Euro 2012 Standings: Group Leaders Set to Crumble Under Expectations

Pressure does funny things to teams, particularly at the European Championships. Just ask the Dutch, who were viewed as favorites coming into the tournament but sit at the bottom of the Group B table with 0 points in 2 contests.  They also have a history of failing to live up to expectations. 

But it's not just the pressure that comes before the tournament that can take a toll on teams; early success also heaps pressure on squads to continue to perform and shine on the biggest stage this side of the World Cup. 

For some teams, the pressure to continue to succeed prompts them to raise their game and continue to deliver on their promises. For others, they find that the pressure of success is too much to bear and fade from the front of the pack.

But which teams will crumble under a mountain of expectation now? 

Russia

We already see the Russians starting to crack under the hype that continues to grow around their campaign, courtesy of a dominant 4-1 win in their first match of the tournament.

Led by the likes of Alan Dzagoev and his three goals, as well as Andrey Arshavin and Roman Shirokov, their attack remains as potent as ever. They're likely to advance into the knockout stages of the tournament courtesy of a final clash with group bottom feeder, Greece. 

But, beyond that, don't expect the Russians to live up to the hype. They struggled to slow the Polish attack in their second match of the group stage, escaping with a 1-1 draw. Their defense remains porous on good days and almost invisible on bad days. 

Couple that with the history of failing to deliver on their promise and struggles with work ethic and motivation and you have a recipe for a team who is simply a flash in the group stage pan. 

Ukraine

The cohosts of the tournament showed why they're not to be trifled with in their first group stage match, delivering an extremely strong offensive showing in a 3-1 smackdown of Sweden.

Talismanic striker Andriy Shevchenko looked like his old self again, scoring a brace and wreaking havoc on the Swedish defense. With home pitch advantage, surely the Ukrainians are locked to advance, right? 

Wrong. Unfortunately for the hosts, Sweden was the only easy matchup in this group for them.

With clashes against the superior talent of France and England in their final two matches, don't be surprised to see this team come back down to Earth quickly.

They lack the defensive fortitude to slow either the French or the English, and with a slew of unproven offensive talent around Sheva, I just don't see this team continuing its strong play from the first match.

Croatia

The Croats are arguably the biggest surprise of the tournament thus far, sitting with four points and a plus-two goal differential.

They've looked incredibly sharp throughout the tournament, and their balanced attack has had defenses flummoxed throughout the tournament. 

However, Croatia will be facing a Spanish side with the talent to dominate the midfield game in their group stage finale.

Spain will likely be looking to avoid a clash with the Group D champions in the quarterfinals and will be pushing the tempo to ensure that they can get there. Unfortunately for Croatia, they lack the talent at the back to slow the Spanish onslaught, and their offense struggled against a surprisingly mortal Italian side in their second match.

They rely heavily on mediocre attacking talent and an offense that must control the ball.

When matched up with a midfield that is clearly their superior, the Croats' hot start will cool in a big hurry. The Croats may control their own destiny to advance, but beyond the group stage this team won't live up to its early torrid play.