MX23RW : Wednesday, December 11 20:45:10| >> :120:35924:35924:

Euro 2012 group stage reaction

Players and pundits give their reactions to the Euro 2012 group stage draw.

Players and pundits have been giving their reaction to the Euro 2012 group stage draw which took place on Friday evening.

England, who were the last team out of the hat, have been put in Group D alongside Sweden, France and hosts Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the Republic of Ireland must play holders Spain, Italy and Croatia for a place in the knockout stages.

Elsewhere, the traditional 'Group of Death' would appear to be Group B which has pitted together Holland, Germany, Portugal and Denmark.

Netherlands and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rafael van der Vaart: "Strong teams in our pool Denmark, Germany & Portugal. Should be great games!"

Arsenal and England midfielder Jack Wilshere: "Good draw. Hard group but as I said got to beat the best to win it! Be some banter at Arsenal as well with the French lads!"

Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni: "We have to think about football where anything is possible, we have to play with the same mentality we have shown and I am confident. I know Italy better but every game is different, Spain are also a very, very strong team but we have to think about our moment. It is important now that our squad is complete with no injuries."

Croatia manager Slaven Bilic: "It is a tough group, but you can't get easy opponents, it's the 16 best teams in Europe. We have a privilege to play the world champions and the former world champions. Spain are the favourites. Trapattoni is a genius and a top man and I am looking forward to playing against him once more."

Netherlands and Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder: "Nice group... Heavy, but nice games...."

Spain and Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas: "Italy, Ireland and Croatia. Difficult group."

Former England captain Paul Ince on BBC Sport: "Overall we've got to be absolutely delighted. It's a fantastic group for us - the gods have been smiling down on us."

ID:9418: cacheID:9418:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3070:
Written by
Jack Prescott
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Fabio Capello
Read Next:
England face France in Euro 2012
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!