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| Euro 2008- Knockout Rounds (R); Quarters, Semis & Final | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 18 2008, 09:19 AM (1,651 Views) | |
| Mr. Pither | Jun 27 2008, 07:21 AM Post #91 |
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Very good points Simon. Russia did look drained in this game. Maybe it was one game to many for them but also give credit to Spain who shut down Arshavin, Zhirkov and Zyryanov, their three main offensive creators. Spain's defense came in for some criticism earlier but they were very sound in this game and the Russians always had trouble breaking through. Marcos Senna is the player who has really made a name for himself in this tournament. He doesn't appear to set a foot wrong, is always in the right place, he wins the ball and once he has it, he can distribute it effectively. A very impressive tournament. He's one of the oldest players on Spain's otherwise young team but he's been one of the most impressive in a very good team. One man's pain is another's opportunity. The excellent Villa goes down injured and Fabregas takes advantage to play a great match. Spain have had such a good tournament and play an entertaining style of football, I really would like to see them cap it all of with the championship. |
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P-I-T-H-E-R ...as in Brotherhood, but with PI instead of the BRO and no HOOD | |
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| Winslow | Jun 27 2008, 07:52 AM Post #92 |
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International football needs more Russias (Russia v. Holland, not Russia v. Spain)and more Turkeys. Can we all agree that this has turned out to be a pretty darn good tournament? We've seen several great games and only a few dogs, the goal-per-game average is over 2.5, and a lot of players have stepped up to make names for themselves. Germany's best chance to win the final is to make it very, very, very boring, but I suspect that the Spanish attack will torment the leaky Deutchland D--though the Spanish back four and Senna had better play one more good match, as Germany can score too. Frings will play in the final, and that's good news for the Germans. Two things about last night's game: Iniesta deserved his MOTM honors, and did anyone else think Guiza may have been offside on the second goal? |
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| Gunners | Jun 27 2008, 09:52 AM Post #93 |
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I suspect Germany will give Spain all it can handle. The Germans may not always play pretty football, but they win. I'd look for Low to bring back Frings. The Germans are a much better side with Frings and Ballack controlling the central midfield. If there is any pair of holding midfielders in Europe who can control the likes of Iniesta, Xavi, Cesc, Silva, etc, it is the pairing of Ballack and Frings. |
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| Simon | Jun 27 2008, 10:41 AM Post #94 |
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Yes I've enjoyed it, although I have a few reservations. Before the tournament we discussed previous European Championships in turn and there were some fantastic teams involved as well of players of the very highest class who lit up the tournament with their incredible feats. I don't think there's been any team at Euro 2008 who can quite stand comparison with the best of those teams and although there have been some good individual performances there certainly hasn't been a Platini 84, Van Basten 88 or even Zidane 2000. The best performances I have seen were the first two from Holland, but their challenge kind of fizzled out. Croatia were excellent against Germany but didn't play too well in their other three games. We've already said that Germany don't look too impressive. Spain haven't always convinced (e.g. versus Sweden and Italy) but have done all that's been asked of them, while Russia and Turkey looked good in patches. Still, I wasn't expecting to see a 'great team' because I don't think there is one out there. I've been pleased with the number of goals and some of the good matches we've seen, though it's been a bit of a choppy tournament for entertainment value. One good thing is that even some of the rubbish matches have featured compensatory late drama, as with Croatia v Turkey and Austria v Poland. The first round of group games was often dull (Swiss v Czechs, Austria v Croatia, Romania v France, Greece v Sweden etc), the second was a bit better (especially Holland v France, Croatia v Germany) but the third was more of a let down, Turkey aside, as each group featured an already-qualified team who rested all their players. We saw two good quarter-finals and two terrible ones, while both semis were good IMO. Hopefully we get a good final so Euro 2008 ends on an 'up note'! |
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| Merengue | Jun 27 2008, 11:22 AM Post #95 |
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I am obviously ecstatic with Spain's semifinal win over Russia. 7-1 on aggregate over two legs against Hiddink's Russia, not bad eh? Luis Aragones took a lot of stick in the buildup to the tournament but he has created a good team, that moves the ball well, defends solidly, has excellent team unity and plenty of depth. So far Aragones has been touching all of the right buttons and I'll be hoping he can do that for one more game. Against Russia, Spain were very tenacious defensively and stuck like glue to Arshavin, Zyryanov and Zhirkov which really took the wind out of Russia's team. And with Spain's ability to keep the ball, which was increased when Cesc came on for the injured Villa, plus their ability to make intelligent use of the ball, they had the Russians chasing circles for much of the game. Sure Germany will present a different challenge and they'll try and close Spain down in midfield and use their physical strength there to their advantage but if Spain moves the ball like they did against Russia, they'll have the Germans chasing too. Spain have usually matched up pretty well with Germany over the years and that was with lesser teams than the current version of La Furia Roja. If Spain can handle their nerves in a championship game, this is in my view a game they can win. And few will doubt their legitimacy as they've put together the best overall tournament of any team n Euro 2008. Unlike Portugal, Croatia and Holland they still were able to win when they played less than their best (vs Italy.) |
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| Pepe | Jun 27 2008, 11:59 AM Post #96 |
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I can't stop praising Marcos Senna for all the work he does in Spain's midfield. He just stopped everything Russia tried sending down the middle of the field yesterday. Against Turkey, Michael Ballack was very quiet as Mehmet Aurelio, Turkey's version of Senna controlled him well, I think the Spanish version can do the same in Sunday's Final. Germany's best hope will be to use the wings with Podolski and Schweinsteiger and hope they can do what Russia couldn't, open up the Spanish defense. Their other strength will be off of free kicks and corner kicks using their aerial power. Spain must try and limit the free kicks they conceed to Germany anywhere near the penalty area. offensively I agree with Merengue, Spain especially now that Cesc will likely start, must keep the ball moving, make Germany work defensively and try and pry open their defense by spreading them out much like Croatia and Turkey successfully did. Spain have the tools to do that. |
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| galicia | Jun 27 2008, 12:04 PM Post #97 |
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It seems that Spain only has played "well" against Russia. But, as Merengue points out, it is important to win or advance when not playing well. In this category, I would add the Sweden game to the Italy match that Merengue pointed out. Heading into the final, I am concerned about a couple of things regarding Spain's game. First of all, the defense still looks very shaky on the crosses. Pavlyuchenko had a clear header in the dying minutes of the game that he sent to the middle of the goal. I have nightmares about the German forwards having clear chances like this. The second concern is about the fitness of the players. Guys like Senna or Silva, who are all over the field, could use a bit more rest. I haven't followed La Liga at all this year (other than my beloved Deportivo, that is) so I don't know if any of the main players have lost a significant amount of action due to injury or bad form and may be a bit fresher than expected. Yet, it must be a concern. Having said that, I have seen some things that I liked a lot. Everybody raves about Senna. I agree he has been excellent. I also think that Silva and Capdevila, although receiving fewer accolades, have been superb. Cesc seems to be doing well, so that is good news following the announcement that Villa won't play. Through the first three games that he played, I thought that Sergio Ramos was awful. He defended very poorly (cue Ibrahimovic goal) and even though he looked dangerous when moving upfield, his crosses were deplorable. Yet, I thought that yesterday he had a fantastic game, with excellent defending and dangerous attacking play. I hope he keeps it up for the final. So, I am cautiously optimistic for the final. I saw Germany against Croatia (crappy game for the Germans), Portugal (good game, but with mistakes), and Turkey (bad game, but they won). I think these guys know what they need to do to beat Spain. So we'll have to trust that Aragonés also gets his troops ready. With this comment, half of the Spanish supporters are starting to come down from their high but, hey, he brought us here, didn't he? Cheers Pedro |
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| enganche | Jun 27 2008, 02:01 PM Post #98 |
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galicia is right to praise Silva and Capdevila who have been among two of Spain's lesser acclaimed heroes in this tournament. Nobody has gotten past Capdevila on his side and if he repeats that defensive display in Sunday's final against Schweinsteiger then Spain could be sitting pretty. Silva meanwhile has been the most incisive of Spain's pack of skilled midfielders. Especially now with Villa out injured, Silva will be a key to Spain's attempts to break down the German defense. galicia, I would say Russia got that free header late in the match after Spain relaxed up 3 goals, prior to that they were very concentrated and defended well. They'll need to repeat that formula against Germany because players like Klose, Ballack and Podolski don't pardon. |
| Prefiero morir de pie que vivir arrodillado | |
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| Manzanares | Jun 27 2008, 04:26 PM Post #99 |
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As galicia writes, we Spanish are naturaly pessimistic when it comes to our national team but again as he provides, Aragones team this year has given us all hope. There just seems something different about the attitude of this team. getting by Italy was the key. Now they have the chance to make history. Good points too in praising Silva and Capdevila. Silva has been so active offensively that it was nice to see his work rewarded with that third goal yesterday. Like enganche said, it is Silva who has provided that incisve edge to the team's midfield of jugones. As for Capdevila, those of us who have seen him play this past year with Villarreal are not surprised by his form at Euro 2008, nor that of his club mate Marcos Senna. And after some doubts after a less than stellar club season, Carles Puyol has refound his form and playing like the tenacious centerback we have known over the years. Luis Aragones is a sly old fox and he had a great game plan against Russia. I trust he can come up with one to combat the Germans as well. But perhaps most importantly he has created a sense of team spirit with this national team. He took his hits in the press leading up to the tournament but with his success those critics have suddenly become quiet! Aragones' team has given all Spain fans the ability to dream that it is indeed possible to win the European championship. |
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| valenciano | Jun 27 2008, 09:57 PM Post #100 |
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Here are some post games quotes from Guus Hiddink which make me believe it is indeed possible Spain can win the final on Sunday,
That is high praise indeed from an opposing coach and the fact the fit Russians, who had plenty of rest after eliminating Holland, were worn out by chasing Spain around in midfield does make me optimistic the same can be done against Germany. Germany's best hope to create danger is how they scored against Portugal, off of free kicks and I'd also include their threat off of corners too. If Spain defends those well it can win the game. |
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| Yogi | Jun 28 2008, 05:42 AM Post #101 |
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Interesting quotes from Hiddink. Watching the match, what he describes is what looked to me like what occurred on the pitch but the fact the young and energetic Russian team did run out of gas against Spain, despite having an extra day's rest is credit to Spain's way of playing. Joachim Low though will have watched that semifinal and will as Gunners wrote try and stifle Spain's midfield much as Italy did. Here is where Germany's physical strength will come into play. But if Ballack is spending more time trying to press Spain in midfield that will take him away from the attack. I think the battles on the wing between Podolski and Schweinsteiger against Ramos and Capdevila will be fascinating and could go a long way in determining which team is successful tomorrow. |
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| shelsoccer | Jun 28 2008, 10:46 AM Post #102 |
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I'll be a little torn tomorrow. I have some German heritage, but I'd also like to see this elegant Spanish team win. If I'm Low, I'd follow Sweden's example in how to play Spain. Let Spain have their possession, don't chase and pressure all over the field, stay compact in the back with plenty of players behind the ball, then hope you can convert on a counter or a dead ball. That strategy was good enough for Sweden to come within a minute of earning a draw against a clearly superior Spanish team. It could work for Germany, a team with superior talent to Sweden and a big-tournament pedigree. Unfortunately, that could make for a dull game, maybe even PKs. If Spain takes the lead early, then that strategy is out the window and hopefully we can enjoy an entertaining game -- and I think that's likely. Germany won't lie down and they have the tools and mental toughness to make this a a close game, unlike Spain's 3-0 win over the young Russians. |
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| Merengue | Jun 28 2008, 11:24 PM Post #103 |
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You are probably right shelsoccer that what you suggest is Germany's best bet to win this final. But their preparations have been hit by a calf injury to Michael Ballack who didn't train with his teammates on Friday or Saturday. I would still expect him to play but you won't hear any complaints from me if he isn't 100% fit! The problem with the strategy that shelsoccer outlines for Germany is a quick Spanish goal makes the Germans chase the game. And with Cesc starting for the injured Villa, Spain should not only maintain more possession but will also have a player capable of making incisive passes to get through a massed defense. The quotes valenciano provides from Guus Hiddink are quite enlightening and do make me more optimistic. For what it is worth, Arsene Wenger who has called all of the knockout games correctly so far predicts a 2-1 Spain win based on Spain's midfield play. Well I was a newborn when Marcelino scored that goal to give Spain the Euro 1964 title, as a student I watched Spain pull off several last minute wins ala Turkey this year, in 1984 but like the Turks they came to the final weakened by injury and couldn't pull off one more miracle. I am a middle aged man now and I've been waiting all my life to see Spain take home a title, something they are hopefully a little over 13 hours away from doing. Germany are always a difficult and intelligent opponent but what gives me encouragement is the guile, skill and tenacity of this Spain team. Words can't describe the emotions I am currently going through now but I cannot wait for this match to begin. iViva España! |
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| Hector | Jun 28 2008, 11:51 PM Post #104 |
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What I like about Spain's team is they seem very focused and with Luis Aragones making it official he's stepping down after these finales, the players have gone on record as saying they want to win the title for him. It will take more than good wishes to beat Germany though, but if Spain can defend the dead ball situations, and this is where Marchena, Ramos and Puyol will be required, then I think Spain can win this game. The ball possession will be a big factor in favour of Sain and we already saw how Croatia and Turkey, with their passing games created dangers for Germany. I just wish Villa was available for this game as his intelligence around the penalty area is so valuable to the team. It will be time for Fernando Torres to step up and reproduce some of his club form with the national team. If not Dani Guiza is on standby. I fully expect Ballack will play for Germany. He and Schweinsteiger are the players who most worry me. It has been a wonderful tournament and I look forward to a glorious ending to it. If Spain can play with the confidence they've shown so far, I like their psychological strength, even against Germany and think they can win this title. I hope everyone on this message board enjoys the game. I looked in to flying to the game, I'd be leaving around now and getting back before dawn tomorrow but the cost was too much. I'll stay home and watch it with friends and family instead. |
| iPuerta amigo, Sevilla esta contigo! | |
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| Roosevelt | Jun 29 2008, 04:26 AM Post #105 |
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I've been unable to watch most of this tournament, but I'm definitely looking forward to watching today's final. And I like the fact that ABC is broadcasting LA Galaxy-DC United as the lead-in. As I'm laid up at the moment, a Sunday soccer orgy is just what the doctor ordered! I'm rooting for Spain because I think they and their long-suffering supporters *deserve* it more, but as a neutral I mostly hope it's well-played and entertaining. (Or, as the Turkey-Germany semifinal was, at least entertaining!) Best wishes to the fans of both teams. |
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Another day in June, we'll pick eleven for football We're playing for our lives, the referee gives us f**k-all | |
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