Why Euro 2008 is Up For Grabs


Most international teams never reach their full potential. They are full of players who are more valuable than entire countries but can't work together as a coherent unit. If any of the favourites for Euro 2008 perform to their full capacity they will almost certainly storm to victory.
 
This is why Greece won last time around. None of the favourites performed. Greece started  the tournament with odds of 1000-1 but they fought, albeit with luck, all the way to victory. The favourites stumbled out of the group stages if they were lucky. Italy and Germany couldn't even manage that. There are reasons for this:

1. Motivation. Some players are far more interested in their clubs and their salary than their country. Or they really want a break.
2. Fatigue. Unfortunately, the season is long enough for most players without international matches.
3. Team Chemistry. The team has limited time to gel together and play matches.
4. Bad Luck. Many managers blame poor performances on misfortune alone. While that is ridiculous, a late injury to a star player can really damage a team's chances.

Euro 2008 will probably throw up its fair share of surprises, and the group of death will knock out at least one big nation. We can rely on most of the countries to under-perform and this could open things up for an outsider. This will be a tournament for young talent to really shine out.

I hope a good team wins and that they play to their full potential. If Ronaldo plays well, Portugal can win. So can Italy and France, but it could well be a different team entirely.

I hope you enjoyed this, my first blog, and that we will all enjoy the tournament.