Euro 2008

[random n00b]

Good game, so far. I wish Spain would rely more on decisive attack actions than diving and ref action, but you can't have everything I guess.

 

Cassano is doing pretty good so far, better than Toni even. Pirlo's absence is showing, I think, with long passes barely representing any danger from Italy.

 

Here's hoping we'll see some goals in 2nd half, and a bit more of organisation on Italy's side...

Edited June 22, 2008 by random n00b

[random n00b]

WOOHOO!!

[Sanderson]

WHOHOO! Spain did it! I am so happy! Haha, ****ing Italy you sucked today. Im just kidding...

[Jediphile]

Thankfully a good ending to a terrible match. IMHO Spain totally deserved the win. They may not have played as beautifully as they did in the initial games, because the Italians were so very defensive and ruined their game, but at least they wanted to play football. Honestly, if Italy hates football so much, why didn't they just bring a gun and fire it at the ball? They were incredibly defensive and destroyed the match.

 

At least the right team went onto the semi-finals. Sort of a shame, though, that Spain must now meet Russia, because they are by far to the two best teams left IMHO, and one of them will have to go. I expect a final between Spain and Germany now.

[Tigranes]

So we've got a bit more nationalism and stuff coming to the fore, don't let the blood drown the brain - and while this isn't some sort of draconian mod directive, I'm sure we can discuss the merits of various teams using neutrally charged vocabulary. No, wait, we can't, this is football

 

Just got back to town and watched Spain live, then Croat/Dutch replays... heh. It's that sinking feeling you get with the Netherlands: you know they're so great, and you know you want them to win, but when they do lose, you know that in the back of your head, you were somehow waiting for it.

 

Guus Hiddink shows once again why he is one of the best coaches in the world, and also why his greatest asset is his calculated canny-ness. The reason he succeeded so much with teams like Korea, Australia and Russia is because they're not at the 'top' tier, but not absolutely poor: this plays into his hands because he is someone that is very, very good at installing the basics iron-tight on his players, then using simple tactics that don't need a great degree of skill to execute, just a lot of practice, discipline and hard work. Hiddink clearly identified the Dutch way of playing: when the ball is in the centre with Sneijder/VdV you don't rush, you stay tight and cover everyone: when it does go to the wings, you chase them down double-team. You lure them into the gaps between midfield and defence lines, and then squeeze in, and the Dutch - especially recently injured ones like RVP - can't just hold defenders off in the way that, I don't know, Rooney could. And of course, luck was with him in that Russia got the first goal. That's not to say that they didn't deserve it, but it's not as if Dutch never looked like scoring, and if they got a first half goal I don't think Russia could have won. As it is, the Dutch aren't a team that can deal with continued frustration (and Russia was, in the classic Hiddink way, dirty without really doing enough to be called dirty), and they were slowly drained until, by the second goal, they had nothing left. But definitely credit to Russia who are really getting better and better, and exposed the Dutch defence countless times.

 

Spain remains the only team I really have an interest in, but at least Italy and Portugal are out (sorry Pid.)

[Xard]

[quote name='H

[Blarghagh]

Spain won on penalties, but they would have won anyway if Italy hadn't closed off it's defense so anally. It wasn't about playing football anymore, it was just about not letting the other party play football.

[random n00b]

Which is proof, I think, of the lack of a truly defining forward in our team. This supposed technical superiority on paper I keep hearing about should have meant at least one goal, which Villa and Torres both managed to miss, repeatedly.

 

I think it's pretty obvious that a well organized, competent defense (call it "anal", if you will, but give credit where it's due) can reduce Spain's scoring chances to near-zero levels. Italy at least showed that yesterday.

 

Germany is very bad news... assuming the win vs Russia can be repeated.

[Walsingham]

I'd like to know why still nothing significant has been done to fix England's performance. I mean, what, we just say "yeah, we're rubbish and are too apathetic to care"? For the love of Christ we're supposed to be a first world nation. Our population is what 72 million? Our players are some of the most expensive in the World. But we can't field a working team? Come off it.

[Pidesco]

I'd like to know why still nothing significant has been done to fix England's performance. I mean, what, we just say "yeah, we're rubbish and are too apathetic to care"? For the love of Christ we're supposed to be a first world nation. Our population is what 72 million? Our players are some of the most expensive in the World. But we can't field a working team? Come off it.

 

English players are generally overrated. Wayne Rooney would be the most obvious example.

[Walsingham]

I'd like to know why still nothing significant has been done to fix England's performance. I mean, what, we just say "yeah, we're rubbish and are too apathetic to care"? For the love of Christ we're supposed to be a first world nation. Our population is what 72 million? Our players are some of the most expensive in the World. But we can't field a working team? Come off it.

 

English players are generally overrated. Wayne Rooney would be the most obvious example.

 

He is only overrated as a football player. He would make an excellent muppet.

[Blarghagh]

I think it's pretty obvious that a well organized, competent defense (call it "anal", if you will, but give credit where it's due) can reduce Spain's scoring chances to near-zero levels. Italy at least showed that yesterday.

 

There is no credit to give. If you need damn near every player to create your defense, that's not exactly what I would call organized or competent, just bloated. It's basically going out of your way and showing the world what's wrong with football in the first place because they had a chance to win a game they didn't even play.

[Tigranes]

Another problem with the English team is its ego, which is very hard to fix because most of these players live completely immersed in hype. Look at Wayne Rooney. He can swear his head off at referees in the English league and not get a single booking. Every time he touches the ball the crowd screams in joy, and the commentators sing his anthem. All the newspapers love him. Etc, etc. It's the same with Gerrard, Terry, etc: it's comically true with players like Wright-Phillips, Sidwell and Bentley who are meant to be 'hot shots' but in truth are either quite mediocre or have managed to put their careers on complete hold. When you get these kind of people together, well, not much anybody can do.

 

Look at the dismal French team this year - why do you think they failed to even pass to each other properly? Nasri and Ribery don't speak to each other, Benzema and Ben Arfa (if he was here) don't either, etc, etc. There are prima donnas in every team, but the English football culture makes every single one of them one.

[Hildegard]

There are prima donnas in every team, but the English football culture makes every single one of them one.

 

 

That's true...

[SteveThaiBinh]

He is only overrated as a football player. He would make an excellent muppet.

Not really seeing that myself. Observe:

 

Comedy genius:

 

Prat with a ball:

 

Very little in common, I should say.

[Pidesco]

Rooney looks like the one on the lower right whose name I can't remember.

 

 

Edit: Scooter!

[Jediphile]

Rooney looks like the one on the lower right whose name I can't remember.

 

 

Edit: Scooter!

 

I thought he looks more like a younger Statler. Then again, that might just be because he complains about as much

[Walsingham]

Steve: ROFL.

 

But can't you see him being adapted so easily as a muppet? I mean he's comically angry all the time, and his face is all wrong.

[Meshugger]

What the hell, i missed all the goals, except the last one. Damn powercuts.

[Tigranes]

Don't worry, the TVs around the world were cut for the third and fourth goals anyway

[Hildegard]

Both Germany and Turkey didn't impress although both of the teams gave everything they had...

 

German team is awful in my opinion...but nevertheless they go forward, that's Germany for you...

[Walsingham]

Good heavens. Teamwork and discipline make a difference? Blimey.

[Jediphile]

Three blackouts during a Euro semi-final? Scandal! Heads will roll and should!

 

Well, at least Turkey is out... They played euphoria and didn't seem to bring much else. Hence I didn't want them to make it to the finals. That said, the germans managed to severely underwhelm today. Was Ballack even in this game? And where was the rock-hard german defense? I suspect the german newspapers will not be fun reading tomorrow... I mean, I can accept that it's to Turkey's credit that they managed to take out Ballack, but he also let them in that he didn't move around a lot making it difficult for them. The germans were strangely off-standing.

 

Again, I must say, it's a shame either Spain or Russia must leave the tournament tomorrow - they both deserve to reach the final far more than Turkey or Germany did. And frankly, whoever wins tomorrow, I hope they also beat the germans in the final.

[Hildegard]

Good heavens. Teamwork and discipline make a difference? Blimey.

 

Well at least England has individual qualities

[Tigranes]

The German team I wouldn't say is 'awful' - they are pretty good, and with a very clinical pairing in Podolski and Schweisteiger, it makes up for a total lack of skill, effort or committment on the likes of Ballack. Its just that their weak points, really, their broken limbs (lack of defensive cohesion, Ballack, Klose, Gomez) are not punished enough and they keep doing just enough that makes them seem undeserved.

 

Got to give kudos to Turkey though, with the likes of Emre, Servet and Nihat on I think they really would have won.