Group A continued It took Switzerland nine attempts before finally making it to the European Championships finals. That was back in 1996 and they followed with another appearance in Portugal four years ago.
How they qualified As a co-host the Swiss were spared the trauma of qualification.
The Coach Kobi Kuhn succeeded a raft of foreign coaches (Uli Stielike, Roy Hodgson, Gilbert Gress and Enzo Trossero) when he took over the Swiss national team duties seven years ago and when he retires after this tournament he will be replaced by German Ottmar Hitzfeld. Kuhn controversially installed Alexander Frei as captain in the spring of 2007 after a very public falling out with Johann Vogel.
Key Players Alexander Frei has spent a good part of this season injured and only recently returned to play for his club side Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga. If he can regain his sharpness for the summer tournament the Swiss may benefit from the enforced rest of their top striker.
Arsenal’s Philippe Senderos’ frailties have been on show at the club level but he still has the confidence of his international coach. Tranquillo Barnetta of Bayer Leverkusen enjoyed an excellent 2006 World Cup in Germany although he did miss a penalty in the shoot-out loss to Ukraine.
Great Euro Memory Their European Championship finals debut came in 1996 when they held host country England to a 1-1 draw. England led from an Alan Shearer goal early in the game but with seven minutes left Stuart Pearce was called for a handball in the penalty box and Kubilay Turkyilmaz equalized from the spot.
Synopsis Switzerland comes into the tournament with all the advantages and disadvantages of co-hosting. No worries over qualifying but unrealistic expectations and few opportunities over the last two years for the team to be tested in competitive games.
The Swiss were knocked out of the 2006 World Cup without conceding a goal although how they achieved such a feat with Pascal Zuberbuhler in net can be considered as a modern-day miracle.
The team has mix of youth and experience although a number of players (Patrick Muller, Tranquillo Barnetta, and Frei) have struggled with injuries lately. Of the two host nations the Swiss have by far the better chance to move on to the last eight.
Coming Up in World Cup Qualifying Drawn in Group 2 with Greece, Israel, Moldova, Latvia and Luxembourg.
Turkey made their European Championship Finals debut in 1996 but lost all three games. Four years later they lost in the last eight to Portugal by a score of 2-0.
How they qualified It was topsy-turvy qualifying campaign for Turkey. Against all odds (including a ban on playing at home for part of the group stage) they started very well in Group C then hit a torrid streak at the midway point.
Just as they looked as if they had again blown their chance they recovered their nerve and finished seven points behind Greece and a point ahead of Norway. Hakan Sukur who has been left out of the squad for the finals was Turkey’s leading scorer with five goals. Tuncay Sanli and Nihat Kahveci each had three.
The Coach Fatih Terim is in charge at the Euros for a second time having helped Turkey to England in 1996. After the ’96 tournament and for the next four years Terim held a Midas-touch with league titles and a UEFA Cup coming his way while in charge of Galatasaray.
A move to Serie A with Fiorentina and then AC Milan did not prove to be nearly as successful and a return to Galatasaray failed to rekindle past glories. After failing to make it to the 2006 World Cup finals a place in the last eight is probably the minimum he needs to keep his job.
Key Players Nihat Kahveci has enjoyed a fantastic season with Villarreal in the Spanish league and looks to have put his injury woes behind. Small, mobile and with the instinct that only very good goal scorers have, Nihat could again become one of the most sought after strikers in Europe after this tournament.
Great Euro Memory At Euro 2000 the final group B match found co host Belgium needing only a draw against Turkey to move on to the knock out stage. Despite going into the match winless in five finals games Turkey shocked the home side with a goal on the stroke of half time from Hakan Sukur and with twenty minutes left the talismanic striker repeated the feat and Turkey moved on with Italy to the quarter final stage.
Synopsis Turkey and host nation Switzerland have “history” from a 2006 World Cup qualifying play-off game so when they face each other there might be fireworks. A hit-or-miss qualifying campaign makes it very difficult to assess Turkey’s chances. On top form they could be a great dark horse; on other days they may struggle to win a game.
Coming Up in World Cup Qualifying Drawn in Group 5 along with Spain, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, Armenia and Estonia.
Gunner44 - Luis Aragonés the Spanish coach should be fired. With the disposal of players he has Spain should be killing teams like Iceland. What do you think of Aragonés as the Spanish Coach?
Bobby – On one hand I am astounded that he is still holding the job - on the other hand Spain has only lost only lost 4 games out of 39 with 25 wins and 10 draws.
SynCrew - What do you think of Bernd and his Madrid team? Do you think he has the right mix of players and the managerial knowledge to guide Madrid to winning La Liga? Secondly how do you see Martin Jol (if he stays) keeping all 4 of his strikers happy? I think he should keep 3-rotate them and use a 5 man midfield in case of injury - your thoughts?
Bobby – It is well known that Real Madrid fans want to not only win but to win with style. Hence, the demise of the almost perpetually successful Fabio Capello. However, there is nothing in Bernd Schuster’s managerial background to indicate that he is anything different than Capello. (Schuster is rumoured to have applied to have managed Dundee at the turn of the century but didn’t get an interview!) His record as a coach is spotted at best – Levante was relegated with him in charge – and his appointment seems to be down to his Madrid roots and two seasons of over achievement at Getafe.
His teams have not be known for playing attractive football but the counter argument would be that he has not had the players or the resources at his disposal up until now. After picking Real to win La Liga last season my thought is that they will not repeat.
The premise of keeping four strikers happy is based on four strikers always being fit and available – something that often not the case. If you are suggesting using 2 up front with a 5 man midfield and three at the back then I don’t think that is a very good idea. If your suggestion is playing one up front and rotating the three, does not that mean that on average each of the strikers will appear 1 game in three? That would be less playing time than having four strikers competing for two spots – an average on 1 appearance every two games.
CIAO - 1. Turkey... What do you make of their chances to directly qualify after the mess they made in Malta? They currently have a game in hand, so they are not in that bad of a spot. However, they still need to play Greece, Norway and Bosnia-Herzegovina. So I think they lost their safety points now and they created a situation where they have to win every game. I think they have a very difficult time ahead, would you agree?
2. Italy. Currently in third place, but by the end of the week could be moving on up... Italy will play Ukraine which is always a tough game. But I have a feeling Inzaghi will come up big. Then they have to play Scotland. How do you see Italy's chances of making it to EURO 2008?
Bobby – Turkey’s performance has been beyond belief. They won their first four games (including a 4-1 away thumping of Greece) while scoring 12 and conceding 1. Then they have to come from behind to draw with Norway; blow a 2-1 lead and lose to a last second goal from Bosnia; then have to fight back twice to tie Malta. I’m not close enough to their situation to know what might have gone wrong but it might be a case that a surge of over confidence (thrashing Greece) has given way to rampant nerves and second guessing. The game on Wednesday (home against Hungary) is a chance to get things moving forward again and then it is Moldova away in a month’s time. Two wins in these two games would put them back in a strong position considering that Greece has Norway away on Wednesday and then Bosnia. Out of Turkey’s last three games Greece and Bosnia are both at home so all is not lost – yet!
Italy almost always seems to find a way to get through in qualifying tournaments – although they did fail in 84 after their 82 WC win. A point in Kiev tomorrow would not be that bad a result considering that they have slam dunk games against Georgia and Faroe Islands to come 9both home) and Ukraine and Scotland have to still play each other. I can see a scenario where a draw at Hampden in November would almost certainly put Italy through.
Gregz - I didn't get to hear what your predictions on La Liga. With the expectations so high, what do you think the top 10 will look like at the end of the season?
Bobby – I didn’t get a chance so here is my belated prediction for La Liga – last season's finish in brackets. 1. Barcelona (2); 2. Sevilla (3); 3. Real Madrid (Champions);4. Valencia (4); 5. Atletico Madrid (7);6. Villarreal (5);7. Real Zaragoza (6); 8. Real Mallorca (12);9. Espanyol (11);10. Deportivo La Coruna (13); 11. Valladolid (Promoted); 12. Real Santander (10); 13. Real Betis (16);14. Osasuna (14); 15. Athletic Bilbao (17); 16. Getafe (9); 17. Recreativo Huelva (8); 18.Murcia (Promoted);19. Levante (15); 20. Almeria (Promoted)
SDGooner - I didn’t catch the France and Italy game, although I wanted to. I was wondering if you had watched it and if so how did Lassana Diarra and Thierry Henry do? I heard from other forums that Diarra played a great game and that Thierry was the worst player on the pitch.
Bobby – I thought Diarra stuck to his job well – competent rather than spectacular. Italy seemed to focus on making sure Ribery was contained and so they did not go after Diarra. Henry was almost non-existent and it was a surprise that he stayed on the field for the full game.
WorkingtonRED - What do you think of the thought of owning your own Football Club. Now you can. www.myfootballclub.co.uk Can you imagine the Manager consulted by 50,000 Share Holders.
Bobby – There have been a couple of articles posted on the blog about this over the summer. An off-the-wall idea but ultimately not the way to properly run a football club.
Henry14 - What do you think about the additional game of suspension if you lose an appeal for unsportmanship? l think it’s crazy you should be able to appeal because it is a right but, it is not an expense and there are no detectives sent out of the FA, why should they add an additional game, isn't this what they are paid for?
Bobby – The extra suspension is invoked in the case of a frivolous appeal and it a bloody good idea. If that threat of an additional suspension was not there then the incentive – actually would be more than an incentive you be daft not to – is to appeal every suspension. In that case the system grinds to a standstill. Nobody is suggesting that there should not be a right of appeal – all that is happening is that players and clubs need to make sure that the appeal has some merit. You also have to consider the additional suspension sanction is rarely invoked.
Ohphuque - Get fsc to get you a proper chair on the set! There is no way that gumba St Louis should tower over you as he did on the report Monday night. If they don’t have another switch with St Louis so you are sitting better ;)
Bobby – I forgot to negotiate a chair clause into my multi-cent contract. I’ll make a note of it for next year.
Craigy f - Do you know why the Italians are wearing St George crosses on their football kit, Sampdoria have a badge on their home kit and Inter have an away kit that England would be happy to wear?
Bobby – St. George is the patron saint of a number of countries and cities. I’m guessing that it has something to do with the fact that the game was played in Milan.
Call my Agent - From an AP article today: "Hargreaves sat out Saturday's match and, although the injury is not serious, failed a fitness test Monday." What, exactly, makes up these fitness tests? Do they measure things and compare to objective standards (e.g. recovery time, strength, flex range, etc)? Or is it just a "how does the ol' knee feel today" sort of thing?
Bobby – Years ago it used to mean “can you run without the opposition knowing which part they should kick". It is a lot more sophisticated now and measurements would be made against benchmarks that would have been established when a player is considered fully fit. Having said that I’m sure that on a lot of occasions it is still left up to the player to let the coach know whether or not he feels up to it.
I am the soccer analyst for the Fox Soccer Report and appear twice a week - every Monday and Friday at 10:00 EST. I have also been a regular contributor to the Fox Soccer Channel website since the summer of 2004. Over the last twenty years I have contributed to various radio and television programs throughout North America as well writing about the game for newspapers, magazines and websites.
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