UEFA Euro 2008 Thread

[Briosafreak]

I don't think the first two games are representative of what's coming next.

The new tactical approach from the Czechs didn't work. No one was able to carry the ball, the midfield is almost inexistent. On top of that their defense opened too many spaces in the center. From now on they have to improve, and change a bit the pieces in the midfield, I'm sure they might be able to get it right.

Good game from the Swiss team, but without Frei I don't know if they can score enough to be a contender, they deserve to be taken seriously though.

Even with a clumsy Deco, that was the best defender of Turkey, and a non existent Ronaldo the team played well, but this was in great part caused by the lack of the Turkish players to assimilate the new Italian style game. Terim should have found a way of molding the game around the players he has, and not trying to mold the players into something they aren't familiar.

Too stiff, no joy, and a few good players that had a really bad day, that was Turkey today. Portugal won't have another game like this, so again this game wasn't very representative of what's next, I think.


Useless trivia time:

-Ronaldo has that name because of his mother's admiration of former US President Ronald Reagan. Weird, I know...

-Recently signed player of Chelsea Bosingwa started playing football in the same schoolyard as I did. I miss those crazy 20vs20 players matches when I was a little kid.

 

[ZiggyMeister]

Portugal played better than I expected, though. Deserved win, and well played really. Although that final minute second goal fucked over my predictions.

Sander, I'm glad Portugal played better than you were expecting, and I hope they continue to impress you as well as everyone else.
After this game, do you still think that the Portuguese team is just Ronaldo and Ricardo Carvalho?

Portugal won't have another game like this, so again this game wasn't very representative of what's next, I think.

I hope your wrong and that this game was the sample of what our Portuguese Team has to offer
Of course it's too soon to give prognosis, and as the "poet" used to say:

Prognosis, prognosis, only after the end of the game.

And what counts is how you finish, not how you start!

 

[Yata]

Bring on group C games already!

 

[Brother None]

Added a poll.

Might thrust Van Persie into the starting 11, though.

I hope not. Not ready = not ready.

Sneijder-van der Vaart-Kuijt sounds good to me. Kuijt should disrupt his wing enough to stop the Italians from attacking, and since we always (ALWAYS) lose 1-0 to the Italians, that's pretty important.

Not entirely true, Carvalho has become a world class defender, espeically over the last two years. Terry's various injuries have placed alot of responsibility on his shoulder, as his back up partners have not really inspired confidence. He has taken the pressure well and has held Chelsea's backline together.

I hear José Bosingwa is real good too. Wasn't impressed, tho'.

Bad matches, these first two. Not that surprising, opening-day matches tend to be mediocre. The Portugal-Turkey match was ok, having a blast at seeing Ronaldo whine for the ball 'cause he needs to score to stroke his own ego. Little egomaniacs like that are poison to any team.

Man of the first day: Mehmet Aurélio, easily, flying tackle or no. I love players like that - as do coaches - hard-working players with good physical and technical ability and - most importantly - the ability to oversee the field. Aurelio is more important to Turkey than Ronaldo is to Portugal.

 

[Puokki]

You suck - at the Dutch national team. Seriously, you guys suck. Especially Dirk Kuyt. Dirk, you suck, stop begging for a spot.

WTF? Now when England isn't in the tournament, The Netherlands' team is almost the only team who plays football in there!

You guys still suck - at Italy and Portugal. You guys always suck.

Now you're talking sense!

 

[Brother None]

WTF? Now when England isn't in the tournament, The Netherlands' team is almost the only team who plays football in there!

England sucks even more than the Netherlands.

 

[Briosafreak]

Geez what pounding, the Croats were really lucky this time. Was Roland Lindz substituted? He plays here in the Portuguese League, excellent striker.


Useless trivia time:

-Swiss goalkeeper Diego Benaglio played for two and a half years in a small Portuguese team. The same team where Cristiano Ronaldo started playing in the kids regional championships.

-Several hours after the game ended Man United player Nani was still bleeding from his leg, after the barbaric tackle from Aurélio. No wonder BN likes him, he should be in the Dutch team. Of kickboxing.

 

[Sander]

Sander, I'm glad Portugal played better than you were expecting, and I hope they continue to impress you as well as everyone else.
After this game, do you still think that the Portuguese team is just Ronaldo and Ricardo Carvalho?

I never said that. I think that there are very few players with real individual class, and I still think that. They simply looked better as a team than I expected.

Assman

Heh.

I hope not. Not ready = not ready.

Sneijder-van der Vaart-Kuijt sounds good to me. Kuijt should disrupt his wing enough to stop the Italians from attacking, and since we always (ALWAYS) lose 1-0 to the Italians, that's pretty important.

Van Persie is looking more ready by the day, though. But yer, Kuijt on the right wing wouldn't be too bad either.
Oh, and the only times we don't lose 1-0 to the Italians are the times we miss 5 out of 6 penalties in a single game. That game was frustrating as fuck to watch.

-Several hours after the game ended Man United player Nani was still bleeding from his leg, after the barbaric tackle from Aurélio. No wonder BN likes him, he should be in the Dutch team. Of kickboxing.

Are you still on about that?

 

[Briosafreak]

He started it

Loved to watch Podolsky and Lobodzinski. Guerreiro should have been in the starting line up, he changed Poland completely. Although Germany displayed one problem that I wasn't expecting (won't tell what it is for now ) they are still my favorite team to win the tournament.

 

[Ravager69]

I will, as a true patriot, vote for my team! Go Poland, go!

Too bad we lost to Germany, but still, I remain optimistic x]

 

[voodzia]

i'd like to see portugal and italy in the final and of course italy as a winner

btw, what a shame there are 3 so fuckin good teams in group c

 

[mandala]

You suck - at the Dutch national team. Seriously, you guys suck. Especially Dirk Kuyt. Dirk, you suck, stop begging for a spot.

WTF? Now when England isn't in the tournament, The Netherlands' team is almost the only team who plays football in there!

You guys still suck - at Italy and Portugal. You guys always suck.

Now you're talking sense!

Yea because England is such a great team

 

[Brother None]

Loved to watch Podolsky and Lobodzinski. Guerreiro should have been in the starting line up, he changed Poland completely. Although Germany displayed one problem that I wasn't expecting (won't tell what it is for now ) they are still my favorite team to win the tournament.

I'm mostly wondering how long Mertesacker and Metzelder can cover Lehmann's ass. Rarely have I seen a national goalie look that embarrassingly bad against a mediocre-playing team.

 

[Briosafreak]

He seemed nervous, something that is really weird in someone so old.

 

[Brother None]

He seemed nervous, something that is really weird in someone so old.

Never liked 'im.

Also, Hugo Borst agreed with my analysis that Ricardo Carvalho was the most important man on the field for Portugal and has good potential to grow into the man of the team for Portugal.

I hate it when Hugo Borst agrees with me.

Also, I think that from what I saw of the media coverage, Portugal got too much credit for going past a somewhat flat Turkey and Poland is being sold short for the fight they gave Germany. Considering the coin-flip gameturning moment that got whistled back unjustly for off-side, I don't think we should be too impressed by the German victory - deserved though it ended up being.

 

[Sander]

Goalless so far with France v Romania. France is looking rather lackluster, their only chance coming from a counter. Henry and Vieira still injured and not playing might have something to do with that.

Would be a good result for the Netherlands, though.

Also, why is John Motson not commenting this game? The dude's awesome.

I hate it when Hugo Borst agrees with me.

Hah.
Hugo Borst is still the funniest man in Dutch football commenting.


Also, why are people hatin' on Pieter Vink's correctly awarding a penalty to Croatia?

 

[Brother None]

Hugo Borst is still the funniest man in Dutch football commenting.

Funny or not, it's embarrassing to see such arrogance coming from a Rotterdammer.

Also, why are people hatin' on Pieter Vink's correctly awarding a penalty to Croatia?

They're not, as far as I can see. They are - however - hating on his refusal to give that guy his second yellow card - the same guy that whined after the penalty put in a very illegal tackle in the 25th minute, no second yellow card. 's a bad call.

 

[Sander]

Funny or not, it's embarrassing to see such arrogance coming from a Rotterdammer.

Wait, you hate him because he's from Rotterdam but 's still arrogant?

They're not, as far as I can see. They are - however - hating on his refusal to give that guy his second yellow card - the same guy that whined after the penalty put in a very illegal tackle in the 25th minute, no second yellow card. 's a bad call.

They are in several countries which are not the Netherlands (most obviously Austria), which is really strange to me.
The hate he gets for failing to send off Pogatetz is justified, though.

 

[Brother None]

Wait, you hate him because he's from Rotterdam but 's still arrogant?

I don't hate him, he's one of the most insightful commentators we have.

But he's also very annoying. Because he's arrogance. He's also embarrassing, because he's such a bad representative for Rotterdam.

They are in several countries which are not the Netherlands (most obviously Austria), which is really strange to me.
The hate he gets for failing to send off Pogatetz is justified, though.

They played some bits on studio Sportzomer, and one of my papers also mentioned it, he got some praise for it during game-time. In particular, the English commentator said something like "Pieter Vink can still do no good with Arsenal fans for missing that Kuijt foul, but he made the right call here"

That Austria would whine isn't that surprising. People tend to be stupid when it comes to that kind of stuff.

 

[Sander]

I don't hate him, he's one of the most insightful commentators we have.

Yer. Much better than asstard Derksen.
Jan van Halst is pretty decent, too.

But he's also very annoying. Because he's arrogance. He's also embarrassing, because he's such a bad representative for Rotterdam.

You're way too involved in this whole 'I'm from Rotterdam!' bizniz.

They played some bits on studio Sportzomer, and one of my papers also mentioned it, he got some praise for it during game-time. In particular, the English commentator said something like "Pieter Vink can still do no good with Arsenal fans for missing that Kuijt foul, but he made the right call here"

That Austria would whine isn't that surprising. People tend to be stupid when it comes to that kind of stuff.

The English are always reasonably levelheaded when it doesn't involve themselves.

I'm mostly going by what I've heard from others (non-Dutchies), though.

In the meanwhile, France is failing to make a real impact, even though the Romanian defence isn't looking all that strong.