| 30.06.2008 |
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| In my own personal opinion, this has been one of the most enjoyable European Championship tournaments for many years. The quality of the soccer played and the excitement generated by many games has really kept Euro 2008 buzzing until the end. As I prepare to sign off from Alpine Kicks, I'd like to take this opportunity to look back and record the five things I loved about Euro 2008 and five things that I disliked. FIVE THINGS I LOVED 1) Last Minute Victories The fact that not one team turned up with a strong defense made for spectacular and exciting finales. With teams knowing that there was nobody who could adequately shut-up shop and ride out a victory, there was always that chance that a back line could be breached. This meant that no game was a lost cause; the best example of this being the Turkey - Czech Republic five-goal thriller. The Turks looked dead and buried but a three-goal fight back, capped by Nihat Kahveci's curling last minute winner, put the Turks through. The Turks then got a taste of their own medicine in the semi-final when Philipp Lahm nicked it for Germany at the death. Overall, out of 77 goals scored during Euro 2008, 18 came in the last five minutes. The "Never Say Die" spirit was alive and well.  2) Being a Neutral It was so nice not to have to buy into the whole hype of an England campaign and endure three of four turgid performances before being immersed in crushing disappointment yet again. There were no WAGs, no scenes of flying plastic chairs in some picturesque foreign square, and no tired excuses from the coach and the players. The soccer could be enjoyed without those nagging doubts which always come during tournaments in which England participate. Hopefully, by the next time we're involved, we'll be better than Romania were this time. 3) Charismatic Coaches Euro 2008 saw the return of the charismatic coach to the sidelines of European soccer. Ignoring the likes of Lars Lagerbaeck and Kobi Kühn, there were a number of coaches at Euro 2008 who provided great entertainment. We saw Germany's Jogi Loew come out of his shell (and almost out of his shirt) as the tournament progressed; Croatia's Slaven Bilic showed that the coach could still be one of the boys and show his love for his team without talking in rubbish clichés, and then there was Fatih Terim, who managed to out-think Germany for 70 minutes with a team made up of seven fit men, two cripples, the hotel receptionist and a blind, three-legged dachshund. Terim was also good value for his outbursts from the bench. While managing to stay angry for 90 minutes, he punched the air, the dugout roof and his colleagues in frustration, sweating profusely and barking obscenities as he did so. No wonder Turkey had such a fighting spirit. 4) Flair Players There maybe hasn't been one outstanding player who made it all the way through, performing at the highest level before winning the tournament for his team but there have been a number of stars who have graced the stage from time to time. These types of players get the pulse racing and make tuning into a game a real event. Players like Andrei Arshavin, Wesley Sneijder, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Deco all had very good games when they looked the business. These flair players create magic, make others look ordinary and show all the best attributes of the modern footballer. It has been a pleasure to watch these guys and the fact that there has been one in almost every team makes it even more satisfying.  5) Decent Kits No one really turned up in a duff kit this year. There was no fashion abominations to speak of, which is unusual for a soccer tournament. Even the potentially stroke-inducing Croatia shirt managed to pass with subtlety intact. Kudos, then, to the unusually restrained design departments at Adidas, Nike et al. FIVE THINGS I DISLIKED 1) Primadona Referees Fans come to see the game and the players - not the referee. That means you, Roberto Rossetti. UEFA may have awarded the Italian referee the final but in my view this is one official that doesn't need a big stage - because he seems to be living on one most of the time. The Germany vs. Turkey semi-final was a prime example of the referee attempting to be the star. Rossetti was out to grab the limelight and it was only the sheer drama of the match itself which stopped it becoming the Roberto Show. He tried his best again in the final and thankfully failed to mess it up. He wasn't alone in making sure he got noticed, hence the title being referees plural. There's just no need... 2) Miserable Michel Platini Great player, miserable sod. And did anyone else notice a latent anti-German aura around the UEFA chief? He sneered at Angela Merkel's celebrations in the semi-final and even told her to calm down once - or so it seemed. The happiest he appeared was when Spain beat Germany to win the title. In all the other matches, he sat in the stands looking like he would have been much happier anywhere else than at the game - like Mogadishu, maybe. Monsieur Platini, if you can't be bothered then just don't come. Everyone will be happier if you just stay away next time. 3) Cristiano Ronaldo's Attitude Ronnie would make a great referee - if being a referee paid €200 million a year and gave you exclusive image rights. It's all about Cristiano, isn't it? I have never seen anyone actually look gutted at the fact that a team mate has scored. Oh did the camera move off you, Cristiano? Is someone else going to be talked about now? In a bid to stay the center of attention, Ronaldo fermented the most boring transfer saga of the decade just to stay in the papers as his team mates took turns in starring for Portugal. Had he justified the hype that he and his agent surely had a hand in creating, Portugal may not have been eliminated when they did.  4) Greek Bashing Okay, the Greeks weren't very good but someone has to be the worst team at a tournament. While Romania pushed them hard, the Greeks did have a terrible campaign by their standards. But that didn't excuse the assassination which began before a ball was even kicked. They were the champions of Europe and yet everyone was hoping that they would get knocked out as soon as possible so their style of soccer would not have to be forced on a captive audience. So it wasn't pretty. So it was a bit of a throwback in terms of tactics. However, this was not a reason to be so openly nasty. Did anyone slag the French off as much even though they were almost as bad but had much better players underperforming? No. The Italians were also rubbish to start with but they never got the grief the Greeks did. It was most unsavoury. 5) Climate Change While I was not personally affected, the tournament was blighted by bad weather. Who would have predicted that the summer tournament would be such a wash-out? That's one of the reasons why they play these things in the middle of the year (apart from the fact that it fits between domestic seasons). Would you want to go and play in Ukraine if Euro 2012 was being held in December? No, I didn't think so. Given long enough, I could probably find a reason to blame UEFA for this... So, that's it. Euro 2008 is over and we can all say thanks for the memories. Thank you also to everyone who has read and contributed their comments to Alpine Kicks. I hope you've enjoyed what we've provided. It's been emotional. |
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