The Alps await EURO Magic

GROUP A : SWITZERLAND, CZECH REP, PORTUGAL, TURKEY

Switzerland have home advantage to boast of. Led by Kobi Kuhn, the manager who has been at the helm of the Swiss senior team for a while, Switzerland would definitely fancy their chances of a top two finish in the group. The key players in the lineup who could guarantee a place in the last eight are Alex Frei, the captain and star striker, who has just recovered in time from injury; playmakers Tranquillo Barnetta, Valon Behrami and Hakan Yakin along with defensive stalwart Ludovic Magnin.

The Czechs were arguably the best team in EURO 2004, though they did not go on to win it. A lot has changed since then, except that Karel Bruckner still remains the coach. Czech Rep finished top of their qualifying group, ahead of Germany and that surely would be cause for optimism among their fans. They need that in plenty as injury to regular captain Tomas Rosicky means they are bereft of their most influential player. A desperate effort to bring back Pavel Nedved fell on deaf ears and now it is upto the ageing duo of Milan Baros (top scorer in EURO 2004) and Jan Koller to recreate the magic of four years back. They would be ably assisted by wonder goalie Petr Cech, Jan Polak, Radoslav Kovac, Jaroslav Plasil and others.

Portugal are undoubtedly one of the hot favourites in this tournament. The last time they hosted the tournament they came agonizingly close to lifting the trophy, only to be denied by Greece, the eventual champions. A sobbing Cristiano Ronaldo four years earlier is determined to make amends this time around. The Madeira born winger, who is now captain, scored eight goals in qualifying, and had a fantastic season in club football (English Premier League and UEFA Champions League wins). He is surely destined to become one of the biggest stars of EURO 2008. But coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, believes that Portugal are not a one man team. In Ricardo they have an outstanding goalkeeper who is an absolute monster for the opposition when it comes to saving penalties. Ricardo Carvalho is the rock at the back, based upon whom the likes of Deco, Joao Moutinho, Ricardo Quaresma, Nani weave their magic. Scolari has taken Portuguese football forward ever since he has been at the helm. Expectations are so high that anything other than lifting the Henri Delauney Trophy would be deemed as a failure.

Fatih Terim, the Turkey coach, is revered as the “Emperor” in Turkish Football. The man who guided the national side to EURO 1996, their first major breakthrough in European football, knows that anything other than a royal performance from his wards would lead to fingers being pointed. Turkey’s third place finish in the 2002 World Cup signaled their arrival at the international stage. But subsequent failures to qualify for EURO 2004 and World Cup 2006 meant wholesale changes in the national setup. That’s when the “Emperor” was summoned and the call was answered as far as qualifying for EURO 2008 was concerned, albeit with a few hiccups. The change of guard means there is to be no place for Hakan Sukur. Along with experienced pros like Emre Belozoglu and Nihat Kahveci, the influx of youth in the form of Tuncay Sanli, Mehmet Aurelio, Gokdeniz Karadeniz and Hamit Altintiop augurs well for the future of Turkish football.

GROUP B : AUSTRIA, CROATIA, GERMANY, POLAND

There is no questioning Austria’s ability in hosting major tournaments. They are experienced in this regard and during EURO 2008 the Austrians would be perfect hosts. But big question marks regarding their on field display persist as the tournament approaches nearer. Courtesy of being hosts they have been deprived of any real action (content with only friendlies). On top of that, the team are appearing in their first European Finals since 1960. Josef Hickersberger knows that any victory in any of the matches would be a real bonus for his team. The only advantage Austria have is home advantage and a nothing to loose scenario. Andreas Ivanschitz, Martin Stranzl, Emanuel Pogatetz and others will have to play out of their skins if Austria intend to make this tournament memorable for reasons other than being the hosts.

Croatia are one of the rising forces in international football. The manner in which they qualified for EURO 2008 speaks volume of their abilities and determination. In a group where almost everyone had picked England to qualify atop the standings, Croatia put paid to England’s hopes on that drenched night at Wembley. The reaction of coach Slaven Bilic after the victory said it all – Croatia are going to be one of the teams to watch out for in this summers European Championship. If one analyses the team there is no reason to believe otherwise (even though the injury to Eduardo da Silva has been a big setback).

Niko Kovac will be leading his country one last time in this tournament and he surely would like to finish on a high note. His brother, Robert Kovac, and Dario Simic are the wise heads in defence. Two players who would be constantly under the vigil of football pundits are Luka Modric and Niko Kranjcar, the playmakers who have the ability of making the ball talk when it’s at their feet. In the absence of Eduardo, Igor Budan and Mladen Petric would provide the firepower upfront.

Three times European champions, Germany, look well on course to add a fourth to their illustrious kitty. After their low-water mark in the previous two European Championships (group stage exits), Jurgen Klinsmann provided the much needed renaissance during the 2006 World Cup on home soil. Joachim Low, Klinsmann’s successor, has taken the legacy forward. The Germans became the first team to qualify for EURO 2008 and in one of the qualifiers racked up 13 goals against San Marino (a qualifying record). A sustained pressure upon the opposition has been the mantra for success. Low hasn’t been afraid to experiment with his squad with youngsters like Marcell Jansen, Heiko Westermann, Mario Gomez coming up admirably through the ranks. The last minute injury to Bernd Schneider is bad news for Germany. But in inspirational leader, Michael Ballack, Torsten Frings, Bastain Schweinsteiger, Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski the Germans have all the aces in the pack.

Poland make their maiden appearance in European Championships this summer and a large credit is due to their Dutch coach, Leo Beenhakker. The much traveled coach took up the Polish reins after a disappointing first round World Cup exit in 2006. Finishing top of their qualifying group ahead of Portugal has certainly justified the Polish Federation’s faith in Beenhakker. A solid and packed defence aided by lightening counter attacks has been the Poles’ modus operandi – shades of Greece in EURO 2004. Goalkeeper Artur Boruc, veteran defender Jacek Bak, midfield general Jacek Krzynowek and super striker Euzebiusz Smolarek are the key players.

GROUP C : NETHERLANDS, ITALY, ROMANIA, FRANCE

The “group of death” comprises three former champions – Netherlands, Italy and France. Another interesting aspect of this group is that Netherlands and Romania qualified from the same qualifying group; while Italy and France also did the same after their World Cup 2006 Final meeting. Netherlands coach, Marco Van Basten, would be handing over the reins to Bert Van Marwijk after EURO 2008. So this will be his last chance to impress. A less than convincing qualifying campaign (finishing second in group behind Romania) hasn’t made matters any easier. The Dutch squad is a good blend of experience and youth, but whether they can gel together as a team remains the main question. Edwin van der Sar and Ruud van Nistelrooy would probably make their last appearances in a major finals. The young brigade, led by the likes of Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben, Dirk Kuyt along with midfield maestros Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart are all capable of producing the goods at the big stage. It’s how well they do it, upon which depends the fact, whether or not the future would be “Oranje” for the Dutchmen!

Italy, the World Champions, would look to repeat what France did in EURO 2000 (winning the EURO after the World Cup win in 1998). The “Azzurris” parted company with Marcello Lippi after the World Cup and in stepped Roberto Donadoni, signaling a vibrant attitude from the Federation bosses. Donadoni had to do without the services of Alessandro Nesta and Francesco Totti who called it quits in the national side. Even then a significant stride forward was made under the new coach during qualification. There were ifs and buts (a common phenomenon accompanying the side), but in the end Italy finished ahead of France in their qualifying group. Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Luca Toni have improved since the World Cup. They would certainly provide the backbone for Italy’s success, with Antonio Di Natale and Fabio Quagliarella chipping in. If the “Azzurris” can negotiate their characteristic slow start, then there is every possibility that they would paint the cities of Austria and Switzerland “blue”!

With all the talk centering on the big three in this group, Victor Piturca’s Romania side might have a point to prove. After the hallowed era of Hagis and Popescus this is Romania’s first appearance in major finals for a long time; and they are prepared to make full use of it. The optimists are already citing the example of Greece four years ago, but the realists know fully well the Herculean task which lies in combating foes of the calibre of Netherlands, Italy and France. However anything is possible in European football and the likes of Adrian Mutu, Cristian Chivu, Ciprian Marica, Dorin Goian and others would be keen to prove that their qualifying success was no flash in the pan.

France coach Raymond Domenech is not liked by many people in the French Football hierarchy. But whether they love him or hate him, they certainly cannot ignore him. Despite some indifferent performances in the qualifiers “Les Bleus” still start as one of the favourites. Defeat at the hands of Italy in the World Cup Final still seems like a nightmare for the French. They are keyed up for avenging that defeat and destiny would offer them that opportunity in the group stages itself. “Les Bleus” have been plagued by injury worries – Gregory Coupet, Patrick Vieira, Willy Sagnaol, Thierry Henry. Inability to find youngsters excelling at the highest level means that the likes of Lilian Thuram, Claude Makelele are still an integral part of the lineup. Franck Ribery has every chance of making the transition from a good player to a great one in this tournament. The likes of Karim Benzema and Samir Nasri should impress when called upon by Domenech.

GROUP D : GREECE, SWEDEN, SPAIN, RUSSIA

Four years ago in Portugal, football fans all over the world saw fairytale being scripted on the football fields by the Greek national side. The Greek odyssey in EURO 2004 became as famous as the one by Homer! Four years down the line, Otto Rehhagel, who is still at the helm, believes that the biggest difference from the start of EURO 2004 to that of EURO 2008 is in the FIFA rankings (previously they were 61st, now 10th). The failure to qualify for the World Cup in Germany has been quickly forgotten. Topping a qualifying group which also had arch rivals, Turkey, with more points (31) than any other qualifiers, has had Greece hoping again. Antonios Nikopolidis, Angelos Basinas, Angelos Charisteas, Georgios Karagounis are still very much part of the side as they were four years ago. It’s now time for the likes of Giorgios Samaras, Theofanis Gekas, Konstantinos Katsouranis and others to scale the heights of their illustrious compatriots.

Sweden coach, Lars Lagerback, has certainly pulled up a trick even before his side has kicked a ball in EURO 2008 – convincing Henrik Larsson to come out of retirement, yet again. It means the attack gets a more potent edge with Larsson joining compatriots Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Johan Elmander, Marcus Allback and Markus Rosenberg. Pitted in a group which also features their qualifying counterpart, Spain, the Swedes will have to leave behind all controversies if they are to progress further. This generation of Swedish players have been the most successful as far as qualifying in major tournaments are concerned. With Olof Mellberg and Fredrik Ljungberg nearing the twilight of their careers there wouldn’t be a better opportunity to make a long lasting impression.

Spain, the perennial underachievers in the football world, embark on another major tournament. As always there is high hope in the Spanish shores. But, at the same time, there is that lingering doubt which has often confounded “La Seleccion” – the inability to win crunch matches. No matter how much coach Luis Aragones puts up a confident face, it’s the results that will matter in the end. A technically gifted squad possessing the likes of Iker Casillas, Carles Puyol, Sergio Ramos, Xavi, Cesc Fabregas, Fernando Torres, David Villa have every right to be counted as one of the favourites. Whether they can scale the heights of 1964 is a matter of conjecture, though.

Russia would look towards Guus Hiddink in getting through to the Quarterfinals. The Dutchman weaved his magic wand for Korea Rep (2002 World Cup) and Australia (2006 World Cup) and would be hoping to do the same for the Russians at EURO 2008. Andrei Arshavin’s suspension for the first two games could prove to be crucial. But, in Pavel Pogrebnyak and Roman Pavlyuchenko, they certainly have players who know their way to goal.