Premier League half time report.

It is just past the half way point in the Premier League as we are right in the middle of the brilliant Christmas period where the games come thick and fast. As such, it is probably around this time when managers will sit down with their staff and review the games that have gone, and look to dip into the transfer window to improve their squad and get rid of the deadwood. So here is my review of the current top six. What, so no Liverpool? Exactly.

Manchester United- Season so far: Pretty good really, top of the league, 7 points clear, beaten Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Man City, but the defence is worrying. They have conceded more goals than Swansea, West Ham, and Sunderland, and Sir Alex Ferguson still doesn't really know his best team. Overall though, there is every chance of a 20th league title.
Star so far: Robin Van Persie. Who else? Has single handedly grabbed points for United this season, and is truly world class. Has also performed against all the top teams (scored in all the aforementioned victories).
Flop so far: Paul Scholes. It is quite hard to say, but it does seem his time is up. He has barely started any games this season, and the team haven't exactly struggled when he has been left out. Only twice this season, in the comeback at Southampton and the home defeat against Spurs has Scholes performed like he used to. Still, his standing amongst Reds is quite untarnishable. That's not really a word, but it's fitting for a player who may have the wrong decision playing on this season, but will always be adored at Old Trafford.  
January signings? The world class players who could make a difference in Europe are unavailable in January. Would make do with getting Vidic back fit. Kevin Strootman, Thiago Alcantara, and other similar high profile midfielders will be targets in the summer.

Manchester City- Season so far: A few too many draws, but overall a solid championship defence so far. The real issue has been in Europe, where City only picked up a measly 3 points in their group and didn't even get a Europa League spot. Roberto Mancini will probably need to win the league or the FA cup to satisfy the owners, and keep his job.
Star so far: Yaya Toure.  City's midfield enforcer has scored 6 valuable goals, as well as chipping in regularly with assists. Also one of the few City players to turn up in the Champions League. How will city cope without him in January?
Flop so far: Mario Balotelli. The dynamic forward has repaid Mancini's faith with a huge haul of 1 league goal this season. Also tried to take his own club to a tribunal- how much longer will Balotelli be indulged?
January signings? There have been rumours regarding Daniele De Rossi but it is unlikely City will be massive spenders in January. However, cover at centre back is a possibility.  

Chelsea- Season so far: The sacking of Di Matteo is what it will be remembered by, as well as, for the first time since the takeover of Abramovich, Chelsea failing to make it past the group stages in the CL. However, Chelsea made a decent start and are in pole position for the League Cup. Benitez has also successfully tightened up the defence- for now. Still in the title race.
Star so far: Juan Mata has been a giant for Chelsea this campaign, returning from the international break in September refreshed and has been inspirational since Benitez has come in. My player of the season so far, with an eye for goal and superb at creating space.
Flop so far: Roberto Di Matteo. The holders of the CL have never got knocked out so quickly the next year. Seeing Chelsea's performances since his sacking, some of his 'tactics' were remarkably bad- for example, not playing the club's best centre back at centre back (Ivanovic), the refusal to acknowledge that Oscar, Mata, and Hazard clearly occupy the same space (Benitez has very rarely played all 3) and his complete failure to get Torres playing well.
January signings? Daniel Sturridge is on his way to Liverpool, and a replacement striker is what is needed. Falcao will have to wait till the summer at least, same with fellow South American Edinson Cavani, and Lukaku has expressed a wish to remain at West Brom, so Chelsea may look to Demba Ba or even Theo Walcott. Bodies in midfield are also at a premium, with Romeu injured, Lampard's future uncertain and Mikel in South Africa. Fellaini is likely to leave Everton if any club can stump up £18 million or so, could a deal be done there?

Tottenham- Season so far: So far, so good, for Spurs's new manager. Despite the media's best efforts, Villas-Boas has done very well and Tottenham are even outside bets for the title, according to Sandro. But top 4 will do nicely this year. AVB has dealt well with the impact of losing their two best players of 11/12, Modric and Van der Vaart, and are even taking the Europa League seriously
Stars so far: Jermain Defoe/Gareth Bale. Defoe is enjoying a new lease of life away from the bench, equally effective up front on his own or with Adebayor, he has 14 goals in all comps this season. As for Bale, the welsh winger is capable of changing a game in an instant, and the occasional dive hasn't blinded me or most other observers to the fact that he is probably the most exciting player to watch in England. Already has got 9 league goals from the left.
Flop so far: Clint Dempsey- Only 3 goals? And what position does he play anyway? Despite Tottenham's good results, Van der Vaart is still a big miss and Sigurdsson is not the answer. Honourable mentions to Adebayor for his lack of goals, and William Gallas for some inept challenges.
January signings? Joao Moutinho was close to joining in August and Spurs might try again. Need to shift some deadwood, with Dawson presumably on his way. Could recall Danny Rose from Sunderland to add depth. But with Parker and Assou-Ekotto on their way back from the treatment room, Spurs are unlikely to really push the boat out. Have reportedly agreed to take Lewis Holtby from Schalke in the summer and he could be the replacement for Van der Vaart I keep mentioning they need.

Arsenal-Season so far: Have apparently been in about 5 different states of crisis, but actually have made an okay start, with a few rubbish results (like the embarrassing defeat to Bradford). Cazorla and Podolski have been excellent acquisitions, and only Stoke, City and Chelsea have conceded less than them.
Star so far: Santi Cazorla has scored and assisted 7 goals in the premier league, and has been another great addition to the best passing side in the league.
Flop so far: Andre Santos wins because of some truly awful displays, but Thomas Vermaelen has cost Arsenal goals, Ramsey's development has stalled, and Chamakh's zero appearances in the league is probably still too many.
January signings? The Gunners really need another forward, although David Villa won't exactly be excited by moving to the Emirates, and Arsenal may need to look into players like Zaha of Palace instead. An experienced keeper is possible with Reina not happy at Liverpool, and about 6 new medical specialists as well to get that injury prone cun Abou Diaby on the pitch more often. A new left back is a possibility with the perennially injured Gibbs proving to be dodgy fitness wise once more.

Everton-Season so far: Terrific, as for once, have complimented an excellent second half of a  previous season with a great start. Everton have beaten Man United and Spurs at home, and have only lost thrice. Everton's net spend since 2002/03 is 13.9m, whereas Liverpool's for example, has been 173.8m. David Moyes has probably been the manager of 2012, and this is his best chance to get Everton back in the top four. If he doesn't he must be considering just how long he can stay on Merseyside.
Star so far: Marouane Fellaini has led the charge with 8 goals, the Belgian notching against United, Arsenal, and Man City. With an enforced winter break thanks to his headbutt of Shawcross, expect him to continue his form in 2013. Honourable mentions to Tim Howard, Leighton Baines and Leon Osman for consistency, and Pienaar for providing the touch of class.
Flop so far: Bill Kenwright: He may be a fan, but knowing Everton's excellent performances following the arrival of Jelavic, Gibson and Pienaar in January 2012, he should of backed Moyes with money in the summer. Naismith and Hitzelsberger were free transfers, and although Kevin Mirallas cost 6m, all of that was payed for by 15m Jack Rodwell's sale to Man City. The big question as regards to Everton's future as a long term top tier side will remain with Kenwright's ability to find a competent owner.
January signings? A loan signing for Lescott or Scott Sinclair seems the limit for the Toffees, unless some of the Rodwell money is made available. Far more important is to keep hold of their own best players.

Writing that was a lot quicker than I thought it was going to take! Let's all hope for a thrilling second half of the season, I for one want to see a brilliant fight for the title and expect quality in the Champions League. 2012 was a superb football year, can 2013 top it?
Thanks for reading, Adam

Chelsea, Benitez, Clattenburg, and a great England win

And so the Chelsea manager carousel starts again. Roberto Di Matteo, in his few months in charge of Chelsea, managed to deliver the FA cup and, the Holy Grail for Chelsea and Abramovich- the Champions League. But that wasn't quite good enough for the Russian in charge, and after less than a day Rafael Benitez was installed as his interim replacement. Firstly, the speed of the appointment raises questions as to how much contact Benitez had with Chelsea before the sacking of Di Matteo. How long was Abramovich planning to get rid of the Italian? It appears ever since Chelsea beat Tottenham in a fantastic display back in October, their form hasn't quite been the same; with only 2 wins in the last 7, and one of those in the League Cup. To be honest, if, as it looks like, Chelsea crash out the Champions League, Di Matteo can't have any complaints regarding his dismissal. His lack of response to the Juventus substitutions and resulting comeback in Match-day 1 was predictable and also the depressing defeat to Shaktar Donetsk, when Di Matteo rushed back an unfit John Terry and paid the price.  And as good a side Juventus are, to be beat 3-0 without offering any threat meant that Gabriel Clarke on ITV was already asking the awkward questions post match. You would have thought a man who delivered the holy grail to Chelsea would be given more time, but such is the nature of being the Chelsea boss. Abramovich never really wanted the former West Brom manager anyway, but was forced to give him a contract for the heroics in Munich. Di Matteo did spend over 80 million in the summer, but then again...  can Rafael Benitez realistically expect to do any better?  We shouldn't- as is the tendency in England- think light of Benitez as a coach though. The Spaniard led Valencia to two league titles, an unthinkable achievement now. He also won the Champions League and the FA Cup at Liverpool (albeit both on penalties), and if Gerrard and Torres had been fit all year, would probably had delivered the title in 2008/2009. It appears that Benitez has been brought in to get the best out of 50 million man Fernando Torres, and boy, he needs to start firing soon with the big shadow of Falcao hanging over him.
Chelsea 0-0 Man City

Well, one think we've learnt from this dour, dreadful and dire game of football is that Benitez is hilariously unpopular so far. There was a clearly audible chorus of boos when Benitez was introduced by the stadium announcer, and Stamford Bridge was awash with banners and signs wishing for Di Matteo- as shown by the applause in the 16th minute, Di Matteo's number as a player. The new man claimed he didn't hear the hostile reception, saying "I'm just focused on the game" and also argued once results started to fall into place supporters would get behind him. On the pitch, Benitez oversaw a first clean sheet in 11 matches to deny City the win that would take them top. But Torres was again awful, and Benitez will have to work miracles to get the striker back to his 2009 vintage.

The Clattenburg debacle: Why are Chelsea not being punished?
In the aftermath of Chelsea's 3-2 defeat at home to Manchester United, a racial storm erupted- and John Obi Mikel was convinced he had been racially abused by the referee. It has been found out that Chelsea were horribly wrong, as no credible evidence was put to the FA. Mikel's involvement had been that he was told by Ramires(who struggles to speak English) that Clattenburg had insulted him, and Mikel understandably felt aggrieved. The fact that no other Chelsea employee heard the insult should have given Chelsea a clue on how to act. Chelsea implicated a referee in a potentially career damaging case based on the flimsiest of evidence. Clattenburg couldn't referee for weeks with the scandal hanging over him, and Chelsea have still not given an apology. It wouldn't suprise me for the referees' union to sue Chelsea later on.

Top two's defensive problems continue
You can't keep a good man down. And currently in the premier league it seems impossible to take the lead against Manchester United or City and hope to win, because Edin Dzeko and Javier Hernandez just can't stop scoring from the bench. I wrote a couple of weeks ago now about the frailties shown by both clubs at the back his season, and although they are by no means solved, they seem to have improved, with clean sheets against Swansea and West Ham pointing to he truly miserly defence of last year. Having said that, City's quite disastrous Champions League form including conceding 10 goals in 5 European ties is threatening to shorten Roberto Mancini's time in the hot seat. The slick interplay of Ajax and messing around with a back three did for them in Amsterdam, but what was more worrying was the 2-2 draw at the Etihad last Tuesday, with both Siem De Jong goals coming from poor defending at set-pieces. However United haven't improved either - conceding 2 against Chelsea and Stoke, being 2 down to Braga and Aston Villa, plus conceding first in Portugal on Wednesday. United then lost 1-0 to both Norwich and Galatasaray, as well as conceding first again, this time against QPR.  Sir Alex Ferguson seems to be actively forfeiting the chance of a clean sheet by playing a very offensive line up, but when you have such fire power as Robin Van Persie, Wayne Rooney, super sub Hernandez, and the marginalised for now Danny Welbeck, perhaps you can afford to take some risks.

Superb win in India for Captain Cook
England's cricket team clinched a historic and hugely impressive win on Indian soil in the second test as brilliant innings from Kevin Pietersen and Alistair Cook led England to a total of 413. It was then a joy to watch Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann majestically beat India at their own game, namely, using spin to outfox the top order. With a personal best 11 wickets in the match, it is puzzling how Monty wasn't in the side to begin with, particularly taking into account the much improved performances in Abu Dhabi against Pakistan when he returned to the side. The selectors face an interesting dilemma as to whether or not Ian Bell returns to the XI straight away after his absence from Mumbai. There is also the issue of vice captain's Stuart Broad's patchy form with both bat and ball. Personally, I would like to see Onions be given a chance again. But anyway, roll on Calcutta, as England, led by the imperious Cook look to win in India for the first time since 1985.

A Comeback Seve would be proud of

Well that was exciting. As dark descends on Medinah in Chicago we are left to a reflect on a truly remarkable turnaround as Team USA were beaten, after being 4 points ahead going into the crucial singles matches. I don't claim to be a golf fanatic but I do follow the 4 majors and of course the Ryder Cup- but it puzzles me how a player like Ian Poulter, 26 in the world, can dominate a team containing 4 of the world's top 5 players.(McIlroy, Donald, Westwood and Rose). Intriguing further are the average Ryder Cup records of established players like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Woods in particular, will be blasted by the US media for not getting a single point.
Much has been made of the Seve Ballesteros connection to this Ryder Cup. Indeed, Europe's captain Jose Maria Olazabal, a great friend and playing partner of Ballesteros, said that his memory, wearing his colours on Sunday, and the general feeling of 'we'll do it for Seve' pushed his team over the line. His team certainly thought so, Sergio Garcia saying "Today, obviously, everything came right. I've no doubt in my mind that he [Seve] was with me today, all the way. There's no chance I would have won my match if he wasn't there." Francesco Molinari said "This image of Seve on our sleeves today really did make a difference". Olazabal really wanted to win it, but luckily he had Poulter on his side, the only European to have an 100% record.

Thoughts on Football
One thing that has really surprised me about this Premier League season so far is the (lack of) form of the two Manchester Club's defenses. City's impressive 3-0 win over Sunderland, was incredibly, their first clean sheet of the season, (don't let that embarrassing fact stop the English media continually refer to Joe hart as the best keeper in the world though.)
Roberto Mancini prizes clean sheets over anything else, which is why it was a surprise to see his team concede 8 goals in their first 6 games. Of course there are many reasons for this, one being Mancini messing about with a back 3 formation when 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1 worked so well for City last year, and his reluctance to pick Joleon Lescott in the big games, plus the switching of full backs for no apparent reason. Of course, the squad Mancini has at his disposal means he can rotate without any real drop in quality, but even so, a settled back four is a crucial part of any team. Having said that, Vincent Kompany is a certain starter due to his titanic performances last term, yet he has arguably been the worst offender this season- most notably ducking under Cristiano Ronaldo's late winner in the Bernabeu.

England v Moldova & Ukraine

I find that a lot of people complain about the international break but I have never felt anything against it. It must be frustrating for club managers that their players get injured playing for their country, but when else can internationals be held? If they were all at the end of the season the managers would then complain that their players needs a rest, so i think people who oppose the international breaks have no real solution anyway. And in any case, it is currently fascinating and intriguing watching England evolve under Roy Hodgson. In our qualifying group, we start as favourites, but we shouldn't just assume we will qualify, Euro 2008 has taught us never again to think like that i would have thought. Poland, Ukraine and Montenegro are all capable teams with class players like Robert Lewandowski and Stevan Jovetic. San Marino and Moldova on the other hand, are absolute sh  really should cause us no problems.

London 2012 and England-Italy review

London 2012
The once in a lifetime event truly delivered. Even though i didn't get any Olympic tickets, it was still an amazing experience to have the Olympics in your home city. I was able to attend two events- the men's road race and marathon- and both were brilliant to watch. For all the criticism thrown their way, in my opinion, LOCOG and Sebastian Coe did a fantastic job. The home Olympics has ignited a passion among the British public for minor sports that hopefully can be maintained. This will be the key feature in deciding in the future whether the huge expenditure on the games was worth it. It would be horrible if the venues turn out to be white elephants- indeed, the Basketball arena is one which will be dismantled. The benefits of sport participation among the population are well known and it will be interesting to see if David Cameron follows up on his promise to keep up his investment in sport.
On to the actual sporting achievements, the medal haul of 65 was sensational.UK sport did set optimistic targets, but the team hit them. And the scary thing is it could have been even better- Dai Greene, Phillips Idowu and Mark Cavendish were just some of the big names who failed to win a medal. A total of 29 Golds was a fantastic return, and 3rd in the medal table was also a great achievement. It was also fantastic to watch superb performances from foreign athletes. Mainly, Usain Bolt, who again won three gold medals. it was also another Olympics, more gold medals for Michael Phelps, making himself the greatest Olympian of all time. I thoroughly enjoyed the athletics in particular, and will look forward to the 2013 world championships in Moscow.

England 2-1 Italy (Jagielka 27, Defoe 80) (De Rossi 15)
However, despite the great sporting event it was, I am hugely excited for the new premier league season and this was only ignited by the midweek friendly between England and Italy. Club managers must hate having a 'meaningless' international friendly only a few days before the season starts, but i for one think that its a valuable opportunity to have a look at new players and Roy Hodgson proved that by handing debuts to Tom Cleverley, Ryan Bertrand, Jake Livermore and the two keepers, Ruddy and Jack Butland. Inspired by the return of the excellent Michael Carrick, England kept the ball far better than I've seen for quite a while.

3'rd day of the Euro's- group C underway

Spain 1-1 Italy
The third day of the Eurpoean Championships continued in the same vein as the first two as we saw brilliant technical football from both sides. It was a fascinating match that was probably had the most ability performing so far- unlike Holland, Germany or Portugal, who's big players were mainly quiet in Group B. Del Bosque played the 'false number nine' formation that he had experimented with in the latter qualifiers when David Silva was introduced into the starting line up, as well as the decline of Fernando Torres since his move to Chelsea. The injury to David Villa, golden boot winner in Euro 2008 and joint top scorer in the 2010 world cup forced Del Bosque's hand somewhat but the system certainly caused unique issues for the Italians, who themselves played a 3-5-2 system, which was a big surprise to many. The lovely fluid movement of Cesc Fabregas, David Silva and in particular Andres Iniesta was a delight to watch. Iniesta's dribbling skills were on show throughout and I lost count of the amount of times he picked up the ball and skinned his man. The possession game was struggling to break down the Italians in the first period, although Iniesta missed the best chance when spooning over after Xavi played him in. Indeed, actually it was the opposition who had the best chances, with Casillas making a world class save from a Motta header, and also beating away the brilliant Andrea Pirlo's free kick. The front pair of the talented but mad Balotelli and Cassano were troubling the back four with their pace, but the game didn't really ignite until the second period started. It was obvious the Spainsh had been told to step up the pace and Fabregas and Iniesta were both denied by the expert Buffon. Many had waited for Super Mario to ignite Italy's campaign but he fluffed his chance and was replaced soon after, complete with a strop. It was the veteran Di Natale, top scorer in Serie A in 09-10 and in 10-11 who scored after more fantastic play from the schemer Pirlo, who rolled back the years with a great performance, rivalling Iniesta in his influence. But the Spainsh continued and they scored when delightful passing on the edge of the area concluded in Silva finding Fabregas with an amazing pass which demonstrated the speed of thought of all the Spanish midfield. But they began to look a little toothless as the Italians broke effectively thanks to the Midfielders quick passing.When Torres and Navas were thrown on, there was a small reduction in possession and a bit more directness that allowed the Italians more space and the terrific Marchiso to break forward. But the Italian back three were lucky to get away with having a midfielder- De Rossi- in their defence. Torres twice utilised errors by him to race onto Xavi through balls, only for him to fluff his lines. The Italian formation was actually performing up well up till then. It is interesting that he switched it on such a big stage, but the stamina of the wing backs, Maggio especially, made it an attractive attacking formation as well. A draw was a fair result on both chances and use of the ball. On this evidence, both sides are to be feared in the tournament.

Euro 2012 -first two days reaction

Well, what a tournament so far, huh? The less said about my prediction for a Dutch victory the better, and although it's still early days, it will be difficult for them to advance. But on to them in a moment- the opening games deserve attention.

Poland 1-1 Greece
Well, at least I got something right in tipping Robert Lewandowski to fire. He carried his Dortmund form into the tournament and scored and impressive header. However, he was missing in he second half when the Poles needed him to wrestle back control of the game after the sending off of Szczesny handed the initiative to the Greeks. Nevertheless, what many tipped to be a boring, dull game with little quality was a superb opening to Euro 2012. Bags of chances, two sending offs, missed penalties, and horrible officiating. I don't know what the ref was on, but he let some dreadful tackles go in the first half and then sent off Sokratis Papastathopoulos(Cheers google) for nothing tackles. the first booking was for some bullshit tackle no one saw, and the second one appeared to be for being near a Polish player when he lost his footing. The Greeks were lethargic in the first half, and Poland took advantage, and another Borussia Dortmund player, midfielder Blaszczykowski was influential and the Poles should have been more than one up at the break. A reshuffle was needed for the Greeks, but i never expected Ninis to be taken off. But that's why managers are paid to make the big decisions, because his replacement Salpigidis was excellent, scoring a goal after an error from Szczesny, and then winning the penalty, for which Szczesny was rightly sent off. The Arsenal keeper almost single handedley lost the game for Poland with his stupidity on both counts. I felt sorry for Giorgos Karagounis when he missed the penalty- he had been brilliant before then, at at 35 is still a master at retaining possession and finding space. Unlike Celtic man Samaras, who I pointed out in my preview as a man who couldn't be relied upon. As pointed out on Match Of The Day, he could barely pick a pass, and surely he cant start the next game. Overall, I think a draw was a fair result in an incident packed game.

Russia 4-1 Czech Republic
Erm, I didn't expect this. As I wrote in my preview, i expected these two teams to go through the group... that seems unlikely now, as the Czechs were blown away by a Russian side inspired by Andrei Arshavin.

Euro 2012 preview

Many agree that the European championships are of a better quality than the World Cup, which is why the whole of Europe is once again looking upon these championships as yet another slap in the face for FIFA's showpiece event. The last world cup was full of dreadful defensive football, horrible refereeing and crap teams like Honduras. Thankfully, the Euro's are seldom like that- probably the weakest team in the competition are Poland, and as co hosts, will expect to go through. I'm looking forward to great football from some of the best players in the world, from Xavi to Pirlo, Ronaldo to Ribery, and many more- especially my favourite player, Wesley Sneijder of the Netherlands.

England's chances look slim at best. Certainly, the loss of experienced pair Gareth Barry and Frank Lampard has been a big blow. Over 140 caps worth of international know-how gone, and now the midfield will rely heavily on the now injury prone Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker, who seems to spend most of the game on the floor. The fact that there is no obvious back up is a major concern for Roy Hodgson- James Milner would presumably be his first choice back up, but hes much more comfortable out wide. I would also prefer defender Phil Jones in the middle before the only other natural central midfielder, Jordan Henderson, would get game time. The midfield worries lead me to limit England's hopes to Quarter Finals. it will be tough just to get out of the group, and without the country's most gifted footballer, the wonderful Wayne Rooney, for the first two games, getting goals is a worry. Particularly because as I write, the main story on many sport websites is that a born goalscorer in Jermain Defoe is flying back to England after the tragic death of his father. Of course, there is no way you would expect Defoe to be fit and firing after such a tragedy. This only mounts up Hodgson's problems. Add to this the John Terry situation, and you get a very bleak outlook for the tournament. In my opinion, England only have two world class players- Ashley Cole and Rooney, and with one of them suspended... let's just say I would be delighted with qualifying from the group.

As for the rest, I don't rate Poland, who have an awful defence, and rely heavily on Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski for goal threat. For all their home support, i see them struggling. They are 62nd in the latest Fifa rankings which is the lowest ranked side at Euro 2012. Similarly, unless Ninis or Fetfatzidis get a start, they will not create much- i mean, any team with Samaras as their taker of chances needs help. I'm going for the Czechs and Russians to go through in Group A, especially if Tomas Rosicky brings his club form with him.

Group B, obviously, is the big one. The Germans are many people's favourites and possess formidable young talents like the resourceful Gotze and the wonderful Toni Kroos, so effective against Real Madrid in both legs of the Champions League Semi final. Plus, the goals of Klose, Podolski and Gomez make them very hard to look past. However, there are concerns over the huge Bayern Munich contingent reacting to their loss on three fronts this season, and also over the lack of pace in defence, especially if Mertesacker starts. Players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, and Robben wont need a second invitation to take on a flat footed back four. However the huge range of talent in their squad, such as Neuer, Lahm, Ozil, and Muller make them one of the favourites.

However, the team I'm backing is the Oranje, Holland.