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So far there doesn't seem to be any stand out team.
Italy looked good today and they always seem to do well when there are no clear favourites.
Wide open competition and some good games so far.
The 3rd group games will prob be shite tho with qualification for most teams already sorted.
Italy looked good today and they always seem to do well when there are no clear favourites.
Wide open competition and some good games so far.
The 3rd group games will prob be shite tho with qualification for most teams already sorted.
I can´t see anyone with a true upper hand in winning this year but I reckon Spain should be the favourite only based on their quality in every sector of the pitch. Leaving Isco and Saul Niguez outside of the Euro is mind boggling, they would start in every other team probably.
In a playoff match I think defensive competence is the X factor and here I think Spain, Italy and Portugal are the top 3 teams this year.
As a portuguese I am really optimistic because we have a lot of young talent that can flourish and with this coach we finally play in a setup that excels our qualities. Excelent without the ball and very skilled with it on transition. We are a very mature team that know our limitations in the last sector (Ronaldo and Quaresma... Nani is shit and Rafa is still in the learning curve) and use our midfielders as much as we can.
Don´t be surprised with the quality of Danilo, João Mário, André Gomes and with the consistency of Moutinho. Renato Sanches coming of the bench is great too, his intensity is awesome (and I can appreciate him now cause he´s not a benfica player anymore eheh).
Going to the point of the last comments, I think I can help with an outside view of the England qualities and possible missing links to greater achievements.
Firstly I love that you guys can play with the Spurs backbone. We all do.
And you deserve the win against Russia that´s for sure.
But I think that England has a major deficit that can cost you in the big games and I actually noticed that in the game you play against us recently (in spite of us playing with 10 like 60 minutes).
Your team is very volatile and don´t know how to control the rhythm of the game. You have the better players on the pitch. But the team appears not to be mature enough to know what the game asks and when you have to make your qualities shine.
One thing we learn in practices here in Portugal is to play without the ball and when to attack it. To read what the other side is trying to do and to counter it. This is the reason why Portugal is so good in youth competitions (euro sub21, world cup sub20, etc). Our teams are super mature and controlling the tempo of the game is the thing which distinguish us from the technique of Spain, the bossy football of Germany, the fast pacing style of England football.
In my opinion, that´s why your game seems so disconnected at certain times. Players that know HOW to play but don´t know WHEN to play it together as a unit.
Sorry for the long post, but I really love national team competitions because of the clash of styles always so charismatic and fun to see. And english is not my first language give me a break!
Good luck to England, hopefully we meet in the finals and that game goes to penalties... I have good memories of English players facing our GKs from the spot
In a playoff match I think defensive competence is the X factor and here I think Spain, Italy and Portugal are the top 3 teams this year.
As a portuguese I am really optimistic because we have a lot of young talent that can flourish and with this coach we finally play in a setup that excels our qualities. Excelent without the ball and very skilled with it on transition. We are a very mature team that know our limitations in the last sector (Ronaldo and Quaresma... Nani is shit and Rafa is still in the learning curve) and use our midfielders as much as we can.
Don´t be surprised with the quality of Danilo, João Mário, André Gomes and with the consistency of Moutinho. Renato Sanches coming of the bench is great too, his intensity is awesome (and I can appreciate him now cause he´s not a benfica player anymore eheh).
Going to the point of the last comments, I think I can help with an outside view of the England qualities and possible missing links to greater achievements.
Firstly I love that you guys can play with the Spurs backbone. We all do.
And you deserve the win against Russia that´s for sure.
But I think that England has a major deficit that can cost you in the big games and I actually noticed that in the game you play against us recently (in spite of us playing with 10 like 60 minutes).
Your team is very volatile and don´t know how to control the rhythm of the game. You have the better players on the pitch. But the team appears not to be mature enough to know what the game asks and when you have to make your qualities shine.
One thing we learn in practices here in Portugal is to play without the ball and when to attack it. To read what the other side is trying to do and to counter it. This is the reason why Portugal is so good in youth competitions (euro sub21, world cup sub20, etc). Our teams are super mature and controlling the tempo of the game is the thing which distinguish us from the technique of Spain, the bossy football of Germany, the fast pacing style of England football.
In my opinion, that´s why your game seems so disconnected at certain times. Players that know HOW to play but don´t know WHEN to play it together as a unit.
Sorry for the long post, but I really love national team competitions because of the clash of styles always so charismatic and fun to see. And english is not my first language give me a break!
Good luck to England, hopefully we meet in the finals and that game goes to penalties... I have good memories of English players facing our GKs from the spot
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Euro 96 vs Euro 2016.
who wins? U decide.
Seaman
Adams
Southgate
Pearce
Ince
Anderton
Platt
Gazza
Mcmanaman
Sheringham
Shearer
Hart
Walker
Cahill
Smalling
Rose
Dier
Rooney
Sterling
lallana
Alli
Kane
That 96 team is still the best in my lifetime I reckon.
I cant remember who was right back though. I think it was anderton RWB maybe.
who wins? U decide.
Seaman
Adams
Southgate
Pearce
Ince
Anderton
Platt
Gazza
Mcmanaman
Sheringham
Shearer
Hart
Walker
Cahill
Smalling
Rose
Dier
Rooney
Sterling
lallana
Alli
Kane
That 96 team is still the best in my lifetime I reckon.
I cant remember who was right back though. I think it was anderton RWB maybe.
Of course not. Haven't finished that low since 2009 but it's a perfectly fair prediction, not at all negative.
Anyway, fuck it, I reckon England will win it. I see the positives in that performance against Russia and this is a very different side to the one's you're associating this side with who let us down so many times.
This isn't 2012-2014 England, this is the start of the new era.
If you haven't seen enough of Danny Rose, Kyle Walker, Eric Dier, Dele Alli and Harry Kane this year to suggest this could be a successful side then I just dunno what can be said...
Believe that they're there to win the thing.
Maybe that's where this relatively new crux of Spurs players can improve us as a side. The chemistry is there and the more Rooney and the rest play with them through the tournament hopefully they'll get on the wavelength too.
I was encouraged by Rooney's performance against Russia. Certainly more impressed with him there than Wheelchair.
I can´t see anyone with a true upper hand in winning this year but I reckon Spain should be the favourite only based on their quality in every sector of the pitch. Leaving Isco and Saul Niguez outside of the Euro is mind boggling, they would start in every other team probably.
In a playoff match I think defensive competence is the X factor and here I think Spain, Italy and Portugal are the top 3 teams this year.
As a portuguese I am really optimistic because we have a lot of young talent that can flourish and with this coach we finally play in a setup that excels our qualities. Excelent without the ball and very skilled with it on transition. We are a very mature team that know our limitations in the last sector (Ronaldo and Quaresma... Nani is shit and Rafa is still in the learning curve) and use our midfielders as much as we can.
Don´t be surprised with the quality of Danilo, João Mário, André Gomes and with the consistency of Moutinho. Renato Sanches coming of the bench is great too, his intensity is awesome (and I can appreciate him now cause he´s not a benfica player anymore eheh).
Going to the point of the last comments, I think I can help with an outside view of the England qualities and possible missing links to greater achievements.
Firstly I love that you guys can play with the Spurs backbone. We all do.
And you deserve the win against Russia that´s for sure.
But I think that England has a major deficit that can cost you in the big games and I actually noticed that in the game you play against us recently (in spite of us playing with 10 like 60 minutes).
Your team is very volatile and don´t know how to control the rhythm of the game. You have the better players on the pitch. But the team appears not to be mature enough to know what the game asks and when you have to make your qualities shine.
One thing we learn in practices here in Portugal is to play without the ball and when to attack it. To read what the other side is trying to do and to counter it. This is the reason why Portugal is so good in youth competitions (euro sub21, world cup sub20, etc). Our teams are super mature and controlling the tempo of the game is the thing which distinguish us from the technique of Spain, the bossy football of Germany, the fast pacing style of England football.
In my opinion, that´s why your game seems so disconnected at certain times. Players that know HOW to play but don´t know WHEN to play it together as a unit.
Sorry for the long post, but I really love national team competitions because of the clash of styles always so charismatic and fun to see. And english is not my first language give me a break!
Good luck to England, hopefully we meet in the finals and that game goes to penalties... I have good memories of English players facing our GKs from the spot
I appreciate all you points.
But respectfully. Surely the time has come for football teams to stop boring their way to a trophy?
I hate Spain. They disgust me. It's like a Mathematician has found an algorithm to win a tournament.
It literally disgusts me. I hate their football.
So boring.
Good comments on england. Spot on.I can´t see anyone with a true upper hand in winning this year but I reckon Spain should be the favourite only based on their quality in every sector of the pitch. Leaving Isco and Saul Niguez outside of the Euro is mind boggling, they would start in every other team probably.
In a playoff match I think defensive competence is the X factor and here I think Spain, Italy and Portugal are the top 3 teams this year.
As a portuguese I am really optimistic because we have a lot of young talent that can flourish and with this coach we finally play in a setup that excels our qualities. Excelent without the ball and very skilled with it on transition. We are a very mature team that know our limitations in the last sector (Ronaldo and Quaresma... Nani is shit and Rafa is still in the learning curve) and use our midfielders as much as we can.
Don´t be surprised with the quality of Danilo, João Mário, André Gomes and with the consistency of Moutinho. Renato Sanches coming of the bench is great too, his intensity is awesome (and I can appreciate him now cause he´s not a benfica player anymore eheh).
Going to the point of the last comments, I think I can help with an outside view of the England qualities and possible missing links to greater achievements.
Firstly I love that you guys can play with the Spurs backbone. We all do.
And you deserve the win against Russia that´s for sure.
But I think that England has a major deficit that can cost you in the big games and I actually noticed that in the game you play against us recently (in spite of us playing with 10 like 60 minutes).
Your team is very volatile and don´t know how to control the rhythm of the game. You have the better players on the pitch. But the team appears not to be mature enough to know what the game asks and when you have to make your qualities shine.
One thing we learn in practices here in Portugal is to play without the ball and when to attack it. To read what the other side is trying to do and to counter it. This is the reason why Portugal is so good in youth competitions (euro sub21, world cup sub20, etc). Our teams are super mature and controlling the tempo of the game is the thing which distinguish us from the technique of Spain, the bossy football of Germany, the fast pacing style of England football.
In my opinion, that´s why your game seems so disconnected at certain times. Players that know HOW to play but don´t know WHEN to play it together as a unit.
Sorry for the long post, but I really love national team competitions because of the clash of styles always so charismatic and fun to see. And english is not my first language give me a break!
Good luck to England, hopefully we meet in the finals and that game goes to penalties... I have good memories of English players facing our GKs from the spot
I really like watching gomes for u guys.
I think u, spain & italy wont score enough to win it.
We have a super easy group.. but the draw to the playoff screwed us.
If we finish 1st we´d play Belgium most likely.
If we finish 2nd we´d play the 2nd of your group. And if that is not England it´s way more easy than Belgium.
But I can´t see us not finishing 1st.. Quaresma got injured and he won´t play tomorrow but that shouldn´t be a problem.
And I think we have a new dynamic that most teams don´t know about so much. 4 guys in midfield and 2 guys loose in front. We play way better like this than with classic 4-3-3 and our coach is really bringing something special to our usual routine.. Losing 1-0 or in penalties in playoffs. Expect good things from us if we can keep our main players healthy.
It was only 2 positions lower. Not that bad.
I thought we would get further in both cups.
We can go back & forth with predictions I got wrong on both sides.
I will say england will get to the quarters at worst & semis at best. Just a prediction.
This isnt the england team of the past is similar to people saying that about us & that we would win the title.
Both england & spurs have a way to go yet to win major comps. But both are improving & on the right track.
That I can agree with.
I can understand your point.Different cultures, different styles of football.
What you consider "boring their way to a trophy" for us and spanish people we consider having the ball in our power and controlling the game as much as we can. Few risks as possible. Clinical football.
Of course Spain has a lot more talent than Portugal.. that´s why we have to play a little more aggressive without the ball than them and trying to surprise them when they think they are comfortable in the match. And that´s why we always have close matchups against them and we truly deserved to win that game in 2012 where the Ronaldo-shaking-head-saying-"injustice" got so iconic.
According to
Furball man
's wallchart you'll more likely end up playing a combine harvester or blue whale
That the one where he was due to take the last penalty but didn't get the chance? Or was that something different?
Different cultures, different styles of football.
What you consider "boring their way to a trophy" for us and spanish people we consider having the ball in our power and controlling the game as much as we can. Few risks as possible. Clinical football.
Of course Spain has a lot more talent than Portugal.. that´s why we have to play a little more aggressive without the ball than them and trying to surprise them when they think they are comfortable in the match. And that´s why we always have close matchups against them and we truly deserved to win that game in 2012 where the Ronaldo-shaking-head-saying-"injustice" got so iconic.
Yes he didn´t get the chance to score the last penalty.
It was a super close matchup and I am little biased but I think we deserved the W.
In the penalties shootout we hit the post and the ball went off... they hit the post right after and the ball went in.
Harsh for us, but I think this year we have a better team, perhaps Moutinho was in better shape back then, but now we have other great assets that people don´t know a lot about!
Can I tell you something mate.
We are so jaded with Europe. Us as a massive football country.
This is the least we have ever cared about a major Championship. Even though we are in it. And after the horrific scenes we've seen in Marseille. We hate it right now. We kind of want out. No one would care if we finished bottom. There is nowhere that has the George flag bar a few supermarkets. We are a bit ashamed. But also defiant. We know those fools don't represent us.
We hate UEFA. We hate FIFA.
We are genuinely becoming an island country. We are sick of everyone hating us.
We hate the next WC going to Russia despite the FIFA panel saying we had the best bid.... The States not getting Qatars FIFA proposal.
It's a massive shame. I used to plan each game meticulously. Who would I see? It was a political nightmare. But we would work it out. All friends would see friends as its once every four years.
Now. We don't care. Like the Eurovision.