UEFA Euro 2012 - Group C - ** spoilers ** (Croatia, Italy, Rep Ireland, Spain)
- Thread starter Robbo
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Surely your own nationality is more important.
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Deco is another one who springs to mind using this rule, think hes brazilian but played for Portugal.
Same thing happens in cricket, KP and Trott to name a couple who are Saffa's but play for England...yet you dont find any english fans kicking up a stink about it
I agree with you completely It shouldn't happen in any sport. I dislike how the Rep of Ireland steal half of their players from Northern Ireland but that's for another topic i guess.
If all your parents are from Brasil and also you, I don't think it should matter, you are Brazilian.
The fact there ever was a north and south was a joke, should play one unified team and the bigots can **** off and go bomb each other.
lol completely pointless argument. Players really won't care at all and neither will fans when they perform. We had a couple of English-American twin brothers come to Wales training once. Their mother was Welsh, father English, they were born in England but moved to the US when they were 2. Didn't want to play for England and for obvious reasons weren't good enough to even get to picked for USA basketball trails so they fly over just to go to the Wales trails and no one was really bothered because they were really good.
Caporegime
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Yes, and no, Barca had a bunch of games like that, while playing Messi as the central striker, but dropping deep a lot. Cesc maybe dropped too deep too often, but that's partly as they were rotating him and Silva frequently and, he made so many runs along the back four to go in behind after a pass and the passes never came. He scored from one of the first passes made as he made a run in behind and got a goal. His other two shots were both on target, one well blocked, one brilliantly saved.
Spains biggest issue was poor crossing, being too slow and indirect and ignoring that run in behind so so often, delaying the pass too long over and over again.
Had Llorente been playing, or pretty much any striker I couldn't see a huge change to the main problems, not passing in the guy up front.
Also as is sooo often the case, Cesc was their most direct, most deadly player on the pitch and they took him off and aside from generating some great laughs at Torres expense, did little afterwards. Never, ever take off the best player on the night when so many others are playing so badly.
I'll point out again, Alonso gave away the ball frequently, gave away stupid fouls(though not as many as normal), got caught on the ball more than I've seen happen to him, passed backwards SO often it was a joke and generally offered nothing defensively as per usual. No idea how he's in the team, Busquets wasn't exactly brilliant but, in that team there is no reason to play Alonso or two DM type players.
What they needed was to take off Alonso and put a striker on with Cesc or just ahead of him, that likely would have made the difference. While also, yes, Silva got the assist, he did 2 or 3 of those sideways passes in behind all night, great, except everything else he did was useless. He is such a tame shooter, no power, his really one cross that I can remember was straight at the keeper. Navas's time on the pitch was so much more effective overall.
Generally speaking Iniesta/Silva doesn't give you much width, very little good delivery, Silva is just weak and mostly lazy, Iniesta is actually good but ran with the ball so often, didn't pass early enough and ended up losing it. If he would pass a little earlier rather than go it alone he'd be so much more effective.
Caporegime
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I'm a little confused. In the Group B thread Hangtime said 'Bendtner - atrocious, looked disinterested and gave away possession a lot' and you replied by posting...
Medium Passes: 19/28
Short Passes: 5/8
Total Passes: 26/38 = 68%
You've now said...
Medium Passes: 19/28
Short Passes: 58/72
Total Passes: 80/99 = 81%
Long Passes: 2/2
Medium Passes: 19/28
Short Passes: 5/8
Total Passes: 26/38 = 68%
You've now said...
Long Passes: 10/11
Medium Passes: 19/28
Short Passes: 58/72
Total Passes: 80/99 = 81%
Caporegime
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Where does Bendtner play, where does Alonso play.
Bendtner was playing passes in behind the defence, in the box, and in the attacking half of the pitch. Alonso was playing passes mostly in his own half, mostly backwards.
Alonso missed 19 passes, when he barely made a pass in the final third, Bendtner missed 12 passes, Alonso losing the ball more than 50% more, playing most of his passes and football in the opposition half completely isolated.
Alonso lost the ball in more dangerous positions, several times right outside his box and a couple leading directly to attacks on the goal.
Over 90 minutes Alonso gave the ball away 50% more often(from passing alone) in a more important area of the pitch, against a worse team with better players around him. Shock, horror, people playing as lone strikers for a team that barely attacks, for a MUCH worse team(the receiver of the ball has a lot to do with if a pass ends up completed or not) shouldn't have similar pass completion to a player mostly inside his own half, passing backwards frequently.
Bendtner was playing passes in behind the defence, in the box, and in the attacking half of the pitch. Alonso was playing passes mostly in his own half, mostly backwards.
Alonso missed 19 passes, when he barely made a pass in the final third, Bendtner missed 12 passes, Alonso losing the ball more than 50% more, playing most of his passes and football in the opposition half completely isolated.
Alonso lost the ball in more dangerous positions, several times right outside his box and a couple leading directly to attacks on the goal.
Over 90 minutes Alonso gave the ball away 50% more often(from passing alone) in a more important area of the pitch, against a worse team with better players around him. Shock, horror, people playing as lone strikers for a team that barely attacks, for a MUCH worse team(the receiver of the ball has a lot to do with if a pass ends up completed or not) shouldn't have similar pass completion to a player mostly inside his own half, passing backwards frequently.
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Soldato
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Everybody knows that is its how you interpret them ie I realy like the player pity i ain't female to have thier children
It wasn't just Bentner's passing that was giving he ball away, at least 2-3 times he was caught in possession as well. Normally his link play is one of his greatest assets but he looked sluggish or day dreaming a bit at times (heck maybe just plain **** control of the football), letting players get a foot in for the tackle.
If your parents bring you over when you are 5 or something, thats one thing - totally different though if you are a grown adult, looking for a flag of convenience and moving where it suits you best....
Same with the Olympics, just because the Americans (for example) have enough sprinters to get to the finals for 3 different countries, doesnt mean some of them should be able to move 2 or 3 years before any given games to a country of choice just so they enough time to become a citizen of that country and then qualify.
edit - In regards to this group - I cant see Ireland getting any points , although it was harsh on them to lose (given the penalty should have been given, and the small margins they missed by at the end (ie IF the ref had given the pen and they scored it, Croatia may well have made more "nervous" mistakes). Ireland did however sit back too much and just hoofed it forward
It will be interesting to see how Croatia fare against the other two teams, if Spain dont sort out their scoring, its not implausible that they end up with a win and two draws at worst, so it may come down to who from Italy/ Spain score the most vs Ireland
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LOL Spain complaining about the state of the pitch 
...saying it was slow and hindered their build up play.
No Spain you were inept in front of goal, you had Torres who couldn't hit a barn door at 1 pace and you started without a striker but it's easy to blame the pitch I suppose
...saying it was slow and hindered their build up play.No Spain you were inept in front of goal, you had Torres who couldn't hit a barn door at 1 pace and you started without a striker but it's easy to blame the pitch I suppose
hat full of goals tomorrow against the irish?
As long as Torres doesn't start then definitely goals in it
...Spain should start with Llorente tomorrow.
Caporegime
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Spain need to drop a defensive midfielder, simple as that. Brasil had two in the world cup and looked rubbish against half decent teams. Holland are doing it now and looking rubbish with zero support for the strikers from the midfield.
It doesn't work, Spain scored really very badly at the World cup, 8 goals vs 12 in the Euro's(which has less games) and they only played one out and out DM then vs two both in the World cup and now. Two defensive midfielders is both completely not required and hurts the offense very badly.
Holland finally spotted that and dropped Van Bommel and played better(but not well) in the second half.
Spain needed either Busquets or Alonso not starting and a striker in there instead. They were massively better in the last Euro's than the World cup and both far better than now, largely because they were a much stronger offensive force in the last Euro's.
Spain with Cesc in midfield and personally I don't think it would matter, either Llorente or Negredo upfront. I think even Torres on for the whole game would do fine(but I'd go the other guys first). Ramos at right back and Albiol at CB, a more offensive line up in midfield and a striker on and they'd get straight back to Euro 2008 style football.
It doesn't work, Spain scored really very badly at the World cup, 8 goals vs 12 in the Euro's(which has less games) and they only played one out and out DM then vs two both in the World cup and now. Two defensive midfielders is both completely not required and hurts the offense very badly.
Holland finally spotted that and dropped Van Bommel and played better(but not well) in the second half.
Spain needed either Busquets or Alonso not starting and a striker in there instead. They were massively better in the last Euro's than the World cup and both far better than now, largely because they were a much stronger offensive force in the last Euro's.
Spain with Cesc in midfield and personally I don't think it would matter, either Llorente or Negredo upfront. I think even Torres on for the whole game would do fine(but I'd go the other guys first). Ramos at right back and Albiol at CB, a more offensive line up in midfield and a striker on and they'd get straight back to Euro 2008 style football.
