Preview: France, Croatia, Spain and the Netherlands will be the focus for the third part of the four-part series on the spotlight on the national teams and coaches ahead of Euro 2008. As the places for Euro 2008 starts to fill up, how do these four countries managed to find their way to Austria and Switzerland in June? Of the four being featured for today, three had won it before. Will it be second time lucky, or will dark-horses Croatia do something and surprise everyone...?
If those media reports are to be believed, France's Raymond Domenech and Italy's Roberto Donadoni are sworn enemies. Initially I had wanted to feature both those two countries in my previous edition (Hello and welcome), but then I thought I rather be 'diplomatic' about it. Anyhow in this edition, the Les Bleus wants to win it again (or so this is what Domenech says) and they don't want any outside help this time (given they actually managed to qualify after Italy beat Scotland in Glasgow), Croatia (eventually responsible for sending England out of Euro 2008 qualification and sending shockwaves everywhere) wants to repeat the time when they beat Germany out of the 1998 World Cup, Spain wants to shake off the perennial underachievers tag and the Netherlands will have their work cut out for them as they are in the dreaded 'Group of Death', again!
Tres strange. I don't know is it because I seemed to have a sentimental attachment to France given I was rooting for them to win the World Cup two years ago over Italy and it was in the 1998 World Cup in which they hosted, I first took notice of Zinedine Zidane (who has since retired two years ago)...or is it because I think I may be a fan of the coach Domenech. Oh...shoot. Okay, I know he was complaining when England went for Fabio Capello as the new England manager as being going for the foreigner route and I tried to ignore that (but then again, he just have an opinion for anything and everything). England will travel to Paris for a friendly with the Les Bleus in March and so maybe this is also a good chance to see how France advance to Euro 2008. They were my team from their qualifying group to advance actually, after Scotland. While I ponder about my football loyalties ahead of the March friendly, this is how it happened in their qualifying route. I will be getting it from the UEFA website for convenience sake (given I realised doing my own reporting may take a while)...
France's Group B campaign proved more of an ordeal than many would have anticipated although Italy's 2-1 win in Scotland did them a big favour by making their final game in Ukraine a formality. A rematch with Italy, the team who had denied them the 2006 FIFA World Cup, was the big treat for the neutrals and France took first blood at the Stade de France in their second qualifier with goals from Sidney Govou (2) and Thierry Henry earning a 3-1 win. However, Raymond Domenech’s team lost 1-0 to Scotland in Glasgow in their next game to put a surprising complexion on the section. France settled themselves with a run of four wins and then drew 0-0 with Italy in Milan. However, once more a good result against Italy was followed by a shock against the Scots as James McFadden's strike in Paris consigned the French to a second 1-0 loss against the group's surprise contenders. Henry subsequently broke Michel Platini's record of 41 goals for France in the 2-0 win against Lithuania and fears that France might need a result in Ukraine in their final game were to prove unfounded. Les Bleus finished second in the section behind Italy.
Love him or hate him, France coach Raymond Domenech has certainly know how to get around and get away with it most of the time. He may eccentric tastes away from football (astrology, anyone?), but then the fact that France is in Euro 2008 is there. France is being drawn into the 'Group of Death' with Romania, the Netherlands (which I will be talking more of it later) and the 'enemy' Italy. It was said that during the draw in Lucerne, Domenech grimaced after his Les Bleus is drawn in the same group as Italy and Roberto Donadoni, his Italian counterpart, was cool about it. Anyhow, I had managed to hunt down past relating articles. It might had been way way back for this one - Domenech already eyeing Euro 2008 success (original source: The afterthoughts, or sort of), but that was ahead of the draw in Lucerne. Other than that, what I mostly find in English-language reports is his never-ending so-called tirade with Donadoni.
If not for this, what will have happen instead? If not for that, what will have happen then? In this case, if not for Croatia beating England at the Wembley on that fateful night (and the other way round instead), Fabio Capello won't be the new England manager now. That is for sure. He won't be saying yes to the England job after knowing that England was initially two goals down against Croatia when he was co-commentating Italy's last qualifier against the Faroe Islands on Italian TV. And he won't be in England two days ahead of his first day at work to watch some FA Cup action (Capello was there with the FA chief Brian Barwick at Villa Park watching Manchester United beating Aston Villa yesterday, first time in person since being appointed as Steve McClaren's successor and today, watching Luton Town taking on Liverpool). I can go on and on but now, it's about Croatia's road to Euro 2008. As cruel as life can be sometimes, here we go...
The most consistent performers in a competitive Group E, Croatia qualified with a game to spare thanks to Russia's defeat in Israel – news of which filtered through to the team halfway through their 2-0 defeat in F.Y.R. Macedonia. It was the only defeat suffered by Croatia during an impressive first campaign under former international defender Slaven Bilić. They began with a useful 0-0 draw in Russia and took off the next month with a 7-0 win against Andorra, Mladen Petrić's four goals helping Croatia equal their previous record win, 7-0 against Australia in 1998. Four days later, on 11 October 2006, Croatia got an even better result, 2-0 at home against England. Having scored against England, Brazilian-born striker Eduardo da Silva netted a hat-trick as Croatia won 4-3 in Israel in their next game. With ten goals overall, Eduardo finished as the second top scorer in qualifying behind Northern Ireland’s David Healy. Croatia saved the best for last, their 3-2 win against England at Wembley on 21 November 2007 confirming first place in the section and ending their hosts’ hopes of qualifying. “We are good – very good,” said Bilić.
Former Karlsruhe, West Ham and Everton defender and former Croatia international Slaven Bilić just knows how to beat England. Okay, other than the fact that he used to play in the Premier League, that is. When you come from a country where the population is four-million something (it's like Singapore) and beating the motherland of football, it says a lot. Now that is Croatia. Germany has done it, Hungary also, and even Italy (trying to be in jest - now thanks to the new England manager, now we know especially for the younger generation like me...he was the one who scored the only goal against England in November 1973 at the Wembley!). On that fateful night, there were a few Bundesliga-based players at the Wembley for Croatia (and oh yeah, Croatia is being drawn into Group B where Poland, Germany and Austria are at as well). When I saw back then on the Eurosport commentary of those names, I recognise those people. Indirectly, one of England's biggest footballing enemies had triumphed on that night (and they were not there). Anyhow, Bilić does even hold a law degree and...even plays in a heavy metal band back in Croatia. Take that, Jose Mourinho!
Hola! While the debate of which is the best football league in the world still goes on (and I will not be saying it's the Premier League just because I grew up with it), for me, the La Liga in Spain has to be one of the competitive ones out there. But strangely like in England, despite the domestic league is popular, it does not seem to transcend to the national level. Why is it always Spain seem to underperform on the big stage but alright on the club level? Mental block? Hang on, why now this sounds like England? But still at least, Spain managed to qualify for Euro 2008 in the end, after all that stumbling blocks which made me back then at times go - What's up with Spain? If I have to go search the archives, this is what I found out about what someone has to say of Spain's football future - "For this (the priority of the English national team being first), the English national team comes first in my hopes for the future although I am sure that Spanish football has a bright future." (Capello to give up media roles)
A bad start was put behind them as Luis Aragonés's side beat Sweden 3-0 at home in their penultimate qualifier to confirm their place in the finals. Spain had ended 2006 as a team in crisis, a shock 3-2 defeat against Northern Ireland in Belfast being followed by a 2-0 loss in Sweden to leave them with just three points from their first three Group F games. Results improved in 2007 with a 1-1 draw against Iceland in Reykjavik – earned with a late Andrés Iniesta strike – the only blip during a run of eight wins in nine. Aragonés's team underlined their quality by following up a 3-1 victory in Denmark with the all-important 3-0 success against Sweden. A 1-0 win against Northern Ireland in their last qualifier secured top spot in the section, but Aragonés said: "Spain have been qualifying for finals tournaments for many years so this isn't a success but simply doing our duty."
I wish I can find the column from the Guardian sports blog on why Guardian's resident Spanish football expert Sid Loewe thinks it was right of Luis Aragones to drop Raul from the Spanish national squad but, not now. It would have made a good read, and thus solving some mysteries along the way. But meanwhile, this is what I can find from my own blog archives. From Aragones reckoning Spain's time has almost come to commenting on the apparent Spanish media darling Raul and how he will treat the Real Madrid captain ahead of Euro 2008, whatever happened at Valencia these days had not escaped his eyes as well. In fact, he's worried for a good reason. Some of Spain's players come from Valencia. It does concern him on the players who play for the club. By the way, Spain is being drawn into Group D with Russia, Sweden and Greece ahead of Euro 2008.
So while the English invented football, it was the Dutch who gave us 'total football'. While they had only won one European Championship so far, they had not on the international level. Perennial chokers? Still, got to give credit where it's due, the Oranje do play exciting football despite not everyone is following their domestic league so faithfully. Maybe because a number of those in the Oranje play in some of the major football leagues in the world and so we get to see some of the talent around. So how did Marco van Basten's Oranje book their places (into the dreaded 'Group of Death' once again, like it does in the World Cup two years ago)?
The Netherlands rarely looked in trouble in Group G and qualified with a game to spare. Romania proved to be the Netherlands' most serious rivals, holding them to a 0-0 draw in Rotterdam and then progressing to the finals with a 1-0 win against Marco van Basten's side in challenging conditions in Constanta. Qualification was assured with a 1-0 home win against Luxembourg. The minnows withstood a Dutch onslaught but went down to a solitary Danny Koevermans goal. They finished second in the section after an unexpected 2-1 defeat in Belarus in their final qualifier. Besides qualification for Austria and Switzerland, another major positive from the Dutch campaign was the opportunity given the stars of their 2006 and 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship winning squads to impress at senior level.
1988 European Championship. That was the only time the Oranje won on the European level so far. Someone's goal (it was a volley against the Soviets actually) at that time made it all the possible. The current coach (who will be leaving at the end of Euro 2008) Marco van Basten. He has always been one of the best strikers of his generation, but injury forces him to cut short his career very early in his professional career - at the age of 28. That will have been the time when footballers reached the peak of their careers. After being drawn to the 'Group of Death' in Lucerne, this was how he sees it - "At the last World Cup we were already in the 'group of death'. I don't know what we're going to call this one. We're playing the finalists of the last World Cup so we'll have to make sure we're very well prepared. I think everything went normally and legally in the draw so what can you say?" (Euro 2008 Group C - quotes) Diplomatic indeed.
Merci for reading up to this point. And gracias to these links (even if I did not use a few of them, it will probably make some decent reading for you ahead of the tournament) - UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group B, UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group E, UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group F, UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Group G, France seek famous treble, Profile of France coach Raymond Domenech, Croatia pack a mean punch, Profile of Croatia coach Slaven Bilić, Spain hark back to '64, Profile of Spain coach Luis Aragonés, Strength gives Dutch courage, Profile of the Netherlands coach Marco van Basten
