Group D

The final group of this summer’s tournament features the defending champions, Greece. That is pretty much it. Group D doesn’t have many flashy players or teams that will stand out among the many already mentioned. That is not to say that good soccer won’t be played. It will, but it may not draw a lot of people in.

The Greece team remains largely intact from the one that won four years ago. This should help them continue the streak of 358 minutes without allowing a goal dating back to the 2004 Euro.

Theodorus Zagaorakis, who captained an improbable run in Portigal, has retired. His departure has not completely left coach Otto Rehhagel without options. Rehhagel has a veteran goalkeeper in Antonios Nikopolidis as his first choice in net. Towering in front of Nikopolidis, Traianos Della and Sotirios Kyrgiakos will provide the size necessary to throw off opponent’s attacks.

Offensively, Greece will probably score a few goals. Angelos Basinas and Konstantinos Katsouranis have occupied their central midfield since UEFA Euro 2004. A little more forward, Georgios Karagounis and Theofanis Gekas are a real threat. Alongside a supporting cast, fans of the Greek team are thinking that they could have another run in them.

The most recent news out of Russia has centered on the UEFA Champions League Final in Moscow (2ET, ESPN2). Come June, the Russian national team will look to make a name for itself on one of the world’s biggest stages.

Four years ago, Russia failed to make it out of the group stage and finished dead last with only three points. The approach taken by Guus Hiddink for this year’s tournament revolved around youth instead of the time-tested experience. Generally, that’s a bad idea, but it had worked out so far.

Sergei Ignashevich, Vasili Berezutski and Aleksei Berezutski anchor the defense along side a busy midfield. Leading the way is 30-year old and Russia Player of the Year Konstantin Zyrianov. Despite a lack of ‘star’ players, Russia will continue its reliance on youthful exuberance for success.

My favorite team in this group is Spain. They have moments of pure brilliance and flair that echo the sentiment of soccer being the “beautiful game.” The Spanish have a very good defense with Valenica’s David Albelda control the midfield.

Enough about defense though. Jay-Z once said, “Allow me to re-introduce myself…” Fernando Torres will do just that in this tournament. Avid soccer fans know how good this young man is, but he could make a major splash in a few weeks. The Liverpool striker scored an impressive 24 goals this past season, which will more than likely continue come June.

The last team of Group D is Sweden. The one thing that Sweden has going for itself is the big MO, momentum. This tournament will be the fifth straight appearance for the Swedish team in a major tournament.

The team is very offensive minded, or “Forward-thinking,” but they are also rooted in patience, good teamwork and strong work ethic. In many regards, they are very similar to Romania.

The most refreshing thing about Sweden is that the coach doesn’t get over his head. Coach Lars Lagerback knows his team’s limitations in terms of talent. However, he feels that the continuity and settled atmosphere can help them in the tournament.

Match Schedules

2008.06.10 (18:00) Spain v. Russia
2008.06.10 (20:45) Greece v. Sweden

2008.06.14 (18:00) Sweden v. Spain
2008.06.14 (20:45) Greece v. Russia

2008.06.18 (20:45) Greece v. Spain
2008.06.18 (20:45) Russia v. Sweden