The Group of Death

‘The Group of Death’ is one of those cliché phrases that gets pulled out every single competition, whether it be in regards to the Champions League (or more accurately, used to be in regards to the Champions League before the second league round was scrapped), World Cups or the European Championships, there is always one group that you definitely do not want to be.

More than most competitions, however, the European Championships seems to throw up these sorts of groups. This is generally because of the traditional might of certain countries that have maintained the reputation of the name without maintaining the quality of team, something that can certainly be said of the Netherlands this time round. Undeniably they have a talented squad, but truly World Class players seem to be in short supply.

So this time round the Dutch line up against World Cup finalists France and Italy - who since the World Cup final seem to be practically inseparable – and the Romanians, about whom practically nothing is known. According to Blue Square Sports Betting Italy stand as joint third favourites with Portugal, closely followed by the French, then the Dutch at 12/1*, and the Romanians all the way down at 40/1*.

How much these odds reflect the group is difficult to say. The French being fifth favourite going into a competition in particular seems slightly strange, this is a team with undeniable pedigree and experience, though possibly without the outstanding talismanic figures that they have had in the past. Nonetheless, if the French pull it together and get through the group their odds will shorten significantly, if you’re into football betting the French could be worth a quid or two to win the tournament.

For the Romanians to be labelled as the outsiders of the group seems somewhat harsh, bearing in mind that they quietly topped a group that featured the Netherlands. The rest of the group was admittedly less than formidable and whether Romania’s final position is indicative of their talent or the men in orange underperforming is hard to say, but if either of France or Italy don’t live up to potential it’s entirely possible that  Romania could take a place in the last eight instead of the Dutch.

The Italians are the favourites to emerge from the group, and quite rightly. Though the ‘Group of Death’ usually suggests that a big name will fall out, it is rarely the biggest name in the group, and for that reason, and for their sheer defensive quality I think the Italians will ease through. The French and the Dutch can, undoubtedly, produce brilliant displays but whether they have the consistency needed to mount a serious challenge remains to be seen.

Regardless of the quality of the teams, or at least in comparison to the world game, match-ups between the likes of the Dutch and the French, or the Italians and the French is what the European game is all about. They carry echoes of the biggest matches of all time, and inspire the imagination of any football fan. It will be fascinating to see how the group stages progress, particularly in Group C.

* All odds taken from Blue Square Football Betting unless otherwise stated. Odds subject to change.