The first group of matches showed a very simple thing about what’s going on with the European football: it is not about being that skilled or strategic… it is about being fast, as fast as possible. None of the national teams have shown a great defending line at all, and the back of every defender, the place where speed produces the biggest pain to every defense, have been used offensively as the main source of scoring. Nobody , by now, showed this better than the Netherlands.

The Dutch team has indeed, surprised more than one with their offense: it just flies forward. Using every single strategic resource available in the line-up, Van Basten broke to pieces the classic Italian “catenaccio”, with Sneidjer, Van Bronckhorst, Van der Vaart and Kuyt: Just too much speed at the back of Materazzi and Co.

Van Basten has taken his team a little step forward, making the Dutch defense as strong and versatile as possible, something that has been an historical problem to the orange team at every international competition. Not surprisingly, Italy ended up suffering the limitations its own –very, very own- systems has: down by two in the score, not even Toni and Del Piero together could find a proper way to beat Van der Sar’s wall, and if that wasn’t enough, the Dutch speed stroke again, finishing Donadoni’s team with more than ten minutes left to play.

Effectiveness is the fashion in the Euro 2008, and though not as beautifully as the Dutch have shown, the rest of the teams that got the three point after their first match –Czech Republic, Portugal, Croatia, Germany and Spain- proved that it is about nothing more than scoring. Any problem with this? Well, besides Italy-Netherlands and Spain-Russia, the rest of the matches seemed very much like our last and boring World Cup in Germany, and I don’t think anyone wants to keep on watching matches like those…

With the oranges and the Spanish –not commented on this note but the closest ones to the level shown by the Dutch- as the main stars of the first matches, the Euro still hasn’t shown any surprise –forget about Greece if you want my point of view-, and many teams have still to show why they went to Austria-Switzerland. With some great promising matches coming, the Netherlands still have to show they can keep their level up and kick the French out of the “Death Group”, Germany should prove why its name is so respected and Portugal has to start playing proper football… and don’t forget about the Spanish…they don’t play that well, but something tells me they might surprise more than one…..