I know we have another thread based on the winner, but I want to go group by group. Hopefully to help out when you want to bet on individual games, lines are already up.
Group A
Switzerland 7 points
Portugal 5 points
Turkey 2 points
Czech Republic 1 point
Switzerland is going to ride the crowd's emotions, they also get a break by getting to face the Czech Republic in the first game and Turkey in the 2nd. That is HUGE and that's why I am taking them over Portugal. They could have a berth in the next round wrapped up by the time they face Portugal. Remember the name Blaise Kufo. This isn't a fluke like people thought Greece were last time. The Swiss made it to the World Cup knockout stage in 06.
Portugal failed to impress me in qualifiers and it took them until November '07 to clinch in what was one of the easier groups, Serbia and Finland? I think they will be good enough to advance, but I don't expect a repeat of 2004 or 2006. Without question Cristiano Ronaldo is the best soccer player in the Euro and probably the world, that won't be enough. Other than Ronaldo, they're thin. I'm an avid Manchester United fan but Nani over the top? Meh.
Turkey is a bit of an enigma, they were absolutely on fire in their first four qualifiers, then they totally tanked (2-2 draw vs Malta) and were lucky to edge out Norway. Turkey has a ton of talent, but it looks like they might be missing Hamit Altintop (broken foot), either way I don't like their chances, but look out for them in 2010. They'll be excellent then.
Czech Republic No Rosicky, No Chance... Petr Cech can only do so much and the defence in front of him is A LOT worse than the one he plays with in Chelsea. Its a pity, because the peaked in 2004 and deserved to win the tournament 4 years ago.
Group B
Germany 9 points
Croatia 4 points
Poland 4 points
Austria 0 points
Germany has the luck of draw, a vanilla group that has a plethora of injuries and they are on the weaker side of the bracket. They're not the favorites because they're the best team but because they're in this group and this side of the bracket. They were clinical during qualifiers until Joachim Loew took the foot of the pedal after clinching. Solid defense, vibrant midfielders, and a good bunch of strikers to choose from. The only question mark is who plays between the sticks and I like the chances of Lehman even if he's 38.
Croatia's chances to some damage on this side of the bracket took a hit when Eduardo Da Silva went down with that gruesome injury. If Da Silva's there, they have just as good a shot to make the Finals as the Germans do. That said, Croatia oozes talent and are a lock to move on to the knockout stage. When the former Yougoslavia (which would have won a major tournament had it not been for that horrible thing called ethnic strife) was divided up Croatia got the biggest share of the spoils. That said, I think they might struggle putting goals in the back of the net, but their slick midfield play will mask that during the group stages.
This is Poland's first appearance at the Euro Championship. A lot of credit has to be given to the ageless Leo Beenhaker who has instilled some confidence in this team. I think it's a huge accomplishment that they will be in this tournament (won their qualifying group over Portugal) and I am banking on Beenhaker to have the team put in a respectable showing... something Poland has failed to do in the past two World Cups.
Austria, oh Austria... when your own people have started a petition to ban you from a tournament in your own country, what is left to say? Scoring a goal and keeping games withing two goals should be Austria's target for this tournament. They're awful. I'm a huge England guy and it pains me to see a squad like this in the tournament and not the English.
Group C
France 5 points
Romania 5 points
Italy 3 points
Holland 1 point
I feel France has improved by leaps and bounds since their Finals appearance 2 years ago, new talent has come through that famous Clairefontaine system. This team is no longer the Team of Zidane, Barthez, Trezeguet, and Thuram (although the latter 2 might feature). There is just so much talent in this team and Domenech has had this team clicking since that 2nd round match versus Spain and there are no signs of them slowing down. That said, they will not walk over the teams in this group... but I still think they will feature in the final. If you're choosing over them, Italy or the Dutch to win the group, take these guys.
Romania isn't really on the radar at the moment. BIG MISTAKE. First of all Romania aren't newbies. This team is a lot more than just Mutu and Chivu, I've seen the team play without them and absolutely destroy the likes of Albania and Russia. Of course, France, Holland, and Italy are far superior opponents. On paper, this is a 'huge upset'. That said, I think Romania can grind out a couple of draws against the likes of France and Italy and have all to play for going into their last game vs. Holland (who they beat and drew during qualifiers). Don't forget that.
Italy historically hasn't done well at European Championships, they are also notoriously slow starters. The talent is there, and even though the members of their backline are well into their 30s they still have tons of game. What worries me is whether or not Cannavaro (35), Materazzi (35), Pannucci (35) can cope playing 3 games in 9 days.... don't think so. If they can bottle that World Cup Magic then they will prove me wrong. My gut says they won't. Three draws and an early exit is what im betting on. If this team can get into the knockout stage, I think they'll get into the finals.
Holland is in complete disarray, nobody likes Van Basten... and they looked distinctly average during qualifiers (lucky that Bulgaria tied Albania twice, otherwise we'd be talking about Bulgaria right now). I also have serious questions about their defense, they need a new coach, clean slate, and a fresh start.
Group D
Spain 7 points
Greece 5 points
Sweden 4 points
Russia 0 point
Spain on talent alone will top this group, they'll look good doing it too. They will be promptly ushered out in the quarterfinals though. Aragones (Spanish Manager) is this team's biggest enemy, also not taking Raul is a big mistake, defense has issues as well.
Greece are the defending champs and they cruised through a vanilla group. Looks like Rehaggel has put together a formidable combination of young players and Euro 2004 vets. It wasn't a fluke guys.
Sweden has serious issues, neither Shaaban nor Isaakson have put in serious minutes with their club teams. Zlatan Ibrahimovic failed to score in all 12 qualifiers and latest reports show that underwear model Freddie Ljunberg will miss out on this summer's tournament. But Sweden has always been more than the sum of its parts. So they'll challenge Greece for that runner's up spot.
Russia shouldn't be here, I saw their friendly against Romania and they looked absolutely atrocious. This is not your typical Guus Hidink coached team. Is Guus Hidink a miracle worker? YES. Its a miracle that Russia will be playing football this summer, and you can thank good all Guus for that.
Quarterfinals
Switzerland over Croatia
Germany over Portugal
France over Greece
Romania over Spain
Semifinals
Germany over Switzerland
France over Romania
Finals
We'll see.
Group A
Switzerland 7 points
Portugal 5 points
Turkey 2 points
Czech Republic 1 point
Switzerland is going to ride the crowd's emotions, they also get a break by getting to face the Czech Republic in the first game and Turkey in the 2nd. That is HUGE and that's why I am taking them over Portugal. They could have a berth in the next round wrapped up by the time they face Portugal. Remember the name Blaise Kufo. This isn't a fluke like people thought Greece were last time. The Swiss made it to the World Cup knockout stage in 06.
Portugal failed to impress me in qualifiers and it took them until November '07 to clinch in what was one of the easier groups, Serbia and Finland? I think they will be good enough to advance, but I don't expect a repeat of 2004 or 2006. Without question Cristiano Ronaldo is the best soccer player in the Euro and probably the world, that won't be enough. Other than Ronaldo, they're thin. I'm an avid Manchester United fan but Nani over the top? Meh.
Turkey is a bit of an enigma, they were absolutely on fire in their first four qualifiers, then they totally tanked (2-2 draw vs Malta) and were lucky to edge out Norway. Turkey has a ton of talent, but it looks like they might be missing Hamit Altintop (broken foot), either way I don't like their chances, but look out for them in 2010. They'll be excellent then.
Czech Republic No Rosicky, No Chance... Petr Cech can only do so much and the defence in front of him is A LOT worse than the one he plays with in Chelsea. Its a pity, because the peaked in 2004 and deserved to win the tournament 4 years ago.
Group B
Germany 9 points
Croatia 4 points
Poland 4 points
Austria 0 points
Germany has the luck of draw, a vanilla group that has a plethora of injuries and they are on the weaker side of the bracket. They're not the favorites because they're the best team but because they're in this group and this side of the bracket. They were clinical during qualifiers until Joachim Loew took the foot of the pedal after clinching. Solid defense, vibrant midfielders, and a good bunch of strikers to choose from. The only question mark is who plays between the sticks and I like the chances of Lehman even if he's 38.
Croatia's chances to some damage on this side of the bracket took a hit when Eduardo Da Silva went down with that gruesome injury. If Da Silva's there, they have just as good a shot to make the Finals as the Germans do. That said, Croatia oozes talent and are a lock to move on to the knockout stage. When the former Yougoslavia (which would have won a major tournament had it not been for that horrible thing called ethnic strife) was divided up Croatia got the biggest share of the spoils. That said, I think they might struggle putting goals in the back of the net, but their slick midfield play will mask that during the group stages.
This is Poland's first appearance at the Euro Championship. A lot of credit has to be given to the ageless Leo Beenhaker who has instilled some confidence in this team. I think it's a huge accomplishment that they will be in this tournament (won their qualifying group over Portugal) and I am banking on Beenhaker to have the team put in a respectable showing... something Poland has failed to do in the past two World Cups.
Austria, oh Austria... when your own people have started a petition to ban you from a tournament in your own country, what is left to say? Scoring a goal and keeping games withing two goals should be Austria's target for this tournament. They're awful. I'm a huge England guy and it pains me to see a squad like this in the tournament and not the English.
Group C
France 5 points
Romania 5 points
Italy 3 points
Holland 1 point
I feel France has improved by leaps and bounds since their Finals appearance 2 years ago, new talent has come through that famous Clairefontaine system. This team is no longer the Team of Zidane, Barthez, Trezeguet, and Thuram (although the latter 2 might feature). There is just so much talent in this team and Domenech has had this team clicking since that 2nd round match versus Spain and there are no signs of them slowing down. That said, they will not walk over the teams in this group... but I still think they will feature in the final. If you're choosing over them, Italy or the Dutch to win the group, take these guys.
Romania isn't really on the radar at the moment. BIG MISTAKE. First of all Romania aren't newbies. This team is a lot more than just Mutu and Chivu, I've seen the team play without them and absolutely destroy the likes of Albania and Russia. Of course, France, Holland, and Italy are far superior opponents. On paper, this is a 'huge upset'. That said, I think Romania can grind out a couple of draws against the likes of France and Italy and have all to play for going into their last game vs. Holland (who they beat and drew during qualifiers). Don't forget that.
Italy historically hasn't done well at European Championships, they are also notoriously slow starters. The talent is there, and even though the members of their backline are well into their 30s they still have tons of game. What worries me is whether or not Cannavaro (35), Materazzi (35), Pannucci (35) can cope playing 3 games in 9 days.... don't think so. If they can bottle that World Cup Magic then they will prove me wrong. My gut says they won't. Three draws and an early exit is what im betting on. If this team can get into the knockout stage, I think they'll get into the finals.
Holland is in complete disarray, nobody likes Van Basten... and they looked distinctly average during qualifiers (lucky that Bulgaria tied Albania twice, otherwise we'd be talking about Bulgaria right now). I also have serious questions about their defense, they need a new coach, clean slate, and a fresh start.
Group D
Spain 7 points
Greece 5 points
Sweden 4 points
Russia 0 point
Spain on talent alone will top this group, they'll look good doing it too. They will be promptly ushered out in the quarterfinals though. Aragones (Spanish Manager) is this team's biggest enemy, also not taking Raul is a big mistake, defense has issues as well.
Greece are the defending champs and they cruised through a vanilla group. Looks like Rehaggel has put together a formidable combination of young players and Euro 2004 vets. It wasn't a fluke guys.
Sweden has serious issues, neither Shaaban nor Isaakson have put in serious minutes with their club teams. Zlatan Ibrahimovic failed to score in all 12 qualifiers and latest reports show that underwear model Freddie Ljunberg will miss out on this summer's tournament. But Sweden has always been more than the sum of its parts. So they'll challenge Greece for that runner's up spot.
Russia shouldn't be here, I saw their friendly against Romania and they looked absolutely atrocious. This is not your typical Guus Hidink coached team. Is Guus Hidink a miracle worker? YES. Its a miracle that Russia will be playing football this summer, and you can thank good all Guus for that.
Quarterfinals
Switzerland over Croatia
Germany over Portugal
France over Greece
Romania over Spain
Semifinals
Germany over Switzerland
France over Romania
Finals
We'll see.
