Not since, perhaps, Euro 96 or World Cup 82 has a competition provided so many consistently excellent matches and the main observation is that there has been a sea change in the way teams are approaching matches.
Possession is the key and the template set by Spain in the last two major tournaments has been mimicked by Russia, Croatia, France, Germany and even Italy, traditionally a team that has gone down the more negative route.
This is good news for those of us who detest watching teams with all the dynamism of a trip to Prestwick airport to watch the planes taking off and landing. Bert van Marwijk and his Dutch side, meanwhile, have plumbed new depths with their sterile two-man shield of Nigel de Jong and Mark van Bommel in a midfield that made passing look like it involved the evacuation of a kidney stone.
The flip side to all this attacking football has been the unpredictability it has brought. Already, there have been two more draws at this round of matches than there were in the whole of the group stages at Euro 2008. This makes betting selections something of a nebulous concept.
It is hoped that the uncertainty which has marked events so far and the arrival of the final round of matches will bring a sense of normality to proceedings.
Groups A and B provide the fare over the weekend but there is value to be had in Monday's Group C Italy v Republic of Ireland game in the handicap market. Italy enter the game on the back of two draws in which they have impressed for much of the play but have ended up having to settle for a point. Cesare Prandelli has his team performing in a manner not normally associated with Italy sides of the past.
There is little in the way of catenaccio-style negativity and while there is still a defensive solidity that one recognises in the Azzurri of the past, there is an attacking dimension that differentiates them. Italy scored 20 times in qualification which hints at the greater freedom with which they play and they conceded just twice.
It is hard to see where Ireland are going to score and with the complexities of the head-to-head process less vague in Group C because of Italy's 1-1 draws with Croatia and Spain, it comes down to a simple shoot-out to determine whether they reach the knockout phase.
Having watched Ireland defend shambolically in their first two matches there is little reason to believe that they will perform any better in Poznan. Yes, Ireland have had a good recent record against Italy but it must be remembered that those results came against an Italian side which, at that time, played a more nuanced version of how the Irish are set-up by Giovanni Trapattoni.
At 23/10 minus a goal, there is every reason to believe Italy will win by at least two against an Ireland side with nothing but pride to play for – something which they have shown little appetite for doing in the competition, thus far.
Selection Italy -1 to beat Republic of Ireland (23/10, sportingbet)
Season's total -£31.13
Euro 2012 is fast becoming one of my favourite international tournaments. Not since, perhaps, Euro 96 or World Cup 82 has a competition provided so many consistently excellent matches and the main observation is that there has been a sea change in the way teams are approaching matches.
Possession is the key and the template set by Spain in the last two major tournaments has been mimicked by Russia, Croatia, France, Germany and even Italy, traditionally a team that has gone down the more negative route.
This is good news for those of us who detest watching teams with all the dynamism of a trip to Prestwick airport to watch the planes taking off and landing. Bert van Marwijk and his Dutch side, meanwhile, have plumbed new depths with their sterile two-man shield of Nigel de Jong and Mark van Bommel in a midfield that made passing look like it involved the evacuation of a kidney stone.
The flip side to all this attacking football has been the unpredictability it has brought. Already, there have been two more draws at this round of matches than there were in the whole of the group stages at Euro 2008. This makes betting selections something of a nebulous concept.
It is hoped that the uncertainty which has marked events so far and the arrival of the final round of matches will bring a sense of normality to proceedings.
Groups A and B provide the fare over the weekend but there is value to be had in Monday's Group C Italy v Republic of Ireland game in the handicap market. Italy enter the game on the back of two draws in which they have impressed for much of the play but have ended up having to settle for a point. Cesare Prandelli has his team performing in a manner not normally associated with Italy sides of the past.
There is little in the way of catenaccio-style negativity and while there is still a defensive solidity that one recognises in the Azzurri of the past, there is an attacking dimension that differentiates them. Italy scored 20 times in qualification which hints at the greater freedom with which they play and they conceded just twice.
It is hard to see where Ireland are going to score and with the complexities of the head-to-head process less vague in Group C because of Italy's 1-1 draws with Croatia and Spain, it comes down to a simple shoot-out to determine whether they reach the knockout phase.
Having watched Ireland defend shambolically in their first two matches there is little reason to believe that they will perform any better in Poznan. Yes, Ireland have had a good recent record against Italy but it must be remembered that those results came against an Italian side which, at that time, played a more nuanced version of how the Irish are set-up by Giovanni Trapattoni.
At 23/10 minus a goal, there is every reason to believe Italy will win by at least two against an Ireland side with nothing but pride to play for – something which they have shown little appetite for doing in the competition, thus far.
Selection Italy -1 to beat Republic of Ireland (23/10, sportingbet)
Season's total -£31.13
