The cacophony of outrage has echoed back and forth across the continent as one footballing powerhouse after another has tumbled out of the European Championships.

Spain were the first to go, scuttling back across the border from Portugal; Italy were next, nursing a dozen conspiracy theories; Germany followed, mere shadows of their former selves.

Then came England, paying the price for Wayne Rooney losing his boot and for making penalty shoot-out defeats as much a national characteristic as being kind to animals and supporting the underdog.

Finally, out went France, that talented fraternity guilty of giving too much liberty to Greece, who more than proved their equality.

But is it merely a coincidence that all these countries, regarded as the 'Big Five' leagues in Europe, have all failed to make the semi-finals of Euro 2004, three of them failing to even get beyond the group stages?

Or is this another sign, first suggested after similar events in the World Cup, that the pressures and intensity in the big leagues in Europe leave the top players in Europe too mentally and physically drained to play for their countries at a similar level?

Opinion varies widely, even among the experts. France's departing coach Jacques Santini believes players need more time to recover from the exertions of league football before being thrust into major international tournaments.

He says: "It's not only me, many national coaches have pointed that out in the last few years, it's the whole question of harmonising the international calendar.

"It's not an excuse but perhaps we should have a better preparation period for these kind of tournaments for those players in the major leagues."

Compared to the last World Cup however, players have had almost two more weeks to rest and recharge. Portugal are based on Porto's Champions League-winning side who were playing in the final just a month ago and although they started poorly that seemed more about nerves than fatigue.

Roy Hodgson, the former Switzerland coach and Blackburn manager who now sits on UEFA's technical studies group, speaks sense when he insists there is no identifiable trend.

Hodgson believes there is no easy answer - because the major countries have all gone out for different reasons.

He says: "England went out because of a combination of bad luck and losing a key player after 20 minutes. The French will say they didn't play anywhere near their potential and Germany will point to the lack of confidence and morale due to bad warm-up matches.

"The Spanish and the Italians have both gone home without losing a match. You have to look at each case individually, you can't just blame fatigue."

Perhaps the chief cause of the events that we have seen has nothing to do with mental or physical fatigue and more to do with the European Union. The opening up of frontiers and the relaxation of labour laws means that good players from just about any European country can move abroad, to the wealthy clubs in the big leagues, and benefit from that experience.

Perhaps that could be something else for the UK Independence Party can add to their isolationist manifesto: 'Don't worry Becks, it's all Brussels' fault that we lost'.

Look at the Czechs, of their first XI no less than 10 have played or are playing in Italy, Germany or England. The same is true of the Dutch and the Danes. They would not be as good had they not experienced life in the big leagues. Incidentally, those players have not looked jaded.

As Hodgson says: "The world of football has become smaller in the sense that smaller teams have become better-organised, their players are fitter, and they have become much harder to beat."

Forty years ago, Jimmy Armfield remembers that if England were up against Denmark they knew they were going to play against a team of part-timers, all of a similar style, who they would beat comfortably nine times out of 10. Now, England and Denmark are a pretty similar standard.

Denmark's head coach Morten Olsen says: "The difference between the 16 best countries in Europe is not so big nowadays, and the outcome can just depend on the form of the day.

"I think the gap is closing - players from all national teams play in very good leagues all over Europe and the coaches are becoming technically and tactically better."

Strangely enough, the reason could be simply team spirit, or the lack of it. Leaving aside England, who could justly claim to be unlucky, Italy, Spain, Germany and France could all be said to be deficient in that vital quality: something that Otto Rehhagel has instilled into Greece, that Olsen mentions in respect of Denmark and that Karel Bruckner - who says there is no secret recipe for success, only for pies - has brought to his Czechs.

There have been rumours about a split in the French camp between the veterans and those coming through the ranks, Spain have always suffered from a psychological barrier, the Germans were terribly short of confidence and the Italians' fragile nerves never recovered from Francesco Totti's suspension for spitting.

Team spirit is intangible and it takes time to build it. Nonetheless, it is an essential ingredient and without it you are doomed to failure.