Euro 2012

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franz

Well-known member
IdleRich said:
Maybe not but you could make a case for either of them being the best club players in the world and that's a significantly higher standard than international these days. Also, there are far more competitive (and other) games so it gives you a better chance to judge how good someone really is. So I think that it's reasonable to call them amongst the best players in the world.
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yeah i agree with all of that, i'm just interested in the international tournament as its own standard. it certainly isn't a better arbiter of quality but it's clear that players and fans are nonetheless heavily invested in it, and i think its interesting to think about how it comes to pass that some players really excel here and others don't...

it wouldn't be the special, maddening event that it is if it were paced as Champion's League, or a domestic league is...
 
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paolo

Mechanical phantoms
Spain weren't great last night but you know what they say about the sign of a good team being that they can win while not playing too well. I'm predicting England to win on penalties this evening, and Germany to beat Spain in the final
 
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franz

Well-known member
yeah i thought Spain received some generous calls from the refs in moments (although i don't think it was wrong to give the penalty at the end), but they certainly make their luck through their patience and dogged play. i still think there is no way they are winning this tournament though, and they haven't at any point played so spectacular as to convince me otherwise.
 
e/y

e/y

Well-known member
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wow
 
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paolo

Mechanical phantoms
Italy should have won that after 90 minutes. Also I don't think I've ever seen anyone miss a dinked penalty (though I've not seen that many)
 
IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich
"Wish more keepers would do stand and wait. Last night Hart went early for every pen and, other than the one that missed, went wrong every time. And Pirlo would've looked a right clown instead of a genius. "
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I love the way Totti actually pushes the keeper for having the temerity to stand there and save the penalty instead of obligingly lying down and looking like a dick for him. What is the justification for that anger? He must be a right dick basically.
 
B

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
The Euros has a proud tradition of teams clashing in the group stage and then in the final (1988, 1996, 2004, only didn't happen in 2000 due to extraordinary circumstances). Germany - Portugal should continue it. Heaven knows how Spain didn't lose a game in the group stages.

On the other hand, it seems as though Germany have never beaten Italy, at least not in a meaningful match. At the least, italy were victorious in 1970, 1982 and 2006. So maybe the assumption that Germany will win easily is a bit off.
 
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franz

Well-known member
i think this final is wide wide open. Certainly Italy can beat Germany, and Portugal can beat Spain too.

My apprehension for Portugal is Hugo Almeida... i wish they had gone to Varela a few more times by now, but at this point as a still somewhat unproven commodity i understand why they can't start him in place of Postiga. Someone has to be on the end of services from the left from Ronaldo. If Nani plays well, and Portugal can keep their head and hold Spain goalless for at least the first half, they can win, and maybe they will.

Spain should really look to get up early and do what they can to frustrate offensive possession for Portugal. Iniesta has been drawing a lot of fouls and calls with his passing--there are less disciplined players for him to exploit... someone like Miguel Veloso, for example. I think the longer this game stays tied, the better Portugal's chances of winning get.
 
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