Euro 2012: the BIG predictions

The European Championships in Poland and Ukraine kick off today so join us as we try and pick out who the big winners and who the big flops might be. Then come back in a fortnights time and laugh accordingly

The winners will be...

Spain

It’s hard to look past the two finalists from four years ago when looking at who is likely to walk away with the trophy but both Spain and Germany are favourites for a reason. Winning three international tournaments in a row would be a monumental achievement and while the Spaniards level of excellence has dipped since they were crowned Champions of the World, they are still undoubtedly the team to beat.

Part of my head is telling me that Barcelona’s decline this season may be matched by the national team, but their ability to keep the ball and tire their opposition is still the best around. When you always have the ball, the chances are far higher that you will score and obviously far less that you will concede. After a tiring European season, the fact they let the ball do the work should give them the advantage over the rest.

Germany’s squad is brimming with richly talented attacking players, young and dynamic. They have been international bridesmaids the last ten years but to win the big one they will need to tighten up at the back and learn to kill off games when on top. My tip is the Spanish to *just* prevail should the two meet once again.

The dark horse will be...

Poland

It’s a bit of a cliché given we live in a globalised world and there are few unknown quantities out there in the world of football but every tournament needs its dark horse to take people by surprise. This time round there are a few candidates, with many picking the Russian’s and a number thinking a Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Portugal could go all the way. Maybe we should through in England? Perhaps not.

Home advantage can go one of two ways, players can be inspired to be in front of their countryman but then they can also wilt, the relentless pressure becoming just too much too bare. While I think that that Ukraine do not have the talent to take this on their shoulders, their co hosts Poland could just use the weight of a nation to push them past where they might normally expect to be. The Borussia Dortmund trio of Łukasz Piszczek, Jakub Błaszczykowski and most importantly Robert Lewandowski have been in scintillating form for their club this season and if they can translate this to the international arena then they could get the hosts fans really rocking.

The big disappointments will be...

Ukraine

Any number of big names has the potential to really crash and burn this summer, with the likes of Italy and England having what could be politely termed ‘stressful’ build ups. Even taking away the latest match fixing scandal from the Italians and the John Terry/Rio Ferdinand furore in England, both teams look ill equipped on the pitch. The Italian team, whilst attaining impressive results in qualifying (on paper) lack creativity and goals, relying on a player that could almost have died this year (Antonio Cassano) and one that always looks to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown (Mario Balotelli). England likewise appear functional but uninspiring, sort of like their manager and inspire little confidence for an extended run.

However the big disappointments, in terms of what it could mean for the excitement and interest in the tournament will likely be the early exit of the other co-hosts the Ukraine. A deeply uninspiring squad that is still reliant on an ever green Andriy Shevchenko, the teams performances in the build up have mirrored that of the countries preparation when it comes to building stadiums and creating hotel space; at times catastrophic. It won’t be a shock should they come up short and lose out in the group stage but to lose a host nation, albeit a co-host nation so early will dampen the levels of excitement within the grounds in the Ukraine and that in itself is a big disappointment.

The top scorer will be...

Robert Lewandowski
If recent major tournaments are anything to go by then you only need to score a couple in the group stage and you have a pretty decent chance of finishing with the golden boot. For that reason, the afore mentioned Lewandowski, coming off a fine domestic season and stationed in a weak group could be the man to watch.