IF GREECE'S unexpected, unspectacular success four years ago was a reward for defensive organisation, whoever triumphs in tonight's final will be rewarded for positive thinking and a will to win
.
Remove Greece's laboured performances from this year's tournament and France's dire goalless bore with Romania and it is hard to identify a single game that hasn't been either technically eye-catching or had more twists and turns than a Formula
One racetrack. Even when Spain locked horns with Italy in a tight, space-denying encounter, the burden of 88 years without a competitive victory over their Latin rivals maintained a sense of intrigue and anticipation for Luis Aragones' team.
How refreshing it has been too that most teams have played the game in a sporting manner, with relatively little diving and cheating. Respect was a by-word promoted by UEFA chief Michael Platini before the tournament. It seems most got the hint.
"It's been of a high quality and in a very good spirit in terms of both offence and respect," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who covered the tournament for French television. "The fact that the players are playing all over the world has increased the sense of respect. In the past, big players were kicked but we haven't seen many bad tackles. Overall it's been much better than I expected in terms of both mental approach and the fact that it took place at the end of a tough season. Everyone has helped everyone else. Look at the quarter-finals. I was asked who would win and I just couldn't say because of the level was so high."
Spain, so long the great under-achievers, have for once turned all their individual flair into a proper team unit with a strong backbone. Few sides could have lost their main striker in a semi-final and then looked even more effective by switching to a different system as they did against the Russians. "They looked like they really wanted to wipe away their reputation," said Wenger. "The fact they have so many players competing abroad has taken their complexes away."
Picking the team of the tournament is a tough ask but it has been made harder by the quality of Euro 2008, especially in midfield. Franck Ribery is a wonderful player but didn't have sufficient opportunity to show it while Germany's duo of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Michael Ballack don't make it into the XI because they didn't provide anything we didn't know already. Andrei Arshavin certainly did but, crucially, only until the semi-final when he was shut out by Spain. So while the jury is almost unanimous over the dazzling Russian, there remains a nagging question about Arshavin's consistency.
Consistency has become synonymous, however, with Guus Hiddink. Many, among them former German striking legend Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, feel Hiddink's Russia could be the force of the future.
Spain's midfield has undoubtedly possessed the most creativity while Germany's reputation as the ultimate tournament machine has again come to the fore. And who can forget the enduring image of Slaven Bilic, complete with trademark single earring and undying passion whether in victory or defeat? Surprises there have been aplenty, invariably accentuating the positives: never-say-die spirit in the case of Turkey; tactical counter-attacking in the case of Holland. That is, until they couldn't cope with Russia's superior fitness.
This was clearly one tournament too for the ageing French defence. Yes, Raymond Domenech's side probably had more chances than Holland in that soul-destroying 4-1 defeat. And yes, being reduced to 10 men and losing Ribery to injury early on against Italy were two fatal strokes of misfortune. But Domenech should have got the message earlier that he needed an injection of fresh faces.
Italy's failure cost Roberto Donadoni his job and equally sobering is the realisation that Euro 2008 has shown up the shortcomings of the home nations, especially the self-styled best league in the world. The physical speed at which the English game is played may create excitement but the speed of thought displayed by teams like Holland and Russia, and Portugal in flashes, is rarely seen south or north of the border. George Burley and Fabio Capello know just how hard a job they have in changing the club culture – whatever Wenger might say about the contribution of foreign players to the Premiership.
• The European Championship finals will almost certainly be increased to 24 teams from 2016 after the idea was unanimously agreed by senior officials of all 53 UEFA member nations yesterday. The decision effectively rules out Scotland's hopes of staging the final but increases their chances of qualifying.
The full article contains 791 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
