Nations / Dave Farrar / 28 May 2008 / Leave a comment

There have been some awful teams that have dared to represent their nations in the European Championships, says Dave Farrar. But this Austrian side could be setting a fresh standard.

Group B - Austria

I'm going to cut to the chase here. Austria's presence at Euro 2008 has got me thinking about the worst teams ever to play in this Championship. Yugoslavia in 1984, England in 1988, England in 1992, Romania and Turkey in 1996, Denmark in 2000. Bulgaria in 2004. I think that those Danish shadows two tournaments ago just have the edge, but 2008 Austria could turn out to be worse than any of them. This is a team that is short on confidence, that hasn't managed to get any public swell of excitement behind them, and that, in the friendly preparations over the last year, has lost games against Hungary, Canada and Venezuela. Even Steve McLaren's England won with something in hand. That is how bad things have got.

In 1992, Michael Laudrup refused to play for Denmark. In 2008, Paul Scharner has turned down Austria. When one of the most sublime talents ever to play the game waves you away, it can rightly be construed as a disagreement over style of play. When one of the Premier League's best journeymen says no to you (and yes, I know there was talk of poor discipline, but let's face it, he could have played if he wanted to), it can only mean: "we're rubbish, and I want to go on holiday."

Coach: Josef HICKERSBERGER

While criticising this current Austrian squad, it is worth remembering that Hickersberger's first spell in charge of the national team ended when Austria lost to the Faroe Islands, back in 1990. That Austria side was probably worse than this one. Hickersberger was an international player himself, and took part in the 1978 World Cup. Since losing the Austria job for the first time he got plenty of coaching experience far and wide, particularly in the Middle East. He has a thankless task in his second spell in charge, and simply doesn't have the players to mount any kind of challenge at Euro 2008. Rumour has it that he would have been sacked already, but the National Federation was worried that they wouldn't be able to get anyone to take the job.

KEY PLAYERS

Andreas IVANSCHITZ

You've heard of the Maradona of the Carpathians and the Maradona of the Balkans, meet the, ahem, David Beckham of Austria. Ivanschitz is their best player by some distance, and yet it's all relative. He has had a pretty good season at Panathinaikos, and is a decent free kick taker too. He scored 3 goals for the Greeks last season, and started only 16 games.

Ivica VASTIC

An indicator of just how poor Austria have become. Hickersberger has included Vastic in his squad as cover for Ivanschitz which probably makes sense as a potential "like for like" replacement. But the problem lies with the fact that Vastic was the only alternative. Vastic is 38 years old, and was a very good player in his day, but that day has long gone. He looks tired now, and would be nowhere near any of the other tournament squads. I include him as a key player to show just how desperate Austria are.

Alex MANNINGER

Arsenal fans remember Manninger fondly, after he was part of the title winning side in 1998, and he's a much better keeper now than he was in his days at Highbury. Siena's open style means that he is one of the busiest keepers in Serie A, and he made himself a hero for a week all over Italy by saving Marco Materazzis late penalty in the penultimate week of Serie A. He's likely to be worked a great deal in Austria's three games (yes, it will only be three) and his displays, and marshalling of his back four, will go a long way to deciding just how bad Austria will be.

VERDICT

If you have a moment of weakness and contemplate risking any of your hard-earned on Austria, then ask yourself one question. If they had been forced to qualify (see above) then where would they have finished in their group? The answer is, a very average fifth or sixth place. They would be nowhere near Euro 2008 if they weren't co-hosting and my advice with regard to them is similar to that involving Switzerland. Lay Austria in any market that you want, for individual games and for outrights. And look at the "to finish bottom" market on Betfair. Austria are currently trading at about [1.75] to end up bottom of Group B. That is a price that absolutely must be taken. Those visiting the Championships will enjoy a wonderful country, but not the way that they play football.

Tags: Austria, Euro 2008 Betting, Football Betting, Group B Betting