Group of Death Round 2

December 3rd, 2011 | by: Paulo | Comments(14)

Luck wasn’t on our side now for the second straight major tournament as Portugal has been doomed to the Group of Death once again in Group B alongside Netherlands, Germany, and fucking Denmark, AGAIN. Not to mention the toughest group stage ever in the Euro’s statistically (all teams in the top 11). At first glance, many don’t expect us to advance and you can’t blame them because of Germany’s impeccable form of late, the fact that the Dutch have been number 2 to the Spanish the last four years, and because of Denmark owning us in qualifying two straight times. However, on paper there is no doubt that we match up against both of these heavyweights (well kinda), and outclass Denmark.

I saw we were with the Dutch and honestly I was just happy we didn’t get Spain, but the one team I REALLY wanted to stay away from was Germany. You just go down the list of players they have and I have to say that they are the deepest, most talented and one of the best coached sides I’ve seen in a long time. Schweinsteiger, Muller, Ozil, Gomez, Boateng, it just doesn’t end! They can’t be that happy with the draw either, but the fact that they dominated Netherlands 3-0 in a recent friendly and have had our number in recent tournaments shows that they are still very confident. Germany truly plays as a team, and what scares me the most is that we have to play them first. I’m not saying there is no chance of us getting a draw or even a win, but there is a better chance of us getting off on the wrong foot and maybe losing 2 or 3-0. However, if we prove ourselves and even scrape out a 0-0 draw (which we are known to do), our confidence can go through the roof and propel us to a strong tournament.

The Dutch are undoubtedly a strong team. Van Persie might be the best striker in the world right now, Sneijder is world class, but Kuyt and Robben aren’t getting any younger, and they have been scrambling around with their defensive pairings as of late. They lost to Germany 3-0, lost to Sweden 3-2, and conceded 3 to Hungary as well. They can be beaten, and I think if we play up tempo, pressure, counter attack styled football, then we do indeed have the recipe to beat them. I really do think that each team will need to go for the win in this last group game, and it will just be an amazing one to watch. We have to be in top form to compete with them though, there is absolutely no margin for error against a powerhouse like Netherlands.

And for the forgotten Denmark. Boy, they have to be pissed off! We know for a fact that they are no pushover and they will be very hard to beat, but in round 3, our guys have to want revenge. Two qualifying stages in a row and they got the best of us, now we can kick them out of the Euro’s group stage? Yes, please! Their confidence level is sky high right now however, and they know that they can beat us. Just remember in that most recent game that everyone loves to point their finger at, we didn’t have Pepe or Coentrao at the back. And when those two have been in the lineup we are undefeated in this campaign. Just remember.

Now Bento must establish a firm starting 11 and build some team unity over the next few friendlies. Hopefully our guys can stay healthy throughout the rest of the season. As tough as the group is, every sing game is a must watch, and as a football fan you have to be excited! Forca Portugal!!