*Official Euro 2008 Qualifying Thread*

[Iplayboard]

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Enough about England, lets look at the teams that made it and their seedings for the draw on Dec. 2 in Vienna:

Pot 1: Switzerland (hosts), Austria (hosts), Greece (holders), Netherlands

Pot 2: Croatia, Italy, Czech Republic, Sweden

Pot 3: Germany, Romania, Portugal, Spain

Pot 4: Poland, France, Turkey, Russia

Possibility of a real "group of death" with Netherlands, Italy, Germany and France all in the same round robin group.

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Can someone with more firsthand knowledge of Netherlands fill me in? I haven't watched any of their qualifiers, but they have really struggled to score. On paper they should be one of the favorites.

Portugal are always a dangerous team with Ronaldo, Quaresma, Nani, Deco, etc, but they lack a top-class striker which I think will prevent them from making a deep run.

Unless the Dutch can find a formation and play-style that suits them or unless the Portuguese somehow develop a striker in the next 6 months, then the cream of the crop has to be Italy, Germany, France and Spain.

If they only had Nesta and Totti, Italy would be clear favorites, but even without those two they have depth and balance at every position. Totti has never played as stunningly with the Azzuri as he has in Rome and Nesta was injured during the World Cup.

Germany don't seem to have as many world-class stars as other top European nations but their results in tournaments speak for themselves. In 2006 they shed their defensive image and played some of the most beautiful, attacking football at the World Cup.

France are really loaded. I'm shocked that anyone would say they are overrated. They are well represented at the finest clubs in the world, Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester United. In addition, they are brimming with young domestic talent such as Benzema and Ben Arfa who are becoming stars. Trezequet, a top striker in Serie A, has routinely been left of the roster. France took 4 points from Italy in qualification and were only ever in trouble due to two fluky results against inferior Scotland.

Although Spain have such a history of ineptitude in major tournaments, this generation will be able to match every opponent in talent. Their style of play at the best of times can be a joy to show. At the worst of times they can dominate a match yet fail to produce a result. They have a world-class goalkeeper, Puyol anchors the defense, Xavi, Cesc, etc headline the midfield and they have plentiful riches up front with David Villa, Torres, etc.

As is always the case, the Euro field is well balanced, and knockout tournaments produce high variance, but there is a good chance of the champion coming from one of the four above powerhouses.