Euro 2012 reaction

Coaches react to their groups for Euro 2012

Last updated: 7th February 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Euro 2012 reaction

Low: Pleased

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We bring you all the reaction from all the other countries, away from the home nations, following the Euro 2012 qualifying draw.

Group A reaction

Germany coach Joachim Low has welcomed the Euro 2012 qualifying draw.

The runners-up from Euro 2008 were put in Group A alongside Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Belgium and Austria.

And Low is confident his chargers will progress.

"Logistically it is not quite so simple with Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan," Low said.

"Otherwise it is a German-speaking group with many German coaches.

"Obviously Germany will be favourites along with Turkey."

Azerbaijan are coached by Berti Vogts, the man who led Germany to their last major success at Euro 96, while Kazakhstan boss Bernd Storck is also German.

"We are happy with the draw," said Vogts.

"We will earn a lot of money from the games against Germany so we will be able to build new stadia and invest in youth development.

"We are once again looking forward to facing the mighty Germany, who we can learn a lot from."

Bernd Storck added: "It will be a special highlight for us and particularly for me to play against Germany."

Austria coach Dietmar Constantini is looking forward to the alpine battles with Low's side.

"It is a terribly hard group for us with Germany and Turkey as the

favourites," he said.

"The matches between Austria and Germany have a particular attraction to them and we know that from the past."

Group B reaction

Russia coach Guus Hiddink was pleased with their draw, after coming out alongside Slovakia, Republic of Ireland, Macedonia, Armenia and Andorra.

"The fact that Russia is pot one means everyone can consider us as favourites, and you must not walk away from being favourites," said Hiddink. "I'm not shutting my eyes to that failure; we cannot lean back just because we are favourites, no way."

The Dutchman was wary of facing Giovanni Trapattoni's Ireland.

"I don't know him well but I know he's an old fox, he knows football and he's a very committed coach and I like that very much. What he's achieved with Ireland is amazing."

Group C reaction

World champions Italy take on Serbia, Northern Ireland, Slovenia, Estonia and Faroe Islands in Group C - a draw which has been welcomed by coach Marcello Lippi.

"Italy have a balanced group with Serbia and Slovenia, both of which will compete in the World Cup," he said.

"There is also the benefit of being in a group of six teams. Other groups are more difficult, like that of England."

Click here to read Nigel Worthington's thoughts on the group.

Group D reaction

France are the top seeds in a group also containing Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belarus, Albania and Luxembourg but technical director Gerard Houllier is expecting a fierce competition.

"It's not as easy as it looks. Romania are a tough team with young players who are improving. Safet Susic is the [Bosnia-Herzegovina] coach, a Paris St Germain player that I coached, we won a title together, a little touch of fate there," said Houllier.

"Belarus, I know the coach very well, I went there recently. Albania and Luxembourg are countries that love France, but it is never easy to beat them. The group is harder than it looks."

Safet Susic believes Bosnia-Herzegovina can challenge for qualification after making the World Cup play-offs.

He said: "I think we were lucky. France are one of the teams we hoped to draw from Pot 1 and they will be favourites to win the group - they have such great players

"I believe we'll fight it out with Romania for second place, although the other teams in the group shouldn't be underestimated."

Group E reaction

Holland coach Bert van Marwijk is also optimistic about his team's chance of progression after being drawn with Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Moldova and San Marino in Group E.

"It is difficult to look that far ahead, qualifying for the European Championships starts in just over six months," he said.

"First we have a World Cup to attend.

"Having said that, it's good we'll take on Erwin Koeman's Hungary which gives those games an added touch.

"Finland, Sweden and Hungary are the more famous footballing countries, while Moldova and San Marino, on paper at least, are 'lesser' opponents.

"But you cannot underestimate any opponent. On the other hand, you also

shouldn't run away in fear. I'm sure we'll succeed as we usually do."

Erwin Koeman is looking forward to facing his homeland, saying: "For the people in Hungary, it is fantastic to play against the Netherlands.

"They are one of the best in Europe and maybe in the world. It's very nice for me, but we also have a friendly game against them in June. We don't know if we will play that now. It is very nice for me to come up against the Dutch team."

Swedish chief Erik Hamren was pleased and said: "It's a good draw, an exciting group.

"We have a possibility of advancing and that is of course our ambition. We'll fight it out with Hungary and Finland primarily, but also give the Netherlands a run for first place. The way I see it, the Dutch are favourites."

Englishman Stuart Baxter is the Finland coach and he insists there is a small chance for them.

"Somewhere in there, there is a small possibility for us, so we are quite happy with the draw," he said.

"The Dutch will be the clear favourites, then the Swedes - they have the experience and have qualified before. Hungary have a long tradition. I think we can take points from most teams and I think it is going to be a very close group and, in that case, there is a scenario where we can qualify, absolutely.

"The Swedes have got a new coach so they are going to be very motivated, especially against the Finnish. Hopefully my knowledge of Swedish football will help us a little bit, but when we play in Stockholm and Helsinki it will be down to who produces the best performances."

Moldovan coach Gavril Balint said: "It was obvious we would be in a difficult group even before the draw, as our ranking is low.

"However, we have a talented group of players, so we have a chance. A slim chance is still a chance and we will do our best to make use of it. The Netherlands are the favourites, of course, but we can compete even against them."

Group F reaction

Slaven Bilic expressed satisfaction after his Croatia side were pitted against Greece, Israel, Latvia, Georgia and Malta.

He said: "We are happy with the draw. We could have had an easier group, but then again it could have been harder.

"These groups are the qualification groups for the European Championship, so of course you don't get easy ones."

Greece will be expected to vie for qualification and manager Otto Rehhagel is confident his men will enjoy a strong campaign.

"We have played against all our rivals in Group F except Croatia in recent qualifying competitions," said Rehhagel.

"Theoretically, Croatia are the strongest team in the pack but we shouldn't underestimate the rest.

"It's a good group for us and we will fight for top spot or at least for second place, which would give us a shot at the play-offs."

Group G reaction

England and Wales head Group G - For Fabio Capello's thoughts click here, to and for John Toshackclick here.

Bulgaria coach Stanimir Stoilov thinks his nation face a tough ask to qualify.

"It is a very tough group. We have got the strongest team from each pot," he said.

"There are no clear outsiders, which is good because every side will drop points.

"We have a chance, but I cannot say we will go through. A good start will be very important."

Swiss coach Ottmar Hitzfeld also feels the group will be tough.

"Obviously this is a very hard group with England as favourites. With Fabio Capello in charge, they have been stronger. They're one of the best teams in the world, with a lot of world-class players, but our aim is to qualify," he said.

"I'm sure we will have a real chance despite the unpleasant tasks ahead of us. Bulgaria like to play, Wales are powerful and we should not underestimate Montenegro. These will be tough matches, but there are no easy groups."

Group H reaction

Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz was pleased with the Group H line-up, after they were drawn with Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Cyprus

"It is a good group for us, an exciting group that will guarantee us some good matches," he said.

"It is better to be in a five-team group because the dates are more flexible and we have more time to prepare for matches. You rarely get that opportunity to prepare for games much in advance and I am sure we will take full advantage of it."

Danish assistant coach Peter Bonde was happy to see his side avoid Spain.

"As the draw went on, it occurred to me that we risked ending up in the same group as Spain - I am delighted we did not [getting Portugal instead]. There are going to be a lot of interesting matches in this group," he said.

"We know Portugal from World Cup qualification and we know Norway and Iceland very well too. This is a difficult but definitely reasonable draw."

Norway coach Egil Olsen said: "We are quite happy with the draw. We are in a very tight group. Any team can beat anyone else. In my opinion Iceland were the strongest side in pot 5, and the fact Iceland and Cyprus can beat anybody at home makes it a very interesting group.

"Portugal are strong - they were very unlucky against Denmark in World Cup qualifying, especially in Portugal. Portugal are the best team in the group, but I think they suit us as opponents. We can give them the ball most of the time, but maybe we can score [on the break].

Cyprus coach Angelos Anastasiadis is hopeful they can do themselves justice.

"We have opportunities in this group and we will do everything to chase our targets. Portugal and Denmark are very different teams, but they are both very tough sides with vast experience," he said.

Group I reaction

Scotland are in Group I, and to read Craig Levein's thoughts, click here.

The Scots will face Czech Republic, Lithuania, Liechtenstein and holders Spain, and their boss Vicente Del Bosque is looking forward to facing them.

"They play a type of football I like, a classic British style," he said.

"We have a big responsibility as defending champions but before then we have the World Cup. We won't start talking about Scotland until after that."

Czech coach Michal Bilek said: I wanted to avoid Spain and unfortunately that didn't happen.

"They are the clear favourites to go through. On the other hand, I am glad that we are in a five-team group and we can play useful friendly games in those free slots.

Julius Kvedaras, Lithuanian Football Federation general director, feels the draw for them is a hard one.

"We have been drawn in a very difficult group. Not only will we have to play Spain, the European Champions, but we'll come up against the tough challenges offered by the Czech Republic and Scotland."

Liechtenstein coach Hans-Peter Zaugg added: "France would have certainly been my preferred team from Pot 1, but then draws are never about choosing your opponents.

"Of course, Spain are obviously an attractive side and a team we have played already. We are always outsiders but we will try to gain at least some points. Lithuania and Scotland are stronger than us but not unbeatable."

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