SU rs ra el Soccer ‘an EVERY PLAYER PROFILED EVERY COACH , INTERVIEWED fn EVERYTEAM [iat ANALYSED 132 ESSENTIAL PAGES @ TACTICS @ EXPERT OPINIONS © 16 EXCLUSIVE PLAYER INTERVIEWSWorldSoccer Global football intelligence since 1960 CROATIA 08 Allover for Bil The national coach wil depart after Euro, no mater what pli interes vith Slaven Bic and Luke Mocric CZECH REPUBLIC 16 Bek’ new blend, Mx of debutant and star names could ge coach lst laugh plus interviews vith Micha! Biek and Petr Cac LUnderestmated Dares have new! generation emerging plus interviews with Morten Olsen and Thomas Sorensen 2 ENGLAND 30 Reality ites For once, England supporters ae realistic about ther teams chances, ius interview 36 Restoring national pre Les Beus ar to out 2010 nightmare behind them pls interviews vith Laurent Blane and Yohan Cabaye GERMANY 42 Bridesmaids no longer. Youngsters have what it takes to be winners tis time plus inter ews wt Jeachim Low and Mario Gormez GREECE 48 Anythingis possible The Greeks donot fe their group cpponents: ius inter ews vith Fernando Santos and Giorgos Karagouns| HOLLAND 54° Bert’s bia question Did Van Marva’ side peak atthe 2010 Word Cup? Phsimeriews wth the can and Robin Van Persie World Ry sta teal} or Pel Eerie) ay ITALY 62 Aworkin progress There are mace questions than ansiers forthe Azzur plus nerves th Cesare Pal and Gorgo Crt POLAND 68 Weight of exnectation Te pressure 0 1 full a nations dreary pls ners with Franciszek ‘Smuda and Robert Lezardowsli PORTUGAL 74 The Bento bounce New coach nas renvigerate the Euro 2004 runners-up; pls interviews with Paulo Bento and Nari REPUBLIC OF IRELAND 80. Helping hands “rap coud do with anther sie of luck lus interviews wth Gravann Trapatton’ and Robbie Keane RUSSIA 86 Same again? The 2008 runners-up ae in form once ‘more; pus interviews with Dick Adiocaat and Roman Pavivuchenko SPAIN 92 Favourites for a reason The Spanish sucess story seems set to run andi rur;plusinterviews wth Vicente Del Boscue ar Juan Mota SWEDEN 100 Over to.you, Zlatan. Ibrahimovic can bean inspiron, us interviews wth Enk Haren and Johan Eimander UKRAINE 106 Seeking a miracle Injuries and squads hamper the ‘co-hosts’ chances; pls interviews with (eg Biokhin ard Andy Shevchenko EURO 2012 SCHEDULE he "Sco a 180 The matches Who pays hen and where SAVE MONEY ON WorldSoccer Exclusive subscription offer. See page 98,aa INTRODUCTION esThe biggest show in town bide Ee eciTON Editor Ne 202 Op vi inte any Sera foal lors te bogest show lntomwbe the Eucpean Canons. Ne canons sate town than the td Cio While Word cup can vos un (peso sn etn Euepe one auth teste sgesttears =the hes of Spanancay, Hen and Germany, rence de nnd agant each arom be Cariy.in recent tes eve een beter cust lol atte Eos tn tte Word Cio a hooey, Eo 012 il orovde dame suchspectace, Tee hover m0 he corpetion ge pyc enon ravures Span wl eo Poand ne back fon emuring cst age snd Etro cmp re Rea Ma and ta tsp most pays the rr nonin Pemerebue payed att totem Auge Hayter bres Teothing troubles Whi the tournament should be remembered for events on the ptc, the problems of the ‘rst nals tobe helen eastern Europe cannot be ignored Al tournaments have teething ules, but those experienced by Euro 2012, paricuaty inthe Ukranian half of ‘he compettion, have been greater than at ry previous event This wil be a tournament of two halves, played across two Ome zones, with two currencies, two languages and vast physical worn socen 5eal INTRODUCTION ‘astances between the dfterent venues. The view tothe rons watching ‘on TV around the word wl be of wonderful new staciums. But away Irom the pitches, the picture may not be quite so rosy Huge doubts remain abou transport invrastructure and the aalablty and price of accommodation. Aone stage lst yee itooked a if Uraine may be stripped of host sats. UEFA eventual pulled back from the brink on that hfe, though president ‘Mice! Ptann recentiyconderines Usrainian hoteles as “baits and crooks" for vastly inflates prices for the duration ofthe tournament Plat, wha remains the favourite to succeed Sepp Blatter as FIFA president, has staked his personal reputation on the success of Euro 2012. Awarding the hosting nights to Ukraine and Poland ws politica payback forthe support he receved nhs presidential election campaign Large), Plat has been a force for ‘004 inthe European game, particularly with ris atternps to level the playing fold with rgulations for fnanca faplay among lbs. Yet the great ory of Ukrane' Euro 2012 preperations that much of the funding for the stadums and infastructure, notably in Kharkiv and Donetsk, has comme trom oligarchs whose weatth has distorted the domes footbal honzoa, Huge test One huge test which UEFA must not shirk over the course of Euro 2072 is racism Unfortunately, both hast nations have fans wth an unsavoury reputation for abusmg biack players. Europe's ‘governing body therefore has an ‘opportunity ta demonstrate ts determination to deal withthe problem, As thisspacal edition of World Soccer was gong to press, nevs ferrerged thatthe Football Assocation had approached Roy Hodgson wth a Bucnnsoxcee een vie to becoming England manager nti the 2014 Word Cup. A wise ‘choice, one chempinned in these pages fora numbor of years. Unfortunately, the appointment was too late to include ‘an interview wth Hodgson, tht wil follow next month along with further ‘analysis of his squad ur next issue is published inthe UK ‘onthe eve ofthe tournament. For thse ‘cuts the UK, who have to wart for their copy ofthe magazine to ative via the post, a digtalPad edtion is now _avatable onthe dy of UK pubication. Further detals are avatabie fom the ‘Apple Newsstand and aco, les an encitng development for Work Socer and | am especialy pleased ‘that subscribers to the magazine i be able to downoad the iPad ein frm Newsstand at ro estra cost. The Jul issue wil then feature ‘a complete review ofthe competion Inthe meantime, youcan flow events in Poland and Ukeane onine at England epproach. Hoan Togo drety tothe Workd Soccer st, Just scan the QR code using ary tree GR eader that canbe downloaded to your ‘smartphone. You can also go there by ‘cking onthe flowing ink snordsaceercom and via Twitter. Astor favourites, Span are the logical choice but no team has ever retained the European tee successive Intemational ies Newgnbours havea history of success in the Euros ~ Holland in West Germany fa 1988, Denmark in Sweden in 1992, France in Holand!Gelgium 2000 ~ suggesting Germany wil be contenders ‘Sima, Russa wll want to prove that they can go one beter than the semicirals of Euro 2008, wile Holland's performance vl go a eng way to ansnering the question of whether the current generation peaked atthe 2010 World Cup Final France and Portugal have players wh have excelled in the Chompions League this season ~ Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid, Franck Riery for Bayern ~ while Poland and Ukraine vit want to avo the fate of co-hosts Austria and Switzerland four years ago. Whoeter you think can wn the tournament, his guide wil provide you th al the information and analyss youll need to argue your case Enjoy the touraenth| | | | | | | | | < 5 ae &== CROATIA Allover for Bilic Coach will depart after tournament, whatever happens ZDRAVKO REIC in Split Bose vathe play-offs, Croatia achioed ther major am, Anyiing more in Poland and Ucrane willbe 3 borus for 2 county which has now missed out on only wo finals: Euro 2000 and the 2010 Werld Cup. Fans in Croatia are realise about thet chances in atough group, even coach Slaven Bic beleves his team are capable of upsetting ‘avourtes Spin and Ita Everything wil depend on the rst match against the Republic of rland, Victory there wil give the team a boost n the second game agains Italy, who have not beaten Croatia since independence. lic needs al the players who staredin the qualifying campaign to be ft and aot vl depend on Luka Mor’ mood. Hes the fone who creates and organises everything. A second key figure fsrke ca Oi, scorer of Some crucal goals, who wil retire from the national team afer tre tournament. Blics biggest problem is the defence. A lack fof pace at the back means Croatia canna pay an attacking game, but instead wat to pay on the counterattack ff the itch the team could be hampered by evens inter domestic game. a adtion to the problems facing the Croatian league, where several dubs ae sirugging to stayin business, there's a leadership battle at he Croatian Football Federation (CFF) where president ‘Viatko Markov s under attack amid accusations of coruption. In ts context, the national teams performances have provided aray of sunshine amid the loom, However, despite the success wa §0-1 TO WIN EURO 2012 Zw 10.06.12 Republi of elnd Poman Pe) 14.0612 aly Paxman Fl) E0612 Spain Gdansk Pod being prepared, prompted by new sports minster Zejko Jovanowe who has promised to “ran the soccer swamp" With Bii’s main supporters ~ present Markouc and secretary orsiv Srebric~ st to depart, he wl f0Db) ack his bags aswel ‘ne fn sign of the decining fortunes of the national side ae the fans, who hove {allowed the team in great numbers inthe past but are unltely robe in Poland, Although party ‘due tothe recession, it la reflects hale pessimism about thelr teams chances. ws ‘of qualifying for Euro 2012, Bic has been heal crisd by the Croation media and ‘Bub. Bare forthe faire to qualy forthe 2010 Word Cup was placed irmiy on is Shoulders, with accusations that hes too feiendy with the payors Ita argued that *Nane’ 3s Bucs caked by his friends no ‘oages ha any authority withthe players. When Croatia pulled off a biiant 3-0 victory in btanbul against Turkey nthe frstleg (ofthe play-offs, many sections of the media ‘ned to dam thata group of oder players had picked the team. That was plainly not the case and Bic deserved most credit for Croatia's place at Euro 2012, There had been calls for his head folowing 2 1-0 ossin Tots to Georgia and a defeat by Greece, However, CFF leacers ~ ncluding tne key feu of Zatavko Mami from Dinarno ageb ~ were unable to find an avalabie replacement at short natice so Bc survive. Last chance of success GROUP F ‘Te coach now faces the challenge of 080010 Latvia) 20 ‘matvating 2 group of players who, withthe 070810 Greece) oo ‘exception of thse at Dinara, are all wth (1010 Ivel te) 2 foreign lias and appear to nave lastinterestin IT LL10 Malt () 30 the national side. Sic key players are aged over 2603.11 Gunga) oO 30, induding Josip Simuric who, ike Olc,'s 080811 Georgia) 2 Ialy to rere rom the ntematonal scene 203.1 Mata) HL after Euro 2012. Onthe other hand, the older 0609.11 Il (h). 4 players coud be mativated by thir lastchance OT1011__Gese (a) 02 ofnternationel success. M101 tate thy 2 Bilis ago athe end of his te withthe rnatona team, even though he has not made an PwOL FA pm fico announcement A purgeotthe CFF is Gece = «1073 «0S Cmiia 107 «1 2 87 boot = 105 1 4 18 6 Wa 9 32 59 2 Goa 102 4 4 7 8 10 wie 00 1 9k Pay ALA wey( w ISL Tukey) 0 Catia il be tava athe tel SilankanWarka, wich is 3 miles uth of Worn nding te ae Tinng Gree Siena inthe 790212 Sweten th ey ‘rand ofthe ote 250512 Eston) (206.12 way)Goer. CROATIA/ INTERVIEWS Slaven Bilic 441'm being trampled on by the media but I'm proud of what I've achieved with the national team 7? How do you rate your group? W's very tough but we have a chance to each the last eight. not|ust saying thot is the realy, In any case although itil be dul also 2 Brilege to play against current world and European champions Spain and Italy, who have been the best inthe world four tenes But Croatia, compared to Spain and Italy, will still be outsiders. Itis tue, Spain are the nol fevourtes, bout ye have to see how things unfold. 1 Delve we can beat Irelandin the rst game, in which case everything wil ‘pen up. I beleve that we can stand and fight on an equal footing with italy. My memories aganst te Azzurri are Positive. When took over this team out frstiest wes against tly, who were fresh trom becoming world champions in Germany, With a completely new team set-up we won in Lorn | know it was.atrenly match, but remind you that aly have never beaten us You're leaving after the finals. How do you assess your time in charge? We missed our great opportunity in 2008, when wo were rather unfortunate elrinated by Turkey Me Just hadno luck Infact, we've never enjojed any luck ~ inthe qualifier for South Africa, and now inthe qualtying ce fer Euro 2072. Everything we have achieved hes been through our ‘qual, We've stood upto the strongest teams, but we must be concentrated and have a compete squad. which means no ines, Is therea problem with Luka Modric’s condition? He looks worn out. Medric sour main player. We'l have to refresh nim, e'l train under a spec programene. Bu there i no problem, hes aways motivated. He's that spec sort who wants to always prove hiselt 1am gad [Vecran] Conuka nas changed cub and immediate adapted tothe Bundesiga 1am also happy for INikical Jelovie,he'smade great progress in his career, rom Spit to Belgum, Austr, Scotland and now othe Prerer League with Everton Some people claim you have last your authority, that you're too friendly with the players... YO wren soccer Hiseounty's second lone Serving coach behind Miroslav Blazevie's 73 sass ~ Bile has vornere anes TE thananyoeelse. 58 40 13 No ay. The moment eit thatthe players were losing confidence in me, ‘even fo a singe percent, I would have left. have seen thei loyalty so many ‘times, especayatcritcal moments «uring the Euro 2012 qualifiers. Earlier in the season Eduardo was ‘unhappy with his place on the bench. How are things now? Duds goals make hen very important for the tem, s0 made an effort nd ent te ws him in Donetsk and we eared upal the concerns. Eduardo is like any othe player-ra matte how sigibcant he, or regardless of his ‘chievernents the past he has to know that we are guided excel by ‘the Interests ofthe team as 2 whole You've gone from being voted Croatian of the year in 2007 to boeing attacked in the media. How does that feel? Iedoesn't matte tome that Ym being ‘tamed by the media, even hula, but my famiy has found ithard to cope with sucha lynching. Lhope the media vil have 2 better outlook by the strt of ‘the European Championship. havent ‘changed in the slightest. Today. Lam surely a beter caach than in 2006 when I started, We've had our crs th ‘results, s0 dssatsaction was logical, but Unavent asked, and dint get, any specl treatment. accept my tesponsibities at all tes, Ive never looked for excuses |When you took over you introduced alot of young players who are now much more experienced. But results have been inconsistent... Inrecent years, Croatia has aiays been among the top 10 inthe FIFA rankings That hasta be proof ofthe value of our team. And when you look generally at ‘ur society, and wnen you know that Croatia has a population of only 45 iii, and that our domes league ‘weak, then you can understand my ride ‘tha the national ear sso Nighy ranked Interview by Zadravko ReeGoer. CROATIA/ INTERVIEWS Batig on arches Se cruel After that we vl Be ooiang for pulse ennai 2 place in the quarter-finals, crore’ Last summer there was talk about you leaving Tottenham. The oniy thing that couid encourage me to leave is my ambition, not money I the ‘money was the reason then | wouktve ‘ready accepted the offer of chairman [Daniel] Levy. Iwas hoping ths season we would ina trop, the FA Cup, but welostto Chelsea, Some people blamed me butlve never shirked my sponsilities. However the pressure is great and| feel it especialy when | lay far the rational team, Inthe trendy aganst Sweden, in Zagreb, for the frst time lexperienced what’ tke to be whistled ot It bothered me Even when | ont play welt ight, never noid back. So when a player i stugging, especialy when he's trying his hardest for he team ti nae nice to nen the bee. We lost that game 3-1, We a knew we played poory but t happens. Luka Modric octane &6 Bilic’s contribution to the team is huge and each one anthem. Germany ardHolnd wi be Up there hope We can be rk aes, ofus should be grateful to him? ‘and another surprise team might be Derma Mestinportant, expect Slaven Bites inno doubethat you —_chonnonstinsAndourrn ot bre competion toe open mse lb Croats key player at Eure. spperancrs ance 1986, ns tno weil se very aac ota 2012 andastaraf the tournament. exceslons|Evo 2000 ants 2010 Interview by Zev Ree Mow vil that affect your future? Wot isl rely aang The Va decéeaboutry fae ater the Crostan dome lesgue weak and i Euros, More precisely, will make my it's a wonder that we even have a team = ER a dectionwreretoconteus why that hasbeen among te tap 100 12 Corea mea for Bots vant he wai or some years a “he team lay sony. We am at we contol te toorove together wih th heb ot tans, thal we tave possesion oh bal bal respeaig ty tear-mox ht Casinos the lle has eam under much rtm. kot spa possession ote mach aa he at Dotetstoresch te quater nas, Mow has hat affected you? For thse esans edo stan a chance spit aly nd Shdthen wel see B's contibaon othe ean Suge espa ats San, ang Grail aes Best ndeaciovectussvoudbe vate ago aos thal offers. tar, ik tat Setoreyousignedfor Tottenham tofu tatwe are there Hes the chemin besten ln urape ie seaay an excelent Motspur your career wasnotan” that lped sre goveusopparures_aehlevenen fo sch a smal co tasyone,Howhaveyou survived txharce oor caters An be don Somers Sparse Rove ay sot paper the ups and downs? 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Spotl proceed tote neste, {ply ota nape at gooey Wel he aos cat ay sr targa i pas heathwltfowmesotcan vie, tine, the pachlogca sense, tthe Weston’ ta dapat i at ag cugh ish tee tena ave led te ln Pols we How big an achievement was wat aats ts thre, Gi aso krovs shay he undo rth ra Wal Gigli qualifying tor Euro 20122 wel ks trpeate town tatgone lt Talim hat il taker of tat regarces f he ‘re qlieatonecaige nas very We d,thngs re suaden ferent fata he team vile lefty osu es nthe nest nardtorus all fet Crovink seemed Smareaaic man aso tnow hatin quaigiagcyse De ever had got sed tt foobal he vores do notary wn, fotet io, eterno auolfyrgter te tnosoftnemajor Thats eur mate agonst ad Ra worn soccerea CROATIA SQUAD 3 GOALKEEPERS. — ls »: : Slaven BILIC ® tach ste ay 2006 Catsomenmastre se Cy) : . 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Duimavie shields the defence (arole es oso) fxs ico ao tage Sear: age eme0 gat i sang Gcinledeocn saxty Gack gibauro mae Sngtechercceoune, fuendodaba onsite fonfoeleewcernare” Gn iepsen Feb 2 {Bi ser orspngia mate he Pima Spero ie) Gee gmt! gov Secreto mae fahevacaned atc UGACipymn Sharm 3u08 ty om Cone cen (acWadinedlody seniferwediomaee hersunt sce Fess Beccenyalmstrn Senerd IgcunonSomesrene, gest ircpevoraheatcanio”” acd ennecs Secaeayanen sen fees 739524(1003:8) Saat (Qe 8 gamev0 goats Rowen boken ote ‘ge 30(010582) Sar Oot a) ORO gare IEE Pre poner asta nentre Exmoor MIDFIELDERS Milan BADELJ ge 23125 02.89) are eos Sronmeart on abo ‘open tes boagee Hcacedeqyvel yo luicevie eases tender ape gos Sistcnrane se Shape will be adjusted for must-win game ‘Vulojevc can also pay while Raktic onthe left side a dependable operator when comes to defensive tasks. Under tis system, Croatia's main attacking threat comes down the flanks through ‘the ful-backs Corluka and Pranic. ‘Against the Republic of reland, when Croatia sul be seeking three points a diferent system vl be used, with Jelac as alone attacker, ‘The back four stays the same with tio defensive midfielders, Dujnoue and Vulkojevi, behind an attacking midfoid tree of Sra, Madhic and Mandzukic Eduardo coud also come infor Mandzukic because he can play in 2 ‘thar postion, rho Relcoom CZECH REPUBLIC‘SAM BECKWITH, WNL in Prague ‘recently as lst August, the knives were A ‘out for Micha Bile an the Czech daily newspaper Sport sie “ve reasons why ‘the coach should go nght naw" ~ among them a lack of respect from the players an ite Support fram the fans. Now, however, wth qualitcation secured ane his biggest Stars in form, plus an nfs of new tlentremgorating the national squed, the 47-year-old mightyet have te last ugh In truth, taking 13 points from eight games in qualifying was unimpressive, and of athe second-placed teams only Montenegro ~ who the Czechs beat inthe pay-off ~ fared worse Bur statisti alone are not 2 fir refletion of Blek's acieverant or of hs sice’scrances at Euro 2012. White ony the most binkered fan ‘would bac ther to win the tournament, they have imoroved steady. They may not be the trablazars of Euro 96 and 2004 but there is stil 2 tte room for optimism Ever since he tok charge in 2009, Bilek has ad to face persistent suggestions that his appointment oned mare to his riendship with pre«cus coach Nan Hasek, chaiman of tre CCaech FA atthe ime, than to managerial abit, Bur the cries tended to averlook tne fact that Blick had inesites team that ished behind Slovakia and Slovenian World Cup qualification and had lost four key olayers to international Fetrement:Gefenders Marek Jankuiowsh and ‘omas Uiflas, midtelder Tomas Galasek and, all-time leading scorer Jan Kole. Daum ina group in wich ashing second to Span presented the only realise chance of qualication the Czechs almost puled eff a rg Ft §0-1 TO WIN EURO 2012 Zw fas CZECH REPUBLIC Bilek’s new blend ‘Mix of debutants and ster names could give coach last laugh sensational victory over the defending champions last March taking 2 68th-rrnute lead through Jaroslav Plas! oly to concede two late Dav Vila goals. Discays and results were general low key, however, and goatee draws with Pert and Japan at last June’ Kirin Cup did ite to dispel ‘the ingering gloom, while August's 3-0 fnencly ‘ossin Norway represented a ne low. New blood Wile al of vs had been going on, Bik had ‘been sion introducing new blood ta is sie. In particular, he looked to Viola Plzen, whose attractive football had swept the provincial side tothe 2017 league tle and, increciby into the ‘Chamoions League's group ohase. Lett-back Davia Limbersky and midtielder Daniel Kolar woud be the ts of several Pen players to feature in Bile’ squad Most sonicanty, Petr Jacek mace his debutin the September draw with Scotland that would turn around Czech fortunes ard stanly establish ‘the versatle left-sided midfilder Athough secured with alate penaty, won by a blatant Jan Rezek dive, the paint was a vita one, leaving the Czechs fate ther on hands ‘A thumping win in Lithuania secured a place inthe play-offs, where a 3-0 aggregate win ‘over Montenegro conirmed the strengths of Bieks ne biend. Unfortunately, the sweetness ‘of qualification wos soured samexthat by 9 drunken post-match celebration, captured ‘onvidea, in which anumter of layers joined Ina chant of “Radek Drulak has no eck” ~ arespense tothe strker-tumed-punat’s The Coach squad wil revel by tain ‘rum Prague fo Wel on une 3 andl stay ale cy’ Hot Naropa trough te 0 pase They wil tin the Staion ‘oro, emer heme of kcal tile chasing sie Sisk Thelen (8.08.12 sia Melon Fl) 120612 — Grece (clea 160612 Poland caw. Po rts ofthe team = resulting in heavy fines. ‘Amore serous concern 3 lack af goa Bizarrely, left-back Michal Kadlec was the leading corer in qualification his four goals {three of tiem penaities) more than the combined total of svikers Milan Boros, Tomas Pekar, Tomas Necd and David Latta, Bilek ‘seems tent cn using Baros asa lone tier, ‘even though he scored just once in quaificaton, ‘and only ended an 11-month international goal ‘roughtin February's trieraly against Ireland ‘But wn playmaker Tomas Rosicky ft and keeper Petr Cech on form, the Czechs are tough to beat. Andi the newcomers make ‘good an their early promise a surprise or two {5 certanly possbie, Ws (1860 to 199 as par of Celso) ae Bae, sau 70810 Linea o Ga1010 Salsa) 1 121010 Lett) 2 Bil Santo 12 0011 Use 2 anil Sealed) 2 ini Sano) fn TLI0A1—wanto 4 PwoL FA om sh 8 8 00 we Hw Cette § f 13 DEB Saint & 323 3 0 tis 2 12 5 4 05 Cavemen 11 6 3 4 ruvorr TIL Wee 0) 20 ISH Noweepo ) 1.0 700212 potion) M 260512 taal tnti) 06.2 Homer woo soccer 17Glam (CZECH REPUBLIC/ INTERVIEWS Michal Bilek 641 was convinced we were on the right path. even when the results were not good 9? Group Ais widely seen as the tournament's weakest. Do you share that view? Our group is very balanced. see danger in the fact that it contain none of the main favourites as that roses fans’ expectations. And I do not think that thisgrcup isthe weakest. Our main goalie to aovanee fem the group ane then wellsee What are your main strengths? Of eouree wel be relyingen our mare experienced payers, suchas Petr Cech, Tomas Rosicky and Mian Baros. The greatest strength is probably the fact that we have grausly crested a unted team that pul together Your time as national coach began badly and the team struggled. Now, however, you have turned things around. What's changed? ‘ter te 2010 World Cup cuaiicaton camoaign we lst seme experiences players and we had to tind Fepiacements. We ted out more than 530 players and that was ane ofthe reasons why our results weren't s0 good right from the begining, Fortune, we succeeded in choosing the right team and system atthe ght ume, nd You were heavily criticised in the Czech media during the qualification ‘campaign. How did you manage to cope with that? Iewaset easy, but wos convinced we were nthe right path, even when the resus werent good. 'm glad that ure has shown ens to De tru, You've used a recent games, wit striker, What are the advantages of this system? Fe characterise our system as 4-2-3 but the system isnot as mmportan as how the payers are able to cary out, The advantage of ths system thatit creates a strong mise, anc that there ae fast and sill players onthe wings who can support Baros. How does qualifying for Euro 2012 as a coach compare to qualifying for the 1990 Werld Cup asa player? Both brought me happiness because in ‘each case the path to the frais was 2 WB wow soccer beretanecsatt eer A Bik was heey criised wien be began hs career as ational coach vith fom games| itouta wi He ‘snow unbeaten in ou foul one, The aiference, of couse, 1s that asa payer Iwas responsive only for myse'f whereas 2s a coach | am responsible for ll the squxd You've picked several Viktoria Plzen players. What impact have they had? Wiel, Viktoria Pen are the Czech champions they qualified forthe Champions League and ther payers hhave gained confidence and experence, so we've been able ta bene rom ths inthe rational tear, ‘Was the squad for the Ireland {friendly ~ plus Tomas Rosicky ~ ‘basically the one going to Poland? There's no time for expertnentaton as the next te well gettogether wea the raising camp before the tournament. Therefore, there wl be no ‘major changes tothe squad ~ | hope! Lee all atonal coaches, my biggest fear is jure. ‘etares PA 42 0G ‘Atevery big tournament there are players who are little-known internationally who make a big impact. Which of your squad could do that at Euro 20127 Every player nants to become better known and move to bigger cubs. Todey, however, scouts have payers wo mappec. There i ar more TV coverage ‘around Europe so teams know each ‘other much beter. i's ecu 2 discover someone new There are more domestic players in this Czech squad than in the past. ‘The Gambrinus iga cant be compared vit top European leagues 2s Czech ‘cbs cant afford to sgn top players; the ‘oppeste is tue. So high-quality Czech players leave our league to o abroad, Bur the fact that we now have more Czech league players inthe team is ‘0d. Those payers are more monvated topay forthe navonal team, ‘This is your frst big international ‘tournament as a coach. Have you asked any other coaches for advice? Everyone mast find ther own way 301 ‘nl not rly an anyone else's experience ‘Will you maintain a Czech team tradition of taking its own food and drink ta international tournaments? No, wee conident we have everyting inplace. Interview by Sam BeckwithPeers! Petr Cech has changed the mood of the squad since then? I's mainly because our new players have had a chance to grow up longside the more experienced slayer. We have developed inte 2 more cose-knit team, ‘ur spirits excelen The Czech Republic lost twice to Spain in qualification. Can anybody stop them at Eure 2012? ‘Ata tournament anything is possible and nobody is unbeatable ~ even the Dest team in the worl, tke Spain. What's your earliest memory of the European Championship? ‘Watering the Danish miracle in 1992. Ot course, four years later we reached the Final and, asa 14-yeaF-old Iwas so caught up inal. It as great to see the buzz around the whole cour. But it wae sad tose inthe Fin, Euro 2012 comes at the end of a long and difficutt Premier League season. Do top-level footballers play too many games? | don't ming the number of games. Most ayers would say that it would just be 46 It’s great to see more Czech-based players in the squad, but nige to have more of @ rest before the Iworry everything could go back to the way it used to be? AE ay um Bek ‘What are your thoughts on Group A? Its actualy very ifeut because all four teams ar ofthe same qualty and arw20dy can beat anyoady. Every paint ‘and goal ville important. Let's get out fof the group fist, but reaching the ‘quarterfinal would be great Does being drawn against Greece bring back bad memories of your semi-final defeat at Euro 20042 Is thisa chance for revenge? Is not about revenge but the ‘atwation to get the best resut one that woul put us through to the knockout stages Because of the history of the two countries, there's always alot of ‘emotion when the Czech Republic play Russia at ice hockey. Is it the same with football? ve never played aginst Russa $01 don’t know dot think wil be such big deal forthe new generation, who haven't been afected by what hhappened inthe past You'll play co-hosts Poland in your final group game. How difficult ‘wouldit be to get a result from that ‘game if you needed one? Teil be dict because they are playing at home ard wil have incredible support. Hopefuly we won't need a result by then. ‘Are there any young, up-and- coming Czech players we should Took out for at the tournament? Lats see wha makes the squad fist! Following Viktoria Plzen's recent successes, several oftheir players hhave been called up to the national team, Coming from Pizen yourselt, must make you especially proud... Ot course It was great for Viktoria Pizen and great fr the national team too, because we suddenly gained lotof players th Champions League experience, which was vital important ‘We bascally lost two generations of players recenty soit has taken ume to reDuld te tear. We'e 2 smal country s0\tis good to see more Czech-based payersin the squad. My worry is that ater Euro 2012 everything could go back to how it was betre, wth mast of the Czech-dasad payers being bought by good European tears Michal Bilek was heavily criticised. inthe Czech media during the ‘qualification campaign. What do you think his strengths are as a coach? He did very well under pressure ~ whch he did't deserve because twas hard for him to rebut the team without so mary experienced players Inyour opening Euro 2012 qualifier, you lost at home to Lithuania. What La's ue realist, we won't reac te Final, ‘os, Petr Coch ssl one ofthe best nthe Tomas Aosicy,Ptriraeek and Vala ilar aro good in mide as wel. ut te central fenders and strikers are what I woried sis unable to score, Tomas Mecid was injured for along time, Tomas Pekhart has scored six goals inthe Bundesiga ut international standards ar abit higher David Lafata as scored a record umber of goals in a Czech league seasen bu thi isthe international game you ony scare one goal ata tournament you won't bea great success” ‘aoa Bosak, T commentator with Ceska teevze gute a success to have qual think few goals wl be scored in our toup and everyone of them could make a sitfrence I's ricky group because i's considered an sy one fe go fre, wil bas expected; if nt itil eseen as amor op. And if someone lke Span stands in thelr way.” Astonin Panenk, a Eur wisner with Ezecoslrakain 1978 ‘ranks tthe recent ine of young plarers, the team pays with more energy than befor. I tere aro goals which, due lan Baos' recent form andthe lack of alter rellabe strikers is amar concern =ve should pregres together with Pola or Russa After tat, wha knows, but let's nat getinto thinking wl be 1886 over again” Michal Perak, journatstwith the diy pape Sportoe. g CZECH REPUBLIC SQUAD Perey eet or 9952912000582) Chases eng (9 ges ak Pisa eng ote cng wiokRepasedd rds Sitar Hartaurga cubarnen 2008, Hacc cotat ear ance teeta dared Pystga ay hges 207280) Stren uber Oe gancro ols Reresoer wg bck utoiste enone Ine torpesen Coa poke berate Cranage fonda Sitges Peete) EER sient eres who piyadat Er 2004 Seimei eames epee Am Pers 4933983081 Of 7 pone gl Inures andre frm sce ‘rg he Goce at a Eve Soot amered veces erg tom nara ota Pee Pe Aees281079 fez o7anea) OR dooms OR amcor Feet tm tht hae pent 22 Wester wniepeyectar yevfuhar Bochum ages Pater Gee daathe far Unwclatre ping apo Fotereaonageanseres 5009 Satrompwic tan, ExSnrore ‘Sheer ha peo coe Peer 49827 1060580 Age27 18288) feria Berner jr resem Ge) Qe genes! ou QE ogimed gos Bleerraceorerwesvey — Lendaunacan acct Doidwer scan msgara egw Sune gnhe meer cet famFltzconHebuter — Thosmel irwdn Kade, Metanwienatners aca Gh Repiescapn ao Honsie beraera tr S6 Frese pert ake Pmt Pio 9226 020386) 902819063) ug or rons Pes Oe Soames ga {9 2 sme goals Pojgseapaerecwats We netede eh gos frees 008 hekeses — tcrian need Poe ar Imafaterbove nope raion! tsegonnae te gate seute Gonacmentero!Pusrs Pook Matchen tam tec wnaagase eon eactntets gate: Pern no ‘ge 30(180881) ge22 (130539) Sime (lea eu (2 ga sons (8S sameet soa ne acne heat ane eet Carprate me ease ibeCred lage tis 2008: UCerT8 Charooshe acon tneptawercsrete —Onyteued acta nfetsry bexrmn pete ftefseenrorts own wer B= Qe quingmcord Yalow ards ML Reda 20 worn soccer Mein mu sete Sere teers Ateleanpogn Win seen Seach Don nN eres Feat een 423 33080) (Qed guest go> ‘Stil mera mace is Ch abt ate ora en seoraler he kane cent Sears bao ‘Nomsrginte re iid ge22 260539) Nererneg Ger ORS genes mt from te 2007 Unse20 Vs cup tse make Urea Reed oe Geers merch eres Pr aoe tem casera aes eros hsp 30050182), ftseaux a) Or 3 gmnel2 gee etre mcs a Bare. Yet he Gch war Pet Fo 004 S006 es ‘pdto0 2008 brebersaseDefending in numbers while still getting forward to support the centre-forward. Bek descrines 4-2-3-1 as his ideal formation as the Mud and pacy ‘midiel allows his sie to both attack and defend in numbers, Typically, Batos plays as 2 lone srr, but he can be ‘supported by attacking mdelderResicy, two mide ‘midielders (Plas plus Rezek, Par, Petrzela or Pudi, the deeper-Wing lracek and a wing-back tether Geore Seasse down the right or Kadlec dovn the ltt) I Baros s ou, ora second fornerd is needed, Bek must cheose between Nei, Pekar andthe form Lata, Wh Necd only st bck om alang-tem muy Pecart seems the baler oxton, ‘Should Rosicky be mje, Sper hs smo aly replacerert uechman s Boks man defense mighelge and Ne wl tin rant fret Choice central defensive partners of ae an unica SvokRejnoch or, ore ly, me the adaptable Piasil can fil in as the defensive Deeg Get euen goats Imigelder Hubschman sired Rrefaceaytorana, Grahahneng ape ar Huon of Sok are unavalable, Bek siucaei raise uileaapaho dic 306 can eer swteh Kale fo cena defence, Geclnetslngewh Pas, olsiwivocelwmdacad binging n Limbersty or Pudlas left-back, memegacsctage nen cneage or tse Roch Sores nhs cre aes err eT Tomas ROSICKY ry 492290505821 31041080) Boe 35210570) ‘Methre gosta ang) (Ges orn pa O83 ac ons Seecalsteeedueemay Semeahiiihs SaSucemamse trbe” (Resor reread cua: ‘Bhralwar Perdue Bek Kero cetet he mado SipwaPegenaemboe” — Rooe wir aterergar ote ata wana Pe voreptnmoca an heres bear e iinet dorstasimne Graenetegomesns” —eonso Fests comer ALSO IN CONTENTION DEFENDERS MASH = AOLAR Ch ATRIOSEY som CR See agen teiamae auese ae, ee Se te pea pea ne race a eet Sree es oo a Tictten Been See Seen: See, ieee Bec Grower, Smears) fener, Gomes my eae’ tem ronwanp reese iota ae enrages rams, = Sab gonuage mie ae es eerie, len etee te ee Secs = eee, ee ete SbeGensrgiee SorbiOueniaatr ay abentigtdtr ses Snails Senectes, Stewie oe Hoel: ect womosoceer 21Ge DENMARKam DENMARK Ignore at your peril Underestimated Danes have new generation emerging JIM HOLDEN very time Denmark qualify for 8 major International tournament, the fre question asked scan the fairy-tale ‘triumph of 1992 berepested, Wel, not this time; not even Hans Christan Andersen would dare wet such 2 script for Danish gary ‘But that’s not because the Danes dont have afne young tear with masses of potential ‘With the team ninth in the oficial FIFA worl rankings, there might be the fest sirings of that best ie in 20 years. “The trauble this time's the group of destruction they face, dravn alongside Germany, Holland and Portugal, who are ranked second, fourth an tt respecte Had Denmark been cram in Group A rather than Group B they would be favourtes to progress tote quartertnals rather than the rank outsiders to who nobody gives a hone ‘The mood in Copenhagen since the draw has been one of eats, While ther twee ‘opponents ae al blessed with te superstars fl the madern game, the Danes rey on a ‘wonderful team ethic and the emerging talent of Aja’ talented playmaker Christan Enksen Being cast as the makewetahls, however, could be to Derek's acvantage They certainly hae the gumption to seize on any complacency within the oppostion. They topped a qualifying oun tat contaned Portugal and near-neighbours Noray, and aso overcame Portugal nthe previous World Cup quaitying campaign ‘And wale many of Denmark's players ae underestimated with thelr libs n various leagues around Eurooe, they peeform vith shane to Pts tid divin site otic oltan, rnin (0.06.12 Holand ar, thr 13.0612 Fovogal (ne Ui) 17.06.12 Germany ir) Soccer Ci, the Danes los to sefinicted ‘efensve wounds ater matching tne Dutch for rach of the game. The second game ths time i against Portugal, ver whom they have nad the Indan sgn in recent years That knowedge inspires hope among the quad. nat least the bulsh Enksen, who ison the shopoing list of al the ‘major European cubs “We have already beaten the Portuguese ‘bore and we hope we can do it agpn* he says. “Then, pemnaps we can nave a bt of ack _agarst the other teams and we can progress from a realy tough group “OF course, Lam taking alt of tik from the Dutch players at Ajax. They thnk they wil beat us and quay forthe cuarter-tnals. But I tink we can defeat them” Anditis that int of complacency that wll stat the Danes just fina WS all i MF ee save 080 ala 0 1010 Pate 3 21030 Gash 20 0811 may) i a6 aldo 2 ets Were 2 07.10.11 Cypeus ta) 41 HNO Petes 2“ rPwol far bam § 5 1 1 1 6 OB ued 8 5 1 2 al ke 6 fm 8 B12 WT TB tine ob 1 16 6 me Owe 8 D2 6 7 M2 nm Risa) 02 fem Baal Germany Som hola)Qe DENMARK/ INTERVIEWS. Morten Olsen 46 Christian Eriksen is a wonderful young talent but he cannot carry the team by himself Denmark won the European title 20 years ago. Can you do it again? ‘What happened in'32 was vey special Denmark dt even quay for that tournament, f you remember. Back then there were ony eight teams in the tournament and now there ae 15. ‘That mears one more match, ene tough extra hurl to become enamplons Bt everythings possible n football. There is aso the oppostion. Portugal witout Cristiano Ronakio, for exemple, nat the same 2e Porkigl with Cristina Ronaldo. tis about playing wel for tree weeks ony. and everythings possbie ‘What benefits are there to being an international coach for 12 years? [think it els that you see the players eveion from youngsters when they frst arrive, right through to being experienced and mature footalers. ‘You know aoout them and wha they are ‘hen they have been wth you forfour, ‘ve or sieyoars. nave enjoyed that and its uty | have stayed so long inthe Job. ‘Yes, Ihave missed dub football, and in those 12 years there have been plenty opportunites to jon clubs but also eve working with ny national tear What persuaded you to carry on for ‘two more years after Euro 20127 The big reasons thatthe playersanted re to stay ~ and tht is very satisfying ~ both the younger players and the more exoerienced ones. woul ike to carry on and ty toreach the World Cup in Braz That san ambtion fora ‘oatball person How importants the talent of Christian Eriksen to the team? He isa wonderful young tent everyone can see that but he is stil ony a young payer and he is ust one man inthe side He cannot carry the team by himself and we have tld him that he shouldn't try todo that. He hast keep developing she's, and think that one more year at Ajax would be good for fi. hope that happens. Ihe keeps improving be wll become a great talent and ready to show that in Braal n 2014 Did you consider selecting Viktor Fischer, the 17-year-old winning Fave reviews in the Ajax academy? No, That's the straight answer. He is another very promising talent, but he 24 worn soxcen has played only in youth fotbal soft never inthe Ajax senior sie. You cannot take a player to a majr international tournament fhe mot hes has st team It'snot possible. But everyone at ‘Aaxcknows next season he wil tart to payin the seniors, and then we wil see o you think that international football become less popular and less important with the rise of the ‘Champions League? No, con't aleve that. It true that sore frend internationals do not have the same signiicance that they did 15 years ago because there is so much football payed row, and sa much oft on television but the European Championship and World Cup are stil athe peak. The whole country watches these tournaments and they have a completely Olsen, who won Anza for Deamark as ‘playa is aw ane of the longest serving ‘atonal ‘coaches in PWD theword 16 BW Cee re diferent fel tothe Champions League. Iheason the UEFA technical commtee at Euro 2008 and sa for myself the colour ‘and song the fan brought to the stad, Inwasfantaste, and knowin Denmark the tournaments ae very spec ‘Which players will be the stars of this tournament? In our group we have Rob Van Perse, the top scorer in the Engish Premier League, Maro Gomer, top scorer in the Bundtign, and Cretiana Rone, op scorer alongwith Lionel Messi inthe Spanish league. You don't have took ‘any further than these three for the people who wil stne inthis tournament. What we won't see are any sureties, any new stars from nowhere. Football has changed and tat ume sor. Everybody knoms about everybody in the era ofthe Champions League and so much TV coverage. ‘Who in your opinion are the likely winners this summer? Ist think Spain ae te favourites. They play such goed football and thes players ‘are not comolacent. Germany are 2'so potential champions. They aways have ‘a ery strong mentality and now they are playing very good fcatbal. Maybe they felt iste towin something {Interview by Jim Holdenss forusin tre qualifers. We need him on Pesteteret abet see toa for. Chestian Eriksen may get is bag breakthrough. He stop quality, ll learning but opel he can do very well There is leo \Wkam Kus aho has come along way inthe past few years He played well agpinst Barcelona inthe Champions League when at Copentagen and thet gave him the confcence to ‘move to 3 new evel at Stutgar. Who are your tournament favourites? You can't count out Germany, Spain and Holland but younever know, there can be suprises. Look at Greece n 2004 and usin 1892, Who were the biggest influences on you asa goalkeeper? Peter Schmeichel was one, of course. trained wth ham for afew years wth the national team. He opened the coor for alt of uz to came to Engleh foot There was also Lars Hogh at my frst chub (OB Odense. He snow tne nator team's goalkeeping coach and played inthe Thomas Sorensen ‘ect eset && Morten Olsen is s0 organised, he's pearier tisyear always got a Plan A, B,C and D9¥ isolate rato ato Not that many payers can say they made Why Is Morten Olsen sucha good makes his one ofthe best Denmare 100 appearances tor tei county International coack? sides that have been valved with, Interview by Jin Holden He hasa good blend. He does his ‘We played realy wal. In 2002 and hamework, nes organised. he's always 2004 wehad good, experienced sides. EVPSRUENY gotaPianA,8,CandD.Hesccutshis At the 2010 World Cup alt of things Teen pyers realy wel and he has 2 set it go right for us ~ 10 mary ijties mark ar anys ater best when hey Dihloseohyof how he wants the tam fra stare cks alot brighter now areundoetinatd dif e se bistary toplay. He doesn't necessary pics the with youngsters ite Christian Enksen tepeat tse inthis vate aru then players who lok te best on paper but coming throuch, Warten sens tear can have some success. those wo ft his system, He nas had ts ey impart atthe best plays ageot success with not When ourhove Canyou remember watching e100 percent ft We ean llord the payers 7% been anatonalcoech for 12 years you Denmark's 1992 European {per centin such ough rou. Denmark have same fe have getonwi you olye's and he Championship triumph? unt players but | think a veeran ike Christian Poulsen cn oes rat. We allhave ret respect ior Yes ofcourse. Anyone in Denmark als ply an importante fim. He wll phone youwthen you get above the age of ve back then ‘Wea! Lap, who wan 104 caps fo Desaark inured fyourwitegvestarth there rerrembers that me Iwas amazing isa card from hem. He's tough but aso butsometmes tings work out forthe "Mer tactaly and ereataly ston caring Whathe's done sinctesbie, best when they come unexpected, performances inqualieation stant Prtnal Iwasa great summer Iwas 12 years and Nona hapes wre high unl the dram What's the mood lke inthe dressing oid. | waned ita home and then Hower this Danish eam has he byt room ahead of Euro 2012? Celebrated on the streets wth what broduce opel, especial ifthe Premier al Theres 2g tase ahead in Our group. Seemed lke te whole county. League cor ofthe side Thomas Srensn, Daniel Amer and Wi deta have to ofthe est teams Nas Bentner~ stays tat and can be spced up wth the inte word agains ts, nd Portal are What qualities does Daniel Agger great ml ln listin Eriksen” rotor behind, buts achalenge and bing as captain of Denmark? ‘Surat Rasen, sports arf Pixon we fe! mecan upset one ortwo teams. He iscompased on te ala gpod ‘Ouraim sto get throuch tothe next defender and leader. He sa winner and temenber 1852 when Denna von be stage If everyones i and playing well that's whet you ie ina captain What European Chamioship? They preresad thenit’s possible We donthave 50 —_elacksin physical stength he makes RAB trom te eroup stage with ol tor pins player ike England or Span, who can up fr by beng clever ins postonal and hey ca otal again this time with 2 fustcropanother manin We depend lay. He sa good penaty tac s wl eam nthe st match agaist Hain anda on our best players being there. fndso precise wth hs passlg Witory aginst Portugal. The Bans lve terol of underog an wit the strangest team ut thy wil be a ery angers How does this team compare to Who are your other key players? ponent” those at previous tournaments? 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Hepa oaths wa stay ire She iesaire inom laetlipcererttendne, tebe myife ucninos — Nacgeling 008 Mechs de aisles Denna a Tecarnyhespenterean — bavigotoyietirel oie \pmyuac'and thiveegaae mor et spre Find, appt pe of aos, (iar streets Seciimansmecoranet Rueiatateomrantes — ANaenBe tng ont Pall opowtice ‘reson nhovene ner B= Qe quhingncord FE Ylow cards Redcar 26 wero soccerCH Wide men hold the key to Olsen’s attacking intent ‘Oken favours a fesble, attacking 4-3-3 system, wth a view to Ah sing the wide payers as much as posse. Ronimiedai is key tobe employed asa tradtonal winger on the right while Krohn-Dehilwil acts tne ink between the migheld and the fran in onthe let with both looking te cross into [7 Berdiner as primary method of attack The ‘centre-forward may a0 look a hald the ball Up ‘and wot for Remmedahien the overlap. Erksen completesa threatening eee Age? (11084) zw) (e'3 games gas Grorat ae nrg Los on Gedmoadtanbac outta Seer nenoge me Deno Homa ew Derma es ter pennant te 200 Word canara sd gs 221310599) Berea |to) ht gunelo gas Moasrangretd, 273 ‘ees Ea banca ate meres tet ammers i unre Cr ern sesgora g227 (19085) hi eroage ig QRS game gas 4 sane goals reece afteomsh Pence ween fo (Groton Paseo ra cboce Fesang mete es eon coe Duh ec Srecehenos EUR oO ETON GOALKEEPER MIDFIELDERS Martin JORGENSEN Nasper SCHMEICHEL ‘Thomas ENEVOLDSEN 19251051075) tee Cry Agreaianan ‘es ieoasvostiee! anger a | eto 12 op) Seo Goer st ‘i gorse gus Sirsa Sa-icawe inser GE gue gn These homens eas sctiat Ge rteeegtnies Geperrcebtr ancy be Hone Weis Bend ae DEFENDER, atest ard Fame Det Per KROLDRUP we ‘Thomas KAHLENBERG Fornies (ta Daniel JENSEN ton 200883) Ge 33 ont igeasusoe 9) Were Ge 2 gmero gmt, era. a 36 gas Renciedmetsteseeen — Gpesa 3 go ioe os ay wh epee GE own gus br © Fuh Wenmesandtrsante ant seen 20} Wal Capers ve 2008 attacking quartet, playing justin front of defensive midfelders Kista Zimling ‘Altematively, Olsen may choose to employ a 4-2-3+1 formation, with Remmedah and kronn-Dehi playing slay deeper. Providing he remains ft, Agger wil be the fwst-choke centre-back, leaving Kjaer and newcomer Beland vying forthe place alongside him In Jacoosen and Simon Poulsen, Denmark have two attack minded ful-baces Anwhat wl almost certainly be is last maar international tournament, Sorensen willbe tne fust-choice keener. Should he need replacing, Andersen has the advantage over Lindegaard of regular first-team club footbal eae eee eas Martin VINGAARD icklas PEDERSEN 2ge7 200385) 2ge24 1090.87) penogen oangen tt Gaps a Gort oi) (QE 2 gmc ons Se gan gs Revecome Deen tewerw — Necvry apd acer iecnmmsects beans wm hecsce Flr te yar ei 200 FORWARDS Nicolai Jonge Boe? (is0130 Bojer Loverksen Ge) (aps 2(0 gal) Gt ogame Se tic ein wom socees 27oom ENGLAND ee 30 wor sec-H ENGLAND Reality bites For once England's fans are realistic about their chances GAVIN HAMILTON in London ‘the former England boss Sven Goran Eriksson might say: ist haf good, second half nat so good" After a successful qualifying campaign Englands plans for Euro 2012 were thrown into disarray by the abrupt dapartre in February af manager Fabio CCapelio and the subsequent delay in naming 2 ‘A the ime of writing. with ess than sb weeks to go before the tournsmentkiek-off, the Football Associaton were ase to appointing Roy Hodgson as manager. The Uncertainty over the manager stuation nad only added to England's problems which included thei main striker, Wayne Rooney, bing suspended forthe fst two matches of the tournament and ther brightest nove, Jack ‘Wisnere, beng ruled out through injury Fans have voted with tei wales, to, purchasing ust over half ofthe 6,000 tickets allocated tthe Faotoal Association for England’ frst gare, against France in Donets Wile the pratibitive cast of fights and hotesin Urraine hs clearly been a factor the lack of enthusiasm reflects 2 general mood ot pessisn regarding England’ chances ‘Such a negative cutoox mayhave played @ role in promoting Capello, appearing on tan TV, crise the FA's dedson ta strip John Tey af te Engiana captaincy ater the defender was charged with racial abusing Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League match. FA charman David Bemsteinactee swufty in demanding the alan’s departure Relations between Capelo and many key sections of English fotbalinGuding the media ‘and club managers, had strained to almost breaking point The Tery depute offered CCopelo = and the FA - a convenient way ut of his $6milion-3-year contract. Foloming Capello's acrimonious ext, the FA refused tobe rushed int hiring 2 renlacement. Capel’ assistant Stuart Pearce, who was aeady werking overtime as Gest Britain Oiymoic manager and England under-21 boss, vwasinstaled as coreeaer Tottenham Hotspurs Harty Redknapp was ‘the bookies’ favourite but Spurs orm nosedved ater ne became linked withthe England job. Butt appears the F had other Ideas, wth Hodgson as its only target, and was ot prepared to enter negobations with Tettenham over compensition for Recknan. In contrast, Hodgson is out of contract with West Bromwich Albion, and tus avaliable atamuch ower cost tothe FA. Hodgson, an intetigent man and notable tactician, has vast Ineeratioral experience and wil also relish the Challenge of developing England's new national football centre in Burton-upon-Trent Ditticut decisions It conferred as manager, Hodgson faces 2 ‘umber of dificult decisions. Mast important, the has to tackle the Terr station. The former ‘aptan is due in court in uy to face charges of rally abusing Anton Fercinand and many have argued that it would be best ta leave etry cut ofthe Engand squad unl the case |S resolved. n past tournaments, Tey nas formed an effecove partershio with Rio Ferainand, Anton's rather, but that may England wil be staying a the Stary atl nea ad ring at he ea Satin Sue Stay, bame cite ou Hut rato. 12.0612 France (ones, Us) 15.062 Sweden Ke i 1.06.12 Ukraine Donetsk. Ue) now be impossible in the ceumstances. “The new manager must also prepare a game plan forthe fst two games without Rooney, and fr wen heretus. And he needs to Fesolve the sue of ignt-back, where there are a number of candidates for the starting role, ‘On amore fundamental evel he mast decide whether to pick a squad with purely Euro 2072 lard, or take a longer term Wew and Select youngsters wis could play 2 maj role in the 2014 World Cup campaign Injuries nave dteady ruled out Wishere, 2s, \wellas Aston Vila strier Darren Bent and young Everton midfielder Jack Rodwel, There are key to be others inthe build-up tothe frais, turner reducing expectations, ‘That maybe no bad thing The case of Denmarkin 1992 offers an exemple of how suceess can be achieved from the mast Unpromising of circumstances WS Ea RD co BAA RRR ty HOUR 30810 Bulgaria chy 40 (070810 Sateen) 31 121010 Monterey) 00 2603.1 Walesa) 20 406.11 Sataetand 2 2061) Bulgaria ta) 30 60811 Mes 10 0710.1 Montenegro) 2 PwOL FA Pt ind 8 5-30 OS 18 Moitogo $33 2 7:7 «12 Swit 83-2 3 Ws 30:5 6 8 Bugie «8 1 25 3 15 ieee) 7902.12 Volané) 2 2605.12 ower) (206.2 Begun th) wo soccer 31Goan ENGLAND/ INTERVIEWS Scott Parker &6 Maybe less hype will help us..in past tournaments there has been a hell of a lot of expectation 9 Fans are showing an unusually Engjand set-up less than 18 months pessimistic atitude towards ‘agp and now thankful, Im plying England's chances at Euro 2012. games and looking forward tothe Euros. Is this disappointing or, perversely, So yesh of course we can win. Ne ‘quite liberating? ‘ame trough a tough qualteation te’ difiut to sy ~ lquess you can ook group and achieved our goa. That wos atit both ways. Ido think we have every fantastic. A the same time I'm not going Fight to be confident we can put tosst here and make any grand dams Together sce good performances. or predictions. 'm just focusing on one We're a good team and should aways game at atime, juste I tay do, remember that fact. Maybe les hype wal ela us though. Who knows? In ‘Spain seem imperious though... brevous tournaments there has been They are probably the favountes and ‘hel ofa lot of expectation. served so. But have tobe honest ‘and say there won't be any fear towards ‘What can people expect from them or any ofthe other teams. As England at the tournament? Invduas and as 2 croup we should You see a group of payers gving oak forward te testing ourseves against everything for their country You cant the vey best askmore than that Sure il be tough because you could say this tournament Contrary tothe criticism aimed at wil be harder than the World Cup some of your colleagues, you seem town. The Ikes of Span, Germany, ‘genuinely proud to pull on the France, Hollond and say ourselves England shirt. =the Ist ges on = are al top sides. Who wouldnt be? Every young boy would love to have the honour of ‘But can England win Euro 2012? representing their country and 'm no | aiaays 53) that anything canhappen different. Nether are my team-mates, In footbal. | probably know beter than im ure, Maybe means a at to me most that tings can change wery ‘because | spent so long onthe fringes quickly I wasnt realy part ofeithe and couldn't seem to get over that fal BB won soccer hurdle. Now im part of rings 1 do everything to ensue I stay tere ‘Are you a throwback toa different eraof football? Vn not sure what that means. play the game for the lve oft, nat all the other stuf, i thet's the question, Maybe tm old-fashioned or just boring jut you must enjoy the “British Bulldog” tag? IWitmeans people think m giving everything, I take just now my qualities, wat can and can't do My |b isto get about the opposition, close donn the space, get the tackesin and then hopeful finda team-mate with 2 ass | appreciate my role and just get on with itwitnout, hopeful, too much fs. What is the difference between the Scott Parker of, say, two years ago ‘and the one we see now? ''ma mare confident footballer, Atough relegation at West Ham was painful the experience of playing every Week, leeming more about my game wes Important. Maybe as a young man td worry to much about tings, Today Never take anything for granted but ‘80 think belong atts lev It tk hie for that mindset to sin. just ld got therein the end lnterview by Frank Tennyson Ta ENGLANI “England have one ti expectations have never been slow, ot ‘usual micure of bravado and nerves should ‘ot apy Playing wihout Rooney could Ihave a ood effet. ust losing him in Portugal (in 2008) hada ha eect, so etting him back eau give everybody a it So out the ‘aos could come something quite positive" ‘Patch Barclay, Evening Stands clamnst anton this time: England usualy reach the knockout stages ‘hoon regan tea thy et re sno reason to exgect this record ty Ingres, Enea asa tant ‘many years, which may help the team rela. But with barely a month ogo the tam did not have amanaget. Rooney is suspended, Wishere injured, Try has a cloud aver him, and there isno cover in goa” lean Moore, Independent etal editor "Enpland fans have naver been mr istic about the team’s chances, ‘Uncertainty aver the manager, (Gears of hur, and the realisation that many players are exhausted come summar has tampered the usual we can win it hype. England have ony the top-cass playa: e art Ashley Cole and Wayoe Reoney and Rooney s suspended forthe frst two games The wildcard could be Alex Oslade-Chamterlin ouick, Inteligent and with a goo touch. Quarter-finals at best” ‘enty Winter, aly Telegraph fotbell correspondentau ENGLAND SQUAD n Ep pmo Au f a J a 4 F ae 1) , a | = = a 7 8 een Robert GREEN Joc HART reese estaci easiest ac nn mene cate ee seeeecne ares ee nrateame ed ge een iel a Rinceioee | Sea, Seer Benne Sayuroverne ignicatioeise” fuenetenchsnd SOMUSE el. ioeerasean lerceuesee ae a a tee eee Pas ee Fy E FI a ‘s 5 = ey aT tae ery cee Siewere Siem | Setimopen etme = lomo Eseries SUN Heme, RieMeeA a, ieee, § Sedccewatet Gameneamacs Cetera, Mears Senatioliee Gaccnirameion Eitgmciinn fecemrumcer” attr ct Totten smote Settessort, Gemnumee, Senor Elenenae” metecnier” Sercuva Perea ar aimee een ees iia Succi Sanam Fy a | a a Ei Pad Steven GERRARD es Gore aes feng ema me ence Binsaw Teen en secant Spm mae Soper UR fo Goucaeninl Smears Saceaeime, ALAS cy coca Seachem sentence, Riecemese’ Gevtcmteeme Gitereanes ety Gionbeniprinign Govwameemms” asmsserat Seaaadythaternt Seatentind tte Seminar Mamet, chryisrts, Gigictapetalhos Yecteckedeasn SSG MESSE CLONES San | SRAM aanie” Neots ero Cio Ein rs Pinon 29823 (080139) hae 2728308) ge 22 (010939) 29223160385) 421 261180) teerpoa! Nines Utes Grea rom ener Une ‘OR pm gos Oh ponesS onsMm OR Osames eS genev0 gas ‘OR sO os Rnatiasmeccmtnad Snot be tetattogee Gr paycenat/crvide Boskes Rceiemetenetapiet arches bom args wo Nhonaanmatesraste ism © faroasuremecoete kava SdonWndoer'is Conuliecnyendongasie Naerptesokrtl optics Mavtonhtnieliwates ieievansctapraicrmnaye jerbunewenaitatreen (eytongeeteitame: Une Rasen itr kt Riomitemmsedr, iwawertameanh WindaGaunes,” Mdwerfecrinterie putuumidbn ACbumindoesenn TunirporatpigeNees Nekeraiemesuessos — Yecpigan exasteigy rere Saree ebay Sidteteteantenme Sra na ee Seman sien Strom Harwremntionoats cen fey tans Has wer ope QRquhingnecord FEYelow cards Madar ab (Mean cc at Ma 202) 34 wom soccerTACTICS 'S Delay in appointing a manger, plus 5 | Rooney’s ban, causes disruption |) Una Engiand amounce wha sto ead hem 3 the Euros tis sic o pri how Egan lin up agar Francein xm ther openng gare, Tery ans Fran nae been aod centr cetensve partersnp the post but Canis performances {Chelseas Champions League un may ge Hin he ge ver ury-rone Ferdrand. incentra mafeld, Pacers the obvious choice for 3 detersehadng roe te Pee Pd Cm poston in wich he has excelled under Recknapp 1 Spurs. Lampsrd, Recknapp’s nephew, and Barty ae the leading candidates fora second central mite bertnin a 4-2-3-1 formaten, the system favoured by Copelo and his immediat auceosear at caretaker, Stars Panrea ‘With Rooney suspended for tne opening two oroup games, the choice ofa ne forward is limite, ith Welbeck likely to get the od. Wren Rooney retums forte fra group se peogen Age 31 071280) 9221 2805.90) match the formation i ik to change to Teentammaspu On Z panes ga GE 5 ganexo gals roger 4-3-3, wih fi a5 a central strike, partnered Gevvebaxetonmoien hs Fererapor welche cout Paovayre-s hha by Waleat, Young or Sturidge. Gerrard and SeantySmenicives 2007 dy oll dyescacay” Wha Us eas PPR a ape Gravaeurstetooc food ans tear Foaont & them ove op ae Lampard or Barry would then jin a midfield Surveroddaakond — leyigramGwarscoprar tte srcebungsart noon kan, three anchored by Parker. ean Sauantut wines be Cmpors Wis wstseaon tape Pad oogasperasn EN conuessrsn ak unas Soostocone car Motte tesa cay a ame a seer Rataamenonme Soe auetnce PEFENDERS cise a pereioees Shae cane ie Soa Serer, | ieee see Row carte bak no Rosey sapere reps e paseyos, ‘ow of 2901 ty os ss A he gpa yep Tooter Na oct nese ropes tas as mec yt ra stcia ; tetany | ame yoonsnpies Seesaw = Eisen. iseiunss Soret mapa mile rome ie iiccdperaps butte rox Nese whos peru SStocoorenieer hatte ae tesa ee on canon Jonson ama serous? ; fealleas een oma taasarwsh ta ‘neon v2 soc ee Eanes Ae x98. Semin emcuveuey Martane, Sanaa emer “Manchester United ‘kp 18 (15.08.93) Sass oa seme ener Aevrrpressn start tothe season Caps con Sremnganee Revenaceny ene ken trons Gavin Hamiton Paul SCHOLES iowa ‘Bachster Utes {eye wun Uta cat fatirenp eo Botan FORWARDS Frazer on4 (13.0387) ‘Sheri beim pt citer Peter cRoucu ox at 000181) Se chy Jermain DEFOE Sgeasarioaa) ‘Bhan ete Gordo is 9ai0 (GE same oa siou bese Grant HOUT fowst oar) Norwen Gy ‘pire crac ven eh frelon Newer etoom LFRANCEEE FRANCE Restoring national pride Blanc’s Les Bleus aim to put 2010 nightmare behind them. , HOWARD JOHNSON in Paris ance can't justifiably be seen 3s one of the favourites for Euro 2012, but thay have more than enough at thet dkspasol to be an enticing outside bet And in Laurent Blanc tey have a great thinker with 2 vast knowledge of European footoal having played Yor clubs in France, tay, Spain and England, While Blanc may not be expenenced Internatonaly 28 a coach, ne as areedy Shown ne ean cut the must and under his guidance France ae unbeaten in tho last 18 games - arun gong back to their frst Euro 2012 cualier, back in September 2010. ‘On tre doun side, es Bleus aso had excelent players at ther dsposal for Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, yet stil made an absolute hash ofboth compettions. But wale tere are no cast-ron guarantees they ‘won't implode for a third time took unlcely, ‘Blan has worked hard ta bring payers with nat only abity ut aso the right Character. The kes of Adil Rami, stopper Hugo Lions, Yotian Cabaye and Marvin Martin might have lesser eterational prafle than the members Of some presous France squads, but they are hanes and talented players wo possess grit aswellas gule That mare hurle attitude helped France come through what was a times a dicut qualifying campaign. After lasing the opening match, at hore to Belarus, the knives were out for Blane, but fur successive wins calmed shattered nerves After hard-fought draws in Belarus and Romana, sandwiched around en important wctoy in Albania, France fished of ith two horne games = wth vctary over Albania teeing up a winner-‘akes-al showeown with Bosnia & Herzegovina, France were an 20 ponis, he visors on 19, and thags dic lock good when Ean ‘Dzeko put Bosnia ahead after 40 minutes. But France kop thei col and Dzeko's Manchestor Cty team-mate Samir Nas picked ise up after he vas fouled inthe box to convert a ital penalty on 78 minutes, The game fished 1-1 land France were through as greup winners, ‘condemning Bosnia tothe play-os. The French press werent alas kind to ‘Blanc o his team during the qualfers, but ‘making tt the fais ari ony long once along the way was stil an impressive achieverrent rom the rookie national coach Now, though, the naturally comoetive Blanc vail want nis team to show they have improves wien they et to the Ewes Tournament fragility Altnough Group Dis not the hardest inthe ‘campetiion, progress ta the knockout stage fs anything but a foregone conclusion and much \wilhinge onthe frst game, aganst England in Donetsk I France can overcome the Eraish lth the same ease asthe last tne the tia met ~ atWembleyin 2010, when France wan 2-1 and dominated the game ~ then confidence wil soar and they could be a team t look out for. ‘they lose, that cften-seen tournament taal, could emerge and create doubt inte camp. ‘On paper, the French look good. The cera elensive partnership of Ram and Proge Mexes seems assured, while Yann Milas areal powerhouse defensive midfeder. There Riis sit France lay the frst to games Donetsk flowed bj 2 third in ea) ‘andthey mil be base at the citys sha Taning Gente, whichis the traning tase ot Usinizn side Shakar Deets 12.06.12 England Donetsk, Ue) 15.06.12 _Uwane Donetsk, Uk 1.06.12 Sweden en, Us) Is aso plenty of creat, particularly ith the mercurial Franck Ribery coming off the back of agreat season wth Bayern Munich. And although Nast hasnt been athis best for Manchester Cty in the Premier League this season, you would bet against him coming ‘004 the sumer. “The big question s what happens if Kari Benzema gets inured? Wil the French nave enough experienced frepower? ‘After embarrassing the nation atthe 2010 ‘Word Cup with the infamous players sire” inciéent, the French squad and management know they must represent the county with opty a imtegety in 2012. ‘And that might just give them the necessary ‘igour to pose a serous threat. VS PRR MRR sHoUPD 030810 Belarus) o 070810 Bosnia BHeregvina a) 2-0 0910.10 Roman'a(hy 20 121010 Luzemboure 20 2503.1 Luremboug(e) 20 0306.11 Belaas a) 1 20611 Abani) 2 608.11 Romana ta) oo O70 Abaniet) 30 HOE Bosnia Horegoina tg) 1-1 PwoL FA Ps fe 106 38 1 Benga 10 6 2 2 17 8 2 Fomene 103 «5 2 9 foons 10 3 4 3 8 7 1B fbena 102 «3 5 7 18 9 lwemboug 10 1 1 8 3 214 2902.12 Germany) a 70512 teeland 310512 Saba) 50612 Estonia) wor soceen 37Goer FRANCE/ INTERVIEWS Laurent Blanc 46 What happened in 2010, with the player strike, it really hurt our sport deeply. The image of the French team was horribly compromised? ‘Are you happy with the draw? Well we were in the fourth pot, 0 we knew we were gong tobe drawn with ‘wo of the top seeds. We could nave got Holland, Span or Germany, 0 to have avoided all of them ~ teas that have Serious aspirations of winning the ‘gumament ~ has to be a good thing. But you've stil got to prove yourself an the pitch. 1s Ieltficutt to be in group with a host nation? ts never easy to play a host nation. The Urine wil have the support of thei bic befind them. That ill countin thelr fovour We played them last year and thought they were a decent team We did win 4-1 that day butit was oniy in the last 10 minutes that we realy came through, so were expecting a saticat moter ‘You've taken part in big tournaments as an international player, of course. Will that help you at Euro 20127 Yes, it wi im not saying that its indispensable, but | thnk itis a pls. ‘yuive aready been through something, hen that experience counts $e think ‘that having done that helps me 2 lat, cenit itoffers no guarantees. Itcan certainly be useful n your day-to-day ealigs in preparing property and in helping you to anticipate the kind of Problems you might face. You gave England abit ofa lesson the last time the two countries met, at Wembley in 2010. Have they improved since then? To be honest the England we saw that right wasn't the real Engin because they hod a fen key players out nred There's acertainrvaky when the wo countries meet. a certan pleasure that we take in Beating the Engish and they IRenise n beating us And that meets, they/re always really ight games. Do you think the uncertainty that surrounds the England manager's position will have a negative effect ‘on them at Euro 20127 teuts both ways because there's no such thing 25 the ideal crcumstances going into a taumament. The Danes Carre together atthe ver ast moment in 1992 because trey hadn't even ‘ualied = it nas only when Yugosiavia 38 womnsoxcer «couldn't compete that they were admitied ~ and they ended up winning the tourarnent. suspect's beter to have a smooth and hasse-tree reparation, of course, buti's na guarantee that yout get the results ‘What about Sweden? They're a decent team that can beat the very best on any gen day. We know 2 few of ter guys because they ve played herein France, so we know al about thelr quaities They have elements of the Engish footing culture, with tough payers, yet they're very tecrnical atthe seme tne. And let's not forget that they have an exceptional payer up front n ata] torahimowe. They've got aot of quailty and you have to take them serious. Belive me, take then very serous, The national team was in complete disarray when you took over. How did you manage to reconstruct the team so efficiently? Hewat easy We had a hard time understanding what hapaened in 2010 vith the player strike and itreally hurt ‘ou sport deeply. The image of French football and the French team was hontiby compromised. Cleary the best ae way of getting oer allf that was to ‘qualify forthe Euros. had to mix older and younger players and fx a common. abjective, which was qualfcation. But there was aso an objective that ws more about he sedi side of things ‘2nd that was to rebuld our age You've already beaten Germany this ‘year. Does that mean you can win the tournament? Sincerely, at thismomertin tine, no. W's ‘ot a lac of ambition that makes me £3 that, but am reais In any gven game ane team can beat another, butts more dittct ina tournament, But once the tournament gets underway we'l al be trying very hard to winit Intersiew by HowardJohnson Blane lst is fst same in charge Franee—2 trent agains Norway in Hagust 2010—bat he ‘scarenty ons nunof 1 games TCS witout detest. 20-12-82‘very determined. For me, England are the favourites, but afer that wel see Do you really think England are favourites ahead of France? ‘Well theyre the fist team we come up ‘against and they're likely tobe the mast dfcutto beat. Yes they have some Uncertainty surrounding thelr coach, but forme Engiand have great payers wno are al very dangerous, Well have to Drepare wel forthe game and we'll have to play well it we want win and get our campaign of 10a good start. How do you see things going personally this summer? les frst big competion so dont really know what to expec, to be honest But I detniely be ging ty a and Tele to think that wel behave well and represent cur country inthe right wa. The fret objective to uly fram our ‘sroup, ofcourse. Anything can happen, a sngle match and we've seen that Yohan Cabaye eee know that we can do you 66 The full-on nature of the Premier League is really helpful So can France win Euro 2012? is i Personal fancy Spain, Holand and when it comes to being ready to play at international level #9 Ferman Bus en oan whose? itl oe hard or us. Weve come 2 ong You earned your fst call-up tothe Im outon the pitch that Laurent con wayin a short time and t's a hugely national team in August 2010 under count on me to work hr en 0 sow Siu camperiion win There are Somewhat bizarre cumstances... that Ihave the necessary ait a lat of other counties who are much Iwas dette ctierent. It wast ong bigger favourtes than we are. But we'l atte the nfemous player strike that ‘Did moving from Lille to Neweastle be ginato te Eur wth penty of happened dizing the 2010 Werk Cup United last summer help your aration ane we can get tei the Lauren: Blanc had justtaken over rem international ambitions? Foun phase, then why not? Anything Raymane Domenech and wanted to ‘it's deity need me beng at can happen, Show how we all understood that what Nevcaste Because there areal of laterview by Howardsohason had happened in South Africa wasnot great players and fl internationals what anyone wanted ta see. So farhis there. Every game we ploy s hugely frst gameincharge he selected 23 intense. You come up against bg teams REEEURUSA players, none of whom had been in al the ume strong teams, and there South Arica, was a definite statement, — ave no easy matches ve lear ot. We lst 2-1 and! only got on for about Playing in mideld in England is areal ‘The French team hast suddenly gone for 15 t0 20 minutes, 50 | just tried to Keep ng-buste! in France theres alot declining out tothe status ofa gemuine things as simpe 2s possible and not more emphasis onthe tactical side of ‘candidat or the Euro 202 te But we can rae any mistakes. I's tougn wen you the game, Bu the fllan nature ot I cosainy asta ge ant troup 0 viore ‘only pay for a short period af time and football in the Premier League t really nether England, or Sweden, nor the Ukraine "don't thing ed particiarly wel tobe helpful when t comes to berg ready pear tobe any better han us ight now. ui ing for the honest But Laurent called me up again, top at international evel ‘uarte-fnal ks tik a minimum objective” s0 cant have done too badly, Gulla oy, ke Figaro How do you feel about Group D, {And now you're an integral member where you have been drawn with We can oy ight now thatthe French team are among the ‘of anational squad that hasn'tlost England, Ukraine and Sweden? favourites for the Euros, butt leas we kno tat theyre not for 18 matches... Ws 2 afncut group, but t's probably far te bunch ef dunces we though they were afew mens ape, Were cn alang unbeaten un and that’s tosay that tere are tougher groups in Wemow know that they've eta ehance™ reat ofcourse, butto be frank we the competion. The Ukraine wl be 2 Patrick Dessau, France Footall, were poor a both ofthe ast wo major strong team, They're at home and that international tournaments, the World will count for 2 lot. We beat them lst “France's win agaist Germany inthe last math before the Cupin 2010 and tne Euros n 2008, year, but wasn't ata easy. And then _announcemest of our squad for Euro 2012 mas ig statement ‘youve got Sweden wo are traditionally afore that ge we werent sre whether we'd be deubting How do you think you've played in. powerful and ave one of the word's thw wel we could or whether wo be feling fa confident. recent internationals? reat payers in [Zlatan] Irhimowk. ow we knew we have real hope and we've fl of cafdence™ Irink ve dane OK. The most (Ofcourse, welbe gong tothe group ‘ery Tan, CEaulpe Important thing for me's 9 show when looking to win our matches and wel be