The coaches line up for a photo as they look to the Trophy they all want to get hold of in June.
Friday, 21 January 2005.
Following Wednesday's draw for Euro 2005, TheFA.com's Tony Leighton takes a closer look at the two groups and hears from some of the coaches who'll be looking to take the trophy out of England.
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European and World champions Germany and their closest rivals Sweden will be happy to have been kept apart in the group draw for the 2005 UEFA Women’s European Championship finals, to be held in England during June.
But neither German coach Tina Theune-Meyer nor her Swedish counterpart Marika Domanski-Lyfors is expecting an easy ride through the group stage, in which Germany will meet France, Norway and Italy while the Swedes are set to take on England, Denmark and Finland.
Theune-Meyer was not at the draw, made at the City of Manchester Stadium where England will kick off the tournament with a game against Finland on 5 June.
But the German representative, Helke Ullrich, spoke to the coach by telephone straight after the draw: “Her first impression was that we will be in a very equal group,” said Ullrich.
“She feels that no team will go through without any problems and she is expecting some tough but exciting games.”
Germany beat Sweden in the finals of both the Women’s Euro 2001 and the 2003 World Cup, so the Swedes will be desperate to go one better and take the European title for the first time since beating England on penalties in the competition’s inaugural final in 1984.
But, like Theune-Meyer, coach Domanski-Lyfors is taking nothing for granted ahead of the biggest women’s football event ever staged in the UK.
“We can win the tournament,” she said, “but we’ll have to be at our very best even to get through the group.
“We have to meet Denmark, one of the best teams in the world last year with some very impressive results, and we have had some very even games against Finland.
“England have been preparing for this for four years and they will be tough. They have not played a competitive game for a while so they are a bit of an unknown quantity, but you can tell by the hype surrounding the draw that they will have strong backing.
“There are no real favourites in our group, any team can win it - it will be the toughest Euro tournament ever.”
England, Denmark and Finland will certainly be aiming to make it tough for the Swedes. But England National Coach Hope Powell, a player in the 1984 side that finished runners-up to Sweden, knows it won’t be easy: “They’re a top team as their record over recent years shows.
“They’ll be very difficult opponents, as they always are, but they’re not unbeatable and we’ll certainly be looking for a result from that game as well as the other two.”
Denmark have reached four Euro semi-finals, the last of them in 2001 when they lost to Sweden, and coach Poul Højmose feels his side are now capable of going one better: “Denmark are ready to go the last step,” he claims.
“Three or four years ago we made it our goal to go to the Women’s Euro 2005 and reach the final and that will be our aim in June.
“But there are four good teams in the group and it will be difficult. We know England very well, as we do Sweden – they are one of the best teams in the world. Finland are an up and coming nation and they could also be dangerous opponents.”
The Finns will be making their first appearance at a major finals tournament after qualifying through the play-offs. Coach Michael Käld says that “it’s a dream for Finland to be playing in the opening game against England.”
He added: “This tournament is a huge event for Finnish football. The game in Finland has really developed over the last few years and it will be good to test ourselves against our neighbours Sweden and Denmark.”
Norway will make it a quartet of Scandinavian nations taking part in the finals and will be determined to make up for recent disappointments in both European Championships and World Cups.
After vying with Germany throughout the 1990’s to be Europe’s top women’s football nation, the Danes have lost ground to Sweden as well as the Germans.
But newly appointed coach Bjarne Berntsen, while admitting that Group B will have its difficulties, is bullish about his team’s chances.
“This is a very hard group,” he said. “Germany are the stand-out side and will be the team to beat. France and Italy are both very skilful sides, technically very strong, but I think if we play to the best of our ability we can advance from this group.”
Italy, who are set to meet England in a friendly international at Milton Keynes on 17 February, have been inconsistent over recent years but showed with a qualifying group victory over Sweden in June that they are capable of beating the best.
Coach Carolina Morace is looking ahead to the finals after the group draw: “Germany have dominated the game for some time and will obviously be favourites, but France are a team on the up and they could be the dark horses.”
France could indeed be the dark horses, though coach Elisabeth Loisel admitted: “It's going to be a very tight group with four excellent teams. Germany will of course be the favourites as they are the defending champions and also have a lot of quality in their squad - but so do the other three teams. Hopefully we can qualify, but it will be tough.”
France may be only an outside bet to win the title for what would be the first time, but interestingly they are regarded as a real threat by none other than Tina Theune-Meyer.
The German coach, whose team have won the last three Euro finals, knows that they will once again be overwhelming favourites but reckons that France will probably be the most skilful side in the tournament and could go on to win it.