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North face tough task to progress

Updated / Monday, 18 Jul 2016 16:04

NORTHERN IRELAND

Michael O’Neill’s gutsy charges navigated the choppy waters of qualification to stride into their first finals since the 1986 World Cup as group winners.

Their reward was this: a daunting Group C alongside the world champions, an accomplished Poland with realistic expectations of making the quarter-finals, and Ukraine, a country they’ve yet to defeat in four meetings.

Not easy. But then that’s how Northern Ireland seem to like it.

Over the last decade they’ve humbled some of the biggest names in European football with more frequency than their southern cousins. England (2005), Spain (2006), Poland (2010) and Russia (2014) have been stung in Belfast, with creditable draws away to the likes of Portugal.

Given that their manager led Shamrock Rovers into the group stages of the Europa League on a shoestring budget in 2011, this is a group schooled in the ways of the underdog. 

Northern Ireland had the second lowest amount of possession and the highest number of scoring chances. They know how to live without the ball, and will absolutely maximise any set-piece opportunities that come their way. There’s a ferocious work ethic, commitment and belief in O’Neill’s group.

At the back Jonny Evans (West Brom), Craig Cathcart (Watford) and Gareth MacAuley (West Brom) provide a vein of steely Premier League nous.

The absence of West Brom midfielder Chris Brunt deprives them of an experienced, battle-hardened campaigner in the middle of the park but talismanic captain Steven Davis will be a crucial focal point, alongside Manchester United’s Paddy McNair.

Captain Davis is the crucial cog in the engine. A key component of Ronald Koeman’s Southampton, he’ll drive his side forward from the heart of midfield this summer and if they are to pull off a miracle and emerge from this group, Davis will have to be at the top of his game.

Up top the uncompromising, 6’3” frame of Kyle Lafferty shoulders the goalscoring burden.

The Birmingham City man struck seven times in nine qualification appearances and has the capacity to unsettle defences at any level. He’s big, strong and physical with a hammer of a right foot and decent feet.

"I'm not expecting to be in the tournament on 10 July (the date of the final), but equally, I'm hoping I'm not going home on 23 June (the day after the group stage ends),” O’Neill has said. “We're the type of country no one wants to play."

Few outside the camp will expect them to finish anywhere but bottom of this group. It’s a status they’ll absolutely relish.

Manager: Michael O’Neill

Key player: Steven Davis

Born and raised - like his manager - in Ballymena, the 31-year-old is the quiet heartbeat of this Northern Ireland team. Composed on the ball, honest in the tackle, the North will rely on the former Villa, Rangers and Fulham man to make whatever possession they get count - especially against Ukraine, probably the most winnable of their three group clashes.

Fixtures 
12 June Poland v Northern Irelanmd, Stade de Nice, Nice, 5pm
16 June Ukraine v Northern Ireland, Stade de Lyon, Lyon, 5pm
21 June v Germany, Parc des Princes, Paris, 5pm

POLAND

Ireland weren’t the only country to see their Euro 2012 fizzle out in a big, fat anti-climax. The co-hosts failed to make feverish home support count as they finished bottom of Group A, a 1-0 loss to the Czech Republic slamming the final nail into their coffin.

They’ve played six games at European Championships and have yet to taste victory, but their optimism this time around is far from misplaced.

This a very potent Polish outfit. In the fallout from the Euros and the 2013 appointment of coach Adam Nawalka, they restructured their system to tailor the needs of the outstanding Robert Lewandowski.

Sevilla’s Grzegorz Krychowiak  - whose outstretched left arm had Liverpool fans screaming for a penalty in May’s Europa League victory final  - anchors the middle, gobbling up loose ball and feeding pacy wingers Jakub Blaszczykpwski and Kamil Grosicki.

This is a homecoming of sorts for ex-Bordeaux, Reims and Nantes terrier Krychowiak. Sevilla tied him down until 2019 last November and slapped a £32.2m release clause on his head with the likes of Arsneal and Manchester City casting envious glances towards Spain.

He allows this team to play with a tireless work ethic, excellent reading of the game and ability to break up opposition attacks.  

Ahead of him Arkadiusz Milik floats between the lines, providing an intelligent link to Lewandowski and chipping in with goals himself – he notched six in qualifying.

They beat the Germans 2-0 en route to France - a first victory in 19 meetings that was richly deserved - and they could have topped the group had they held their nerve in Scotland, escaping with a draw only thanks to a last-gasp Lewandowsi goal.

They booked their spot with a 2-1 dismissal of the Republic of Ireland in Warsaw, proving they can hold their nerve when the chips are down with an energy-filled and robust performance.   

No country bettered their 33 goals in qualifying, although occasional shakiness at the back undermines their attacking prowess.

They have good players and a well-worn system that plays to their strengths, but it’s Lewandowski who elevates them above a lot of countries at these finals and makes them dangerous opponents for anyone.

Manager: Adam Nawalka

Key player: Robert Lewandowski

13 goals in qualifying – including a wonderful header against Ireland in Warsaw – speaks for itself.

Lewandowski is an outstanding one-touch finisher, and the type of player who could be anonymous for 90% of the game and still score a hat-trick. A match-winner and his team’s spiritual leader.  

Fixtures
12 June Poland v Northern Ireland, Stade de Nice, Nice, 5pm
16 June Germany v Poland, Stade de France, Saint-Denis, 8pm
21 June Ukraine v Poland, Stade Velodrome, Marseille, 5pm

GERMANY

Most countries at this tournament would have wrapped Marco Reus up in cotton wool and thrown him in a cryogenic tank to ensure his arrival in France. 

But the Germans have such an embarrassment of riches that the 27-year-old will be forced to watch a second major tournament in a row from his sofa, after he failed to satisfy the medical team that he had the fitness required to last the full tournament.

And it's the full tournament the Germans have every intention of hanging around for.

"It's a shame because he would have strengthened us," Joachim Loew lamented, although he won't get too much sympathy from his rivals when the likes of Mezut Ozil, Mario Goetze and Julian Draxler stroll off the plane.

When John O’Shea unravelled his right leg to spin home a dramatic injury-time leveller for the Republic of Ireland in Gelsenkirchen, the world champions looked a little vulnerable in Group D qualifying.

Four points from their three games left them with work to do in what was expected to be a procession to France, but they duly rattled off five wins on the bounce to get back on track, their only blemish coming on that famous night in Dublin when they fell to Shane Long’s 70th-minute strike.

The absence of Borussia Dortmund’s powerful midfielder Ilkay Gundogan due to a knee injury is a blow, but Sami Khedira is a capable replacement and the Germans really are a team studded with class.

Joshua Kimmich has blossomed under the watchful eye of Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich and is one to watch, with his laser-like passing and technical excellence. 

At the back Jerome Boateng will marshal a defence that wasn't immune to the odd costly creak in qualification, despite having the inspirational Manuel Neuer between the sticks.

Matts Hummels oozes composure and quality but he's had a patchy campaign Borussia Dortmund, and a torn calf muscle in the German Cup final has disrupted his preparation.

Nonetheless Die Mannschaft have gone close to winning major tournaments with far weaker panels than this vintage.

The majority of this squad ply their trade in the Buindesliga and they've been cultivating an outstanding crop of young talent since the 2010 World Cup, when they lost in the semi-finals to eventual champions Spain. They've developed a brand of winning attractive football together,  

Thomas Mueller, still only 26, was the joint top scorer in South Africa and is arguably only entering his peak now. Conversely Mario Gomez is probably the only out and out striker they have but Spain have proven that doesn't have to be a fatal shortcoming and the likes of Mueller, Goetze and Ozil love picking holes in the final third, with Mueller roaming into pockets of space, often to devastating effect.

Manager: Joachim Loew

Key player: Thomas Mueller

A versatile and clinical attacker, Mueller has already proven his worth on the big stage. An almost telepathic ability to find space makes him an invaluable asset for a team that often encounter opposition quite happy to pack their own half with bodies and will most certainly do so this summer. Mueller can deliver goals when they need them most.

Fixtures

12 June Germany v Ukraine, Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille, 8pm
16 June Germany v Poland, Stade de France, Paris, 8pm
21 June Northern Ireland v Germany, Parc des Princes, Paris, 5pm

UKRAINE

Ukraine have history on the big stage. Although they flopped as co-hosts four years ago, they were one of the stories of the 2006 World Cup when, with former Dynamo Kyiv and USSR legend Oleg Blokh in the hot seat and Andriy Schevchenko leading the line, they swept to the quarter-finals, falling to an Italian side on their way to lifting the trophy.

Defeats to France and England denied them progression from Group D four years ago after an opening victory against the Swedes had injected the nation with so much optimism. 

They start against the Germans this time around but subsequent clashes with the North and Poland will determine Ukraine's fate. 

They've made it to France via the play-offs - a comfortable 3-1 aggregate dismissal of Slovenia - after finishing third in Group C behind Spain and Slovakia. 

After previous five play-off defeats that was a serious weight off their shoulders and they have enough in their armour to progress.

Shaktar Donetsk's Taras Stepanenko and Andriy Yarmolenko of Dynamo Kiev got a little hot and heavy in a club game, their clash prompting the former to tell the nation he was no longer friends with the flying winger (they both later shook hands to resolve the issue), but this is a settled panel with plenty of experience.

There'll be huge focus on their two silver-heeled wingers, Yarmolenko and Sevilla's Yehven Konoplankya. They both possess explosive pace and only ever seem to look forward.

They're capable of leaving full-backs seeing stars on their day but they need the right supply and are far from unknown quantities. They can expect special attention in France.

Up front Yevhen Seleznyov is a ball of energy, a strong, mobile frontman who occupies defences through the middle while the two wide men look for holes to pierce on the flanks.

Formenko has handed teenager Oleksandr Zinchenko a plane ticket after he became the youngest player to score for his country against Romania at the age of 19 years and 165 days - a record he snatched from Shevchenko. 

Sevilla winger Yevhen Konoplyanka has already proven his talent at the top level after eight years with Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and, on his day, his pace and dribbling can get the better of any defence.

The 26-year-old's polished technique and long-range shooting make him one to watch in France.

Manager: Mykhailo Fomenko

Key player: Andriy Yarmolenko

A bag of tricks with the confidence and quality to both create and score goals.

He's tall and quick, with his capacity to drop the shoulder onto his left foot always leaving defenders guessing.

He's usurped Konoplyanka as his country's chief threat and an exhibition of his undoubted qualities at the Eurso could earn him the monster summer move that's been on the cards for a while now. 

Fixtures
12 June Germany v Ukraine, Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille, 8pm
16 June Ukraine v Northern Ireland, Stade Velodrome, Marseille, 5pm
21 June Ukraine v Poland, Stade Velodrome, Marseille, 5pm

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Anthony Pyne