5 teams that could cause a surprise at Euro 2016
With just 2 more days to go for Euro 2016 to kick off, bookies have marked their favourites for the tournament. The likes of Germany and Spain always enter a tournament as hot-favourites and it is no different this time either.
However, France, England and Belgium are also going with some superb players under their banner and it won’t be a matter of surprise if any of these teams went on to lift the trophy by the end of the tournament.
But this is football—and it is full of surprises. Just a little over a decade ago, Greece surprised everyone with their triumphant 2004 European Championship campaign. Who’s to say something similar won’t happen this time? After all, this has been a year of surprises with Leicester City winning a topsy-turvy Premier League campaign.
All the teams have prepared in earnest for the tournament. The most interesting aspect of major tournaments for fans, apart from their team’s performance itself, is to wear the national colours and show their support.
Some jerseys like the Republic of Ireland’s beautiful green, designed by Umbro for Euro 2016, contain some very intriguing features, such as the shiny diagonal stripe, which adds a dash of glamour to the classic green colour. There are also flashes of white and orange on the collar and side panels, which act as an homage to jerseys of the past.
The sheer number of teams and unpredictability makes this a tournament that could flabbergast people. And here are 5 teams most capable of causing an upset at the tournament:
Republic of Ireland
This name might surprise many at the outset, but a deeper look at their team would suggest that they are not your regular pushovers like it has been touted.
With some really good players, coupled with great team spirit and experience—the Republic of Ireland are perfectly capable of causing an upset at the Euros.
Another important feature on show at the European Championships will be the varied range of football shoes on display, with Richard Keogh wearing Umbro’s Medusae 4th Colourway, one of the most attractive and innovative boots that’ll be in use at the tournament.
While this is not to claim that they could go all the way, they could certainly shock many with their performances. The trio of Shane Long, Jonathan Walters and Jeff Hendrick have caused plenty of problems for defenses during the qualification campaign and they will be a handful for opposition defenses.
Jeff Hendrick is somewhat of an unknown quantity, but the Germans will know of his talent after his very strong display against them as a substitute player. James McCarthy is an admirable protector of the backline while possessing the ability to make valuable contribution to the attack—something he doesn’t do very often, but is good at when he does venture forward.
Both the full-backs, Seamus Coleman and Robbie Brady are very good going forward, and will have a key role to play providing the team with some much needed pace and crossing down the flanks.
Overall, with a sturdy midfield and fluent attack, Martin O’Neill’s men could do a fine job in the tournament.