Kevin Strootman, PSV Eindhoven, The Netherlands
In a Dutch squad brimming with established talent, Strootman may well slip under the radar of many but the PSV Eindhoven midfielder is supremely gifted and could be a star of the tournament, if Bert Van Marwijk is brave enough to start him that is.
Whilst caution was Marwijk's nature during the 2010 World Cup when he fielded both Mark Van Bommel and Nigel De Jong in central midfield, he has often altered this shape post Johannesburg and lined up with a deep lying playmaker alongside a midfield destroyer with either Strootman or the more experienced Rafael Van der Vaart. The best explanation of the difficulties the Dutch face when they line up with both Van Bommel and De Jong is best explained by Johann Cryuff
"The problem with two holding midfielders is quite simple, but somehow many coaches don’t see it. The build up happens too slow. Holding midfielders always need that extra touch. Always need to have a look when they have the ball already. That takes time away. The opponent can position themselves to stop the killer pass and the forwards are all marked. Plus, having two holding midfielders means there is one less creative play-maker. It’s a double edged sword."
If you were to compare Strootman with a more established player in the tournament you could do worse than to compare him to Andrea Pirlo. Not only is there a certain similarity in the languid, effortless way the two glide around the pitch but Strootman's early career has in many ways mirrored Pirlo. In the early stages of their careers both men were deployed in a more advanced trequartista role before moving back to play more as a regista and both possess a majestic range of passing.
With Wesley Sneijder still struggling to regain the form that saw him win the treble with Inter Milan in 2010 before heading to South Africa and reaching the final, the Dutch may be in need of a new midfield maestro to load the bullets for Arjen Robben, Klaus Jan Hunterlaar and Robin Van Persie. Strootman may just be that man. A problem for the Dutch over the years is that they become too reliant on Sneijder as their creative force and that if he is off form they can struggle to open teams up.
The neutral should hope that Van Marwijk deploys Strootman from the start alongside Van Bommel rather than letting caution get the better of him. Having said that that formula did take the Dutch to the brink of World Cup glory so do not be surprised to see Strootman consigned to the bench in the opening games, especially given the formidable group the Dutch find themselves in. Equally with Holland drawn in the toughest group one could hardly blame Van Marwijk for sticking with what has served the Dutch well. However if the Dutch fall early expect to see the discussion of the two holding midfielders raise its head in the post tournament inquiry. Indeed Strootman could stand to become a more appreciated player without actually taking any significant part in the tournament.
Mats Hummels, Borussia Dortmund, Germany
Alongside Vincent Kompany and Thiago Silva, Hummels, 23, has probably been the outstanding centre half in Europe over the past two seasons. Released by Bayern Munich as a youngster, Hummels has flourished at Borussia Dortmund under Jurgen Klopp and is a vital part of a team that has won the Bundesliga for the past two seasons.
Whilst Germany have often entered tournaments recently with question marks over their centre halves, this time round they enter the tournament with not only Hummels but also Holger Badstuber and Jerome Boateng who have been instrumental in taking Bayern Munich to the very brink of Champions League glory.
Hummels is the epitome of a modern centre back, comfortable on the ball, quick enough the recover from the few mistakes that he does make and commanding in the air and predictably enough for a German he is a good penalty taker too. His disciplinary record is testament to his ability to anticipate danger and time his challenges; in the past two league seasons he has been booked three times, which for a centre half is quite exceptional.
It is no secret that Hummels is one of the jewels in the crown of Klopp's exciting young side and all the top clubs have looked at Hummels with Barcelona and Manchester United two of the most likely suitors. If they do want to prize Hummels away from the Wolfstaddion they will have to part with the best part of €30m or if you rather 10 times what Bayern Munich sold him for.
Lukasz Piszczek, Borussia Dortmund, Poland
Quietly and without too much fan fare Poland have assembled a team that could well be a dark horse in Euro 2012. If they are to achieve anything then Borussia Dortmund right back Lukasz Piszczek will have to continue the form that has caught the eye of Real Madrid and Manchester United this season, with Sir Alex Ferguson believed to have flown to watch Dortmund recently to run his eye over Piszczek and a number of his team mates.
If you have a case to be regarded as the best right back in a league that includes Philip Lahm in its ranks, you must have done something right and Piszczek has been in outstanding form this season. With four goals and six assists Piszczek is as dangerous going forward as he is solid defensively. His understanding with fellow teammates and countrymen Robert Lewandowski and Jakub Blaszczykowski will be critical if the Poles are to progress from a very winnable group that includes Greece, Russia and the Czech Republic.
If Piszczek does enjoy a good tournament do not be surprised to see a host of clubs attempting to prize him away from Dortmund, with Manchester United and Inter seemingly at the head of the queue.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Arsenal, England
Roy Hodgson's first England squad has been viewed as cautious and leaning heavily on experience, with this in mind Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, or the "ox" as he is know by Arsenal fans, could be the one wildcard in Hodgson's pack.
Blessed with pace to rival Theo Walcott coupled with Wayne Rooney's physique, Chamberlain is certainly a player of whom much is expected. After surprisng everyone this season including himself, Chamberlain could be a crucial impact substitute for Roy Hodgson at Euro 2008. Capable of playing on either flank or more centrally, Chamberlain possesses quick fit, an electric change of pace and an eye for goal.
Although seemingly destined to play the role of "supersub" at best in Euro 2012, there is certainly an argument to be made for unleashing him in England's opening match against France. Firstly Chamberlain, in his first Premier League start for Arsenal caused Patrice Evra, who will start ahead of Gael Clichy despite his indifferent form for the past two seasons, one or two problems. Secondly as Michael Cox has articulated France's likely centre back pairing of Adil Rami and Phillipe Mexes can be susceptible to pace in behind partly due to their poor covering play.
Alan Dzagoev, CSKA Moscow, Russia
Four years ago in Austria and Switzerland, Russia surprised many by reaching the semi finals before being outclassed by the eventual champions Spain. Many have said that Euro 2008 was the peak for that generation of players and that they would struggle to reproduce the level of performance that saw them reach the last four. Maybe so, but there is still plenty of quality in this Russian squad and CSKA's Alan Dzagoev may be the best of the bunch.
Four years ago it was Andrei Arshavin and Roman Pavlyuchenko who announced themselves to the world by their performances and this time it could be the turn of the precociously talented Dzagoev, who has been tipped for big things since CSKA signed him in 2008. Dzagoev will play from the right of a front 3 in Dick Advocat's fluid 4-3-3 but do not expect him to stay there. Russia's greatest strength is the fluidity with which they play, no doubt helped by the fact that up to 7 of their starting 11 play for Zenit St Petersburg. Dzagoev will have a license to drift inside which in turn will create space for the powerful and direct right back Aleksandr Anyukov to exploit.
One area of concern for Russia will be where their goals are going to come from, despite a number of talented individuals they have consistently struggled to find the net, although a recent 3-0 win over Italy could be a timely confidence boost going into the Euro's. Again Dzagoev has a key role to perform as much of the center forwards job in this Russia team, whether it is Pavlyuchenko, Pavel Pogrebnyak or most likely Aleksandr Kerzahkov is to create space either by physical presence (Pogrebnyak) or through drifting wide (Kerzahkov and Pavlyuchenko) to allow for Dzagoev, Arshavin and Roman Shirokov in particular to ghost into goal scoring positions.
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Special thanks to Michael Cox and Zonal Marking for the squad previews www.zonalmarking.net
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