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EURO 2004 will provide a high calibre of football. Football critics the world over plus the most reputable tacticians are of the opinion that this quality tournament is of a much higher level than the FIFA World Cup.
The current holders France after a dismal performance in South Korea and Japan two years ago, have gone though an impressive victorious march and are the much-fancied favourites.
But others have their ambitions and talents to hit the limelight. Portugal are equally tipped as potential challengers not merely because they are hosting the tournament thus enjoying the usual advantages, but because they have experienced performers most of who are the pioneers of the ‘golden generation’ of Portuguese football, who have their last chance to have a bite of the cherry, after a number of successes in junior international competitions.
However it would be wrong to mention just France and Portugal. The writer will add a few others, like England, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the Czech Republic and possibly Holland. So many? Yes, simply because there are so many factors that influence the game.
Teams did not qualify by chance. They all have their targets. A few can hardly be discarded. England's last triumph in an international tournament dates back to 1966 and Eriksson keeps saying that the team is now ready for success. Italy were seconds away from winning the last edition and are equally confident of doing well. They were poor in the last edition of the World Cup, when the pathetic referee Moreno proved to be a useful camouflage for the diabolical overall performances. At times, the Italians face more difficulties from their own media than from their opponents and are justified to play the ‘silenzio stampa’ card.
Spain, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic should also be considered as potential challengers. To these one may add the dark horses from Scandinavia and conclude, rightly or wrongly, that more than half of the participants are with a chance of being there when the final is played at the luxurious ‘Estadio da Luz’ (Stadium of Light) on July 04. Incidentally France meet England at Benfica’s stadium tonight and a few fortune tellers have already named it as a rehearsal of the EURO 2004 final.
Blood, Sweat, Tears and Fears
During these last three weeks the players were relaxing from the intensity of their respective season and working on condition. They had a few practise matches, and the managers ensured that they established a feeling of solidarity within their group, lessened the pressures and were not foolish to experiment with formations, systems. As Jose Antonio Camacho, Real Madrid’s new manager who was in charge of Spain for 43 matches and who quit his job after WC 2002 would say “these days are highly important. The managers will ensure that they indoctrinate their players with a must-win conviction; this can only be possible through hard work and elimination of stress and fears. Triumph will bring tears of joy.”
For a good number of performers this is their last chance for a major honour. Everything was prepared so that the players will have nothing to complain about. If one has to go through the long list of necessities that were transported by the respective federations, one will be amazed of the details. Food, kit, games, you name it they have it. Wives, partners, sisters and brothers have also joined the party, though in different hotels and with a restricted itinerary to meet the players. All for the cause. It is imperative that there are no dressing room problems. The Dutch are famous for such scenes. Davids will know of a few episodes, but apparently this time round the Dutch are just one happy family....so far!
Predictions
The winning team will be the one that hits the best form at the right moment in time. It is as simple as that.
It is easier to predict that more than 75 percent of the managers will lose their job. Jacques Santini of France has already signed a contract with Tottenham, while Portugal's Brazilian mentor Filipe Scolari is bound to join Benfica.
It is equally true to forecast that referees will be blamed by the losers, and that a number of players including goalkeepers will criticise the new ball as light and tricky.
Few will not ignore the magic of those football stars who wear the number ten top. There were a few wizards of old who entertained millions with their unique style and class and who strangely enough wore the no.10 shirt. Pele, Diego Maradona, Gianni Rivera, Roberto Baggio, Ferenc Puskaas, Lothar Matthaus, Michel Platini, Eusebio, just to mention a few entertainers.
There will be a few aces donning the number ten shirt in Portugal. Pride of place goes to the world’s best player Zinedine Zidane, 32 of France and Real Madrid. Francesco Totti of Italy and AC Roma is also being tipped as one of the top ten players to be found performing in Portugal. Michael Owen of England and Liverpool, Ruud van Nistelrooy of Holland and Manchester United, Zlatan Ibramovic of Sweden and AFC Ajax, Kevin Kuranyi of Germany and VfB Stuttgar will be distinguished by their no.10 top.
They are all worth watching. Zidane is in a class of his own, while Totti has yet to emerge as a world class player during international competitions at this level. This could be his moment of glory!
Others may be picked for their hairdos, or for vital penalty-kick misses, or for a brilliant save, but the selected no 10s will be noted for their craft, style and sheer brilliance. Usually that is the pattern and somehow it seems to be a football tradition that the one who wears the no 10 shirt is the most skilful.
One can hardly discard others like Pavel Nenved, Thierry Henry, Dado Prso the Croatian star who has recently joined Rangers from Monaco, Raul Gonzales, David Beckham, Porto’s Brazilian-born Anderson Luis de Souza-Deco who is in Scolari's team, and a number of stars, not forgetting a few top class goalkeepers like Gigi Buffon, Iker Casillas of Spain, the massive Petr Cech, of the Czech Republic who could be Chelsea’s no 1 goalie, and Sporting Lisbon’s Ricardo .
Different summer
Of course, summer 2004 will be totally different to that of last year when we had the drama of David Beckham wanted by Barcelona but captured by Real Madrid; the Italians having a ball with the ‘Catania Story and its sequel;’ clubs all over the world claiming serious financial crisis as G14 insisted with FIFA and UEFA to be paid for the period they release their players to their national team; John Fashanu was found caught after having dragged his friend, the disgraced Mark Bosnich and other England team rejects into playing in rigged matches while they were at their lowest ebb, claiming that the event was meant to raise funds for charities; and then we also had a ‘Russian Czar,’ taking over Chelsea, which was followed by over £100million in transfers.
Obviously there must have been other stories connected with the long hot summer of 2003. Possibly more interesting too, but this time we shall sit down and relax while watching the spectacle from Portugal, with hardly a thought on a possible terrorist attack, though the organisers will take no chances.
There will still be a few hooligans who will hit the limelight. One doubts whether we will have players who fail doping tests, though many still insist on taking substances like creatine, which though not a banned substance, may still be harmful to the liver.
From the Maltese angle we have nothing much except the usual local support for Italy and England, though one may spare a thought for Valeri Bojinov, of B Gorna Oryahovitsa, in Bulgaria who had spent a few years at Pieta Hotspurs and who at 18 is the youngest player in the list of 368. Apart from that we may ponder on our rare win in the competition when 33 years ago at Messina’s Stadio Celeste we defeated Iceland 2-1. Otherwise we have very few happy memories. England paid us a visit a few days before the start of the 2000 edition.
The visit was supposedly part of our centenary celebrations. This time we were not celebrating anything, so no one paid us a visit, but we went to Freiburg as sparring partners to Germany and were badly hit by seven clear goals.
Vive o 2004.
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