The Real Football Thread

[gunara]

I really think this England side is an underdog vs Switserland.

That's too obvious now. One of the most confident side remained vs the perpetually confused bunch. But I still won't bet too hard against the English luck

Saka too in that ET half. English football has historically prized physicality from its forwards more than, say, Spanish or Italian football, and so their pundits and fans like to act like they're above diving, but they're probably the worst offenders on the continent nowadays.

Yeah, as if Klinsmann still dived at White Hart Lane

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Spain have created more in 13 minutes than England managed in 120 minutes.

But, crucially, they haven't put the ball in the net whereas England did that and the script is being repeated.

They will probably now lose 1-0 so the team whose passing has no direction or impetus goes through and the team that look like they're trying to win goes out, because we cannot have nice things.

Although I do love this Georgian team. And yes, I do remember really hating the football played by Spain back in 2010 and 2012 where the pundits were purring about the passing, but they were very boring. I actually enjoy watching this Spain team more than that one, sue me.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Willy Sagnol‘s French mole is there for Georgia!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

¡Bacalao, bacalao, del Athletic de Bilbao!

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

Well at least French - Belgium ended after 90 minutes. Horrible game of football. Belgium trying to be more anti-football than France backfirering.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

France is limping along....

 

[Tim Cahill]

Tournament really does have one of those everyone looks average and Germany wins feels about it doesn't it.

 

[Mayomaniac]

So far France has only scored a penalty, the rest was all autogoals (even if this one was a borderline call, IMO)

IMO the French team is past their prime. Griezmann and Kante aren't getting any younger, no more Varane and Giroud (who was really important as a workhorse and a physical striker to hold the ball and set up their speedsters) is also turning 38 this year.

For all of Italy's faults, their coach only has a mediocre generation to work with. What Belgium, France and the Dutch have shown so far is IMO more underperforming/bad coach calls related.

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

Must be the first team to only score one goal of their own to qualify for the Quaterfinals at the Euros surely?

 

[Mayomaniac]

Tbh our squad is really overrated as well. Only position we have world class players are central defenders, and both De Vrij and Virgil are getting old, and Frenkie de Jong, missed the entire tournament. Our fullbacks are mid, our midfield is ***, our frontline is awful.

De Vrij is kinda washed up right now.
I mean, you're not wrong, but your coach isn't doing you any favours.

 

[BullsFan22]

What started so promisingly is now getting worse

 

[Tim Cahill]

Portugal be 3 up if Ronnie wasn't on the pitch

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Portugal be 3 up if Ronnie wasn't on the pitch

It's been the way for a long time. For every game where he pulls them out of the mire single-handedly, there's two where he goes for every chance and sulks if any other player tries to beat their man, shoot or pass to somebody other than him.

It was actually already like that in 2016 and the best they played all tournament was after he got injured in the final and they could use his vision and tactical mind as an additional coach, helping the team's other players rather than hindering them by having them defer to him at all times.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Belgium are truly awful.

 

[Unterlenkerfahrend]

Portugal is a joke. Do Ronaldo and Mendes really have that much power there? What do our Portugues posters on here say?

It's like a fever dream where Froome would have the power to demand leadership at every race he wants at IPT. The guy is like the schoolyard kid who owns the football and therefore demands to take every free kick. Proper Homerlander vibes.

I've jinxed it and he'll probably score now but man, Rui Sosa would be more useful upfront for Portugal, at least he'd have the stamina to press. And we all know in football no one gives a *** if you're glowing in the dark.

Edit: LOL Just as I finished they get a pen and he misses. Unbelievable hahaha

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Ahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahha

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Well, now they've been given their customary gift of a penalty. Ronaldo has screwed up every chance so far and now he even misses from his trademark goalscoring mark.

Watch him come out clutch in the 123rd minute or something now.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Penaldo is finished, can't even score with his traditional gifted rigged penalty

 

[Tim Cahill]

He's crying, IT'S HALF TIME YOU MORON

Absolutely hilarious scenes I have to say

 

[Libertine Seguros]

He's crying, IT'S HALF TIME YOU MORON

Absolutely hilarious scenes I have to say

It's kind of like the Washington Capitals though, they know their window is shut, their core is aging out and they won't win a championship until they rebuild, so the entire game now is about trying to get Ovechkin to that goals record to keep the crowd coming in, so they're leaving him standing still taking pot-shots every powerplay, throwing him out there and making people pass to him with empty net opportunities to pad the stats, they may lose more than they win but the fans want to be there when the record is broken so keep tuning in.

Too much of this for Portugal has been built around Ronaldo's quest to be the first to score in six championships, and it's now got to the point where it seems like for him at least, that quest has become more important than the team winning matches.

Pepe is the beating heart of this Portuguese team anyway. I'll miss him a hell of a lot more than Ronaldo.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Obviously Ronaldo is the bane of that team, but people acting as if that wouldn't be called a stonewall penalty for any other team is so weird.

I said it was a gift, which it was. I didn't say from the ref.

 

[Tim Cahill]

It's kind of like the Washington Capitals though, they know their window is shut, their core is aging out and they won't win a championship until they rebuild, so the entire game now is about trying to get Ovechkin to that goals record to keep the crowd coming in, so they're leaving him standing still taking pot-shots every powerplay, throwing him out there and making people pass to him with empty net opportunities to pad the stats, they may lose more than they win but the fans want to be there when the record is broken so keep tuning in.

Too much of this for Portugal has been built around Ronaldo's quest to be the first to score in six championships, and it's now got to the point where it seems like for him at least, that quest has become more important than the team winning matches.

The tragedy here is that they have the makings of a really good team, of those I know, I've seen Leao, Fernandes, Silva, Palhinha play a lot this season and they are class, but it's like watching the managers son playing up front, demanding to take all the free kicks and pens and everyone else feels too awkward to tell him where to go.

Pepe looks close to death, his legs are gone.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The tragedy here is that they have the makings of a really good team, of those I know, I've seen Leao, Fernandes, Silva, Palhinha play a lot this season and they are class, but it's like watching the managers son playing up front, demanding to take all the free kicks and pens and everyone else feels too awkward to tell him where to go.

Pepe looks close to death, his legs are gone.

Yea, 120 mins was always going to be too much for Pepe at this point. The guy's 41 and was never the quickest at his peak. That disaster that let the Slovene in one on one was probably the final straw for the manager for him.

The thing with Ronaldo is that for most of his career he has been good enough to allow to behave like that, at least once Figo and Rui Costa were gone; but Father Time has clearly come for him and, playing in the Saudi league, he probably doesn't need to have the same kind of reaction speed that he did when he was playing in La Liga, Serie A or the EPL, and the team now has people who can form the same support around him that he himself once provided to the previous generation of stars. Ronaldo could easily still play a significant role on this Portugal team, but he would need to adapt his game to do it, accept a smaller role, work as part of an ensemble cast rather than as the sole star of the show, but it feels like the only person who can't see that is Ronaldo himself.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Slovenians during the penalty shootout: I‘m gone, I‘m dead

 

[Gigs_98]

Really don't think anyone would have minded that Ronaldo performance without all the antics. The missed penalty was a decent shot, just an incredible save by oblak and the free kicks were alright (except the one that was more of a corner than a shooting opportunity but that shot was so stupid I categorize it as antics). Otherwise he has been decent, just hasn't had luck on his side. People seeing how dreadful Portugal is playing are way too quick to blame it on tactics still focussing on Ronaldo. There was the same conversation two years ago only for it to end with Ronaldo not starting against Marocco and Portugal losing anyway. Ronaldo is no longer the answer for Portugals problems but he isn't the problem either. Bad coaching is.

Also, people claiming Ronaldo was a hinderance during Portugals victory in 2016 when he had like 6 goals+assists in a tournament in which portugal scored a total of 9 goals, will never stop being funny to me.