CZECH REPUBLIC
A fantastically organised side who can punch well above their weight. Pavel Vrba loves the 4-2-3-1 formation and wants his team to attack, especially down the flanks.
STRENGTHS
The Czechs' flexibility is their strength, the team equally adept at pressing high against weaker opponents and sitting back to defend against so-called better sides.
WEAKNESSES
The team is still a bit too reliant on the veteran Tomas Rosicky and can fail to break down teams in his absence (although they lost only one of five qualifiers without him).
TURKEY
Turkey struggled initially in qualifying but Fatih Terim stuck to his methods and this is an exciting side which prefers the 4-2-3-1 system.
STRENGTHS
Attacking midfield, where players such as Arda Turan, Hakan Calhanoglu, Oguzhan Ozyakup and Yunus Malli are all options.
WEAKNESSES
Central defence is not an area where Terim is spoilt for choice, often preferring to play the defensive midfielder Mehmet Topal there having decided not to call up Omer Toprak. |
winners 1976 (as Czechoslovakia)
|
|
semi finals 2008
|
CZECH REPUBLIC
Tomas Rosicky. According to the sceptics he is finished: his body will never recover sufficiently to play professionally again; after 20 minutes for Arsenal’s first team this season and some reserve matches he cannot be fit to play at the Euros. Really? Rosicky has shown repeatedly that he can get into a rhythm immediately even after long absences. He will be the team’s heart and brain again.
|
TURKEY
Arsenal youth football aficionados may remember Oguzhan Ozyakup. The former Holland Under-21 captain, who switched allegiance to Turkey, joined Besiktas from Arsenal for €500,000 in 2012. The 23-year-old has established himself as one of the brightest talents in Turkish football and played a key role in Besiktas winning the league title this season, pulling the strings in midfield. Ozyakup is capable of playing centrally and in an attacking role. He contributed 10 goals and eight assists for the Black Eagles and stunned his country of birth, Holland, scoring in the 3-0 victory over the Oranje. Ozyakup has started all of Turkey’s past eight games and is likely to keep his place in midfield. |
