Nations / Dave Farrar / 30 May 2008 / Leave a comment

With a strong defensive line, a wily coach and a collection of versatile performers, the Romanians are not to be underestimated by anyone. Especially the Dutch.

HOW THEY QUALIFIED

Romania's was one of the really surprising qualifying campaigns. Not because they made it to Euro 2008, after all, they only really had Bulgaria to beat. It was the manner in which they did it that caught the eye; by winning the Group, and by taking four points from Holland. Victor Piturca has the Romanians very well organised, and their Group 7 record reinforced that perception. Seven goals conceded, 26 scored, and good performances when it mattered. Aside from the win and draw against Holland, they won without playing particularly well against Slovenia home and away, and suffered their only defeat away in Bulgaria when they had already qualified. Teams that play well when it matters and are in the habit of getting results tend to do well at major championships. Rather like Euro 2000, when they qualified ahead of Germany and England, Romania should not be underestimated in a difficult group this time round.

COACH: Victor PITURCA

Piturca is making up for lost time in a role that suits him perfectly. He was sacked after guiding the team to Euro 2000 after an argument over bonuses and, after coaching Steaua to the title in 2001 he returned to the national side in 2004. He proved himself tactically astute in qualifying, both in deciding to build his team around Adrian Mutu and in inventing a subtle defensive strategy which gave his team the edge against Holland at the top of the group. Piturca won the European Cup with Steaua in 1986 and, as a formidable player, has the respect of his squad.

KEY PLAYERS

Adrian MUTU

Mutu has been reinvented as a star of the national side and his recovery from personal crisis has shown great strength of character. He had a nightmare in his time at Chelsea both on and off the field and then a disappointing spell at Juve reinforced the idea that he is better as the star of a smaller team than as one great player amongst many in a bigger club. As the focal point of Fiorentina, he has scored 33 goals in the last two seasons, form which echoes that of his time at Parma, when he scored 17 in his only season there. After being rehabilitated into the national side, he takes on the role of the star very comfortably, and Romania's hopes rest with his ability to produce his brilliance when it matters.

Cristian CHIVU

Chivu has already made an impact in a European Championship. In 2000, he scored the opening goal in his country's dramatic win over England. He has since developed into one of the best central defenders in the world, but it is as a central midfielder that he exerts a massive influence with the national side. He has been described by two of his former coaches, Ronald Koeman and Luciano Spalletti, as being someone who can play anywhere, and he has proved what a good footballer he is by being one of Serie A's outstanding centre backs, and operating as a defensive midfielder for Piturca. He has missed much of the Italian season through injury, and so comes to Euro 2008 relatively fresh.

Cosmin CONTRA

Romania's two full backs are vital in the system that Piturca chooses to play, and Razsvan Rat of Shakhtar Donetsk could easily have got the nod here, but it's the enigmatic Contra who is included as a key player, for his mobility going forward, but also for his curious ability to score important goals. He got two in the two legs of Getafe's ill-fated UEFA Cup tie against Bayern Munich, and a late winner against Sevilla in January. He was part of Alaves' extraordinary run to the 2001 UEFA Cup final, and scored two penalties in the semi against Kaiserslautern. He has made a remarkable comeback to form since a nightmare spell at West Brom, and is another defender to watch in the "to score" market.

VERDICT

Romania are the obvious outsiders in Group C, and yet they are good enough to emulate the team of Euro 2000, which qualified ahead of Germany and England. France and Italy may just be too tough to finish ahead of so, from a betting perspective, I will focus on their obvious superiority over the Dutch. Lay them, at around [1.7], to finish bottom of the group, and watch the prices in their final match against Holland carefully. There may be a bit of value, particularly if the Dutch need to win to go through. Piturca's team will not give up, and will also be a player in the under 2.5 goals market, so solid are they at the back.

Tags: Adrian Mutu, Euro 2008 Betting, Football Betting, Group C Betting, Romania