Luiz Felipe Scolari Will Be Chelsea's New Manager

Before I get to Scolari's appointment as Chelsea manager, I just want to announce that there will no Euro 2008 daily recaps for today's and tomorrow's action. I'm taking a five-week summer school class right now and had to record both games today and will do the same tomorrow because of my class schedule this week. By the time I watch all four games, the recaps will be outdated, and I don't want to waste my own time writing them or your time reading them when you can go to tons of other websites to find just about the same thing.

Now, onto today's big news.

Luiz Felipe Scolari, the current Portugal manager and World Cup winner as manager of Brazil in 2002, will take over the reins at Chelsea beginning July 1, two days after his contract with the Portuguese FA expires. Scolari has never managed a European club, much less one with a high profile like Chelsea, and speaks very little (if any) English, but Chelsea's Portuguese influence and the big bucks of owner Roman Abramovich were enough to convince Scolari to come to Stamford Bridge.

At 59 years of age, he's at a stage in his career where many big-name managers prefer to move from club to international soccer, which is less demanding and taxing on a daily basis. It is almost like their swan song into retirement. Scolari, though, now wants to do the opposite, and I think he wants to prove to himself and others that he can win major trophies at the club level before calling it quits.

This seems like a curious appointment from the standpoint of Abramovich and the other higher-ups at Chelsea. Jose Mourinho was often criticized for not playing attractive soccer despite the fact that he won early and often in his tenure at Chelsea, and his replacement, Avram Grant, also played a dull, cautious system that valued substance over style. Chelsea's fans and Abramovich, in particular, are well-known and on the record for wanting their team to score lots of goals and play beautifully while still winning.

Luiz Felipe Scolari is not a manager who employs an attacking, high-flying system. Granted, he is not the king of 1-0 victories like Mourinho, but he's still up there in the royal court. Like Al Davis, who is credited with this motto, Scolari is a "Just win, baby!" type of guy. He doesn't care how his teams win, and he'll use some of the most defensive, restrictive tactics to do so if the situation calls for it.

It's also unclear as to how Scolari will handle the massive press intrusion that comes with managing a club as big as Chelsea. Remember, Scolari basically turned down a chance to become England's head coach when he was offered the job in 2006 because he didn't want to deal with the media circus which surrounds that position. I'm not sure how much easier and how much more forgiving he'll find the press in London is; a name as big as his at a club as big as Chelsea with a team full of players with massive egos could have disaster written all over it.

Above all, Scolari is a winner. That should be enough to appease Chelsea's supporters and Abramovich, but if he doesn't win with style, he could find himself wanting to get out of town quickly. Scolari doesn't need the aggravation and pressure that could be heaped his way. It's his way or the highway, so we'll see how this plays out.

Switzerland Was Robbed!

I'd like someone to explain to me how this wasn't a handball. A penalty kick absolutely should've been awarded for this, and the fact that one wasn't is a disgrace.

The non-call cost Switzerland at least one point and with the momentum gained from converting a penalty, I don't doubt that Switzerland could've won this game in the 10 minutes that remained. Every point is valuable in a group stage that only lasts three matches.

If Switzerland end up missing out on progression to the quarterfinals by one point, look no further than this as the reason why. They definitely have a legitimate gripe here.

Euro 2008 Recap--Day 1

The 13th edition of the European Championships started out in decent fashion today, as both games had their exciting moments and neither ended in draws. The picks of many to advance from Group A, Portugal and the Czech Republic, both came away with victories, setting up a showdown in Geneva between the two in four days' time. That game will likely determine the group winner, but before we get there, let's take a look back at the opening day of Euro 2008.

In the first game, co-host Switzerland had the crowd in Basel firmly behind them against their opponent, Karel Brückner's Czech Republic. While his team seemed content to sit back and defend in their 4-5-1 for most of the first half, the Swiss came out as the aggressors and created several chances sprung by their wide men, Tranquillo Barnetta and Valon Behrami. On the rare occasions that the Czech Republic did push forward, Switzerland was able to build dangerous counter-attacks, and Alexander Frei forced Petr Čech to make two good saves, one from long range and the other coming from in tight as Frei bore down on the Czech goalkeeper from an angle.

Frei was forced to come off with a knee injury right before halftime, one that left the team's captain and all-time leading goal scorer in tears. At the time, it didn't seem like a huge blow because the Czech Republc had done absolutely nothing in the first half to convince anyone that they'd be able to score, and it seemed inevitable that Switzerland was going to eventually break through. Jan Koller was nothing more than a statue up front on his own; he can't run anymore and it didn't help that his teammates were not playing to his strengths -- getting him the ball with his back to goal so he could play it off to a midfielder making a forward run.

It was more of the same in the second half. Switzerland was controlling the game and playing it at their tempo, forcing the Czechs to chase the moving ball all over the field.

The creative Hakan Yakin came on for Frei at halftime and immediately made his presence known by drawing a foul right at the edge of the area and using his terrific passing ability later on. Yakin should've been on from the outside in place of Marco Streller, who also looked frozen up top, and the Swiss were made to pay for not being able to push one by Cech when Václav Svěrkoš, who had replaced the ineffective Koller in the 56th minute, outfoxed a Switzerland back line that was in the process of pushing up to catch the Czechs offside and managed to sneak in behind them. A lobbed header over the top by right back Zdeněk Grygera put Svěrkoš in alone, and the Banik Ostrava striker made his first international goal count in the 71st minute. He clearly mishit the ball; he wanted to strike it on the bounce with his laces but kind of shanked it off his ankle, but they all count the same.

After that goal, Switzerland threw everything they had and the kitchen sink at the Czechs, who dropped 10 men behind the ball and relied on a hoof-and-chase style to clear the ball out of their defensive third. Switzerland had a stone cold penalty turned down by Italian referee Roberto Rosetti after Tomáš Ujfaluši clearly handled the ball in the box. Barnetta then picked up the loose ball, forced Cech to dive to his left to push away a smashing, low left-footed shot, and Johan Vonlanthen put the bouncing rebound off the crossbar. Seconds before full time, another questionable use of the upper arm in the area by a Czech player went unnoticed by Rosetti, and the match ended 1-0 despite the fact that Switzerland deserved a better fate.

Today's second game wasn't nearly as dramatic; Portugal dominated Turkey for large stretches and were unlucky to only win 2-0 as Nuno Gomes hit the crossbar and a post and Cristiano Ronaldo's beautiful curving free kick in the first half was parried off the post by Turkish goalkeeper Volkan Demirel.

Real Madrid's Pepe had had his header off a corner kick disallowed due to a correctly called offside in the 17th minute, but he more than made up for it with the beautiful one-two between himself and Nuno Gomes that resulted in Pepe walking in alone on goal. The center back coolly finished the play like he was an experienced striker. It had taken just over an hour for Portugal to finally break through, and the goal seemed to break Turkey's spirit a little bit. Minutes later, the aforementioned Nuno Gomes, who wore the captain's armband in this game, nodded Cristiano Ronaldo's good cross off the crossbar.

Turkey huffed and puffed but never did enough to equalize, and Raul Meireles' first international goal sealed the deal in the 93rd minute. It was created by Ronaldo (who else), who slid a right-footed through ball from the left wing to João Moutinho, who was streaking into the box right down the middle. Moutinho's remarkable turn with the ball onto his right foot left him with only one option as Turkey's goalkeeper was bearing down on him, and Moutinho laid a soft pass onto Meireles. Meireles had the net at his mercy and Portugal finished the game in style after outshooting their opponent 16-6 over the course of the game.

I came away most impressed with Switzerland and Portugal, the former of whom I still think will make it out of Group A. The Czech Republic showed me nothing at all except the fact that they obviously miss Tomas Rosicky as their creator in the midfield, and Turkey are good technically but just don't offer much going forward. Switzerland and Turkey play each other in four days, and the loser of that game will be eliminated from contention -- perhaps not mathematically, but for all intents and purposes, the loser is done. Even a draw doesn't help much for either team, so that should be a fun game to watch. I expect Portugal to wipe the floor with the Czech Republic, perhaps 2-0 or 3-1 if the Czechs really get their scoring boots on.

Group A Standings (after one game):
1. Portugal (3 points, +2 goal differential)
2. Czech Republic (3 pts, +1)
3. Switzerland (0 pts, -1)
4. Turkey (0 pts, -2)

The four teams in Group B open up their respective accounts tomorrow, with co-hosts Austria meeting Croatia in the early game and Germany looking to “blitz” through their Polish neighbors once again in the second match of the day.

Today's highlights:

http://101greatgoals.magnify.net/item/W87TN981TDJJFHTS -- Svěrkoš' winner
http://101greatgoals.magnify.net/item/776CQ7SXK83K202S -- The handball that wasn't and the chances that followed
http://101greatgoals.magnify.net/item/NM76BVXMRY5V8BL8 -- Pepe's beatifully worked goal
http://101greatgoals.magnify.net/item/7GF1B11WPHSKZVBR -- Icing on the cake for Portugal

Euro 2008 Final Prediction

I've been building up to the start of Euro 2008 for two weeks now, providing you with a one-stop-shop of sorts with final rosters for each of the 16 nations involved, previews of each nation and group, and my predictions for the quarterfinals and beyond.

Every tournament has a winner, obviously, and we're at that stage in my pre-competition coverage. It has all come down to Portugal and Italy for the right to be the European champion for the next four years.

Final (June 29, 2:45 PM; Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna):

Portugal (Winner of SF #1) vs. Italy (Winner of SF #2)

This game pits the team with the best player in the world against one of, if not the most, the most organized, disciplined nations in the world.

Portugal and Italy, respectively, play differing styles of soccer; Portugal is dynamic on the wings and is very good on the counter-attack, and Italy prefers to dominate possession and dictate the pace of the game.

Taking the leadership and intangible factors out of the equation, the absence of Fabio Cannavaro wouldn't hurt Italy against Portugal. As I've discussed earlier, Portugal doesn't have terribly much talent in the center forward position and tend to play a lone man up front anyway. Two solid center backs (Materazzi and Barzagli) should be able to shut down Nuno Gomes, or possibly either Hélder Postiga or Hugo Almeida, without a lot of trouble.

Italy's full-backs, Gianluca Zambrotta and most likely Christian Panucci, will have trouble with the pace and creativity of Cristiano Ronaldo and Simão, the two wingers in Portugal's 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation. At 35 years of age, I don't think Panucci can stick with either of those two, and the attack-minded Zambrotta is susceptible to being caught out of position on a trademark Portuguese counter-attack.

There is no question that Ronaldo and Simão would have to play well in this game and really be the catalysts from their wide positions, because the middle of the field would be an absolute bloodbath. The combination of Gattuso, Pirlo, and De Rossi for Italy and Deco, Veloso, and Petit for Portugal in or around the center circle has tough tackling, late challenges, and epic battles for 50-50 balls written all over it. It would not be for the faint of heart, but is absolutely worth watching and could very well be where this game is won and lost. The advantage has to go to Italy in this matchup; their trio is more experienced and has a more complete array of skills to use on the field, but Deco is probably the best individual player out of the six and can single-handedly swing a game in his country's favor if he's on his game.

Luca Toni has played for 10 clubs in his career and just turned 31, but he is a fantastic striker with a goal-to-game ratio of just over 1:2 both domestically and internationally. At 6'4", he has a significant size advantage over Ricardo Carvalho, who is a shut down center back and would likely have the assignment of sticking to Toni like glue. Carvalho is no slouch in the air and while the fact that Italy doesn't rely much on wing play and crosses into the area helps the Chelsea defender, he's still going to have to find a way to deal with the bigger, more powerful Toni. He has a unique skill set compared to the strikers Carvalho sees on a weekly basis in the Premier League, so that matchup will definitely be something to keep your eyes on.

Italy has the better goalkeeper in Gianluigi Buffon, although he battled a bit of a back problem with Juventus in Serie A this season which could effect his ability to dive and move side-to-side. Ricardo is a fine goalie in his own right and has great reflexes, but has struggled in the past with claiming balls out of the air. One mistake on a corner kick or a free kick, one mis-timed leap to punch the ball to safety, and big, tall Luca Toni will put it in the back of the net.

It all comes down to tempo. If Portugal is able to play their counter-attack brand of game and exploit their advantage on the wings, they'll have a chance to pull off the upset. Italy needs to slow the game down to suit their style and possess the ball in their midfield while looking for holes and weaknesses in the Portuguese back line. You'll see a high number of fouls and cards in this game as both nations have multiple players who won't hesitate to chop their opponents down if necessary, and emotions obviously will be running high in a final.

Prediction: Italy-2, Portugal-1

Euro 2008 Semifinals Predictions

The countdown to Euro 2008 is now on in earnest as we're less than three days away from kickoff in the opener, Switzerland-Czech Republic. Along with my final prediction on Friday, I'll post the complete TV schedule for the group stage for everyone's convenience. I can't wait for this thing to get started.

Onto my predictions for the semifinals.

Semifinal #1 (June 25, 2:45 PM; St. Jakob-Park, Basel):

Portugal (Winner of QF #1) vs. Germany (Winner of QF #2)

I'll be honest -- this semifinal probably would not be the most exciting game to watch.

Portugal is the more dynamic of the two nations as far as comparing the individual players, but their coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, isn't known for playing a high-octane, up-and-down system. They also employ only one natural striker at a time and when you look at the options (Helder Postiga, Nuno Gomes, Hugo Almeida), none really have the capability of even coming close to setting the world alight. The lack of talent in that role will be a problem for Portugal against Germany, whose center backs can be exploited in their matchup against strikers who are quick and can beat you one-on-one for pace. Portugal doesn't have anyone up front who can do that, so I'd expect Cristiano Ronaldo to occupy a position right behind whoever the starting striker is and just constantly run at and terrorize the tall, slow pair of Christoph Metzelder and Per Mertesacker.

Germany has a terrific center forward in Miroslav Klose, but it's unclear who will be playing alongside him. The team is loaded in the midfield and will rely on Michael Ballack for inspiration and goal-scoring, to a lesser extent. It is a team that doesn't have the firepower to outscore Portugal, so they'll need to shut down the midfield and Ballack will play in a more subdued role to help Torsten Frings.

While Portugal has a clear advantage over Germany in the center back position, Germany possesses better, more dangerous full-backs in Philipp Lahm and either Marcell Jansen or Arne Friedrich. They'll need to go forward and provide good aerial service for Klose and Ballack, both of whom are terrific headers of the ball. However, they'll also need to their pick their spots when doing so because Portugal can counter-attack with the best of them and are incredibly speedy on the wings with Ronaldo and Simão.

I just can't see where the goals are going to come from for Germany aside from either Klose or Ballack. As alluded to earlier, the center of the Portuguese back line and their defensive midfield play is very solid. If those players do their jobs, which they should, Ballack and Klose will both be negated. Portugal has the best player in the world on their side in Cristiano Ronaldo, and he's capable of scoring in a vast multitude of ways. Also, Jens Lehmann is always capable of giving up a bad goal, so that combination looks promising for Portugal.

Prediction: Portugal-1, Germany-0

Semifinal #2 (June 26, 2:45 PM; Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna):

Italy (Winner of QF #3) vs. France (Winner of QF #4)

These two nations would be well and truly sick of each other if this matchup was to occur. France and Italy played in the World Cup final in 2006, won by Italy in PK's. They were in the same qualifying group for this tournament and played twice there, with France taking four of the six possible points. They're in Group C, the "Group of Death", together this summer and will play each other on June 17, just 9 days before this game would occur.

Just like the case would be in a France-Spain quarterfinal, there isn't much to separate between France and Italy. The major difference in the first matchup is the age gap; Spain is a much younger team at the core positions than France. In this matchup, both teams are relatively equal in that regard and their players have a lot of experience at the highest level, both internationally and domestically.

If there was one key factor to look at, it's the disparity in quality between the two goalkeepers. Italy's Gianluigi Buffon is amongst the top two or three at his position in the world, whereas France's Grégory Coupet was the long-serving backup to Fabien Barthez. To be fair, Coupet is not a slouch between the sticks by any means; in fact, he's very good and has played in a number of big games in the Champions League at Lyon. I'm just unsure as to how he'll perform in the second-largest tournament in the world after never having done it before.

Everywhere else on the field seems to be a wash. Both teams are solid up front, with Thierry Henry and either Nicholas Anelka or Karim Benzema for France and Luca Toni and either Marco Borriello or Antonio Di Natale for Italy. France prefers to use out-and-out wingers in Florent Malouda and Franck Ribery, both great internationally, and use two holding midfield players at the same time (Makélélé and Vieira/Toulalan), whereas Italy will completely clog the center of the field with Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, and Daniele De Rossi, who is an absolutely fantastic player. France does have a better back line, especially with the devastating injury to Italy's Fabio Cannavaro, but they're also a little older and perhaps a bit more error-prone.

Prediction: Despite the fact that both teams have an abundance of attacking talent, goals will be at a premium in this game as it'll be played with a tight-to-the-vest, cautious style. It'll be an absolute bloodbath in the center of the park, and France's superior wing play will be the deciding factor. If Malouda and Ribery show up, France will win, if not, they'll go home. Italy-1, France-0

Euro 2008 Quarterfinals Predictions (Part 1)

Last week was devoted to previewing each of the four groups in Euro 2008 and with the start of the tournament less than a week away, it's time for me to take those previews and make predictions for the knockout rounds.

Today, I'll cover the four quarterfinal matchups I believe will take place, on Wednesday, I'll do the same for the semifinals, and I'll take you into the weekend (and the first four games of the competition) by previewing my pick for the final on Friday and posting the TV schedule for the group stage.

Quarterfinal #1 (June 19, 2:45 PM; St. Jakob-Park, Basel):

Portugal (Group A winner) vs. Croatia (Group B runner-up):

This would be the most compelling game to watch in the quarterfinal round. It pits two extremely capable coaches against each other in Luiz Felipe Scolari and Slaven Bilić, though the advantage would obviously go to Scolari as he's won a World Cup and is the more experienced of the two. Both managers are tactically sound and disciplined. Both of their teams are organized and play a system rather than play as a group of free-lancing individuals.

Because of these things, a tight game is the only thing that could be expected. Portugal has more talent on the field with Cristiano Ronaldo, the best player in the world, and Deco, a midfield general when his mind is right, both thinking about going forward and breaking down defenses. Croatia doesn't have a group of slouches in their midfield though either; Luka Modrić and Niko Kranjčar are terrific in their own right and would cause problems for the slow Portuguese back line.

Without their leading goal scorer from qualification, Eduardo da Silva, I just don't think Croatia has that cutting edge up front that they'd need to beat Portugal, whereas although Portugal features only one center forward on the field at a time, each of their midfield players, their wingers in particular, are capable of putting the ball in the back of the net.

Portugal also has an easier group to come out of and would be less fatigued than a Croatian side who will have to battle a co-host in Austria and two physical, hard-working teams in Germany and Poland.

I like Portugal's goalkeeping situation better; Ricardo has great reflexes from close range and is fantastic at saving PK's, which could be the difference in a game as close as this. Stipe Pletikosa is the Croatian goalie and he's fine, but he hasn't played in enough big games or even done well enough in the meaningful games that he has played in to convince me that he can come up with that one big save or claim a high ball into the area when it's truly necessary.

Prediction: Portugal-2, Croatia-1

Quarterfinal #2 (June 20, 2:45 PM; Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna):

Germany (Group B winner) vs. Switzerland (Group A runner-up):

If you're a fan of the Swiss, it's a win-lose situation in that if they advance from Group A, great, but if they don't win it, they're going to have face Germany and not have the home-field advantage that they enjoyed in the group stage. The fact that this game would be played in Vienna probably even favors Germany, to be honest, and Switzerland would need all the help they can get if this matchup were to come to fruition.

Switzerland is overmatched at every position except left wing, where Tranquillo Barnetta should easily get the better of whomever Germany plays on their right flank. Both nations defend very well and do so in a compact, tight manner that will concede the short passes and make the opponent beat you with a great individual play, either by breaking a defender down on the ground by dribbling or by slipping a through ball to an attacker making his run at precisely the right time. Germany has players that are capable of doing both; Michael Ballack and Tim Borowski are great passers and although they're not the fastest team in the world, Germany has guys like Bastian Schweinsteiger and Philipp Lahm who are capable of beating a defender one-on-one.

For Switzerland to have any hope in this game, their defense, led by Arsenal's Philippe Senderos, has to be the rock it was in the 2006 World Cup and Alexander Frei will need to play incredibly well up front. This is the type of match where whoever scores the first goal will almost assuredly win, so obviously drawing first blood is essential.

Germany's weakness is at center back, but Switzerland isn't the pacey, quick-footed team that will be able to exploit it. Per Mertesacker and Christoph Metzelder are the twin towers back there and can win anything in the air, but can be beaten by speed, either on the ball by a dribbler or off the ball by a cutting midfielder or striker. Switzerland will need to put pressure on those two players and see if they'll crack. If not, it could be a very frustrating afternoon for the Swiss.

Prediction: Germany-2, Switzerland-0

Part two of these quarterfinal predictions will be posted later on this evening, as I've got homework to attend to at the moment. Work before pleasure, right everyone?

Euro 2008 Preview--Group A (Part 1)

First of all, I want to wish all of my fellow countrymen here in the States a wonderful Memorial Day. Almost everyone I know has or had a family member in the armed forces, and today is all about remembering those who died while in military service to their country. We know it as the unofficial first day of summer when swimming pools traditionally open and families have a nice barbecue, but today is really more than that and I hope everyone takes a moment to reflect upon what this day truly means.

Now, onto the meat of this post -- previewing Group A in Euro 2008, which will start in just under two weeks' time. This group is comprised of Switzerland, the tournament co-host, Turkey, Portugal, and the Czech Republic.

Here's the fixture schedule (all times Eastern):

June 7:
Switzerland vs. Czech Republic (Noon; St. Jakob-Park, Basel)
Portugal vs. Turkey (2:45; Stade de Genève, Geneva)

June 11:
Czech Republic vs. Portugal (Noon; Stade de Genève, Geneva)
Switzerland vs. Turkey (2:45; St. Jakob-Park, Basel)

June 15:
Switzerland vs. Portugal (2:45; St. Jakob-Park, Basel)
Turkey vs. Czech Republic (2:45; Stade de Genève, Geneva)

Czech Republic:

In a qualifying group that included Germany and Ireland, the Czech Republic finished first with 29 points from their 12 games. This is their sixth appearance in the European Championships, although three of them came as the former Czechoslovakia, including the 1976 team that won the whole thing.

Their U-21's won the European U-21 Championship in 2002, and you can find a fair amount of players from that team on the senior team that will open up against Switzerland on June 7, including Petr Čech and Milan Baroš. It's always an unpleasant assignment to play your first game and the first game of the tournament against a host country, and you can bet the Swiss crowd will be in full roar in Basel.

Tomáš Rosický, known as the "Little Mozart" for his creative skill, fantastic passing ability, and the way he orchestrates play out of the center of midfield, will miss the tournament due to injury and that's a major blow for his country. He is their captain and field general and there just isn't anyone who will be able to replace him.

Coach Karel Brückner has named a 23-man provisional squad already, which of course is the number his final roster will have to have as well. If he chooses not to replace anyone, he'll have a team that seems to be pretty solid through the starting XI but without much on the bench.

Čech, one of the world's best at his position, will of course be in goal, in front of him could very well be an experienced back line of Grygera, Rozenhal, Ujfaluši, and Jankulovski (R to L), a midfield comprised of Galásek in the holding role, Jarolím on the right, possibly Skácel or Matějovský on the left, and Plašil right in the center. Up top will be the two stalwarts -- the big target man, Jan Koller, and his quicker sidekick, Baroš.

Portugal:

Big Phil's team finished second in an ultra-competitive qualifying group, as Poland nipped them by just one point. Under Scolari, Portugal lost in the final of Euro 2004 to Greece and lost to France in the semifinals of World Cup 2006. They will be looking to shake off those disappointments and win this competition, one in which they are favored to make a deep run.

Portugal's final squad has already been released and squad numbers have been announced, so barring injury, there will be no changes and what you see is what you'll get. This is a country not known in recent years to produce true center forwards; instead, an emphasis has been placed on pace, creativity, and wing play. In this group, those attributes should be enough to overcome the three either older or slower teams (who also simply have less talent), but that may not be the case come the knockout rounds.

Scolari is known as a unique character, one who tends to take the pressure off his team through his own personal antics and behavior, and I think that will really benefit his side in this tournament. It's a team that has 4-5-1/4-3-3 written all over it, with Ricardo in goal, either Bosingwa or Miguel at right back, Ferreira on the left, where he has played before, and Meira and Carvalho in the center. In the midfield, Deco will roam freely in the center, Cristiano Ronaldo and Simão will be on the wings, Petit seems likely to play in the holding role, and either João Moutinho or Raul Meireles, both terrific passers, will also be in the middle. As the lone center forward, Nuno Gomes will feature with Hélder Postiga spelling him.

Portugal’s schedule also sets up as arguably the most comfortable of any team in the group. While it is no slouch, Turkey has to be considered the weakest team out of the four and Portugal plays them first, followed by the Czech Republic. After those two games, they’ll know exactly what they need (if anything at all) in their third and final match, against Switzerland. That game seems to me like Portugal’s toughest, as not only do the Swiss have the home-field advantage, they are very difficult to break down and that is Portugal’s strength, quick passing and dribbling.

Check back later this afternoon for Part 2 of my Group A preview, in which I'll take a look at Turkey and Switzerland and give you my prediction for how the group will finish up.

Euro 2008 Introduction and Final Rosters for Portugal, Croatia, Spain, and Sweden

Co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland, Euro 2008 is just three weeks away. It'll be kicked off by a Group A matchup on June 7 between the Swiss and the Czech Republic in Basel, followed up by Portugal-Turkey in Geneva.

The final 23-man rosters, of which three must be goalkeepers, for each nation aren't required to be submitted until May 28, but a few coaches have already announced their respective squads. Others have announced a provisional roster and will have to trim it down by the 28th. If a player named to the final roster gets injured to the extent that he can't take part in the competition before his country's first match, he can be replaced.

Here at English Soccer Talk, I'll be covering this tournament much like I did the African Cup of Nations in January and February, with daily recaps and previews of the upcoming action. Sure, England isn't taking part, but this is the world's second-largest international competition and it would be ignorant of me to not give it its just due.

Starting next week, I'll be taking a closer look at all 16 teams in the tournament -- two per day for eight days -- and then spend the first week of June examining some of the must-watch games and making my full predictions as to who will advance out of the group stage and who will win the whole thing. Keep checking this site as it's your one stop shop for everything Euro 2008, including the final rosters for each nation.

First on the docket are Portugal, Croatia, Spain, and Sweden.

Portugal (Group A)- Head Coach: Luiz Felipe Scolari

GK (3): Ricardo (Real Betis), Quim (Benfica), Rui Patrício (Sporting Lisbon)
DEF (8): Paulo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Jorge Ribeiro (Boavista), Fernando Meira (Stuttgart), Miguel (Valencia), José Bosingwa and Bruno Alves (Porto), Pepe (Real Madrid)
MID (8): Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani (Manchester United), Raul Meireles and Quaresma (Porto), Petit (Benfica), João Moutinho and Miguel Veloso (Sporting Lisbon), Deco (Barcelona)
FWD (4): Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen), Simão (Atlético Madrid), Nuno Gomes (Benfica), Hélder Postiga (Porto)

Croatia (Group B)- Head Coach: Slaven Bilić

GK (3): Stipe Pletikosa (Spartak Moscow), Mario Galinović (Panathinaikos), Vedran Runje (Lens)
DEF (6): Dario Šimić* (AC Milan), Josip Šimunić (Hertha Berlin), Robert Kovač* (Borussia Dortmund), Vedran Ćorluka (Manchester City), Hrvoje Vejić (Tom Tomsk), Dario Knežević (Livorno)
MID (9): Ivan Rakitić (Schalke 04), Nikola Pokrivač and Jerko Leko (AS Monaco), Niko Kovač** (Salzburg), Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Luka Modrić and Ognjen Vukojević (Dinamo Zagreb), Niko Kranjčar (Portsmouth), Danijel Pranjić (Heerenveen)
FWD (5): Nikola Kalinić (Hajduk), Ivan Klasnić (Werder Bremen), Ivica Olić (Hamburg), Igor Budan (Parma), Mladen Petrić (Borussia Dortmund)

*Vice-Captain, **Captain

Spain (Group D)- Head Coach: Luis Aragonés

GK (3): Iker Casillas* (Real Madrid), Andrés Palop (Sevilla), José Reina (Liverpool)
DEF (8): Raúl Albiol and Carlos Marchena (Valencia), Álvaro Arbeloa (Liverpool), Joan Capdevila (Villarreal), Juanito (Real Betis), Fernando Navarro (Mallorca), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)
MID (8): Xabi Alonso (Liverpool), Santi Cazorla and Marcos Senna (Villarreal), Rubén de la Red (Getafe), Cesc Fàbregas (Arsenal), Andrés Iniesta and Xavi (Barcelona), David Silva (Valencia)
FWD (4): Sergio García (Real Zaragosa), Dani Güiza (Mallorca), Fernando Torres (Liverpool), David Villa (Valencia)

*Captain

Sweden (Group D)- Head Coach: Lars Lagerbäck

GK (3): Andreas Isaksson (Manchester City), Rami Shaaban (Hammarby), Johan Wiland (Elfsborg)
DEF (7): Mikael Nilsson (Panathinaikos), Olof Mellberg (Aston Villa), Petter Hansson (Stade Rennais), Fredrik Stoor (Rosenborg), Daniel Majstorović (Basel), Andreas Granqvist (Wigan), Mikael Dorsin (CFR Cluj)
MID (8): Tobias Linderoth** (Galatasaray), Niclas Alexandersson (IFK Göteborg), Anders Svensson (Elfsborg), Fredrik Ljungberg* (West Ham), Kim Källström (Lyon), Sebastian Larsson (Birmingham City), Daniel Andersson (Malmö FF), Christian Wilhelmsson (Deportivo de La Coruña)
FWD (5): Zlatan Ibrahimović (Inter Milan), Johan Elmander (Toulouse), Henrik Larsson (Helsingborg), Marcus Allbäck (FC Copenhagen), Markus Rosenberg (Werder Bremen)

*Captain, **If he fails to recover from injury, Linderoth will be replaced by Ajax's Kennedy Bakircioglu.

"Made in Lisbon, Delivered in Manchester": C. Ronaldo

For the record, I couldn't care less that Kaka just won the 2007 Ballon D'Or and the FIFPro World Player of the Year and the UEFA European Club Player of the Year and will probably win the FIFA World Player of the Year when it is announced later this month. These are nice awards, don't get me wrong, but the best player in the world is Cristiano Ronaldo, hands down, no doubt about it. Ronaldo is the finest player in the world's finest league and any discussion about who should win awards like these should start and end with him.

Manchester United's 22-year old Portuguese winger played for Sporting Lisbon before joining the Red Devils in 2003 and has blossomed from that point on. The scary thing is that he hasn't even realized his unbelievable potential as a player yet, although you wouldn't necessarily know it if you watched him play for Portugal or Man U.

Two more goals today propelled the Red Devils to a 2-0 victory over Fulham at Old Trafford, giving Ronaldo 6 goals in 9 league games from midfield already this year, and he has 11 tallies in 15 games in all competitions. Last season was a breakout year for the Portuguese star as he rang up 23 goals and 20 assists in 49 matches (all competitions), and he bagged 12 more goals in 2005-2006.

Forget the stats for a minute though and think about the things you can't measure. Ronaldo has great pace and is very nearly as adept with his left foot as he is with his right, enabling him to play on either wing and benefit from the free role he's given with United. He's the best player on the ball in the world with his dribbling prowess; a simple YouTube search will provide highlight videos of him going past opponents with an array of moves, the double and even triple-scissors chief amongst them. He's as good of a passer as there is as well, both through balls and crossing, and is United's free-kick taker whenever it is within shooting range.

I'm not trying to take anything away from Kaka or Ronaldinho or Lionel Messi; each of those players is fantastic in their own right. The sky is the limit for Ronaldo though and he can do things with the ball that no one else can. His good looks have obviously made him a marketing godsend for United. We've seen it at times this season and last when Ronaldo has been either suspended or just coming back from international duty: When he isn't in the lineup, Manchester United are a completely different team and they don't have that flair and spark and energy that they do when he's playing.

Kaka, you can take all your awards and the awards you'll inevitably win in the future. The people who vote for them are incredibly biased towards Brazilians and tend to look mainly at what players do in the Champions League. For me, however, if I had to build a team from scratch, I'll take Ronaldo over anyone else in the world, including Kaka, every single time.