UEFA Nations league

Myesyats wrote:

Casciavit wrote:Is it fair to say Belgium should have done better with their golden generation or is this the level you expect them to be at with the players they have?

I see a lot of deficiencies in that team still. As Sports said the defence is questionable, Hazard has fallen off (never been that good to being with arguably), players like Carrasco, Witsel, Lukaku or Mertens above average but not world class. Roberto Martinez is a short-sighted manager. It may be a golden generation but I dont see it as a tournament-winning team.

France had a sleepy first half last night but they absolutely turned it on in the 2nd and totally overwhelmed Belgium. It's also worth noting that Kante was absent. France is a better team in every department by a considerable margin

yea basically agree with this answer

Rabiot tested positive for COVID19 so he's out of the final. Blessing in disguise.

So you're going to see Tchouameni next to Pogba.

Lloris
Pavard - Kounde - Varane - Lucas - Theo
Pogba - Tchouameni
Griezmann - Benzema - Mabppe

You get to see Tchouameni whom, I think, is the absolute beast in terms of CM prospects in France. On par with Camavinga. He's 21 and plays for Monaco. BUT, Camavinga is only 18. So in 3 years' time... Cama is likely to beast. We'll see. Right now, Tchouameni is clearly better.

Sports, I’m really looking forward to tonight’s game. Haven’t been this interested in a single game for a couple of years. Mind you I don’t really know what to expect. Your country clearly has a better lineup, but I am hopeful. With the youth we have in the lineup, there is no solid prediction one can make. One game can be great and the next disastrous. I hope for the former.

futbol_bill wrote:Sports, I’m really looking forward to tonight’s game. Haven’t been this interested in a single game for a couple of years. Mind you I don’t really know what to expect. Your country clearly has a better lineup, but I am hopeful. With the youth we have in the lineup, there is no solid prediction one can make. One game can be great and the next disastrous. I hope for the former.

Don't believe the hype about France Bill...  we win ENTIRELY on individual talent.  And I also feel like some players are extremely overrated...namely, Pavard, Kimpembe, and now Varane.  

This isn't a team that can hold the fort defensively like it did in 2018.  But Deschamps is too much of a defensive coach to commit fully to an attacking concept, which is what needs to happen.  That's where our overwhelming talent is right now...  midfield and attack.  That should be the focus until the young crop of defenders come into their own.  Then, you can reassess the style.  But for right now, you have to attack with this team.

But we won't.  Result?  Will our talent will either save us or we'll crash and burn.  A shame really.

You guys just need to make sure you keep pressure on our defense and you will score at least 2 goals.  Then it comes down to whether our attacking talent bails us out.

Yeah...  I'm annoyed at how we play if people haven't noticed.

Mbappe up against Garcia? Time to grab the popcorn

It depends on how much of the ball we have Casci.  I feel a bit better with Tchouameni playing.  But Mbappe may not get many chances.

I think the idea with a team like Spain is to weather the storm until they get a bit tired, just like Barca under Pep.  You literally need to play it safer until the 60-65 min mark and then attack.  They spend a lot of energy on their style of play.

Question for you sports: who would you have liked to be France's manager and lead this golden generation?

I mean DD won a WC with them which is no easy feat, but don't you think a truly capable manager would've made this golden generation play like gods? If so, who would it be?

Hard to say.  France will only be managed by a Frenchman.  I'd take a chance on Arsene Wenger.  Imagine playing his style with this team.

Zidane is pre-destined though and I don't see him playing much differently than Deschamps... namely, 90s Serie A style football. Galtier is like these guys too and I think he's the most talent French manager that is managing a club right now. I'm keeping my eyes on Franck Haise of Lens too in the next few years.

I'll also add that Kante is HUGE in Deschamp's system. He allows France to defend with 7-8 players and still recover an enormous amount of balls. Without him, you have to defend with 8 all the time and better go with 9 against the better teams.

Griezmann is the one that's impacted the most without Kante stylistically. But, he has more impact than even that.

sportsczy wrote:It depends on how much of the ball we have Casci.  I feel a bit better with Tchouameni playing.  But Mbappe may not get many chances.

I think the idea with a team like Spain is to weather the storm until they get a bit tired, just like Barca under Pep.  You literally need to play it safer until the 60-65 min mark and then attack.  They spend a lot of energy on their style of play.

France has always looked best under Deschamps when they aren't the protagonists. Spain is going to ball hog. They're playing even safer with both Rodri and Busquets starting. I think France will do well in transition.

Though watching these first five minutes it seems like France is defending in a 5-2-1-2 which doesn't give me a lot of confidence defensively.

"Gavi"

is this a fucking joke?

Borefest

Varane used to be 10 times better than this on the ball.

God I hate Deschamps so much

He's basically as bad as Hitler or Stalin

imagine parking the bus with THAT France squad against the bunch of absolute scrubs that is Spain

it's horrible, a war crime, holocaustic

Typical final. Nobody wants to lose as opposed to trying to win.

Oh and Deschamps is an underdog manager. We always play like underdogs. We could be playing Iceland and we'd play like this.

I know counter attacking is a popular strategy. But cant simply accept it particularly when you have a talented team.

can't believe Deschamps keeps getting away with this, right after the 80th anniversary of the massacre at Babi Jar no less

someone needs to stop this monster

neuro11 wrote:I know counter attacking is a popular strategy. But cant simply accept it particularly when you have a talented team.

Why do you think I was, at best, neutral on Deschamps EVEN AFTER we won the World Cup.

I can't stand him.

For all his faults, Laurent Blanc attacked. And back in 2010, we had nobody bar Benzema to attack with. The midfield as Alou Diaby, M'Vila, Martin... and yet we attacked and tried. Made the Euro 2012 quarters that way too (when Ribery also returned).

Now we have THIS TEAM... and we defend like this when the 2010 team would not.

I would love to see Wenger coach this generation of French ballers.

@Hans.  We have our Joaquim Low.  Win a World Cup and then have immunity.  That said, at least Germany attacked.  But same type of commitment to a specific philosophy regardless of squad.

IMO, it’s a very good match. Very equal despite us playing mostly a youth team. Most people here don’t think much of Enrique despite he being a fellow Asturian, but I say you got to give him credit. It’s an entirely a new team and yet win or lose, they are competing with the best. I’m still hoping!

sportsczy wrote:

neuro11 wrote:I know counter attacking is a popular strategy. But cant simply accept it particularly when you have a talented team.

Why do you think I was, at best, neutral on Deschamps EVEN AFTER we won the World Cup.

I can't stand him.

For all his faults, Laurent Blanc attacked. And back in 2010, we had nobody bar Benzema to attack with. The midfield as Alou Diaby, M'Vila, Martin... and yet we attacked and tried. Made the Euro 2012 quarters that way too (when Ribery also returned).

Now we have THIS TEAM... and we defend like this when the 2010 team would not.

It's a tragedy. A proper tragedy. A bottomless abyss of grief, horror, and existential despair

Hapless_Hans wrote:God I hate Deschamps so much

He's basically as bad as Hitler or Stalin

imagine parking the bus with THAT France squad against the bunch of absolute scrubs that is Spain

it's horrible, a war crime, holocaustic

Spain have Eric Garcia in the defence ffs. How much more invitation you want.

Pogba giving Pavard a piece of his mind for not dropping to create a passing angle.

Busquets running the show out here.