Hello, welcome to Euro 2012, Group C first round of matches, and after the Dutch were stunned by Denmark and Germany found their goal against Portugal, lets hope for a bit more action today. Today features the holders and current World Champions Spain, 2000 runners up Italy, Croatia who should have beat Turkey in the quarters in 2008, and Republic of Ireland, who I think will get into the quarters somehow.
We're Live: http://www.ja606.co.uk/articles/viewLiveArticle/125942
http://www.ja606.co.uk/articles/viewArticle/125886
Todays Games
Spain vs Italy 5PM KO ITV1
Ireland vs Croatia 7:45PM KO
Scores
Spain 1-1 Italy (Fabregas 64, Di Natale 61)
Ireland 1-3 Croatia (St Ledger, Manduzic Given OG)
Game 1 Spain vs Italy
Spain
Manager: Vicente del Bosque
Spain go into the Euros without key players David Villa and Carlos Puyol, this means that either Llorente or Torres will start as the main man for the Spain. Puyols absense means Pique and Ramos will player together and the two have denied a rift. It also comes after they need a bailout
Recent Euro History:
2008: Winners
2004: Group Stages
2000: Quarter Finals
FIFA Ranking: 1
Italy
Manager: Cesare Prandelli
Italy head into the match on a sour domestic front, as the issue of match fixing has cropped up again. However in 2006 when match fixing came about Italy won the world cup so who knows? He has some decisions to make especially up front: Mario or Cassano?
Euro History:
2008: Quarters
2004: Group Stage
2000: Runners Up
FIFA Ranking: 12
Team News
Spain: Casillas, Arbeloa, Pique, Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba, Xavi, Busquets, Alonso, Silva (Navas), Fabregas (Torres), Iniesta. Subs: Valdes, Albiol, Javi Martinez, Juanfran, Pedro, Torres, Negredo, Mata, Llorente, Santi Cazorla, Jesus Navas, Reina.
Italy: Buffon, Chiellini, De Rossi, Bonucci, Giaccherni, Marchisio, Pirlo, Thiago Motta, Maggio, Cassano (Giovinco), Balotelli (Di Natale). Subs: Sirigu, Ogbonna Obienza, Balzaretti, Abate, Di Natale, Barzagli, Borini, Montolivo, Giovinco, Diamanti, Nocerino, De Sanctis.
Goals
Di Natale 61
Fabregas 64
Bookings
Other Info
Stats
Spain beat Italy on penalties in Euro 2008
Spain
If Fernando Torres scores he will match Fernando Hierro's tally of 29 goals - only Raul (44) and David Villa (51) have score more for Spain.
Xavi had the best pass completion rate (94.9%) in Euro 2012 qualifying.
No side has successfully retained the European Championship. The USSR and West Germany reached the final as defending champions, losing in 1964 and 1976 respectively.
The Spanish have won 14 competitive games in a row since losing to Switzerland in their 2010 World Cup opener.
Italy
The Azzurri had the best defensive record in qualifying, conceding just two goals in nine completed games (their match at home to Serbia was abandoned after just six minutes).
Gianluigi Buffon saved 92.9% of shots he faced - the best record in Euro 2012 qualifying.
They lost their Euro 2008 opener to the Dutch 3-0 - their heaviest defeat at a major international tournament since the 4-1 loss to Brazil in the 1970 World Cup final.
Game 2 Ireland vs Croatia
Ireland
Manger: Giovanni Trapattoni
Aston Villa keeper Shay Given will play despite injury concerns , and it is the Irish's first Euros since Euro 88 and first competiton since World Cup 2002. Robbie Keane will start. Under Giovanni Trapattoni Ireland have never lost an away match.
Euro History
2008: Didn't qualify
2004: Didn't Qualify
2000: Didn't qualify
FIFA Ranking: 18
Croatia
Manager: Slaven Bilic
Vedran Corluka is fit for Croatia, despite being doubtful earlier due to an injury scare. At Euro 2008 Croatia got into the quarter finals. Slaven Bilic is leaving for Lokomotiv Moscow and has established them as a side to contend with them.
Euro History
2008: Quarters
2004: Group Stage
2000: Didn't qualify
FIFA Ranking: 8
Team News
Rep of Ireland: Given, O'Shea, St. Ledger, Dunne, Ward, McGeady, Whelan, Andrews, Duff, Doyle, Keane. Subs: Westwood, Kelly, McShane, Walters, Gibson, Hunt, O'Dea, Long, Cox, Green, McClean, Forde.
Croatia: Pletikosa, Srna, Corluka, Schildenfeld, Strinic, Vukojevic, Rakitic, Modric, Perisic, Mandzukic, Jelavic. Subs: Kelava, Simunic, Buljat, Pranjic, Badelj, Vrsaljko, Dujmovic, Kalinic, Kranjcar, Vida, Eduardo, Subasic.
Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (Holland)
Goals
Mandzukic, 3
St Ledger, 19
Jelavic, 43
Given OG, 48
Bookings
Rat Boy
Other Info
Stats
Head-to-head
Ireland have only lost one of their previous six games against Croatia (W2, D3, L1).
Only two of those encounters were in competitive matches. They met in qualifying for Euro 2000, with Ireland winning 2-0 at Lansdowne Road in September 1998. However, Croatia exacted revenge thanks to a late winner from Davor Suker in Zagreb a year later.
The last meeting was a 0-0 draw at Dublin's Aviva Stadium in August 2011.
Republic of Ireland
The Irish are unbeaten in 14 games, keeping 11 clean sheets. Their last loss was a 3-2 friendly defeat to Uruguay in Dublin in March 2011.
They have yet to lose a competitive game away from home under Giovanni Trapattoni.
Trapattoni, 73, will become the oldest coach to take charge of a European Championship finals match. The previous record was held by Otto Baric, who was 71 when he led Croatia at Euro 2004.
Of the teams that qualified for Euro 2012, the Irish allowed the most shots on target (45).
Croatia
Croatia collected 23 yellow cards in qualifying - only Greece (27) had a worse record.
They have qualified for four tournaments since the turn of the century, but the only time they progressed beyond the group stage was at Euro 2008, when they lost to Turkey in the last eight.
Croatia have not ended a calendar year outside the top 10 of Fifa's rankings since 2006.
They have never lost their opening game at a European Championship (W2, D1).
Euro News
14 Fans arrested in Poznan.
10 Poles
3 Irish
1 Croat
England's plane booked home http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/10062012/58/euro-2012-paper-round-england-book-plane-home.html
Rules
Predict Spain's passes
Predict Spanish possesion
Predict when Andy Townsend will talk about World Cup 94
Go in here http://www.ja606.co.uk/articles/viewArticle/125942
Links
http://www.firstrowsports.eu
http://www.str3amtv.pt.am
http://www.vipbox.tv/
http://ice-sportz.eu/.html
http://www.itv.com/sport/football/euro/match/rep-of-ireland-croatia-3472051/
http://slipstreamtv2.blogspot.com/
Can everyone pop into Le Professor's Head please:
http://www.ja606.co.uk/articles/viewArticle/125886
EURO 2012: DAY THREE
posted on 10/6/12
Well in fairness to Rooney he's only been in two since, and 1 he wernt fit at all
posted on 10/6/12
>>Walcott and Young on the wings will do damage
hypothetically
If France don't bum us first when they bomb forward and leave us exposed at the back.
I do agree they're the best chance at a smash and grab if they convert in one of their first attempts going forward by chance.
Depends how big a gambler you are I guess.
posted on 10/6/12
Fabtastic
I really don't know. I think we have some good young players in our side but I don't if we have enough to qualify. I feel defensively we are far too open and are poor. But I feel that we could have a chance of qualifying from our group for the 2014 World cup. It could be too early for us though. Maybe 2016. But I'm not particularly sure.
posted on 10/6/12
Fabtastic
Well in fairness to Rooney he's only been in two since, and 1 he wernt fit at all
And he was part of a squad that failed to even qualify for one. He has had more than enough time to prove himself on the International stage, and frankly has not delivered.
posted on 10/6/12
comment by gunnerthru (U6675)
posted 1 minute ago
Holland incredibly unlucky in this game against Denmark. I think their main problem is the midfield balance (van Bommel is past it) and the defence. Vlaar and also van der Wiel were awful. The teenager Willems made a good game. I cant see Holland to beat us.
==========================
The defence have always had a capability to gift goals recently, it's nothing new.
There was much talk about Willems' lack of experience but in the end he did well and it was the considerably more experienced vd Wiel who got exposed time and again. Had Poulsen been able to put in a decent cross from the openings he got on Holland's right, the Danes could have even extended their lead.
I think Vlaar was OK although my expectations of him were rather low. Anyway, he is the best option left in CD (with Mathijssen injured and Bouma being simply poor) and the goal the Danes scored, came from Heitinga's area.
Against the Danes, I'd have preferred vd Vaart in the middle in place of de Jong to recycle possession better and to (preferably) make some incisive off the ball runs in the area from deep. This was tried in the qualifiers and worked quite well.
Can't see them getting a result either.
posted on 10/6/12
Who's in your group?
posted on 10/6/12
We are in Group A This is other group opponents:
Croatia
Serbia
Belgium
Macedonia
Wales
posted on 10/6/12
Tough group
Either really well or badly
posted on 10/6/12
Hopefully it goes really well for once.
posted on 10/6/12
Gunnerthru