England, Wales and co have known too many disappointments in the past. The last of those occurred at the 2012 European Championship in June when England’s senior national football team succumbed to a penalty shoot-out loss–in the quarter-finals yet again.
Polls favour Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico and Spain to dominate at the London 2012 Olympics football competition. However, having qualified as the host nation, Great Britain have the obligation to perform and end the widely-publicized event with bronze, silver or gold medals.
Evidently, this requires hard work from the very beginning but Great Britain have decent chances of winning Group A. Uruguay U23, led by striker and skipper Luis Suarez, stand as their main competitors. With all due respect to Senegal and the United Arab Emirates, Great Britain are bigger on paper.
Coach Stuart Pierce has an array of talent at his disposal. From a British fan’s point of view, there is nothing to be ashamed about when you look at Great Britain’s 18-man squad. The omission of iconic football star David Beckham may not be unanimously applauded by the public.
However, in Michael Richards, Tom Cleverley, Aaron Ramsey and Daniel Sturridge, Great Britain can find belief. These are players who know what it is like to play at the top level in club football despite their young age.
On top of that, Great Britain possess two influential veterans in the name of Ryan Giggs and Craig Bellamy. The younger ones in the team will be leaning on this pair for inspiration. Evergreen Ryan Giggs is certainly the best man in the Great Britain team to carry the armband at the London 2012 Olympics Men’s Football tournament.
At the age of 38, Ryan Giggs continues to play football for Manchester United. Could there be a better opportunity than the 2012 Olympic Football tournament for the former Wales player to taste glory on the international stage?
“Of course, this would be different because you never thought you’d be competing in an Olympics, so to win a gold medal would be special,” Giggs told the press in England this week.
“Not playing in a major tournament would have been a missing piece in my career, had I not had this chance, no doubt. My career for my country has been the total opposite to my club career – I’ve been so successful with United but not so with Wales.”
Indeed, this is a fact. With 12 English Premier League titles, a couple of UEFA Champions League medals and a whole lot of other accolades, Ryan Giggs is one of club football’s living legends. It will be up to him to give the very best blend of skill, confidence and experience at the benefit of Great Britain’s entire squad.
Besides, there is more to Great Britain than Ryan Giggs. As stated above, the team owns future world football stars. Olympic Football is mostly designed to hype up younger players. This explains the Under-23 rule.
Four years ago in Beijing, a certain player named Lionel Messi imposed himself at each stage of the tournament and cruised all the way to the highest podium. Aaron Ramsey and company will be hoping to earn more experience points by shining in London.
Great Britain's London 2012 Olympic Football team
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Birmingham City); Jason Steele (Middlesbrough)
Defenders: Neil Taylor (Swansea City); Ryan Bertrand (Chelsea); Steven Caulker (Tottenham Hotspur); Craig Dawson (West Bromwich Albion); James Tomkins (West Ham United); Micah Richards (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur); Tom Cleverley (Manchester United); Joe Allen (Swansea City); Ryan Giggs (Manchester United); Jack Cork (Southampton); Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal); Scott Sinclair (Swansea City)
Forwards: Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea); Craig Bellamy (Liverpool); Marvin Sordell (Bolton Wanderers)
See where to watch Great Britain's group matches at the London 2012 Olympic Football tournament by clicking on the fixtures below:
July 20, 2012: Great Britain vs Brazil (Top Friendly Match)
July 26, 2012: Great Britain vs Senegal
July 29, 2012: Great Britain vs United Arab Emirates
August 1, 2012: Great Britain vs Uruguay
Follow the London 2012 Olympic Soccer - Men tournament and stay up to date with live TV listings.
