Previewing Euro 2016 Group B
Here is a quick preview of how Group B for Euro 2016 could look like.
England
England may look like the early favorite in this group, but don’t count out the rest of the team’s. Yes England dominated the qualifying stage, scoring 31 goals and going on a 10-0 run, but they are known for not showing up when it counts. They will also be bringing a team some think is inexperienced.
For starters, they have 18-year-old Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford in the squad, after he scored his first goal, on his first shot, in his first game with the Three Lions. He is followed by 20-year-old Tottenham Hotspurs midfielder Dele Alli. England has seven players under the age of 23 and no players over the age of 30.
You could argue that England doesn’t have the talent needed to go on a deep run, but they have faired well in their last three friendlies. They look like a young team, but manager Roy Hodgson has put faith in his players to put England back on the map as champions.
Russia
After England, it get’s difficult to pick a second place team. Russia look to be favourites, as they have a talented team with some good youngsters and a mix of veteran players to composite for the lack of experience. Russia will look to show the rest of Europe that when the World Cup comes to their country in 2018, they will do everything they can to keep it there.
Current CSKA Moscow manager Leonid Slutsky will try to bring his achievements in the Russian Premier League to this competition. He lead his CSKA team to three out of four Premier League titles and has lead this Russian team to a 6-2 record since he took over last August. The Russian’s usually go with age in big tournaments, but with mid-20 players like Zenit strikers Aleksandr Kokorin and Artyom Dzyuba, Zenit midfielder Oleg Shatov, CSKA midfielder Aleksandr Golovin and Spartak Moscow full-back Dmitri Kombarov, Russia could finish strongly in second and move on to the knockout stage.
Wales
If Russia doesn’t finish in second, it could be because Wales had something to do with it. This will be the first time since 1958 that The Dragons are competing in a international tournament. They had a strong Euro qualifier campaign that saw them finish two points behind the second ranked country in the world, Belgium. They are lead by Swansea captain Ashley Williams, but the real heart of the team is Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale. Bale will be the decisive factor for Wales. If he has a good tournament, they should do well. If not, others like Leicester City’s Andy King, Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey and Liverpool’s Joe Allen will need to step up. Wales could finish second, but will need to battle Russia hard for it.
Slovakia
Slovakia, like Wales, are competing in their first Euro. The small nation of Slovakia has produced some good players in recent years, and will be looking to upset Russia, Wales and England in Group B action. Slovakia had a good World Cup 2010 run, in which they went to the round of 16, but haven’t made it anywhere near since then. With players like Napoli’s Marek Hamsik, AC Milan’s Juraj Kucka, Willem II’s Adam Nemec and PAOK’s Robert Mak on this team, than maybe Slovakia has some hope. They did finish in second in a group that had Spain and Ukraine, and haven’t lost since October of 2015. It won’t be easy for them, but they could surprise us.
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Predictions:
- England
- Russia
- Wales
- Slovakia
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