All the latest from EURO 2012 team camps.Our latest updates include the Czech Republic boarding the fast train to Wroclaw, Spain subjected to a Twitter ban and England sweating over the fitness of more defenders.
UEFA EURO 2012 kicks off in five days' time and, with the day of reckoning fast approaching, our team of roving reporters assigned to each of the competing nations bring you all the latest news and views from their respective basecamps.
Czech Republic (Ondřej Zlámal, @UEFAcomOndrejZ)
The squad are travelling on a high-speed train journey from Prague to their base camp in Wroclaw. The special five-carriage train was prepared by Czech Railways with its locomotive decorated in national colours. It is not a common travelling experience for most footballers. "I don't even remember the last time I caught a train," defender Theodor Gebre Selassie told UEFA.com. "It could be when I was small and went to visit my grandfather. It's certainly more convenient than going by bus. I hope a lot of our fans will follow the same tracks to come and support us in a few days."
Czech Railways will also dispatch specialised trains for supporters who come to cheer on their team in Group A with each named after a famous former player.
Italy (Richard Aikman, @UEFAcomRichardA)
Italy's players have been given a day off today to relax aching limbs and reflect on a disappointing result on Friday. The 3-0 defeat by Russia will have wounded pride as it is the first time in 26 years that the Azzurri have lost three matches in a row. But as Prandelli said on Friday, it is better to slip up before rather than after the tournament has begun, and the Gazzetta dello Sport was adopting a more positive outlook this morning.
"Prandelli's Italy haven't won or even scored since 11 November, but neither have they lost a single competitive match [in his tenure], and in seven days in Gdansk, they begin EURO 2012 against Spain. They don't come more competitive than that. After the slap in the face from the Russians, it's time to consider the glass half-full."
Prandelli has also said that he will give the defence serious reconsideration and with Giorgio Chiellini due to return, the Italian press are suggesting the Azzurri will introduce the 'blocco Juve' or 'Juve block'. In other words, five at the back, with Chiellini accompanying Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci in an all-Bianconeri three-man central defence. If Prandelli goes with the uncapped Juventus winger Emmanuele Giaccherini as an attacking left wing-back that would mean that, along with goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and midfielders Claudio Marchisio and Andrea Pirlo, there would be a total of seven Juve players in Prandelli's lineup.
Spain (Graham Hunter, @UEFAcomGrahamH)
While Spain were winning the last two major tournaments, one notable policy was the relaxed nature of the training camp. Set against a backdrop of training with utmost intensity and winning crucial matches both Luis Aragonés and then Vicente del Bosque were quite liberal in their approach to players' free time. Families and girlfriends were allowed the occasional day with Spain's footballers in Neustift, Austria and Aragonés also allowed his lads a night out at a local disco.
Confronted by a Swedish journalist with a picture of Sergio Ramos at the aforementioned nightclub at the press conference before the two nations' Group D game Aragonés even joked: "Your photographer hasn't done very well there ˗ I was up dancing and you didn't get a picture of me!" In Potchefstroom, South Africa, Andrés Iniesta would often wander down to the local shopping mall to look for CDs and DVDs and Del Bosque allowed his troops two pre-programmed nights out on the town, in Cape Town and Durban, after defeating Portugal and Germany in the first knockout game and the semi-final.
However, in Gniewino, in fact for as long as the defending champions' tournament lasts this year, Del Bosque has decided that Twitter is banned. Team unity and avoiding unnecessary controversy is presumably the reason. Whatever the case Fernando Llorente summed it up this weekend with the Tweet: "Here's a picture of Sevilla, with which I say farewell for the tournament because we're not allowed Twitter in the training camp". Stay tuned to UEFA.com tweets instead!
England (Andy James, @UEFAcomAndyJ)
A deft first-half finish from Danny Welbeck secured England a 1-0 victory in their final pre-UEFA EURO 2012 friendly against Belgium. Despite the win, there were mixed reactions in the media. On the positive side, the Three Lions kept another clean sheet and looked solid throughout, recording a second consecutive success under new coach Roy Hodgson. The concern, however, is that England's goal came from their only shot on target. Chances were a rarity and the Belgian visitors enjoyed the run of the Wembley turf for long periods.
Hodgson nonetheless insisted the performance bodes well for his side’s Group D opener against France. "Of course I’m very pleased," said the 64-year-old. "It's been a hard week and we used a lot of players. There was a lot of disruption in the second half – some forced upon us and some we wanted to do, but it's still a very good end to the week." One such forced alteration was that of defender Gary Cahill, who had to withdraw after just 19 minutes following a collision with his own goalkeeper, Joe Hart, while fellow Chelsea FC centre-back John Terry required a scan on a tight hamstring.
Meanwhile, Manchester City FC captain Vincent Kompany, who missed the game injured, felt England have plenty of reason to be optimistic, tweeting to his club-mate Joleon Lescott: "You guys look really well organised which is a key to success. Another good performance from you, well done!"
Republic of Ireland (Garry Doyle, @UEFAcomGarryD)
The most interesting dynamic within the Republic of Ireland dressing room surrounds the relationship between Kevin Doyle and Shane Long. They may be rivals for a starting position alongside Robbie Keane in the Irish strike force, but they are also best friends and room-mates. To date, Doyle – three years older than Long – has been the senior partner in the coalition, not just with Ireland but also Cork City FC and Reading FC, where they previously played together.
Now, though, the gap has closed. Eight days ago, Long stepped off the bench to replace Doyle in Ireland's friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina, before scoring the only goal of the game. Last season, his return of eight Premier League goals was four more than Doyle managed. A turning of the tide?
No, says Long. "Robbie and Kevin are first choice and there is a very valid reason for that. So whenever me, Simon Cox and Johnny Walters get on the pitch we've got to prove what we're worth and try and take our chances when they come our way. Our job is to put a problem in the manager's mind. In football, things can change quickly – and what I have got to do is make sure that if I'm not first or second on the pitch that I am the next man in. You've got to earn your place on the team."
When Long did earn his place ahead of Doyle, in a UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier against Slovakia last October, Doyle's response was typically generous. "He came right up to me, shook my hand and wished me well," said Long. "We're close friends. We enjoy playing up front together. We enjoy each other's company. Our wives are good friends, too. Football won't affect things because if Kevin is picked, I want him to do well and for the team to win, and if I'm selected, I'm sure his thoughts are similar."
And they are. Doyle said: "Shane is his own man, a fantastic player and someone who hopefully will have a great tournament."
Croatia (Elvir Islamović, @UEFAcomElvirI) "It wasn't good," said Slaven Bilić of his soide's last EURO 2012 warm-up match against Norway in Oslo (1-1), "but, there are reasons for that. The training has been hard and legs are heavy now. It's not the time to ring any alarm bells yet, there is still enough time before EURO," added Bilić, who rested key players Luka Modrić and Vedran Ćorluka. Ivica Olić sustained a muscle strain but he should recover in time.
The Croatian media were largely disappointed with Croatia's performance and 24sata published the headline: 'A match to forget: draw in Oslo, headache for Bilić'. Vecernji list took a similar line: 'Headache in Oslo' and Jutarnji list ran with: 'Faceless Croatia, Eduardo and Pletikosa saved the team'. The press are hoping for improvement in the opening EURO 2012 match against Republic of Ireland on 10 June.
Czech Republic (Ondřej Zlámal, @UEFAcomOndrejZ)
The squad are travelling on a high-speed train journey from Prague to their base camp in Wroclaw. The special five-carriage train was prepared by Czech Railways with its locomotive decorated in national colours. It is not a common travelling experience for most footballers. "I don't even remember the last time I caught a train," defender Theodor Gebre Selassie told UEFA.com. "It could be when I was small and went to visit my grandfather. It's certainly more convenient than going by bus. I hope a lot of our fans will follow the same tracks to come and support us in a few days."
Czech Railways will also dispatch specialised trains for supporters who come to cheer on their team in Group A with each named after a famous former player.
Italy (Richard Aikman, @UEFAcomRichardA)
Italy's players have been given a day off today to relax aching limbs and reflect on a disappointing result on Friday. The 3-0 defeat by Russia will have wounded pride as it is the first time in 26 years that the Azzurri have lost three matches in a row. But as Prandelli said on Friday, it is better to slip up before rather than after the tournament has begun, and the Gazzetta dello Sport was adopting a more positive outlook this morning.
"Prandelli's Italy haven't won or even scored since 11 November, but neither have they lost a single competitive match [in his tenure], and in seven days in Gdansk, they begin EURO 2012 against Spain. They don't come more competitive than that. After the slap in the face from the Russians, it's time to consider the glass half-full."
Prandelli has also said that he will give the defence serious reconsideration and with Giorgio Chiellini due to return, the Italian press are suggesting the Azzurri will introduce the 'blocco Juve' or 'Juve block'. In other words, five at the back, with Chiellini accompanying Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci in an all-Bianconeri three-man central defence. If Prandelli goes with the uncapped Juventus winger Emmanuele Giaccherini as an attacking left wing-back that would mean that, along with goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and midfielders Claudio Marchisio and Andrea Pirlo, there would be a total of seven Juve players in Prandelli's lineup.
Spain (Graham Hunter, @UEFAcomGrahamH)
While Spain were winning the last two major tournaments, one notable policy was the relaxed nature of the training camp. Set against a backdrop of training with utmost intensity and winning crucial matches both Luis Aragonés and then Vicente del Bosque were quite liberal in their approach to players' free time. Families and girlfriends were allowed the occasional day with Spain's footballers in Neustift, Austria and Aragonés also allowed his lads a night out at a local disco.
Confronted by a Swedish journalist with a picture of Sergio Ramos at the aforementioned nightclub at the press conference before the two nations' Group D game Aragonés even joked: "Your photographer hasn't done very well there ˗ I was up dancing and you didn't get a picture of me!" In Potchefstroom, South Africa, Andrés Iniesta would often wander down to the local shopping mall to look for CDs and DVDs and Del Bosque allowed his troops two pre-programmed nights out on the town, in Cape Town and Durban, after defeating Portugal and Germany in the first knockout game and the semi-final.
However, in Gniewino, in fact for as long as the defending champions' tournament lasts this year, Del Bosque has decided that Twitter is banned. Team unity and avoiding unnecessary controversy is presumably the reason. Whatever the case Fernando Llorente summed it up this weekend with the Tweet: "Here's a picture of Sevilla, with which I say farewell for the tournament because we're not allowed Twitter in the training camp". Stay tuned to UEFA.com tweets instead!
England (Andy James, @UEFAcomAndyJ)
A deft first-half finish from Danny Welbeck secured England a 1-0 victory in their final pre-UEFA EURO 2012 friendly against Belgium. Despite the win, there were mixed reactions in the media. On the positive side, the Three Lions kept another clean sheet and looked solid throughout, recording a second consecutive success under new coach Roy Hodgson. The concern, however, is that England's goal came from their only shot on target. Chances were a rarity and the Belgian visitors enjoyed the run of the Wembley turf for long periods.
Hodgson nonetheless insisted the performance bodes well for his side’s Group D opener against France. "Of course I’m very pleased," said the 64-year-old. "It's been a hard week and we used a lot of players. There was a lot of disruption in the second half – some forced upon us and some we wanted to do, but it's still a very good end to the week." One such forced alteration was that of defender Gary Cahill, who had to withdraw after just 19 minutes following a collision with his own goalkeeper, Joe Hart, while fellow Chelsea FC centre-back John Terry required a scan on a tight hamstring.
Meanwhile, Manchester City FC captain Vincent Kompany, who missed the game injured, felt England have plenty of reason to be optimistic, tweeting to his club-mate Joleon Lescott: "You guys look really well organised which is a key to success. Another good performance from you, well done!"
Republic of Ireland (Garry Doyle, @UEFAcomGarryD)
The most interesting dynamic within the Republic of Ireland dressing room surrounds the relationship between Kevin Doyle and Shane Long. They may be rivals for a starting position alongside Robbie Keane in the Irish strike force, but they are also best friends and room-mates. To date, Doyle – three years older than Long – has been the senior partner in the coalition, not just with Ireland but also Cork City FC and Reading FC, where they previously played together.
Now, though, the gap has closed. Eight days ago, Long stepped off the bench to replace Doyle in Ireland's friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina, before scoring the only goal of the game. Last season, his return of eight Premier League goals was four more than Doyle managed. A turning of the tide?
No, says Long. "Robbie and Kevin are first choice and there is a very valid reason for that. So whenever me, Simon Cox and Johnny Walters get on the pitch we've got to prove what we're worth and try and take our chances when they come our way. Our job is to put a problem in the manager's mind. In football, things can change quickly – and what I have got to do is make sure that if I'm not first or second on the pitch that I am the next man in. You've got to earn your place on the team."
When Long did earn his place ahead of Doyle, in a UEFA EURO 2012 qualifier against Slovakia last October, Doyle's response was typically generous. "He came right up to me, shook my hand and wished me well," said Long. "We're close friends. We enjoy playing up front together. We enjoy each other's company. Our wives are good friends, too. Football won't affect things because if Kevin is picked, I want him to do well and for the team to win, and if I'm selected, I'm sure his thoughts are similar."
And they are. Doyle said: "Shane is his own man, a fantastic player and someone who hopefully will have a great tournament."
Croatia (Elvir Islamović, @UEFAcomElvirI) "It wasn't good," said Slaven Bilić of his soide's last EURO 2012 warm-up match against Norway in Oslo (1-1), "but, there are reasons for that. The training has been hard and legs are heavy now. It's not the time to ring any alarm bells yet, there is still enough time before EURO," added Bilić, who rested key players Luka Modrić and Vedran Ćorluka. Ivica Olić sustained a muscle strain but he should recover in time.
The Croatian media were largely disappointed with Croatia's performance and 24sata published the headline: 'A match to forget: draw in Oslo, headache for Bilić'. Vecernji list took a similar line: 'Headache in Oslo' and Jutarnji list ran with: 'Faceless Croatia, Eduardo and Pletikosa saved the team'. The press are hoping for improvement in the opening EURO 2012 match against Republic of Ireland on 10 June.
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