The European Championship is just two months away. UEFA decided to award the hosting honour to Poland and Ukraine, a major step to improve the standard of football in small countries. It remains to be seen whether the minnows can challenge the might of Germany, Spain, Italy etc. Football might be a team game but there must be players who change the game single-handedly. We list three players from each country who could turn the tables and make a name for themselves in the European Championships.
1) Poland
Robert Lewandowski(Borrusia Dortmund):
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Robert Lewandowski, like seven other contemporaries, has been plying his trade in the German Bundesliga. With Lucas Barrios down with injuries, Robert Lewandowski has taken full advantage of his opportunities. The striker has so far scored 24 goals for Borussia Dortmund and notched up 6 assists. He is the third top scorer in the German Bundesliga and is certainly in scintillating form. At a young age of 23, Lewandowski has already notched up 40 caps for Poland and his experience at the top level will be a key factor. Expect lots of goals from Robert, if Poland make it through to the latter stages
Other key players:
Lucas Piszczek(BVB Dortmund), Wojciech Sczcesny(Arsenal FC)
2. Greece :
Giorgos Karagounis(Panathinaikos):
" Karagounis will dictate the tempo of Greece"
Karagounis is the second most capped player of Greece. He is also the captain and is a vastly experienced midfielder. He will lead his team, control the tempo and make the key passes. He remains one of the few players who played in the 2004 European Championships which Greece won. Coming after a successful domestic campaign with Panathinaikos, Karagounis will be key to Greece’s fate in Poland/Ukraine.Other Key Players
Kyriakos Papadopoulos(Schalke 04), Thiofanis Gekas (Samsunspor)
3. Russia
Alan Dzagoev(CSKA Moscow):
" The future of Russian football rests in Alan Dzagoev's feet"
With most of the squad expected to be similar to the one in 2008, Dzagoev could provide the much needed impetus for tournament dark horses Russia. At just 21, Dzagoev has been a consistent performer for CSKA Moscow. He created as many chances as Lionel Messi in the UEFA Champions League group stages. He has been a focal player of Dick Advocaat’s Russian side and this tournament could propel him to new heights in the footballing world.
Other Key Players:
Andrei Arshavin (Zenit St. Petersburg), Roman Pavlyuchenko(Lokomotiv Moscow)
4. Czech Republic:
Tomas Rosicky(Arsenal FC):
" Rosicky's rediscovered fitness will boost Czech republic in EURO 2012"
After a period of incessant injuries, Rosicky has finally proven his talent with Arsenal this season. He has truly been the maestro of Arsenal’s midfield, injecting and slowing down the pace of the game when needed. He will be expected to do the same with Czech Republic with the additional responsibilities of being the captain.
Other key players:
Petr Cech(Chelsea), Milan Baros (Galatasaray)
