Termed as the proverbial ‘group of death’, Group E has thrown some of the best teams in Europe together into the cauldron, as the likes of Italy, Belgium, Sweden and Republic of Ireland try to make it to the knockout stage of the competition.
Highlights: Belgium and Italy are the two sides who will be trying to ensure direct qualification into the knockout phase by finishing in the top two positions in the group. Meanwhile, Ireland and Sweden will be trying to fight it out, to make it to the quarter finals as one of the four top third placed qualifiers. Chelsea winger Eden Hazard, Juventus shot stopper Gianluigi Buffon, Manchester United target Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne are the players to seek out in this group.
Also, with all the four teams looking like they could qualify for the knockout stage of the competition, we may see a potential Euro winner from Group E itself. So let’s take a brief look at the four teams and how they might shape up.
Belgium
The Red Devils are the highest ranked team in Europe, but they will know that the FIFA rankings will not count for much if they fail to perform at their level best in the tournament. Managed by Marc Wilmots, Belgium are one of the favourites to win the tournament, possessing a pool of incredibly talented players in each department on the pitch.
Although captain Vincent Kompany has been left out of the squad due to injury, Wilmots still has a number of quality defenders to man the back four. Barcelona centre-back Thomas Vermaelen is likely to play as a backup to Tottenham’s centre-back duo Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen.
Meanwhile, Belgium possess the likes of Radja Nainggolan, Mousa Dembele, Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard to conjure chances from midfield. Wilmots faces a dilemma up front, with striker Romelu Lukaku failing to establish himself as a regular in the national team starting XI. Christian Benteke, Divock Origi and the highly rated Michy Batshuayi are the other options up top for the Belgium manager.
Players to watch out for
As mentioned earlier, the Belgians have key players in every department of their team, although they might be missing the leadership of injured skipper Vincent Kompany. However, based on current form, Kevin De Bruyne looks like he could be the main man to carry the Belgians through in the tournament. The Manchester City playmaker has had a brilliant debut season at the Etihad Stadium, scoring 15 goals and providing nine assists, as he helped his side reach the semi final of the UEFA Champions League and winning the League Cup.
Lukaku could also be a key player, if he manages to carry his club form over to the national side. The Everton striker will have a number of creative players to feed him, and could end up having a brilliant tournament. Eden Hazard is another key player for the Belgians. The Chelsea winger has been named the captain of the Red Devils’s squad after Kompany pulled out with an injury. Hazard has had a miserable season at Chelsea, but he has shown glimpses of his old self towards the end of the season, scoring four goals in his last five matches.
How far can they go?
Since they have the best squad in the group, we expect Belgium to finish as the winners of Group E. However, qualifying for the knockout stages of the tournament will be the least of their worries. With the squad that they have, anything but a semi-finals finish will be considered as a failure for Belgium. However, there is a strong chance that they might have to face Germany in the semi finals of the tournament, which is why we believe that is as far as they will go this time around.
Republic of Ireland
The Irish are perhaps the most underrated team in the group. Historically, Ireland have been very poor in the Euros. They have never managed to make it out of the group stage, and have recorded just one win in the history of the tournament, which came against England 28 years ago.
However, manager Martin O’Neill will be counting on his side being more than just a sum of its parts, as they try to make it out of a rather difficult group. They have a brilliant chance of qualifying this time round, as a third placed finish might be good enough to take them through.
Ireland’s highest international scorer Robbie Keane is set to lead the Green Army out once again, but the 35-year-old will most likely have to do it from the bench this time around. The Irish have a number of quality players in different positions, which could work in their favour.
O’Neill will be hoping to avoid a repeat of Ireland’s 2012 outing, when they conceded nine goals and scored just one, in the group stage.
Players to watch out for
The two players that Ireland will depend upon to churn out the good performances are midfielder James McCarthy and striker Shane Long. McCarthy has been fairly influential for Everton this season and Ireland need him to be the chief force in the middle of the park alongside Stoke City man Glenn Whelan.
The fact that Shane Long has successfully replaced Keane as the main striker in the Ireland team speaks a lot about the 29-year-old. He scored 10 goals and provided four assists, to help the Saints finish sixth in the Premier League. Long will expect to be fed through balls by the likes of McCarthy and Wes Hoolahan, the latter popularly labelled as “the Irish Messi” by the Ireland supporters.
How far will they go
We expect Ireland to finally crack the egg this time round. They have a balanced squad, with key players in each department. We can expect them to play well as a team, and qualify as one of the four best third-placed finishers. However, a third placed finish means that they might have to face France or Spain in the quarter finals. That could be the extent of their progress in the tournament, but even if they manage to make it through from the group stage, this Irish side will go down in history as the first team to make it to the knockout stages of the tournament.
Italy
The Azzuri do not exactly have one of the best squads in the tournament, but they always have the potential to punch above their weight in the big competitions. Manager Antonio Conte, who is set to join Chelsea as their new manager after the Euros, likes to have a well drilled side, and that is exactly what we can expect from the 2012 Euro finalists.
Conte has come under a lot of criticism for leaving some of Italy’s flair players such as Andrea Pirlo, Giacomo Bonaventura, Jorginho and Sebastian Giovinco out of the squad. However, the 46-year-old coach expects a lot of hard work from his team, and as usual, we can expect a prosaic Italian side that is rather difficult to break down.
The Italians have a big problem in the forwards section though. Striker Mario Balotelli, who was dismally out of form last season at AC Milan, and has been dropped from the squad by Conte. In his absence, Graziano Pelle, Simone Zaza and Ciro Immobile are expected to chip in with the goals.
For a country with as much footballing history as Italy, their national side have not been so successful in the Euros. They have managed to win the tournament back in 1968, and have reached two finals in 2000 and 2012, but they need to win more silverware in the continental competition to do justice to their footballing history. As this will be the last international tournament for Conte, the 46-year-old will be desperate to win a silverware for his country.
Players to watch out for
With the lack of a clear attacking threat, the Italians will rely a lot on their defensive coordination, and balance in midfield, to shut the opposition out. The role of goalkeeper captain Gianluigi Buffon will be crucial, as he martials the defence. Leonardo Bonucci is also one of the most influential players in the team, as he operates in the middle of a three-man defence. His passing will be crucial in Italy’s buildup play.
In attack, the Italians will be looking for some flair from Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne. The diminutive forward can operate both on the wings, and as a central striker, and can run riot in the opposition defence. AS Roma winger Stephan El Sharawy is another player who can provide a bit of spark, as Italy look to win their second Euro title.
How far will they go?
The Italians could actually go quite deep into the tournament. We expect them to finish second in this group, but the knockout stage draws suggest that they may face Portugal or Austria in the quarter finals. While both Portugal and Austria are good sides, Italy have the capability to beat them, after which a potential semi final draw with England awaits. The English are known for fluffing their lines in the big tournaments, which is why there is a good chance that Conte’s men could make it to a second successive final.
Sweden
Sweden’s best finish in the Euros has been in 1992, when they made it to the semi finals. However, that was more than two decades ago, and Sweden were competing in that tournament as the host nation. This time though, Erik Hamren’s men face a rather steep challenge in the group of death in France. The Yellow and Blues can be called a one-man-team, and they will be looking up to the mercurial Zlatan Ibrahimovic to pull them through to at least a third-placed finish in Group E.
Sweden’s first match against Ireland is a must-win game, before they face sterner oppositions in the form of Italy and Belgium. A victory in the first match against Ireland will not only give them the edge with regards to finishing third, but it will also give the Swedes a lot of momentum going forward into the difficult games.
Player to watch out for
As mentioned earlier, Sweden will be looking to striker Ibrahimovic to carry them through to the quarter finals. Even at the age of 34, Zlatan has scored 38 goals from 31 Ligue 1 appearances for PSG last season. He will be looking to carry this form through to the Euros. This will be the last major international tournament for the 34 year old, who will try his utmost best to finish off his international career on a high.
How far will they go?
Not very far, it seems. Sweden are a one-man-team, and that is something that could play against them in the group stage. Their opening match against Ireland is crucial, although their opponents hold the edge owing to a better work ethic under manager Martin O’Neill. They will also find it incredibly difficult to churn out results against the well drilled Italians and the talented Belgians. We expect Sweden to finish bottom of Group E.
