Headlines could barely mention anything other than the 'Group of Death' in the aftermath of the Euro 2008 finals draw. There is no doubt that a group involving France, Italy and Holland is eye-catching, and the idea of having more than two high-profile teams in one group is fascinating for neutrals. However, if we take a broad look at the four groups making the competition, we can see there are several reasons to believe that every group could be labeled as a Group of Death. The 'Underdog' tag has almost vanished in modern football, and the 2004 tournament provides enough proof that at such top level competitions, anything can happen. Group A: 4-way Tussle It is clear that Euro 2004 finalists Portugal and semi-finalists Czech Republic look the brightest of the four sides in the group. With both teams led by highly experienced managers and having some world class talents from top European clubs, they can be among the title favorites. However, it won't be against the odds to see Switzerland and (or) Turkey book a place in the next round. "All the teams at Euro 2008 are quality sides and I don't want to speculate on whether it's a good draw or not," said Czech Republic coach Karel Bruckner. "It is difficult to comment on the draw. It's fair but we will face difficult teams, of course," Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said. Apart from the Swiss' home advantage, the latest confrontation with the Turks in the 2006 World Cup qualifier playoffs was the main talking point of the group draw. Switzerland secured a place in Germany, shattering Turkey's World Cup dreams, but the post-match brawl will not be forgotten when both teams lock horns again in Basel. "Obviously it will be hard for the players who were directly involved to forget about what happened in Istanbul," said Switzerland star man Alexander Frei. Group B: 'Most Difficult Group' For Croatia Coach
Will France settle for a cameo role this time around? Germany and Croatia can count themselves the luckiest of the tournament after being drawn against the only debutants Poland and Austria. However, Croatia coach Slaven Bilic has an interesting viewpoint regarding the 'Group of Death' theory. "People talk about the group of death but I can give you 20 reasons why this is the most difficult group," said the young manager. "Here are three: Austria are playing at home, Germany are one of the best teams in the world and Poland are here for the first time which is a good motivation." Three-time champions Germany need no introduction when it comes to top competitions, while Croatia's qualifiers exploits, specifically against England, demonstrate how tough they can be. But the so-called 'outsiders' Poland and Austria have their own assets which can result in a possible upset next summer. For Austria, the idea of being underdogs and hosts at the same time is exciting, because the Austrians will be playing under no pressure plus the home advantage. On the other hand, Poland seem to be the most alerting for Germany coach Joachim Loew, who is wary of the neighbor's threat. "We're excited. When we played Poland in the last World Cup we only scored in the last minute," said Loew, who was assistant coach in Germany 2006. "They were very strong and remember that game was in a German stadium with 80,000 fans. They showed great courage. I'm sure Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski will be excited to be playing Poland because of their origins." Group C: That's a Heavyweight Contest The vicious enmity that aroused between France and Italy throughout the past couple of years makes their pairing in one Euro 2008 group a lethal combination. But the emergence of Holland even adds more flair to the intense contest involving last year's World Cup top two, with hapless Romania considered as defin
