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Karim Bencherifa

Football expert, CNN-IBN

Jun 21, 2012 | Closed

Euro 2012: The tournament so far & prospects ahead

Talk to Karim Bencherifa about Euro 2012 tournament so far & prospects ahead.

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can we say that it will be Ronaldo versus the Czech tonight!Does the czech republic have a better chance to win only if they stop Ronaldo from scoring? Asked by: T.sandeep viswanath
Ronaldo is no doubt the best player of Portugal and one of the best in the tournament, but the Czech have to think of Portugal as a team with special attention to Ronaldo, but lets not forget that Nani and others are doing well also
From the matches played so far, which country do you think has the best possible chance of lifting the Euro cup? Asked by: EMathew
I think Germany look solid and most complete in every department; quality players from goalkeeper to strikers, experience and maturity, the best team in executing the 4-2-3-1 system using different varieties of attack from the flanks the center set pieces...
Russia lead till their last game, which saw them move to the third position. What went wrong with Russia's tactics? Asked by: EMathew
I feel sad for them as they produce some quality football and above all one of the few youngsters in Dzagoev. First game against the Czech the surprised everybody with their counter attacking football based on speed and well planed moves, after that both Poland and Greece was prepared to that and therefor Russia had to break them with good possession which i think they failed in this approach. Russia simply did not have a plan B.
Will England emerge champions even though they are the underdogs? Asked by: Satish
At this stage everyone have an outside chance to win the coveted trophy. England looked solid defending but many question marks on the way they attack, they defend as a team with a specified role to each player but with the ball a proper plan is missing. In all the games they played including the last friendlies they had less possession and unless they fix this problem they will have a chance but they will need lot of luck.
Last day, Ukraine scored a goal but the line refree neglected. same thing happend in world cup against England. why still association not going for technical help?? Asked by: mohammed shijil
I think sooner or later Fifa and Uefa have to budge and implement new technologies to help the ref officiate the games. The question is to what extend it can be used..
how you valuue performance of Italy's Balotelli??he shouted after scoring a goal. actually according to his performance from 1st two matches what should he expect?? Asked by: mohammed shijil
Balotelli is an extremely talented player but also very complicated to manage, so when you make a choice to include him in the team you have to live with it. On his day he can have great impact on the game but there is always a chance that he fade out. He is far from being a consistent performer.
Who do you think has been the standout player of the tournament so far? Asked by: Indranil
Looking at the technical quality, the contribution and the impact o their performance on the team there are few; Iniesta, Sweinsteiger, Khedira, Pirlo. Ronaldo only the game vs Holland
Should Holland have played with two strikers? Asked by: EMathew
The main problem of Holland was first team spirit wasn't there. Second I think they missed quality side back who are important going forward in the modern football, another thing is the fact that coach insist on playing 2 defensive midfielders who just sit and hardly create any move forward. One of the 2 should have been sacrificed for a more creative player
Dear Sir, one of the greatest plus of this tournament is that there has not been a dull 0-0 draw. Every team's defence has looked brittle. Sudden change in European footballing. The Baresis, Bergomis, Maldini, Deasailly, thuram,Brehme of the world missing. ANy reason for this sir Asked by: narayanan
You mention some great individual players which I agree we are missing defenders of this caliber, even strikers did not look exceptional only few did show they could score at any moment. I think the reason is that top European clubs are not producing enough quality players rather looking for ready ones even from outside Europe. You could see that there hardly any fresh young players coming up in this competition, unlike before where we see plenty of new talents.
Which teams defence do you consider the best among those who qualified for quarterfinals of Euro 2012? Asked by: EMathew
Going by the number of goals conceded Spain defense is good as they let only a goal in. But I do feel Italy's defense is looking very solid too
Sir, whom do u consider as Hot favourite to lift the cup? Asked by: Shyam Vadalker
The real business will start now, anything can happen.. but I feel Germany is the team to beat, they are well equipped to lift the cup; players in top form and options in every department, strong tactically, excellent team spirit..
France showed mighty improvement since the last world cup. But the last match showed much of it returning back. Your thoughts on how Blanc could pull his team together? Asked by: EMathew
Last France performance was below par for the following reasons: very conservative approach by Blanc as he played with 2 defensive midfielders and did not take enough risks to win the game, also from what I know few members of the team want to avoid Spain even if they have to change the city others wanted to stay in the same place and confront Spain so there was differences of opinions (nothing new for the French team), also I feel they were complaisant thinking that since Sweden is out they wouldn't put a fight. Now they have to forget that and focus on the next task
Why do you think the great names in current European football have been unable to put their mark on Euro 2012 ? Asked by: EMathew
Few reasons comes to my mind: fatigue after hectic season, lack of good spirit (ego problems ex. Holland stars), tactics and strategies (players not used properly) and sometimes personal problems