PAYET’S LATE LATE SHOW SAVES FRANCE’S BLUSHES

With the opening game of the 15^th edition of the 2016 Euro Cup opener between the home team France and Romania headed for a one all draw, French midfielder Dimitri Payet who also plies his trade for EPL London side, West Ham drew the last dagger to settle the contest, much to the chagrin of the combative Romanians.

Momentary lapse by Romania gave Payet a date with destiny

Payet produced a virtuoso performance, playing with purpose and making endless runs throughout like he had an extra set of lungs. His touches, dinks, range of passing, dribbling, an assist and finally, the 20 yard left footed thunderbolt that left the keeper rooted, all added up to a man of the match performance!

Paul who? Step aside Pogba! This was the “late late Payet show”! With Pogba the star player and supposed midfield dynamo seemingly tiring as the game wore, Payet simply shifted gear and continued with his commanding performance bossing the midfield like he owned it!

With the many intelligent passes that got threaded into space by both Payet and Pogba, French Coach Didier Deschamps is best advised to play Anthony Marshall as his main striker instead of the lumbering Olivier Giroud, alongside Antoine Griezmann.

The switch Deschamps needs to consider in the coming matches

Despite Giroud scoring the match opener early in the second half, he struggled to keep up with the pace of the game and couldn’t read the many intelligent passes Pogba and Payet kept lobbing into space. While Griezmann ran tirelessly and was ably reading the passes, his taller compatriot looked clueless. Also, the Romanians resolute defending and tireless pressing seemed to suck the life out Giroud as frustration built up. His goal from a Payet cross from deep reeked of a foul on the Romanian shot stopper, Ciprian Tatarusanu who was complicit to the fact for not punching the ball out and clearing the danger and therefore paid the price for his indecision.

Payet epitomizes raw passion rare in an era of mercenary footballers

With the game set for a one all draw, Payet, in his own words, frustrated by the pressure of the occasion could not see how his nation would settle for an embarrassing draw in front of a raucously partisan capacity crowd. With the Romanians perhaps tiring from all the pressing and soaking up pressure, a momentary lapse in attention gifted Payet.

He pounced on a loose ball, just outside the area then kissing it beautifully with the outside of his left foot with the carving trajectory and velocity of the ball rocketing to the top right corner, beyond a helpless Tatarusanu who had otherwise had a commendable game stopping several gilt edged goal bound shots. 

Easily a goal of the tournament!

Marco Tardelli's tear filled celebration against Germany at Espana '82

If his goal was a masterpiece, his tearful celebration and sheer emotion was a picture of pure passion, grit and determination! This was a man on a date with destiny!

His emotional reaction, football’s version of a "tear jerker", evoked memories of former Italian midfielder Marco Tardelli’s equally tearful and emotional celebration after scoring Italy’s second goal in their 3-1 victory over West Germany at the 1982 World Cup final.

Veteran left back and team Captain Patrice Evra as predicted simply had a game to forget and it came as no surprise when he needlessly planted his knee on an advancing Nicolae Stanciu in the box from an Adrian Popa cross gifting the Romanians a much needed penalty and a chance at redemption, which they were only too glad to take.  

No where to hide, after a terrible game Evra has a big decision to make

Popa was a constant threat and had the best of Evra on several occasions with his speed and trickery a thorn on Frenchman’s side. This deficiency could not have gone unnoticed by home side’s other Group A opponents, particularly Switzerland who will surely deploy their best weapon, Xhedran Shakiri on the right wing where he relishes running at opposing defenders then cuts in towards goal. That should be an interesting contest, a mismatch if any.

EURO 2016 EDITION THE UNDERDOG’S TOURNAMENT

Recent events and the sheer number of non traditional finalists at the 15^th edition of the UEFA Euro Cup 2016, strongly suggests that this will in essence be an “Underdog’s” tournament.

A dejected Oranje on elimination, will have to content with watching matters on TV

For starters, power house and former champions Holland’s elimination at the Euro cup qualifiers sent massive shock-waves, then Claudio Ranieri and Leicester’s seismic miracle shook the world of sports thusrealigned the tectonic plates with their unprecedented and prior unforeseeable English Premier League triumph , while Diego Simeone and Atletico Madrid have practically been repeating and sustaining a David versus Goliath[s] theme and often coming off the better fighting two colossi, every season for the last few, in Spain’s La Liga and also at their two recent UEFA Champions League final appearances. These two have surmounted lofty scales upsetting old precedents while defying humongous financial disparities and disadvantages.

Ranieri and Simeone's recent successes will not have gone unnoticed

All these factors have colluded to give virtually the largest collection of underdogs at any soccer event of global significance, plenty of hope and a sense of “Yes we can”! With Albania and Iceland qualifying for their first international tournament ever, can they upstage the odds along with Switzerland, Romania, Slovenia, Wales, Northern Ireland, Austria or Hungary? Can they pull off an “Obama” and make this truly the year of the underdog?

Germany, who’ve always qualified for all tournaments they set out to reach, hosts France, Spain- the incumbent, former multiple world champions Italy, a vastly talented Belgium and to some extent England, all have to contend with this paradigm shift and each will essentially have to reorient their thinking if not their game in order to cope with this new “threat”.

Le Bleu, home crowd favourites

In Group A, France screams out as clear favourites and parades practically the most portent, most dynamic attack at these finals. Coach Didier Deschamps is simply spoilt for choice and must be gleaming at the sheer prospects of unleashing this beast.

Morgan Scheidelin, Yohan Cabaye, N’golo Kante and Mamadou Sisokho offer several possible midfield combinations from deep. 

Upfront, widemen; Dimitry Payet, Kingsley Coman and Anthony Martial offer portent possibilities while Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann each presents a different proposition with Giroud as the traditional striker due to his size while Griezmann has sheer pace and precision. Paul Pogba is the team's dynamo. This is one team that everyone expects to score plenty of goals.

Defensive frailties are their Achilles heel, with the aging wide pair of team Captain Patrice Evra and Bacary Sagna vulnerable on the counter from pacy opposing forwards. With the world class hands of Hugo Lloris calming nerves in goal, the spine of this team is solid but the absence of Verane and Kurt Zouma will be deeply felt. The untested central defensive pair of Christophe Jalle and Samuel Umtiti must be giving most fans of the beloved Le Bleu sleepless nights.

As hosts, a lack of competitive qualifying matches rendered Deschamps unable and therefore unsure of his best combination, having tried several formations and has settled for a 4-3-3 lately. With so many speedy forwards, if he could only muster the courage to play a 3-5-2 it could perhaps cover for the teams weaknesses without compromising their attacking instincts.

History beckons, the triumphant French team of '84

Two factors that might see the French overcome opposition are; their home ground advantage with their hordes of fervently fanatical supporters ensuring the underdogs don’t attempt a football version of the “Bastille’s prison break” in their own back yard. Also, if history is a better pointer it goes without saying that France has always performed strongly as hosts, twice winning the Euro in 1984 Captained by Michel Platini, and the World Cup in 1998 led by Zinadine Zidane’s wizardry.

Zidane with the ultimate prize in '98

Albania and Switzerland will both look for ways of upstaging France as group leaders and make them meet their “waterloo”. Switzerland overall is the better of the two with Swiss champions Basel even making headways in the UEFA Champions league and the Europa in recent years while the national team made it to the last World cup in Brazil. They are technically France’s biggest threat in the group who boast a mix of youth and experience.

Stoke City and former Bayern Munich via Basel forward, Xhedran Shakiri otherwise known as “the Alpine Messi” is the heart of this team and can win games for them at the scuff of the neck if need be, with his endless bag of tricks and audacious goals coming in handy. He along with another Swiss of Albanian descent and recent Arsenal acquisition, Granit Xhaka as well as Vellon Berhami are part of a very strong Swiss spine which also boasts of a young powerful Cameroonian born striker Breel Embolo, nicknamed the new Drogba. Team Captain Lichtesteiner brings with him a huge wealth of experience and leadership from his Juventus base in the Serie A.

Switzerland's Albanian connection

Loyalties will surely be tested when the Swiss meet Albania as the Xhaka brothers, Granit and Taulant will line up on opposite sides and should make for interesting headlines.

Albania’s qualification, though coming as a shock and having a fairy tale quality about it, was not a fluke nor down to luck as many would readily assume but is credited to the foresight,  hard work and organizational abilities of Italian born naturalized Albanian, Coach Gianni Di Biassi.

Taulant and Granit Xhaka, blood brothers with opposing loyalties

Di Biassi has obviously cleverly executed a perfect “Italian job” by getting this perennial also runs to do endless running, play as team and remain tactically compact. Di Biassi’s preferred formation is the 4-3-3 which transforms to a 4-5-1 at the snap of a finger, coupled with plenty of high pressing attempting to force opponents into committing errors in transition with the counter attack their main weapon. 

Di Biassi has revolutionized Albanian thinking

They are very difficult to break down as Portugal and Norway can attest, both of whom suffered the ignominy of having their coaches resign after shock defeats, and France during an international friendly. They are largely an unknown quantity that has used the underdog tag and the element of surprise to their advantage

Albania's sheer guts and determination

The hard and endless running of striker Sokol Cikalleshi is their main weapon, with a cool head and set of clinical legs when given a chance.

Cikalleshi, Albania's dangerman in full flight

Romanian football has gone into a deep decline in recent years and their national team basically epitomizes the fall in standards. Compared to Romanian teams of yore who drew plenty from the successes from military side SteauBucuresti during their golden era, which instantly draws memories of Gheorghe Hagi, Marius Lacatus, IleuPopescu and Dumitrescu, the current generation is a pale shadow in comparison. Lucian Sanmartean who plies his trade for Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia is their most “portent” weapon. Similar to Albania, they rely on strong defensive formations, closing the channels as well as high and low pressing. On a lighter note, they conjured the meanest defense and only conceded 2 goals during the qualifiers.

Romania's team victim of national mismanagement

Romania’s fall is testament to the endemic corruption that abounds in the running of their domestic game as well as its national politics.