Chapter 40 Group C

Group C has gathered. The overall strength of Spain, Ireland, Croatia and Italy, the runner-up of the last European Cup, is basically strong and weak, but the strength of Ireland and Croatia cannot be ignored. These two teams are also used to playing the role of a strong team killer in the game.

As the runner-up of the last European Cup, this European Cup is undoubtedly one of the biggest favourites to win the championship. The playing style with the Barcelona system as the core makes many teams feel puzzled, but the incomplete lineup and the excessive pressure brought by the outside world may become the burden of defending the championship.

Compared with the Spanish team that won the runner-up in the European Cup four years ago, Villa and Pujol, who were absent due to injury, as well as the old Marchena and Cap de Villa, Negredo, Casola, Juan Fran and Alba became the fresh blood of defending champions, the most popular Unfortunately, the talent teenager Adrian and the efficient killer Soldado were defeated.

There is no need to say that the 31-year-old captain Casillas is at its peak, and no goalkeeper can be more stable than him. Due to the lack of Pujol, the defender line has hit Spain hard. Ramos, who has a hot temper, and Pike, who has an open personality, have always been unpleasant to see each other. Their partner is definitely the central defender. From a technical point of view, whether it is the insertion assist or the instability of the skin, it is very necessary for Pujol, a teammate who is good at filling and extremely stable.

Although right-back Abeloa has active assists, its quality and efficiency are not as good as Ramos's right-back. Valencian young player Alba, who has been in very good shape recently, has almost secured the position of left-back.

The midfield and the World Cup have not changed much. In Bosk's 4231 system, Alonso and Busquets are expected to form a double back starter. The former is responsible for organizing and sorting out the team's attack, while the latter plays a role in intercepting and controlling the team's offensive and defensive rhythm.

And the start of the midfield trident, Silva, Iniesta and Harvey are hot, while Fabregas, Martinez, Cazora, Mata, Navas and others provide rich choices for Bosk's rotation adjustment, even if Bosk adopts the 433 frontless tactics commonly used by Barcelona this season, Silva, Iniesta, Xiaofa and others can also complete the task well, and the luxurious midfield almost ensures the super competitiveness of the Spanish team.

On the striker line, despite Villa's efforts to recover, he still missed it. The selection of Negredo and Lorente is beyond reputable in terms of status and style, and Torres's selection has aroused the dissatisfaction of many fans. Torres performance in Chelsea this season is simply a disaster, because Torres gave up recently. The eye-catching Adrian and the league striker Soldado are unacceptable to some fans.

Although there are many talents in the talented Spain, the absolute core of the team is undoubtedly Harvey. Bosco's team has basically transplanted Barcelona's control flow tactics. Harvey is undoubtedly the key figure in Spain's control of the game, especially on the offensive end. Harvey's scheduling will become Spain's ability to play. The key to several successes.

In this group, Spain's biggest competitor is Italy. The Italian team has always been a favorite to win the championship in the competition, but the situation of Italy in this European Cup is really not optimistic. Domestic gambling scandals have broken out and the stars in the team are dim. Can this Italy, which is in the alternation of new and old, create miracles? Most people say they are not optimistic.

After the World Cup in South Africa, Prandelli, who retired in Florence, became the head coach of the Italian national team. Since coaching the Italian national team, Prandelli's task has been more to lead the Italian team to alternate between new and old, and give young Genius has more opportunities for growth.

There are many "regrets" in the list of the Italian team. Pacini, La Nokia and others, who could have been the main candidates, were not selected due to Florence's poor performance this season, and the main left-back Cricito was removed from the list due to "gambling".

Fortunately, Cassano's magical recovery, which was originally thought to be unqualified, took the last bus of the European Cup. This team is a young team compared with the Italian team in the past, so many players lack national team competition experience, which is a shortcoming for the team.

Another shortcoming is the impact of Italy, but with Cassano, Pirlo, Giovinco and others, rich creativity may make up for other shortcomings.

The first opponent in the group stage is Spain. It's not easy for the Blues to get three points, but it should also cause big trouble for their opponents. The key is the game against Croatia. Now Croatia, which is full of talents, will naturally pose a great threat to the Italian team. If you want to make a difference in this life-and-death battle, you must strengthen the hardness of the midfield competition and actively oppress technology as the main opponent. Ireland has the strength to disrupt the situation, but its absolute strength, especially the offensive ability. The lack of strength makes it difficult for them to break out of the siege, and their ability to attack is the key. Therefore, it is not difficult for the group to qualify.

Another fake case broke out before the competition, which can't help but remind everyone of the summer of 2006. I hope Italy can still stage the miracle of winning the championship under heavy pressure. Another highlight is Ba Shen. As long as he is here, he will always be the highlight. He is a genius on the court and a strange thing on the court. .

As the former world hegemon, Italy's prospects in this European Cup are not very promising, but in fact, the age structure of Prandelli's team is reasonable, the old and the new are alternating step by step, and the tactical play is also well handed down. The team's qualifying is their basic goal. If they can make it into the top four, they will have exceeded their tenure. Business.

In the World Cup champion team six years ago, there are only four people left: Buffon, Barzali, De Rossi and Pirlo, who are now the mainstay of this national team.

The team's tactical playing style, on-the-spot changes, and the offensive and defensive conversion are not around them at all. Like six years ago, Buffon is a crucial part of Italy's excellent performance, and don't forget that Buffon is the spiritual leader of the team.

Pirlo still plays the role of the team commander as he did six years ago. Although he is six years old, Sleeping Skin has been able to devote more energy to the attack with the help of the rich and powerful Marchisio around him, and the power of the assists has greatly exceeded the level of the past few seasons.

Baroteli is currently widely regarded as the best choice for starting striker, which can be seen from Prandelli giving him the No. 9 jersey. In this cup, Super Mario should try his best to control his temper, otherwise he will become the biggest trouble of the team from a core player.

4312 is the current tactic used by Prandelli and a fixed style of play in Italy in recent years. The control of the three central defenders over the midfield is the core. Of course, this is also based on Pirlo's strong reading game and organizational ability. De Rossi and Marchisio on both sides can not only protect the commanders in the middle, but also frequently insert or assist their teammates to score goals or goals. Mota and Norcerino are also the key candidates in the central forward position. Pirlo's scheduling is not enough. The existence of Montolivo and Cassano has enriched the Italian team in attack traps. Among them, Pirlo and Montolivo frequently changed positions in the No. 4 position, Cassano decisively retreated to the midfield to take the ball to activate the middle road when he was restricted by his opponents, etc., all of which made this Italian offensive methods Flexible and changeable.

If you want to go further in the European Cup, Italy will first be based on solid defense, with short passes infiltration in the middle, supplemented by the insertion of two wings to break through the opponent's defense, which has been Italy's traditional kicking method for many years.

The transfer from Pirlo's control point to both sides, the accurate top pick pass to the opponent's ribs, and the sharp and fast counterattack are a great move for Italy to tear open the opponent's defense line.

Up to now, the Italian national team has been away from the top of Europe for 44 years. 1968 as the host was the only time the Blue Army has won the Drone Cup so far.

To be fair, Italy's strength is not bad. Buffon, Chiellini, Pirlo and Baloteli are all top stars in their respective positions. Italy's poor performance in recent years has just given this team enough enterprising spirit, and other teams are not regarded as enemies of Italy.

In this sense, Italy's low-key appearance in this European Cup may have unexpected results. Of course, after all, the strength on the court is still the first. Italy's strength is obviously not as good as Spain and Germany, but it is still enough to compete with England, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, etc.

Ireland, this is the Irish national team, which has once again appeared on the stage of the competition ten years after 2002. Italian coach Trapatoni injected more Italian elements into this traditional British style of play. Most of the players in Ireland play in the Premier League, so the overall strength It's not bad, and there are many famous stars among them.

21 of the 23-person list are from England's clubs, and only captain Keane and Moscow Spartan midfielder McGoverdy are from leagues outside England. This list basically includes almost all well-known Irish stars, such as Gibson, Dunn, Duff, Oshey, Keane, Gibson, etc. Selected.

There are famous players on all lines. In the position of goalkeeper, veteran Jiwen is reassuring. On the defensive line, former Manchester United star O'sshe can be the core. Although the central defender Dunn is the own champion of the Premier League, he has many years of experience in the Premier League. Ireland's side is Darv and McGardy, and the back is the "long-range shooting king" Gibb. Sen, Roby, a veteran on the front line. Keane and West Brom striker Sean, who have performed well this season. Lang.

Ireland is in a relatively difficult group in this cup. Spain is the favorite to win the championship. Italy has gradually returned to the winning track under the leadership of Prandelli, while Croatia also has ambitions under the leadership of young coach Bilić, so it's really difficult for Ireland to qualify. Difficulties.

Another team is the habitual dark horse Croatia. In this cup, Croatia is in the same group as Spain, Italy and Ireland. Although the prospect of qualifying is not optimistic, the advantage of the Plaid Legion is that the opponents they encounter are from weak to strong, and they will face the strength of this group in the first game. Croatia, the weakest Ireland, is fully capable of winning. Croatia also has a psychological advantage in the second battle against Italy. If the first two battles can be played well, Croatia does have the possibility of grabbing the line in this group, and it is not impossible to become a dark horse again.

The team's coach Bilic miraculously reached the final four with the Croatian national team in the 1998 World Cup. After retiring from teaching in 2001, he briefly coached Croatia's domestic strong team Heduke Split. Since 2004, he has coached the Croatian U21 national youth team and the adult country. Team, at present, the core of Croatia's team, such as Joel Luka and Modric, are all his direct followers from the national youth team.

In terms of lineup, Degan's former teammate Modric will undoubtedly become the absolute core of Croatia. After leaving Florence, Modric unexpectedly chose to join Tottenham Hotspur, the mid-stream team of the Premier League. In the past two seasons, Modric has performed very well in Tottenham Hotspur. At the end of last year He was even nominated for the World Footballer of the Year.

Another noteworthy thing is Srner. Shakhtar Donetsk is the captain of the current Croatian national team, and his international competition experience is second only to the defensive veteran Simunić. The right-wing all-round player had the experience of playing for Croatia in the 2004 European Championships. His 19 goals also ranked third in the Croatian national team's historical goal list, second only to Sukel and Eduardo. Srner is not only the absolute main force on the right side of Croatia, but also the team's locker room. Leaders.

The final direction of the situation of this group mainly depends on whether the strong team can always play their best and what kind of color the dark horse has.

Relatively speaking, Spain should not be a problem. Ireland's strength is relatively weak and may only play the role of a spoiler. Another qualifying place will be born between Italy and Croatia.

Although Italy wants to stabilize Croatia in terms of fame, Croatia has an advantage after several international competitions. Especially at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, Croatia's victory almost forced Italy to the point where the group could not appear.

This time, when the two teams meet in a group stage, who will laugh to the end depends not only on the competition between the two teams' stars on the court, but also on the sidelines.