Netherlands vs. Denmark: Why the Danes Will Cause Trouble in Group of Death

Denmark is going to surprise people in the "Group of Death," or Group B, of the Euro 2012 tournament. While they may not win the entire group, they will challenge for the second spot and will end up as the bracket buster in Euro 2012's deadliest group. 

Despite having a SPI ranking from ESPN of 22, the Danes are one of the more intriguing teams in the Euro 2012 tournament. They definitely didn't earn a great draw for their first group with Germany ranked first, Holland ranked fourth and Portugal ranked seventh. According to SoccerByIves.net,

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Nobody is considering the Danes as serious contenders in this quartet of teams, but there is enough quality on this side to keep the opposition honest. In any other group, Denmark might have a good shot at the knockout round, but it's incredibly tough to see this team getting through. 

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And that could be something that hurts the competition for the Danes. While they aren't the most talented group of the four teams in Group B, they have one of the best coaches in the world in Morten Olsen, who preaches a teamwork concept and classic European style over fancying just one star player. Coach Olsen was quoted by the Associated Press:

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"We don't have a star," coach Morten Olsen told AP at Denmark's base camp in Kolobrzeg. "We have to win the games through the collective."

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This is something you see in more of the North American contact sports like Football and Hockey. Soccer has tended to rely on the big names like David Beckham, Ronaldo, and even Ashley Cole, who is known more for his ex-wife, Cheryl, than his talent on the field. But the underdog role seems to suit the leadership in Denmark, as striker Nicklas Bendtner has been quoted by the Associated Press:

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"We know it's going to be tough to play against these teams, but we believe in our chances, we have to try to prove everyone wrong."

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This is a model that has been adopted in many professional sports. Having a "chip on your shoulder" seems to be the biggest motivator for upsets. Denmark will be using it as a way to compete with the toughest group in the Euro 2012 tournament and could very well be the spoiler of the group. They only need one true victory and one draw and they could end up moving on and winning the second seed in the group. 

Outside of motivation, the team does have a lot of talent. According to Seth Victor, the Danish team could have a chance in the "Group of Death" this year:

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Five of the team’s projected starting XI play in one of Europe’s Big Four leagues, but those five are placed in the middle of the field and thus are the most important members of the team.

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When the best and most important members are the same players, there are only going to be positive results. As seen in the NFL with guys like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, their teams tend to win a lot of games on top of the passing yards they put up. Denmark could be very similar in that they will be carried by midfielder Christian Eriksen. JOE.ie's Conor Heneghan has considered Eriksen the best player on Denmark, even comparing him to "Wesley Sneijder and his legendary countryman Michael Laudrup."

When there is the motivation and drive, adding in talent will only help the odds of winning the big game. The Danes could very easily play spoiler to Portugal, Germany or Holland in Euro 2012 and give them the loss that will keep them off the bracket.