European Football Championship 2008: How to win the Euros
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| Euro 2008: Greece's defence proved crucial in 2004 |
Winning the European Championships requires a combination of luck, skill, fitness and confidence, but if teams follow the CPI eight-point plan, they won’t go far wrong!
Defend for your lives
Otto Rehhagel’s Greek side shipped just three goals en route to success in 2004. A glance at the CPI rankings shows France, Czech Republic, and Holland with the best defensive records in qualifying (all three conceded five goals), and a similar record in June could be pivotal.
Set a trap
In qualifying, David Villa strayed offside 10 times for Spain, while Germany’s Miroslav Klose was guilty on nine occasions. Romania’s 36 offsides (the highest of any qualified team) saw Adrian Mutu and Ciprian Marica caught 16 times between them, while Italy transgressed 35 times.
Capitalise on corners
Set pieces could be crucial in tight games, with Portugal (110), Spain (103) and Germany (87) winning (and scoring from) the most corners en route to Euro 2008.
Avoid the Golden Boot
Of the last four European Championship winners, none have included the Golden Boot winner – which should ring alarm bells for those whose strikers top the Index. Italy, Germany and France boast six players in the top 20 between them, but German Miroslav Klose aside, David Villa, Fernando Torres and Cristiano Ronaldo are the bookies’ favourites for the title.
Focus on quality not quantity!
The more you have the ball, the more chance you have of scoring, right? Wrong! In the qualifying groups, of the top six teams in terms of possession, only two – France and Portugal – made it through. Similarly, in Germany’s last two friendlies, Castrol’s match-tracker system recorded long spells of possession for their opponents, but it was Joachim Löw’s side who ran out convincing winners. And the same rule applies to shots: Portugal (101) and Netherlands (93) boasted the most, but also missed more than most.
Find some fresh legs
Twelve of the last 21 knockout games in the last three Euros have gone to extra-time – with seven of the 15 goals scored coming late. And the likes of Ronaldo, Michael Ballack and Konstantin Zyryanov, all involved in the season right through to the Champions League and UEFA Cup finals, could soon be running on empty.
Practise penalties
Seven of the last 21 knockout matches have been decided by shootouts. The Netherlands have the worst record, losing two out of three, giving coach Marco van Basten ample food for thought…
Bag a brace
Score twice in the final and chances are you’ll lift the trophy: that’s been good enough for 10 of the tournament’s 13 winners. Meanwhile, in qualifying, Italy and Romania headed the ‘two goals equals a win’ list with seven and five respectively.
For more news on the European Football Championship 2008 please visit www.castrolindex.com
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