Can We Win It? Yes We Can!

Why not? I don’t know about you, but I am delighted with that draw for England at the Euros. I admit, it’s not the perfect draw, but it could have been a hell of a lot worse. Okay, I suppose we shouldn’t get too excited about our chances just yet – the tournament doesn’t start ‘til June. But at least we can look forward to some very winnable-looking ties in our group, not to mention a few in others.

The perfect group, of course, would be Group A. Even though Poland are hosts, there’s no way that they’ll be able to challenge the European heavyweights of Spain, Germany, Holland etc.. I wouldn’t be surprised to see their home advantage getting them to the quarters, though, especially with Wojciech Szczesny is goal. Poland will face my second team, Greece, in the opening match. At least the omens are good for Greece – remember what happened last time they played the opening match? You never know…

Don't bet on this happening again...

When it came to the last pot – England’s pot – and there was a space in a group of Poland, Greece and the Czech Republic, my fingers were crossing beyond levels thought possible. It was the ideal group to be in. Surely a very smooth passage to the quarter-finals. Obviously, that would not be enough, especially since England have discovered a knack for stumbling past seemingly easy groups. It would still be however, our best chances of qualification. But who would have that lucky spot? The Russians. Of course it was. Exactly a year to the day they bought their way to a World Cup (which I am still infuriated about), they get the easiest group of the tournament by a country mile. Is that not even a little suspicious? I wonder…

Not to worry though. We have dodged away from Group B and won’t have to face any of those teams until and only if we make the semis - which means we can enjoy the mouth-watering games from that group with full confidence. Germany-Holland should be the match of the tournament – how many world-class players would be on the pitch? Özil, Götze, Gomez, Sneijder, Huntelaar and Robin Van Persie himself. And Mertesacker.

I, personally, wouldn’t have minded us being in Group C. I was thinking ahead and hoping for an easier quarter final whether we had beaten Spain or not. The other two games, Ireland and Croatia, shouldn’t have been too much of a problem. Also, I would’ve fancied our chances against anyone from Group D (and Italy). Sweden, France and Italy are not as glamorous as they once were and haven’t been as successful at major tournaments recently, though I can’t say the same for us.

You have to feel a little sorry for our friends, the Irish. Waiting 10 years only to be put up against the world’s best in Spain seems very harsh. It’s quite hard to see them winning any of those games. They might provide a stern test for Croatia and fancy chances against the other two on the back of that ultra-defensive performance against Russia that helped get them there in the first place. But with all that said, it wouldn’t be enough on its own. They’ll finish 3rd at best. Good luck to them, though.

With England in Group D, we have every right to be positive about our chances in Ukraine and Poland. There’s no reason why we can’t win every game and that’s with or without Rooney. Let’s hope the French have a mutiny again and who knows, maybe some Swedes will choke on their meatballs. I could make a joke about chicken Kiev, but I’m not going to bother. As long as Ukraine fans don’t throw flares at us like they did last time, we shouldn’t have too many problems. To sum it all up, I’m feeling really good about our chances. Bring it on!

I’ve taken the time to predict every game at the Championships (I have way too much spare time). I reckon Germany have too much class and they will get better and better. Spain have shown that they can be beaten, but maybe they only really perform on the big stage. England should go further than usual, as long as players keep fit and Rooney has the surprise factor. I’ll look back at this come June and see how many predictions come true. This won’t be how I want it turn out, obviously, but here goes. Come On England!

Group A:
Poland 1-1 Greece           Poland 0-2 Russia             Greece 1-4 Russia
Russia 2-0 Czech Rep      Greece 0-1 Czech Rep    Czech Rep 2-1 Poland

Group B:
Holland 3-0 Denmark      Holland 2-3 Germany     Portugal 1-1 Holland
Germany 2-0 Portugal    Denmark 1-3 Portugal    Denmark 0-3 Germany

Group C:
Spain 3-1 Italy                    Spain 2-0 Ireland              Croatia 0-2 Spain
Ireland 1-0 Croatia              Italy 0-0 Croatia               Italy 1-0 Ireland

Group D:
Ukraine 2-1 Sweden       Sweden 1-1 England       Sweden 0-0 France
France 0-1 England          Ukraine 1-2 France        England 2-0 Ukraine

Quarter Finals:
Russia 1-3 Holland                            Spain 2-0 France
Germany 4-0 Czech Rep                   England 1-0 Italy

Semi Finals:
Holland 1-2 Spain (AET)                 Germany 2-2 England (Germany win on pens, again)

Final:
Spain 1-2 Germany (AET)