After only three games, Poland’s first European Championship is over and the burning question for Polish fans now is when will they get another crack at a major tournament again?

The experience they enjoyed at the finals contained both good things and bad things and probably the one main plus of the whole adventure was the emergence of Roger Guerreiro; Brazilian-born and possessing the skill you would expect from a Brazilian player. He managed to score his team's solitary goal of the finals in the match against Austria, while showing confidence on the ball and proving he is a player full of trickery and ideas. Although only making his international debut a few weeks before the tournament started, he played like a veteran, taking to it like a duck to water.

Another big plus for the Poles were the performances of goalkeeper Artur Boruc, who managed to prove that he has to be rated amongst the best goalkeepers in Europe, and in each game Poland played in the finals he continually made great saves to keep their dreams alive - all too often though he was left exposed by Poland’s defensive frailties.

What turned out to be a big disappointment for the team was that too many of their so-called “big players” just didn’t deliver the expected goods, much to the dismay of team coach Beenhakker who admitted as much following their exit. Euzebiusz Smolarek and Jacek Bąk were both expected to be stars of the team but their form in Poland’s first two games was so poor that they were both dropped for the match against Croatia. A few players, including Bąk, are now expected to retire from the international scene, so the burden of responsibility is going to rest squarely on the shoulders of the next generation who will now step in to the limelight following Euro 2008.