Euro 2012 key players: Group A

Group A

This Friday, Poland and Greece will begin Euro 2012 in Warsaw in front of approximately 50,000 fans. So in honour of the beginning of world football’s most captivating events, I will be going through the key players and possible ‘’it factors’’ for each team, group by group. Here’s group A.

Poland- Wojciech Sczcesny

The Arsenal shot stopper has added some much needed stability to the Gunners defence this season as he has got better and better throughout the course of the season. The 21 year old is arguably Poland's most recognized player and if he is able to keep a few clean sheets against the likes of Russia, perhaps Poland will cause an upset and advance to the quarter finals. 

Greece- Giorgos Karagounis

At age 35, this will almost certainly be Karagounis’ swansong on the international stage, and he will be determined to make it special. And the word ‘’determined” perfectly sums up the Panathinikos man as he wears his heart on his proverbial sleeve for both club and country. Having played in all ten of Greece’s qualifying matches for the tournament; Greece will rely on their central midfielder to instill the values of Greece’s astonishing Euro 2004 win, a team that Karagounis was an integral part of.

Russia- Roman Pavlyuchenko

Four years ago, at Euro 2008, Roman Pavlyuchenko truly arrived on the international stage, as he helped Russia to a surprise semi-final place, in the process scoring three goals. Due to his work at the tournament, the Russian was signed by Tottenham for £14 million. Now, with Russia being placed in a relatively easy group alongside the Czech Republic, Greece and co-hosts Poland, Pavlyuchenko has a great chance to help Russia to a quarter final, and maybe even a semi-final place. The expectation is higher on the Lokomotiv Moscow this year, but with the likes of Andrey Arshavin and Yuri Zhirkov around him, he should impress again.

Czech Republic- Petr Cech

There can be no better way to enter a European tournament than to have just won the champions league with your club side, and that’s exactly what the Czech Republic’s goalkeeper, Petr Cech has done with Chelsea. The Czech’s may well look to Chelsea’s heroics for inspiration, as with an ageing squad, their chances of a semi-final appearance like the one they had in 2004, look slim. But with Cech in goal, a man largely considered one of the world’s top five goalkeepers, and a group in which they look likely to progress from, you never know. 

So who do you think will get through this group? Leave a comment as I’d be interested to know.   

Ryan Bertrand: Chelsea and England’s future Left back?

Just over a week ago, 22 year old Ryan Bertrand made his first ever European appearance in the most elaborate way possible, in the champions league final. Bertrand lasted 74 minutes in the match, as he gave an assured performance, and he certainly wasn’t overawed by the occasion, as many feared. So where does the youngster go from here?

Loan deals

Bertrand left his first club Gillingham to go to Chelsea at age 16, for a small fee of £125,000. After an impressive first season in Chelsea’s youth team, Chelsea decided to loan Bertrand out to Bournemouth, Oldham and Norwich, in that order where his organization and position skills impressed the technical staff at each club.

After these successful loan spells, in summer 2009, Chelsea decided it was time to put Bertrand up a level to promotion chasing Reading. Chelsea’s choice proved to be an inspiring one with Bertrand being a regular starter, and in the meantime scored his first ever professional goal. His brilliant season was highlighted as he finished third in the voting for Reading’s player of the season. He spent the first half of the 2010/11 season at another highly respected club, Nottingham Forest, where he again impressed.

His time at Chelsea

When the left back returned to Chelsea in January 2011, he knew it was time to step up. His first appearance in the blues’ first team was in a 3-1 home win over Birmingham City in April. Despite only playing for the last thirty minutes, Bertrand got an assist and must have impressed the Chelsea hierarchy as in July 2011; Chelsea signed him to a four year contract, proving the blues have faith in his talent and feel that keeping him is imperative to their potential future success. His 2011/12 season saw him make 14 appearances and due to the sale of Yuri Zhirkov, he became Chelsea’s back-up to the magnificent Ashley Cole.

Now do I foresee Ryan Bertrand overstepping Ashley Cole anytime soon? No, Cole is simply too good. But with Cole turning 32 later this year, Chelsea will have to look for a younger replacement, and Bertrand is the perfect candidate. The Englishman’s reading of the game and his versatility (he can play left wing too) means Chelsea need not rush into the transfer market, as they have one already on the books, and he cost just over £125,000. 

Manchester United 2-0 Swansea

Manchester United ensured that the premier league title race would still go down to the final day after a comfortable 2-0 win over Swansea at Old Trafford.

The first half began with relative dominance from Manchester united with Valencia and Young receiving plenty of the ball. Unsurprisingly, United had the game's first meaningful chance when Michel Vorm denied first Evra, then Rooney.

The home side took the lead with 27 minutes played after some excellent work by Valencia on the right, who then pulled it back for Michael Carrick, whose shot was turned in by Paul Scholes from about two yards out.

United nearly doubled their lead one minute later with Valencia's low driven cross reaching Hernandez, however Manchester United's number fourteen was unable to get his shot away.

Five minutes before the half time whistle, Ashley Young made it two after sweeping strike into the left hand corner of the net. In fact, it could have been 3-0 at half time as Chris Smalling's glancing header went wide.

In the second half United created yet more chances. After a Swansea corner, Valencia passed to Rooney, whose pass was crucially intercepted by Nathan Dyer. If not for Dyer's intervention, Ashley Young would have had an open goal.

Swansea were not being pinned back in their own half for the entire match however. On the 59th minute, a Scott Sinclair shot deflected off Danny Graham's boot and nearly wrong-footed David De Gea. The swans proved they were not afraid of united and were willing to try and score.

With 20 minutes remaining, Wayne Rooney was put through by Michael Carrick but the England striker put it wide of the target. Despite continuing to dominate possession however, United didn’t create many chances in the last twenty minutes.

All in all, United really should have scored more than two, with Hernandez in particular missing a few decent opportunities. With more clinical finishing, perhaps United would be in pole position, but for now, they’ll need QPR to produce a major shock next Sunday at the Etihad, as well as themselves beating Sunderland at the Stadium of light. It’s unlikely but Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United will not give the title up before it’s officially over.

Six thought-provoking predictions for this week's two champions league ties.

This week, the football world will be full of excitement and anticipation as four of not only Europe’s, but the world's best teams will clash in the first legs of the champions league semi finals. Bayern Munich will host Real Madrid at the Allianz arena on Tuesday, while Barcelona will travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea on Wednesday night. With so many incredible players on show, both games will be footballing spectacles that every football fan should enjoy. So here are some bold predictions for what will happen in these two games.

The David Luiz and Lionel Messi battle will be one to savour

With John Terry seemingly missing this vital game due to injury, it means David Luiz will have the dreaded task of marking the world's undisputed greatest player: Lionel Messi. Some are suggesting Messi will completely and utterly destroy the Brazilian centre back; however I think Luiz may be able to do the seemingly impossible. If Luiz isn't too rash, his will to win, energy and pace may give Messi a tough night, and if Luiz does really well, it could lead to Chelsea going through. A message to Messi: underestimate Luiz at your peril.

Barcelona's midfielders will cause Chelsea a great deal of problems

Three years ago, at this same stage in the champions league, Chelsea were two minutes away from reaching the champions league semi final in Rome. A last minute goal from Andrés Iniesta ended up denying Chelsea this opportunity, but overall Chelsea's midfield, and particularly Michael Essien did a reasonable job of keeping both Xavi and Iniesta quiet throughout the course of the two legs. However, due to a spate of injuries received by the Ghanaian midfielder over these last three years, Essien isn't anywhere near as effective as he was back then. Some say Ramires or the recently much improved John Obi Mikel should be given this role, but in my opinion, neither player is proven enough at keeping such dazzling, skilful players quiet in a big game situation such as this. If this proves to be correct, Barcelona will dominate, and Chelsea's defence will be inundated.

Chelsea will score at least one goal

Now the general consensus heading into this first leg is that Barcelona will dominate possession and that they will frustrate Chelsea. However, although I won't deny Barcelona will probably dominate possession, I think Chelsea will bring the game to Barcelona, just like they did back in 2009. Barcelona's questionable full backs may struggle to cope with Mata's trickery, and Chelsea’s marauding full backs, Ivanovic and Cole will make defending even tougher for the Catalan. Plus, with Torres showing signs of getting back to his former self, Pique and Puyol may again struggle against an English team.

Mario Gomez will score at least one goal

Over the last year, German striker Mario Gomez has shown himself to be more than worthy of being considered one of the world’s top strikers, having scored a sensational 39 goals in 45 games. If Real Madrid fail to stop the man who is the champions league’s top scorer on 12 goals, then getting to the final may be a tough ask for La Liga’s leaders. Plus, with the likes of Robben and Ribery in the Bayern team, Gomez should expect to receive a great deal of service. I predict that the expected defensive partnership of Pepe and Sergio Ramos will struggle to contain the in-form striker, which could lead to Gomez scoring one, maybe two goals.

Philip Lahm v Cristiano Ronaldo

This is the sort of match-up football fans dream about. In one corner you have Philip Lahm; a battling, determined player who many fans consider to be one of the best fullbacks in world football. In the other corner, you have Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese forward who has scored an incredible 48 goals in just 53 games, and since joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2009, he has scored 137 goals in 139 games. Two superb players who many would put in their dream world XI will go up against each other in this match, and if Lahm manages to keep Real Madrid’s star man quiet, it could significantly hurt Madrid’s chances of advancing.

Real Madrid’s defenders will make some questionable tackles

Sergio Ramos, Pepe and Fabio Coentrao aren’t thought of as the cleanest of players and despite Real Madrid’s fantastic season in La Liga this year, Los Merengues and specifically manager Jose Mourinho have received criticism in some quarters for having too many divers and dirty players. At this stage of last season’s champions league in a match with Barcelona, Pepe was controversially sent off after a tackle on Dani Alves. With Bayern possessing creative, skillful players such as Robben and Ribery in their squad, and being in the intense, hostile atmosphere of the Allianz arena, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of Real Madrid’s more aggressive, immature players lose their cool and commit a potentially dangerous foul, which could result in something damaging, like a penalty or a red card.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article and be sure to look out for some of these things to happen in these two massively important games.

   

Chelsea all time best XI

                         Chelsea all-time best XI

For fans of any club, the debate over who is that club’s all-time greatest eleven is an everlasting one. It is a way of comparing generations and really evaluating the quality of the team’s history. So, as a lifelong Chelsea fan here’s my take on the club’s greatest ever team.

GK: Petr Cech

Since joining the blues from French side Rennes back in 2004, Petr Cech has become one of Chelsea’s most reliable performers and also one of the best goalkeepers in the world thanks to his incredible reflexes and his magnificent positioning. What makes Petr Cech even more of an outstanding choice for this position is that he has helped Chelsea win three FA cups, three premier leagues and two league cups while with the west London club. Amazing to think that he suffered a terrible head trauma back in late 2006 in a game against Reading, yet he is still one of the game’s most revered goalkeepers.

Honorable mention: Peter Bonetti

RB: Ron Harris

Nicknamed ‘’chopper’’ for his fierce style of tackling, Ron Harris is one of Chelsea’s most passionate captains in the club’s history, as well as a fan favorite to this day. Harris will mostly be remembered for his physical yet solid performance in the 1970 FA Cup final against Leeds United, which Chelsea managed to win. One of the hardest players to ever play the game, Ron Harris may have struggled in the modern game with its harsher discipline rules but he’s a Chelsea legend all the same.

CB: Marcel Desailly

The French-Ghanaian defender was somewhat of a surprise signing for pre-Abramovich Chelsea back in 1998, as he had just won the world cup with France at the time. However, Desailly’s passionate performances for the club showed that he was desperate to gain yet more success while at Chelsea while also endearing him to the Chelsea faithful. Desailly’s greatest day in a blue shirt occurred in 2000 where his solid performance helped Chelsea win the 1999/2000 FA Cup. Desailly’s experience also helped with the development of fellow centre back and current Chelsea captain John Terry.

Honorable mentions: David Webb, Frank Leboeuf

CB: John Terry

Arguably Chelsea’s greatest ever youth team product, John Terry wears his heart on his sleeve almost every time he appears for the blues. In many ways, he is the ideal centre back with fantastic heading ability, a tremendous deal of determination when it comes to protecting the Chelsea goal, and his organizational skills are obvious whenever he’s playing. It’s possible that if it wasn’t for the uniting force John Terry brings to the Chelsea dressing room, he wouldn’t have lifted as many trophies as he has since being made captain in 2004.

LB: Ashley Cole

Widely considered as one of the best, if not the best, left back in the world today, Ashley Cole has proven why Chelsea fans were ecstatic when he signed for the club back in 2006 from London rivals Arsenal. Whoever Ashley Cole comes up against, that player knows they have a tough job on their hands, due to Cole’s excellent positioning and tackling. It is a testament to Chelsea’s colossal improvement as a club since Roman Abramovich took over in 2003 that Chelsea can both attract and keep a player of Cole’s ability

DM: Claude Makelele

One of Roman Abramovich’s very first signings as the owner of Chelsea, Claude Makelele’s importance to Chelsea in his five years at the club is impossible to overstate. His best season at the club was his second season and Jose Mourinho’s first, where Makelele added extra security to Chelsea’s defence while playing just in front of the two centre backs. Such was Makelele’s brilliance in this role, the defensive midfield position is often now referred to as the ‘’Makelele role’’.  A truly great servant of Chelsea football club.

CM: Frank Lampard

When the term ‘’goalscoring midfielder’’ is mentioned the vast majority of people would think of Frank Lampard, and judging by the stats rightfully so. The English midfielder has scored 184 goals in 550 games, a record even most strikers would be proud of. The £11 million Chelsea spent taking him from West ham back in 2001 was a truly fantastic bit of business and Lampard is one of very few players who’d be able to be successful in any footballing era.

CM: Dennis Wise

Just like John Terry and Ron Harris, Dennis Wise is a Chelsea captain whose passion and sheer will to win made him an instant hero amongst the Chelsea fans. His goal at the san siro against AC Milan in the group stages of the UEFA Champions league in the 1999/00 was one of the most memorable moments in Chelsea’s history, and is a moment blues fans cherish and sing about to this day.

Honorable mention: Roberto Di Matteo, Ray Wilkins

ST: Bobby Tambling

Holding the Chelsea goalscoring record of 202 goals, Bobby Tambling is a true Chelsea legend. A player who embodied the typical striker of the 1960’s, Bobby Tambling was very much a poacher who had an innate ability of being in the right place at the right time. Throughout his eleven years at the club, Bobby Tambling was a true Chelsea icon.

Honorable mention: Kerry Dixon

ST: Peter Osgood

One of the most famed moments in the entire history of Chelsea football club was a diving header from the then Chelsea number nine Peter Osgood to put Chelsea in the lead in the FA cup final replay against Leeds United. This wasn’t the only remarkable thing Osgood done in this FA cup campaign, the Chelsea number nine in fact scored in every round of the tournament, one of only nine players in history to do so. Over the years, fans of the blues gave Osgood the moniker ‘’king of Stamford bridge’’.

ST: Gianfranco Zola

As far as accolades go, they don’t come much better than being named the greatest player in your club’s history by the fans of that club, but that’s just what happened in 2003 to Gianfranco Zola. Throughout the Italian’s seven years at Chelsea he dazzled the club’s fans with his flair, energy and when the ball was at his feet, the things he did with it could only be described as magical. Zola’s incredible contribution to Chelsea has been honored in recent years, as no one has taken his old number of 25 since he left in 2003.

Martin O'Neill: Sunderland's savior

For the first three months of the season, Sunderland appeared to be a sinking ship. Failed new signings, decreasing attendances and top players leaving, all meant change was needed. Steve Bruce was sacked and replaced by Martin O'Neill and it proved to be an inspiring decision.

Flashback to Saturday November the 26th and Sunderland's board of directors and their fans feared the worst after a 2-1 defeat at home to Wigan. Their defence looked incredibly shaky that day and with just three months into the season, Sunderland resembled a wounded animal. One of the things that really frustrated a great deal of Sunderland fans was that all of the pre-season hope had simply faded. The sales of Jordan Henderson (£20 million) and Darren Bent (£24 million) meant that Sunderland were able to spend a considerable amount of money on the likes of Craig Gardner, Sebastian Larsson, John O'Shea, Wes Brown and Ji Dong Won yet the squad was simply taking too long to gel together.

Eventually, the club's American owner Ellis Short decided enough was enough and sacked manager Steve Bruce.

As soon as the news broke, Martin O'Neill was the name almost everyone was suggesting to take over. After the decision to give O'Neill the job was made public, Sunderland were a club rejuvenated.

In O'Neill's very first match at the helm, a late Sebastian Larsson free kick was enough to give Sunderland the three points against Blackburn. Since this vital victory, the club have gained some impressive wins, such as a 1-0 win against Manchester City, a 4-1 win away at Wigan, and a 1-0 win at one of the premier league's toughest stadiums to play at, the Britannia stadium, the home of Stoke.

But what has caused Sunderland's miraculous turn in fortunes? While Steve Bruce was manager, Sunderland couldn't seem to find any consistency or confidence. An interesting fact is that the Mackems didn't win consecutive matches in the season's first three months under Bruce. When Sunderland produced a spectacular 1-0 victory over Manchester City back in January, their next result was an equally impressive 4-1 demolition of Wigan.

Some would point to the fact that Martin O'Neill grew up supporting Sunderland and this was made clear from the start. This knowledge instantly endeared the Northern Irish man to the people of the city and the stadium of light was considerably fuller at O'Neill's first game against Blackburn than it was during the frustrating and tiresome days of Steve Bruce's reign. Did this inspire the players to dig deep and find a late winner?

But if you were to think of Sunderland's key players since early December, you'll most likely come up with the following players: Stephane Sessegnon, Nicklas Bendtner, Sebastian Larsson, James Mcclean, David Vaughan and Craig Gardner. The thing that relates all these players is that they've all improved or at least been of the same quality as they were under Steve Bruce. They're all a lot more confident as well, and O'Neill's motivational skills have clearly come into play here, much like they did at Aston Villa. Villa were in a similar situation as Sunderland were in when O'Neill took charge and each player improved massively and the club soon became a much more feared entity.

Despite O'Neill clearly still having his feet placed firmly on the ground, it's understandable to see the sense of excitement around Sunderland at the moment. The improvement has been so vast and happened so quickly. Next season will be one filled with pre-season hope for the club's fans and the fears after losing Jordan Henderson and Darren Bent are slowly extinguishing. Indeed, it is a very exciting time to be a Sunderland fan.

TOP 5 RIGHT BACKS IN WORLD FOOTBALL

Back in January, I wrote an article about the battle to be considered the world's best goalkeeper, a title that different people give to various different goalkeepers around the world, but there is no outstanding winner. The same goes for the right back position, as there are a lot of contenders but no player is widely considered to be the best right back in the world. In this article, I'll give my opinion on who are the top five right backs in world football from fifth to first.

5. Bacary Sagna

The Frenchman's importance to Arsenal's team simply cannot be understated. His consistently solid performances for the north London club has added his name to the long list of Arsene Wenger's successful yet relatively cheap signings. His assured, collected style of play means Sagna often frustrates wingers as he is hardly ever out of position. These traits mean that he is widely considered one of the premier league's most reliable and trustworthy players, a very different regard to the one a lot of his fellow Arsenal defenders are held in.

4. Philip Lahm

A Bayern Munich player since the tender age of eleven years old, Philip Lahm has developed into a magnificent defender, at left back as well as right back. He's one of the first names on the team sheet for both Bayern and his national team Germany, and has won the Bundesliga an impressive four times, as well as having appeared in the final of Euro 2008. Despite being only 1m 70cm (5 ft 7 in) tall, his strength and determination means Lahm is very difficult to get past. Indeed, he has all the hallmarks of a great right back and at just 27 years of age, his career should just keep getting better for years to come.

3. Sergio Ramos

In many ways, Sergio Ramos is the epitome of a modern right back. Athletic, energetic and technically capable of putting in a fantastic cross every now and again. A testament to the natural ability of the Spaniard is that many people think that he is better playing at centre back rather than right back, yet Real Madrid and Spain certainly do not look elsewhere for a right back. His doubters say he is too rash in his tackles, but his importance and natural quality can't be denied.

2. Maicon

When people think of Maicon, they think of his renowned attacking prowess which would rival almost any right midfielder in the world. However, the 30 year old Brazilian is also a superb defensive player and his pace means that no matter how far he goes up the pitch in an attack, he often manages to get back to defend his goal. Many feel that Maicon's best season was the 2009/10 season, where he produced some outstanding displays, both from an offensive perspective and a defensive perspective. These performances helped his side, Internazionale win the treble, the champions league, Serie A and the Italian cup.

1. Dani Alves

For many years, Dani Alves was rumored to be one of the world's most promising right backs, and when Barcelona signed him from Sevilla in 2008, they did so at the envy of all the world's top clubs. Yet the price of the signing, €32.5 million, meant that there was a great deal of pressure on Alves from the start. This didn't seem to worry Alves though, as in his first season with Barcelona he quickly established himself as one of the club's top right back. Now in his fourth season at Barcelona, Alves has won an incredible 3 la liga titles, two champions leagues and one copa del rey. His pace, technique, energy and bamboozling runs means in my opinion, there is no better right back in the whole of world football who is better than Dani Alves.

Who do you think deserves a spot in this list and who should they replace? Do you think certain players on the list should be higher up or perhaps lower down? Please leave a comment, as I’d be interested to know.