EURO 2016 France - Group A

PAYET OMG WHAT AGOAL

I'd drop Griezmann for Martial next match

Drop Giroud for Martial imo

Giroud is shit.

France should set up like this.


No need of Matuidi when you have Kante there doing the work of 2 players and Pogba, well he is a bonus.

What a goal by Payet.

Feel bad for Romania, they worked super hard just lack a lethal threat up front

Coman getting a start is like Pep's wet dream ffs

Glory wrote:France should set up like this.

Griezmann
Martial-Payet-Coman
Pogba-Kante

No need of Matuidi when you have Kante there doing the work of 2 players and Pogba, well he is a bonus.

Yea that would be a serious pain in the ass to deal with

Matuidi is more suited to play in a pivot than Pogba .

Good second half. We could've snatched a draw if it weren't for that pathetic excuse of a GK Tatarusanu

Tbf he kept you guys in the game

Lex wrote:Tbf he kept you guys in the game

He made a few saves from shots that went straight at him. Pantilimon and Lung are both better goalkeepers but they aren't related to Steaua. Iordanescu is a Steaua guy through and through, that's why we don't see the likes of Maxim out there. Maxim, Radu from Lazio ( who refuses to come to the NT), Torje kept on the bench by an inferior player in Popa, Stancu instead of Alibec and so on. I was surprised to see Sapunaru starting tbh

That save from Lloris in the 4th minute tho !!!

The romanian team has an impressive defensive block, now i'm curious to see how they handle Switzerland who has less fire power. Their fullbacks were both very solid tonight.

I was a bit disappointed by Pogba and Griezmann, even if they both had one excellent scoring chance, i found them kind of dull on the pitch.

I thought Pogba did all right, but Griezmann was disappointing.

Payet is ridiculous, though, can't believe he plays for West Ham.

A pretty good opening game, Romania were better than I had thought.

Payet, good lord...

Romania are interesting...  they don't PTB per say.  They use Pep's defensive style but then have no idea what to do with the ball once they get it  But since they recover balls high on the pitch and fairly quickly, they don't turn the ball over themselves in dangerous areas...  First team I've seen that adopts the Pep defense without the offense.

The dangerous part is that since they recover the ball so high with their pressure...  they don't really need to build a great attack since they've shortened the pitch.  They just need a couple of passes/dribbles to work and their in the surface.  Defense doesn't have a lot of time to recover.

If they had more talent, they'd be really dangerous.  Their manager is very competent and even innovative.

Albania take on Switzerland in Group A at Euro 2016, with both sides seeking for an early boost in their bids to advance to the round of 16.

Maher Mezahi (Albania) and Brian Homewood(Switzerland) look ahead to the match.

What's at stake here?

Maher Mezahi: Besides the undeniable importance of winning an opening fixture at an international competition, a whole lot of pride will be at stake on Saturday afternoon. Nine players from the Albanian national team are Swiss citizens and will play with a chip on their shoulders, hoping to prove their country of birth made a mistake in overlooking them.

On the other hand, five Swiss players are of Albanian descent. Valon Behrami has the Albanian eagle tattooed on his leg, Xherdan Shaqiri the Albanian flag stitched on to his Nike boots and a Swiss commentator accused Granit Xhaka of intentionally taking his foot off the pedal the last time he came up against the Eagles. For those three, Blerim Dzemaili and Admir Mehmedi, Saturday's match will be of particular emotional importance.

Brian Homewood: France are clear favourites in this group while Switzerland and Romania are set for a tight battle for second place, with Albania as outsiders. Bearing that in mind, a win for Switzerland would lift the pressure for their second game against Romania. A draw would leave them in a difficult situation and a defeat could be curtains for their hopes of qualifying.

However, this is a highly charged game, given the large Albania community in Switzerland. A number of Albania's players have Swiss citizenship and vice-versa, to the extent that Granit Xhaka will play for Switzerland and his brother Taulant is in the Albania squad.

Key Battle

MM: A brotherly tussle in midfield will dominate the headlines on Saturday. Arsenal's new metronome Granit Xhaka will sit deep for Switzerland, with his older brother, Taulant, fulfilling the same role for Albania.

When the two were younger, people often mistakenly thought Granit and Taulant were twins due to an uncanny resemblance. Were it not for their kits demarcating them, spectators may easily make the same mistake on a football pitch. Both Xhakas anchor the midfield and like taking the ball off their defenders to pass between the lines or launch long diagonals.

Saturday's key battle will mark the first time brothers play each other in the European championships. Whomever has the better game will propel his nation to a crucial three points.

BH: Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Elseid Hysaj. Two of the most sought-after full backs in Europe will clash on the Swiss left. Left-back Rodriguez is one of Switzerland's most dangerous attacking options with his excellent delivery from the left. Good in the air and strong at free kicks, he charges forward and keeps the forwards supplied with an abundance of whipped passes. He will be up against Hysaj, who has established himself as the first choice right-back at Napoli this season and has been singled out as one of Serie A's top young players.

Star Man

MM: Shkelzen Gashi is a familiar name for Swiss fans. The Zurich native spent 10 years in the Swiss Super League, playing for seven different clubs, and topping the scoring charts in consecutive seasons before moving to the Colorado Rapids as a designated player in February.

What makes Albania's No.11 difficult to tame is his uncanny ability to play anywhere across the front line. Gashi can play on either wing, as a shadow striker, or as a target man. He is perfectly equipped to run at defenders with the ball at his feet, but also has the size and instinct to clash with bigger centre-halves in the penalty box.

BH: Stephan Lichtsteiner. Now into his early thirties, the former bank clerk is as feisty and argumentative as ever, and never seems to stop running. Having inherited the captain's role after Gokhan Inler was omitted from the squad due to lack of match practice, he is also the team leader. In a squad where many players have struggled at club level, his prowess and experience is unmatched, having won five successive Serie A titles in a Juventus team where he has been a regular throughout.

Prediction

MM: Albania 1-1 Switzerland. Albania will suffer from a habitual early lapse of concentration, but then should ride their tidal wave of support and nick an equaliser.

BH: A 1-0 win for Switzerland. Looks straightforward for the Swiss on paper but they often struggle when they have to break down well-disciplined, defensive teams.

Source: http://www.espnfc.com/preview?gameId=438203

urbaNRoots wrote:When the two were younger, people often mistakenly thought Granit and Taulant were twins due to an uncanny resemblance. Were it not for their kits demarcating them, spectators may easily make the same mistake on a football pitch.

Nowadays this is not so easy anymore als the younger bro is almost a head taller than his "big" brother:

Albania - Switzerland





Goals:
05.) 0:1 - Fabian Schär

Casillas is not having a good game for Albania

Cana

Just when Albania had gotten themselves back into the game too.

Loving this Albania A-Albania B matchup

Aaaaand Cana gets sent off..

So predictable

The Nati making us proud!

Such an idiotic hand:

So 16 ethnic Albanian players starting in Euros in one match. Did this thing ever happen in any major tournament?

Should have put money on Cana getting the first red card of the tournament