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How is the Euro 2008 action so far? If you are like me, I am delighted but between watching matches and juggling my busy schedule, I am sorry I didn’t really have the time to write my match analysis.

Anway, six days have flashed by and the first round of matches ended without much surprises. The favorites stamped their class with authoritative performances and are rightfully leading the pack, except for two letdowns. France were held to a lackluster draw by Romania. It brought back distasteful memories of the 2002 World Cup when they, as the defending champions, were booted out unceremoniously in the group rounds.

Could it be the absence of the effervescent Zidane? In the two years since he announced his retirement, France are still struggling to come to terms with the loss of their creative midfield dynamo. There is simply no spark or invention in this team but it is not due to a dearth of talents, mind you. Without even mentioning the old guards, the infusion of two exciting youngsters, Benzema and Ribery, is enough to set the stage alight.

Based on the quality of the squad, France shouldn’t be playing like… England, but I saw traces of the England disease in their lack of confidence on the ball and poor understanding between each players.

As for Italy, I am sure they were shell-shocked to see a much vaunted defense being torn apart by the rampaging Orange Army. Nevertheless, it is a folly to underestimate their ability to recover from this setback. Bear in mind the Italians’ motto: “when the going gets tough, the tough gets going” - the more you write them off, the higher the chances of seeing them in the Finals.

Right now, Germany, Portugal and Holland are looking exceptionally strong. However, beginners’ luck has little bearing on future mathces. A moment of complacency can end the campaign, what matters is the gathering and sustaining of momentum as the stakes get higher.

Under Marco van Basten, the Netherlands exhibited a different variant of total football in their 3-0 demolition of Italy. Whether this modern day version is more potent will be decided in the coming days but the stunning display has already won them some notable fans. Germany captain Michael Ballack is among the admirers. He said: “I was really impressed by the Dutch victory against Italy. They played on a high technical level with fast football.”

He could be playing some mind games and lulling them into a false sense of security. I am keeping my fingers crossed on how far the Dutch can progress. To be sure, each generation of the Holland squad has churned out its fair share of superstars but their major problem remains that of a tendency to self-destruct by splitting into different camps.

At the exact moment when they are on everybody’s lips as favorites, certain players, either due to pride, vanity or ego, will unfailingly clamor to take center-stage while putting the team’s fortune in jeopardy. This time, there is some stability but I am not sure how long it will last, probably until the team starts losing or when some key players are left out of the first XI. Ruud van Nistelrooy is now all chums with his coach but not too long ago, both do not see eye to eye on team issues.

Next up is Spain which laid down their marker with an impressive 4-1 rout of Russia. They gave such a dominant display with their speed and fluent passing game that the crafty Hiddink was helpless in reversing the situation. The formidable partnership of David Villa and Fernando Torres can strike fear into the tightest defenses.

It is crucial that Torres is content to play second fiddle to Villa by turning provider instead of scoring goals as he has done with panache for Liverpool; so long as the team wins, it doesn’t really matter who put the chances away. Torres will be a vital cog of the lightning raids Spain launch on their unsuspecting victims.

Traditional powerhouse, Germany, is also in a swashbuckling mood too. Lukas Poldoski scored a brace in the 2-0 win over Poland. For punters, the German juggernaut is always a reliable source of wealth because of their consistent track record. When in doubt, back them and you will usually be rewarded. In the past, the goals scored can even be predicted with alarming accuracy as they never liked to score more than is needed.

Germany had perfected the art of winning on the odd goals and then closing out the opponent efficiently. However, since Jeurgen Klinnsman took over, a sea change has occurred and they are now playing as if goals are the lifeblood of the team.

The Germans will be clashing with Croatia in their second match. Despite winning 1-0 against Austria and showing in the past that they can hold their own against football’s established powers like Italy, Argentina and England, I am not convinced that Croatia have the quality to threaten Germany.

Croatia won’t be trying too hard either since they have already pocketed three points, so a conservative approach followed by dealing a killer blow on Poland, should serve their purpose nicely. I believe their rear guard is sturdy enough to withstand heavy German bombardment.

Actually, if Croatia are adventurous enough, they have an outside chance of surprising the Germans. I sense a serious weakness deep in the German defense - Jens Lehmann. He had not seen much club action and is naturally a bit rusty. Germany coach Joachim Low is either brave or foolish in handing Lehmann the gloves.

I suspect the latter… I mean, if Arsene Wenger favored Alumnia (not a heavyweight by any account) over Lehmann, then something is seriously wrong with his attitude or ability. Moreover, the new ball is not to Lehmann’s liking, which implies that he is likely to screw-up when the pressure is on and the ball comes flying in from all angles.

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic believes his team have as much reason to be confident as their opponents Germany. He said: “We approach this game with just as much self-confidence as Germany. Like them, we also won our first match, the winning start has given us great belief in ourselves and the way we are playing.”

He also rallied his charges to prove their worth by destroying the mighty Germans. “I believe any team that beats Germany can hope to beat anybody,” said the 39-year-old.

Meanwhile, Low admitted his players are feeling more upbeat than ever. He said: “We’ve been able to implement what we’ve practised in matches. We are confident going into the game, but Croatia are a good team with attack-minded players and we will face a tough challenge,” said the 48-year-old.

Germany will want to get a second win under their belt and secure qualification as early as possible. Another firm favorite, Portugal, are in sterling form and could be targeting a 100% win in all their Euro 2008 matches en-route to the title, that is if Cristiano Ronaldo stayed on top of his game.

Clearing the Czech hurdle was another step towards ushering the golden era, after winning their first match against Turkey at a canter. Czech Republic are a perennial dark horse and they are looking to better their semi-finalists record in Euro 2004. They edged out Switzerland in the first match but it was done with a huge dose of luck as the Swiss did not play badly and created ample chances.

Against Portugal, their first serious test of Euro 2008, the Czechs were second best to a team overflowing with individual talents. Portugal really looked more at home than Switzerland as they wrapped up the match with goals from Deco, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Quaresma in a 3-1 win. This virtually guaranteed their berth in the quarter-finals.

The entertaining encounter and easy score-line actually belies a tight match, especially in the first half. While Portugal swarmed forward in numbers and displayed lovely touches, the Czechs refused to cede midfield superiority and counter-attacked in tandem. In fact, they recovered lost ground minutes after conceding an early goal to Deco.

Sionko headed a corner into the roof of the net which left Ricardo stranded. The Czechs further created havoc in Portugal’s defense with a corner which Sionko managed to find space to connect but he couldn’t direct his volley goalwards.

Portugal, when on full flight, are a sight to behold. Their midfield was overpowering in its creativity and possession but in this match, their weaknesses in dead-ball situations were exposed and that could prove to their major stumbling block, if left unchecked.

Turkey survived to fight another day. It is not surprising since the Turks had shown a knack of progressing in major tournaments over the last decade. Starting at a high tempo against Switzerland, the Turks were determined to emerge victorious. A heavy downpour complicated matters as the ball slided and bounded wickedly on the slippery pitch.

Switzerland scored first. Derdiyok was played through and he showed fine composure to square for Hakan Yakin who sidefooted home from two yards. Turkey then drew level when Nihat crossed from the left and Semih scored with a thumping header. The ball escaped through Benaglio’s hands which was a costly mistake.

In injury time, Turkey continued to press forward and fate dealt a cruel hand to the host nation. Arda cut inside from the left and his deflected shot from 25 yards effectively knocked the Swiss out.

Overall, it was an incredible outing and Turkey now have everything to play for which spells bad news for Czech Republic. The match ain’t over till the whistle is blown. Taking this lesson into the match against Turkey will serve the Czechs well.

More Euro 2008 updates soon, till tomorrow.

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