The 14th European Championship for teams sanctioned by the UEFA is scheduled to be played between 8th June and 1st July 2012 in Poland and Ukraine.

Spain are the current holders of the cup – they defeated Germany in the final in Austria / Switzerland version of the tournament in 2008.

The groups and the schedule of the Euro 2012 have been announced and the groups are as follows:

Group A: Poland, Greece, Russia, Czech Republic
Group B: Holland, Denmark, Germany, Portugal
Group C: Spain, Italy, Republic of Ireland, Croatia
Group D: Ukraine, Sweden, France, England

You can see the team by team preview of Euro 2012 from a couple of weeks ago and here we’re covering the football gear to be used by the national teams in the tournament.

Before we look at what kits the players will be donning for the competition, lets look at the official Euro 2012 match ball:

adidas Tango 12

The official match ball that will be used for the duration of the tournament in Poland and Ukraine in the coming summers is the adidas Tango 12. It is a brand new ball inspired by the famous line of adidas Tango balls.

Here’s a picture of the ball. As soon as it is made available, we will have it up for grabs in the Soccerlens Store.

Official UEFA Euro 2012 Match Ball: adidas Tango 12
(Click to enlarge image)

All the football gear and kit manufacturers have lined up for the biggest tournament in Europe and they present to you the Euro 2012 shirts:

Croatia

Coming soon to the Soccerlens Store…

Czech Republic

Chelsea stopper Petr Cech, Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky and Galatasaray forward Milan Baros will probably be featuring for the last time in a major tournament and surely, they will all want to end their careers on a high.

Czech Republic will wear a Puma manufactured red shirt with white and blue details. They will be playing in Group A.

Czech Rep. Home Shirt

Click here to buy Czech Republic Euro 2012 home shirt.

Denmark

Coming soon to the Soccerlens Store…

England

England captain John Terry came under much scrutiny before the start of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa but this time around, things seems to be relatively smoother. Fabio Capello will be looking to exit the job with grace.

England are placed in Group D and will play their opening fixture against the French national team. The Three Lions will wear a plain white shirt, manufactured by Umbro.

England Home Shirt

Click here to buy England Euro 2012 home shirt.

They will wear navy blue away shirts with light blue collars.

England Away Shirt

Click here to buy England Euro 2012 away shirt.

France

France are also placed in Group D and they will play their opening fixture against England. The French squad is relatively younger blood from last time around. Karim Benzema is set to lead the attack as Franck Ribery will takeover the creative part.

Les Bleus will wear a Nike manufactured navy blue shirt. The only details on the shirt are the Nike swoosh and the team emblem.

France Home Shirt

Click here to buy France Euro 2012 home shirt.

The Frenchmen will wear a white away shirt with black horizontal stripes – kind of like the prisoners.

France Away Shirt

Click here to buy France Euro 2012 away shirt.

Germany

Euro 2008 finalists, Germany are seeded in Group B and it is the toughest group in this tournament. Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski will be looking to steal the show with sound backing from the rest of the squad. Joachim Low will be looking to leave previous disappointments behind.

Germans will wear a very attractive white shirt with diagonal black, red and yellow lines on the front and black adidas pin-stripes on the shoulder.

Germany Home Shirt

Click here to buy Germany Euro 2012 home shirt.

Greece

Coming soon to the Soccerlens Store…

Holland

Coming soon to the Soccerlens Store…

Italy

Participating in Group C, Italy will open the tournament with a match against the world champions. Juventus’ fantastic shot-stopper Gianluigi Buffon will look to play this tournament through as Daniele De Rossi and his midfield will have to take the pressure off of defence and supply Mario Balotelli up front.

Italy will wear the Puma manufactured blue shirt with a white collar containing details in the colours of the Italian flag.

Italy Home Shirt

Click here to buy Italy Euro 2012 home shirt.

Poland

Coming soon to the Soccerlens Store…

Portugal

Coming soon to the Soccerlens Store…

Republic of Ireland

LA Galaxy striker and national team captain Robbie Keane will look to lead Ireland to at least give a tough time to the giants of Group C. He will need all the expertise Shay Given, John O’Shea and Darron Gibson have to offer.

Ireland will wear a white away shirt with green details. The kits are manufactured by Umbro.

Rep. of Ireland Away Shirt

Click here to buy Republic of Ireland Euro 2012 away shirt.

Russia

Arsenal striker Andrie Arshavin will captain a Russia side out of which only four players ply their trade outside of the country. Tottenham forward Roman Pavlyuchenko, Vfb Stuttgart forward Pavel Pogrebnyak and Everton midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov are the three other players who play outside of Russian Premier League. Yuri Zhirkov’s services will also be available.

Russia will wear an adidas manufactured red shirt with a blue and white diagonal stripe going down the front.

Russia Home Shirt

Click here to buy Russia Euro 2012 home shirt.

Spain

Reigning world and European champions, Spain will play Euro 2012 in Group C. Since the triumph in the World Cup, the Spaniards haven’t been in top form but they should never be underestimated with the quality of the squad they possess.

Head coach Vicente del Bosque will be looking for a repeat performace from his team which features five Real Madrid players and eight Barcelona players. Another three Barca players have been called-up for the squad recently (Martin Montoya, Thiago Alcantara and Pedro).

Spain will wear a red jersey proudly featuring a single golden star above their team emblem. The kit is manufactured by adidas.

Spain Home Shirt

Click here to buy Spain Euro 2012 home shirt.

Sweden

Coming soon to the Soccerlens Store…

Ukraine

Andriy Shevchenko captains the Ukraine side and the former AC Milan and Chelsea striker will look to impress in front of his home crowd. Ukraine are in Group D and will face tough competition from Sweden, France and England.

They will wear an adidas manufactured yellow shirt with blue details.

Ukraine Home Shirt

Click here to buy Ukraine Euro 2012 home shirt.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Update: Groups Draw details and the official match ball of Euro 2012 added. Scroll down to view.

With the 16 teams competing in Euro 2012 now selected and the qualifying process complete, all eyes look to Poland and Ukraine as time ticks down. The seeding for the selection of the group stages has been completed also, with the draw for the pool stages happening in Kiev on December 3rd. English and Irish fans will look for a favourable draw, but both nations will know that the competition is packed with top teams.

Pot 1 consists of co-host Poland and Ukraine, world champions Spain and a technically gifted Netherlands side; most participants will be keen to draw the hosts rather than the other two powerhouses.

SPAIN

Spain’s mantle as the top team in the world has been slightly diminished of late, as poor results in friendlies against Spain and Costa Rica have tarnished the end of 2011 for La Roja. Vicente Del Bosque has a plethora of players to choose from however, with a strong base from Barcelona and Real Madrid making up the majority of the team.

The Spaniards midfield is still as menacing as ever, with Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas and Xabi Alonso world class players that opponents will struggle to compete against; however Xavi is still Spain’s main man and will orchestrate long periods of possession for the world champions.

NETHERLANDS

Holland impressed during the qualifying rounds, and again must go into the tournament as one of the favourites. Bert van Marwijk’s men, similar to Spain, have had an under-par end to the year however, as the Oranje lost their last qualifying game to Sweden and were put to the sword by Germany in a recent friendly, losing 3-0.

Despite this the squad is full of talent and a number of young players are battling the established names for a place in the starting XI. Although their defence at times can be questioned, their attack cannot.

Rafael van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder will look to provide chances for red hot striker Robin van Persie. The Arsenal man is proving himself to be one of the top hitmen in Europe, and will look to fire his nation to glory.

POLAND

On of the downfalls of hosting a major tournament is the fact that you do not get to take part in qualification, and Polish fans will hope that Franciszek Smuda’s men do not suffer due to a lack of competitive fixtures. Solid performances in friendlies over the last 12 months have seen the host draw with Germany and beat the likes of Belarus and Hungary; the home crowd will also play a key part in their chances.

Borussia Dortmund attacker Robert Lewandowski was a key figure in the German club’s Bundesliga success last season, and will be counted on to get goals for the Eastern European side.

Poland are co-hosts.

UKRAINE

Ukraine have had inconsistent form over the last year, and with the glory days of Sergei Rebrov and Andriy Shevchenko over, Oleg Blokhin has had to look to the youth in his side.

Dynamo Kiev forward Andriy Yarmolenko holds the weight of expectation on his shoulders, as the 22-year-old has shown the necessary promise to fill the boots of the generation before him.

Ukraine are co-hosts.

England find themselves in the second tier of the seeding, alongside old enemy and highly-fancied Germany; 2006 World Cup winners Italy and an unpredictable Russia team make up this quartet.

ENGLAND

England have been inconsistent over the qualifying rounds, and despite showing their quality at times can also lack creativity and the ability to break teams down. Fabio Capello will be buoyed on by an unbeaten qualifying campaign and friendly victories over Spain and Sweden, but will look for more from his team if they are to pose as realistic challengers.

Wayne Rooney’s absence in the pool stages will be a real blow for The Three Lions, and the Italian coach will be under pressure to find a replacement that can fire the side into the knockout rounds. Scott Parker has really matured over the last 12-18 months, and the Tottenham man could showcase the determination and will to win to inspire his team-mates; a North London central midfield partnership alongside Jack Wilshere could just prove the balance England needs.

GERMANY

Germany, as always when a major tournament rolls round, must be considered as serious contenders.

Joachim Low has comprised a squad with an enviable mix of experience and youth, and a flawless qualifying campaign proves testament to the side’s motivation to succeed.

The German side is packed full of quality, but playmakers Mesut Ozil and Mario Gotze in particular have vital attributes in creating chances for sharpshooter Mario Gomez.

ITALY

Italy traditionally have blown hot and cold when it comes to international tournaments, and the Azzurri this time round have shown inconsistency and a lack of a real killer instinct in the qualifying rounds.

Cesare Prandelli has a football mad nation keen to recapture the glory days, and a wide ranging player base to choose from – however the side in blue will most likely adopt cautious tactics and look to win fixtures by the odd goal.

Mario Balotelli looks to have been given a real chance to start up front in the absence of Giuseppe Rossi and Antonio Cassano, and may lead the line alongside Juventus’ Alessandro Matri.

However the key man for Italy will be at the back, where Giorgio Chiellini will look to emulate great Italian central defenders of the past, and organise a stubborn rearguard upon which the midfield and attack can build upon.

RUSSIA

Dick Advocaat’s Russian side will fancy their chances of upsetting some of the bigger names, as the proximity of the tournament favours the Eastern European side. A solitary defeat in qualification has shown that Russia are an emerging superpower in the game, and they undoubtedly harbour a number of excellent players.

Andrei Arshavin and Roman Pavlyuchenko are struggling currently at their North London clubs; the experienced duo will need to find their form to inspire a talented but not yet proven team.

The third pot is made up of four seasoned and competitive nations, as Portugal, Sweden, Croatia and Greece lie in wait. The likes of Zlatan Ibrahmovic and Cristiano Ronaldo are first rate players in supposed third rate teams, but none of the participants in this pot will be pushovers.

PORTUGAL

Portugal were beaten to the top of Group H by Denmark, but the Iberian nation powered past Bosnia and Herzegovina in the playoffs to book their place at Europe’s top table. Coach Paulo Bento has ruffled some feathers since taking charge of the team, with veteran duo Ricardo Carvalho and Jose Bosingwa retiring from international football after falling out with the former midfielder.

Despite the absence of the experienced pair, Portugal still have an abundance of quality, with the likes of Nani and Joao Moutinho sure to terrorise opposition defences. Their key man is obviously Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, and if the 26-year-old  can replicate the form and goalscoring ability he shows for his club on the international stage, Portugal will take some beating.

SWEDEN

The Swedes have a technically gifted and balanced side, made from a mix of players playing in their homeland and the top European leagues. Erik Hamren’s side qualified as a top runner up in qualification, and had they not had Netherlands in their group may well have topped a pool.

Temperamental but clearly gifted Zlatan Ibrahimovic hold the nation’s destiny in his hands.

Although Ibra was ineffective in the recent game against England at Wembley, his club record tells a completely different story. It will be a long-shot, still, to believe that he can single-handedly take his nation all the way through the competition.

GREECE

The Euro 2004 champions look to have recovered form and showcased some excellent football in an unbeaten qualification process.

Fernando Santos’ squad still has some remnants from the triumphant side from seven years ago, which is complemented by exuberant youngsters breaking into the international fray.

PAOK striker Dimitris Salpingidis has learnt from some of the senior goal-getters in recent Greek history, and has the ability to cause opposition defences a headache.

CROATIA

Slaven Bilic’s men made the finals by comprehensively beating Turkey 3-0 in the playoffs, and should not be written off. The Croats follow Luka Modric’s direction, and the Tottenham playmaker has the ability to hurt any side in the world, whilst Bayern Munich attacker Ivica Olic will be keen to add to his tally of 15 international goals.

Modric’s club teammate Niko Kranjcar and Bolton Wanderers’ Ivan Klasnic will also be available for selection. Both of them last played for the national team in October against Latvia.

Finally, Republic of Ireland find themselves in the lowest tier of seeding for the tournament, but will have expected this. Giovanni Trapattoni’s men are bunched alongside an under-performing France, dark horses Czech Republic and Denmark.

FRANCE

France have not shown enough quality to make it into the top pots, and the French public will not be happy as being deemed as a fourth-tier side. A late goal against Bosnia and Herzegovina ensured Les Bleus automatic progression to the tournament, but their form in qualification was nothing to write home about.

Laurent Blanc is widely seen as the man to spark a renaissance, and the coach undoubtedly has talented players to call upon. Experienced international heads such as Franck Ribery and Karim Benzema will harbour most of the responsibility for leading their nation’s dreams – but look out for Sochaux playmaker Marvin Martin.

The starlet has rose to fame over the last 12 months, and his craft and guile has prompted many in the game to compare him to Zinedine Zidane; it could be Martin’s time to announce himself to the world game.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

The Emerald Isle will be competing in the European championships for the first time since 1988, and a wave of expectancy has washed over the country since a 5-1 aggregate victory over Estonia ensured Ireland’s place at the finals.

Giovanni Trapattoni still relies on old heads Richard Dunne, Shay Given and Robbie Keane, but faith should be put in some of the younger players such as Aidan McGeady to compete at the highest level.

DENMARK

The Danes qualified for the tournament by topping Group H ahead of Portugal, and Morten Olsen’s men will go into the competition full of confidence.

If the Scandinavians can get off to a good start they will be a match for most, and in Christian Eriksen they have one of the brightest prospects in the world game. The Ajax midfielder will look to impress to force a transfer to one of Europe’s biggest clubs, and has the energy and guile to win a game for Denmark.

CZECH REPUBLIC

It is fair to say that the Czech Republic are not the force that once saw them challenge for international tournaments in the 2000′s, but Michael Bilek’s men will still provide a tricky test to their opponents next year.

Arsenal’s Tomas Rosicky captains the side and is a talisman for the nation, but the Czechs are going through a transitional period as a number of the under-21 players make the step up to the seniors.

However, still the elders of the team, like Milan Baros, carry the hopes of their nation.

So there you have it; although there is a lot of football to be played before Euro 2012 starts in earnest, most of the major players in the continent will have one eye on the finals. With the groups being drawn in the forthcoming weeks excitement over the tournament should build, as there are many nations that could realistically experience glory next year.

Groups

Group A: Poland, Greece, Russia, Czech Republic.
Group B: Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Portugal.
Group C: Spain, Italy, Ireland, Croatia.
Group D: Ukraine, Sweden, France, England.

Euro 2012 Schedule

Match schedule
All kick-offs CET, Ukrainian time is one hour ahead

Friday 8 June 2012
#1: POL v GRE, 18.00CET, Warsaw
#2: RUS v CZE, 20.45CET, Wroclaw

Saturday 9 June 2012
#3: NED v DEN, 18.00CET, Kharkiv
#4: GER v POR, 20.45CET, Lviv

Sunday 10 June 2012
#5: ESP v ITA, 18.00CET, Gdansk
#6: IRL v CRO, 20.45CET, Poznan

Monday 11 June 2012
#7: FRA v ENG, 18.00CET, Donetsk
#8: UKR v SWE, 20.45CET, Kyiv

Tuesday 12 June 2012
#9: GRE v CZE, 18.00CET, Wroclaw
#10: POL v RUS, 20.45CET, Warsaw

Wednesday 13 June 2012
#11: DEN v POR, 18.00CET, Lviv
#12: NED v GER, 20.45CET, Kharkiv

Thursday 14 June 2012
#13: ITA v CRO, 18.00CET, Poznan
#14: ESP v IRL, 20.45CET, Gdansk

Friday 15 June 2012
#15: SWE v ENG, 20.45CET, Kyiv
#16: UKR v FRA, 18.00CET, Donetsk

Saturday 16 June 2012
#17: CZE v POL, 20.45CET, Wroclaw
#18: GRE v RUS, 20.45CET, Warsaw

Sunday 17 June 2012
#19: POR v NED, 20.45CET, Kharkiv
#20: DEN v GER, 20.45CET, Lviv

Monday 18 June 2012
#21: CRO v ESP, 20.45CET, Gdansk
#22: ITA v IRL, 20.45CET, Poznan

Tuesday 19 June 2012
#23: ENG v UKR, 20.45CET, Donetsk
#24: SWE v FRA, 20.45CET, Kyiv

Wednesday 20 June 2012
No matches

Thursday 21 June 2012
#25: 1A v 2B, 20.45CET, Warsaw

Friday 22 June 2012
#26: 1B v 2A, 20.45CET, Gdansk

Saturday 23 June 2012
#27: 1C v 2D, 20.45CET, Donetsk

Sunday 24 June 2012
#28: 1D v 2C, 20.45CET, Kyiv

Monday 25 June 2012
No matches

Tuesday 26 June 2012
No matches

Wednesday 27 June 2012
#29: W#25 v W#27, 20.45CET, Donetsk

Thursday 28 June 2012
#30: W#26 v W#28, 20.45CET, Warsaw

Friday 29 June 2012
No matches

Saturday 30 June 2012
No matches

Sunday 1 July 2012
#31: W#29 v W#30, 20.45CET, Kyiv

Official Match Ball

In 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the adidas Jabulani caused a few problems for goalkeepers and out-field players because of its unique flight and all the new technical advancements. Adidas have now revealed the official Euro 2012 match ball and called it the adidas Tango 12.

Hoping that it will be more human than it’s predecessor, Tango 12 has been inspired by the famous line of adidas Tango balls. Here’s what the ball will look like:

Also see: Euro 2012 News | Euro 2012 Statistics | Euro 2012 Fixtures | Euro 2012 Football Gear.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The anti-football of Mourinho and Capello can reap rewards, but more is needed for England to be contenders for EURO 2012.

On the face of it, it was not overly surprising. The 7th best team in the world, England, beat the best team in the world, Spain, 1-0 at home in a friendly international. Bearing in mind that Spain also lost friendlies to Italy, Portugal and Argentina since they won the World Cup last summer, it certainly is not a result that will cause too many ripples in world football.

It was the manner of victory that was far more interesting. Some commentators have suggested the victory paid homage to Capello’s ultra-defensive catenaccio ways so successfully employed in the 1990s with Milan, with a solid back four and protection from deep lying and combative midfielders frustrating Spain. Along with much of the Spanish team, Cesc Fabregas labelled England’s gameplan as “negative tactics”, lambasting them for “lacking in talent” and setting up to defend for nearly the entire 90 minutes.

However, the whole scenario has parallels with far more recent events. Given the core of players who make both Spain and Barcelona tick and the similarities in style, to all intents and purposes it is the Barcelona influence (supplemented by the best of Real Madrid) that has made Spain both European and World champions. And the only man who has been able to find the methods to challenge the Barcelona way in the past few seasons has been a long time friend of the English, Jose Mourinho. Two series of fixtures in particular spring to mind.

April 2010 witnessed a Champions League semi-final between Mourinho’s Internazionale and Barcelona. The first leg demonstrated a Mourinho masterclass of defensive pressing and swift counter attack as Inter won 3-1. The 2nd leg, despite Inter losing 1-0, was in truth even more impressive. Down to 10 men for over an hour, Inter soaked up everything Barcelona could throw at them. The statistics were bewildering. Inter managed just 67 passes as opposed to Barca’s 548 and over 80% possession. There were even charges (though denied by Mourinho) that Inter were happy to give the ball to Barcelona so as to not disrupt their own defensive shape.

Fast-forward a year to the latter end of last season. Mourinho’s Real Madrid held Barcelona to a 1-1 draw in La Liga followed swiftly by a 1-0 victory in extra time over their archrivals in the Copa del Rey. In both these matches, Mourinho operated with a ‘trivote’ system, sacrificing an attacking player in favour of a defensive midfielder.

Mourinho used Pepe, a natural central defender, as a midfield enforcer alongside Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira, all focusing on defensive tasks and keeping Barcelona largely at bay. The use of Phil Jones in a side also containing James Milner, Frank Lampard and the imperious Scott Parker on Saturday bore considerable resemblance to this strategy.

Over these two fixtures, Real Madrid registered a mere 22% possession and 65% pass success as opposed to Barca’s 78% possession and 90% pass success. Yet it reaped dividends for Mourinho – and almost continued to work in the Champions League semi-final between the clubs until Madrid were reduced to 10 men and Messi ran riot.

To anyone who watched England soak up the Spanish possession (71%) and pressure continuously on Saturday evening, this may make familiar reading. This is not to suggest this is the way football should be played all the time. It is definitely not what England should look to repeat too often. And it certainly will not work every time it is tried. But under the right circumstances the methods employed by Capello on Saturday can be very effective.

Ultimately the most important question is whether England can be contenders at EURO 2012. Much has been made of England’s ongoing attempts to emulate the Spanish style, assurance on the ball and technique with the next generation of players. Nevertheless to be contenders in the short term, England must not necessarily look to Spain. The gulf in class is too great at present. In fact we should look to Germany for inspiration.

England should build on the defensive prowess and determination that they have long been renowned for and personified by Scott Parker against Spain. The challenge for England is to add the power, pace and counter-attacking devastation of the type displayed by Germany at the last World Cup to a steely defence. If Bent and Walcott are not the answer, then the likes of Sturridge, Welbeck, Adam Johnson, Ashley Young and Aaron Lennon could well have parts to play in the absence of Wayne Rooney and the increasingly injury plagued Steven Gerrard and Jack Wilshere.

If Capello manages to blend the right personnel before EURO 2012, England might be able to compete with the top nations next summer.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

England’s victory over World Champions Spain at Wembley, doesn’t signify and end of an era, but it does give hope to the rest of Europe. Having collected the two biggest trophies on offer in International football, many were backing the Spanish to dominate again in 2012, but perhaps England has shown us where Spain’s weakness is.

Fabio Capello, whose England career has been unjustly criticised, gave the Wembley crowd, the Three Lions first victory over the Spanish in a decade. The Italian, who was denied key players for this fixture, built a new look 11 who worked tirelessly and showed glimpses of quality.

It would be premature to say England are finally justified their tag as the fourth best team in the world, just as it would be to claim Spain are finished, but realisations will be dawning on the Spanish public and management today.

With every wonderful creation, there is the keystone, the part that makes everything else sparkle. In the second half, Spain had wonderfully gifted players on show, but they unable to function as a team.

Xavi Hernadez, perhaps the greatest ever Spanish footballer, is the brain behind this incredible squad. The moment he was withdrawn the La Furia Roja lost their timing, their grace and more even more worryingly for Vincente Del Bosque, their identity. We are used to seeing Spain attack as a team, but as the clocked ticked away last night they lost their cool and in true Latin style, their temperament.

In Alicante against a third rate Scottish team, Spain was cruising. The ball was being moved with a purpose and orchestrator of each move was the Barcelona man. Xavi who is blessed with a chess players mind oversees each attacking manoeuvre; when there is no opening, he slows the play and patiently waits for the moment to strike. The moment he was substituted the Spanish lost their rhythm and Scotland started creating chances and managed to grab a goal.

Last night with England being forced further and further back, Del Bosque removed Xavi at half time and England suddenly had hope, but even more importantly, they got hold of the ball.

When Xavi plays the Spanish team look invincible and his teammates grow in stature. So influential is Xavi that Leo Messi, when in the Barca strip, is hailed as the greatest player in the world, but when he wears his national jersey, he is just a good player.

This may have only been a friendly, but the signs are there that this Spanish team is beatable. England’s goal, which came from a set piece, sparked the World Champions into action, but it was with long balls into the channels or over the top that they hoped to claim an equaliser. The pass and move, which has come to symbolise not only the national team but also Barcelona was lost.

Since Spain lifted the European Championships in 2008, they have been hailed as the greatest team in the world, and rightfully so, but this greatness has been built on one player. Remove the keystone from this wonderful footballing masterpiece, and you are left with just good team.

With a long and arduous season still to go with Barcelona, Xavi may arrive in Poland and Ukraine tired and out of sorts. The rest of the Europe will be hoping that this is the case, because without him the current Gods of world football are vulnerable.

Anthony Lombardi regularly contributes to Soccerlens. You can follow him on Twitter @arlombardi.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

While watching David Silva and Spain dismantle a dogged and compact Scotland on Wednesday, it struck me: this was hardly Spain’s best outfit and they were dominating.

Silva cemented his bona fides as one of the top half-dozen players in world football and Spain, with a team featuring second-choice players like Thiago Alcantara, Jordi Alba and Santi Cazorla, passed Scotland into an uneasy submission. The Scots, bless ‘em, tried hard but the Spaniards seemed at times to be playing not just another game, but on another plane.

The players who didn’t feature on Tuesday – Torres, Casillas, Xabi Alonso, Iniesta, Mata – mean it’s now apparent that Spain’s second XI could be one of the world’s ten best international outfits. Not accounting for squads (only first teams), they are helped by a healthy youth league and a relative dearth of great opposition: realistically, only the Netherlands and Germany are able to hold a candle to the Spaniards. Brazil and Argentina today are still good, but only resemble their most terrifying best.

The FIFA world rankings (hardly the greatest indicator, but the only one we’ve got) suggest the world’s top ten sides are Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Uruguay, Portugal, Italy, Brazil, England, Croatia and Argentina.

In living up to their position description as confusing and nonsensical, the FIFA rankings have Croatia ranked ninth and Greece sitting in eleventh position. This is in spite of both squads finding themselves in the same qualifying group for Euro 2012; a group from which Greece qualified and Croatia now face a tricky playoff tie with Turkey.

We can, however, suggest this is a fairly accurate representation of the best teams in world football.

Were Spain’s Second XI to feature in the FIFA rankings, they’d come up against three great teams (Germany, the Netherlands and Uruguay), two inconsistent ones (the other South Americans) and four eminently beatable squads, each with major weaknesses. Apart from perhaps a perceived weakness in central defence, Spain II play a similar brand of football to their first-choice brethren, have pace in abundance and, as they showed on Tuesday, discipline.

Using Spain’s favoured 4-2-3-1, the second furia roja would probably include: Valdes; Alba, Jose Enrique, Alvaro Arbeloa and Raul Albiol; Thiago, Javi Martinez, Cesc Fabregas, Santi Cazorla and Pedro; and Fernando Llorente.

Wow.

The argument could be made that this team also features some of the best players dozen players in Spain. In this lineup Pedro plays for the twos, yet started in their World Cup triumph last year – superseded by Mata and Silva. Valdes’ recent success in head-to-head battles with Casillas now invites, rather than discourages, comparison between the two. Fabregas is shuttled out of the Spain midfield (as with club) by players comfortably in the World’s top five. Spain has played better recently when Llorente – rather than Torres – has led the line.

This club may even trouble the the vaunted Spain first team. The Spain Second XI are, on paper, a better team than Croatia, Portugal and even Italy. Place Spain v2.0 in any one of the Euro 2012 qualifying groups (and back them with suitable squad depth) and they at least make the playoffs from each. It’s probably also the case that they’d slice England to pieces also.

The simile used most with Spain (and Barcelona) is “death by one thousand cuts”. Perhaps a more appropriate metaphor may be that Spanish football is at present drowning the rest of the football world – inexorably, constrictingly and (given their outstanding Euro U-21 campaign) shows no signs of receding. All that is certain is the next wave of Spanish attacks could well overwhelm a struggling Scot, Lithuanian or even Oranje. After decades of torment, La Furia Roja is certainly making up for lost time.

While going back-to-back-to-back at major tournaments is so difficult that it’s spoke of in grail-like reverence, the smart money for next year’s Euros is on a three-peat – perhaps simply because the difficulty of staying focused for such a period is balanced by the failure of chief rivals Germany and the Netherlands to bridge a gaping talent gap.

Matthew Wood regularly contributes to Soccerlens.  You can find more of his commentary and analysis at Balanced Sports or follow him on Twitter @balanced_sports

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Thiago Alcantara has signed a two-year contract extension at Barcelona – subsequently warding off any potential suitors. After impressing in Spain’s European Under-21 Championship triumph, speculation had arose that interest from Italy and England had surfaced. However, the Blaugrana have moved swiftly to quash any such talk with the extension of his contract to 2015 and the implementation of an £81million release clause.

Son of Brazilian World Cup winner Mazinho, the young Barca prodigy has inherited a bundle of his father’s attributes and much more. Like his son, Mazinho spent a number of years in La Liga with Valencia, Celta Vigo and Elche. Operating as a defensive midfielder, his duties were more dependent on breaking up play in the middle of the park and distributing basic passes to his teammates. Thiago is different in the sense of having more attacking flair and technical superiority.

He spent a large chunk of his development in Brazil having been born in Bari, Italy. He spent a year with Flamengo before moving to Spain for a five year period where he played for Galician side Urece. He later returned back to his father’s native country with Flamengo (again) for a four-year stint, before finally settling in Catalonia with Barca in 2005.

Growing up in Spain opened up the avenue to the national team. Despite being born in Italy and having Brazilian roots, the transition to his new adopted nation came naturally.

“At first it was something that happened naturally because I’ve always lived here and I started moving up the ranks of the Spanish youth national set-up. That said, when it came to choosing who to play for at senior level, it was tricky to decide [between Spain and Brazil].”  he told FIFA.com.

Moving up the ranks at the infamous La Masia, he made his debut in the spring of 2009. He came more to the fore last season as head coach Pep Guardiola began to blood him into the first team fold, although his contribution was minimal. Nevertheless he immediately orchestrated his wealth of talent to the glaring eyes of the Camp Nou support. A stand-out performance in particular came just at the turn of the year as he made a substitute appearance at home to Levante.  Operating in central midfield, having replaced Javier Macherano, he gave his team more attacking impetus. Neat one-two’s with the prodigal sons Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, bamboozled their opposite markers and his diligent play made him look right at home in a tantalising trio of technical superiority.

In regards to his attributes he is ever so accomplished with a ball at his feet. Although his education through the Barca ranks has been imperative, he has inherited a wealth of natural ability. He has great awareness whilst in possession with a bullish nature to keep hold of the ball whilst being pressed.  He is not afraid to use his initiative to weave into little pockets of space, much like Iniesta, before executing a fruitful pass that can slice a defence in two. He has everything in his locker to be an absolute world beater. The conundrum for him of course is that Xavi and Iniesta are two of the game’s starlets, so imposing himself into Guardiola’s first eleven ahead of them looks doubtful – considering Sergio Busquets has rubber stamped the final central midfield position as the anchorman.

Nevertheless with Xavi, unfortunately, not getting any younger, the Barca hierarchy are adamant that the likes of Thiago can fill that void when it needs addressing. His performances in the Under-21 Championship illustrated his capabilities of being an integral figure in a standard 4-3-3 formation, playing on the right-hand side of a trio in central midfield. He earned a man of the match performance against England in the opening game and in the final against Switzerland.  There he scored a 40-yard stunner having spotted goalkeeper Yann Sommer drifting from his goal line and tamely chipping the startled Swiss to seal a 2-0 win and yet another trophy for Spanish football.

It will be interesting to see how Guardiola utilises him next season. He has a player on his hands that only looks to get better with an education that is far from complete. The dilemma of course is finding a position to accommodate for such a prospect. Thiago may just need to bide his time and take heart from Pedro Rodriguez’s late emergence back in 2009 – now a pivotal member of the Barca orchestra.

Follow Ross on Twitter: @RossMackiewicz

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Always the perennial underachievers, the last few years have seen that theory put to bed.  Though the senior team went out in the second round in the 2006 world cup, their previous group performances were electric and a sign of things to come, only hiccuping when faced with a certain purple patch conjured by the majestic Zinedine Zidane and assisted by a blatant dive from the then golden boy Thierry Henry.

RECENT PAST
It could be argued that the turning point was Euro 2004, lazy as it may seem.  In a group with hosts Portugal, underdogs Greece and a Russia of old (as in for a long time there was no vision, hence no hope  – until revitalised by a certain Mr Hiddink several years later)) they were expected to grab one of the two place to wualify for advancement.  Nobody in that championship were expecting Greece to be so stubborn to win that trophy, so they are not the only team to fall behind them then. 

But, despite some leading lights like Raul, there were too many average players knocking about (good, but way behind todays calibre).  Iniki Saez was sacked immediately after, once again they underachieved, a worrying trend now being that they had crashed out of the group stages twice in four major tournaments ( World Cup France 1998 being the other).  Enter Luis Aragones, and a new era.

NEW APPROACH
In the build up to 2006, new players had entered the fray, such as Cesc Fabregas and Andres Iniesta, and among others, David Villa.  David Villa’s inclusion was a big change, with huge criticism over his involvement.  It would be hard to see now, but his presence copped some serious flack.  Why?  Because a certain Raul Gonzalez lost his place, which was sacrilege.  Conspiracy theories were abound that Aragones didn’t pick him because he was the icon of Real Madrid and Aragones had a long standing history with rivals Atletico.  Much was heard about Villa before the World Cup that he was the real deal, but I for one didn’t know who he was.  His inclusion not just seemed to demerit the apparent ego that Raul was to have over the first team squad, but seemed to replace it with a more virtuoso figure as well.  Nowadays, there is no argument, Villa is one of the best five players in the world, no doubt.

In 2006, they ran roughshed over the group stages, hammering the second best team in the group Ukraine to a 4-0 washout.  Particularly memorable was the goal from Fernando Torres.  the finish was an instinctive low drive by the then Atletico forward, but the build up was probable the best football seen at that tournament early on.  Involving everyone, particularly Puyol, it was a sweeping quick move that left their opponents flabbergasted.  Until they went out to France in the second round, they looked like serious contenders.  Being eliminated seemed harsh when it happened, but they deservedly lost 3-1 (Editor’s Note: Thanks to a simulated Henry foul that gave them them the free kick from which to equalise).

That was about as low as it got however, for ever since then the Spanish have revolutionised football, and demolished all that stand before them.

SUPREME DOMINATION
Paying homage to Barcelona’s “tiki-taka” psychology, they swept through their competition at Euro 2008.  They beat everyone the played deservedly and with style, though the most significant victory on that journey had to have been against World Champs Italy in the quarter finals.  They also added bite.  Brazilian born midfield general Marcos Senna may have has a starting berth in the previous World Cup, but he was rather rushed into the team.  When two years had passed, he was fully blooded.  0-0 after 120 minutes against Italy, Spain had reached the shootout.  If they had lost, more tired conotations of “choking it” would surely have arisen.  Tired as it would have been to hear, it was true.  Spain had supreme talent for various World Cup and European campaigns, but the mentality of “underachievement” weighed down like an anvil.  This is when they banished it truely.  One week later, the hoodoo was broken, and they were European champions.

For all level of football enthusiasts however, this was to be not so surprising, as in the last decade especially, Spain have excelled in tournaments at under age level, such household names as Fernando Torres, Fabregas, Iniesta, David Silva and Iker Casillas have rightly caught the eye as ones for the future and have duly been a part of Spain’s most successful era.  On Saturday  night, they gained yet another underage trophy, the under 21′s cup in Denmark.  Once again, they swept all in front of them.  Once again, there are several who caught the eye, playing the Tiki-Taka they will eventually be bedded into.

Barcelona’s emergence as the greatest club in the world ties in perfectly with the national team, as they are nearly duplicates of the other.  Aside from captain and everpresent goalkeeper Casillas, bombing Sergio Ramos, technically brilliant Xavi Alonso and the apparent black sheep of the team Joan Capdevila, this was the Barcelona team.  Puyol, the master defender, the dominant Xavi and Iniesta, who together are too much for any midfield, pulling the strings, as well as Pique, Pedro and Busquets, who were not involved whatsoever in the 2008 triumph but now firmly entrenched in the first team without question.  Add in the enigmatic Villa, who had signed for but not played for Barcelona, and that is 7 starters from the catalan giants.  Vicente Del Bosque was a safe pair of hands, relied upon to carry on the breakthrough work of Luis Aragones.  Like any good coach, instead of changing everything around, he just added elements to the previous success.

DOMINATION ONLY STARTING?
There is plenty left in the tank too.  Ramos, David Silva, Fabregas, Pique and Pedro are all 25, 25, 24, 24 and 23 respectively, Iniesta, and Torres are arguably only entering their prime now, and Casillas is only 30 years of age, young by goalkeeping standards.  If he gets injured or off form, he ahs two world class replacements in Pepe Reina and Victor Valdes ready to step in, and eventually, Manchester United boun David De Gea.  At the rate they are producing players of the calibre of Jeffren, Thiago Alcantara,Iker Muniain, Juan Mata, Javi Martinez (the latter two involved in the World Cup campaign last year) and many others, the skies the limit.

Spain as a nation, just seem to be going from strength to strength, when arguably the standard of international football has decreased rapidly.  That is a harsh indictment, though it is backed up by the decline of nations with the history of Brazil and Italy.  A refocus on youth and freshness is the primary concern for the usual favourites now.  Germany are making the most headway, changing their philosophy after a less than flattering Euro 2004 just like the current world champs, whereas others like France and Brazil have put an emphasis on youth, though for different reasons.  France, disgraced into change, have got a manager of vision, one of their all time greats Laurent Blanc who is eager to make representing the team mean something.  Brazil have been in need of a new approach after their World Cup exploded in their face, blooding in and trusting homebased stars like Neymar and Ganso.  Italy, appear to be at a crossroads, with young talent in small abundance, while Argentina have a wealth at their disposal but underachieve due to various factors.

When the next Euro’s starts in 2012, Spain will no doubt be favourites and likely to win it again, with maybe only Germany causing hassle, and in the 2014 tournament, hosts Brazil will surely pose a threat, as well as Argentina who are never short of talent.

Whatever the case, don’t be surprised if Spain win them both.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Barcelona and Spain defender Gerard Pique was chosen to be the global lead athlete for the new Nike Tiempo Legend IV football boots.

At the launch of the Tiempo Legend, Pique was interviewed about the boot, Fabregas, Euro 2012, why did he cut the net off in the final and more. Here is the transcript:

Gerard, from next season you’ll be wearing Nike’s new Tempo Legend IV Elite boot. What are the most important qualities you look for in a boot?
 
Above all, comfort. One of the things that makes football different to many sports is how little equipment there is. Your boots are the one piece of equipment you have, the one tool, and it is vital that you feel absolutely comfortable. You need support but not rigidity, your movement has to be free. The other key thing from my point of view is that the touch on the ball feels natural – the softer the leather, the better. I like the classic look of these boots too, with that touch of color.

It must have been difficult to put up with all the pressure and the off-field distractions during this season?

Yes. But all the extra pressure, all the demands have been overcome in the end and we showed that we can compete.

I have to ask you about Cesc Fabregas and his future. Last year it looked like he would come to Barcelona, what do you think could happen this year?

I have said before and I still do that my hope is that one day he will play for Barcelona. I would love to have him alongside me because as well as a good person, he is a great player. I would love him to be here this year or if not then next year. He would give us more. Last year it looked like he would come but he didn’t. Now it looks like he could again but we have to wait. I hope the people in the offices [ie the sporting directorate at Barcelona] can work well and can bring him in this time.

Have you spoken to Cesc? How does it look from Arsenal’s point of view?

I haven’t spoken to him recently. I don’t know how Arsenal are set up economically but I do know that he is a great player and a real friend of mine and he is a Barcelona player – he has been in the youth system here and he knows what we are about. He could perform perfectly here.

What do you envisage next season?

Every year is harder. They have all been hard years and I think that next year will be hard. To keep winning and to keep living with the demands is hard – but not the pressure of the fans; I mean our own pressure, the pressure we put on ourselves. We want to win a fourth league title like the Dream Team and a second Champions League in a row, which no one has done before. We apply that pressure to ourselves and we are very ambitious. It gets harder but not because of us – it gets harder because with every passing year the opponents make more and more effort to try to defeat us.

What about the European Championships with Spain?

That’s a lovely challenge for us and I think we have more than enough talent to do it. It’s wonderful opportunity for us to make history. We really love the idea. So much has been said about a bad atmosphere in the Spain squad but we have shown that is not true this time round – we have won twice and played well in our recent trip to the US and Venezuela. We have to carry on like that. We have to be united on the inside no matter what they say on the outside.

What do you make of Porto and the Super Cup?

Porto are a great team and it will be very hard to beat them. Plus, in the Super Cup you have to go to Monaco, which is a very cold stadium; the day before they give you prizes and you disconnect a bit from the task in hand. And they are a good side, who have won the treble and have fast, strong players up front.

Will Barcelona be bringing in reinforcements? You’ve been linked with Giuseppe Rossi and Alexis Sanchez.

I had the pleasure of playing alongside Rossi at Manchester United, we arrived at the same time and we were in the same team for a few years. He has loads of talent. He knows how to go long, come short, he has a good touch, and he is very quick. As a person he is ten out of ten. He would be very welcome. Alexis: I don’t know him personally but he is a great player with a brilliant talent when one-on-one. We suffered against him for Spain. We would receive him with open arms.

Have you discussed a return to Barcelona with Cesc Fabregas? How important are trophies to him?

Players always want to win titles and in this case Cesc has not had the opportunity to do so at Arsenal. For him, it is a chance to come here and play with his team mates and at the same time to win titles. He is an Arsenal player and I have all the respect for the Arsenal fans but if you ask my opinion, I hope he can play for Barcelona in the future. He is my friend and that is my opinion.

Why did you cut off the net in the Champions League final?

I did the same in Rome, I cut some pieces for all my friends who wanted a nice present, a reminder of the final. And I always keep one for me. I put it on the wall with the Barcelona shirt and the Manchester United shirt as a reminder of all the finals that we have won.

Why is it so hard to defend the Champions League title?

Because when you win a title like this all the other teams want to sign more players and get better to beat you. It is hard to keep the same level and be the best one year, and another and another. We have the players that we need to do it – all out players are top level. I think we can but we must have a bit of luck to be champions.

Can Lionel Messi finally win something with Argentina?

I think so, Leo will be the key for Argentina in the Copa America. If they know how to play with him, they can do important things in the competition. Leo is the best player in the world and you have to know how to use him: you have to play around him. Brazil is always a great team too. They and Argentina will be the favorites.

What’s it like playing with your best mates?

It’s different; you have relationship that is not only professional. You have good friendships and when your mates are playing well you are happy for him – I think you can see that on the pitch. For example Carles Puyol is my best friend in the dressing room and you can see on the pitch. When I look at him I know what he is thinking.

Romario, Maldini and Cantona have all worn the Nike Tempo Legend IV Elite boot. How do you feel wearing the boots?

These are the best boots I have ever worn. I know the history of the boots. They are the classic boots. But they are really, really modern. They weigh very little and they adapt well to your feet. You can feel the ball well so your touch is better.

The European Championships are in Poland and the Ukraine next summer. What do you know about the two countries?

I won the U19 European Championship in Poland and I have great memories from that country. To go there next year and try to win will be great.

Also see: Nike Tiempo Legend IV Elite.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Like myself, all English football fans have been let down in recent years by our regularly under achieving international side. I would like to share my views on why this is the case, and on why I don’t see any reason to expect success in the near future.

The fact that us English created the beautiful game often gives fans a false sense of belief that we are also the best at it, trouble is, we aren’t. Nor are we close for that matter. When you look at the truly great international sides of today, such as Spain, Brazil, or Holland, you will note that they play a different style of football to our inferior England.

While our game is based on being fast paced, hard tackling and extremely competitive, other nations dedicate their attention to the finer things in football, pass and move, retaining possesion, creativity and flair. These are now proving to be far more valuable traits to learn and this is the sole reason England shall never be able to match top nations when they meet in major competitions.

In England we have teams like Arsenal – who try to play attractive football, coming up against the likes of Stoke City – a rough team that dedicate time to set pieces and often try to bully their way to a win. How can this possibly be of benefit to our national side? When a manager selects a squad of players to work together as a team, they all need to have the same philosophy of how to play the game, they need to be synchronized and understand exactly what each other are going to do.

Little use is it picking a player who often attempts, and fails, to make forty yard passes such as Gareth Barry, to sit alongside a very talented individual in Jack Wilshere, who likes to get the ball down and play the sort of football that has recently propelled the Spanish to become world and european champions. These two men are only an example, however there are many players in the England camp which have a complete different understanding of the game to one another, and that can only mean one thing, failure.

Although it will never happen, my suggestion would be that clubs in England follow in the lead of teams such as ‘catalan giants’ Barcelona, and begin to invest more money and time in developing youth prospects at academy level, which would benefit the nation as a whole, and less money on bringing in foreign exports to play football in the way we can only dream of. Until this happens, my prediction is that there will be no future success at international level for our country, and the already endless amount of excuses and apologies, from managers and players alike, will continue for many years to come.

Follow the author on Twitter.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Bob Bradley has some decisions to make ahead of Gold Cup play.

When the U.S. scheduled today’s fixture with Spain they likely felt it would be a good tune up for a team destined to fight it out with Mexico for CONCACAF supremacy in the coming weeks. Spain got a brace from Santi Cazorla and goals from Negredo and Fernando Torres to down the host 4-0 ahead of their Gold Cup opener against Canada on Tuesday.

What happened in Boston today was nothing less than a confidence shaker. Playing most of the match with their reserves, the U.S. were undone by a four goal performance from the reigning world champions on the backs of a number of outstanding performances from a mix of Spain’s “A” and “B” level players.

The U.S. was outclassed at every step of the match. In every phase the Spanish giants dominated, and while that’s not a surprise, the level of dominance was disheartening.

The U.S. could not generate anything in the first 45 minutes playing without eventual second half subs Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley and missing Donovan the entire match due to illness. Without three of their best players the U.S. surrendered an astonishing amount of possession and paid the price.

Game thoughts:

- Despite the personnel, playing a flat 4-4-2 was an awful decision from Bob Bradley. Refusing to give cover to an exposed backline killed the U.S. and resulted in open lanes for late runners which produced two of the four Spain goals.

- Defense is a glaring issue for the U.S. Conceding goals to Spain is one thing but to not pressure and to have poor marking, especially in the middle, is unacceptable and could hurt against the better teams in the Gold Cup. The Oguchi Onyewu/Tim Ream pairing was not good. Neither player did well and without cover the Spanish attackers had a field day.

- Dempsey and Bradley coming on in the second half brought better spells for the U.S. with the passing and possession getting better.

- Today’s individual performances from some of the younger players should give the U.S. some cause for concern. Sacha Kljestan, Robbie Rogers, Jozy Altidore and Eric Lichaj had some bad moments in the match. Some of these players will be called upon to contribute heavily in the Gold Cup and their individual effort was not good today. While no U.S. player had a good day these guys stood out to me as not doing well.

- On the positive side, I thought there was some good play from Chris Wondolowski and Juan Agudelo. The inexperienced forwards found some spots and tested the Spanish defense. Wondolowski put himself in a number of good spots in the second half and Agudelo was one of the few Yanks willing to go at Spain’s defense.

Going forward its unclear how this game will be received by the U.S. team but it’s tough to say they’ll take too many positives from it. Playing tough competition is a good thing in general but from the outside looking in this could be a confidence shaking match for the Americans.

Bradley has some decisions to make regarding player and formation decisions. While a 4-4-2 could work in the group stage, playing that style against an attacking team like Mexico could be death to the Yanks’ Gold Cup chances.

One thing’s for sure, it will be interesting to see the U.S. and Bradley’s response Tuesday when Gold Cup play starts against Canada.

Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com and contributes to Soccerlens.com for the Gold Cup. Follow him on twitter at @Dynamoexaminer.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News