Denmark:
Top Players: Simon Kjaer (AS Roma; Defender): The young defender is the most talented of the Denmark backline. A regular starter, Kjaer will will stability to a decent defense. His good play however may not be enough in the Euro Cup ‘death group’.
Christian Eriksen (Ajax; Midfield): Still young at 20, Eriksen may be not only the best young player and future of Denmark, but he may as well be the team’s most prolific player. He is a complete midfielder with good touch, scoring ability, and good marking.
Style of Play: Denmark plays a balanced football, with a strong defense but an irregular offense.
Projected Standings: 4th place; 1 pts. (Tie-Germany; Loss-Holland; Loss-Portugal)
Notes: Although they have a fair squad, they are in the strongest and hardest group of the tournament and their lack of a stronger midfield and offense will not be enough and they will end in fourth place.
Germany:
Top Players: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich; Goalie): A team’s strenght always begins from the bottom; Neuer provides just that. Possibly the world greatest keeper, Neuer will provide calmness and quality at the backline.
Mesut Özil (Real Madrid; Midfield): This talented attacking-midfielder will add soccer intelligence to an already talented German offense. Özil will create attacking ideas with the likes of Thomas Muller, Mario Gotze, and Mario Gomez among others.
Style of Play: Young and talented players who are strong, rapid, precise, and technical. Defense is their weakest place, but do not see this as an obstacle.
Projected Standings: 2nd place; 5 pts. (Tie-Denmark; Tie-Holland; Win-Portugal)
Notes: Germany is one of the favorites to win the cup. They were a young and successful squad in South Africa 2010, and today they are still young but they have played longer together. See them tied with Holland for group lead but a miniscule goal difference will put them at 2nd place.
Holland:
Top Players: Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich; Forward): He is an experienced star who is still playing at the highest level of his career. Robben is a forward who regularly plays as an offensive winger and he will use his divine playmaking abilities to create dangerous plays with midfielder Wesley Sneijder and striker Robin van Persie.
Robin van Persie (Arsenal; Striker): Before the 2011-2012 Premier League began, all knew what van Persie was capable of but only a few believed he would exceed in his scoring abilities. The striker with a deadly left-foot is one of the best forwards in the cup and see him be the top scorer of Group B.
Style of Play: Holland is very strong in all of its lines. They have an amazing midfield that varies from technical to playmaking. See this team to focus its play on the wings with Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder.
Projected Standings: 1st place; 5 pts. (Win-Denmark; Tie-Germany; Tie-Portugal)
Notes: Along with Germany, Holland is one of the favorites to win the Euro Cup. They are a team that has played with the same base of players for several years and they are strong in every sector of the field. Their quick and talented midfield is their strongest line, therefore see them take a close first place.
Portugal:
Top Players: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid; Forward): CR7 may be the player of the year with his numerous amounts of goals this season with Real Madrid. He is talented in all aspects of the offensive play, and he is a player that not only scored, but also creates plays for his teammates.
Nani (Manchester United; Winger/Forward): The agile winger is a player that will create the scoring opportunities that CR7 did not. He is very rapid, and his splendid playmaking and crossing abilities will lead to many Portugal goals this June.
Style of Play: With players like Ronaldo, Nani, and Raul Meireles, this team is the most explosive in Group B. They play quick football, but also have players that are too individualistic.
Projected Standings: 3rd place; 4 pts. (Win-Denmark; Loss-Germany; Tie-Holland)
Notes: Portugal is a very talented team where if they had been in any other group they would have qualified with no problem. However, they will face more balanced squads like Holland and Germany leaving them in a close third place. Portugal’s problem will be too much dependency under Ronaldo and a weaker defense than Holland and Germany.
