meazza Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 DeRossi played a fine match from what I saw. Croatia is going to the second round. must win for Italy on Thursday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle flap Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Spain Italy was a hard fought game. What a wild formation. Im not sure who I wouldve sat but I wouldve started Llorente. Not a big fan of Torres what the hell happened to him he fell tf off. I kept hearing how Italy was on decline but besides Balotelli they looked better than I expected. oh yeah? What was that about Croatia? That is gonna be a big game vs the azzuri! I'm looking forward to the games tomorrow. i got the day off so i can watch my Ukrainian kinsmen wax the Swedes. hope they brought their bikini team too, although they shouldve been waxed in advance And of course England France is always a good one- no love lost there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meazza Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I kept hearing how Italy was on decline but besides Balotelli they looked better than I expected. I wouldn't say decline but this is a relatively new team. The dream team that Dino Zoff built in 2000 that went to the Euro final against France is all but retired. Buffon is all you have left from that team. De Rossi is a defensive midfielder. Him playing as a center back scares the hell out of me because, as a defensive mid, he's much more prone to crack and give up fouls than is expected from a center back. oh yeah? What was that about Croatia? That is gonna be a big game vs the azzuri! Yes I'm very nervous. I don't want to have the last game against Trappatoni. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle flap Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I wouldn't say decline but this is a relatively new team. The dream team that Dino Zoff built in 2000 that went to the Euro final against France is all but retired. Buffon is all you have left from that team. De Rossi is a defensive midfielder. Him playing as a center back scares the hell out of me because, as a defensive mid, he's much more prone to crack and give up fouls than is expected from a center back. Yes I'm very nervous. I don't want to have the last game against Trappatoni. My mistake, that was a poor choice of words- prob since I had been drinking all day Maybe I should've said unproven or something. Like you said, it's not as if the players are on the decline, it's a whole new bunch. What I took away from the pre tournament coverage is that while Italy is always strong (basically because they're Italy), they currently aren't that upper echelon team that we've grown accustomed to seeing. At least, it would seem that way. If they win a few games here, they'll prove me and the doubters wrong. Honestly, I wouldn't even consider myself a "doubter." I'll never count Italy out with their suffocating crowd-the-back-and-counterattack style. I was just defending my pick in good fun. This England France matchup should be interesting. France seems to be on the upswing. After embarrassingly hitting rock bottom (per their standards), they haven't lost in 21 games I believe. I think Benzema and Ribery will be too much for England to handle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meazza Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 My mistake, that was a poor choice of words- prob since I had been drinking all day Maybe I should've said unproven or something. Like you said, it's not as if the players are on the decline, it's a whole new bunch. What I took away from the pre tournament coverage is that while Italy is always strong (basically because they're Italy), they currently aren't that upper echelon team that we've grown accustomed to seeing. At least, it would seem that way. If they win a few games here, they'll prove me and the doubters wrong. Honestly, I wouldn't even consider myself a "doubter." I'll never count Italy out with their suffocating crowd-the-back-and-counterattack style. I was just defending my pick in good fun. This England France matchup should be interesting. France seems to be on the upswing. After embarrassingly hitting rock bottom (per their standards), they haven't lost in 21 games I believe. I think Benzema and Ribery will be too much for England to handle. That's fine. I become very nervous during this period. Yes Italy is usually always there. That being said, this is probably one of the more open formations I've ever seen them play (3 defenders?) but I do think Prandelli brought up players he expects to use in 2014 in Brazil. They have never been as successful in Europe as they have been in the world cup tournaments. Cassano is not in form and it was clear yesterday. He's actually a walking miracle as he had heart surgery in September and hardly played for Milan. Balo is a head case who was benched all year for Manchester City. As Mourinho used to say, "he only has one brain cell". I hope for the best but Croatia will be a handful. France will beat England. I hate them both very much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 France will beat England. I hate them both very much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle flap Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Ще не вмерла Україна http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHzHlSLhtmM OUR ENEMIES WILL VANISH LIKE DEW IN THE SUN!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meazza Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 England looked terrible. They defended for their lives (kind of ironic coming from me ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meazza Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Long live Shevaaaaaaaa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle flap Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Long live Shevaaaaaaaa That was an awesome game. I was worried Ukraine would be content sitting back and counterattacking. Even though most of their best chances did come on the counter attack, they possessed the ball more than I expected and showed flashes of a neat midfield passing game. I also didn't anticipate such a diverse/dynamic attack. I especially liked the push from the wing backs. I'm still riding an emotional high. Not only did they win, they looked pretty good doing so. No flukey stuff or cheap calls. Kudos to the referee. Ugh did I just say that? Maybe Sheva and the boys can give France a run for their francs! Can't wait til Friday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meazza Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 (edited) That was an awesome game. I was worried Ukraine would be content sitting back and counterattacking. Even though most of their best chances did come on the counter attack, they possessed the ball more than I expected and showed flashes of a neat midfield passing game. I also didn't anticipate such a diverse/dynamic attack. I especially liked the push from the wing backs. I'm still riding an emotional high. Not only did they win, they looked pretty good doing so. No flukey stuff or cheap calls. Kudos to the referee. Ugh did I just say that? Maybe Sheva and the boys can give France a run for their francs! Can't wait til Friday! Sheva is one of my all time favorites. So much skill and class and always performed at every level. I don't think there is anything wrong with sitting back and countering. You play to your strengths. Italy won WC 2006 based on their vicious counter attack and world class defending. France didn't show much today even though England played stout defensively. I would play for a draw vs France. Edited June 12, 2012 by meazza Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle flap Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Sheva is one of my all time favorites. So much skill and class and always performed at every level. I don't think there is anything wrong with sitting back and countering. You play to your strengths. Italy won WC 2006 based on their vicious counter attack and world class defending. France didn't show much today even though England played stout defensively. I would play for a draw vs France. I also don't think there's anything wrong with sitting back and countering, if that is indeed one of your team's strengths. I am skeptical when supposedly (or actually) weaker teams use it and more or less hope to get lucky. You see it all the time when there's an obvious favorite - the underdog does their best to stop the other team from scoring at the expense of trying generate any sort of possession based attack. What I meant was that I didn't think Ukraine was built in the mold of those Italian teams that made counter attacking their bread and butter. I realize they have been a counter attacking team as of late, but I wasn't sure if that was out of necessity, or if it was indeed an actual strength. Well, it turns out they do have a dangerous counter attack. But I was even more impressed with their ability to possess the ball and generate balanced offensive pressure. I did expect more out of France today. Hopefully they don't find their form until next week! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I don't think there is anything wrong with sitting back and countering. You play to your strengths. Italy won WC 2006 based on their vicious counter attack and world class defending. (and diving) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britbillsfan Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 England looked terrible. They defended for their lives (kind of ironic coming from me ) England are really in a transition mode at the moment. New manager and the midfield has been devastated because of injuries, there are players who are starting who who would not have even made the squad without the Bills-like list of casualties. Included in the losses are two very good, young creative midfielders. Without them (and with Rooney McFathead's suspension) England are really in a bind as far as going forward is concerned. The defence is stout so the reliance on counter attacking is inevitable. With the current team a lot of people in the UK had England marked down for three losses and out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LewPort71 Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Tuesday 11th. Noon Greece vs Czech Republic 2:45. Poland vs Russia. The second match has my interest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meazza Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Russia is on fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 How bout those crazy Polocks!!!! Still alive, baby!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTS Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 How bout those crazy Polocks!!!! Still alive, baby!! Just a 100k Polish fans going nuts after Kuba's great strike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajzepp Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Polish folk are amazingly passionate, good-hearted people. I grew up around predominantly Polish extended family and I'm a better person because of it. I love that they have something to be excited about and I hope the Poles win their third game. They probably won't advance, but they put themselves in position to have a shot...I'm proud of 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meazza Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Polish folk are amazingly passionate, good-hearted people. I grew up around predominantly Polish extended family and I'm a better person because of it. I love that they have something to be excited about and I hope the Poles win their third game. They probably won't advance, but they put themselves in position to have a shot...I'm proud of 'em. Good luck against Holland. I think Germany is the best team in this tournament and it shows, up 1-0. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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