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Thread: Euro 2020

  1. #41
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
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    Dur'm
    Late to the thread, but the Eriksen collapse was the scariest thing I've seen at any sporting event. They showed a brief shot of him lying on the field with eyes open and unresponsive that made me sure he was dead. Thank goodness he's stable now. The cause has not been identified, and I wonder if his playing career is over? I sure hope he make a full recovery and is able to lead a normal life.

    Soccer-wise, UEFA screwed up. There's no way that game should have been restarted on the same day. Kaspar Schmeichel came back out onto the field still crying, and it was his error that led to the only goal. When Denmark won a penalty in the late game, it's a shot Eriksen would normally have taken, and that Højberg botched so badly that the save wasn't even a challenge. Give folks at least a day to cope with the new reality, then make thought-through plans to resume. I understand it's a tournament, and there are good reasons to hustle things along, but they should have been more compassionate about it than that.

    Agree about the Czech goal. That was incredible. A blocked shot by Scotland from 25-yards or so out from the Czech goal, and the next touch of the ball was a perfectly weighted 49-yard one-the-run strike straight into the Scottish net. It's here, if you haven't seen it.

  2. #42
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    Quote Originally Posted by CrazyNotCrazie View Post
    Not sure what to make about Moreno announcing - very unique style.
    I don't have any similar hesitation: I almost have to turn the game off when Moreno is on the call. I flat-out hate him. Yesterday he was in the process of trashing the Dutch coach, saying that the team's playing style is boring, while the Dutch team is breaking forward and getting a shot on goal. He realized it and sort of tried to walk it back, but too late. He is so overwhelmingly negative in his commentary, and his "good-natured banter" is so self-centered, I find it not-quite-literally insufferable. He's my least favorite soccer commentator, by a pretty good bit.
    Last edited by Phredd3; 06-14-2021 at 12:42 PM.

  3. #43
    Quote Originally Posted by Phredd3 View Post
    I don't have any similar hesitation: I almost have to turn the game off when Moreno is on the call. I flat-out hate him. Yesterday he was in the process of trashing the Dutch coach, saying that the team's playing style is boring, while the Dutch team is breaking forward and getting a shot on goal. He realized it and sort of tried to walk it back, but too late. He is so overwhelmingly negative in his commentary, and his "good-natured banter" is so self-centered, I find it not-quite-literally insufferable. He's my least favorite soccer commentator, by a pretty good bit.
    I’m glad, I think, to have Phredd3 confirm my characterization last week of Moreno as “relentlessly snide, self-important.” Moreno reminds me, too much, of Corey Alexander. As Phredd says, “overwhelmingly negative,” with “self-centered,” faux-“good-natured banter.” Just like CA.

    But ...

    Quote Originally Posted by CrazyNotCrazie View Post
    Not sure what to make about Moreno announcing - very unique style.
    To add to CNC’s more neutral comment, Moreno — far more than CA — does offer intelligent observations. Too intermittently, probably, to compensate for his smugness.

    Ah, I’m not a fan of Twellman, either. Not as irritating as Moreno, but I don’t think he should be the A-list partner with Champion. Perhaps they are perceived by ESPN muckety-mucks as having developed good chemistry. Give me Derek Rae and (almost) anybody.

  4. #44

    Luis Enrique

    I haven't followed the build up to the EUROs in Spain, though I know they’ve had Covid issues and complications. But I’d assume Luis Enrique’s decision to take but 24 players, none of whom play for Real Madrid, has been controversial back home. Maybe understandable he’d leave Sergio Ramos behind, but Nacho has had a very good season and would provide a lot of experience and versatility.

    More Barça-Real Madrid testiness, it appears from the outside.

  5. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by gumbomoop View Post
    Ah, I’m not a fan of Twellman, either. Not as irritating as Moreno, but I don’t think he should be the A-list partner with Champion. Perhaps they are perceived by ESPN muckety-mucks as having developed good chemistry. Give me Derek Rae and (almost) anybody.
    I'm not a fan of Twellman, but at least he doesn't make me want to throw bricks at the TV. Twellman also comes across as a bit self-centered, and like Moreno, often presents his opinion as fact. What I like about the NBS PL color guys (Less Dixon and Graeme Le Saux, especially, but Derek Rae is in this boat, too) is that they come across as experts, but tend to avoid trashing players, coaches, or refs. Even when disagreeing with a call, they'll typically say something like, "That's not a foul, for me." Not, "Ridiculous call. No way is that a foul."

    Polite disagreement is a bit of a dying art.

    Derek Rae is excellent, too, of course, but he's play-by-play. For me, there's nobody better at that job than Arlo White, but he's contracted with NBC and they aren't lending him out.

  6. #46
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    Jan 2009
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    Boston, MA

    Spain...smh

    Spain had 85% possession. 85%!!!! And they couldn't score. Game ended 0-0 against an understaffed Sweden that has very little talent.

    The pundits are right; this is a wasteful Spain team. If Morata is the best attacking option, this team is in major trouble.
    Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill

    President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club

  7. #47
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    Quote Originally Posted by flyingdutchdevil View Post
    Spain had 85% possession. 85%!!!! And they couldn't score. Game ended 0-0 against an understaffed Sweden that has very little talent.

    The pundits are right; this is a wasteful Spain team. If Morata is the best attacking option, this team is in major trouble.
    They play very similarly to how City play, and looked like City does on their off days: lots of careful, possession-keeping passes, but no urgency and no risks taken in trying to get the ball actually into the net. Possession is important, but you can't get three points if you can't score. And just like City does on those days, they suddenly started to have the urgency, take the risks, and actually look dangerous starting in about the 80th minute. But it isn't a switch you can count on to produce a goal in just a few minutes. It's still soccer, and a missed touch or timely block or two is all it takes to prevent a goal.

    I'll be interested to see if they step it up in their next game. I'll also be interested to see if Morata gets the start. He didn't really create anything, and he didn't really come all that close on the chances he had.

    Any thoughts on France-Germany today? The French are better on paper. Will their youth be able to run Germany's experience off the field?

  8. #48
    Quote Originally Posted by Phredd3 View Post
    Any thoughts on France-Germany today? The French are better on paper. Will their youth be able to run Germany's experience off the field?
    Group of Death, matchday 1. I am interested in whether all 3 of France, Germany, and Portugal can get to the knockout stage. If Hungary can take a point from any of the others, that team would be in trouble. So there’s as much pressure on Portugal today as on France and Germany.

    I think the match in Budapest will be the first to allow 100% fan capacity, so Hungary will have great support. But Christiano Ronaldo may take as much inspiration from the noise as any of Hungary’s players. Hungary are a weak team, though playing well in recent matches.

    Seems tension is the dominant mood in Germany’s camp, confidence in the French camp. Will home match — 20% capacity = 20,000 fans — give Germany any advantage at all?

  9. #49
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    I'm just getting warmed up on this...so what's the deal, top two teams in each group advance plus, what, four more teams with the highest point totals, which gets us to 16 teams? Definitely some big time matches today.

  10. #50
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    Quote Originally Posted by budwom View Post
    I'm just getting warmed up on this...so what's the deal, top two teams in each group advance plus, what, four more teams with the highest point totals, which gets us to 16 teams? Definitely some big time matches today.
    24 teams to start. 16 teams go to the knockout rounds. So top 2 teams of the 6 groups go through IN ADDITION to the top four 3rd place finishers of the 6 teams.
    Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill

    President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club

  11. #51
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    Quote Originally Posted by flyingdutchdevil View Post
    24 teams to start. 16 teams go to the knockout rounds. So top 2 teams of the 6 groups go through IN ADDITION to the top four 3rd place finishers of the 6 teams.
    thanks, figured it was like that...

  12. #52
    Quote Originally Posted by flyingdutchdevil View Post
    ... IN ADDITION to the top four 3rd place finishers of the 6 teams.
    Just to add to what fdd has said... The last 2-3 third-place spots will almost surely be decided by goal difference and, for the final spot, even most goals scored.

  13. #53
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    I'm not sure which I like best, Ronaldo playing futbol, or Ronaldo preening....he's really good at both.

  14. #54
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    Quote Originally Posted by budwom View Post
    I'm not sure which I like best, Ronaldo playing futbol, or Ronaldo preening...he's really good at both.
    I like Ronaldo sulking the best. Usually means Portugal lost or down a goal.

    Ronaldo is MJ to me: the talent is obvious, the winning culture and mentality is second to none, but I just can't help despising them.
    Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill

    President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club

  15. #55
    I remembered Portugal won EURO 2016, but I didn’t remember that they snuck into the knockout stage as merely the 3d-best 3d-place team from the group stage. In effect, the 15th of the 16 teams progressing to the knockout stage. And they won one knockout match on penalties, another after extra time, and also the final AET.

    Nor did I remember that Portugal and Hungary were in the same group in 2016 and drew 3-3. Portugal wound up in the much weaker half of the knockout bracket, as France, Germany, Spain, and Italy were all in the other half of the bracket.

    ETA — Ha, also forgot that Ronaldo was injured early in first half of the final against France, and missed almost all the final.

  16. #56
    Heavens, Ronaldo missed a very easy chance there. Maybe a slight deflection before it reached his foot? Like to see slo-mo of how he missed that.

  17. #57
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    Quote Originally Posted by gumbomoop View Post
    Heavens, Ronaldo missed a very easy chance there. Maybe a slight deflection before it reached his foot? Like to see slo-mo of how he missed that.
    Yeah, deflection there, I think. Jota tried to let it through but just barely nicked it, it looked like. Portugal seem clearly the better team, but Hungary are playing with belief and have looked dangerous when they get going. Unfortunately for them, Hungary just can't seem to get a great breakaway pass off. They've had several breaks killed by unfortunate dribbles on the run from the would-be passer.

    I expect Portugal to win, but then, I expected Spain to win, too.

  18. #58
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    Quote Originally Posted by flyingdutchdevil View Post
    I like Ronaldo sulking the best. Usually means Portugal lost or down a goal.

    Ronaldo is MJ to me: the talent is obvious, the winning culture and mentality is second to none, but I just can't help despising them.
    So I guess you won't be needing tickets to his (self glorifying) museum??

  19. #59
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    Atlanta, GA
    Great point by gumbomoop unthread about match pressure on Portugal today. They seem to be really feeling it now, with under 15 minutes remaining. Meanwhile, Hungary seem to be starting to feel it…they’ve had quite a few decent runs in the second half, while Portugal’s nerves seem to be preventing them from finishing despite their pretty obvious superior quality.

  20. #60
    Deflection, own goal? Or maybe on target, so not OG?

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