such as Gascoigne, Shearer and Sheringham, they reached the semi-finals.

The Three Lions led by Venables encountered the powerful German team in the semi-finals. Shearer opened the scoring for England, and Kuntz later equalized. The two sides drew 1:1. In the final penalty shootout, Southgate missed a key penalty. On penalties, the Germans won 6:5 to advance to the final and win the championship. Because there was no decisive battle between the third and fourth places, England and France were tied for third.

In the 13th European Cup hosted by Portugal in 2004, Eriksson led the Three Lions with rising star Wayne Rooney. Although they lost to France 1:2 in the first game, they subsequently defeated Switzerland 3:0 and Croatia 4:2, finishing third in the group. Two advance to the knockout round.

In the quarter-finals, England faced Portugal again. Owen opened the scoring, but was tied by Postiga before the end of the game. In overtime, Costa scored first and Lampard tied, 2:2, again. In the penalty shootout, Beckham and Vassell missed penalty kicks, and England lost 5:6.

In the 14th European Cup co-organized by Switzerland and Austria in 2008, McLaren and his team lost to Croatia in the group stage and were eliminated, missing the European Cup finals for the sixth time.

In this European Cup, England won the lottery and was placed in Group D. The opponents in the same group were France, Sweden and Ukraine. In terms of odds, England was considered one of the four favorites.

In the eyes of fans and experts, England's prospects are by no means good. Since Rooney, the core, will miss the fierce battles with France and Sweden, it is hard to say what the outcome of the Three Lions will be. France has recovered recently, and Sweden has always had a dominant record against England. Excellent, and Ukraine is the host. The Three Lions are not easy to deal with in the three games. However, as long as they perform normally, England's qualifying from the group should not be a big problem, but if they want to enter the finals or even win the championship, they may be overthinking it.

In Group D, the French team is similar in strength to the England team. Former French captain Blanc replaced the retired Domenech after the 2010 World Cup and became the coach of the French national team.

Blanc's first national team roster after taking office actually excluded all 23 players from the World Cup in South Africa, which shows his extraordinary courage.

Relying on its iron-fisted rule, although the French team struggled in the previous qualifiers, they finally advanced to the main game of the European Cup as the group leader.

After this European Cup, Blanc is very likely to step down as coach of the national team and return to club coaching. Therefore, he will do his best to help the Gallic Roosters go further.

In terms of the team's lineup, in terms of goalkeeper position, the main goalkeeper should be Lloris. After Frey withdrew from the national team, he firmly occupied the main position.

Manchester United veteran Evra is on the back line. He is still expected to win the competition with Manchester City full-back Clichy for the main left gate. As for the right wing, the 32-year-old veteran Revier will compete with Lille's Debuchy for the main spot. Position, and due to the absence of Abidal and Kaboul, if nothing unexpected happens, Mexes and Lamy will be the first choice in the middle of the defense, and Arsenal's Koscielny will be their substitute.

In terms of midfield, the oldest players are undoubtedly Malouda and Franck Ribery, and these two veterans who have played more than 55 times for the national team are also expected to occupy the left and right winger positions of the French team. Of course, Sochaux's junior Marvin Martin And Valbuena in Marseille is also very competitive. The double defensive midfielder will be formed between Diarra, Mwila, Matuidi and Cabaye, and the main attacking midfielder is very likely to be occupied by Nasri.

As for the striker, as the only two pure centers on the list, Benzema and Giroud will take on the important task of scoring goals. Real Madrid's striker has performed very well on all fronts this season. Together with Golden Mauro and Higuain, The forward partner is invincible, and he has become the player that the French team relies on most in this European Cup. Montpellier's Giroud is the top scorer in Ligue 1 this season. With a height of 192cm and good jumping and heading skills, he is expected to become a heavy battering ram when the team cannot open the situation.

The core of the team is naturally Franck Ribery, a world-class winger who has made a significant comeback this season, with the number of goals and assists reaching new highs in recent seasons.

Benzema will take on the important task of attacking for the team. Benzema, who became famous at a young age, has played 43 times for the French national team and has become an absolute veteran player in the team. He has performed well in Real Madrid this season. Will be the French team's number one attacker in the European Cup.

Lloris, who plays for Lyon, is the best goalkeeper to emerge from the French national team after Barthes and Frey. The new captain of the French national team has strong reactions and one-on-one ability. Can the Gallic Roosters win in Europe? To go further in the cup, his high and low blocks will play a vital role.

In 1984, the French national team won the European Cup held in their home country and won the continental championship for the first time. In the three group stage games, France narrowly defeated Denmark 1:0, swept Belgium 5:0, and defeated the former Yugoslavia 3:2.

Platini scored seven of the team's nine goals. Although Portugal was forced into a desperate situation in the semifinals, Platini stepped forward again at the end of overtime and assisted his teammate Domergue to score. He also helped the team score the winning goal.

In the final, France's number one star once again opened the scoring for the team, leading the team to a 2-0 win over Spain. In that competition, Platini scored nine goals in five games, with an astonishingly high efficiency.

In 2000, the French team, which participated in the 1998 World Cup, only ranked second in the group stage and was defeated by the extremely powerful Netherlands 3:2 in the final game. However, the team defeated Spain, Portugal and Italy in the knockout stage, and finally won in Rotterdam wins the European Cup.

The reversal of Italy in the final is one of the most classic battles in the history of the European Cup. Wiltord, who came on as a substitute, pried off Toldo's fingers at the end of the game and took the game into overtime. A golden goal from substitute Trezeguet allowed the Gallic Rooster to beat the opponent.

In this cup, France is in Group D with its rival England, host Ukraine and Nordic powerhouse Sweden, and will face the Three Lions in the first game. However, the current French team has an ideal player configuration and considerable combat effectiveness, which is comparable to England. Compared with the competition, the strength is obviously better, and the overall strength of Ukraine and Sweden is also inferior to the Gallic Rooster. Therefore, if Blanc's team performs normally, it is entirely possible to break through to the top of the group and avoid Spain in the first round of the knockout round. , if you can successfully advance to the semi-finals, it will be considered as overfulfilling the task.

The Swedish team cannot be ignored in Group D. The team's coach Hamlen has quite a lot of coaching experience. As a Nordic expert, he was invited to the Swedish national team in 2009, although he failed to lead the team to the World Cup in South Africa. , he gained enough trust from the Football Association to finally bring Sweden back to the World Series two years later.

In terms of the team's lineup, although the core Ibrahimović is currently at his peak, the Swedish team has been particularly serious in recent years. Although veterans Mellberg, Svensson and others are experienced, they have long been out of power. Regain the courage of the past.

There is no doubt that Ibrahimovic is an indispensable banner figure. He became famous at a young age and is currently playing for AC Milan in Serie A. His performance this season is even more outstanding. In the national team, he has also contributed a lot Among the goals scored, the most impressive one was undoubtedly the one that scored the goal of Italy in the 2004 European Cup with the "scorpion tail swing" action.

Sweden's core midfielder Kjellström also became famous at a young age. He has represented the national team nearly a hundred times before he was 30 years old. Kjellström has delicate footwork, powerful shooting, and a unique free kick.

As early as 2001, when he was 19 years old, Kjellström began his international career. After landing in Ligue 1, with his amazing performance in Rennes, he quickly won the favor of league hegemon Lyon. Since joining Lyon for five years, Sherst has grown into a near-first-class midfielder in Europe.

In terms of tactics, Hamlen mostly adopts the 442 formation, short pass penetration combined with long pass rush. Set-pieces are also the offensive methods that the Swedish team relies on. There are many Kjellström, Larsson and Elm in the team. Such a master who is proficient in this.

On the front line, Ibrahimovic is the core of the tactics. He can not only destroy the city by himself, but also have the ability to organize the frontcourt attack. Elmand is another executor of the double center tactic, the opportunistic killer Ronaldo Sunberry is the most suitable super sub.

The Swedish team has many good players in the midfield position. Toivonen, who is good at passing and shooting, is likely to lock in the attacking midfielder position. The three midfielders behind him will be Kjellström, Elm, Larsson, Of the two, Svensson and Weinblum, Elm and Svensson are currently ranked higher. Of course, due to their close strength, it is possible who will start.

In the defense, West Brom captain Jonas Olsson will form a central defender combination with Mellberg. Antonsson and versatile Granqvist will serve as their substitutes. Martin Olsson will guard the left and right sides. and Lustig are two players who played in England. Behind the four defenders, Isaacson will guard the goal.

On the stage of the European Cup, the Swedish team, one of the traditional strong teams in European football, did not participate in the European Cup finals for the first time as the host until 1992. In that European Cup, the Swedes finally played They entered the semi-finals. At that time, they first drew with France in the group stage, and then won consecutive victories against the eventual champions Denmark and England. They emerged first in the group. They faced Germany in the semi-finals and were defeated by one goal. Baby. The face killer Brolin was the killer that emerged from the Swedish team in that cup. He scored three goals and was tied as the top scorer.

In this European Cup, the Swedish team did not have good luck in the group draw. It was placed in Group D with Ukraine, one of the hosts, and two old strong teams, England and France. If it wants to qualify from the group, it must win a team with similar strength to itself. Ukraine still needs to find ways to get points from the two strong players, Britain and France. Fortunately, they have a certain psychological advantage when facing England. Sweden has remained unbeaten against England in 43 years. Now England has experienced a coaching change and how many The absence of a famous general is the best opportunity for the Swedes.

The last team in Group D is the host Ukraine. As the host of this European Cup, Ukraine was directly shortlisted for the finals. Although it has world-class stars like Shevchenko, Ukraine's performance in the past ten years has been It's not good. Apart from reaching the 2006 World Cup finals, they have made no achievements before. At the same time, this is Ukraine's first time participating in the European Cup finals. Their goal for this competition is also very pragmatic, which is to try to qualify from the group.

Blokhin, who once led Ukraine to the top eight of the 2006 World Cup, returned to take charge of the team in 2011. Blokhin resigned because he failed to lead the team to qualify in the 2008 European Cup qualifiers. After him, Markovic and Kalit Ventse led the team and their results were not satisfactory. In the end, the Ukrainian Football Association invited Blokhin back. Blokhin is personally better at defensive counterattack tactics, but with the quality of the current Ukrainian defenders, I guess Bloxin will have to find another way.

This time, of the 23-man roster of the Ukrainian team, only two players, Tymoshchuk and Voronin, are playing for foreign clubs. The other players are mainly from the two domestic powerhouses, Shakhtar Donetsk and Dynamo Kiev.

From the perspective of the main lineup, Piatov will be the No. 1 goalkeeper, and there is not much suspense about the four players in the back line. Butko, Kuchel, Rakitsky, and Selin are lined up in a row, and the frontcourt is six players. Depending on the formation, people will consider single forward or double forward tactics. If a single forward is used, the team's number one star Shevchenko is likely to be sacrificed. Currently Milevsky is the number one candidate for the center position in the team, and the midfielder There are Yarmolenko and Konoplyanka worthy of attention, but the performance of the two attacking midfielders needs to rely on the performance of the double midfielders Tymoschuk and Rotan.

There is no doubt that Shevchenko has been the banner of Ukrainian football for the past ten years. However, as he grows older, Shevchenko's condition has declined seriously. But no matter what, Shevchenko is the team's leader. The spiritual core can encourage the young players in the team.

At present, Tymoshchuk's actual role in the national team has surpassed Shevchenko. As the only Ukrainian player playing for a wealthy club, Tymoshchuk controls the team's offensive and defensive rhythm. His performance is good or bad. It will directly determine Ukraine's results in this European Cup.