Everyone’s a former champion in Euro 2000’s toughest group, and at least a couple of the combatants appear to be good bets this time around. There’s France, the reigning world champion. There’s the Netherlands, the powerful host. There’s ’96 finalist Czech Republic, perfect during qualifying. The Danes, surprising champs in ’92, appear overmatched.
Netherlands
Dutch treat? Only a title
All the ingredients appear in place: an extremely gifted, experienced squad, strong chemistry, a rabid home crowd. How can the Netherlands fail?
The answer’s been apparent nearly every match the Dutch have played since Frank Rijkaard took over after the ’98 World Cup. Indifferent performances have gained three wins in 16 friendlies.
Exhibitions, Rijkaard reminds, mean nothing. It’s the grandeur of the Dutch game – the flowing, attacking soccer, and its marvelous practitioners – that signals the Netherlands, at home, is the team to beat.
“We must be at least as good as in France,” said Rijkaard, Guus Hiddink’s assistant when the Dutch finished fourth in France. “[The players] have different qualities, but they’re also the right age, and they’re experienced. It’s the perfect situation – the conditions are in place.”
Rijkaard has an embarrassment of riches in nearly every position. If there’s a weakness, it’s defense, although the personnel – particularly goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar and defenders Jaap Stam and Michael Reiziger – is capable.
Up front, Patrick Kluivert has scored in all but one Dutch game in 2000. He’ll be partnered with Dennis Bergkamp, who hasn’t tallied for the Oranje since the World Cup.
Midfield is like Who’s Who. Edgar Davids and versatile Philip Cocu are the best central midfield combo in the tournament, and Marc Overmars and Clarence Seedorf play wide. Ajax’s Aron Winter, the only Dutch-based regular, provides depth.
“Everybody can beat everybody else,” Rijkaard says. “We can win, of course – provided the spirit is right, the tactics are right and the motivation is OK.”
Briefly
Frank Rijkaard, part of the great Netherlands/Milan triumvirate, starred at the 1988 and 1992 European Championships. * The youngest winning Euro captain was Ruud Gullit (25 years, 298 days), the Dutch skipper in ’88. * Assistant coach Ruud Krol’s Dutch record for appearances (83) could be broken by Aron Winter during Euro 2000.
Czech Republic
Great expectations
A perfect qualifying run and the tremendous outing at Euro ’96 has burdened the Czechs with impossible expectations. Nothing less than a title will do; even Coach Jozef Chovanec knows that’s probably out of reach.
The Czechs – as Czechoslovakia before ’96 – have never finished worse than third when competing in the Euro finals, but placing second or better in the group of champions may prove more taxing than reaching the final four years ago.
The ’96 team was built around solid defense, but Chovanec – hired after the Czechs’ failure to reach France ’98 – has instilled an attacking mindset. He’s got depth up top and in the midfield, but the lack of a good playmaker and suspect defense are obstacles to success.
The Czechs’ impressive 10-0-0 romp through qualifying came against weak opposition. The only test: Scotland.
“We are going [to Euro 2000] to progress as far as possible,” Chovanec says, “but it is a totally different competition than qualification.”
Foes will struggle to contain 6-foot-7 striker Jan Koller, who has scored in 11 of the 13 internationals he’s played, and 6-5 Vratislav Lokvenc. Vladimir Smicer is another possibility in front.
Pavel Nedved, Jiri Nemec and Patrik Berger are leaders of a veteran midfield; Berger can’t play until the third match, penalty for a red card in the final qualifier. The loss of sweeper Jan Suchoparek to a knee injury will hurt in back.
Great expectations aside, Czech success would be a surprise. That’s OK, Chovanec says: “All kinds of surprises happen in tournaments.”
Briefly
The Czechs were the first team to reach the European Championship finals without dropping a point during qualifying. * Czech Imrich Stacho was the first goalkeeper to score in an international, converting a penalty kick against Ireland during Euro ’60’s early stages. * Coach Jozef Chovanec was born in what is now Slovakia.
France
Still scavenging for goals
Trouble up front couldn’t halt France two summers ago – the World Cup was captured through defense and Zinedine Zidane’s magistry.
Now the French seek to become the first reigning world titlist to capture Europe’s championship. Success may rely on one or more of their brilliant young strikers getting hot.
Roger Lemerre, Aime Jacquet’s successor, has a wealth of options up front. That may count for little.
Many forwards score regularly at the club level but can’t convert for Les Bleus. As Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet and Nicolas Anelka, all under 23, mature, that might change.
Henry, a converted winger, may be the best choice up front, with veterans Christophe Dugarry and Youri Djorkaeff on either side of Zidane. Johan Micoud, Zidane’s stand-in, is another midfield option.
Eighteen of the 22 world champions are still around, and there’s been little change behind Zidane. Fabien Barthez is steady in goal; Lilian Thuram and Marcel Desailly are first-class defenders. But Laurent Blanc has lost a step, and the backline has looked ordinary, surrendering five goals in their final two home qualifiers.
Didier Deschamps and Emmanuel Petit remain in support of Zidane.
Qualifying struggles – including difficulty against Andorra and Armenia – and subpar form in most preparation matches has raised doubts about France’s ability to win this summer. It shouldn’t.
“Our generation is still hungry for success,” says Desailly. “The key factor is that all the players be on top of their form at the same time, as we were during the World Cup. There is no secret to it.”
Briefly
Michel Platini scored tournament-record nine goals while leading France to the Euro title in 1984. * Youri Djorkaeff’s father, Jean, was part off the French team during the Euro ’68 tournament. * Coach Roger Lemerre guided France’s military team to the armed forces soccer world title in 1995. He was Aime Jacquet’s assistant at France ’98.
Denmark
No Laudrups, no cry
The Danes finally are getting used to life without the Laudrups. Adjustments haven’t been easy.
Swedish coach Bo Johansson, who guided Denmark – led by Michael and Brian Laudrup – to the ’98 World Cup quarterfinals, had to rebuild after their departure. Until young striker Jon Dahl Tomasson got hot, everything went wrong.
Tomasson, 23, scored six goals in the Danes’ final five qualifiers as the ’92 titlists dug out from a 0-2-2 hole to qualify for Euro 2000.
He netted the winner in the group finale at Italy. Denmark overcame a 2-0 deficit to squeak past Switzerland into the playoffs. There he added three more in a two-leg rout of Israel.
Tomasson and goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, the last remaining member of 1992’s fairy-tale victors, may not be enough to prod this Danish team – “Outsiders and underdogs,” according to Johansson – out of the tournament’s most difficult group.
The talent pool is shallow, the defense old (Jes Hogh, 34, and Jan Heintze, 36, are its commanders) and the primary options in central midfield – Thomas Helveg, Allan Nielsen and Stig Tofting – endured trying club campaigns.
It’s a team in transition, with a new coach, Morten Olsen, waiting on the sidelines.
Young attacking midfielders Martin Jorgensen and Jesper Gronkjaer add dimension to the Danish attack, but there’s no replacing the Laudrups.
“Michael and Brian could do things with a football the rest of us can only dream about,” said Jorgensen, 24. “But without them, maybe we have become a more robust side.”
Briefly
The Danes are competing in their fifth successive Euro finals. Only Germany can claim likewise. * Midfielder Michael Schjonberg’s former job: fixing torn fishing nets. He helped mend the goal nets when he played at Odense. * Morten Olsen, the Danes’ captain at Euros ’84 and ’88, will become Denmark’s head coach after Euro 2000.