Spain ecstatic at Euro 2008 win

[Rasputin]

[Rasputin]

گروه D



اسپانيا

اتو رهاگل سرمربي آلماني يونان كه طراح اصلي قهرماني غيرمنتظره اين تيم در يورو 2004 بود، اخيراً از اسپانيايي ها انتقاد كرده و گفته اين تيم بيش از حد در مركز زمين تمركز دارد و فوتبال زيبا را به فوتبال تاثيرگذار ترجيح مي دهد. اما واقعاً مي توان انتظاري غير از اين از اسپانيا داشت؟ آنها به موتورخانه فعال شان در خط مياني كه داراي توانايي تكنيكي بالا و نظمي فوق العاده است، افتخار مي كنند؛ بازيكناني كه پاسورهايي عالي و پرشور به حساب مي آيند. تملك توپ و يك تركيب صبور از اسپانيا تيم كنوني را ساخته؛ تيمي كه بازي مستقيم هرگز در دستور كارش قرار ندارد.

اين روزها لوئيس آراگونس سرمربي اسپانيايي ها كه همه او را به عنوان روباهي حيله گر مي شناسند، آرايش 3-3-4 را به 2-4-4 مورد علاقه خودش ترجيح مي دهد. دليلش هم اين است كه آراگونس با گماردن سه بازيكن در خط مياني، مي تواند از سه طراح اصلي اش استفاده كند، سسك فابرگاس هافبك آرسنال در كنار زوج بارسايي تيم، ژاوي و اينيستا. براي استفاده از اين سه نفر، آراگونس از فابرگاس و ژاوي به عنوان زوج بازي ساز استفاده مي كند و اين در حالي است كه اينيستا به خاطر ديد خوب و سرعتش در سمت راست خط مياني و به عنوان بال مورد استفاده قرار مي گيرد. هدف اسپانيايي ها اين است كه هر چه سريع تر توپ را به فرناندو تورس تك مهاجم شان برسانند؛ كسي كه با تغييراتي كه در دويدن، قدرت و تكنيكش داده، يك قفل شكن قهار به حساب مي آيد. آلترناتيو آراگونس در خط حمله مي تواند استفاده همزمان از داويد ويا و فرناندو تورس باشد، آن هم در شرايطي كه دو بال و دو هافبك وسط در زمين حضور داشته باشند. در يك سوم دفاعي خودي، ايكر كاسياس كه در حال حاضر بهترين دروازه بان جهان به حساب مي آيد، نمي تواند مطمئن باشد كه كار زيادي نخواهد داشت چون زوج پابلو- پويول با وجود داشتن قدرت بدني بالا، چندان موقعيت سنج نيستند.

روسيه

گاس هيدينك سرمربي تيم ملي روسيه وجهه يي دارد كه كاملاً شايسته اش است. او در تورنمنت هاي مهم بهترين آرايش هاي تاكتيكي را انتخاب مي كند. رساندن هلند به نيمه نهايي جام جهاني 1998 با آرايش 2-3-1-4، چهارم كردن كره در جام جهاني 2002 با آرايش 3-4-3 و صعود با استراليا از گروهش در جام جهاني 2006، كارهاي بزرگ هيدينك هستند. او حالا در روسيه هنگام دفاع از آرايش 1-5-4 استفاده مي كند و هنگام تصاحب توپ از 3-3-4 اما مطمئن باشيد او ايده هايي جديد خواهد داشت. ايگور آكين فيف انتخاب اول هيدينك درون دروازه است. با اين حال شايد نقطه ضعف روسيه در خط دفاعش باشد. هيدينك در مرحله گروهي از عملكرد خط دفاعش راضي نبود و همواره مي گفت ايگناشويچ و برادران برژوتسكي، الكسي و واسيلي قدرت بدني بالايي دارند ولي فقدان چابكي و سرعت در بازي شان به چشم مي خورد. در خط مياني كونستانتين زيريانوف بهترين بازيكن روسيه در سال 2007 و رومن شيركوف مقابل خط دفاعي بازي خواهند كرد و دينيار بيل يالتيرينوف نقش بازي سازي را بر عهده خواهد داشت. بار هجومي روسيه روي دوش ولاديمير بيستروف و يوري ژيركوف است و در خط حمله هم زوج پاوليوچنكو و پوگربنياك قرار مي گيرند.

يونان

قهرمان دوره قبل يورو براي اينكه ثابت كند قهرماني اش اتفاقي نبوده است، امسال هم روي افكار تاكتيكي اتو رهاگل سرمربي اش حساب مي كند. با هدايت اين مرد 69 ساله آرايش هاي يونان متغير خواهد بود. از 3-3-4 تا

1-5-4 و از 3-4-3 تا 2-4-4 . اما واقعيت آن است كه اصول اوليه همان اصول ثابت هميشگي هستند؛ سازمان بدون اشتباه خط دفاعي، استفاده از سوئيپر، تاكيد روي دفاع فشرده، يك بازي سرشار از پرسينگ و هوشياري روي ضربات آزاد. اما مشكل اصلي رهاگل آمادگي بازيكنان درون دروازه و در خط دفاعي است. ترايانوس دلاس، سوئيپر تيم، آمادگي سابق را ندارد، جورجيوس سيتاريديس، دفاع راست هجمومي شان، مشكل مصدوميت دارد و آناتدنيس نيكو پوليديس، دروازه بان اصلي، هم با فرم خويش فاصله زيادي دارد. رهاگل مي تواند در خط دفاعش به كرژياكو و توروسيديس تكيه كند. نقطه قوت يونان در خط مياني اش است؛ جايي كه آنجلوس باسيناس، كاستاس كاتسورانيس و جورجيوس كاراگونيس حضور دارند.

سوئد

لارس لاگربك از سال 2000 هدايت سوئد را برعهده دارد و قديمي ترين مربي در يورو امسال به شمار مي رود. او مدت ها است از آرايش 2-3-1-4 استفاده مي كند؛ آرايشي كه با ويژگي هاي بازيكنانش كاملاً جور درمي آيد. او در عين حال تكيه زيادي بر ويژگي هاي فوتبال اسكانديناوي دارد؛ ويژگي هايي مثل سازماندهي مستحكم، قدرت بدني بالا و روحيه تيمي عالي. تيم او به نظر نمي رسد تيمي هجومي باشد. آنها دوست دارند فشرده بازي كنند. حريف را به زمين خودش بكشند و روي ضدحمله به گل برسد. لاگربك گفته كه بازيكنان مورد نظرش بايد هم خصوصيات هجومي داشته باشند، هم دفاعي. درست است كه سوئد بازيكناني بزرگ همچون ابراهيموويچ دارد اما ناآمادگي مصدوماني چون ليندروت، ادمن و ليونگبرگ مي تواند به تيم ضربه بزند.

[Rasputin]

گروه B

آلمان

آلمان به عنوان يكي از مدعيان قهرماني يورو 2008 با همان آرايش 2-4-4 به ميدان خواهد رفت كه در جام جهاني رتبه سوم را برايش به ارمغان آورد. تداوم تاكتيكي، رمز موفقيت تيم ملي آلمان است. يواخيم لو در جام جهاني نفر شماره دو بعد از يورگن كلينزمن بود اما خيلي ها اعتقاد دارند اين لو بود كه اكثر كارهاي تاكتيكي را انجام مي داد. تاكتيك تيمي لو سه اصل دارد؛ پاسكاري سريع ، سرعت بالا در همه جنبه هاي بازي و درگير شدن. آلمان لو تيمي نيست كه عقب بنشيند، دفاع كند تا روي ضد حمله به گل برسد. شگرد آلماني ها در اختيار گرفتن توپ از همان ابتداي مسابقه است. آلمان بدون توپ حريفش را تحت فشار قرار مي دهد. وقتي هم توپ را در اختيار مي گيرند، جايي براي تكروي وجود ندارد. هدف رساندن توپ به مهاجمان در سريع ترين زمان ممكن است. تيم ملي آلمان تيمي بسيار فشرده است. فاصله بين خط دفاع و خط حمله اين تيم كمتر از 30 متر است و اين در حالي است كه ينس لمان دروازه بان شان بسياري از مواقع نقش يك سوئيپر را دارد.

اتريش

شايد هيچ ميزبان ديگري ركورد ضعيف اتريش در بازي هاي تداركاتي اش را نداشته باشد. اين تيم در 14 بازي اخيرش تنها يك پيروزي به دست آورده است. به همين دليل اصلاً عجيب نيست كه يوزف هيكرز برگ سرمربي تقريباً يك تركيب هوشيارانه و محافظه كارانه 1-2-3-4 را به زمين بفرستد، آن هم مقابل حريفاني بزرگ مثل آلمان و كرواسي. براي جلوگيري از تحقير عمومي اصلاً بعيد نيست كه اتريش با آرايشي محافظه كارانه خط دفاعش را مستحكم كند و به دنبال استفاده از ضربات آزاد باشد. شايد آنها مقابل لهستان ديگر تيم اين گروه احتمالاً با آرايش 2-4-4 به زمين بيايد. بهترين بازيكن اتريشي ها آندرياس ايوان شيتز كاپيتان شان است كه با ديدي بالا از فوتبال، وظيفه بازي سازي را با تكنيك خوبش بر عهده دارد.

كرواسي

جسور و مبارزه طلب، زيرك و صبور. اينها خصوصيات بازيكنان كروات است كه با سيستم 2-4-4 روبه روي حريف قرار مي گيرند. اسلاون بيليچ تفكرات عجيبي دارد. او تيمي بر مبناي يك اصل آسان اما مهم بنا نهاده؛ «در بازي صبور باشيد و هوشياري و البته با زيركي فرصت سازي كنيد تا بتوانيد مدافعان حريف را جا گذاشته و در يك ضدحمله گسترده و همه جانبه دروازه را باز كنيد.» در سيستم او تغيير گردشي مهاجمان نقش مهمي را ايفا مي كند. لوكا مودريك بازيكن 5/16 ميليون يورويي تاتنهام يك بازي ساز قدرتمند است. «نيكو كرانيار» در جناح چپ مركز زمين جانشين درم مودريك است. اما بيليچ در رقابت هاي يوروي امسال يك بدشانسي بزرگ هم گريبانش را گرفته. ادواردو مهاجم كليدي كرواسي در بازي هاي باشگاهي آرسنال با شكستگي پا و مصدوميت جدي روبه رو شد، اگرچه به نظر مي رسد بيليچ به اندازه كافي مهاجم و گلزن در ليست خود داشته باشد. اما غيبت اين گلزن كليدي كار را براي كروات ها قطعاً مشكل خواهد كرد. كرواسي مي تواند از اميدهاي صعود از گروه B باشد. به شرطي كه به همان شكل كه در بازي هاي مقدماتي روبه روي انگليس بازي كرد و باعث حذف تلخ جزيره نشينان از رقابت هاي يورو شد، در برابر حريفان گروهي مرحله اول خود به ميدان برود.

لهستان

لئو بين هاكر سرمربي باتجربه لهستان با 65 سال سن در ليست مربيان كهنه كار يورو 2008 جا دارد، نقطه اتكاي لهستان، استعدادهاي فردي منحصر به فرد بازيكنانش است كه به شكلي منسجم در قالب تيمي به زمين مسابقه مي روند. آرايش تيمي لهستان به شكل

1-5-4 است، اگرچه آنها هرگز مدعياني قدرتمند براي تورنمنت هاي بين المللي نبوده اند، اما تيم كنوني لهستان از ديسيپلين و يكپارچگي خوبي بهره مند است. مهاجمان تيم در رقابت هاي مقدماتي جام ملت ها بسيار آماده و با انگيزه بازي مي كردند و گل هايي كه به ثمر رساندند ماحصل همين انگيزه بالايشان براي صعود به جمع 16 تيم حاضر در اتريش و سوئيس بود. بين هاكر اعتقاد عجيبي روي خط مياني تيم و هافبك هايش دارد. ماريوژ لواندوسكي و داريوژ دودكا كه هر دو هافبك هاي روبه جلوي لهستان هستند، از نظر شيوه بازي تفاوت هاي فاحشي با هم دارند. از كنار نام بلدز سيكوفسكي كه يكي از بهترين دريبلرهاي تيم است، نمي توان به سادگي گذشت. او مهارت هاي فوق العاده يي در جا گذاشتن حريف و بازي با توپ دارد. روژه گوئررو هافبك برزيلي الاصل تيم هم بازي خلاقانه يي در ميانه ميدان دارد. اگر اسمولارك قرار باشد در ميانه ميدان ايفاي نقش كند، در نتيجه تك مهاجم تيم به احتمال زياد مهاجم اسبق تيم سلتيك يعني زوراوسكي خواهد بود، اين در حالي است كه هنوز شك و شبهاتي براي حضور «رادوسلوو ماتيوشاك» در نوك حمله لهستان وجود دارد. اما آرتور بوراك مهم ترين مهره تيم در زنجيره دفاعي است. هنوز مشخص نيست آيا بيليچ مي خواهد از زوج ياسك باك و ماريوژ ياپ در مركز خط دفاع استفاده كند يا خير؟

[Rasputin]

گروه A



سوئيس

تاريخ هميشه اثبات كرده كه كشور ميزبان در يك تورنمنت جهاني يا قاره يي از امتيازات بيشتري نسبت به ساير تيم ها برخوردار است، اما از سويي ديگر بازي كردن روي زمين هاي چمن خانگي براي سوئيسي ها يك اشكال عمده هم دارد؛ فشار رواني، البته آنها اين فرصت را در اختيار دارند تا از حمايت پرشور و مشتاقانه هواداران بازلي در سنت ژاكوب پارك بهره مند شوند. البته ذات آنها نسبتاً آرام و خونسرد است و نمي توان آنها را مردماني بيش فعال و ماجراجو لقب داد، اما با به صدا درآمدن سوت اولين بازي شرايط كمي فرق خواهد كرد. تيم سوئيس معمولاً با سيستم 2-4-4 بازي مي كند؛ سيستمي كه نفوذ به خط دفاعي آنان تا حد زيادي دشوار و سخت است. خط مياني تيم به شدت از مدافعان حمايت مي كند و زنجيره تدافعي شان از ثبات و استحكام نسبتاً خوبي برخوردار است. مردان تيم ملي سوئيس غالباً توانايي و تسلط زيادي روي بازي در عرض زمين دارند، همان طور كه مدافعان به صورت خطي اجازه ضدحمله به حريف نمي دهند، از اين طرف مردان خط مياني پرسينگ و فشار زيادي از سمت جناحين زمين روي هافبك ها و مدافعان حريف دارند. در مركز خط دفاعي فيليپ سندروس و ماريو اجيمان حضور دارند و اگر پاتريك مولر كهنه كار و باتجربه بتواند از مصدوميت كلافه كننده زانويش خلاصي يابد، مي توان حدس زد كه تيم ميزبان از نظر دفاعي هيچ مشكلي ندارد و مهاجمان تيم هاي رقيب را به دردسر خواهد انداخت. پس از ماه ها كلنجار رفتن با دروازه بان هاي تيم، كوبي كان بالاخره تصميم گرفت ديه گو بناليو را به جاي پاسكال زوبر بولر يا فابيو كولتورتي درون دروازه تيمش قرار دهد. البته شايد اين بهترين انتخاب سنگربان براي سوئيسي ها نباشد. كسي چه مي داند؟ آنها دو فرمولاسيون براي خط مياني شان دارند. اولي اينكه گوخان اينلر جوان به عنوان مدافع- هافبك جلوي چهار مدافع قرار بگيرد، والون بهرامي و جلسون فرناندس در چپ و راست مركز زمين قرار بگيرند و بارنتا به عنوان هافبك روبه جلو باشد و سيستم ديگر اينكه اينلر ضمن كمك به مدافعان از جناح چپ و راست به هر سه هافبك ديگر بهرامي، فرناندس و بارنتا كمك كند. هر كدام از اين بازيكنان نقش خود را به خوبي مي شناسند و از نظر تاكتيكي بازيكناني آماده و قابل اعتماد هستند. اما كان سرمربي تيم خود نيز مي پذيرد كه تيمش از كمبود بازيكناني كه قادر باشند ريتم بازي را تغيير بدهند، رنج مي برد، در خط حمله الكساندر فري مهاجم باتجربه تيم است كه تمام بار گلزني هاي تيم روي دوشش قرار دارد. يوهان وونلانتن، بليس نكوفو، ماركو اشترلر و حتي ارن درديورك ساير مهاجماني هستند كه مي توانند زوج فري در خط حمله باشند، كوبي كان اميدوار است تيمش از مرحله مقدماتي صعود كند و شايستگي هايش را به معرض نمايش بگذارد.

پرتغال

پرتغالي ها با داشتن يك مربي برزيلي كه قهرمان جهان را هم با قناري هاي امريكاي جنوبي تجربه كرده، اعتمادبه نفس بيشتري نسبت به ساير اعضاي گروه A دارند. روحيه تهاجمي تيم پرتغال هميشه مورد تحسين اروپاييان بوده است و با داشتن مهاجماني چون كريس رونالدو، ناني، سيمائو و ريكاردو كوارسما اين روحيه تهاجمي چندان عجيب به نظر نمي رسد... طي چند سال اخير در بازي هاي يورو 2004 و جام جهاني 2006 آلمان، پرتغال توانست چهره موفقي از خود در ذهن فوتبال دوستان و كارشناسان جا بيندازد. اسكولاري يك فلسفه ساده دارد؛ اعتمادبه نفس و يكپارچگي، خط دفاعي كاملاً سازماندهي شده و دقيق، انگيزه و اشتياقي درازمدت با قدرت انتقالي بالا براي بازي تهاجمي. شعار پرتغالي ها اين است كه «حريف نمي تواند به ما ضربه بزند» و اين آنها هستند كه به قلب دشمن حمله مي برند. در ميان هافبك هاي تيم از نقش بازي ساز بزرگ «دكو» نمي توان بي تفاوت گذشت. توپ رساني او به جناحين و البته حركت هاي پا به توپ رو به جلوي دكو در كنار آلميدا يا نونوگومژ بسيار چشمگير است. ستاره تيم بدون شك رونالدو است. اين فصل فوتبال را با قدرت تمام و با دو قهرماني ليگ برتر و ليگ قهرمانان اروپا به پايان برده و حالا اسكولاري اين شانس را دارد تا بهترين و بزرگ ترين ستاره جزيره در تركيب تيمش حضور داشته و نقطه اتكايي براي تيم باشد. مدافعان تيم ميگوئل، ماركو كانيرا و پائولو فريرا تا جايي كه فضا داشته باشند رو به جلو حركت خواهند كرد. پرتغال براي دورهاي بعدي رقابت ها انگيزه زيادي دارد و اسكولاري صعود تيمش را از مرحله گروهي حتمي مي داند.

تركيه

با توجه به بررسي آمار و شيوه بازي ترك ها در تورنمنت هاي قبلي، پيش بيني مي شود با سيستم 2-4-4 در يورو حاضر شوند. فاتح تريم سرمربي تيم ملي تركيه روي هافبك هاي تيمش تاكيد زيادي دارد. «نيهات قهوه چي» ستاره تيم است و بيشترين اميد گلزني را هواداران از او دارند. در كنار قهوه چي دو بازي ساز تيم حضور دارند؛ ييلديراي باشتورك و امره بلوزوگلو و البته حميد آلتينتاپ بازيكن بايرن مونيخ كه چندين سال است در بوندس ليگا توپ مي زند در جناح راست نقش هافبك رو به جلو را ايفا مي كند. اما شايد يكي از نكاتي كه ديدگاه هواداران ترك را نسبت به فاتح تريم و تاكتيك هايش منفي كرده است، دعوت نكردن «هاكان شوكور» گلزن حرفه يي و باسابقه ترك ها باشد.

جمهوري چك

تيم ملي جمهوري چك زير نظر «كارل بروكنر» چند سالي است كه پيشرفتي رو به جلو داشته. سيستم بازي چك ها به صلاحديد بروكنر از سيستم 2-4-4 به مدل 2-5-3 و 1-5-4 در طول مسابقات تغيير كرده است. چك بازيكناني با قدرت تاكتيكي بالا دارد كه به بازي در قالب تيمي بسيار اهميت مي دهند. چك ها در مجموع «تكرو» نيستند. هافبك هاي تيم در ارسال توپ هاي بلند مهارت خوبي دارند، اما يكي از بدشانسي هاي تيم ملي چك را بايد مصدوميت سخت بازي ساز و كاپيتان تيم «توماس روسيچكي» دانست؛ بازيكن آرسنال كه بازي خلاقانه يي دارد و تجربه هاي زيادي از تورنمنت هاي مختلف بين المللي در كارنامه اش ثبت كرده است. اگر روسيچكي واقعاً نتواند تحت هيچ شرايطي در تركيب تيم قرار بگيرد، سرمربي ناچار است «پلاسيل»، «ماتئوفسكي» يا «ياروئيم» را به جاي او در تركيب تيم قرار دهد. اما شايد يكي از مشكلات بروكنر در انتخاب مهاجم اول تيمش باشد؛ يان كولر كه در طول سال هاي گذشته گل هاي حياتي و مهمي براي تيم زده يا ميلان باروش كه يك اسلحه مرگبار براي مدافعان تيم رقيب است،

[Rasputin]

Italy rocked by Cannavaro injury

Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro will miss Euro 2008 after tearing ligaments in his left ankle during training.

The Real Madrid defender collided with Giorgio Chiellini in a practice match at Italy's base in Austria on Monday.

After the incident, Cannavaro lay on the pitch for about 20 minutes before being stretchered off.

Fiorentina's Alessandro Gamberini has been called up as his replacement, with goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon likely to take over the captaincy.

Italy had been in Austria for just six hours when Cannavaro suffered his injury.

A statement issued by the Italian Football Federation said: "The news we feared was confirmed in Baden late on Monday evening.

Fabio Cannavaro will say goodbye to our European adventure, before it has even begun.

"The captain has suffered torn ligaments, which happened the moment his foot made contact with the ground. His ankle twisted awkwardly."

Cannavaro, 34, capped 116 times, skippered Italy to 2006 World Cup glory in Germany, winning the World Player of the Year award.

His absence is a serious setback for Italy, who are in Euro 2008's 'Group of Death' with France, the Netherlands and dark horses Romania.

However, the emergence of centre-back Andrea Barzagli, who has produced some assured displays for Italy in the last year, will slightly cushion the blow.

Defender Marco Materazzi is also in the squad while Chiellini and Christian Panucci can play at centre-back rather than full-back.

Italy open their campaign against the Dutch on Monday 9 June in Berne.

[Rasputin]

Will Spain win Euro 2008?

It is June, and we are approaching a major football tournament which means that some time in the next month, the fabulously-gifted players of Spain will crash out and fly home prematurely.

It has happened with such alarming regularity it appears as though Spain's biennial humiliation is written in the stars.

Always among the favourites, they have a nasty habit of producing one decent performance before bowing out to a team half as talented - not a million miles away from the same fate suffered by England every other year.

Only Spain will be in Austria and Switzerland this summer and, once again, they are being heavily tipped, with most bookmakers running them as second favourites behind Germany.

So have Spain really underachieved as much as we are led to believe? Spanish football expert Guillem Balague thinks it is nothing more than a myth that they are world football's biggest flops.

"How many world-class players have Spain produced in, say, the last 20 years?" asks Balague.

At short notice, the first three names that pop into my head are Miguel Angel Nadal, Fernando Hierro and Raul.

Are those players you have just mentioned world-class players, or rather players who are known worldwide?" replies Balague.

"I don't think Spain have had that player to take them on to the next level for a long time, a player like Marco van Basten, or Zinedine Zidane - we have had famous players, but not world-class ones.

"Everywhere, especially in England, people have overestimated the value and quality of Spanish players, mainly because they can pass the ball and maybe do things the English guys cannot do as easily.

"But we are missing the mentality of the English, the commitment of the Germans and the know-how of the Italians. Also, we end up having this ideological debate in every tournament which confuses us sometimes, which the French don't get lumbered with."

The fact remains, however, that Spain's seemingly endless problems in major tournaments have become something of an embarrassment for one of football's proudest nations.

Like England, they have won one tournament. Their success - the 1964 European Nations' Cup, as the Euros were called then - came thanks to a 2-1 win over the Soviet Union in the final, which was held in Madrid.

If not world-class, they have still produced some very fine players, the country's teams have consistently picked up European trophies and for some years their league has been arguably the most attractive to watch on the planet.

Which makes reaching only one final since 1964 - defeat to hosts France at the Euros in 1984 - all the more perplexing.

Add to that a paltry single appearance in the World Cup semi-finals (1950) and apart from 1964 and 1984, they have not reached the last four of the European Championship.

That is probably why 69-year-old coach Luis Aragones is doing his level best to play down talk of them going all the way this time around.

"We're not favourites," Aragones has said on more than one occasion. "Nobody should be deceived by Spain because in the major tournaments we haven't done anything."

So why, then, is there a genuine feeling that at Euro 2008, La Furia Roja will finally cast aside their tag of "chokers" and stamp their mark on a major competition for the first time in 24 years?

Spain have always had quality players, but perhaps not quite so many as they have in their 23-man squad for Austria and Switzerland, as BBC presenter and former Barcelona striker Gary Lineker testifies.

"It has slightly let them down in the past, but Spain have never had the strength in depth they have this year," Lineker told BBC Sport. "They also have the experience of players going abroad that they never had before, too.

"Over in Spain they think they choke. They've done well in sports like golf and motor racing where they've shown they have the bottle.

"But they've got a real chance this year. The spine of Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Cesc Fabregas, Xavi, Fernando Torres and David Villa is very, very strong."

BBC Sport pundit Mark Lawrenson also thinks the number of Spanish players playing abroad will benefit the team. There are five players in the squad plying their trade in the Premier League.

"You get to sample another way of life, another culture," he says. "The whole experience makes you a more well-rounded person and it helps in international football because you learn a different way of playing."

One thing this Spanish side has in its favour is that plenty of them are used to winning things, too. Casillas, Carles Puyol, Xavi and Andres Iniesta have all won the Champions League and they have numerous league and cup titles between them.

And there is a string of players who have also been successful with Spain's youth teams.

It would seem they have brought this success to the full national side now, with Spain on a run of 15 games without defeat, including victories over Argentina, France and World Cup holders Italy.

Aragones, having tinkered with his formation and his favoured starting side for much of his reign, now appears to have settled on a formula he believes can end their 44 years of hurt in Austria and Switzerland.

But Balague thinks the system Aragones has stumbled upon could prove to be the team's undoing.

"It is a problem that the way they are going to play will not help two of their most important players, namely Fabregas and Torres," said Balague.

"For Cesc to become the Cesc of Arsenal he needs to start deeper, but he can't for Spain because Xavi takes up that position. So Cesc finds himself between Xavi and Torres and playing with his back to goal a lot - not normally the kind of football he plays.

"It's such a passing midfield, they all want the ball to feet and so Torres, the lone striker, will have to do lots of running and will see less of the ball than he does at Liverpool.

"This is why Aragones is trying to instil in them the mentality of playing a little more directly and using Torres' pace, because that is how you hurt teams."

Spain's major problem it seems, much like Arsenal in recent times, could be their eagerness to pass the opposition into submission.

If it comes off for Spain, however, it would be a fillip for attractive football. And after Greece's triumph four years ago - a victory for football by numbers - you could argue it is exactly what the competition needs most.

There are enough reasons to believe that Spain can succeed at the European Championship, not least the history of the competition that has delivered plenty of surprise winners.

Yet Aragones has suggested Euro 2008 could be good preparation for his young squad's crack at winning the World Cup in two years' time.

Balague agrees. "I don't think Spain can win Euro 2008. A good tournament would be reaching the last four because it's a young group and that would show good progression.

"We need to get a semi-finals under our belt to make us start to believe we can win something."

Settling for the semis is all well and good, but Spain are carrying more than the hopes of a nation at this summer's European Championship.

The future of beautiful football may just depend on them passing one of the sport's ultimate tests.

[Rasputin]

[Rasputin]

Turkey arrived in Switzerland Sunday under heavy police protection, becoming the first national squad to take up residence at their UEFA EURO 2008 headquarters.

The team will be staying at La Reserve, on the banks of the famous Lake Leman, in preparation for their first competitive Group A match against Portugal on June 7.

They play Switzerland four days later, then the Czech Republic on June 15.

Portugal are due to arrive in their Neuchatel base on Sunday evening, with Romania arriving at St. Gallen on Monday.

[Rasputin]

Sold-out Euro 2008 to be best yet: UEFA

The stage is set for the start of the European Championships as the first teams arrived Sunday for the start of the tournament in Austria and Switzerland, organisers said.

"Everything is in place for this to be the best tournament ever," UEFA's Euro 2008 chief executive Martin Kallen said in Vienna.

Kallen, meanwhile, warned against black-market ticket sales, saying all 1.05 million tickets had been sold for the 31 matches and anyone buying a ticket now would be doing so illegally.

"All of the tickets have been sold - there is not a single ticket left, and there has not been for a while," he said.

"We are obviously trying to prevent tickets being sold, but any tickets sold at this point are black-market tickets. I would recommend that no-one sells tickets on the black market, as there will be sanctions."

The two hosts nations are confident of a party atmosphere.

Around five million visitors are expected for the tournament between June 7 and 29, with matches being screened at around 400 public viewing events - and even the weather predicted to be on their side.

"Of course, we have done some long-term forecasts. It will be a bit colder with some thunder in the coming week but then it will be fine," Kallen said.

Everything was now in place, with merely the finishing touches being added to the eight venues in Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Salzburg, Vienna, Basel, Berne, Geneva and Zurich, as well as the fan zones in the two countries.

"The first teams have arrived, and preparations are going smoothly. We are ready, and everything has been working according to plan," Kallen said.

Portugal and Turkey, who are Group A opponents, were the first teams due to check in at their team bases in Neuchatel and Geneva, Switzerland, respectively. Poland and Italy will Monday be the first Austrian-based teams to set up base.

Spain will the last of the 16 finalists to arrive when they check into their Tyrol headquarters on Thursday. By UEFA rules, teams must arrive at their team bases five days ahead of the first games.

Austria's tournament director Christian Schmoelzer said the organisers were "in the starting blocks" for the tournament, which kicks off on Saturday when Switzerland play Czech Republic in a Group A game in Basel.

"All the different pieces are falling into place," he said.

"All of the different locations in the two host countries have lived up to expectations in terms of security and infrastructure - both decisive elements in them winning their bid (to stage the tournament)."

[Rasputin]

At Euro 2008 they fear Al-Qaida, but hooligans may be the real threat

Anyone who has been to a major sports event, particularly in the few years since the terror attacks in New York, London and Madrid, is familiar with the phenomenon. Thorough security measures, fussiness, invasiveness and general aggravation. But this is necessary - who are we Israelis to complain?

These elements were present at UEFA Euro 2004 in Portugal as well, despite any concrete terror alerts or threats. This time around there are specific warnings, and the Swiss and Austrian security authorities are on high alert, indeed the highest possible. Advertisement


The threat from Al-Qaida during the tournament was not official, but the shady Internet meeting grounds known as the "jihad forums" were abuzz with rumors of an attack that would strike at the Europeans for their support of the Iraq war, their support of Israel, their lack of respect for Islam, and so on and so forth.

In Austria and Switzerland, measures are being taken. Security checks are conducted with supreme thoroughness, including body searches, and special attention is being given to people with a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern appearance. Officials are also combing the Internet forums of Al-Qaida and its supporters in an effort to glean information.

"We are on alert and are taking what is being said in these forums very seriously," said an official in the organizing committee who is also responsible for covering security issues with the Austrian press. He asked to maintain anonymity - Austrian journalists believe it is for fear of reprisal from Al-Qaida.

"Through these forums, Osama bin Laden and his people arouse sleeper cells and incite their followers. It is a matter of the utmost seriousness, and this incitement is something that must not be taken lightly, even if much of it is just babble from frustrated and envious people. And we have to react to every threat seriously," he said.

While the threats of Al-Qaida are frightening, the chances of them actually taking shape are smaller. The bigger threat is far less sophisticated and closer to home - Switzerland in particular has experienced a spike in soccer hooliganism of late.

Just three weeks ago, St. Gallen fans stormed the field after a loss to Bellinzona. They clashed with police and wrought havoc in the streets, proving that the Swiss can match hooligans around the world in sheer destructiveness. Sixty fans were arrested and seven police officers hospitalized.

Nor was this a one-time occurrence - the Swiss league has seen at least three such outbursts in the past month. The organizers of Euro 2008 are confident that no such unpleasantness will mar their tournament, in light of the heavy police presence and the fact that a poor showing from either Austria or Switzerland will not come to anyone as much of a surprise.

Even if the Swiss hooligans and their Austrian counterparts behave, the fans of neighbors such as Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy and France are known to occasionally become hotheaded.

Border police will be on watch for infiltrators from Poland, Croatia and Russia, and will deny entry to any "unwanted elements," whether they be Al-Qaida bombers or hooligans of foreign manufacture.

And while Switzerland is known for its tight border control, Austria is a member of the European Union, and as such EU citizens are not supposed to be checked at all.

Just for that reason, several security-related conferences were held for participating countries in the past two years, one of the results of which was the agreement to send police officers from neighboring countries to help deal with their own rowdy countrymen. Some 2,500 will arrive from eight countries, with Germany sending the largest contingent.

The scale of the manpower that will deal with security and crowd control will be significantly larger than in previous tournaments. In Switzerland, 15,000 soldiers will join 16,200 police officers patrolling the four cities where matches are to be held. In Austria, 27,000 police officers will be deployed around the city to keep order, and 1,000 guards will be present in and around the stadium at every match.

[Rasputin]

[Rasputin]

The History

Germany have by far been the most successful side when it comes to the European Championships, the Germans won the European Championship three times: 1972, 1980 and 1996 (France is the only other multiple-time winner with two titles), finished as runners-up twice and have qualified for every European Championship tournament except for the first one in 1960. Germany had a miserable Euro 2004 campaign where they failed to register a single win and went out of the competition in the group stages itself. The Germans will be keen to make up for their disappointment in Euro 04 and win their fourth European Championship title.

Euro 2008 – The Qualifying Campaign

Germany were the first team to secure qualification for Euro 2008 and they made it from a relatively tough group which consisted of teams like the Czech Republic, Republic of Ireland and Slovakia. The Germans were quite impressive in their qualifying campaign in which they lost just once, drew three and scored a impressive 35 goals whilst letting in just 7 goals. Their best game was against tiny San Marino, where they won by a jaw-dropping score of 13-0 and German coach Joachim Löw will be keen that his team translates their qualifying performance into the tournament.

Squad

Goalkeepers

Jens Lehmann (Arsenal), Robert Enke (Hanover 96), Rene Adler (Bayer Leverkusen)

Joachim Löw pulled off a major surprise by dropping Valencia keeper Timo Hilderbrand for the uncapped Robert Enke. The Germans have a major headache in this department with their preferred No.1 Jens Lehmann not played enough for his club but the team will be looking forward to their World cup 2006 hero to do the job.

Defense

Christoph Metzelder (Real Madrid), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin), Marcell Jansen (Bayern Munich), Clemens Fritz (Werder Bremen), Heiko Westermann (Schalke 04)

The German defense will be marshaled by the experienced Christoph Metzelder and Per Mertesacker with Philip Lahm and Clement Fritz working along the sides.

Midfield

Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Thomas Hitzlsperger (VfB Stuttgart), Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen), Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Piotr Trochowski (Hamburg SV), Tim Borowski (Werder Bremen), David Odonkor (Real Betis)

Löw will want to build his team around Captain Michael Ballack who is in exceptional form lately and teaming him up with the temperamental Torsten Frings who will add stability and experience in the middle of the park. Tim Borrowski and Bastian Schweinsteiger, operating along the flanks, will provide the much needed width.

Strikers

Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich), Lukas Podolski (Bayern Munich), Mario Gomez (VfB Stuttgart), Kevin Kuranyi (Schalke 04), Oliver Neuville (Borussia Moenchengladbach)

The Germans have possibly the deadliest strike force in Euro 2008. Joachim Löw has a several options to choose from, with all of them capable of turning the game around.

The Group

Germany has been drawn into Group B along with co- Hosts Austria, Croatia and Poland. The Germans will not have it easy against the likes of Croatia and Poland as both have been exceptional in the qualifying rounds while Austria will be banking on home advantage.

Players to Watch

German Captain Michael Ballack is tipped to be key player for the Germans but one cannot forget star striker Miroslav Klose who has been exceptional for both club and country. Another potential star of the Euros is 22-year old striker Mario Gomez who has been on a goal scoring spree for his club VfB Stuttgart scoring 19 times in 25 matches and he was named German player of the year in 2007.

The Big Misses

The Germans will sorely miss the services of Bernd Schneider who was sidelined due to injury. Another notable absentee is goalkeeper Timo Hiderbrand.

Possible Line Up

Jens Lehmann (Arsenal); Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Christoph Metzelder (Real Madrid), Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen), Clements Fritz (Werder Bremen); Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen); Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Tim Borowski (Werder Bremen); Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich), Mario Gomez(VfB Stuttgart).

Goal.com Verdict

Germany goes into the Euro 2008 as a strong contender to win it for the fourth time. The Germans are characteristically very strong, tactically sound and posses some fantastic players but their one major weakness may be in goal, with Lehmann having virtually having no match practice for nearly a year.

[Rasputin]

EURO 2008 Preview: Swiss hope to surprise

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Switzerland didn't allow a single goal two years ago in the World Cup but was eliminated in its first knockout round game in penalty kicks.

Veteran coach Jakob Kuhn warns that the Switzerland club entering the Euro 2008 finals is good, but only time will tell if it's better than two years ago.

"I don't know if we are stronger than we were back then at the same stage - that's two years ago and now is now," said Kuhn, who has coached Switzerland since 2001.

Essentially an afterthought in the star-studded event, the Swiss possess enough talent to make a serious run at the knockout stage. Belgium, which co-hosted in 2000 with the Netherlands, is the only host country that has failed to advance past the group stage.

Switzerland co-hosts this year's tournament with Austria and its neighbor does host the final. But if Switzerland makes it that far - which is a long shot - it would be uncharted territory.

The Swiss have reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup three times - 1934, 1938 and 1954 - but have never reached the knockout round of the Euro finals in two previous appearances (1996 and 2004).

With the motivation of the loss to the Ukraine (3-0 in penalties) in the 2006 World Cup and being a host, Switzerland may have found the correct mix for some success.

Add in a little emotion - Kuhn's wife Alice was recently hospitalized - and the Swiss could be dangerous if everything falls into place.

"I am here with all of my head, stomach and heart," Kuhn said. "I will be able to do my work and will not need any cover. It is in no way the case that I will not be 100 percent available for my work with the team."

Patrick Mueller and Philippe Senderos were two of the key defenders in the 2006 World Cup and the duo will once again help decide Switzerland's fate.

On the opposite end, Alexander Frei has a knack for scoring big goals for the international team. With 35 goals in 59 career international appearances, Frei could provide the lone goal Switzerland needs to win a few games.

Hakan Yakin was the top scorer in Swiss Super League with 24 goals in 32 games for BSC Young Boys, but he will likely come off the bench in the Euro finals.

Switzerland's biggest concern on the field is Tranquillo Barnetta's ankle. The playmaking midfielder was injured in training and could miss the team's opener against the Czech Republic on June 7.

"I have to be prepared to play without him, and we can play without him," said Kuhn.

Although Switzerland lacks the overall talent of some of the teams in its group and the tournament, playing as a team could help the Swiss. Switzerland opens the finals against the Czech Republic on June 7. Portugal and Turkey are also in Group A.

"Everyone is looking forward to the opening game and everywhere in Switzerland you can feel that things start now. It will be important for us to play as a team because this has been the base of our success in the past," Yakin said.

OUTLOOK

Switzerland proved in the 2006 World Cup it's capable of surprises and, as the strongest of the co-hosts for the Euro finals, has to be considered a strong threat to make a run at the knockout stage.

[Rasputin]

Living Without Eduardo

After qualifying with relative ease from Group E, Croatia looked on course for their best-ever performance at the European Championship in their third appearance. However, disaster struck when main goal scorer Eduardo da Silva was ruled out through injury in February. How Croatia cope with the loss of their 10-goal striker, a player responsible for nearly 50% of their qualifying goals, will go a long way to determining how they fare at the competition.

It is no over-estimation to state that the loss of Eduardo is a huge blow to Croatia. His absence in the latter part of the season cost his club side Arsenal valuable ground in the race for the title and the ramifications of Martin Taylor’s horror tackle are being felt a lot further afield than North London.

While Croatia were a strong team prior to Brazil-born Eduardo's introduction following his naturalisation as a Croat, his inclusion in the team added even greater potency to the mix.

Eduardo's impact on Croatia can be measured very simply in goals over the course of the 12-game qualifying campaign for Euro 2008. If you remove the 10 goals that he scored in qualifying plus the 12 goals that Croatian players other than Silva rattled in against minnows Andorra (they won 7-0 at home and 0-6 away, with Eduardo scoring only one of those 13 goals) then Croatia managed just six goals in 12 games. Not a particularly impressive average and certainly not the sort of strike ratio that is going to win you any tournaments.

His loss will now mean that the Croat management team, headed by former Everton and West Ham centre-back Slaven Bilic, will have to revert back to their previous striking combination of Werder Bremen’s Ivan Klasnic and Hamburg’s Ivica Olic.

Both players are decent centre-forwards but neither possesses the explosive pace that Eduardo brought to the team. Therefore the Croatian side that beat England both home and away, and lost only once in qualifying, will be a very different proposition from the one that takes to the pitch in the first match in Group B against hosts Austria.

Self-Belief The Key

Self-belief will be crucial if Croatia aren’t to flop badly at the tournament. Outwardly Bilic has been very quick to downplay the loss of Eduardo and insist there is no pressure on the team, but persuading the players of this may be a harder task. This job also falls to the experienced members of the squad - and the likes of the Kovac brothers, Josip Simunic and Dario Simic, the only four outfield players over the age of 31 in the squad, will have a key task in restoring self-belief.

Their experience will also be key in guiding the team during the tournament both on and off the pitch. Croatia can undoubtedly call upon some of the brightest youngsters in the European game, such as Ivan Rakitic, Luca Modric and Niko Kranjcar. However, youngsters can also suffer when obliged to spend large amounts of time away from home, and the mentoring of the younger players in the team by the older ones will be crucial.

Despite the loss of Eduardo, expectations in Croatia remain high, especially after their excellent qualification campaign. Their performance two years ago at the World Cup in Germany was below par after they failed to make it through to the knock-out stages of the tournament. Australia pipped them to second place after a thrilling 2-2 draw in the final group game, and their failure to make it through to the round of 16 cost former coach Zlato Kranjcar his position.

Bilic Takes Over

His removal as head coach gave an opening to Slaven Bilic, who impressed in his role as Under-21 head coach, although his side lost to Serbia in a play-off for the 2006 tournament. Nevertheless the appointment of the patriotic Croat to the job has done a lot to bring several disunited factions back into one group.

Under Kranjcar’s reign too often there were complaints of nepotism when he picked his son Niko to play, despite the obvious talent and potential that the youngster displayed. Given licence to express their nationality, a key part of the Croat cultural make-up, they really could rekindle the spirit of France 1998 when, with Bilic in defence, they were swept along by an outpouring of Croat fervour and went all the way to the semi-finals, ultimately finishing third.

That third place remains to date the best Croat performance at a major tournament and they’ll be keen to improve on 2004’s European Championship when they missed out to France and England, finishing third in their group after managing only two draws from their three games.

Giving Youth A Chance

The team that Bilic has put together is largely a youthful one albeit with some experience in key defensive and midfield areas. It is no surprise that Bilic has opted for youth after his stint as Under-21 manager and eschewed the likes of Werder Bremen’s Jurica Vranjes, for years a mainstay of the squad.

Interestingly, Bilic has opted to call up only six recognised defenders into the squad of 22 although several of the players such as Dario Srna and Daniel Pranjic are versatile midfielders who can easily slot into full back positions, and may well do so over the course of the tournament.

In Goal

In goal, Croatia are well covered with Stipe Pletikosa, the first choice. The former Dinamo Zagreb keeper is one of several Eastern European players to have been tempted to try his luck in the Russian league and he is currently on the books of Spartak Moscow.

Other options include experienced Vedran Runje, who despite suffering relegation with Lens in France this season is still a decent keeper; and Mario Galinovic, under contract with Panathinaikos, although second choice behind the evergreen Dimitrios Nikipolodis.

The Defence

There is plenty of experience in defence with several 30+ players to call upon including AC Milan’s Dario Simic and Borussia Dortmund’s Robert Kovac, younger brother of captain Niko Kovac. The experience will also be complemented by Manchester City’s 22 year old defender Vedran Corluka. Corluka enjoyed an excellent first season at the City of Manchester Stadium and proved useful at both centre and right back in his first season since signing from Dinamo Zagreb.

Other central defensive options include Josip Simunic, a steadying influence at the back, but perhaps most famous for being the recipient of Graham Poll’s infamous three yellow cards at the World Cup two seasons ago.

On the flanks, Bilic may well opt to play with Srna on the right and Pranjic on the left. Both are very adaptable; equally comfortable as defenders or attackers - and their overlapping width down either flank will be a dangerous weapon for Croatia. Srna remains on the books of Shakhtar Donetsk for the time being despite interest from several Western clubs, while Pranjic is carving an excellent reputation for himself at Dutch club Heerenveen.

In The Middle

The main holding midfielder will be seemingly evergreen captain Niko Kovac. The 36-year-old will be chiefly responsible for shielding the back four as well as ensuring that the likes of Modric and Kranjcar see as much of the ball as possible. Now with Red Bull Salzburg, after more than 10 years in the German league, Kovac is undoubtedly in the twilight of his career but could still be a vital cog in the Croatian wheel.

Wingers are in relatively short supply in the Croat squad although Monaco based Jerko Leko is most commonly seen on the right side. Their main strength lies in central midfield where they boast Luca Modric, Ivan Rakitic and the best-known, Niko Kranjcar. In this threesome Croatia possess some of the best young midfielders in Europe, but whether Bilic can get the best out of all three simultaneously remains to be seen.

The Strikers

Goal-scoring will also be an area of scrutiny for Bilic at the tournament. In the absence of Eduardo da Silva, he has called up Ivica Olic and Ivan Klasnic. Their relative lack of pace in comparison to Eduardo will mean that Croatia won’t be able to press as high up the pitch.

Olic has spent a lost of this season playing from the left for Hamburg SV, while Klasnic has missed a lot of football over the past two years after a kidney illness, and tends to play better when partned with an out-and-out centre-forward, as illustrated a few seasons ago with Miroslav Klose. With question-marks over both his strikers, and with such excellent midfielders at his disposal, Bilic may just play with one up front.

Kranjcar is the most likely to be given a free role behind a lone forward, and if he is posted there he will have to ensure he influences the game sufficiently to justify his place.

Other options include Mladen Petric, who scored the winning goal for Croatia at Wembley to knock England out. The 26 year old is currently with Borussia Dortmund and has played both on the left and through the middle. He could prove to be another interesting option, as Bilic looks to overcome the massive loss of Eduardo.

[Rasputin]

The usual suspects are the teams you would highlight as possible winners - Italy, Germany, Holland and of course France - but, for me, Russia look very difficult to beat.

They have got some very good players and they did not beat England in a Euro 2008 qualifier in October 2007 because England were poor, they beat England because Russia are a very good side.

And they obviously have an outstanding coach in Guus Hiddink. He is the man as far as I'm concerned.

On ability, he is the best there is along with Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Hiddink managed to take South Korea to the World Cup semi-finals in 2002, so just imagine what he could do with a team as gifted as Russia in a major tournament.


Liverpool's Torres can be a Euro 2008 star

Sure, South Korea were at home with all the benefits that entails but what Hiddink did with them was a phenomenal achievement. Their style of play was superb, all the players clearly had great faith in him and no-one enjoyed playing against them.

Hiddink is a very clever coach. He gets his players together, realises what they are best at and then decides the system. He does not go in there and impose a Hiddink system on players, he does what is best for the team.

He has got people like Pavel Pogrebnyak and Andrei Arshavin, who both showed with Uefa Cup-winning side Zenit St Petersburg that they are quality players who can play to a very high level. They helped to take England out of the tournament, correctly, because they were a better side.

These players will also have the extra stature and confidence clinching a major European trophy can give to you.

There will also be countries that have finished their league programmes and the players are exhausted, whereas the Russians will be relatively fresh. Plus, not that many of their squad play abroad, so if you put all this together - great coach and decent, fresh players - then I would keep an eye out for them and can see them getting to the final.

Spain are capable and it is about time they delivered in a major tournament, given that they have got players of the calibre of Fernando Torres and Cesc Fabregas. I think they will have a good tournament - I certainly do not think they will flop like they have in the past - but I still think they will just come up short.

A lot of their players have played Champions League football and that could mean there is a fatigue factor that will stop them emerging as winners of Euro 2008.


FRANCE'S RIBERY THE PLAYER TO WATCH
If I am picking a player to watch in this tournament, then it would be France's Franck Ribery by some distance. Some people were surprised when he joined Bayern Munich - I will be more surprised if he actually finishes his career there.


Franck Ribery has been in unstoppable form

I am a late convert to Ribery. He plays in the wide position, which I naturally keep an eye on given that I played there. I remember people kept telling me how brilliant he was for about a year and I did not quite see it but I have watched him this year and just said 'wow'.

He is actually bordering on unstoppable when he is on his game, which is quite a regular occurrence at the moment.

Ribery has fantastic pace, his vision is great and he has the knack of making very good players look like under-11s. I love Argentine Lionel Messi, who obviously will not be taking part in this tournament, but there is slightly more directness about Ribery, so I would suggest he - apart from the obvious choice of Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo - would be the player to keep an eye on.

Torres is clearly another one to look for but we know what he is capable of. If you are from the the UK, I am pretty sure you will be talking about Ribery more than you have before by the time this tournament is finished.


CROATIA THE DANGEROUS OUTSIDERS
I hope if a so-called smaller nation comes out of the pack it is a positive team such as Croatia as opposed to a team that goes out in a very defensive manner. Greece played in an incredibly stifling way to take this crown four years ago, which is not a criticism but a statement of fact.

They were a team that was all about stopping the opposition scoring against them - all built around pure defence by their German coach Otto Rehhagel.


Bilic has put together an attractive Croatia side

Greece did beat major teams but it was not the most enjoyable style to watch. This is not to take anything away from them and if you have got limited players, which they had, then that is they way to play. Well done and applause to them but I hope it is not a regular thing.

I hope it is a team that plays neat, nice, positive football such as Russia or someone like Croatia. I think having Eduardo missing is the thing that is going to stop Croatia from going further than they might.

They do not depend on one player but they need someone to put the ball in the net and Eduardo can do that. If any smaller team comes through I think it will be Croatia.

I really like their system.


THE EVER-CHANGING TACTICS
A lot of teams play in a 4-2-3-1 system these days and that is extraordinarily defensive. You have one forward then you have three people going to support him.

This is effectively an adapted 4-2-4 format but the difference being the two in that system are extremely defensive whereas in a 4-2-4 the two tend to go forward a wee bit.

When you employ a 4-4-2 system, all four in the midfield go forward to an extent and I am really hoping for some good attacking football in this tournament.


Otto Rehhagel employed strong defence to win Euro 2004

If it is going to be a tournament that exists with most teams playing four defenders and two sitters in midfield, then I am going to be asleep for most of it but I just do not see that because not too many teams are doing it.

We can look back at Greece and their success but football changes really quickly and what system did the new champions of Europe use? Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson put out a 4-4-2, which is extraordinary, almost unthinkable.

It was a 4-2-4 set-up with Patrice Evra, a full-back, bombing forward and one of those midfielders bombing forward. It is almost Brazilian in its offensiveness.

I think there is a nudge towards more positivity than there was three or four years ago. The Dutch will be more positive, as will the French - who are positive even when they play one up front. There are more positive teams out there so let's hope we see that reflected in the football we see in Austria and Switzerland.


THE REFEREES - WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE
In every single Euro tournament there is a change in accent on the rules and my understanding is that they are going to have a crackdown on pushing, pulling and shoving by defenders in the box.

This is very interesting. I watched the Scottish Cup final and there was a blatant block by Rangers that should have been a penalty but it wasn't given.

The leeway given to defenders has become so great that people do not see these offences as fouls any more - and yet anywhere else on the field a foul would be given.

If the officials do go the way they should on it, which is ultra strong, then you are going to have a couple of joke games with five or six penalties and three red cards. If they do stick to it and come out the other side, the whole concept of how people defend will have changed. People will actually have to start challenging for the ball.

If this is adapted, it will lead to more goals because people will be able to run and challenge for the ball knowing people are going to have to try to challenge them rather than block them or nudge them - it will be fascinating to see how this pans out if it happens.