Saturday 28 July 2012

Football :Olympic Mens

The Argentinean team celebrate victory in Beijing


Olympic football while still the beautiful game is a world away from regular FIFA organised international competitions. London 2012 is no different with the teams qualified a mix of lesser lights in name at least like the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand and Belarus as well as perceived world superpowers such as Spain and Brazil.


On paper this would make picking the teams most likely to battle it out a straightforward task however a roster limited to 18 containing only three players over 23, selection policies which show that different nations have differing levels of interest in the competition and the fact the competition takes place in July Europe's pre-season all act to level the playing field. History has shown that both the haves and have not's can compete to win olympic medals with aristocrats Argentina winning last time round but Iraq, Belgium and Chile have all reached semi finals in recent years proving that lesser renowned nations if well prepared can prosper in olympic football. With the addition of Great Britain as hosts for the first time since 1960 this years tournament is already unique.

To run the rule over the event I'll start by looking at how I see each group panning out. Group A contains Great Britain, Uruguay, the United Arab Emirates and Senegal. Moving back to selection issues Senegal have picked the strongest possible squad available to them bar none when compared to the team which recently competed at the African nations cup. Their first fixture against Great Britain demonstrated their physical strengths and team ethic and over the course of a two week tournament these strengths can prove crucial. Britain on the other hand have picked a threadbare squad which while containing top players like Craig Bellamy and Ryan Giggs are essentially a B team who have never played together. The decision taken to leave out players who participated in the European Championships while beneficial to the players and their clubs will ultimately leave Team GB coming up short in terms of winning the tournament. Uruguay like Senegal have picked a team close to their best for this competition. Their 3 over 23 players are certainly their best however the underbelly of the squad the under 23 players are largely inexperienced at International level. For this reason I'm steering clear of Uruguay as potential winners although the tournament can still prove to be an excellent development ground for a push to qualify for the 2014 world cup. The United Arab Emirates have selected a strong squad and are certainly developing a team for the future. They certainly put it up to a fancied Uruguay outfit for over an hour in their first game. OnePositive sign is that the team all play and were raised in the UAE. I don't believe they will reach the quarter finals in this tournament but they are certainly heading in the right direction.

Group B's four teams Gabon, Switzerland South Korea and Mexico are very evenly matched as can be attested by the two draws which opened the group. Mexico with the exception of Giovani Dos Santos have picked a squad entirely from their domestic competition meaning the likes of Javier Hernandez and Andrés Guardado have been ignored. Having appeared at 10 previous olympics and never medalling, I'm not predicting them to do so here either. Switzerland who have picked a strong squad including the dynamic Admir Mehmedi appeal most from this group having failed to qualify for the European Championships this squad will be motivated to use these championships as a platform for future success. South Korea along with Gabon have selected strong squads. Neither team really tempt in terms of their chance of winning the medal or qualifying for the group for that matter. Park Chu Young of Arsenal the South Korean captain is one to watch and not just for the fact a medal of any kind would help him to avoid compulsory military service back in Korea.

The next group, Group C contains the favourites for the championship Brazil and three nations Belarus, New Zealand and Egypt who quite probably won't reach the business end of these championships. The most promising of the three Egypt have picked a strong team including inspirational defender Ahmed Hegazi. As with Senegal the team has a settled look to it and should be capable of qualifying for a quarter final. Brazil on the other hand who have never won Olympic gold should be confident of going further. With Rafael, Neymar and particularly Hulk in their line up it is difficult to look too far past them for the gold medal.

Finally Group D contains European Champions Spain, Japan, Honduras and Morocco. Stating the obvious Spain looked fatigued in their first fixture however it is difficult to ignore players such as Jordi Alba and Juan Mata who have become accustomed to winning international tournaments. The team contains only two players over the age of 23 both of whom are 24 giving the team a very freshfaced look. I still expect them to make it through this group however I do not expect to see them medalling in two weeks time. Honduras who have qualified for the competition ahead of a strong USA team and a young Japan team will both fancy their chances of making it through the group. Based on their surprise victory over Spain Japan deserve the nod here. I'm skeptical of how far they can go based on the teams they have faced in their summer olympic qualification route. I could be shown to be completely incorrect.

To conclude my recomendations if you are of a betting persuasion would be Brazil (to win Evens). There may yet be some value in Senegal(e/w 40 to 1) and Switzerland(e/w 33 to 1, 13 to 5 to win group). Lets hope for plenty of goals anyhow!




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