With football in Europe resuming as usual through local leagues and preparations for the final rounds of the Europe's club competitions, national managers have already given their thoughts on how they see their thoughts on how kind the draw has been to their teams.

Two days ago, we started with an analysis of Groups A and B. The following will summarize an early look on groups C and D.

World and European Champions Spain enter the tournament as nearly everyone's favorites to retain the championship they won against Germany in 2008. Del Bosque seems to have an endless pool of talent to choose from, with options available at all positions. Spain seems to have adopted the Barcelona system and perfected it in a very effective manner. Lots of possession, short passes in anticipation of an opening that would result in a chance. Yes, it can take quite a while for that chance to open up, as proven by how hard the Spaniards found matters to be in the World Cup. A surprising loss to the Swiss was followed by a series of 1-0's that drove them to the summit of World football. Of course, qualification to the finals wasn't as hard.

Spain comfortably finished top of their group with a perfect 24 points from 8 games, scoring 25 goals in the process. But, with all due respect to Lithuania or Liechtenstein, they aren't the same caliber as Italy or the other teams that Spain will face. Spain's last two friendlies haven't been very encouraging either, with a loss to England and draw to Costa Rica. But, the fact remains that Spain, with Casillas in goal, Ramos, Pique and Puyol in defense, Xavi, Fabregas, Iniesta, Xabi Alonso in midfield and Villa, Llorente, Soldado and the unpredictable Torres in attack are hot favorites to return to Madrid with the Championship

One of Spain's main stumbling blocks and consistent contenders will be Italy. The Italians have always been in the mix and have proven, again and again, that whenever written off, they rise up to the challenge. Usually known for their defensive solidity, Italy seem to have lost a bit of that reassurance at the back that they used to have in the days of Nesta and Cannavaro. The side still has a very structured approach to the game, with impressive coach Cesare Prandelli now handling the national team. Italy finished top of their group with 26 points from 10 games, although with all fairness, anything but top spot would have been an upset for Italian fans considering a group that had Estonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Northern Ireland and The Faroe Islands in it. The squad has a mixture of youth and experience, with the likes of Buffon, Chiellini, Pirlo and Cassano (Fw) providing years of experience to the likes of Montolivio, Aquilani, Pazzini and Rossi. Italy are expected to at least be able to grind the results out to make it to the semifinals.

One of the teams facing Italy will be the Republic of Ireland, coached by former Italy coach Giovanni Trapatonni. The Irish haven't made it to a major tournament in the last 10 years, so scenes of jubilation in Dublin were witnessed when Trapattoni's team made it through via Estonia in the play offs. Ireland finished 2nd in their qualifying group with 21 points from 10 games, 2 points behind group winners Russia. The team will depend on experience through goalkeeper Shay Given, defender Richard Dunne, winger Damien Duff and Robbie Keane in attack. But team spirit has always been the Irish secret weapon and will be their driving force if they have any hopes of making it to the second round.

Croatia complete the group with a team that, under young coach Slaven Bilic, has been able to play an attractive style of football. Graced by some very talented players such as Tottenham's Luka Modric and former Arsenal striker Eduardo, the Croats will hope everyone will take them for granted and they would be able to spring a few surprises and make it through, although to be realistic, they should be on the first plane home.

Co-hosts Ukraine find themselves in a very interesting group to say the least. All four coaches have expressed their approval of the draw and their belief that they can manage their way into the quarterfinals. Ukraine coach and legend Oleg Blokhin will need to work wonders if he is a man for his words. His side's performances in friendlies haven't been impressive and he might rely heavily on home field advantage to be able to gain an edge over his opponents.

Sweden are one of those teams who are always there in tournaments but never seem to add any element of excitement. They have some sparks of brilliance such as forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who when in the mood can be devastating. The Swedes have always been a side that's hard to beat yet slow in building up their game. Unless the big two teams in the group falter, the Swedes should be expecting another disappointing tournament.

France on the other hand will enter the tournament with a bit between their teeth. After a very disappointing World Cup in South Africa, where the French didn't make it through the group stage, coach Laurent Blanc chopped and changed the national team to bring new life into a side that was reminiscing on old glories. New names such as Loic Remy, Marvin Martin and Yann M'Vila plus the return of Samir Nasri and Karim Benzema to the side brought a change of fortune. But to be honest, the French didn't find it easy in the qualifying rounds, the topped the group by only one point, beating off Bosnia in a group that had the likes of Luxemborg, Albania and Belarus. So, Blanc needs to find the perfect mix by the time the summer comes and hopes his stars avoid injuries.

Finally, England were the last nation to make it out of the hat. Coach Fabio Capello has made it clear he will be stepping down after the finals, and would want to leave a good memory before he leaves. But, he most probably will have to make do without star striker Wayne Rooney for the group stage as his red card against Montenegro in the last qualifying game means he is banned for 3 games.

England have appealed the ban and Rooney will learn his fate this coming Thursday. Even without Rooney, England have been able to rebuild the side, keeping some of the players that were involved in the disappointment in South Africa while adding new talent such as Ashley Young, Phil Jones, Darren Bent and Joe Hart. Will they be enough to give the Three Lions' fans the delight they seek? We'll have to wait till the summer to find out.