Well, folks, Euro 2008 is almost upon us. England did not make the cut. Most of the favoured nations stumbled in the past few weeks during international friendly fixtures. Now, we have to get a feel for who’s got what it takes, and who hasn’t. From June 7 until the 29th, all eyes in Europe will be fixed on the Alpine nations of Switzerland and Austria, who co-host the championship. Here’s an idiot’s guide to the opening phase …

The group stage will last 11 days and will feature two matches from one of the four groups every day, with the final games of this stage being played on June 18. Two teams go through to the quarter-finals from each group.

Group A
Group A features one of the co-hosts (Switzerland), the host of the previous competition (Portugal), and two teams that prior to qualifying were thought to be past their prime (Turkey and Czech Republic).

‘The most alarming story? Some Austrian fans signed petitions to urge their team to renounce their place in the competition, to allow a worthy team to play. Ouch!’


The success of the Czech team is down mainly to the performance of veteran striker Jan Koller and the brilliant defensive play of Marek Jankulovski. They are now without Pavel Nedved, who has retired from international football. They have also lost the talented Tomas Rosicky through injury. In all, this is a talented squad missing one or two vital pieces, which means somebody new is going to have to step up.

Turkey are without Hakan Sükür who was controversially omitted by coach Fatih Terim. The squad relies heavily on the Turkish power club Galatasaray, combined with players from the English, Spanish and German top flights. The squad’s talent level is certainly not lacking, but a lack of experience and leadership on the field could be their biggest problem.

Host countries usually tend to do well at the Euros. And Switzerland are definitely the better of the two hosts as far as their football team is concerned. A focus on youth development in the 1990s has made this nation a solid participant in World Cups and European Championships. The Swiss might lack star power (with Philippe Senderos being their biggest name), but they are a disciplined bunch, playing a team game. With home field advantage, they could surprise people.

One of the favourites of this tournament, Portugal have to make sure the pressure does not get to them. They also have to guard against complacency as their group draw could not have been much more favourable. With Cristiano Ronaldo leading the way, they also have a solid defence, splendid midfield and a host of goal-hungry forwards.

Group B
Featuring the other co-host (Austria), one of those historically great nations (Germany), a hungry team trying to recapture the glories of Euro ’96 (Croatia), and a team that surprised most during qualification (Poland). Poland had just one loss (the opening fixture) during their qualifying. Led by the incredibly talented striker Euzebiusz Smolarek, this team could cause quite a stir.

Croatia has been trying to get a youth movement going while also mixing in their veteran players. No wonder most tend to agree that the veteran leadership of Niko Kovac and the youthful gamesmanship of Mladen Petric will be key for this squad. They beat England at Wembley, which means that they are definitely not to be underestimated.

The Nationalelf (Germany) are always expected to win any competition they enter. The German squad won bronze at the 2006 World Cup, which they hosted. This time around they have a new coach (Joachim Loew replaced Jurgen Klinsmann) and increased confidence as they practically marched through the qualifiers with ease. They are the favourites of Group B, but it might not be as easy as we initially thought.

Austria are undoubtedly the weakest side in the tournament. They no longer have a Tony Polster; they’re not even cohesive. The most alarming story? Some Austrian fans signed petitions to urge their team to renounce their place in the competition, to allow a worthy team to play. Ouch!
 
Group C
The group of death, as it shall be known, features a trio of European football superpowers – Italy, France and the Netherlands - plus a Romanian team that epitomises unity on the field. Romania might be lacking a Gheorghe Hagi but they were tops in their qualifying group, beating even the Dutch. The closest thing they have to a star is the steady Adrian Mutu.

Holland might have gained a spot only with a second place finish, but this squad is just as strong as any previous Dutch side that challenged for the trophy. Coach Marco van Basten was one of the key players that won the trophy in 1988, and he would like nothing more than to make their fans forget an ugly 2006 World Cup. Ruud van Nistelrooy will once again lead a well-balanced team.

France have more question marks than any of the other teams in the group. They lost to Scotland twice during qualifying and are too up and down, lacking the leadership of a Zinedine Zidane. But they still have a roster of stars that can get the job done if they are properly motivated – Thierry Henry, Franck Ribery, Sami Nasri, Patrick Vieira, and the list goes on …

The only time World Cup winners have gone on to win the European Championship was when France won in 1998 and 2000. Ironically France seems to be the major hurdle always being thrown in Italy’s way. They played that Euro 2000 final, they played the 2006 World Cup final, they faced off in the same qualifying group and now they get rewarded by sharing the same group in the final stages. Italy’s task just got even tougher as team captain Fabio Cannavaro has been lost due to injury, making the late call-up of Alessandro Gamberini necessary.
 
Group D
The reigning champs (Greece) will be challenged by the great team that never seem to win (Spain), the humble giant-killers (Sweden) and the luckiest team to be here (Russia). Just how lucky are Russia? They needed dire performances from England plus the added favour of Croatia not taking a meaningless game too lightly. Don’t get me wrong, this is a great team, but how many times has an already qualified team given 110 per cent in a game that means nothing? That is what Russia needed from Croatia and they got that favour. Guus Hiddink’s side actually has a legit shot of winning this group, but it is unlikely.

Sweden have brought back Henrik Larsson once again, despite the player’s earlier comments that he will not play in the national squad. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Freddy Ljungberg are the other stars within a team of hard workers. Swedish football has always been about a unit of hard-working players well versed in the fundamentals of the game, and a few stars (remember Thomas Brolin, Martin Dahlin?) who can provide the surprise factor. They could be going quite a distance this summer.

Spain start each national competition with lofty goals of winning it all. They then provide the type of play that makes you believe they can actually do it. Then they crash and burn in a disappointing manner. Their biggest surprise? Beloved striker Raúl has not been called up but they have enough talent and  just as good a shot of winning it all as previous incarnations of this squad in the past decade. Will this be their year?

Greece are the returning champions. They bring the same recipe and the same miracle-working coach. The side that taught us team unity, desire and hard work are more important than world stars and flashy play will once again be in the hunt for the title. This time it will be harder, though. They can no longer sneak up on teams, no one will underestimate their game, and, most importantly, every single team will be gunning for them, just as they do with all champs.

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