Of all the groups in the competition, Group B is probably going to be one of the most decisive ones. It will be very hard to see anyone but Germany winning this group.

Austria:

This is the weakest team in the entire tournament. The co-hosts will be a guaranteed disappointment. I don’t like to say that about anyone but they only are in this tournament because they are co-hosting it. The citizens of Austria are pleading to their government to get their team out of their so they aren’t embarrassed. I don’t think it will be that bad but they will not win a game and they may not even draw a game. Their best chance would be to play a 5-4-1. Clogging their penalty box and the midfield against Croatia and Germany could help them out. They could also be playing a 4-3-2-1. Middlesbrough LB Emmanuel Pogatetz is a temperamental player and don’t be surprised if he upsets his teammates and gets booked.

Poland:

Could surprisingly pull some upsets. They play a strong and organized 4-5-1. They play very patient in their own third and break up plays with this patience. Their counter attack is so dangerous and other teams may want to watch out for this because they take advantage of these opportunities. They may surprise with a draw or a victory or maybe even as runner ups.

Croatia:

I personally love the style of Croatia and you have to give it up to two individuals for this. Slaven Bilic is a genius of a manager and Luka Modric distributes and attacks with ease against some of the greatest opponents. Slaven Bilic will play a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield or some variations of it. They will play a patient game with or without the ball but they can kill you with some amazing strikes. He lets his midfield and forwards use their creativity on the attack but in a strict way. Their midfield runs through Luka Modric and that is clear but another Premier League stud helps control the mid, Niko Krancjar. He attacks through the left side and punishes teams with his deadly threaded balls. They will rely a lot of their attacking on these guys along with Petric and Olic. Missing Eduardo will hurt their chances at being serious competitors. Petric and Olic must have strong performances to be competitors. They may probably be semi-finalists still.

Germany:

The expected winners of this group and my choice for winning the entire tournament. Germans may believe that Klinsmann’s departure from the national side will weaken their chances but Low is an equally capable manager. He was always more than a number two for Klinsmann and Klinsmann will be the first to admit that. Germany has simple plans for each game; possession, quick passing, high tempo, and aggression. Wing play will be Germany’s strongest attack because they have so many options from headers. Schweinsteiger and Fritz must have strong displays for Germany’s success. In the air, they have options from Ballack, Klose, Podolski, Metzelder, Kuranyi, and Gomez. They have a strong midfield with Ballack and Frings. They also have many attacking options with Klose, Kuranyi, Gomez, and Podolski. Their back four is decent at best but Lahm and Jansen are great attacking options. Their keeper Lehmann is decent at best also.

Group Winner: Germany
Group Runner Up: Croatia