Forum menu
I know. Same with the Czech keeper, I know Schick scored two good goals but their GK stopped it being 4-2 (OK, 4-4, Marshall made two good stops as well)
Anyway… Spain last night. How the hell that ended up as a 0-0 is somewhat bemusing. 85% possession and not getting a win? The Swedish goalkeeper had an absolute blinder. A couple of incredible reaction saves.
I think I saw that coming a long way off, made it most of the way through the first half then just got bored, almost seemed like a training game with all the intricate passing but not much actual drama.
I remember a good description of the ugly Spain-Holland final in 2010 - Spain tried to box Holland in with the intricate passing, and Holland just tried to kick their way out!
Saw the second half of the Spain / Sweden game, not so much tiki-taka, more chuckle brothers without the drama.
From me, to you...
I know the first half was different but in the second half it seemed to me that the Swedes just let Spain play with the ball amongst themselves. The Swedes may have only had 15% possession but they didn't even look tired or overstretched towards the end of the game. The whole point of a possession game is to tire your opponents out, not tire yourselves out putting on a passing exhibition whilst the opposition just holds its shape and watches.
not so much tiki-taka, more chuckle brothers without the drama.
I've just literally laughed out loud in a very dull Teams meeting. Thought I was on mute....
I mean they couldn’t see all the bits coming together as they did, Mount wasn’t staying out left thinking ‘if I stay here Kyle’s got the space the thread the ball to Kalvin who’s going to make that run and then Harry can get across the defender to create a gaps for
From experience, they see the possibility they might. You can see the likely next step and act to enhance it. I played with a forward who was exceptionally good at seeing the next but one pass and using his presence and movement to create gaps in the defence to make it happen.
Spain is a great example. Iniesta knew, either from experience, coaching or instinct, that getting the ball into the zone around the penalty box arc was not the important part. It was moving it through that area quickly. Stats bear this out. He didn't play the pass to the player in that zone until he could see the pass that player would subsequently make. It's one of the reasons Spain's tiki taka is largely negative these days.
Defence wins tournies. A hot keeper helps a lot. Both Spain and Sweden benefitted from that last night.
RB to tuck in who in turn would have been yelling at the RHS midfield to be getting back on cover and the chance would have been blocked
I think the RHS mid was fronting Walker. The RB couldn't tuck in because Foden then gets the ball with space to accelerate, and you don't want that. The two Center Half's are crappinh themselves at the prospect of Kane getting behind. If Phillips takes that pass wide, the way he is running, he is heading towards the corner flag, the move dies. Kane rolling in deep pulls both CH, creates the space up top for Phillips to turn into. Sterling sees the gap developing early, starts the run. Brasavic (sp?) the DM dropped a bollokc there. He's gone over to close the space for Walkers pass but then gets caught ball watching, doesn't see the space developing between the RB and CHs, or Sterling coming. By the time he does, its way too late. I think all those players 'knew' all of that at each step, a step or two before their step actually happened.
I really liked the last WC, iirc, because you could stream the footage from the overhead camera. If you like this stuff, that's is a great way to watch a Match. I'd much rather be way up at the top behind the net than down near the halfway line.
The Group of death to look forward to this evening then?
I suspect I'm going to have to endure Pogba being brilliant again as he tends to be during international tournaments, in stark contrast to his usual disinterested lolloping about at United
If the first 20 minutes don't go well for the french, I predict we might see another implosion. The seeds are already down, discord between Giroud's ego and Mbappe's exuberance. If the bearded sulk and Mbappe are at odds, can they play together? If not, I know who I'd drop, which creates further discord.
If happy Pogba shows up good for France, if sulky uninterested teenage Pogba shows up, good for the rest of us in entertainment value.
Watching the cream of the premier League in Portugal along with poor Pepe's perpetual battle against the invisible Man.
LOL Ronaldo misses from 6 yards out dead center.
How come they’ve got Rhod Gilbert doing commentary on the Portugal match?? 😄
I think the RHS mid was fronting Walker. The RB couldn’t tuck in because Foden then gets the ball with space to accelerate, and you don’t want that.
You clearly know your football, but you need L&R written on your hands.
I was talking about the two Croatians on the LHS of screen at 2:49. There's 4 pitch stripes between RB and the CB, compared to the centre circle that's 25 yards.
Basic positioning says that's too much. Even without a situation developing he's switched off for a moment.
It takes 1, 1.5s before he starts to cover over and he's half a second late for the block. The RM is 5 yards from Mount and could have come back at the same time to cover the gap. You see the panic as the situation unfolds......
I'd never have let him switch off, and if he had he'd have been Schmeichel'ed all the way back to the hotel afterwards.
And off come the wheels.
Too bad Hungary did very well, unfair score really.
Softest of pens given the physical play he'd let go elsewhere. Didnt have the balls to give a second yellow to the portuguese defender, who shoved the big turkish lump in the back 3 times when the ball wasn't in play, once after having been warned to stop it. Cuneyt is nothing if not consistent in knowing which one is the 'bigger' team.
was talking about the two Croatians on the LHS of screen at 2:49. Th
Oh I see what you mean. I can only assume that the team instructions were that one of CM fill the gap in the middle. Mount and Trippier (and I assume this is why Southgate picked him) Offer such an attacking threat that you wouldn't want your left sides players tucking too much. I agree though, I started as a wing back and I'd have been somewhere around the back post at that point. Sterling has come inside, your midfielder should be covering Trippier, Mount would be going inside out allowing time to adjust. The increasing threat of the attacking wingback has led to managers using a DM either between the CH or plugging the gaps between them and the wing backs, though.
For me though, the DM failing to recognise that Sterling is in the middle, and his wingback hadn't tucked is unforgivable. That's the one I'd have been yelling at to move into cover. Sterling starts his run about 5 yards short of where he should be. If you can find footage from the overhead you'll see what I mean.
Viera and Keane on the sofa together!
Wonder what the green room was like?
Is Keano wearing a rip off Rapha?😀
And off come the wheels
Popped out for quick workout on the bag and missed it.
Popped out for quick workout on the bag
That's probably something you want to keep to yourself.
and missed it.
Was it not where you left it last?
Don't do that during the france game, you might miss Pogba running, or Benzema and Mbappe v. Giroud in a death match.
Or a decent soccer game. Either way.
ITV coverage is playing some great tunes, happy Mondays, Jeff Buckley , war on drugs
Plus theyve sat keano and viera together
And some gratuitous footage of Schumacher banjaxing battista
Quality tangential article (Guardian Long Read) here on the UK’s almost exclusive oversight on pitch quality both at domestic and international level.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jun/15/silicon-valley-of-turf-uk-perfect-football-pitch
Germany look a bit weary tonight
Ooof, did someone mention Schumacher up there ^^
Really don't get that oafish rule where the offside flag does not go up straight away.
because he might have got it wrong. If he flags wrongly, game stops, chance gone, there's no way to reset back where they were and start as they were before the error.
At least this way round everyone plays on, you see what would have happened, and then stop and check.
It does seem daft, particularly when the decision is obvious but if you've ever run the line (and done offsides, not just ball in and out) it's bloody hard and I'm amazed how accurate they are.
When you weigh it up, it's clearly the better way round.
(and annoyed that McCoist and pundits still don't get it because it's different to their day!)
Are Germany England of old in disguise? So many square and backward passes when they have much better options. Shocking.
When you need a goal they bring on Werner - says it all. Good to see Jogi Loew and his assistant are as suave as ever though.
I'm just glad he wasn't caught sniffing his fingers after a good rummage in his boxers
When you weigh it up, it’s clearly the better way round.
Until you lose your best keeper/striker/centre half to a completely unnecessary challenge. I'd rather they let the asst call it if he's confident, leave it if he's not. At least have the pretence that the guys on the field have some purpose.
That asst called a tighter one that the Mbappe number two in the first half straight away.
Frantic, error filled first half. Dull as spanish tikki-oops in the second except for one period when the Germans remembered how to play a vertical ball. Then back to sideways, sideway, sideways until the French rebuilt the Maginot line at the top of the box, but this time the Germans just bounced off it, over and over and over.
Until you lose your best keeper/striker/centre half to a completely unnecessary challenge.
Yes, there is that risk.
I thought Bale was taking the piss first time! Keep it in the corner!!
The tunnel scenes afterwards are going to be sponsored by The Kaiser Chiefs
Yes!
Feels like a semi final this does!
What's Turkish for fool me once? I wondered on the second one, surely he's not....Then he did.
Fair play to Bale for doing it not once, but twice.
He surely won’t do it again, will he....?
Brilliant!
Has anyone seen a goal scored from a corner like that before?
I've seen it tried but it didn't work out, defence switched on in time and blocked the shot.
10 straight clean sheets is pretty impressive!
Has anyone seen a goal scored from a corner like that before
at any other point in a game a defence will be switched on to that, but in the dying seconds of a game with the opposition one up they’d have just been expecting them to play it in and around the corner flag and play out to the whistle.
Molls... mate... you really do need to start regularly watching a proper game on a regular basis rather than rugby. 😉
Best corner since Alexander Arnold v Barcelona.
Ukraine v North Macedonia is a cracking game!
RM.
Caught the first 20 mins of that while I was eating my lunch. Looked a pretty lively match already.
Anyone else enjoying the general vibe of this tournament? Less VAR than the premier league, fewer stoppages, lots of good games already, and I could swear there's less diving and general shithousery. Well done the footballists.
It appears that Ronnie is the only person at the Euro's capable of taking a penalty
Anyone else enjoying the general vibe of this tournament? Less VAR than the premier league, fewer stoppages, lots of good games already, and I could swear there’s less diving and general shithousery. Well done the footballists.
I think the refs have been great. They're not buying the diving at all so players seem to have stopped doing it as they know they're not going to get them.
As for the VAR, I don't think theres been less of it, it just seems to have been done properly as opposed to the endless faffing about thats been going on in the Premier League all season. Half the time you'd barely notice they've done a VAR check. I hope they're watching this in Stockley Park
Yeah all for the less diving and time wasting but wondered if was due to not being at the pointy end yet.
I barely see any prem games but has the diving all got a bit obvious so is having much less of an impact than it was say 10 years ago?
They’re not buying the diving at all so players seem to have stopped doing it
You must be watching different matches. I've cpseen plenty of 'simulation'. Yes they are ignoring a lot of it. If they actually want it to stop though, they should probably start issuing yellow cards, as the laws require.
The penalty late on was absurd. The change to the interpretation of the handball law means that you can't jumo 'naturally' and you basically have to take a 45mph free kick to the head. The dangers of this are well-known. It is absolutely absurd of FIFA/UEFA to force players into this position. They should either refuse to make walls, resulting in stupid games, or take FIFA to court. I don't give a damn if a player blocks a kick with his arm instead of his face, if it means a few less brain damaged 50 year olds dribbling in themselves.