OT: Euro 2012

[CalamityX11]

Not sure Cal what you mean by Spain's midfield ownage coming to an end considering both Fabs and Mata are pretty young and that Iniesta at 28 is not that old either.

As for Torres, he's had a string of injuries but I'm not going to give up on him yet - he's still quality and the best forward option for Spain considering Villa is out. A quality run against Ireland should hopefully lead to more consistency on his play. When I saw him sail that second goal attempt against Italy the other day, I knew that his lack of consistent form was behind that one.

Btw, this Portugal - Denmark game is getting pretty interesting.

Jeje... figured that would grab your attention.

 

[CalamityX11]

awesome match? but i'm at work.... pooo

 

[dredinis21]

You guys are missing it a bit......first, the whole midfield trio of Meireles, Moutinho and Veloso is both talented, and a proper combination of players for that formation with a defender (Veloso), passer (Moutinho) and runner (Meireles). Past that, they're all well-rounded players who contribute in all phases.

Alves and Pepe are both very strong defenders, and Coentrao and Periera are solid enough while being strong going forward.

I'd say its true that they don't have much in terms of dribbling, but no team in this tourney outside of the elite is stacked in that dept. and none have two with the flair of Nani/Ronaldo. I think if those guys were better team players the whole thing would add up much better. Like I said, in my opinion the only weak player in the whole team is their striker, and unfortunately that's crucial.

I have to respectfully disagree with your assessment as I feel it only covers a shade of what the players are. Meireles needs an offense to open up in front of him for him to be effective and his defense is average at best. Moutinho and Veloso are average players at best and really don't have anything in their repertoires that strike fear in any opponent. Because the mid-field is relatively weak, defenses can double and triple team Nani and Ronaldo. Because Postiga is more or less garbage, our CF only needs to be single covered as he streaks down the middle of the pitch. Alves is only a strong defender in stationary set pieces. His reactions and reads on counters is sub-par and he is caught behind counters more often then I really would like to remember. But he is great when he has time to set up. A lot of players carry that same tag though, the only difference is that Bruno Alves is a physical specimen so he gets stroked more then the average player. Pepe is a bonafide defender.

 

[dredinis21]

I do agree with the talent being better then the record however I believe Portugal's talent is overrated. They should have wiped their respective asses with Denmark.

 

[spacedoodoopistol]

Moutinho and Veloso are average players at best and really don't have anything in their repertoires that strike fear in any opponent.

I think this may be a matter of perspective......on one hand, as far as the top international teams go, you could say they are average players. However in the grand scheme, both are pretty damn good players who are near the top of their position. Moutinho's transfer price has been quoted at 25 million euros......that's no average player. (for comparison, the solid Veloso was a bargain at 10 mil, Meireles fair value at 12 mil for a 30 year old). Coentrao was 30 million euros last year, for a fullback that is an absolute premium price. Think you might be underselling these guys a bit.

 

[dredinis21]

Maybe my view is skewed based on production from their time playing with the National Team, but IMO transfer amounts per player don't tell the entire story of their worth to this particular team. Miereles and Veloso have yet to make an impact and Moutinho has been steady, but unspectacular. Frankly, Miereles is on the field for name over production at this point because his contributions to the National Team has been minimal IMO. Coentrao is solid, as I have stated before, but often times WHILE PLAYING FOR THE NATIONAL TEAM has been found out of position and taking bad angles.

I have a feeling that this team suffers from bad management and no identity. Defensively, they are soft, make too many mistakes, and are consistently out of position. Offensively, the team tends to watch Ronaldo too much instead of finishing off their weak side runs. If you watched today's game vs. Denmark, they looked dominant early, then played like assholes for the middle portion of the game, with Pepe screaming at his defense to tighten up and be mindful of positioning. At one point, I read his lips as he screamed "open your eyes!" in Portuguese to Coentrao after Pepe had to clean up after a misplay and bad angle by Coentrao. If it were not for Varela, Ronaldo would have surely been the goat, with him missing "gimme" goals in the second half. Overall, this team is difficult for me to watch because of my rooting interest coupled with their innate ability to look lost as a team for long stretches in most matches. Again, just my opinion, what the fuck do I know?

 

[trancemeister]

Another draw for Italy! FML!

 

[CalamityX11]

I'm looking good with my predictions....

 

[spacedoodoopistol]

Italy probably should have won, but I'd guess they're happy with the draw. All they have to do is beat up on Ireland and watch Croatia lose to Spain.....not ideal to need another team to lose, but odds certainly in their favor.

 

[CalamityX11]

If Spain and Croatia tie.... Adios Italy.

 

[trancemeister]

If Spain and Croatia tie.... Adios Italy.

If Italy can't beat Ireland, they don't deserve to be anywhere near the knockout stage!

Torres got two in the net today ... agreed, it was against Ireland, but we'll see if that settles him down and gives him some confidence again.

 

[spacedoodoopistol]

Its pretty striking how much worse Ireland is than every other team in this tournament. I know there are other popular sports in that country, but I think soccer is still the biggest and its surprising they can't come up with any strong players. For comparison, Croatia has an even smaller population, and might be able to field two different squads that could beat Ireland.

And along those lines, the former Yugoslavian teams are pretty impressive....if they could combine the current Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Montenegran, and Slovenian teams it would be monster, right at the top.....though the teammates would probably kill each other before they could play a match. Anyway, that region must be crazy about sports.

 

[clyde_carbon]

Spain has so much talent - especially in the midfield - it's ridiculous. Their passing today was jaw dropping.

 

[CalamityX11]

Ah the days of Yugoslavia... *getting olderrrrr*

Croatia vs Spain should be a fun one to watch.

Ukraine vs France is a must win IMO for France. Can't risk ending a tie or worse a loss while England could jump or Sweden for that matter.

 

[clyde_carbon]

This is the best french team since Zidane and Henry were in their primes, IMO. Karim Benzema and Samir Nasri are only going to get better. Ribery can still play the wing, and Lloris is the best french GK since Bartez.

 

[spacedoodoopistol]

Yeah, Clyde, and if you look they have so many good players in the 23 - 25 range.....which is why I think they'll come into the elite next world cup....though it would really help if Ribery stayed great until then. Only part of their team that's even slightly shaky is their centerbacks, but maybe their best young prospect is Sakho from PSG who will own the job for the next decade.

 

[trancemeister]

What a game going on between England and Sweden! Incredible goal by Wellbeck to give England the lead. My goodness!

 

[clyde_carbon]

What a game going on between England and Sweden! Incredible goal by Wellbeck to give England the lead. My goodness!

That was insane.

 

[yehyeh]

Yeah, Clyde, and if you look they have so many good players in the 23 - 25 range.....which is why I think they'll come into the elite next world cup....though it would really help if Ribery stayed great until then. Only part of their team that's even slightly shaky is their centerbacks, but maybe their best young prospect is Sakho from PSG who will own the job for the next decade.

It's a little strange because France usually has good center backs. The world cup winning team had Desailly, Blanc and Lebeouf patrolling the center with Thuram and Lizarazu on the wings (damn that was a good defense). In 2006 they had Gallas and Thuram in the middle. Now Mexes and Rami are there and Mexes is very shaky. I wouldn't mind Koscielny get a shot as he is in form and had a good season for Arsenal.

 

[trancemeister]

It's a little strange I wouldn't mind Koscielny get a shot as he is in form and had a good season for Arsenal.

I'm surprised Kocielny didn't get a call up. He did have a fairly solid season for Arsenal!