Midway through the dull routine of a daily news briefing at the Italian training camp last week, coach Dino Zoff was asked who he thought were the Euro 2000 favourites.
After a short pause he said: "I'd say that the tournament begins with eight sides all equal. Things will be tight and the margin between promotion and relegation will be small."
As answers go, it was hardly earth-shattering stuff. To suggest that eight out of 16 sides could win the tournament is to leave yourself with a large margin of error. Yet Zoff's caution is understandable since these are, on paper at least, quite simply the most open finals seen for some time.
Zoff did not name his eight potential winners but one can hazard a guess. Holland and Belgium, reigning World Champions France, Europe's most in-form side Spain, traditional powers such as England, Germany and his own Italy as well as the Czech Republic, beaten finalists four years ago in England spring to mind.
Zoff went on to explain his caution by pointing out that the last decade has been marked by an ongoing levelling-out process at international level.
"The level of our football has not declined, it is the others who have improved - Turkey obviously, but not just them, Sweden and Belgium as well."
With the exception perhaps of home side Holland, there is no obvious outstanding favourite. They have the deadly combination of home advantage and a talented squad.
Take such as Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert, Clarence Seedorf, Aron Winter, Marc Overmars, Frank De Boer, Japp Stam and Edwin Van Der Sar, give them a charismatic but young coach in Frank Rijkaard, and then add on home advantage and you have your tournament winner. Or so the theory goes.
As a theory it is hard to resist, even if Holland's first round Group along with France, the Czech Republic and Denmark seems by far the toughest.
If for some reason, the Dutch should falter, then Spain are likely to be the choice of many as the next best thing. Spanish soccer has, of course, just enjoyed a remarkable club season with three sides getting to the semi-final stages of the Champions League.
Furthermore, after that aforementioned defeat by Cyprus had prompted Javier Clemente to resign, handing over to ex-Real Madrid full back Jose Camacho, the Spanish have not looked back. Winners of their remaining seven qualifying games, the Spaniards combine intriguing new talents such as Valencia midfielder Gerard with the experience of Barcelona's Pep Guardiola in midfield and Real Madrid's Raul in attack.
If Holland and Spain are not to your liking, then why not France. The World Cup winners beat Croatia 2-0 in Zagreb at the weekend, fielding a side that was ominously similar to that which triumphed on the home turf of France '98.
Traditionalists will inevitably suggest that Germany are the side to guarantee value for money since they are not only the holders but they have also been to the finals of three World Cups and two European Championships in the last two decades. Recent poor performances though, the questionable form of such as captain Oliver Bierhoff in attack and Bayern's Mehmet Scholl in midfield and the fact that 39-year-old Lothar Matthaeus is required to shore up the defence would all argue against Germany this time, though.
