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Who's in, who's out at Euros?
The weeks leading up to a major tournament are crucial. Players on the bubble are hoping to impress as domestic seasons finish, while locks for the tournament similarly want momentum -- and to avoid injury.
As Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine draws ever closer and provisional squads begin to be released, we look at which players (and coaches) are hot -- and which are not.
Stock Falling
Bacary Sagna, France
Already without Barcelona’s Eric Abidal, French manager Laurent Blanc lost his starting right back in Arsenal’s Bacary Sagna. Sagna broke his leg in Arsenal’s 3-3 draw with Norwich on Saturday, the same leg he broke against Tottenham in October. Sagna accused Norwich midfielder Bradley Johnson of deliberately injuring him, which seems harsh in retrospect.
Potential replacements include Lille’s Mathieu Debuchy and Lyon’s versatile veteran Anthony Reveillere. Another Frenchman at Arsenal, enigmatic midfielder Abou Diaby, was ruled out of the Euros by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Diaby’s latest health concerns involve his calf.
Laurent Blanc, France
The phenomenon of managers leaving national teams after big tournaments is nothing new: Contracts aren’t renewed, results are poor, managers simply choose to walk away or federations seek to go in another direction.
When Blanc -- who has settled Les Bleus after replacing the bumbling Raymond Domenech -- told French TV it was “possible” he could leave the national team when his contract expires in the summer if a big club came calling -- even showing a mild interest in Chelsea at one point -- was he trying to increase his value within the FFT? Regardless, it’s not the type of statement you want your manager to be making leading into a European Championships or World Cup. How committed is Blanc?
Carles Puyol, Spain
The defending World Cup and European champions will have a difficult time making it three major victories in a row. Fatigue is sure to be a factor among Barcelona and Real Madrid internationals, and now, inspirational defender Carles Puyol -- on 99 caps -- looks set to sit out the tournament due to a knee injury. Puyol will undergo arthroscopic surgery after feeling discomfort in his right knee. Who will step up in his absence?
Wojciech Szczesny, Poland
Wojciech Szczesny is rightfully considered one of the best young keepers in world football. A problem area last season, Arsenal’s goalkeeping woes are over thanks to Szczesny’s emergence. However, the 22-year-old committed a howler against Norwich when he allowed Wes Hoolahan’s tame effort to get past him. Szczesny’s indecisiveness also contributed to Norwich’s third goal.
Ukraine keepers
Szczesny’s blip is temporary. But Ukraine, the other host nation, has a goalkeeping crisis. First choice Oleksandr Rybka is serving a two-year doping suspension, and both Andriy Dykan and veteran Oleksandr Shovkovskiy are injured. They weren’t included in Ukraine’s provisional 26-man squad this week.
Andy Carroll's recent form, including a nearly game-changing performance in the FA Cup final, has put him firmly in contention for an England spot heading into Euro 2012.© Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Stock Rising
Andy Carroll, England
With places available up front for England, Andy Carroll picked the right time to have one of his finest games of the season. That he did it in the FA Cup final further increased his chances of booking a ticket to Poland/Ukraine. Carroll revived an anaemic Liverpool at Wembley, scoring a brilliant goal against Chelsea and being deprived of another by Czech international Petr Cech, who made one of the best saves in FA Cup final history. Carroll backed up his performance with a strong outing in Liverpool’s 4-1 league win over Chelsea on Tuesday.
Raul, Spain
Is Raul on the brink of earning a surprise recall to Spain? Spain manager Vicente del Bosque isn’t counting him out. Raul scored 15 league goals with Schalke, and del Bosque may need to think outside the box with David Villa not yet fit and Fernando Torres’ form still patchy. He does, of course, have options with the likes of Fernando Llorente and Roberto Soldado, though having an old head around would help, especially if fellow 34-year-old Puyol is ruled out.
Antonio Cassano, Italy
Giuseppe Rossi’s omission is a blow for Italy, but things are looking better for manager Cesare Prandelli with the return of Antonio Cassano. In his first start after heart surgery, Cassano scored and added two assists in AC Milan’s 4-1 win over Siena on April 29. Also delighting Prandelli? Sebastian Giovinco’s stunning long range volley in Parma’s 2-0 victory against Siena last weekend. How can he be overlooked?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden
Ibrahimovic, the thinking goes, doesn’t produce when it counts, be it in the Champions League, internationally or in vital domestic games. But there was no faulting Ibra in Milan’s 4-2 loss to Inter that ended the Rossoneri’s title hopes. He made up for an early miss by scoring both Milan goals.
Robert Lewandowski, Poland
Lewandowski, Poland’s talisman, enters the European Championships in stellar form after netting 22 goals for German champion Borussia Dortmund. Lewandowski and fellow Polish international Jakub Blaszczykowski scored two goals each as Dortmund thrashed Freiburg 4-0 last weekend to become the first Bundesliga outfit to amass more than 80 points in a campaign.
Dutch forwards
There’s no stopping those Dutch attackers.
Arsenal’s Robin van Persie, in what arguably could have been his Emirates farewell, scored two goals against Norwich to lift his league tally to 30. In Germany, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar ended the season as the Bundesliga’s top scorer with 29 goals, finding the back of the net twice more in Schalke’s 3-2 win over Werder Bremen on Saturday. He became the first Dutchman to head the scoring charts in the Bundesliga.
In more uplifting news for the Netherlands, winger Arjen Robben ended speculation about his future by inking a two-year contract extension with Bayern Munich. He’ll be settled, then, at the Euros.
The weeks leading up to a major tournament are crucial. Players on the bubble are hoping to impress as domestic seasons finish, while locks for the tournament similarly want momentum -- and to avoid injury.
As Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine draws ever closer and provisional squads begin to be released, we look at which players (and coaches) are hot -- and which are not.
Stock Falling
Bacary Sagna, France
Already without Barcelona’s Eric Abidal, French manager Laurent Blanc lost his starting right back in Arsenal’s Bacary Sagna. Sagna broke his leg in Arsenal’s 3-3 draw with Norwich on Saturday, the same leg he broke against Tottenham in October. Sagna accused Norwich midfielder Bradley Johnson of deliberately injuring him, which seems harsh in retrospect.
Potential replacements include Lille’s Mathieu Debuchy and Lyon’s versatile veteran Anthony Reveillere. Another Frenchman at Arsenal, enigmatic midfielder Abou Diaby, was ruled out of the Euros by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. Diaby’s latest health concerns involve his calf.
Laurent Blanc, France
The phenomenon of managers leaving national teams after big tournaments is nothing new: Contracts aren’t renewed, results are poor, managers simply choose to walk away or federations seek to go in another direction.
When Blanc -- who has settled Les Bleus after replacing the bumbling Raymond Domenech -- told French TV it was “possible” he could leave the national team when his contract expires in the summer if a big club came calling -- even showing a mild interest in Chelsea at one point -- was he trying to increase his value within the FFT? Regardless, it’s not the type of statement you want your manager to be making leading into a European Championships or World Cup. How committed is Blanc?
Carles Puyol, Spain
The defending World Cup and European champions will have a difficult time making it three major victories in a row. Fatigue is sure to be a factor among Barcelona and Real Madrid internationals, and now, inspirational defender Carles Puyol -- on 99 caps -- looks set to sit out the tournament due to a knee injury. Puyol will undergo arthroscopic surgery after feeling discomfort in his right knee. Who will step up in his absence?
Wojciech Szczesny, Poland
Wojciech Szczesny is rightfully considered one of the best young keepers in world football. A problem area last season, Arsenal’s goalkeeping woes are over thanks to Szczesny’s emergence. However, the 22-year-old committed a howler against Norwich when he allowed Wes Hoolahan’s tame effort to get past him. Szczesny’s indecisiveness also contributed to Norwich’s third goal.
Ukraine keepers
Szczesny’s blip is temporary. But Ukraine, the other host nation, has a goalkeeping crisis. First choice Oleksandr Rybka is serving a two-year doping suspension, and both Andriy Dykan and veteran Oleksandr Shovkovskiy are injured. They weren’t included in Ukraine’s provisional 26-man squad this week.
Andy Carroll's recent form, including a nearly game-changing performance in the FA Cup final, has put him firmly in contention for an England spot heading into Euro 2012.© Alex Livesey/Getty Images Stock Rising
Andy Carroll, England
With places available up front for England, Andy Carroll picked the right time to have one of his finest games of the season. That he did it in the FA Cup final further increased his chances of booking a ticket to Poland/Ukraine. Carroll revived an anaemic Liverpool at Wembley, scoring a brilliant goal against Chelsea and being deprived of another by Czech international Petr Cech, who made one of the best saves in FA Cup final history. Carroll backed up his performance with a strong outing in Liverpool’s 4-1 league win over Chelsea on Tuesday.
Raul, Spain
Is Raul on the brink of earning a surprise recall to Spain? Spain manager Vicente del Bosque isn’t counting him out. Raul scored 15 league goals with Schalke, and del Bosque may need to think outside the box with David Villa not yet fit and Fernando Torres’ form still patchy. He does, of course, have options with the likes of Fernando Llorente and Roberto Soldado, though having an old head around would help, especially if fellow 34-year-old Puyol is ruled out.
Antonio Cassano, Italy
Giuseppe Rossi’s omission is a blow for Italy, but things are looking better for manager Cesare Prandelli with the return of Antonio Cassano. In his first start after heart surgery, Cassano scored and added two assists in AC Milan’s 4-1 win over Siena on April 29. Also delighting Prandelli? Sebastian Giovinco’s stunning long range volley in Parma’s 2-0 victory against Siena last weekend. How can he be overlooked?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden
Ibrahimovic, the thinking goes, doesn’t produce when it counts, be it in the Champions League, internationally or in vital domestic games. But there was no faulting Ibra in Milan’s 4-2 loss to Inter that ended the Rossoneri’s title hopes. He made up for an early miss by scoring both Milan goals.
Robert Lewandowski, Poland
Lewandowski, Poland’s talisman, enters the European Championships in stellar form after netting 22 goals for German champion Borussia Dortmund. Lewandowski and fellow Polish international Jakub Blaszczykowski scored two goals each as Dortmund thrashed Freiburg 4-0 last weekend to become the first Bundesliga outfit to amass more than 80 points in a campaign.
Dutch forwards
There’s no stopping those Dutch attackers.
Arsenal’s Robin van Persie, in what arguably could have been his Emirates farewell, scored two goals against Norwich to lift his league tally to 30. In Germany, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar ended the season as the Bundesliga’s top scorer with 29 goals, finding the back of the net twice more in Schalke’s 3-2 win over Werder Bremen on Saturday. He became the first Dutchman to head the scoring charts in the Bundesliga.
In more uplifting news for the Netherlands, winger Arjen Robben ended speculation about his future by inking a two-year contract extension with Bayern Munich. He’ll be settled, then, at the Euros.