Wow, this one changed within seconds.
Wow, this one changed within seconds.
What delicate passing.
Pogba is 10x better with France than Man U. That pass that led to the goal was beyond incredible. One of the best passes I’ve ever seen
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
Germany has a hill to climb now. Will be fascinating to see if they can pull it off.
Edit: I mean this week to get to the knock out stage
I actually thought Germany looked very good today, although I missed the last 20 minutes or so of the game. They just missed a bunch of chances to finish, but possessed and moved the ball very well against a strong French team.
I suspect Portugal will have their hands full when they meet.
Thing that is probably only funny to me:
During Prime Minister’s Questions last week in London, the leader of the Scottish Nationalist Party Ian Blackford rose and asked the whole House to join him in wishing the Scottish team well. The Prime Minister noted in response that Blackford had not wished the English team well.
In today’s PMQ, Blackford started by making a shoe of asking the whole House to wish Scotland AND England’s soccer teams well. And, he added, he hoped that Scotland was not removed from the Euro again against their will. (Scotland voted overwhelmingly against Brexit).
Maybe you had to be there.
Wow. Have not heard that quote in a while.
Germany-Portugal this Saturday will be one of the best games. Both teams will be fighting for their lives, with Portugal knowing full well that France is waiting for them in the last game. And even a 'B squad' France is better than 80% of the teams out there.
The Italy-Switzerland game today is a fun one. Switzerland is always the most underrated team in any tournament, with the potential to upset good teams and frequently beat bad/okay teams. I suspect Italy will win, but only 1-0 despite playing their typical midfield possession game.
And I advise everyone to watch Netherlands-Austria tomorrow. Not because the Dutch are a favorite (they aren't), but because the Netherlands-Ukraine game was just fun. The Dutch always play exciting soccer (offensively, they move forward a lot and defensively, they are unpredictable).
Regardless of what happens, this may be one of the best knockout stages of any recent tournament. Lots of good and really good teams fighting to play international soccer in front of crowds. Fabulous
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
Finland wasting big opportunity v. Russia. This match was/is their best shot at making the knockouts. A point might do it, but they aren’t getting it done. Doubt they’ll take a point v. Belgium, and 3 points, with negative GD, unlikely to get them through.
I like the Donaldson-Bonetti announcing pair. Don’t know how Cangialosi-Moreno got the Italy-Switzerland match. I’ve already expressed my distaste for Moreno, and think the timbre (?) of Donaldson’s voice way more pleasing than that of Cangialosi.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
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
I was worried I was being a homer in thinking they had a strong case for a deep run. They are proving that right so far.
It is a very deep and talented squad and Mancini has worked wonders in building them up in a more progressive style. Even the striker has come to play after years of being “just a domestic league scorer.”
The Azzurri are banged up (Verratti still unavailable, Florenzi and now Chiellini injured in the tournament), so clinching already is huge. They have plenty of depth, so they could/should beat Wales even while resting some starters. But taking the heat off the game given the injuries is fortunate.
It will be interesting to see if their pace and passing hold up against better sides later on. But clearly the are head and shoulders above their group.
One thing that cannot be overlooked is the coaching staff (or really just the coach). Important to note Italy did not make the 2018 World Cup. Now, they are a top 3 favorite to win the more difficult Euro.
Did Italy's talent change? Not really. Players got older (a good thing if you're in your 20s, a bad thing if you're in your 30s). Did Italy's luck change? Possibly, but I think beating Turkey and Switzerland 3-0 - two okay/good teams - isn't luck. Did Serie A get better? Possibly, but some of the best teams (Inter, Milan, Juventus, Atalanta) got better due to an influx of foreign talent, not domestic. Did Italy's economy / culture change? With COVID, undoubtedly, but that has nothing to do with the team improvement.
The change is Robert Mancini, who has coached Inter Milan and Man City to domestic titles. He replaced Gian Piero Ventura, the man responsible for Italy's WC qualifying failure. Ventura, I kid you not, has changed managerial positions 22 times in his career. 22!
Do not underestimate coaching in international soccer. It's not about teaching the players new tricks but rather a) team selection, b) managing egos, c) managing substitutions. Mancini has nailed all three.
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