As another round of Euro 2016 qualifiers come to an end, Manchester United were dealt a huge blow as David De Gea (Spain), Michael Carrick (England) and Daley Blind (Netherlands) suffered injuries while on international duty. Meanwhile Real Madrid had a tale of mixed woes with Ronaldo and Bale leading the charge but Carlo Ancelotti will not be a happy man as Luka Modric has been sidelined with a thigh injury.
Hereai??i??s a quick look at the 5 talking points from this round of European qualifiers.
Euro Deals Manchester United A Harsh Blow
This round of Euro 2016 qualifiers came down heavily Ai??on Manchester United as they lost three key players to injuries. David De Gea and Michael Carrick picked up injuries while on international duty along with new signing Daley Blind. Last seasonai??i??s player of the year, De Gea has been instrumental for Manchester United but dislocated his finger with the Spanish national team and will be sidelined at Old Trafford upon his return. Michael Carrick is expected to return soon but Blind is expected to be out for the rest of the year.
Real Madridai??i??s key-man Luka Modric also picked up an injury and has been ruled out till the end of the year. Carlo Ancelottiai??i??s go-to-man tore his thigh muscle and could be out for anything between 1 month to 3 months. This means that the Croatian midfielder is set to miss out on the Club World Cup due to be held in Morocco this year.
Ronaldo-One Man Show
The Portuguese super-star proved his worth once again as he led Portugal to a 1-0 won over Armenia in the Euro 2016 qualifier. The Real Madrid winger is leading the race to win the Ballon dai??i??Or for the second year in row and made a solid case for himself by proving his merit with the national team. Ronaldoai??i??s dismal performance with Portugal in the World Cup led many critics to doubt his Ballon dai??i??Or credentials but it looks like the Madrid goal-machine is ready to make up for lost occasions.
Once again it was the former Manchester United darling who came to Portugal’s rescue and led them to beat a resilient Armenian team who according to Ronaldo ‘parked two buses and waited for us to make mistakes’. So how is Ronaldo gearing up for the Ballon D’Or this year? This is what the Portuguese said recently.
“I’ve already won what I had to win.Ai??I’ve won titles, beaten records, but I am not going to be blinded by all this. I did what I had to do. I am perfectly calm”
Rooney Leads The Charge
Playing against Slovenia in the Euro 2016Ai??qualifiers, Wayne Rooney, the captain of Manchester United, reached 100 caps for the national team. Commemorated by the English legend Sir Bobby Charlton, Rooney market the special appearance by scoring Englandai??i??s equaliser and then eventually led the team to a 3-1 victory.
After a dismal World Cup, all eyes are on Wayne Rooney and the English national team. With a bunch of young talented players avaialable at Roy Hodgsonai??i??s disposal, England will have a lot of expectations riding on their shoulders in France. What will be interesting to see is whether England can actually live up to their potential and go ahead and finally make a mark on the international stage. But first, they will have to make sure they qualify for Euro 2016.
Netherlands’ Old Guard Comes Good Again
Netherlands made light work of Latvia as the Dutch thrashed the minnows by 6 goals. After a great World Cup run led by the current Manchester United boss Louis Van Gaal, Netherlands are showing no sign of easing up as they prepare themselves for the Euro 2016. With a keen eye on the target, Guus Hiddinkai??i??s men put 6 past Latvia as Van Persie, Robben, Huntelaar and Bruma found the target.
Despite their advanced age, Van Persie and Arjen Robben are showing no signs of slowing down but whether they will be around and in shape for Euro 2016 is a question Hiddink will be asking himself. On the wrong side of 30, perhaps Hiddink will do well to ease in younger players to take charge from the old guard.
Italy And Belgium Stutter, Gareth Bale Impresses
With Spain, England, Netherlands and Germany registering comfortable wins, Europe heavyweights Italy along with new challengers Belgium and Wales registered a draw in their bid to win a place in the Euro 2016.
Italy were held to a 1-1 draw against a resistant Croatian side. Italy opened the scoring as CandrevaAi?? found the back of the net in the 11th minute only for Perisic to equalize in the 15th minute. Croatia were the better side and dominated possession which creating more chances for their strikers. Italy were forced on their defensive foot for most of the match but did well to avoid a defeat.
Meanwhile Wales and Belgium played out a goal-less draw as Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale came head to head at Brussels. Both teams created plenty of chances with Belgium dominating the proceedings as expected. However Gareth Bale was not one to let Thibaut Courtois rest and kept the keeper busy by peppering in great shots from the spot kicks. It now remains to be seen if the Real Madrid superstar can actually come good for Wales and lead them to a place in the Euro 2016.
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