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Better luck for Euro 2010?

The Road to 2012 Begins

It barely seems weeks since Spain lifted the World Cup in triumph but attention turns once again to international football as the road to the 2012 European Championships start this week.

The tournament is being hosted jointly by Poland and Ukraine so these two sides are not involved in the qualification process but the rest of the European teams are back in action. Not every team will be genuine contenders but after a disappointing World Cup, some of the biggest names in international football in Europe will be keen to blow away the South African blues.

One of the teams who underperformed at the World Cup would have to be England and there is huge pressure of Fabio Capello and his team to bounce back strongly. England kick off their qualifying campaign on Friday evening with a Wembley match against Bulgaria. Wayne Rooney may have been England's major hope for the tournament but he failed to capture the imagination at the event and has started the season in poor form.

It won't take much for Rooney to capture the heart of the nation again but at the moment, the English fans need convincing by the players that let them down so badly.

Domenech, the Disaster is Gone

As bad as things were for England in South Africa, the team with the biggest disaster on their hands were France. Raymond Domenech is no longer in charge and captain Evra is suspended after the training ground fracas in South Africa but a home match versus Belarus should see Laurent Blanc get his competitive campaign off to a winning start.

Italy were another major European team that badly let their fans down at the World Cup but anything less than three points away to Estonia will be a disaster for the Italian national side. The backbone of the Italian squad is still closer to the veteran age than fresh faced youngsters but there needs to be a slice of fresh impetus into the national team to stand any chance of success in the near future. A look at the German side of 2010 should give hope to the Italians that starting over again is no disaster for a national team; in fact, sometimes it is the best thing for a team.

Germany Have a Team that Can Go for Years

Of course, the World Cup was not a disaster for everyone and the Germans were one of the big winners, eventually finishing third after losing to winners Spain in the semi-final. The German team is still young and has the ability to compete at the highest level for years to come so they will be looking to book their 2012 place as soon as possible.

The Germans start with a tricky away tie to Belgium but a positive result will see them in pole position in Group A. Turkey are likely to pose the biggest threat to Germany in the qualification campaign but it would be a major shock if the Germans were not involved in the major footballing event in two years time.

Holland went one step better than Germany in making the World Cup final where they eventually succumbed to the passing movement of Spain. The more pragmatic style of play utilised by the Dutch may have lost them a few fans but their appearance in the final gave the Dutch real confidence that silverware may be a realisable dream for their team once again. It was at the Euro 2008 Championships that Holland finally lived up to expectations and the current regime could still follow in the footsteps of that terrific side. An away match in San Marino should not provide any serious test for Holland, even if the Dutch are missing Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben.

Spain remain the Team to Beat

Of course, Spain were the team that defeated Holland in the World Cup final and the Spanish are also the current holders of the European Championships. Being the current holders does not offer a guaranteed place in the next tournament but with the current crop of players still at the top of their game, it would be a huge shock if Spain faltered along the way. A trip to Liechtenstein should provide no challenge for the World champions and with Fernando Torres and David Villa on the score-sheet already this season, goals should not be a problem for Spain.

Of course, a lot of European teams failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup and will be looking to ensure they take their place at 2012 championship. Of all the teams that failed to be in South Africa, the Republic of Ireland have the biggest hard luck story.

The hand of Thierry Henry was a major factor in France getting through and the Irish missing out so you can guarantee that Trappatoni's team will be desperate to qualify this time around. An away tie to Armenia gives the Irish the first opportunity to get points on the board but it looks as though they may have to do without captain Robbie Keane. Keane has allegedly picked up an injury at the Irish training camp and is a doubt for the international games this week.

Can Levein Lift Scottish Spirits?

Ireland just missed out on the World Cup but one nation that has been missing from the big football tournaments since France 1998 are Scotland and Craig Levein is the man charged with changing Scotland¡¯s fortunes this time around.

A tricky away game to Lithuania will be Levein¡¯s first competitive match in charge of his nation and he will look to James McFadden and Kenny Miller to score the goal or goals that sees Scotland come away with a positive result. Miller is currently at the centre of speculation that he could be moving to the Far East in a major deal. Miller will need to put aside any thoughts about a possible transfer to ensure Levein gets off to a good start in charge of Scotland. Scotland are in the same group as World Cup winners Spain so it is unlikely the Scottish side will top their group but the runner up spot can still offer a route to the 2012 European Championships.

Spain are definitely the favourites for the 2012 European Championships but this week sees all the teams get their campaign off to a start with dreams of glory in the air. Only one team will eventually win the 2012 European Championships but for now, every team may just think this is their tournament.

by Andrew Reilly

for The Silver Circle at www.footballtip.co.uk

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