It wouldn’t be an international tournament without a theatrically named Group of Death!
Group E takes the honours at Euro 2016, with a heavily favoured Belgian team being drawn against Italy, Sweden and Ireland. We’ve decided to help those teams plot a safe passage to the knockout stage with three helpful tips:
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Defend occasionally
Sure, scoring a hat-full of goals is what casual fans are baying for, but ask a die-hard fan and he’ll take a 1-0 win for his team every day of the week. Tactics win games and, as Brazil found out in their World Cup humiliation to Germany two years ago, playing with 10 attack-minded players might not always be the best strategy. Advantage Italy…
Find a goal-machine
When so much relies on so few games, an on-form striker is like gold dust. Eusebio, Klose, Schillaci, Shearer and Van Persie have previously stood up and carried their teams towards the promised land. It’s lucky then that Sweden have Zlatan…
Be lucky
With an expanded roster of 24 countries competing in the Euros for the first time this year, qualification from the Group stage does not just go to the top two finishers, but also to the top four best-third-placed teams across the six groups. Expect some cagey tactics, baffled pundits and for the first time, crossing your fingers in hope may now become a legitimate tactic.