Group D Preview
It’s the fourth installment of YoYo’s Euro 2016 group previews, and this time we take a look at one of the toughest groups to predict: Group D.
Croatia
First for examination is Croatia. Whilst they haven’t been successful in a major tournament, they will be hoping that this year’s crop of top class talent will be enough to fire them past their record of the last eight. Their form in qualifying suggests that they can do just that, providing they are not further restricted by the behaviour of their fans and that all their key players remain fit.
With a world class creative core and tight defence, The Croats could find themselves finishing second and lining up a tough first game in the knockout stages. But they’ll need a few key players to be at their absolute best if they want to achieve that.
First is Luka Modric. The Real Madrid man has upped his game since fellow midfielder Zidane took over the management of the Galacticos, and alongside Kroos has cemented his place in the minds of many has arguably the very best center midfielder in world football today. Playing from the middle of the park and acting as the link between defence and attack, Modric’s ability to see a pass and trigger lightning quick counter-attacks will be vital to Croatia this summer.
The second player to watch out for is Modric’s midfield partner; Ivan Rakitic. The Barcelona man has been integral to the Catalan’s success this year, slowly taking more responsibility as Iniesta gradually ages and phases out. Very similar in style to Modric, the interplay between the duo supported by the very talented Matteo Kovacic will be enough to overpower most international midfields.
The final player to watch for Croatia is the man tasked with finishing off the chances created by the midfield. Mario Mandzukic will undoubtedly lead the line for the Croats and certainly has enough top class experience to cope with the pressure. Having success at Wolfsburg, Athletico Madrid, Bayern and now Juventus, the Croatians will be hoping he can be at his prolific best.
With a squad that boasts such a strong midfield and clinical attack, the Croatia team should be looking to qualify relatively easily. They will find their group tough, especially with a relatively weaker defence, but nonetheless getting to the final eight should be an attainable target.
Spain
The current European Champions are looking to restore some pride into international football after crashing out of the World Cup at the hands of the Netherlands. Tiki Taka isn’t what it was, and without the likes of Iniesta and Xavi at their prime they look a much less formidable force than they once were.
But their omissions from the final squad tells a tale of the strength in depth that the Spaniards have, with the likes of Mata, Costa and Torres all playing regularly for top teams yet not getting a call up to the summer tournament. For all the big names left out, they do not look any weaker for it.
One of the key players for the Spaniards this year will be Sergio Ramos. The Real Madrid captain comes off a goal in the Champions League final and dominant performance to occupy an absolutely vital role in the heart of the Spanish defence. They will have wised up since the World Cup, and Ramos is a threat going forward, as his record testifies. He’ll need to keep his temper under wraps though — the Galactico is prone to a card or three.
The next key player for Spain is Manchester City’s David Silva. The attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for Spain under Del Bosque, and whilst he hasn’t been prolific in the Premier League, he certainly has all the credentials to add more silverware to his cabinet this summer. Usually utilised off the wings for Spain, he’ll look to use is vision and passing to churn out assists and create openings for other players to exploit.
The third one to watch is David De Gea. Arguably the best in the world on form, the Manchester United stopper is perhaps the biggest change that could have been made to plug the defensive gaps exploited by the Netherlands in 2014. Casillas seems to have peaked and the European Champions leaked goals, so De Gea starting must be incredibly important should they want to press through the competition.
Czech Republic
The Czechs had to overcome a very tough group to qualify for Euro 2016, edging the Netherlands and fellow group D contenders Turkey to top group A. It was an impressive showing from a team who missed out on the finals of the World Cup, and they’ll be hoping that this tournament will be a bit of change for the previous.
For that to happen, they’ll need their most celebrated player ever, Petr Cech, to be on absolute top form. The Arsenal man is the talisman of the Czechs, and in a tough group you expect him to be more than a little busy. Cech has been one of the most highly celebrated ‘keepers in Premier League history; the Czechs will be hoping he shows just why this summer.
But it wasn’t the defensive record that pushed Czech Republic through qualifying. They actively outscored opponents, relying on the talented Borek Dockal, their leading scorer in the previous stage who will look to push on in just a week’s time.
The final key player for the Czechs is Tomas Rosicky, another highly celebrated Premier League player. Although his time with Arsenal was ravaged with injuries, the Gunner’s supporters always acknowledged the attacking midfielder for the abundance of talent and ability that he has, and his home nation will be hoping he can find form of old to create and finish chances in the group stages.
The Czechs will need to surprise a lot of people if they want to qualify, and it’s certainly a tough ask. But with these three players forming a core spine of their team, they will provide the impetus required if such a challenge is to be met.
Turkey
In a similar position to Czech Republic are Turkey, who certainly have the ability to prove a lot of people wrong and cause an upset this summer. Led by Fatih Terim once again, this year’s squad features several of the players who were involved in their run to the semi finals in 2008, and their experience will be absolutely vital.
Perhaps the most important of these is Arda Turan. Turkey’s most talented player, the Barcelona man hasn’t enjoyed the most successful season at the Nou Camp, often waiting behind the deadly trio up front who have dominated the league for the Catalan side this year. But Turan will be looking to tap into the form that earned him the move in the first place, the form that made him one of Atletico Madrid’s most feared and dangerous attacking threats.
Just behind him will be Dortmund’s Nuri Sahin, who is another player looking to pick up some form of a few years ago. Calm and collected on the ball, Sahin will look to stifle opponents attacks before acting as the player to move and conduct Turkish attacks.
Incredibly important to Turkey’s style of play is Semih Kaya, whose ability in defence has been important in shutting teams down and allowing the Turks to use their counter-attacking pace. He will be just as if not more integral this summer, as the opponent’s quality increases and the strikers he will be tasked with marking are of a truly top class. Whether he and the defence he leads will be able to adapt will be a critical question in Turkey’s success this year.
Group D should play out relatively simply, with Spain and Croatia the most likely to qualify in that order. But a surprise is not out of the question, with the Croatians possessing the talent to the group and both the Czech Republic and Turkey able to push for a third place qualifying spot. We therefore expect the final table to look like this:
- Spain 2. Croatia 3. Turkey 4. Czech Republic
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