Random Sports Discussion

[HaemishM]

England keeps hiring managers who don't know how to do anything but 4-4-2, 10 behind the ball counter-attacking football. Which works great if you're Fulham, but really shackles players like Gerrard and Ashley Young (who was USELESS this tourney), it really hinders their ability to make plays. Then you sit young talent like Oxlade-Chamberlain and Walcott (say what you want about him, when he was brought on as a sub, he had an impact - except against Italy where the team was told not to move into the other end of the field at all) and it's no wonder the team looks like a creaking inept monstrosity. Spain's football is gorgeous and effective, Germany just bosses the game against everybody but Spain.

[ghost]

I've never seen a squad control the ball like Spain.  "Oh, bad pass?  You'll be getting the ball back in about an hour". 

I'm really, really hoping that Germany changes the face of European football. 

[Paelos]

Put me down for hoping Germany dominates. Fuck the Italians, Portugal, and Spain style of play.

[HaemishM]

Oh I enjoy the Spainish style of play the most as a viewer. They completely dominate play because their players are the best goddamn collection of players in the world.

I think Germany wins this Euro because Spain is missing some pretty significant talent in David Villa, and Fernando Torres has shown brief glimpses of his former glory against lesser teams. Germany is not a lesser team, and is only a half notch below Spain on the talent scale. They have fewer injuries to important people and a striker who is firing heat seeking missiles he's so on form. Normal day, I give Spain the nod. When their coach has to resort to using what is in essence 6 midfielders because he doesn't trust his strikers, I give it to Germany.

[ghost]

I thought Villa was playing.  I swear the announcer called his name against France.

[Abagadro]

Germany versus Spain would be a quality match.

That's what the final will be.

I'm not so sure. Spain doesn't seem have much in the way of striking at the moment. It will have to be some great stuff From Xavi or Iniesta in the middle to get it done (although they are certainly capable of that). Renaldo, as much as I dislike the guy, seems to be on fire.  A Portugal win would not surprise me at all.

[HaemishM]

David Villa didn't play against France, or even feature on the bench.

Spain hasn't really NEEDED striking. While yes, Portugal and Ronaldo are hot at the moment, I think they will lose. Even without a striker, Spain can just boss possession so much that they can minimize Ronaldo's involvement and the rest of the team is not nearly on the same level as Ronaldo. I do expect that Torres will start against Portugal, though.

[ghost]

Ronaldo is the type of player that can drop 2 or 3 goals on a team in short order, even a good team like Spain. 

[HaemishM]

Man, this semifinal has been excruciatingly boring. 

[Paelos]

This is why I don't want either team to win this thing. Ugh.

The ref is booking a ham sandwich at this point to keep these cheeseballs from completely cocking up this game.

[Paelos]

 

[HaemishM]

So much diving. So much sloppy passing. Spain actually showed up in extra time, but fuck me, they needed Torres or Llorente to be on the end of some of those crosses they were making once Navas and Rodriguez got in the game.

[Paelos]

Oh Pedro. You are terrible.

[ghost]

Go Germany!

[Paelos]

And at this point, I stop caring about Euro 2012. There is absolutely no way this final can be good.

[Sjofn]

Well boo.

[ghost]

Italy versus Spain.  Bleh.   

[Ingmar]

The part of the game I saw at lunch wasn't too horribly defensive and dive-y, but that was just the first half.

[HaemishM]

Well fuck. I didn't get time to watch this streaming at work, and I stupidly read this thread and got my Tivo recording spoiled. But since Italy won, that's really something I don't want to see.

GO SPAIN!

[rk47]

according to my colleagues at work, germany's piss-poor defending is exposed.
Thank god they drop out now really, because Spain would've exploited it to the fullest -

Most of the office backs Italy now since they're bored of spain.

[Cyrrex]

Backing Italy is something I cannot bring myself to do.  Boring, defensive football and non-stop diving.  NON STOP.  It is an embarassment to all sports, that kind of bullshit.

[Jeff Kelly]

There are a few factors at play here actually.

The German line up includes eight Munich players all of which have been at the Champions League final. Look at Schweinsteiger he looked tired and down for most of the Euro. They still haven't gotten over the Chelsea defeat IMO.

It's not piss poor defending but rather sloppy work and an Italian set-up (4-2-3-1 with two strikers playing deep) that's a bit "old school" and harder to defend when you use a more more modern style 4 player block defense. (Also the reason why Greece is unexpectedly effective even though they are not really that good).

All of the players are young (Kroos is 19 for example) and they lack the experience and concentration to keep up their game for a whole tournament.

I see it more as an issue with Löw actually. For someone who wants to be unpredictable and perfect he makes a few choices I don't get

He should have used the starting line up from the Greece game. IMHO tactically a better fit against Italy. His insistence to keep Boateng, Gomez and Schweinsteiger in the starting line up is especially startling since those three have basically been the weak points of an otherwise brilliant and technically sound line up during the competition.

Gomez and Boateng brought down the tactical set up of Germany with their refusal to change their playstyle to help the german game and forced Khedira and Özil to play out of position for most of the match. Gomez because he doesn't support the game in midfield and instead relies on being passed to (and therefore can't support the midfielders during attacks or when they switch to defending) something he has in common with Podoski. A style he has been called out on multiple times during the competition.

You could see how much better the game from midfield was once Podolski and Gomez weren't there any more both at the Italy game and against Greece.

Boateng's sloppy work contributed to much of the disorganisation in the defense and contributed to quite a few chances from Italy. He hadn't improved from the Greece game at all (where his weak game opened up the way for Greece's first goal)

Combine that with the best performance of Italy in this Euro and you have trouble brewing.

Löw's tinkering with tactics and line-ups while brilliant at times contributed heavily to our defeat though.

[ghost]

Backing Italy is something I cannot bring myself to do.  Boring, defensive football and non-stop diving.  NON STOP.  It is an embarassment to all sports, that kind of bullshit.

They are the Duke basketball of international soccer.   

[HaemishM]

Schweinsteiger had a HORRIBLE game against Greece, one of the worst I've ever seen him play. Normally, he's absolutely rock solid. He looked tired and worn down. His passes were awful. Starting Kroos against Italy was a mistake. I think Muller would have been a better choice, as I think his absence against Spain in World Cup 2010 is one of the reasons they lost that game. I don't have a problem with Gomez starting but agree with you about Boateng. The other guy they started in the 3rd group game would have been the better choice.

[Ingmar]

Schweinsteiger was playing injured through the whole tournament, so it isn't too surprising he wasn't up to his normal standards.

[Abagadro]

Uh, Spain is good.

[HaemishM]

Yeah, and Italy punched above their weight by beating Germany, they had to go to penalties to beat an England team that barely even tried to score after the 70th minute. Spain is really that much better than the rest of the freaking world right now, because they spent most of the tourney without even a true striker on the pitch, and still weren't in real danger of getting knocked out the whole time. I didn't expect them to win it because I expected Germany to do better.

[ghost]

Germany would have given Spain a better match, IMO.

[ghost]

Fucking exciting win by Mark Cavendish today in the TdF.  The guy still has it with no team to lead him out.  Brings back memories of Robbie McEwan who I used to like quite a bit.

[ghost]

Lance Armstrong is completely fucked.  The USADA has George Hincapie, Christian Van de Velde, Dave Zabriskie, Jonathan Vaughters and Levi Leipheimer all testifying against Armstrong.  They were all allowed to testify in exchange for 6 month doping suspensions.  

Edit-  Now Vaughters is denying any suspensions have been levied. 

[Paelos]

How they can let Serena Williams still compete in Tennis without ridiculous testing on her is beyond me. Her body looks like nothing else on the woman's tour.

[ghost]

All it would require is a panty check.   

[Llyse]

Finally watched the game after giving myself a media blackout, Ecstatic that Federer won another Wimbledon and broke more records, bad luck to Murray but maybe next year... 

[ghost]

Can't wait to watch the tour tonight.  I was thinking I might like Wiggins, but he seems to be a major fucktard so I'm pulling for Evans.  According to Cyclingnews Evans has been putting a lot of heat on Wiggins.  I love the mountains. 

[Paelos]

The Penn State investigation report just got released this morning.

Holy hell. 

It proves in extreme detail how this thing was being covered up at the highest levels, including by JoePa, since 1998.