The Summer Starts Here—Euro 2008 Ignites the Year of Football

This season has been one of the most fascinating in my opinion. The rise and falls of different clubs, the consolidation of the Premier League as the strongest league in the world, the fact that young players such as Ronaldo, Messi and Fabregas have grabbed all the headlines this year.

Things have just been a little more exciting this year compared to the past, and guess what, it is about to get better.

Well, better as least for some, England fans are obviously not going to be pleased that the Euros will not include players such as Gerrard, Rooney and Lampard, who all deserve to play at the big stage.

It is a shame, but to be honest, the team only have themselves to blame.

So, everyone will have their own opinion about who will win, who will star, who will fail to deliver, and who the dark horse could be. Here are mine,

Winners: Spain. Reason is that the law of average told me so. They have failed to deliver for such a long time, even bigger under-achievers than England!

Although some will argue that their team hasn't changed much since the World Cup two years ago, I believe that there has been massive change in their team, and that is the fact that Torres has been given the experience at the highest level.

He has never set any big tournaments alight before when playing at Atletico Madrid, but the season with Liverpool has given him so much confidence that he can do it on the big stage, plus given him experience playing against the best defenders in the world. Players like Fabregas also gained a lot this season, if they can gel like Adebayor/Fabregas or Torres/Gerrard, then Spain will be a real force.

Dark Horse: Croatia. I think this will be a lot of people's choice, they have knocked out one of the best teams in the world in England at Wembley, by actually outplaying them, which seriously takes some doing.

Yes, Eduardo will be out and the fact that he is the top scorer means he is most likely to be sorely missed. However, a team that boost talents such as Modric and Krancjar in the midfield will not lack creativity, if the strikers can finish off the moves, they will be in the mix with the big guns.

Disappointment: France. Yes, they have some huge name players, Vieira, Henry, Ribery, Thuram, Makelele etc. However, when was the last time France has played well without Zidane?

They can be as well prepared as they want, but the average age is not helping, the fitness of the team also is not helping and the most important thing is that without Zizou, the team simply lack that inspirational leader that can always lift the team with something special. I predict failure to get past the group stage.

Top Performer: Fabregas. Only if he plays, I am not sure if he is a definite starter, but if I was the manager, I would just play him.

This is the sort of stage that he most thrives on, every big game this season he has been outstanding, and in the World Cup he was fab as usual. The fact that he will play with Iniesta and Xavi also helps since it gives him a chance to attack more.

Top Scorer: Torres. If I am predicting Spain to win, Torres will have to score. Spain's attack depends on him and David Villa, but Torres will score more.

Biggest Flop: Ronaldo. Many may ask why after the season he has had, people will predict him to be the biggest thing on this stage. Well the reason is because Portugal is no Man Utd.

He will not be playing the same role as he does in club football and Portugal's type of football is completely different from Man Utd's. He is not a winger at United, but more like a free attacking role, but he will be more disciplined when playing for his country, unlike Torres who is an out and out striker.

One to Watch: Montolivo. He is a great talent, even though he will not be a starter for Italy, but those who have watched him at U-21 level and for Fiorentina, he has been fabulous. He is different from Pirlo that he attacks a lot more, but he has the same vision and technical ability as Pirlo. If he plays, he will rock.

I will be supporting: Well, I know I named them as the failure, but the Arsenal connection is going to make me support France I am afraid. I hope they can do it, but just can't see it...