Euro 2008

With Euro 2008 coming up on on June 7th, I just want to run through briefly who I personally believe are going to be favorites for the tournament.

Italy
Let's start with the current World Champions, Italy. With Totti out of Euro injured Italy will particularly look to Pirlo to lead the team, and I believe he is quite capable of doing so. It is quite unfortunate however that Fabio Cannavaro has been ruled out as he has sustained an injury in the team's last friendly game which would probably cause some defensive woes, but Italy is a team which is known for its solid defense, and therefore there should be a suitable replacement. The players to watch in this team are Pirlo, Del Piero, Zambrotta and Luca Toni. Look for Pirlo to dictate the midfield, Zambrotta to come up big in the defense and Luca and Del Piero to bang in the goals, as they both have been the top scorers in their respective leagues this season.

Germany
People hardly consider this team when they think of big teams but Germany is a very big side. Dating back to 2002, Germany has made the World Cup final loosing out only to Brazil and they finished third at the last World Cup by beating Portugal. Ballack, Klose and Torsten Frings are the stars for this side, so look out for big performances from these players.

France
There's no more Zinedine Zidane but France continues to produce amazing talent. After loosing out to Italy at the last World Cup, France will most definitely want to crown themselves champions of Europe. Look out for the young, talented Karim Benzema and Samir Nasri, Bundesliga's best Frank Ribery and veteran striker Thierry Henry.

Spain
Finally my favorite team, Spain, the great underachievers of Europe. Yes, they do not have many trophies as they have only won just one European title in 1964 but I just love the way they play. One journalist referred to the way they play as "tika taka" which means pass and go. I just love to see nice touch football and for this reason Spain is my favorite European team. Look for hitmen El Nino, Fernando Torres and El Guaje, David Villa to come up with big performances, along with the "midfield midgets", as I like to call them Xavi and Iniesta and Arsenal talisman Cesc Fabregas. The biggest concern for Spain right now would be the defense, hopefully they can get it together before the competition starts.

Euro 2008 should be great and although these teams I have mentioned may be the favorites, this is football, and we all know what they say, anything can happen.

AC Milan signs Zambrotta

Milan have officially signed Gianluca Zambrotta from Barcelona yesterday. No details were given but the club posted an official announcement on their website.
I am kind of sorry to see Zambrotta leave Barca so soon but I am at least glad that he transfered to another club which I personally like a lot.
Zambrotta joins Milan in an attempt to strengthen their defense after the club failed to qualify for the Champions League next season. My view is, great, Milan has strengthened their defense but in the process Barca has somewhat weakened theirs, however it is still yet early days and there is still time for Barca to sign probably two quality defenders in this transfer season. They have reportedly been linked with Martin Caceres from Villarreal and Christian Chivu from Inter. Whoever they sign I just want the defense to be sorted out because for me that is the main area of concern within the team. So with that said, good luck to Zambrotta, Milan and Barca.

Milan want Eto'o more than Ronaldinho

Today the news is that Samuel Eto'o suits the needs of Milan more than Ronaldinho and subsequently he is higher on their shopping list. After finishing in 5th the Italian giants are ready to tweak their squad for next season.
It is reported that Barcelona are ready to listen to offers for both the gifted Cameroon striker and Ronaldinho as Pep Guardiola looks to make his mark on the team.
Eto'o is most likely a brighter prospect for them as he is a year younger than Ronaldinho and they are probably thinking about how they would fit Kaka and Ronaldinho within the same team, but ultimately i think they want Eto'o because when he is on his game he scores a lot of goals.
However although he is a brighter prospect for Milan, they know that he will cost them. Eto'o is reported to cost somewhere in the region of 40 million euros. Giving his key role in the team Barca won't let him go cheap so the number is not surprising.
Even more likely to move from the Nou Camp than Ronaldinho and Eto'o is Zambrotta, as the defender has expressed his desire to play in Itlay once again. It is reported that the two teams only need to agree a fee for the player and he will most likely be on his way.
In conclusion it is still very interesting to see who will stay and who will leave Barcelona this summer. As a Barca fan, I like so many others am left to wonder what kind of team will we have next season as Zambrotta, Eto'o, Ronaldinho and Deco are all likely to leave, but fear not Barca fans, we still have talented young stars like Messi, Krkic, Dos Santos, Yaya Toure and Iniesta. With the addition of more talented players who most likely will be bought with the transfer money received from our current stars the club will definitely rise again. FORCA BARCA!!!