Thursday, June 9, 2016

Euro 2016 - France in a sweet spot

Here we go, Euro 2016 is here! This is a wide-open affair with several teams particularly aspiring to the trophy. But if we are to be cynical, we could look at things through different angles; England are fancied again but will flop as usual, probably in a penalty shoot-out yet again! France will probably win because they've won the last 2 times they hosted a big tournament (Euro 1984, WC 1998). But as others would say, everyone plays football, and in the end it's the Germans who win. Add to the mix the uber-talented Belgians and the complex Spaniards, this tournament promises to be well worth the look.

France has seemingly inherited an easy group with the likes of Romania, Switzerland and Albania. The French have flattered to deceive and disappoint in recent Euros and World Cups amidst so-called easy groups as well, but this squad looks an entirely different matter. For one, it is very talented with the likes of Griezman, Pogba, Payet and Martial to name a few. They are a strong and well-guided team under coach Deschamps. They will pass the group stage for sure. The first match against the Romanians will give a clue as to the health and potential of this team and I think they will pass it with flying colors.

Romania will battle Switzerland for second place. The Romanians are not in particularly great form having only won 2 of their last 6 matches. They have a poor historical record against the French and it's hard to see them causing an upset in the first match. Although they are a coherent team, they certainly miss a great playmakter a la Hagi to make a difference at this level.

The hosts should comfortably take this first match and get the cobwebs off.

Win: France


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