Lakenheath Old Boys

We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!

Wednesday, June 09, 2021

Euro 2021/1 Preview - Group E


I’m now on Day 5 of my Euro 2020/1 previews this week - it’s time for Group E, which features another tournament favorite Spain, along with Sweden, Poland and Slovakia. 

* Prospects: At this point, the tiki taka style is so engrained in Spanish football that it’s less a team and more an idea. The golden generation of Spanish football may have passed but the philosophy remains. Does it matter that Spain doesn’t have a reliable striker? It does not. Poland are Spain's main competition in the group, having finished top of their qualifying group. The Poles are a fairly ordinary side elevated by the presence of one of the world’s great strikers in Robert Lewandowski. If Lewandoski's recent injury problems resurface, the team to benefit will likely be Sweden, who placed second to Spain in their qualifying group. Janne Andersson’s side is experienced but somewhat dull, with the likes of Manchester United’s Victor Lindelof anchoring the defense, the aging journeyman Sebby Larsson skippering the side and the veteran striker Marcus Berg leading the line up front. Slovakia qualified for their second Euro tournament by defeating Northern Ireland in the playofffs. 


* One to Watch: Spain’s 21 year-old forward Ferran Torres had a terrific season at Man City; he’s got an outside chance at the Golden Boot if Spain start clicking.


* Most Likely to See Red: Swedish goalkeeper Robin Olsen is prone to rushes of blood to 

   the head, as Everton fans will attest. 


* Most Likely to Attempt a “Panenka:” Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be sorely 

   missed in this department, but Spanish striker Alvaro Morata is likely to pick up the 

   slack.


* Worst haircut in the group: Someone needs to tell Slovakia’s Marek Hamsik that mohawks went out in the 70s. 


* Key Match: Spain v. Poland - Saturday, June 19, 3pm EST, ABC


* Blue Devil’s Crystal Ball Says: Tiki taka lives to see another day…(sigh)…

posted by The Blue Devil @ 8:31 AM 

1 Comments:

Blogger manunitedrules said...

Spain should win a relatively weak group with their mind numbingly boring tiny take footie and look set for a possible rematch vs Russia in the Round of sixteen where they lost on pens in Russia in 2018 at the same stage. I expect them to exact revenge and lose in the quarters. I expect Sweden to finish second in a week group where they will probably lose to the runners up of England's group in the round of sixteen while Poland will probably be one of the best third placed teams. Not a really exciting group

2:13 PM  

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