We're now halfway through qualifying for the European Championships, which will take place next year in France. This is the first qualifying format to have been contested in such a way, as the competition is expanded from 16 teams to a much more meaty 24. With half of the qualifiers behind us, can we start to address some of the problems critics have had with the expanded tournament?
One problem often mentioned is that the qualifying process has become too easy, and that by increasing the number of automatic qualifying spots it is inevitable that the big teams will steamroller through into the tournament proper. A fair point, but some of the traditional 'big nations' aren't exactly setting their groups alight. Spain, Germany, Italy and Sweden all sit second in their group, while Holland and Russia lie third in their group, meaning they may have to negotiate a tricky playoff. Only England have managed to avoid any slip-ups thus far, which is very unlike our proud Lions. The second place qualification spot will mean these bigger nations will inevitably play at the tournament, but they will know some of the smaller, upcoming nations are there to play and qualify, and not just roll over in front of the big boys. The process may pay dividends in the future as well - the only way to improve is to teay your might against better opponents in high pressure settings with more up for grabs. The big nations should be wary the longer this qualifying process is in place.
The new qualification process has also meant that on the other hand, some of the 'smaller nations' are closer than they have ever been to qualifying for a tournament in recent years. Wales, Iceland, and Northern Ireland all sit second in their groups, the latter two at the expense of some veteran tournament-goers. Wales haven't qualified for an international tournament since the 1958 World Cup, yet can now almost smell the French cheese and wine of next summer. Scotland sit third in their group behind Poland and Germany, and have somewhat unbelievably amassed the same number of points (10) as Germany. They are well in the hunt for automatic qualification and should at least earn themselves a play-off place, barring a major catastrophe. Whatever happens with the bigger nations, we should see a few new faces next year, which should only serve to heighten the fun.
Finally, with eight more places up for grabs, the best thing about this is that we will have more football to look forward to. The 16 team Euros always seemed to be over too quickly, unlike the World Cup. For all those complaining that the increased number of places will mean more 'poorer quality' footballing nations will be involved, lighten up - football is football, and even if next year you're watching Iceland vs Slovenia, you never know: it could be a cracker.
It also means more games in which you can tell your missus she 'can't put Eastenders on because the football isn't over yet'. Win all round, no?
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Click to ClaimSam publishes regular feature and tips pieces for Howtobet4free. He has a blog, crackingjabulanis.blogspot.co.uk, and can be found on Twitter by following @Gaytski.
