Chat

Sport Expert & Football Commentator

Jun 05, 2012 | Closed

UEFA Euro 2012 football: a curtainraiser

June 8 onwards, European football powers will lock horns with each other in their bid to emerge as the continental champions. Talk to Novy Kapadia about the chances of the various teams and who are the stars to watch out.

This chat is over. Thanks for joining.

Hi Novy, What do think of england chances now after lampard being ruled out.... dont you think the midfield is little weaker without lampard and Gerrerd not in full flow....... Asked by: Anindya
Gerrard and lampard never played well together. Now is the chance for gerrad to play his liverpool game for england, an attacking midfielder, just behind the main striker
how do you feel about the spain squad with no david villa , carlos puyol ,and torres having not a good season ,should they have included roberto soldado instead of maybe jesus navas as he is mainly a winger ? Asked by: arkadipta sengupta
I think Jesus nevas is a good choice as he gives Spain another option in attack, pace on the flanks. They will miss David villa, a real goal poacher. Torres could come back into form and then spain will be good
do you see france as a major force with likes of hatem ben arfa ,samir nasri ,y'mvilla,benzema , and under their new coach blanc Asked by: arkadipta sengupta
France has lots of talent and Blanc has made them a harmonious unit. They could reach the semis
Why has Indian football enthusiasm not grown full and stans restricted to west Bengal.??? Asked by: sundar1950in
There was more enthusiasm for indian football in the 1950s and 1960s. from 1958--1964 India was the best team in asia and were called the brazil of asia. There were more attrcative individual players like Chuni Goswami, T. balaram and Yusuf Khan to name a few. We must have more quality players for the popularity of the game to spread.
has the TATA FOOTBALL ACADEMY at Jamshedpur been of help in spotting and nurturing talents to bring international level players. Asked by: sundar1950in
TFA since 1987 has given india over a 100 international players. we need more academies which are serious like TFA
Football a Game of Team and requiring reflexes to act fast is a good game.Has the Governmental support for this game been sufficient in our country ??/ Asked by: sundar1950in
Govt support has been all right. In a democratic country the central govt cannot only support one sport. The aiff have to work harder with state associations to improve the quality of football and the clubs most do more junior developmental work
Is it true that because of general lack of physical stamina of the INDIANS we have not been able to progress much in this game ?? Asked by: sundar1950in
No i think in terms of stamina and fitness we have improved considerably. In asia cup 2011 we played at the same pace against australia and S. korea right till the end. We need to broadbase the game in india. from quantity comes quality
The FIFA ,UEFA and such tournaments have a substantial viewership in INDIA and print media coverage is also extensive. What Charms the Indians in to it ,when the viewership for our own Santosh trophy etc is dismal ?? Asked by: sundar1950in
Quality Tv coverage, speedy football and slick marketing.also it is now fashionable to be associated with international football. It is unfortunate but many of the younger generation especially in urban Indian cities are contemptuous of indian football
Who in your opinion will lift the UEFA EURO 2012 tiltle ?? Asked by: sundar1950in
any one of these three Germany, Spain or holland. But then European chps are more difficult to predict than world cup remember Greece in 2004 and Denmark champions in 1992 so there could be a suprise winner also. but on current form germany, spain or holland
should italy back out at the euros amidst corruption charges , betting charges involving many of their players ? Asked by: arkadipta sengupta
Ni i think they ahve qualified and so must play. action can be taken again players if betting charges are proved.
do you think in absence of lampard & gareth barry england should call up micheal carrick and tom cleverly of man utd ? Asked by: arkadipta sengupta
Yes carrick ahad an excellent season the epl and is a good passer of the ball but he is suprisingly overlooked. Tom Cleverely also of MU is recovering from injury
Can the dutch go all the way playing a counter attacking game like that in the world cup? Would u prefer Huntelaar or Van Persie to head the strike force in a 4-2-3-1 formation? Asked by: Ajay
I would prefer Van Persie as he is in the form of his life and can conjure up magical goals. I feel the ducthd efence is now better and they should play a mkore attacking game.
Which 2 teams will qualify from group of Death? Asked by: Jyotirmoy
I think it will begermany as first and holland as second
With Spain missing David Villa and Germany not in the best of form during the warmup.Who do you think is the favorite tolift the european cup this year? Asked by: Revan
Germany are big occasion team. they will epak at the right time. If one of spain's strikers torres or Llorente strike form they can be very tough to beat. Holland also have a good chance if their team spirit remains good
Who do u think are the players to watch out in the Euro 2012. Asked by: hari
Luka Modric and striker Nikica Jelevic(croatia), Ces fabregas, Mezut ozil and toni and kroos (Germany), raul meriles (Portugal), samir nasri and Hatem ben arfa (Franmce), theo wealcott and danny welback (England),midfielder Claudio marchiso (Italy) and Sotiris ninis (Greece)are some of the young stars who could shine
The team that has flattered to decieve on many occassions is England. They always have a good team on paper but fail miserably on field. Any reasons for this sir. Will Germany win this time or will it go to Spain again Asked by: Narayanan S
Till England redeuce the number of teams in the Premiership they will never do well in world cups and euro tournaments. Their players get jaded or injured (like lampard, Barry etc this time, Rooney before the 2010 world cup) as they have many demanding league matches. Also a winter break is essential. My choice for winner sis either germany or spain. I think spain are still slightly better than germany
Would you name three dark-horses who can make it to the semi-finals of Euro-2012 ? Asked by: EMathew
Croatia, Portugal and greece or Poland
When can we see India making it big in soccer ? What measures would you recommend to improve the game in India (for both infrastructure and players)? Asked by: EMathew
If we start working now in spreading the game all over the country (which we are not doing) improvement will still take at least two decades. If not then we will remain stagnant. Better stadiums, trainign facilities and floodlights required but most of all more players from various states should play competitive football, not just attend fancy academies. Most of our state associations do little prmotional work. That is why the game is not developing
UEFA and FIFA have been under the control of European and South American personnels. Is it high time for someone from the third world to helm the affairs to give it wider coverage in those countries (3rd world). Asked by: EMathew
third world candidates can only become president if they win the fifa elections. In africa football gets good coverage and exposure. Same is the case in many countries of asia. problem is only ins outh asia, which is cricket centric. For the next decade or so I think fifa will still be governed by someone from uefa or south america. We have to ge tour own house in order before thinking of controlling FIFA
Hi Novy..discussing with you on same forum after FIFA WORLD CUP 2010. At that time Germany was with many youngsters and they were nowhere near favorites. But youngster did fantastic job for them. This time those youngsters are stars likes of Muller, Ozil, Reus, Gotze ect.. and they are one of the favorites and these players have lot of expectations this time. What is your take on this German team? Are they capable of handling this pressure? Asked by: Parag
yes the germans are always capable of handling pressure. They have excellent young talent and if they flourish Germany could upset any team in euro 2008. It also depends will Lowe give Reus and gotyze a chance or will they just be impact subs.
Do you think this young French team should play fearless football like Germany under Jurgen Klinsmann for them to have any chances of reaching Semi finals and Finals? And can they top the Group D, considering England is a struggling side with a bad midfield and new coach Asked by: Karthik V
Yes France should play fearless, attacking football, that is their best chance. Their defence is not as solid as in 1998 world cup or euro 2000 when they won both tournaments. if they avoid a loss to england in their opening match, they will top their group
What are the prospectus for Germany ? Asked by: EMathew
As always very good. But this tournament is vital for Germany. Since 2006 they have reached semi finals of two World Cups and final of Euro 2008 but not won anything. They have not won a major tournament since euro 1996. Now they have a blend of youth and experience and have adapted well to their new attacking style of play, unlike in the past when they relied mainly on counter attacks and set pieces. Germany is one of my favourites to lift the trophy
Football is the most popular sport in the world, by a long distance. However it isnt Popular in USA,China and India compared to other countries. Is FIFA really concentrating on Bringing these countries into main fold?? What should they do to see Football being the no.1 game. I will love to see Football being no.1 game in India and not cricket Asked by: Kamala C
FIFA is doing their best. they gave the 1994 world cup to USA. they have offered the 2017 FIFA sub junior world cup to india. The AIFF should try and ensure that football at least becomes the second game in India after cricket. You can only think of being first football standrads in the country improve and you have entertaining players
Group B matches would be highly entertaining. Which are the teams that could make it to the next round from this group? Asked by: EMathew
I would say Germany because they are so consistent and occasion players will come first and Netherlands second
Is there any glimpse hope for India in 2018 or 2022 World Cup??? Why dont we spend money on bringing Team India to greater heights? And shouldnt FIFA focus heavily on Asian Football? What is the popularity of Football in China? Asked by: Ashwin
No Chance. Remember qualifiers for 2018 world cup start in 2015. We have to recah amongst the top eight in asia before we can think of qualifying for the world cup. money cannot buy you success at the national level. The game has to spread all over IOndia. from quantity comes quality. In India football is limited to a few states that is why standards remain low
What do think about the chances of the Azurris? they have a habit of bouncing back with a championship whenever they are written off, or are the Spaniards and Germans head & shoulders above the rest? Asked by: Utsav Datta
I support what Platini says that Spain and Germany have a little bit extra as compared to other teams. Italy have a history of excelling in tournaments when match fixing charges are levelled against their players. Consider their world cup wins in 1982 and 2006. But they also had quality players then of the right age group. I think this Italian team is too inexperienced. Maybe a quarter final finish
What are the chances for Russia, they surprised in EURO 2008, but failed to qualify in FIFA 2010. Are they a darkhorse? Asked by: Vijayasekaran
I do not think Russia will be dark horses, as they have some ageing players like arshavin and defender Alexey Berezutsky. It depends on how youngsters like striker pavel Pogrebnyak perform