Who would you hate to see win the euros?

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

You are sort of like the "prog rock" of football punditry.

sorry? what on earth has prog rock got to do with the price of fish please?

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

sorry? what on earth has prog rock got to do with the price of fish please?

Weren't Marillion a bit "prog"?

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

agree on portugal etc but think spain have responded to facing massed defences and moved it on. it is dull watching them retain possession but it's not their fault teams form a barricade as the only way to combat it. spain are now giving opponents the chance to be a bit more adventurous and it'll be interesting to see how it develops over the next couple of years

I do not think that they are pressing the ball with quite as much intensity as in previous years. This applies to Barca as well, their pressing was the thing that made them unplayable IMO, allowed them to have wave after wave of possession, win the ball back quickly and always have control of the rhythm and tempo of games.

They are starting to give opposing teams a little more time on the ball, not as relentless in hunting the ball down. Xavi ageing, Iniesa very injury prone over the last 2 years and perhaps a loss of the edge they had contributing to it. Is your theory that they are they are hoping to invite teams to come out a little more by giving the extra space to play in, thus breaking up that pattern of cycling of the ball against massed defences?

It is a plausible thought.

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

Weren't Marillion a bit "prog"?

bamboozled

Originally Posted by Lok

Greece.

got them in the sweep

anybody but germany i will be displeased though

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

bamboozled

Is that King Crimson?

Originally Posted by Tiberian

The Spain/Barca backlash is in full swing now. They have by a very long way the best squad in the tournament, look at the midfield they had on the bench yesterday

Fabregas and Javi Martinez in the middle with Navas, Mata and Cazorla interchanging at will, probably the third best midfield in the competition behind their first team and Germany.

Despite this they are incredibly boring. Technically supreme but their games all follow the same predictable pattern, dominate the ball, force the opposition deep and tire them out or frustrate them to the point where they make judgement errors trying to win the ball. Might sound churlish considering how talented and skilled they are but it is anaemic to watch. They are so good at what they do it entirely cancels out the opposing style.

Far prefer the counter attacking pacy direct play that Germany and Portugal have shown, leads to far more interesting games.

yes exactly on all this. every game follows the same way. When the opposition are brave enough to break and cause them issues, they just get busquets or pique to fall over when they between man and ball.

Originally Posted by Fuzzy Dunlop

yes exactly on all this. every game follows the same way. When the opposition are brave enough to break and cause them issues, they just get busquets or pique to fall over when they between man and ball.

I hate Busquets he's an utter @#%&! and a cheat. Horrible man.

Originally Posted by Tiberian

I do not think that they are pressing the ball with quite as much intensity as in previous years. This applies to Barca as well, their pressing was the thing that made them unplayable IMO, allowed them to have wave after wave of possession, win the ball back quickly and always have control of the rhythm and tempo of games.

They are starting to give opposing teams a little more time on the ball, not as relentless in hunting the ball down. Xavi ageing, Iniesa very prone over the last 2 years and perhaps a loss of the edge they had contributing to it. Is your theory that they are they are hoping to invite teams to come out a little more by giving the extra space to play in, thus breaking up that pattern of cycling of the ball against massed defences?

It is a plausible thought.

i think they are trying to receive the ball in position to run at massed defences and commit individuals, rather than always in tight areas where they are almost forced just to keep recycling the ball because it's largely static. and if the defende3rs come out then they'll be in behind in a flash obviously.

if you look at Benitez and the way he specifically set out to develop overloads in a more sophisticated way than just 2 v 1 with an overlap etc, then I think maybe Spain had almost lost the art of isolating defenders (due to well drilled defensive tactics) and that's what they need to get back to a bit, including for the reason you give about this crop ageing together...

see what they do next up cus it may just have been a way to defeat croatia. they could probably get round the back of England a lot more easily down the sides of either edge of the penalty area tbh.

Spain for all the reasons just mentioned. They're as much to blame as anyone else for the awfulness of the 2010 World Cup.

Potential semi-final against Portugal should be a good one. Winners of that match to play Germany in the final.

cant see anything negative in england winning it.

A) it will give the english game a boost. young uns aspiring to be england heros.
B) wellbeck, rooney, jones and young would be buzzing next season
C) liverpool will look even more ridiculous.

one negative would be that it'd cost United even more money to prise Downing, Carroll and Henderson out of Liverpool's clutches

Spain: Boring, cynical @#%&!s. £#%&! 'em.
Italy: Spain lite, £#%&! 'em too
England: I think I might actually leave the country if they won. I don't know how ANYONE, even Chelsea supporters, can cheer John Terblanche on. I can just get my head round vermin fans cheering on Stevie Me, but 'JT' has not one single redeeming quality.
England winning the Euros would be the death knell for football for me.
I hope Wellbeck & Rooney do well (£#%&! Young, diving Villa @#%&!) but hopefully Engladn will get £#%&!ed either tonight or next game, but minor knocks to Wellbeck & Roney will cause them to be subbed early on & therefore be blameless for the defeat.

there all winners in my eyes

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

one negative would be that it'd cost United even more money to prise Downing, Carroll and Henderson out of Liverpool's clutches

i'd be buzzing if we used anderson as a make weight though

Originally Posted by numbnuts

there all winners in my eyes

where?

Don't get the anti-German sentiment, by far my favourite national side. Remind me of united... When united turn up properly.

Completely agree with the comments about Spain, playing without a striker is one of the most ridiculous tactics I've seen in football. Nearly as bad as playing Rooney on the left. Arrogant tossbags and utterly boring to watch but unfortunately it's very effective. It's only slightly more entertaining watching Barca because at least they have messi.

Greece hands down

Originally Posted by Fuzzy Dunlop

where?

there on the chair, where on the chair , right there, a little mouse with claws !!!!!!

Czech republic, @#%&!s the lot of em.