HWCI EURO 2012 Pool - Albert's A to the Z SPORTS! Column

Welcome to the A to the Z Sports Blog! This is where I will talk soccer , boxing and any relevant happenings in sports.

Since the Euro Cup tournament is right around the corner, I have dug through the numbers in search of some interesting stats regarding the 16 participating nations.

For now check out these impressive stats involving three tournament favorites: Spain, Germany and Italy.

SPAIN

Recently Spanish national team member Santiago Cazorla described injured striker David Villa’s Euro 2012 absence as a “hard blow” for the team. He went on to say, "If [Villa] hadn't been in the Euro or the World Cup, we probably wouldn't have been champions.”

When you take a look at the stats it’s easy to see why Cazorla and the rest of his teammates are lamenting Villa’s exclusion from the tournament.

Since replacing the legendary Raul Gonzalez as Spain’s main offensive threat after the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Villa has accounted for 31% percent of the goals Spain has scored in the last six official competitions it has participated in, which include the Euro 2008 and 2010 FIFA World Cup campaigns. That’s almost one-third of the team’s overall goal production!

In all six competitions Villa was Spain’s top gun. At the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup he shared the honor with Fernando Torres.

For Spain’s Euro 2008 and 2010 FIFA World Cup triumphs Villa finished at the top of the individual scoring tables for both tournaments.

On the road to Euro 2012 Villa contributed to Spain’s undefeated run in qualifiers with a team-best 7 goals. With two goals in a qualifying match against the Czech Republic on March 25 , 2011, he surpassed Raul's record of 44 goals with Spain and became La Furia Roja's all-time leading scorer.

It is pretty clear that Spain’s chances of repeating as champions are seriously hampered without Villa’s presence on the pitch.

Competition Villa goals Spain goals

UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying	7	23	Spain’s top goal scorer
UEFA Euro 2008	4	12	Spain’s top goal scorer and the tournament’s Golden Boot (Spain won the tournament)
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup	3	11	Spain’s top goal scorer along with Fernando Torres
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification	7	28	Spain’s top goal scorer
2010 FIFA World Cup	5	8	Spain’s top goal scorer (Spain won the tournament)
Euro 2012 qualifying	7	26	Spain’s top goal scorer
Totals	33	108	Scoring percentage:31%

GERMANY

If the Euro 2012 qualifiers are any indication of who the team to beat in June will be, then all signs point to Germany.

The Germans stormed through the qualifying round in perfect form, grabbing 30 out 30 points possible!

However, the stat that's the most indicative of how dominant the three-time Euro champions were throughout the qualifiers is that out of the five undefeated teams from the field of 51 participating nations, they were the only team that never found itself behind on the scoreboard during any of the 900 minutes of their qualifying campaign.

The German side also had the second best overall goal output of the entire qualifiers with 34 goals, three behind the Netherlands. What is more impressive about their offensive prowess is that they always managed to score first in all of their 10 matches.

ITALY

Going into Euro 2012, one of the dark horse teams favored to hoist the Henri Delaunay Trophy at the end of the tournament is Italy. While it may sound strange to label the 1968 Euro champions and four-time FIFA World Cup champions as a “dark horse,” the truth is that in its past two international showings the Azzuri have performed way below expectations.

Italy is looking to end a negative streak of two consecutive group stage exits in international tournaments. They were sent home early in both the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.While the Confederations Cup does not have the prestige of the UEFA Euro or FIFA World Cup tournament , it is still an official FIFA competition.

Not since the 1962 and 1966 FIFA World Cups has Italy experienced such a slump in tournament play.

A group stage exit at Euro 2012 would give the Azzurri their worst streak of group stage exits in international tournaments ever!

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	HWCI EURO 2012 Pool - Albert's A to the Z SPORTS!