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Oscars 2024 Short Films Review: Animation

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

Normally each year when they show the reel of the nominated films for Best Animated Short Film, there’s normally enough time in the reel to include one or two films that made the shortlist. This year’s crop of nominees are so long, their combined time length is enough to make for the whole reel! Makes sense. Each film does tell an awful lot in their time. It may be humorous or it may be serious. They all do a great job. Here’s my look at this year’s nominees for Best Animated Short Film:

Beautiful Men (dir. Nicolas Keppens) – Three brothers from Belgium are in a trip to Turkey where all go to get hair transplant operations. One brother Steven finds out at the office only one operation is booked as he forgot to book for all three. He doesn’t know how to tell his other brothers. As time passes, Steven’s insecurities are present and Bart is concerned about a lump in his testicles. The secret does unfold as Steven admits to brother Koen that he only booked one appointment and offers him to be the one since he has lost the most hair. Bart hears it from a sauna and angrily demands that he be the one. A stroke of misfortune, a hotel fire the night before the operation, ends up being the good luck they needed as two men in the hotel that were hospitalized for burns were to have the surgery and leaves open two spots for the other two brothers to take.

This stop-motion animated film deals with the dark them of male insecurities as the three brothers getting the operations are also approaching middle-age. It’s mid-life crisis mixed with the feeling of trying to live up to a masculine standard that set the theme for the story of the brothers and the wait for the surgery. It is true that women face more social pressure, but men aren’t immune either. This is a surprising deep story as the images tell a lot of the moods of depression and tension. That’s why I pick this film as the Most Likely Upsetter for the Oscar.

In The Shadow Of The Cypress (dirs. Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi) – In Iran, a father who is going through PTSD decides to leave the house in a rage. His teenage daughter confronts him, but he hits her. They are unable to reconcile until they notice a whale has beached up and someone has to lead it back to the sea. Each effort they try fails. As the father returns to use his old dilapidated ship, images bring back the painful memories. It reminds him of the night of the storm and the bombing of the ship by the enemy air force that night that killed his wife. It’s then that the father attempts to use his ship to get the whale back to the ocean. It’s in the end result that the two are able to reconcile.

Of the three stories, this is the one with the saddest subject matter. Nevertheless this is a very good story. It uses colors and images to tell a story of heartbreak, of loss and eventual healing. With no dailogue, it sends a message anyone can understand and it tells it well of feelings of failure, hurt and anger. The father’s worst enemy is himself and in the end, it is the daughter and that whale who are the ones who can heal him and make amends.

Magic Candies (dir. Daisuke Nishio) – A lonely boy named Dong Dong goes to a store to get candies. what he gets are some odd-shaped candies the seller calls ‘magic candies.’ The boy first shrugs it off but as he eats the first at home, he notices the couch speaking to him and telling him things. The couch stops talking as the candy melts away. The second candy has his dog talking to him, who stopped playing with Dong Dong as he grew over the years, but still loves him. The third candy gets Dong Dong’s strict father to pay attention to him and get him to understand him better, especially since his mother’s passing. The fourth piece is bubblegum as it helps Dong Dong communicate with his late grandmother and she reassures him she’s happy in the afterlife. The fifth piece allows Ding Dong to communicate with the fallen leaves on the street. The last piece is flavorless and allows him to make a new friend.

This is another charming stop-motion story. There are three stop-motion films nominated in this category this year. This is a charming story of a child whose odd-looking candies are just what he needs to help overcome his shyness and loneliness. By looking at the shapes of the candies, it’s a clue that they’re out to help resolve issues and help Dong Dong overcome his difficulties. It’s a nice story as it is fun to watch. It has a nice mix of comedy and drama. It’s both humorous and touching at the same time.

Wander To Wonder (dir. Nina Gantz) – The story begins with the opening of a 1980’s children’s show called Wander To Wonder which is hosted by creator Uncle Gilly and consists of tiny characters named Mary, Billybud and Fumbleton. Fast forward to the present and we see that Uncle Gilly has died suddenly in his home. The three characters struggle to survive and seek a new normalcy. Mary wants to think the show is still happening and carries on as if she thinks it is, Fumbleton uses his spare time reciting Shakespeare monologues and Billybud plays around with the props. Within time, they run out of food and don’t know what to do, then a fire happens and burns everything, then a potential bird attack. It’s after Fumbleton saves them that they decide to venture out to a life outside the former home.

The third of the three stop-motion films nominated, this is a funny charming story. It’s a story that will surprise you on how something like this can get dark and serious with the creator dead and the little ones trying to save their lives. It makes for an unexpected story and an unexpected drama but in the end, it lead to a happy ending, but not without a disturbing climax. It’s funny and poignant too. This film won the BAFTA for the best British animated short film and the Annie award in the short film category. That’s why I make it my WILL WIN pick.

Yuck! (dir. Loic Espuche) – It’s summertime in France. Leo is out camping with his two siblings and good friend Lucie. They go spying in on all the people at the campground and as they watch any two kiss, they are all disgusted. You can tell by the desire to kiss as their lips glow. They go from place to place seeing the kissing, or attempts to kiss, and they’re disgusted by it all, but Leo takes a fascination with it. One day, he and his friend Lucie are all alone. It’s evident Leo and Lucie have feelings for each other and want to kiss. They go to a place where they hope to be alone. As they’re about to kiss, two friends barge in. They’re disgusted. They start taunting Leo and Lucie. Even calling Leo a pervert. However one night, it’s clear that Leo and Lucie don’t have to let it bother them and…

This is a cute two-dimensional story that will bring anyone back to the days of childhood innocence. We’ve all had that situation of a child’s first feelings of love. We also remember how we were disgusted with kissing when we were kids. This story captures that essence and makes us laugh at those days again. Also, the use of the color pink to symbolize feelings of love, especially in the lips, and the musical score of the film both add to the charm of the story. I can’t help but call it a guilt-free guilty pleasure. That’s why I give this film my Should Win pick.

And there you have it. That’s my look at the five films nominated in the Best Animated Short Film category. Interesting how none of the nominated films for this year are in the 3D computer animation format. Must be the first year in a long time. Better luck next year.

Oscars 2024 Short Films Review: Live-Action

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

With the Oscar nominations come the annual showing of the nominated short films. Once again, I had the luck of seeing the short films nominated for this year’s Academy Awards. Only one is an American-made film. The rest are from multiple countries. Here’s my review of the films nominated for Best Live-Action Short Film for 2024:

A Lien (dirs. Davit Cutler-Kreutz and Sam Cutler-Kreutz) – The story begins with a family, Oscar, Sophia and their daughter Nina, arriving early for an overseas trip. The trip is for all of them to get their passports. Since there are separate interviews per adult, Nina is with Oscar. Sophia has no problem getting her passport but problems are with Oscar. Turns out his appointment is a set-up with an ICE agent. They know Oscar is illegal and is getting ready to deport Oscar and possibly Nina. Things become of huge concern to Sophia as she doesn’t know why Oscar’s passport is taking so long until she finds out what’s happening.

The story is definitely on the topic of illegal immigrants and ICE cracking down. It’s a big topic as the Trump administration returns to the White House and promises the biggest deportations in US history. The focus here is on the tactic of set-up appointments where they are able to trick the alleged illegal into their trap. Even with the topic, this story presents itself in a heat-of-the-moment crisis situation where the audience fears for the worst as Sophie fears for the worst. Also seeing how Nina could be deported along with Oscar, it will make one think about what’s happening. It makes one think more harm will come from this than good. That’s why I pick this film as my Should Win pick and my WILL WIN pick.

Anuja (dir. Adam J. Graves) – Anuja is a nine year-old girl in Delhi who is a victim of child labor. She and her older sister Palak are both orphaned and they work as sewers at a garment factory to pay their rent. One day, their boss Mr. Verma calls Anuja to the office as a local schoolteacher, Mr. Mishra, has been impressed with Anuja. Mr. Mishra offers her to take an entrance exam to attend a boarding school with paid scholarship, but Mr. Verma wants to keep her for his labor. Palak lets Anuja in on a secret. Palak has made bags out of scraps to see so she can get married but she’s willing to sell them for Anuja for the *400 fee for the exam. Palak wants Anuja to seize this way out. There comes a problem. The morning of the exam will happen soon and Mr. Verma is so impressed with Anuja’s math skills, he wants her there every morning or else she or Palak will be fired. In the end, Anuja makes a crucial decision the day of the exam.

This story is a good story about child labor. The topic of child labor is an uncomfortable one since they’re too young, overworked, underpaid and they miss out on benefits like a good education. This story is one that shows of the hope of a way out, but not without the menacing boss threatening her. Even you yourself will be concerned of what Anuja’s next move will be. The story ends in an ambiguous way as it lets the audience decide for themselves what Anuja’s choice is. It takes you to the heat of that moment in both the classroom, the sweatshop’s office and where Anuja is. A smart way of ending the film.

I’m Not A Robot (dis. Victoria Warmerdam) – The film begins at a music office. One of the workers, a producer named Lara, receives an alert to restart her laptop. The update gives her CAPTCHA code after CAPTCHA code to verify her authenticity. Frustrated how the CAPTCHAs are never ending, she calls tech support, but they give her the news it’s confirmed she’s a robot. A different test consisting of many personal questions confirms she’s 87% likely to be a robot. She consults her boyfriend Daniel about this. The talk between her and Daniel is interfering with an important meeting at her record label since even he can’t confirm she’s not a robot. Even a new worker at work named Pam, but she makes things worse by telling her she’s a robot created by Daniel five years ago to be his girlfriend. It gets to the point there’s only one last thing to do. Even as she meets up with Daniel on the top level of a parkade, she’s told she’s unable to end her life. Will a suicide jump from that parkade confirm if she’s human or a bot?

Of all the nominated films in this category, this is the only comedy. This takes us into a scenario of “What if?” What if there really was a living breathing bot of a human being and they didn’t know it? What if they learned they were a bot even from their loved one? It plays around with that idea. It takes us into the moment and it gets us laughing as each situation gets weirder and weirder. It’s a good laugh break and a good film in itself too.

The Last Ranger (dir. Cindy Lee) – Khuselwa is a ranger at a game reserve in South Africa. She works alongside her fellow ranger Robert to preserve the wildlife and protect from poachers. It is during the COVID pandemic and Robert tells her they’re running out of funds and may have to cease operations, but Khuselwa refuses to stop as her job is her passion.

One day, she sees her young friend Litha walking as she is to sell her father’s carvings. She offers her a ride in the humvee and shows her the animals, including the two rhinos she adores. Both of them notice poachers attempting to go after their horns for sale on the black market. Khuselwa goes to arrest while Litha videotapes. After one of the poachers saws of the horn of a rhino, It becomes a shootout between Khuselwa and the poachers that leave her mortally wounded. After the battle, Litha learns that one of the poachers is her father. Litha is infuriated but her father begs forgiveness. As years pass, Litha is now a ranger with Robert.

This is a story worth telling as it’s of an illegal operation that is still happening now. Poaching of endangered wild animals in Africa as riches for their bodies, hides and body parts are offered. This tells of the story of a common poaching incident but it also tells of bonds between friends, father and daughter and a bond of ranger to animals. There are some rangers who are willing to give their lives for the well-being of animals. Khuselwa was one of those and she’s passed on her values and passion to Litha as she died that day. This makes for an informative story about animal protection as it’s also a good coming of age story of the girl.

The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent (dir. Nebojsa Slijepcevic) – The film begins on a train trip from Belgrade, Serbia to Bar, Montenegro in 1993 in what is still Yugoslavia and during some of the most intense days of the Balkan Wars. A man named Dragan is with four other people of various ages in the same train car. The train trip is stopped suddenly as the White Eagles army have come to inspect the train and will drag out any ‘suspicious’ passengers. One person in the car, the teenager Milan, tells Dragan he has no documentation. Dragan assures him no one in the car will hurt him. As a commander enters the car, Dragan unsuccessfully tries to rebuff him and has to watch as all passengers are inspected. With no papers, Milan is ordered out of the car until Tomo, a Croat army veteran, stops the commander and questions his authority. In turn, it’s Tomo taken off the train to be questioned while Milan is able to return to his seat. Dragan watches as Tomo is led off.

This is a story that reminds us of the Balkan war, a war that deserves not to be forgotten. The story is an example of the brutality and of the ethnic cleaning attempts that happened in the various areas. It’s also a story of goodwill as a Croat army veteran is willing to allow himself to be sacrificed so that the teenager without documents is allowed to live. All through the witnessing of one man who was just simply a passenger. It’s a story that tells a lot. This film won the short film Palme d’Or at Cannes and is the film I feel will be the Most Likely Upsetter.

And there you go. That’s my look at the films nominated in the category of Best Live-Action Short Film. I will be having one blog per category for the short films reviews so animation will be next.

2024 UEFA Euro: My Semifinals Predictions

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment
After more than three weeks and 48 games, only four teams remain in contention.

If you thought the group play had a lot of crazy moments, the Round of 16 matches and quarterfinals have their share of shockers too. Where do I start? Starting with the quarterfinals, first came Switzerland surprising Italy 2-0. Any hopes of a comeback for Team Italy will have to be put on development. Just when England appeared to lose to Slovakia, a goal from Bellingham in the 90+5th minute saved them and the goal from Kane in the 91st minute kept them alive. Then what seemed to be a scoreless draw for Belgium vs. France became a winner for France thanks to Kolo Muani’s strike bouncing off Ventonghen’s knee. A scoreless Portugal-Slovenia game saw a penalty kick from Cristiano Ronaldo stopped.

Then came the quarterfinals. In the very first match, Spain vs. Germany, lots of shockers as an 89th-minute goal from Germany’s Wirtz prevented Spain from winning in regulation. Then a 119th minute goal from Spain’s Merino stopped any hope for a penalty kicks round for the hosts. What would be Cristiano Ronaldo’s sixth Euro would become the first and only where he doesn’t score a goal. What would become yet another scoreless draw for Portugal, France beat them in penalties. England not only had the rare case of winning a game on penalty shootout in their match against Switzerland but they sank all five! To end it all, Netherlands arrived late but won it despite Turkey’s attempt for a big comeback.

Now that the first rounds of the knockout stage are done, it’s the semifinals. Three of the semifinalists have already won the Euro at least once before. The other was a finalist at the last Euro for their first time ever and missed winning its first Championship “by that much!” The quarterfinal winners from Friday’s games will play Tuesday’s match and the quarterfinal winners of Saturday’s matches will play Wednesday’s match. With that in mind, here’s my look at the two semifinals and my predictions:

SEMIFINAL #1: SPAIN vs. FRANCE

Head-To-Head Stuff: The two teams have squared off 36 times before. Spain have won 16 times, France has won 13 times and seven were draws.

Team-By-Team Analysis

SPAIN: La Furia Roja have won the Euro three times before. Here in Germany they came to this tournament in an unknown situation. They were out at the 2022 World Cup in the Round Of 16 but came back to win the UEFA Nations League this past year. Here in Germany, they appear to be the team that’s delivered best. Their group stage play was straight wins without even conceding a goal. Their Round Of 16 match against Georgia started with an own-goal but they made up for it by scoring four for themselves. They faced a tough challenge against Germany in the quarterfinal but hung in to win 2-1 in added extra time.

With five wins, eleven goals and two conceded, Spain looks to be in top form to win. It’s also something one should not rush into thinking. Even they can face stiff challenges from their highly-ranked opponents. Their win over Italy came on an own goal and was the only goal of the match. Their win over Germany was in added extra time. Even though France’s play has been lacklustre here in Germany, they should not underestimate them or they could be in trouble.

FRANCE: I honestly think Les Bleus are the luckiest team here at the Euro so far. Their first game was a 1-0 win over Austria due to an own-goal from Wober. Their game against the Netherlands was a scoreless draw and their game against Poland was a 1-1 draw. In the Round of 16, they again benefited from an own-goal as Kolo Muani’s strike bounced off Ventonghen’s knee. In their quarterfinal, their game against Portugal went scoreless but a perfect five-set of penalty kicks gave France the win.

It’s easy to label France’s success at this Euro as being “by fluke.” Two 1-0 wins won by an own-goal, having two of the six 0-0 draws of this Euro, only three goals for them and the only one that wasn’t an own-goal was a penalty by Mbappe against Poland. If France wants to win their third Euro ever, they will have to come alive in the semi because Spain will deliver a challenge where their luck could run out on Tuesday.

My Final Verdict: Will Spain continue its winning ways of play? Will France’s lucking out continue in the semis? I think Spain will take it 2-0. I have more faith that consistent play will pay off that night.

SEMIFINAL #2: THE NETHERLANDS vs. ENGLAND

Head-To-Head Stuff: They have met 22 times before including two Euro meetings; the last being in 1996 which England hosted. Past results are The Netherlands won seven games, England won six, and nine are draws.

Team-By-Team Analysis

THE NETHERLANDS: They’ve won one Euro before; back in 1988. No doubt they want to do it again. Oranje has the talent to do it again with the likes of Cody Gakpo and Memphis Depay. They also have the play to achieve their second Euro. Their 3-0 win over Romania shows they know how to dominate. Their 2-1 win over Turkey in the quarterfinals also shows they know how to come from behind.

They’ve also shown some vulnerability during this tournament. That was evident in their scoreless draw to France and their 3-2 loss to Austria caused by an own-goal by Donyell Malen near the start. Even their win over Turkey was a concern as they only came alive in the last 25 minutes. If they want to win the semifinal, they can’t afford to give anything away. Especially if they’re playing England.

ENGLAND: They’re the team many love to hate. They boast the best combined football talent in the world but they have the habit of falling short in major tournaments. Nevertheless The Three Lions are able to pull the unexpected. In group play, their 1-0 win over Serbia was the only game in Group C that wasn’t a draw. That sole win of the group put them in first of Group C. What appeared looming to be a 1-0 loss to Slovakia in the Round Of 16 was ended thanks to a last-minute goal from Jude Bellingham and an almost -immediate goal from Harry Kane to win. Then their quarterfinal against Switzerland ended in a 1-1. Usually penalty kicks are England’s biggest weakness but they sank all five of their openers en route to the win.

No question England is talented. They have a lot of talent. They also have one of their best coaches in decades. Nevertheless as we’ve seen in play here, England can underplay. They often deliver short of what they’re capable of and we’ve seen it in the past as well as at this very Euro. Holding back and not arriving until the last few minutes of the game can cost them in the semifinals. Additionally, coach Gareth Southgate has received criticism for some of his coaching decisions. Decision here will affect if he continues on as team manager or if his eight-year stint ends here.

My Final Verdict: I know this will be a tight match with it being against two of the toughest European teams. I predict the game will end as a 1-1 draw and The Netherlands will win on penalty kicks.

And there you have it. Those are my thoughts on the two semifinals and my predictions for the winners of the games. Hard to believe the final is just a week away!

UEFA Euro 2024: Predictions For Knockout Rounds

Jon The Blogcentric2 Comments

The image above shows the flags of the sixteen nations still in the running. The whole point of those 36 games of group play is to reduce the field of 24 to the 16 most worthy of advancing. After that, each round is a knockout match to pare down the field to the two to square off for the Euro Cup. The group play was quite interesting. A hat trick wasn’t scored but a lot of brilliant goals. There were four 0-0 games. I hate 0-0 games! There were a lot of controversial referee calls. Also a lot of shockers from teams one wouldn’t consider a favorite but made it through. For all the teams, none of the teams had a case of losing all three games. One group was a case of only a single win and the rest draws to decide. Another group was a case all four teams had a win, a loss and a draw. It must have been tough to decide the finishing order, which they eventually did.

On Saturday the 29th starts the knockout rounds. After all that group play to narrow the 24 to 16, the upcoming Round Of 16 is just a single game for each team to narrow the field of 16 to 8. The layout for the Round of 16 doesn’t make the same clear sense as the Round of 16 in a 32-team World Cup, but this is how UEFA arranges it. I just hope the tournament ends up with the right two in the final. In the meantime, here are my predictions for each match. Matches are in chronological order and my prediction for the winner will be bolded:

ROUND OF 16

Switzerland (Group A 2nd.) vs. Italy (Group B 2nd.): Switzerland finished 2nd in Group A without a loss. It all started with a 3-1 win to Hungary, then 1-1 draws to both Scotland and Germany. Italy opened well against Albania 2-1, lost to Spain 1-0 thanks to an own-goal and drew 1-1 against Croatia in the stoppage time at the end. For this match, I predict Switzerland to win on penalty kicks. The last time Switzerland lost to Italy was 1993.

Germany (Group A 1st.) vs. Denmark (Group C 2nd.): Being the host nation, Germany knew they had to deliver, and deliver well! They did just that opening the Euro with a 5-1 win over Scotland and a 2-0 win over Hungary. Their qualification guaranteed, they could afford to draw 1-1 against Switzerland. Denmark had the good fortune of drawing all three games in their group: 1-1 draws to Slovenia and England and ending with a scoreless draw to Serbia. For this game, I predict Germany to win because they’ve been better at delivering this tournament and making wins happen.

England (Group C 1st.) vs. Slovakia (Group D/E/F 3rd.) Group C was the group where five of the six games were draws. England delivered the only win: 1-0 against Serbia. With their scoreless draw to Slovenia and 1-1 draw to Denmark, that was enough to make them top Group C. Slovakia was in a group that was just as tight. All four Group E teams had a win, a draw and a loss. Slovakia’s win was to Belgium 1-0, their loss to Ukraine 2-1, and their draw to Romania 1-1. For this game I predict England. England has never lost to Slovakia in the six times they played. A single draw at Euro 2016 but never lost.

Spain (Group B 1st.) vs. Georgia (Group D/E/F 3rd.): Spain had it’s win of Group B guaranteed after the second game! They opened 3-1 against Croatia and did 2-1 against Italy. Their 1-0 win over Albania just was a bonus for straight wins. Georgia went from the surprise of qualifying to the surprise of this tournament. They lost their opener to Turkey 3-1, came back to draw against Czechia 1-1 and then win to Portugal 2-0. For this match, I predict Spain. The two have met head-to-head seven times and Spain only lost to Georgia once. Spain won the rest of the times..

France (Group D 2nd.) vs. Belgium (Group E 2nd.): A classic match! France finished second in Group D starting with a 1-0 win over Austria, the only Group F team to beat Austria, a scoreless draw to the Netherlands and a 1-1 draw to Poland. Belgium started their Group E play with a surprise 1-0 loss to Slovakia, then came back with a 2-0 win to Romania and ended with a scoreless draw to Ukraine. For this, I think this will go to a draw with France winning on penalty kicks.

Portugal (Group F 1st.) vs. Slovenia (Group A/B/C 3rd.): Portugal not only clinched qualification after their first two games, but they also clinched first place in Group F in the process! A 2-1 win over Czechia and a 3-0 win over Turkey is all it took. They could afford to lose to Georgia 2-0 and still top Group F! Slovenia was straight draws with 1-1 to Denmark, 1-1 to Serbia and ended with scoreless against Denmark. Despite the same goal differentials as Denmark, their extra yellow card caused them to finish third in the group. Portugal look on target but I think the game will go to Slovenia. Why? In the one time they ever met, a friendly just three months ago, Slovenia won 2-0.

Romania (Group E 1st.) vs. The Netherlands (Group A/C/D 3rd.): Romania began Group E with a 3-0 win over Ukraine, then endured a 2-0 loss to Belgium and ended it with a 1-1 draw to Slovakia. The Netherlands also had their own win, loss and draw in Group D. They began with a 2-1 win over Poland, a scoreless draw to France and a surprise 3-2 loss to Austria. The two have met 13 times and Netherlands have won nine times. I predict Netherlands to win again.

Austria (Group D 1st.) vs. Turkey (Group F 2nd.): Nobody expected Austria to go too far at Euro 2024. Even their 1-0 to France thanks to an own-goal didn’t help. Then came their 3-1 win over Poland and their 3-2 win over the Netherlands en route to topping Group D. Maybe Austria is a stronger team than we thought! Turkey began Euro 2024 with a 3-1 win over Georgia, endured a 3-0 loss to Portugal and came back to a 2-1 win over Czechia. The last time Austria and Turkey met was three months ago and Austria won 6-1. I expect Austria to win again.

QUARTERFINALS

Why do I predict quarterfinals before I even know who the quarterfinalists are? Do you know how tiring writing is? Anyways as in past years, I plan to take a short break and not publish my next Euro blog until just before the semifinals. With that in mind, I’ll go as if my predictions for the Round of 16 matches actually came true. So here are my thoughts:

Spain vs. Germany – They frequently meet and the results alternate: 26 previous meetings; 8 Spain wins; 9 Germany wins; 9 draws. I think this will be a tight match leading into a penalty kick round which Germany will win.

Slovenia vs. France – They’ve met three times in the past and France has won each time. Even though their last previous meeting was over 20 years ago, I don’t think much has changed. I expect France to win again.

Netherlands vs. Austria – It’s possible two teams that clashed in the Group stage could meet again this soon. If they do meet again, I anticipate a draw game with Netherlands to win on penalties.

England vs. Switzerland – They’ve met 27 times before but England has won nineteen times. I’m not expecting much to change this time so I think it will be a win for England again.

And there you have it. Those are predictions for the Round of 16 matches and my ‘estimates’ for the quarterfinals. All we have to do is wait for the games to play to see who really wins. In the meantime, you’ll get my next blog where I predict the semifinals.

UEFA Euro 2024: Group Stage With One Game To Go

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

How about that? All 24 teams have completed their second game, or Matchday 2. There’s only one last group game to play and that will finalize the Group Stage standings and determine the qualifiers for the knockout rounds.

This year, there is an interesting allotment of the types of teams playing, but there are certain types of teams here in Germany that have stood out the most. We have teams who appeared to have lost their greatness before now playing hard to get it back. We have teams demonstrating their known consistency. We have underdogs surprising fans with wins over big guns. We also have teams that had a “Golden Generation” for many years that looks like their luster is running out and the younger players haven’t been well-trained to keep their team’s prowess active.

Now there’s only one game remaining in the Group Stage. That’s commonly referred to as ‘Matchday 3.’ Three teams right now have already guaranteed qualification by winning their first two games. With more than two groups having at least one draw game, two wins are a guarantee for qualification at this stage. Two of those teams have also already guaranteed a first-place finish in their group because of their win over the team in second place. Here at Euro, head-to-head results supersede goal differentials which the World Cup uses to to be the top tie-breaker in group rankings. In addition, only one team is guaranteed elimination already. Right now, the fates of twenty teams are still unknown and they will all need Matchday 3 to decide everything.

With one game to go, here’s my look at the teams in each of the Euro 2024 groups and what they need to qualify. Teams that have already qualified will be bolded. Group titles will contain links to my original group blogs:

Group A:

Some could say Germany did it in the very opening game. That remains to be seen. What is a fact is Germany won both their opening games and the hosts have guaranteed themselves qualification to the knockout round! A 5-1 against Scotland in the opener and their 2-0 win over Hungary did it. Second in the standings is Switzerland with their 3-1 win over Hungary and a 1-1 draw against Scotland. Germany and Switzerland meet for their last game. Switzerland can guarantee qualification with a draw. Even if they lose, the are still assured a top-three finish and are in conformable standings to qualify, though it’s not guaranteed. Their play against Germany will decide it all.

Of the teams in Group A that have not won a match, Scotland is third with a 5-1 loss to Germany and a 1-1 draw to Switzerland. At the bottom is Hungary with a 3-1 loss to Switzerland and a 2-0 loss to Germany. Both teams will face each other Sunday. No doubt that in order to have qualifying chances for the knockout round, either team must win. Despite the advantage of a draw to Switzerland, a draw against Hungary will not be enough for Scotland to qualify with two draws and a big loss. Even if Hungary wins over Scotland, it’s game results and goal differentials that will decide if their among the four wildcard teams that advance.

Group B:

Spain did it! They opened with a 3-0 win over Croatia and a 1-0 win against Italy thanks to an own goal from Riccardo Calafiore. Their two wins guarantee them qualification no matter what happens in Game 3. Their win over Italy guarantees them first place in Group B! Although Italy’s qualification is not guaranteed, the Azzurri are second with their 2-1 win over Albania. A draw against Croatia is all they need to qualify.

For the two teams at the bottom, Albania and Croatia, they still have qualification chances with both having a loss and a draw but for both teams, they need nothing less than a win to qualify. That will be a nail biter especially because both teams will face a highly touted opponent on Matchday 3; Albania will face Spain and Croatia will face Italy. After that 2-2 draw, Albania has an advantage because they have less of a goal differential. Nevertheless it’s down to the wire for both teams in a must-win situation. I don’t call Group B the Group Of Death for nothing!

Group C:

Sometimes in group play, you can get some groups that are quite decisive in who are the biggest and best in the group. Other times, the play in the group will be hard to decipher who are the powers of the group. Group C is that group as it’s hard to tell who are the better teams. Four games have been played and three of them were 1-1 draws. The only game where a winner was declared was England’s 1-0 win over Serbia. That lone win puts England at the top of the group and with very comfortable chances to qualify. I’ve been calling Group B the “Group Of Death” because of the caliber of the teams but it looks like with the closeness of play at Euro 2024, Group C should be called the “Group Of Death.”

Actually right now, none of the teams have enough points to qualify, but none of the teams are out. All four are still eligible. Despite England having it best, both Slovenia and Denmark have it good with two tie games each. A win from either will solidify qualifying. At the very least, a draw could help either of them for a wildcard berth as three draws is three game points and even goal differentials. Serbia still has qualifying chances but being the one team in Group C to take a loss, they will need nothing less than a win to qualify. Two draws and a loss won’t cut it in the wildcard third-place runoff.

Group D:

Group D has a unique situation. None of the teams have guaranteed qualification and one team is out of contention. The three teams that still have chances will need Matchday 3 to decide anything and everything. Leading the group are the Netherlands and France with a win and a draw each. The Netherlands opened well with a 2-1 win over Poland while France won over Austria 1-0 thanks to an own-goal by Maximilian Wober. The two teams played each other on Friday but it ended a scoreless draw. If you ask me, there are a lot of big name teams that are not playing like they want it. A simple draw can guarantee qualification for either team.

Austria opened up with the hard luck of a 1-0 loss to France thanks to Wober’s own goal. When they faced Poland, it was a surprise 3-1 win for Austria. That win is crucial for Austria’s qualifying chances, but their match against the Netherlands will decide things. As for Poland, they’re out. They lost 2-1 to the Netherlands and 3-1 to Austria. Even if they win their game against France and Austria loses, Austria will still have the advantage for their win over Poland. The head-to-head factor.

Group E:

Sigh. That subject about the ‘Group Of Death’ again! Group E is another group worthy of being labeled the Group Of Death because of the play so far. Talk about tight play! All four teams of Group E are even. All four had a win and a loss. Teams most people thought would not be among contenders delivered surprise wins at the start and keep their qualifying chances healthy. I’m not sure if there are any specific head-to-head rules that explain the current rankings, but the goal differentials look to be what’s deciding the current rankings. Despite losing to Belgium 2-0, Romania leads thanks to their 3-0 win over Ukraine while Belgium takes second due to their 1-0 loss to Slovakia. Slovakia is third because of even goal differentials after their 2-1 loss to Ukraine and Ukraine is at the bottom as the one nation with negative goal differentials thanks to their 3-0 loss to Romania.

Any of the four can qualify. Thanks to all four having a win and a loss, none have guaranteed qualification and none are out and it will take Matchday 3 to decide everything. Slovakia will play Romania and Ukraine will play Belgium. If both games are draws, only then would the current standings factor in qualification. It will have to be a case of either both games having a winner and a loser or the case of one game having a winner and the other drawing in order to decide the qualifiers to the next round.

Group F:

There must be something about being a team from the Iberian Peninsula this year because Portugal not only qualified but like Spain, they too guaranteed top of their group! It took a 2-1 win over Czechia and a 3-0 win over Turkey to solidify it! Even if they lose to Georgia on Wednesday and Turkey wins, Portugal will still finish first because of their win over Turkey.

Despite the loss, Turkey is second in the group and has good chances to qualify. Turkey can still qualify if they draw, even if Georgia wins. For both Czechia and Georgia, both teams will need nothing less than a win to qualify. Their 1-1 draw against each other keeps them in contention but a win needs to happen for either to qualify. Especially for the third-place wildcard berths because the two third-place teams with the lowest game results will join the fourth-place teams from each group packing for home sooner than they hoped!

And there you have it! That’s my summary for the Euro 2024 groups with Matchday 3 being all that’s left for all 24 teams. It will be interesting to learn of the other thirteen that advance and the seven others that get an earlier-than-hoped return home!

UEFA Euro 2024: Group D Focus

Jon The Blogcentric2 Comments

I’ll admit some of my talk outside the team talk in my last blog was pretty boring. For this blog, I will try something new. After my focus on the teams, I will give a focus on the ten venues that will be used to contest the games of this Euro. To save space and time, I will just talk about the venues with ‘fast facts.’

Anyways to start my blog off, here now is my look at the teams of Group D. Crazy thing is two teams in Group D played each other in the same qualifying group! Crazy that they meet again here! Who does these draws?:

– Poland (28): Poland is a team with a good reputation. The Orly or Biało-czerwon have finished third at two World Cups and weer Olympic champions in 1972. At Euro 2016, they made it to the quarterfinals for the first time. One of the problems with Poland is that the current team is big on talent but has a reputation of underperforming at big tournaments. They ended in the group stage at the last Euro and at the last two World Cups, they were out in group play in 2018 and out in the Round Of 16 in 2022.

Since World Cup 2022, the team has dropped Fernando Santos as coach and has gone back to a coach from their own nation: Michal Probierz. Robert Lewandowski, the most capped Polish player ever, is back, but Lewandowski can’t do it alone. The team has a lot of young talent 25 and under, but they also have some other established veterans like midfielders Kamil Grosicki and Piotr Zielinski and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. In play since the World Cup, they’ve had wins to Germany, Ukraine, Estonia, Turkey and Latvia. They’ve had a win and a loss to Albania and two cases of a draw and a loss to Moldova and Czechia. Here in Germany, it’s a chance to write another chapter for the Polish team.

-Netherlands (7): The Oranje are considered to be the best team in the world to never have won a World Cup. At the Euro, they won in 1988 and have finished third four times. Since 2020, they’ve been underperforming. Euro 2020 saw them lose their Round of 16 match to Czechia 2-0, and after winning all three of their group play games! The last World Cup saw them lose to eventual champions Argentina on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals. Even losses in their recent play are quite telling.

Since the 2022 World Cup, they’ve dropped Louis Van Gaal as coach and are now back to being headed by Ronald Koeman who has played in two World Cups and was a key part of Oranje’s win of Euro 1988! The team’s stars include defender Daley Blind, midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum and forward Memphis Depay. Since World Cup 2022, they’ve had wins against Scotland, Greece, Canada and Ireland. They’ve also had losses to France, Croatia, Germany and Italy. Anything can happen at Euro. Germany offers the stage for a possible second win.

-Austria (25): There was a time The Burschen were one of the top teams in the world. They made the semifinals of World Cup 1934. World Cup 1954 saw them finish third. They last qualified for a World Cup in 1998. Austria only competed in their first Euro in 2008 when they hosted. Since then, they’ve worked to come back as a stronger team. At the last Euro, they made it to the Round of 16 for the first time ever.

Austria is coached by Germany’s Ralf Rangnick who was hired in April 2022. The team members mostly play in clubs with Germany’s Bundesliga or Austria’s own Bundesliga. Star players include goalkeeper Heinz Lindner, midfielder Marcel Sabitzer and forward Marko Amautovic, who is Austria’s most capped player. Since World Cup 2022 ended, they’ve had wins to Turkey, Slovakia, Sweden, Estonia and Serbia. They’ve also had a draw to Switzerland and a draw and a loss to Belgium. Anything can happen this month in June and Austria has the opportunity to prove themselves again.

-France (2): One thing about the lats ten years has been about the rebounding of Les Bleus. Sure, they’ve won the Euro before in 1984 and 2000, but their excitement these last ten years have ben remarkable. Finalists in Euro 2016 which they hosted, World Cup winners in 2018 and World Cup finalists in 2022. Their play in the final of the 2022 World Cup should be admired since many members were recovering from food poisoning.

The team is coached by Didier Deschamps, a former player for the 1998 World Cup winning team, who has coached since Euro 2012. His coaching has a lot to do with France regaining their form as the best in the world. Star players include defender Benjamin Pavard, midfielder N’Golo Kante and forwards Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappe. Since the World Cup final, they’ve had wins over Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands. They’ve also endured a win and a draw to Greece, a draw to Canada, and losses to Germany. It’s very possible France could win their third Euro here in 2024. It’s all about the team being all together.

My Predictions: That’s often it. Four great teams, but they will have to be ranked in the end. I think the qualifiers here will be France and The Netherlands with Poland being the wildcard qualifier.

VENUES OF EURO 2024

It should be no surprise that Germany should have the venues to host a twenty-four nation major football tournament on its own. A nation who Bundesliga could be a challenge to the Premier League can do it. Germany has ten venues. They range in age from a few years old to 101 years old! Of course some of the older venues have had renovations, even one completely demolished to rebuild, but they still stand strong. Four are in the North Rhine-Westphalia region (with very little travel time between them), one is in the former East Germany and one hosted an Olympic Games. For this Euro, all of them will have group play games and at least one knockout match as well. For most of them, their Euro capacity is smaller than their respective team’s game capacity because standing areas are not allowed in the Euro.

This focus here is a brief focus. My focus is only giving a brief telling of the venues and its main facts like which city, year first completed, capacity and tenant team. I’ll be starting with venues that will only go as far as the Round Of 16 progressing to venues playing additional knockout matches to the Grand Venue which is to hold the final for the cup:

Venues Up To Round Of 16

  • Cologne Stadium: City – Cologne (Koln)
    Year Opened: 1923
    Euro Capacity: 46,922
    Current Tenant: Viktoria Koln
  • Leipzig Stadium: City – Leipzig
    Year Opened: 2004
    Euro Capacity: 46,635
    Current Tenant: RB Leipzig
  • Frankfurt Arena: City – Frankfurt
    Year Opened: 1925
    Euro Capacity: 48,057
    Current Tenant: Eintracht Frankfurt
  • Arena AufSchalke: City – Gelsenkirchen
    Year Opened: 2001
    Euro Capacity: 49,471
    Current Tenant: FC Schalke 04

Venues For Further Matches

  • Dusseldorf Arena: City – Dusseldorf
    Year Opened: 2004
    Euro Capacity: 46,264
    Current Tenant: Fortuna Dusseldorf
  • Volksparkstadion: City – Hamburg
    Year Opened: 1953
    Euro Capacity: 50,215
    Current Tenant: Hamburger SV
  • Stuttgart Arena: City – Stuttgart
    Year Opened: 1933
    Euro Capacity: 50,998
    Current Tenant: V1B Stuttgart
  • Westfalenstadion: City – Dortmund
    Year Opened: 1974
    Euro Capacity: 61,524
    Current Tenant: Borussia Dortmund
  • Fussball Arena Munchen: City – Munich (Munchen)
    Year Opened: 2005
    Euro Capacity: 66,026
    Current Tenant: Bayern Munich

GRAND VENUE

  • Olympiastadion Berlin: City – Berlin
    Year Opened: 1936
    Capacity: 70,023
    Current Tenant: Hertha BSC

And there you go. This is my look at the teams of Group D as well as a look at the ten venues for Germany 2024. Only two more groups left to review.

WORK CITED:

WIKIPEDIA: UEFA Euro 2024. Wikipedia.com. 2024. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2024>

2023 Women’s World Cup: Group E Focus

Jon The Blogcentric2 Comments

The funny thing about draws for the World Cups or any other major football event is that it can give you a lot of surprising results. In this very group, we have the two finalists from France 2019! How did that happen? Also in this group, we have two teams making their Women’s World Cup debut. This is the only group with two debut teams. Without further ado, here is my look at Group E of Australia/New Zealand 2023:

-United States of America (1): What can’t be said about the USA or the USWNT? Since women’s football got their own Women’s World Cup in 1991 and was added to the Olympic program in 1996, the Stars and Stripes have reigned supreme winning four of the eight Cups and four of the seven Olympic gold medals. As time goes on, they keep on churning out new legends. Many people here are expecting the American women to “threepeat.” The American women have often been the case that the only women that can defeat the American women are the American women. And they have done that in the past. Such as missing out on Olympic gold in the last two Olympics. There are team that know how to win against the United States and have done so unexpectedly. Even in the four years since their last WWC, the American women have had issues such as player conflicts within the team and pay discrimination. The latter issue saw a lawsuit launched against the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) in 2019 and the GOALS Act (Give Our Athletes Level Salaries) passed by congress in 2021 which allowed the USSF settle the lawsuit with $24 million for the players.

Since October 2019, the USA has been coached by a Macedonian: Vlatko Andonovski. All players play for teams for the NWSL except for Lindsay Horan who play for a French team. The team is full of legends and current greats like Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Horan, Julie Ertz, Crystal Dunn and Kelley O’Hara. The team also has some promising young players like Emily Fox, Sophia Smith and Emily Rodman. In the last 12 months, their play has been mostly wins. Their most noteworthy wins have been against Canada, Japan and Brazil. They’ve had a win and a loss to Germany as well as losses to England and Spain. The team comes to Australia and New Zealand with the biggest of expectations and they will be ready to deliver.

-Vietnam (32): To think the Vietnam women’s team didn’t officially start until 1990 and play their first-ever match in 1997. Since then, Vietnam has made themselves into a team to be reckoned with. At the South East Asian Games, the women’s football tournament is often a Vietnam vs. Thailand affair with Vietnam having won eight times. They’ve also won the AFF Women’s Championship three times. Their play in the Women’s Asian Cup through overcoming old rivals Thailand and Chinese Taipei allowed them to win the playoff round and qualify for their first-ever Women’s World Cup.

The team’s coach is Mai Đức Chung who first managed in 2003 and has coached off and on. All the players play for teams in the Vietnamese league except for captain Huỳnh Như who plays for a Portuguese team. In the past 12 months, all their wins have been to Asian teams. They’ve endured losses to Philippines, New Zealand and Germany. Australia/New Zealand 2023 is the perfect arena for them to prove to the world they’re capable of breaking new ground.

-The Netherlands (9): The last Women’s World Cup was a pinnacle moment for Oranje Leeuwinnen as the reigning Euro holders made it to the final for the Cup and played well against the US despite losing 2-0. Since then, the Netherlands appears to have lost some of their spark. They only made it as far as the quarterfinals at the 2020 Summer Olympics and were even out in the quarterfinals at the 2022 Women’s Euro.

The team is coached by Andries Jonker who was hired after last year’s Women’s Euro. The team play for various teams in leagues throughout Europe. Top names include forward Lieke Martens and midfielders Danielle van de Donk and Sherida Spitse. In the past 12 months, their wins include Portugal. Switzerland and Denmark. They’ve also had losses to France, Norway and Germany. This Women’s World Cup is a chance to regain their reputation as one of the best in the World.

-Portugal (21): If there’s one European team that has made a lot of improvements over the years, it’s Portugal. Despite hosting a major women’s football tournament The Algarve Cup, the women’s team has often been lackluster. It wasn’t until 2017 when they first qualified for their first Women’s Euro. In the two times they’ve qualified, they’ve never made it past the Group Stage. A breakthrough happened in UEFA qualifying for the WWC. They finished second in Germany which allowed them to progress to playoff matches against Belgium and Iceland and won both matches. Even then, they had to go through the intercontinental route to qualify. Their playoff was against Cameroon and their win granted them their first-ever berth!

The Selecção das Quinas are coached by Francisco Neto who has coached the team since 2014. Most of the team plays for teams as part of Portugal’s Liga BPI. The team consists of many well-capped players such as forward Ana Borges, midfielder Dolores Silva and defender Carole Costa. In the past 12 months, the team has had notable wins against Ukraine, New Zealand and Iceland. They’ve also had draws against England and Wales and losses to Japan, Netherlands and Sweden. Chances are possible Portugal could be one of the surprise teams of this Women’s World Cup.

My Prediction: It’s hard not to choose teams other than the big favorites. However my basic sense tells me the qualifiers from this group will be United States and Netherlands.

And there you go. That’s my prediction for the Group E of the Women’s World Cup. Hard to believe there’s less than a week to go. Already the national teams have arrived. The excitement just grows!

World Cup 2022 Preview: Group A

Jon The Blogcentric2 Comments

For those wondering with the World Cup happening, will I be doing reviews of the groups as I normally do? Yes, I will. Will I be doing reviews of the stadiums and issues involving Qatar as the host? No I won’t. I mostly want to stick to reviewing the groups. Escpe4cially since that’s what mostly gets attention to my group blogs.

I will only talk a limited amount about Qatar hosting. I know it’s a surprise selection and that a lot of people have opinions about it. Many people are crying foul about it. The most I will say is it is a surprise to see a nation of just over 4,000 square miles (just slightly bigger than the island of Jamaica) and not even 3,000,000 people hosting. I would have figured is there would be one country in the Arabic world that would host the World Cup, it would be either Morocco or Algeria. Plus a nation that small having eight stadiums. I hope most of those stadiums have temporary seating because Qatar can’t afford to have the stadiums as white elephants. Only the future will tell of the after-use.

In the meantime, I will begin my World Cup focus on Group A. Group A is always the group with the host nation and it’s in the hopes that the host nation qualifies to the knockout stage. So far only once — South Africa back in 2010 — has the host nation not advanced past the opening stage of a World Cup. So let’s get to it! Also a reminder that FIFA ranking for October 2022 is in brackets:

GROUP A

-Qatar (50): Isn’t it something that there’s only a single nation making its World Cup debut and it’s the host nation? Qatar is considered to be an underdog by many. However the team called ‘The Maroon’ know with them hosting the World Cup this year, they will want to put on a good show and have the home country proud of them. They hired a Spanish coach named Felix Sanchez to coach the national team starting with the under-20 team in 2013, then the under-23 team in 2017 and then the main national team in 2020. They have delivered surprise results in the last four years like winning the 2019 Asian Cup and finishing third as a guest nation at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Interesting to note that all members of Qatar’s team play for clubs inside Qatar. Qatar has attempted to prove its mettle in the last year and a half against both national teams and renowned clubs. They’ve had victories over Ghana, United Arab Emirates and Italian team Udinese. They’ve had recent draws against Jamaica, Morocco and Chile. They’ve also had notable defeats to Serbia, Canada and Algeria. For their Group A opponents, the only team they ever played against was Ecuador and their record against them is a win, a loss and a draw. This World Cup is the scene for Qatar to prove itself to the world and they might just pull a surprise or two.

-Ecuador(44): This will be Ecuador’s fourth World Cup. Ecuador is a team looking for it’s first major break. At the World Cup, the best they ever did was the Round of 16. At the Copa America, the most they ever got was fourth. Le Tricolor is coach by a full team of Argentinean coaches in hopes of making their dent on the world football field. The Ecuadorean under-20 team finished third in the 2019 U20 World Cup.

The team has players that play in a wide variety of clubs in Europe, the US’s MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX. The goalkeepers all play for teams with Ecuador’s Serie A. They’ve had recent noteworthy wins against Mexico, Chile and Nigeria. They’ve had notable draws against Argentina, Japan and Brazil. They’ve also had losses to Venezuela and Paraguay. 2022 is another chance for Ecuador to prove itself on the World Cup stage and anything can happen.

-Senegal (18): The 2018 World Cup was the first World Cup since 1982 that an African team didn’t qualify for the knockout phase. Of the five teams, Senegal appeared to be the team most likely to. However at the end of their group, they had a win, a loss and a draw, just like Japan. They had the same goal differential as Japan, but what made the difference was Japan had less yellow cards than Senegal. That made all the difference between qualifying or not. The Lions of Teranga are back this year with the highest rank of all the African teams.

The national team has players that play in various European clubs; most play for either English or French teams. Coach Allou Cisse is the same coach they had since 2015. The team has had recent notable wins against Bolivia and Egypt, notable draws against Iran and Togo, and only two losses in the last year and a half. Senegal looks to improve as a team in 2022 and the stadiums of Qatar are another chance for them to move forward.

-Netherlands (8): The excitement of the Oranje almost always seems to be a given during a World Cup or a Euro. But after the 2014 World Cup where they finished third, they ran into trouble. They failed to qualify for the 2016 Euro and the 2018 World Cup. Turns out after they dropped Louis van Gaal as head coach just after World Cup 2014, they dealt with seven head coaches since. Van Gaal has returned as head coach after their Round of 16 elimination at Euro 2020.

For the national team for this World Cup, most of the players either play for German leagues or Netherlands’ Eridivisie. The team features a wide variety of veterans and young players. Since Euro 2020, the Netherlands team has not had a single loss. They’ve scored big wins against Belgium, Wales and Denmark. They’ve also had noteworthy draws against Germany and Poland. 2022 looks to be a big year of redemption for the Netherlands and I’m sure they’ll prove a lot here in Qatar.

MY PREDICTION: And now for my thoughts on Group A. It’s hard to predict as some teams have proved a lot while others have more to prove. I predict the two teams to qualify to the knockout phase will be the Netherlands and Senegal.

And there you have it! The first of my reviews of the groups for the 2022 World Cup. As we get closer and closer to the start, you will be seeing more reviews and more predictions.

UEFA Euro 2020: Knockout Round Predictions

Jon The Blogcentric1 Comment

Well the Group Play has just been conducted. There were a lot of surprises and there were a lot of expected results. Whatever the situation, the sixteen qualifiers have all been decided. And after their two days of rest, the Round of 16 starts the knockout part of the Euro en route to deciding the winner of the Cup. So in the meantime, here are my predictions on how I think the games will go:

ROUND OF 16

First off the Round of 16. This is only the second Euro ever to have such a round. One good thing that time around is there isn’t as much huge traveling around from place to place. And here are my predictions with my picks for the winner in bold.

Wales (Group A 2nd) vs. Denmark (Group B 2nd): Wales showed their strength with a win against Turkey and a draw against Switzerland. Their 1-0 loss to Italy showed they are able to rival the best. Denmark is a team that was visibly shaken after the cardiac arrest of Christian Eriksen. However it was in their last group game against Russia that they finally came out of their shell and won. For this match, I predict Wales as they’ve been more consistent in team unity and delivery.

Belgium (Group B Winner) vs. Portugal (Wildcard: A/E/F): Belgium finished third at the 2018 World Cup. Portugal is defending Euro champions. Belgium have shown their dominance since the start of the tournament. Portugal’s biggest success in Euro 2020 play is their 3-0 win against Hungary. However Cristiano Ronaldo keeps on breaking Euro scoring records! This is a tough one. Belgium’s team prowess against Cristiano Ronaldo’s scoring. I will have to go with Belgium to win.

England (Winner Group D) vs. Germany (Group F 2nd): A classic rivalry with landmark moments and moments of infamy such as in both the 1966 and 2010 World Cup. And to make it a bonus, it’s right in Wembley Stadium! This is the only Round of 16 match which has a home team playing!

England has been performing very well as a team and only suffered a scoreless draw against Scotland. Germany show great scoring ability in their games, but their team unity which normally is what takes them far in World Cups and Euros is missing here. Also England is in one of its best eras of team play ever, but their two wins were 1-0: both times scored by Raheem Sterling. A tough one but I’ll go with England in added extra time.

Italy (Winner Group A) vs. Austria (Group C 2nd): Italy came to Euro 2020 with redemption and the chance to show a new Azzurri in mind and they have been excellent. They’ve one all three of their group games scoring seven goals and not conceding one. Actually the last game Italy conceded a goal was against the Netherland way back in October! Austria have reason to celebrate as they achieved their first-ever qualification to the Euro knockout round: one of two Group C teams to make it their first ever. However this is where Austria is going to be brought to an end here. Italy are practically unanimous favorites here, and my pick too.

Netherlands (Winner Group C) vs. Czech Republic (Wildcard: D/F): Like Italy, Netherlands is another powerhouse that failed to qualify for World Cup 2018 and looked to Euro 2020 as a shot of redemption. And like Italy, they won all three of their games. They scored eight goals and conceded only two against Ukraine. The Czechs have also played very well too with Patrik Schick scoring all three of the team’s goals. I’ll predict the Netherlands and their team play.

France (Winner Group F) vs.  Switzerland (Wildcard A/C): France comes out of a tough Group F with two draws and a win that came thanks to a German own-goal. Switzerland has had mixed results but has done a good job in play and scoring. In fact they did a good job scoring in their match against Turkey. France has still shown the better team unity. I predict France to win this match.

Sweden (Winner Group E) vs. Ukraine (Wildcard B/C/D): This marke Sweden’s first time to the knockout round since 2004 and Ukraine’s first time to the knockout round ever! Sweden appeared conservative at first with just having draws but performed very well in their win against Poland. Ukraine is a team that’s unpredictable. It won against North Macedonia. However their 3-2 loss to the Netherlands showed they can contend with the best. Ukraine is a team that can do the unexpected. I predict the win to go to Sweden in added extra time.

Croatia (Group D 2nd) vs. Spain (Group E 2nd): This is a case of both teams playing substandardly their first two games and then pouring it on in their final games. Spain drew against Sweden and Poland, but was spectacular against Slovakia. Croatia first lost to England and then drew to the Czechs, but was brilliant against Scotland. Their win against them here during the Euro is their first victory over the Scots ever! This is a tough one and could be the one Round of 16 match that could be decided on penalty kicks. I’ll go with Croatia.

QUARTERFINALS:

Unlike group play and the England vs. Germany match of the Round of 16, none of the games will have a home team. Here’s my bonus quarterfinal predictions. For each quarterfinal, I assume each prediction I make for the Round of 16 is true, though you know it won’t always be the case. Whatever the situation, here goes:

Belgium vs. Italy – Should this match-up result, it would be interesting. Two teams who won all three of their group games. One team has a reputation for consistency, the other is making a comeback. The Round of 16 games they play in could tell more about them. For now, I think this could go into a draw in which Belgium would win on penalty kicks.

France vs. Croatia – This would be a rematch of the World Cup final. However both teams are not playing as the teams they’re reputed to be. Croatia struggled at first and finally came active in their last group game. France topped Group F, but not without three tough bouts. One important statistic. Croatia has never beaten France in the eight times they’ve played each other. So I’m picking France to win.

Sweden vs. England – This would be exactly like it was during the 2018 World Cup quarterfinals. England have been playing well, but conservatively while Sweden has been delivering better than expected. Despite it, I anticipate that England will take this.

Netherlands vs. Wales – Both teams are unpredictable. Remember that Wales made the semifinals at the last Euro. Netherlands however just qualified for their first Euro knockout stage since 2008. The Dutch have shown their dominance so far and that’s why I think the Netherlands will win this, should this quarterfinal result.

And there are my predictions for the first two knockout rounds. It’s not an easy job as things can change from the Group Stage to the knockout rounds. It should all result in a lot of excitement. And I’ll see you all again in the semis.

UEFA EURO 2020: Group Stage With One Game To Go

Jon The BlogcentricLeave a comment

To be among the 16 to qualify, it takes two wins to guarantee. The only way it could ever be possible for a team with two wins not qualifying is if all six groups had three teams with two wins and a loss. And that’s extremely unlikely. Whatever the situation, all four teams of each of the six groups have played two games and there are a lot of telling stats. Three have qualified already while twenty others still have the last game as one last chance, and only one is officially out. Here’s how the groups look so far. Those who have already qualified are bolded:

GROUP A:

Italy came to Euro 2020 with the hope of redeeming their reputation in the football world. They delivered 3-0 wins against Turkey and Switzerland to guarantee themselves qualification for the Round of 16. Wales’ 2-0 win over Turkey and 1-1 draw against Switzerland put them in very good chances of qualifying.

For the next game, Italy could lose to Wales and they’d still qualify, but I’m sure they’d want to win or at least draw so that they can keep their #1 status. Wales’ chances of qualifying are healthy, but they would have to win to take the lead in Group A, draw to guarantee 2nd place, or rely on their game stats and goal differentials if they were to lose to Italy. Switzerland will have to win over Turkey if they want to qualify. A draw won’t cut it as game stats and goal differentials decide the four third-placers that qualify. And Turkey will need nothing less than a win for them to have a chance. They’ve lost to Italy and Wales. Only a win against Switzerland will do if they are to have any chance of qualifying.

GROUP B

Many touted Belgium as the team most likely to win Group B based on their third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup. With two wins, they’ve already guaranteed a qualification no matter how bad their game against Finland goes. They haven’t completely guaranteed the #1 spot. If Finland beats Belgium they will be the #1 team as a result of head-to-head play.

With Russia and Finland having a win under their belts, drawing can guarantee a 2nd place for Russia and a 3rd-place for Finland which would have to rely on their wildcard stats to qualify. However I’m sure Neither of the teams simply want to draw in their last matches on Monday. Denmark is in the uncomfortable position that they will need to win against Russia if they are to have any chance to qualify. It would not surprise me if the Danish team has been shaken since the collapse of Christian Eriksen. That’s a shocker he was dead for five minutes. It’s very good fortune that the first aid on the field did all the right stuff to resuscitate him and have him taken to a hospital. Actually since Eriksen’s cardiac arrest, it’s a reminder to us all that living is more important than winning.

GROUP C

Most groups would normally have a simple qualifier if they have two wins by now. Group C has an official first-place with the Netherlands! It was their two wins and big goal differential that did it! And I doubt if they will want to lose to North Macedonia in their last game!

The game of Ukraine vs. Austria will be the game for second-place in the group. If there’s a draw, Ukraine will have the advantage because of bigger scoring. Austria could qualify due to the combination of game results and goal differentials. If both qualify for the Round of 16, or either one, it will be their first time ever at the Euro that they do. As for North Macedonia, they have the misfortune of being the first team eliminated. Even if they win against the Netherlands and by a big margin, it won’t matter because of their head-to-head losses to Ukraine and Austria.

GROUP D

Interesting that Groups A to C already have a qualifier guaranteed while Groups D to F don’t have anything decided and it will take Matchday 3 to not just decide it all but decide anything. If if any team in those groups is guaranteed a Top 3 finish, that still doesn’t completely guarantee them qualification. Focusing on Group D, Both first-matches for the group’s teams resulted in wins, but both second-matches on Friday resulted in draws. That means with two teams having a win and a draw and two teams with a loss and a draw, none of the four have secured qualification and all four still have a chance in their third-matches on Tuesday.

In the match of the Czech Republic vs. England, the winner will naturally claim the #1 spot of Group D. If there’s a draw, the Czech Republic has the advantage with better goal differentials. However I’m sure both teams want to win. Croatia and Scotland both have a win and a draw. Croatia leads because of goal differentials and a draw would solidify Croatia to finish in third place, but that most likely won’t be enough to qualify. The six third-place teams will be ranked by game stats and goal differentials. Only the top four will qualify for the Round of 16, and two draws and a loss will most likely make Croatia one of the two third-place packing sooner than they hoped. So either Croatia or Scotland will have to win and nothing less if they want to secure qualification.

GROUP E

Like Group D, Group E has the difficulty of two draws causing the statistics to remain completely undecided for who will qualify. One thing that is certain is that all four still have chances to qualify and it’s up to Matchday 3 to decide it. Sweden has the best luck so far with a 1-0 win over Slovakia despite their scoreless draw against Spain. Despite the loss, Slovakia is second in ranks thanks to their 2-1 win over Poland. Spain, normally a powerhouse, has just two draws while Poland looks like their still waiting to deliver. They’re lucky they saved themselves against Spain 1-1.

Sweden has the luxury that they can qualify simply by drawing, but I doubt if they want a simple draw. Especially since Poland will be hungry for the win. The winner of Slovakia vs Spain will definitely qualify, but Slovakia will have better qualifying chances if they lose because of their win over Poland. You can be sure Spain want to win this. Attempting to qualify on a wildcard with three draws is pushing it. Possible, but pushing it. Also Poland requires nothing less than a win if they want to qualify. Two draws and a loss has very low chances of cutting it. Plus they’d have the added bonus that is they win over Sweden, they’d overtake Sweden in standings because of the head-to-head result!

GROUP F

Group F looked to be the Group Of Death. However a lot of lopsided play has turned a lot of things around unexpectedly. France is one team that has underperformed. One would usually expect a lot of big play from the team that are the reigning World Cup holders. However their 1-0 win over Germany came thanks to an own-goal from Germany’s Hummels and they drew 1-1 to Hungary. Drawing against Portugal will guarantee them qualification, but they will have to win if they want to prove themselves a worthy winner. Isn’t that something? A rematch of the Euro 2016 final happening in group play?

Germany has had it most interesting. They got a loss to France because of an own-goal, but a 4-2 win over Portugal thanks to two own-goals from the Portuguese! A draw against Hungary will guarantee them qualification, but Hungary won’t make it easy as they will want to win. Despite the loss, Portugal are still in good contention after their 3-0 win over Hungary. They can still qualify if they lose to France, but they would have to rely on goal differentials to see if their stats are good enough for the wildcard berth. Finally Hungary proved themselves strong players by drawing 1-1 against France, but they need nothing less than a win against Germany if they want to qualify. That’s how it is for them with just a loss and a draw.

And there you go. This is how things look right now with the teams of Euro 2020 with only one game to go. Matchday Three will finalize everything to decide the thirteen others who will advance and the seven others who will be packing for home sooner than they hoped. Looking forward to it!