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| Dimitris Salpingidis changed the game for Greece |
I’ve well and truly been taken down by
European Championship fever.
You know you’ve got it bad when Poland vs
Greece – a fixture you wouldn’t usually pay any attention to whatsoever- takes
on Champions League final-like significance. When your non-football loving
friends ask you how you’re spending your Friday night you look at them as if
it’s the stupidest question on the planet.
Maybe it’s because I’ve been starved of
football for two weeks. Suddenly questions like, ‘Will Polish striker Robert
Lewandowski justify being linked to Manchester United?’ Or, ‘Is the Greek
defence – which conceded just five goals in qualifying – good enough to help
them repeat their shock win in 2004’, have taken upmost precedent in my mind.
Football – or to be more specific – a major
international tournament can do this to you. Spotting the ‘next big thing’ is
too tempting, ensuring you do your best to watch every minute of every game,
even it means sneaking out of work half an hour early to make sure you make the
5pm kick off times.
Most eyes were on Lewandowski during the
opening game of the Championships. He certainly looks the part. His movement
and touch make it clear to see how he’s scored 30 goals for his club, German
champions Borussia Dortmund this season. His goal against Greece showed a
striking instinct but the game also highlighted, like most strikers, he relies
heavily on service. He is not the sort of striker to fathom something out of
nothing and the 23-year-old went missing for long periods when his side needed
him most. One thing is for certain the hosts will need him at his best if they
are to progress to the quarter-finals.
Perhaps the
power of the Euros is best summed up by the fact that Dimitris Salpingidis is
now a household name. Before the match the PAOK forward was an unknown, now he
could be a possible transfer target for half the Premier League after changing
the game following his introduction at half-time to see the Greeks come from
behind to draw 1-1.
I’d better
get off and prepare for Russia vs Czech Republic. Why? To see if Russia’s Alan
Dzagoev is the real deal and whether Andrey Arshavin has really rediscovered
his Arsenal form of his first season. Why else?
