I was really impressed with Italy. Only team I've seen in a few tournaments who look capable of technically standing toe-to-toe with the reigning world & European champions Spain. Italy took the game to Spain. Who has done that in the last 5 years or so?
Yes! Backing Italy 100% in this tourney.
They done well tonight. First time zee Germans have been put under pressure, and they wilted. England would've spanked 'em!
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
There goes the big knees-up on Sunday night, then. I even booked Monday off, just in case.
From the first page;
I don't want to rule out Italy either - it seems that every time they go into a tournament off the back of a match-fixing scandal, they win the fucking thing.
I don't want to further tempt fate by saying Sunday will be a classic, but it won't be a foregone conclusion. This is the best Italian team I've seen for a while, and even though Spain had to work considerably harder to win a place the final than in any game they've played thus far, I thought that generally they contained Portugal quite well. Italy - and Balotelli - will be a different matter.
??zil was terrible yesterday, I blame some of Germany's poor performance on his shoulders. He should've been their Pirlo but he just gave te ball away all night. They really should've subbed him off, brought on G??tze or sumtin.
Italy - and Balotelli - will be a different matter.
I'd agree except Pirlo is obviously the key man for Italy. His sonning of the Germany midfield for that first goal was absolutely priceless.
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
magpaul said:
Italy - and Balotelli - will be a different matter.
I'd agree except Pirlo is obviously the key man for Italy. His sonning of the Germany midfield for that first goal was absolutely priceless.
Pirlo has been one of the outstanding players of the tournament - certainly the oustanding midfielder - but for me it was Balotelli's unplayability that made the biggest difference last night. He fucking murdered Badstuber, who was completely at fault for the first goal - it was ridiculous that he allowed Baloteli to beat him to the ball. In fact, Germany's centre backs didn't really turn up - Hummels (another outstanding performer) had a stinker last night, a few moments excepted - and their insistence on defending so high up the park could have resulted in a real spanking if the Italian finishing had been a bit sharper. Khedira faded pretty quickly after that early spell of German pressure. Personally, I'd have started M??ller and Reus, who looked threatening every time he had the ball. They could have done with his aggression in the first half.
Italy - and Balotelli - will be a different matter.
I'd agree except Pirlo is obviously the key man for Italy. His sonning of the Germany midfield for that first goal was absolutely priceless.
I was watching him and thinking how well Scholes would've done in that Italy team doing the same thing. Scholes' passing range > or < ?
I wonder if Italy watched Germany v Holland? Couple of times Van Percy was played in straight down the middle but missed. Germany don't appear to have watched Italy v England as that Pirlo to Mario pass down the middle was on all night (to use a Gary Neville phrase "It's Bingo time!").
Yeh, I'll give you that Doc. He was in full on beast mode. I'm just enamored with this Pirlo renaissance at the moment.
Duder, Scholes probably has the best passing of all of them (only just) but Pirlo and Xavi have the edge in terms of their defensive play. So little between 'em, makes me curious if there's any midfielders out there who even come close.
The facts show they are very good. But so was Pete Sampras.
For me, Brasil 70 just took it somewhere else. They had a flair about them. They didn't win everything but they were great to watch. It wasn't just technique, it was art.
I don't want to come across all bitter doe. Spain were great tonight and deserved the result. Just no moments of unexpected, un-plannable brilliance. It went to the script.
I watched 5 minutes, then went to do something more interesting, which turned out to be reading several chapters of a book on lean six sigma techniques.
I get that Spain are technically fantastic.
I also get that it is annoying and boring to watch for self and a growing number of punters.
I thought it was a great final. Just a real shame Italy didn't seem to have anything left in them.
I was worried that they'd revert to type a spend the game defending deep, but they gave it a go. They looked drained and nowhere near as tenacious as there earlier game against the Spanish. But the Spanish managed to really turn it up a level and put in a great performance.
Compared to some of the cagy 'nobody wants to go out and win it' type finals we've had for many years, this one was nothing to complain about.
It's just a personal preference, I don't like their style of play. I'm not saying they are shite and therefore, not worthy of the title. Congrats to them... Playing 4-6-0 for most of the tournie with a guy who I think started only twice with 180 some odd minutes winning the golden boot is an impressive feat.
But IMO, the tournament was great. Sorry if I offend with a personal opinion...
I suspect that those who are feeling Spain national team value fact, detail, result, logical progression and networks.
Those who don't are more for finding value in the big picture, chaos, fluidity and surprise.
We see in Spain a chutzpah gap, an audacity deficit, a hole where 'imagination' should be.
The manager's facial demeanour sums it up.
Dismissing our critique out of hand doesn't address the issue, which is Spain might be winning for all to see, but evidently not 'victorious' in any sense that matters to many of us.
More enjoyable to watch a 6yo with a bucket of Lego bricks build a mad spaceship that will break a minute later than three white-coated lab technicians from Porsche put together a working combustion engine from meccano sets.
I suspect that those who are feeling Spain national team value fact, detail, result, logical progression and networks.
Those who don't are more for finding value in the big picture, chaos, fluidity and surprise.
We see in Spain a chutzpah gap, an audacity deficit, a hole where 'imagination' should be.
The manager's facial demeanour sums it up.
Dismissing our critique out of hand doesn't address the issue, which is Spain might be winning for all to see, but evidently not 'victorious' in any sense that matters to many of us.
dude cut the wannabe artsy fartsy pseudo deep philosophical bs. sports is about kicking ass. plain and simple. Spain's been kicking every other nation's ass for 4 years now with outrageous ease. It is the result of years of collective hard work and craft betterment and anyone who likes/practices sport sees enough beauty in it. I'm sure there was plenty of chaos and surprise in the Pirlo/Balotelli-bandwagonners' heads last night
Comments
looking forward to a balearic vs. italo final.
(really, the cliche about italy growing into tournaments is ridiculously accurate. or was it just german presumptuousness?)
They done well tonight. First time zee Germans have been put under pressure, and they wilted. England would've spanked 'em!
Italy can win if they defend like dem 300 and catch the donkey crushers on the breakz, yo.
Make it so.
From the first page;
I don't want to further tempt fate by saying Sunday will be a classic, but it won't be a foregone conclusion. This is the best Italian team I've seen for a while, and even though Spain had to work considerably harder to win a place the final than in any game they've played thus far, I thought that generally they contained Portugal quite well. Italy - and Balotelli - will be a different matter.
I'd agree except Pirlo is obviously the key man for Italy. His sonning of the Germany midfield for that first goal was absolutely priceless.
Pirlo has been one of the outstanding players of the tournament - certainly the oustanding midfielder - but for me it was Balotelli's unplayability that made the biggest difference last night. He fucking murdered Badstuber, who was completely at fault for the first goal - it was ridiculous that he allowed Baloteli to beat him to the ball. In fact, Germany's centre backs didn't really turn up - Hummels (another outstanding performer) had a stinker last night, a few moments excepted - and their insistence on defending so high up the park could have resulted in a real spanking if the Italian finishing had been a bit sharper. Khedira faded pretty quickly after that early spell of German pressure. Personally, I'd have started M??ller and Reus, who looked threatening every time he had the ball. They could have done with his aggression in the first half.
I was watching him and thinking how well Scholes would've done in that Italy team doing the same thing. Scholes' passing range > or < ?
I wonder if Italy watched Germany v Holland? Couple of times Van Percy was played in straight down the middle but missed. Germany don't appear to have watched Italy v England as that Pirlo to Mario pass down the middle was on all night (to use a Gary Neville phrase "It's Bingo time!").
Duder, Scholes probably has the best passing of all of them (only just) but Pirlo and Xavi have the edge in terms of their defensive play. So little between 'em, makes me curious if there's any midfielders out there who even come close.
Let's see how they'd fare against Huth, Shawcross and the Delap/Crouch throw-in combo.
::wink::
he's been beastin though
he was great when milan won the scudetto
but they thought he was getting to old
traded him to juve and the rest is history
his playing at juve has been stupendous deft touches, passing, orchestrating and murderous set pieces
@ 1:50 is purity
http://www.uefa.com/womensunder17/news/newsid=1836631.html
For me, Brasil 70 just took it somewhere else. They had a flair about them. They didn't win everything but they were great to watch. It wasn't just technique, it was art.
I don't want to come across all bitter doe. Spain were great tonight and deserved the result. Just no moments of unexpected, un-plannable brilliance. It went to the script.
I like many Spanish players. But as a team
I would have enjoyed any other team in the tournament in the final.
In any case. Was a great tournie.
I get that Spain are technically fantastic.
I also get that it is annoying and boring to watch for self and a growing number of punters.
Went to one of the Lean Institutes workshops in Pittsburgh around 2007.
Seriously, I don't know what the fuck's wrong with some of you people.
I was worried that they'd revert to type a spend the game defending deep, but they gave it a go. They looked drained and nowhere near as tenacious as there earlier game against the Spanish. But the Spanish managed to really turn it up a level and put in a great performance.
Compared to some of the cagy 'nobody wants to go out and win it' type finals we've had for many years, this one was nothing to complain about.
But IMO, the tournament was great. Sorry if I offend with a personal opinion...
Those who don't are more for finding value in the big picture, chaos, fluidity and surprise.
We see in Spain a chutzpah gap, an audacity deficit, a hole where 'imagination' should be.
The manager's facial demeanour sums it up.
Dismissing our critique out of hand doesn't address the issue, which is Spain might be winning for all to see, but evidently not 'victorious' in any sense that matters to many of us.
More enjoyable to watch a 6yo with a bucket of Lego bricks build a mad spaceship that will break a minute later than three white-coated lab technicians from Porsche put together a working combustion engine from meccano sets.
IMHO