Euro 2012

[LeakyBoat]

Is the correct answer. Perhaps not the exact result of the game but France will advance.

More chance of a French win in the TdF.

 

[DominicDecoco]

More chance of a French win in the TdF.

I have a small bet on Rolland winning.

 

[LeakyBoat]

I have a small bet on Rolland winning.

Good call.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

This is ****ing tedious.

 

[zapata]

Is that a yellow bracelet on the wrist of laurent blanc? I'm always puzzled when I see one of those on a seemingly normal person.

 

[Parrulo]

awfully boring game, but loved to see france being beaten by the dirty southern europeans

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Oh for god sake Spain is boring my ****ing skull out.

I seriously hope these guys crush them

[/IMG]

 

[jens_attacks]

what a boring match for christ's sake...spain is not longer what it used to be...
cristiano ronaldo will smash them.if not, the germans will do the job

 

[hrotha]

It's a shame that Spain has become so boring. With the midfielders they have, they should always play with proper strikers and wingers. They would still control the ball and be much more entertaining and dangerous.

 

[airstream]

Only Germans can make Spain play at 100%. Not totally sure though

 

[Amsterhammer]

Our commentator said he was sure the ref gave a soft penalty because he couldn't contemplate another 30 minutes of that.

I honestly think that Spain has been playing at no more than maybe 70%. They've still got several gears to shift up and will dominate their next opponents too. I do think that Portugal will actually give them a bit of a game, unlike the bleu surrender monkeys who just laid down and let themselves be violated (in a football way, of course).

btw, what does Llorente have to do to get a game? Or is he injured?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Our commentator said he was sure the ref gave a soft penalty because he couldn't contemplate another 30 minutes of that.

I honestly think that Spain has been playing at no more than maybe 70%. They've still got several gears to shift up and will dominate their next opponents too. I do think that Portugal will actually give them a bit of a game, unlike the bleu surrender monkeys who just laid down and let themselves be violated (in a football way, of course).

btw, what does Llorente have to do to get a game? Or is he injured?

I disagree. Spain are playing at their best but with 6 midfielders and 0 strikers they create almost no chances. Pass pass pass until infinity

 

[Amsterhammer]

I disagree. Spain are playing at their best but with 6 midfielders and 0 strikers they create almost no chances. Pass pass pass until infinity

Jij bent gewoon een dwaarszitter.

You just like disagreeing for the sake of it, eh? Did you want the five minute argument of the full half hour?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Jij bent gewoon een dwaarszitter.

You just like disagreeing for the sake of it, eh? Did you want the five minute argument of the full half hour?

Not at all. I'm not a person like that. So you figured wrong.

Spain just create almost nothing

 

[hrotha]

Not at all. I'm not a person like that. So you figured wrong.

Spain just create almost nothing

DT is completely right. I'm Spanish, by the way.

See, when you have no strikers, and no wingers (or no strikers to take advantage of the wingers), you only have one option left: go through the centre. Xavi, Iniesta and Silva are good enough to manage to do it a couple of times per game, but then none of them are really natural scorers. We saw it in the last WC, and Spain had Villa then.

Unfortunately the whole tactic of playing with all the highly skilled midfielders and just passing the ball around has become sacrosanct in Spain and it's almost impossible to question it. Most Spaniards want Del Bosque to play with one striker and still keep the same style (which incidentally also means the striker will fall to the side more often than not) but I think we should go beyond that. Give me a real striker, let Iniesta and Xavi make that last pass, use Navas to break through, and also Jordi Alba and Ramos (who shouldn't be playing in the centre of the defense).

 

[The Hitch]

DT is completely right. I'm Spanish, by the way.

See, when you have no strikers, and no wingers (or no strikers to take advantage of the wingers), you only have one option left: go through the centre. Xavi, Iniesta and Silva are good enough to manage to do it a couple of times per game, but then none of them are really natural scorers. We saw it in the last WC, and Spain had Villa then.

Unfortunately the whole tactic of playing with all the highly skilled midfielders and just passing the ball around has become sacrosanct in Spain and it's almost impossible to question it. Most Spaniards want Del Bosque to play with one striker and still keep the same style (which incidentally also means the striker will fall to the side more often than not) but I think we should go beyond that. Give me a real striker, let Iniesta and Xavi make that last pass, use Navas to break through, and also Jordi Alba and Ramos (who shouldn't be playing in the centre of the defense).

Why do you support the Spanish national football team but not Spanish cyclists ?

 

[hrotha]

Why do you support the Spanish national football team but not Spanish cyclists ?

I don't support the Spanish national football team per se. I support the team that plays the best football. In 2008 that was Spain. In 2010 I was torn between Germany and Spain (because, despite all their shortcomings when it came to score, I still thought they tried, and were entertaining). This year, I do not know. Spain has been pretty boring.

By the way, I wasn't implying I support Spain by using the pronoun "we". That wasn't my intention at any rate, it's just a manner of speaking.

 

[The Hitch]

I don't support the Spanish national football team per se. I support the team that plays the best football. In 2008 that was Spain. In 2010 I was torn between Germany and Spain (because, despite all their shortcomings when it came to score, I still thought they tried, and were entertaining). This year, I do not know. Spain has been pretty boring.

By the way, I wasn't implying I support Spain by using the pronoun "we". That wasn't my intention at any rate, it's just a manner of speaking.

No nothing to do with what you said now but stuff you said in 2010. didn't have an opportunity to ask you before so asked you now. Spains football wasn't all that in 10 imo though. they just won everything 1-0.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I really like the way Germany play. Already in 2008 and 2010. But especially now. I hope they take the win.

They play like we used to play... in a far far history. (1998/2000 especially...it's a miracle that Dutch team never took a prize)

 

[The Hitch]

I really like the way Germany play. Already in 2008 and 2010. But especially now. I hope they take the win.

They play like we used to play... in a far far history. (1998/2000 especially...it's a miracle that Dutch team never took a prize)

They won in 88

If you are talking about just those 3 years then well there were only 2 competitions. in both comps they got very unlucky with penalties and definitely could have won but so could France Italy and Brazil so i don't know that its a miracle that they didn't.

Oh and either side of this the got destroyed by England 96 and didn't they fail to qualify in 02 ( or am i getting mixed up?)

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

It's a miracle because they were 2 classes better than Brazil but missed all chances and Brazil scored their only one out of a counter and won the match on penalties.
And against Italy it was even worse with Italy being completely outclasses, as much as Yugoslavia in the quarter finals. But somehow again they missed a lot of chances and 2 penalties to add to that.

Ok you can't say if we would have beaten France but it was the only team who could have beaten France imho.

 

[Amsterhammer]

DT is completely right. I'm Spanish, by the way.

The disagreement is about whether or not what we saw tonight represents the best of this Spanish team? I don't think it does, despite not being Spanish.

I think even this lot of midfield players could produce more incisive attacking play if they had to. They didn't have to tonight once they had an early goal because the French capitulated, as seems to be their character.

I am not defending Del Bosque's bizarre team selection. I would also like to see at least one proper striker playing. Can you explain why Llorente can't get a game? Did DB catch him with his daughter or something?

 

[The Hitch]

It's a miracle because they were 2 classes better than Brazil but missed all chances and Brazil scored their only one out of a counter and won the match on penalties.
And against Italy it was even worse with Italy being completely outclasses, as much as Yugoslavia in the quarter finals. But somehow again they missed a lot of chances and 2 penalties to add to that.

Ok you can't say if we would have beaten France but it was the only team who could have beaten France imho.

Italy could have beaten France
they thought they had but conceded in the last minute.

and in 98 if i recall it was an even affair Italy lost on pens.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Italy could have beaten France
they thought they had but conceded in the last minute.

and in 98 if i recall it was an even affair Italy lost on pens.

Yeah and the Dutch team outclassed Italy completely. They had a total fluke win... so my point stands, they should/could've won there. But alas, they didn't.

Was a much better team than 2010 with a stronger defense (vd sar, reiziger, de boer, jaap stam, numan (or cocu left back). And a stronger holder in midfield (Davids). Plus an unselfish winger (Overmars), which is pretty crucial too. And ofcourse a genius like Bergkamp paired up with Kluivert...

 

[slim charles]

At international level, it's really rare to see a team that plays beautiful football win trophies. Not that it never happened, but most teams do play cautious football. Spain plays cautious football that produces great results. Call them boring, but trophies are what counts. They are still 1st candidate for trophy here IMO.

Tonight, it seems like Montolivo will start for Italy. Don't like that, would prefer Diamanti. Or a 3-5-2 formation. Neither of the 2 sides has great defense [actually, except Portugal, all the other teams have more or less problems in defense] so it could be fun. I think Italy is better, and should go through, but who knows with this England. Whoever goes to semifinals out of this 2 teams, I hope will win the trophy [though realistically, that probably won't happen]