Euro 2012: Teams Whose Slow Starts Will Kill Their Hopes

As one of the host countries for Euro 2012, Poland will be shouldering the hopes and dreams of rabid fans clamoring across the nation.

However, Poland, along with a few other squads, will fall short of their expectations due to sluggish starts out of the gate.

Throughout the history of international tournaments, a team’s surest way to compete for the particular title is to gain momentum in the group stages.

Whether it be caused by inexperience or difficult group drawing, there are a handful of national squads that will struggle right off the bat and destroy their chances of making the final.

With that being said, let’s take a look at a few teams that will cost themselves by starting off Euro 2012 on the wrong foot. 

Poland (Group A)

As expected, the Polish national team will be filled to the brim with jitters and nerves as they’ll kick off Euro 2012 with the first game against Greece on Friday (11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN3).

While they will certainly have the home support and confidence to succeed on their side, this team just doesn't wow me.

Out of all the teams that qualified for the tournament, the co-host is ranked the worst in the FIFA World Rankings, behind the likes of Republic of Ireland, Ukraine, and Greece.

The squad has some nice players, led by striker Robert Lewandowski, but the overall makeup of this team doesn’t scream contender to me.

While they undoubtedly drew the easiest group (Group A: Greece, Czech Republic, Russia), these teams all have the capability to exploit Poland.

Russia is by far the most talented and cohesive team in this group. The Czech Republic is a threat to any team when world-class goalkeeper Petr Cech is on his game, like he was against Barcelona in the Champions League semifinal, and Greece is a defensively-sound team that has the ability to spoil Poland’s opening ceremonies.

Also, if Borussia Dortmund’s Lewandowski is shut down or possibly goes down with an injury, who would step up for the Polish? Honestly, outside of the Golden Boot dark horse candidate, the co-hosts don’t have a legitimate and consistent scoring threat, which could very well cause problems.

Not saying that I won’t be pulling for them to perform well, but their road past the group stage isn’t as manageable as everyone is making it out to be, especially with the pressures of being co-hosts.

England (Group D)

I only need two words to prove why England will start off slow in Euro 2012: Wayne. Rooney.

Due to a red card issued in an October qualifying match, the Manchester United striker was banned for the first two contests of Euro 2012.

The team will already be hurting for goals, as sharp-shooting midfielder Frank Lampard has been ruled out of the tournament with a thigh injury.

Without Lampard and Rooney, where will the scoring come from for Roy Hodgson’s squad?

They are certainly not without able scorers, with guys like Andy Carroll and Ashley Young having the raw ability to make an impact.

However, England has their hardest game in group stage on Monday against a resurgent France squad looking to restore their name after the debacle at the 2010 World Cup.

Also, England is slated to square off with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sweden in their second game of group play—a game that could be a must-win if Roy Hodgson’s boys lose to Les Bleus.

You always want to have your key players out there for monumental games and with Rooney and Lampard out, England will struggle to gain traction.

By time Rooney comes back to compete against Ukraine, England will be wounded too much from the first two matches and his presence may mean next to nothing. 

Denmark (Group B)

While the Danes were by no means favored in any of their group games, they still make the list because any sliver of hope to advance will be dashed within the first few days of Euro 2012.

Without pointing out any flaws in Denmark’s squad, just take a gander at who they have to play in the proclaimed “Group of Death”: Germany, Netherlands, and Portugal.

The Danes are in an immediate hole before they even step foot on the pitch. That’s how ridiculously impossible a run from them will be.

Ajax stud Christian Eriksen is playing some of the world’s best football right now and arrogant forward Nicklas Bendtner has the capability to do damage around the net with his size.

The Danes’ organized and strong approach both offensively and defensively would work in any other group, but not against these world-class opponents.

Look for an efficient German and Dutch attack to pour on the goals in landslide victories. And against Portugal, if Cristiano Ronaldo plays to his expected level, then good luck competing. 

No matter what they do, there is absolutely no way Denmark makes it out of the group stage and their slow start begins when the game clock starts on Saturday against Holland. 

Italy (Group C)

After going unbeaten in Euro 2012 qualifiers and having key players healthy, Italy has sprung up as a popular sleeper pick to make it to the finals this go around.

Cesare Prandelli’s men are certainly not lacking experience with footballers like Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo, and Antonio Di Natale in their starting XI.

Italy also has a crop of young talent ready to make an impact, including forwards Sebastian Giovinco and the temperamental Mario Balotelli.

However, it’s not their experience or skill that will dig the Azzurri an early-tournament hole, but instead the opponents they’re facing.

Granted the Italians aren’t in the “Group of Death”, but their situation isn’t very comfortable in Group C.

The Italian squad’s first game is a much-talked-about matchup with favorites Spain on Sunday. While the Spanish are missing stalwart back Carles Puyol and show-stopping goal-scorer David Villa, the world’s highest ranked team are still outrageously good in every aspect of the game and will pose a serious problem for the Azzurri.

While Spain will be their toughest test, the next two matches against Croatia and the Republic of Ireland won’t be cake-walks, especially against the former.

Croatia is perhaps the most underrated team coming into the tournament and could easily blow past Italy and into the quarterfinals.

Led by Luka Modric, arguably the best midfielder in the Premier League this year, Croatia poses viable threats to score with the addition of role players such as Nikica Jelavic, Mario Mandzukic, and Eduardo.

To top it all off Ireland is no slouch and their goalkeeper Shay Given along with prolific playmakers Aiden McGeady and Robbie Keane will give Italy a run for their money.

Bottom line, if Balotelli doesn’t keep his head on straight and Croatia and Ireland play up to potential, then Italy will be looking at a disappointing group stage.