Re: Euro 2024

by Thimmy Wed Jul 10, 2024 4:58 am

BarcaLearning wrote:Not happy... I appreciate Spain being good, but still dont feel they are that good Yamal wonder goal, another goal, then not that much apart from d n keep ball... Maybe like Italy at last Euro, just came together as a team n worked well... sum better than the parts

France overall have to say flopped though... basically havent found Griezmann replacement as hes well past it or found another way to create chances... time for Deschamps to go or not? Should be loaded with coaches ready to take over... Zidane? Need to change from this boring tactics has to be said...

If Zidane brings something other than pragmatism to the team, I'll be surprised. He might still succeed, though hmm

by Clutch Wed Jul 10, 2024 4:58 am

Ima need mbappe to stay in the middle. Vini has lw locked down. Deschamps era should be over. Only winning one tournament with this talent is insane honestly. Give this team to Zidane already

by Myesyats Wed Jul 10, 2024 4:59 am

futbol_bill wrote:In true sports style he will be missing from this forum for next week.

Congrats Bill, what a win for Espana. May you win the final vamossss!!!

by FennecFox7 Wed Jul 10, 2024 5:04 am

Spain is just so much better. France.. too pragmatic. It’s been said already but what a colossal waste of talent. They actually tried to press in the second half and.. had no idea what to do in the attack. Mbappe deserves some blame now. No more excuses. It’s almost as if he becomes too passive when he’s out of form. No taking players on, bad final ball, no tenacity

by BarcaLearning Wed Jul 10, 2024 5:17 am

I think I agree about Mbappe... I noticed already when they crashed out of the last Euro I think it was early, the camera was on him n he kinda always just has the same expression n posing a bit as if hes always cool n ok... I dunno, everyone has his personality, n cant demand much more. But seriously I think mentally in terms of perhaps getting dirty or determination, hes not as top in those compared with some of the best...

Similarly many said it about Messi, when things dont go well he often dont step up enough etc... but cant ask for too much I guess, need to conserve energy for when the team gets the ball n attack... but still... its just a feeling sometimes... technically n physically hes top, but perhaps mentally he could continue to develop... will be interesting if in the future he will continue like he is n be enough, or will he be forced to evolved into more of a mentality beast...

Lets see how it goes at Real which I imagine he will be comfortable cos La Liga has little competition atm... but for NT hopefully Zidane comes in or something n lifts him in that aspect of his game perhaps.

by halamadrid2 Wed Jul 10, 2024 5:34 am

Will be a travesty if Dechamps stays on. This group of players are crying out for a coach like Zidane. I suppose they want a yes man

by farfan Wed Jul 10, 2024 5:41 am

Told @Myesyats many times Yamal was legit.

by futbol_bill Wed Jul 10, 2024 5:59 am

I think you guys are misreading Mbappe. He has a broken nose, ailing back. Surely you can’t expect him to be himself with those injuries. He took the mask off for this game which was a huge risk on his part. Any contact with his head or nose or back for that matter, would have likely put him out of action for at least a month. That first goal was all him. He was dangerous but our often maligned defense played him well and as I said the rest of the forwards France has are actually shit. For all the talent France supposedly has, the better talent was with Spain, both in forwards and midfield. I acknowledge that France had the better talent on defense, but our guys did more than enough to keep it a clean sheet after that first goal.

And I say de la fuente’s tactics were much better than Deschamps.

by titosantill Wed Jul 10, 2024 6:07 am

what a forgetful tournament for France and Mbappe. I expected more with all that talent. I don't think Deschamps should go because of that though. I think Deschamps overall has done well for France. This to me is on the talent. They're not like Italy, they clearly have good players, but nobody showcased anything.

by farfan Wed Jul 10, 2024 6:15 am

The talent is a bit overstated imo. Dembélé is still a headless chicken with little end product, Kolo Muani is a second rate striker at best, the midfield is severely lacking in creativity and provide 0 goal scoring threat, the fullbacks are still imbalanced with a center back playing on the right.

DD's brand of terrorist football isn't helping, but people are talking about this team like it's 1998-2006 level of stacked when it's nowhere near that.

by Myesyats Wed Jul 10, 2024 6:20 am

farfan wrote:Told @Myesyats many times Yamal was legit.

I know but I try to be reserved about talent nowadays so as not to get accused of overhyping again by @futbol_bill

by titosantill Wed Jul 10, 2024 6:33 am

farfan wrote:The talent is a bit overstated imo. Dembélé is still a headless chicken with little end product, Kolo Muani is a second rate striker at best, the midfield is severely lacking in creativity and provide 0 goal scoring threat, the fullbacks are still imbalanced with a center back playing on the right.

DD's brand of terrorist football isn't helping, but people are talking about this team like it's 1998-2006 level of stacked when it's nowhere near that.

you're not wrong in terms of how "stacked" they are. But i'm comparing their quality to the other teams on show. Even with DD's style (which i'm not against) i expect more from their talent. Nobody takes any risks, its all predictable plays. By the way, is there an APB out on sportsczy?

by Clutch Wed Jul 10, 2024 6:34 am

titosantill wrote:what a forgetful tournament for France and Mbappe. I expected more with all that talent. I don't think Deschamps should go because of that though. I think Deschamps overall has done well for France. This to me is on the talent. They're not like Italy, they clearly have good players, but nobody showcased anything.

switching mbappe to CF right after navas subbed off is a war crime. Get that man out of there

by Clutch Wed Jul 10, 2024 6:35 am

farfan wrote:The talent is a bit overstated imo. Dembélé is still a headless chicken with little end product, Kolo Muani is a second rate striker at best, the midfield is severely lacking in creativity and provide 0 goal scoring threat, the fullbacks are still imbalanced with a center back playing on the right.

DD's brand of terrorist football isn't helping, but people are talking about this team like it's 1998-2006 level of stacked when it's nowhere near that.

Kounde was brilliant on the right this tournament. I think he's better there than CB

by Warrior Wed Jul 10, 2024 7:04 am

Did Deschamps change his tactical approach for this game hmm

at the start of the match France did not use the suffocating pressing that was so efficient before, and less compact positioning

@BarcaLearning you can sign Rabiot if you want performances like this for your club. The guy is lethargic, jogging around leaving tons of space in the middle, the second goal is on him and Tchouameni. In retrospect Camavinga should have started this match.

by BarcaLearning Wed Jul 10, 2024 1:28 pm

Camavinga is pretty strange, amazing talent but even the commentator said his style n end product can be erratic, hes not that consistent. Whereas Rabiot isnt spectacular, but hes good at things thats underrated which I think Barca lack often atm, like physicality n work rate, ball carrying, runs into the box, etc... Im a bigger fan of Camavinga than Rabiot. Also I havent watched Rabiot at Juve much but I remember Barca wanted him for a while b4, n he was good at PSG too.

Anyway, I read a lot of fair comments above... which is good I thought there would be much more abuse n down playing of Yamal etc. Razz

by neuro11 Wed Jul 10, 2024 2:11 pm

Can't believe someone had been doing all those fraudulent analysis about how this France team good at nullifying opponent XYZ plan and how without ABC plan you can't win against them, how they crash this Spain team and BLA BLA BLA . And you end up crashing hard and getting dominated by the school kids. It seems the made-up analysis only made the Deschamp complacent :d. reality is this France is a one trick pony that hoof the ball to mbappe to make things happen. He failed with or without the mask and the result is France are out with scoring only 2 goals entire tournament.They are sent back where they belong.
Congrats to spain for such a superb display. Fully deserved.

by Myesyats Wed Jul 10, 2024 2:24 pm

This child labor comment killed me Laughing

by neuro11 Wed Jul 10, 2024 2:27 pm

by Myesyats Wed Jul 10, 2024 2:41 pm

I wish we could frame gifs and put up on me wall. Its even sweeter because Rabiot got front row seats for this after his pre-game comments

Euro 2024 - Page 27 2449660

by futbol_bill Wed Jul 10, 2024 4:18 pm

Myesyats wrote:
farfan wrote:Told @Myesyats many times Yamal was legit.

I know but I try to be reserved about talent nowadays so as not to get accused of overhyping again by @futbol_bill

Lol, I never have accused you of overhyping your youth talent asI appreciate them in seleccion! I did accuse you of hyping whatever signing or loan Barca are potentially getting such as Felix or Raphina, etc. seems to me you are all in favour of whoever may be coming in, and then months later when they turn out to be duds, you can’t wait to get rid of them. Only youth that imo you hyped was Roque!

by futbol_bill Wed Jul 10, 2024 4:52 pm

It will be weeks before Sports returns to this forum as per his usual absence when things don’t work out as he predicts!

But, I just want to illustrate how ridiculous his predictions are. He said much of the same about Real Madrid in the CL last season. Here’s just a sampling of his bullshit!

futbol_bill wrote:
sportsczy wrote:
Doc wrote:Midget teams lol. It's really only Gluton-Free Dani, Cuca and Pedri are short, the rest are over 5'9 and up. Italy has a similar built as well.

Far from midget teams imo.

I was joking.

So... any team with any front-line quality + pace would destroy Spain's tactics. That CB duo is meh at best and slow to boot.

Italy... they have no forwards. Like none. So Spain could press them almost recklessly since there was no threat to worry about if the ball made it through.

Croatia and Italy are very slow. Interesting to see what Spain looks like against a proper physical and fast team.

Lol Sports, you said much of the same about Real Madrid and we all have seen how wrong you were with those predictions. I’m not saying Spain will win this, but only France and Germany are the only two teams I fear. Unfortunately all three may end of on the same side of the bracket! With the way, Nico and Yamal are playing, adding speed on both wings, plus the play of the fullbacks, and midfield, this team is greatly improved from the WC team.

sportsczy wrote:Portugal take Spain too imo... as talented as any team in its starting 11. My issue with Spain is it's going to be beautiful or bust. The tactics remind me very much of the Lille days of Rudi Garcia. Plan A is incredibly good. But there is no plan B. It was ok if you had talent of Spain from 2008-2012. But the talent isn't dominant enough to not have a plan B.

sportsczy wrote:You watch. France is going to absolutely crush Spain.

This is the matchup I’ve wanted since the beginning. Spain have plan A and that’s it. If plan A doesn’t work, they fall apart. France never allows plan A to work for the opponent. Only Argentina was able to for about 70 mins.

sportsczy wrote:Without plan b, you can only win a tournament with overwhelming talent. Spain hasn’t had that since 2008-2012. That’s the downfall of the team.

If Spain could adapt to adverse situations quickly and well, it would be a powerhouse. But like Barca, it clings to the concept of playing a certain style regardless of circumstances. So far so good in this Euro. But France has only allowed Argentina to succeed with plan A one time… in the last 10 years. That’s exactly the tactic of Deschamps: take away the other team’s comfort zone and then see what they can do. Most sides fall apart.

90s serie A tactics basically.

sportsczy wrote:
Arquitecto wrote:Morata does a lot for us actually so he can't be thrown into doubt. He just somehow is a different man for La Rosa.
Fabian isn't performing above expectations he's performing to expectations if we go by what he was in Napoli. Olmo yes I agree.

France are cooked tbh.

Cooking Spain? Yes they will.

It still amazes me that people still don't understand Deschamp's style. This is it. if Mbappe and Griezmann can even slightly improve, they would wipe everyone out. Spain will give them the opportunity.

It's like Barca v Madrid. Every non-Real Madrid fan loves Barca because of their style of play and say "Madrid is cooked" whenever Real Madrid shows any weakness... but in the end, Real Madrid finds a way to win. It's often not very pretty... but a win is a win.

France does the same.

sportsczy wrote:How Spain plays is exactly how France wants teams to play. The Netherlands didn't do it (went against their own DNA)... neither did Belgium or Portugal.

Regardless of how poorly Mbappe is playing... teams fear him. They can't play a high line.

I predict that Spain will and that's the one thing that Mbappe can take advantage of today. His mask makes it hard for him to see in tight spaces or dribble since his peripheral vision is gone. But in space, he can run.

I want to see Yamal and Cucarella play high on the side of Mbappe, Rabiot and Hernandez. In fact, I expect it. Same with Nico and whoever is playing left back... you're not getting past the trio of Griezmann, Kante and Kounde defensively as both Doku and Leiao found out.

Spain is going to crash and crash hard. They will need to go to plan B because France never allows plan A to work against them. If Spain can execute plan B (which I've never seen), then yes... they'll win. Otherwise, France will grind this out.

sportsczy wrote:No excuses. Mbappe is off form for known reasons (back and nose). Nothing more, nothing less. What he can do, is run is space and take a shot. What he can't do is dribble and move in tight spaces.

We'll see how Spain plays him. With his current issues, you can stop him unlike when he's 100%. However, you need to sacrifice the high line and move 2 players to his side, which is what everyone is doing in the tournament. Will Spain change its style of play to compensate for Mbappe? I doubt it. But I didn't think Portugal would do it either. First I've seen Bernardo Silva play a more defensive game positionally... ever.

sportsczy wrote:

Arquitecto wrote:Sports pls.

I highly rate what you wrote but Spain is the exact team who's made to weave upon a Deschamps stiff defence. France generally struggle against teams who move the ball fast and use wide areas well since the fullbacks are prone to lapses and pressing too high.

I dont even believe in plan Bs in futbol as it is unless you're a reactive and countering team. I want de la Fuente to play the exact system he did versus Italy in fact.

France going to be taught a lesson soon.

Completely wrong. We LOVE teams who play fast and with high line... absolutely the best matchups. We suck against teams that sit back because of the current form of Griezmann and Mbappe.

Nobody has attacked us with their typical style. Will Spain be scared too? Maybe. I hope not. I want Spain to come at France so France can, finally, use its speed.

sportsczy wrote:The other thing is that France is better individually than Spain in almost every position:

Maigna v Simon - Maignan
Saliba/Upamicano v Nacho/Laporte - France by a mile
Kounde/Hernandez v Navas/Cucurella - France by a mile
Tchou/Kante/Rabiot/Cama v Rodri/Olmos/Ruiz - Rodri holds his own but that's it
Griezmann/Mbappe v Nico/Yamal - On current form, Spain. But normally, not even close
Thuram/Kolo Muani v Morata/Oyarzabal - They all suck frankly. But since France hasn't scored, give Spain this one

This is the first time where Spain is clearly "out-talented". Germany was a system team... not great talent. You had Rudiger, Kroos, and Kimmich (Kroos lack of pace was a big issue, however). But beyond that... Italy has no talent basically. Croatia is geriatric.

So Spain's play will need to compensate for the talent deficit for the first time, whereas the play was a competitive advantage against others.

by Myesyats Wed Jul 10, 2024 5:43 pm

France did use their speed but only for the first 10 mins. Every dembele cross is a waste and Mbappe is way too selfish and shoots everytime instead of passing and thats rather predictable.

Imo France suffered because Griezmann is out of form, in previous tournaments he was the core of that team like Rodri is to Spain