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Round of 16 | Sweden 1-2 Ukraine


Unbelievable

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9 minutes ago, huss9 said:

Belgium's golden generation. I reckon they've been let down by the Belgian FA.

Should have gone for real top level coach, but instead they went for FA Cup winner Martinez.

They look pretty hard to beat though. Those are the type of sides that usually win these tournaments. They're kinda restricted by not having a decent left back so more or less forced into this 3 ATB system. If they go up first they are going to be hard to beat.

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34 minutes ago, huss9 said:

Belgium's golden generation. I reckon they've been let down by the Belgian FA.

Should have gone for real top level coach, but instead they went for FA Cup winner Martinez.

Most International FA's simply don't have the clout to go for a top level coach. Mancini and Enrique are both huge outliers in the field.

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46 minutes ago, huss9 said:

Belgium's golden generation. I reckon they've been let down by the Belgian FA.

Should have gone for real top level coach, but instead they went for FA Cup winner Martinez.

This is nonsense. Their main mistake was holding onto Wilmots for too long. Martinez has done a cracking job with Belgium since he got the job

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1 hour ago, Tomato Deuce said:


considering he’s probably in better shape than most players 5 years younger than he is, aye :lol:

 

He just wants numbers, he'd likely pay the FA to play. 

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1 hour ago, The Prophet said:

Belgium and France both look like they're capable of taking it up a gear too. I'm not sure I've seen anyone else who has.

 

You think Belgium have another gear in them without Hazard and KDB? It was an impressive victory for them. Portugal are a very difficult team to get past in the knockouts. But I think without their main creative players, Italy hold a little bit of an edge. 

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Belgium's squad isn't even that good any more. The back three have a combined age of about 200. Martinez has them really well drilled, which is not something you would have expected of him.

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23 minutes ago, Disco said:

Most International FA's simply don't have the clout to go for a top level coach. Mancini and Enrique are both huge outliers in the field.

 

I dont think you need to be an elite level tactical coach to be successful at the international level. Low, Santos, Deschamps are not exactly tacticians of the order of Rafa or Pep.  You need to be lucky with the quality of players available on hand. You also should be able to drill the available talent into a simple and effective system within a week or two of practice. 

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1 hour ago, rgk_lfc said:

 

I dont think you need to be an elite level tactical coach to be successful at the international level. Low, Santos, Deschamps are not exactly tacticians of the order of Rafa or Pep.  You need to be lucky with the quality of players available on hand. You also should be able to drill the available talent into a simple and effective system within a week or two of practice. 

 

This is what I think the crux of the issue tends to be with international managers. You have little time with the players, so you can't really train them enough tactically. So how do you counteract that? By keeping things simple and to pick players to fit your system and not shoehorn in players just because they're big names.

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42 minutes ago, Kaizero said:

 

This is what I think the crux of the issue tends to be with international managers. You have little time with the players, so you can't really train them enough tactically. So how do you counteract that? By keeping things simple and to pick players to fit your system and not shoehorn in players just because they're big names.

 

Not trying to downplay Lippi's, Conte's, Del Bosque's, and Mancini's achievements, but I think having a national identity in the style of play whether it is catenacchio or tiki-taka helps in this regard. I remember reading somewhere that in 2005, Germany also instituted a centralized philosophy in player development and education at the national level which all Bundesliga clubs participated in. One of the reasons why England managers role is so tough is because clubs develop players and the style of play varies from club to club and sometimes within the same club for successive managers. Maybe that is one of the reasons premier league is so popular. 

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4 minutes ago, rgk_lfc said:

 

Not trying to downplay Lippi's, Conte's, Del Bosque's, and Mancini's achievements, but I think having a national identity in the style of play whether it is catenacchio or tiki-taka helps in this regard. I remember reading somewhere that in 2005, Germany also instituted a centralized philosophy in player development and education at the national level which all Bundesliga clubs participated in. One of the reasons why England managers role is so tough is because clubs develop players and the style of play varies from club to club and sometimes within the same club for successive managers. Maybe that is one of the reasons premier league is so popular. 

 

England's identity is trying to force a working midfield out of stuffing Gerrard and Lampard into the same midfield for over a decade.

 

 

Edited by Kaizero

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8 hours ago, Doctor Zaius said:

Bruno Fernandes was atrocious when he came on. 

 

Seems to have carried his poor form from the back end of last season into the EUROs. Hopefully it carries into next season too.

 

He scored 4 goals and had 4 assists in his last 7 games for us... Poor form indeed.

 

Delighted Portugal are now out and he gets a well deserved rest. 

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I thought Portugal put up a really good fight (sometimes literally). They were a bit unlucky not to take it into extra time. 

 

Hopefully France, Spain, Belgium and Italy will punch themselves out in that half of the draw, leaving the field clear (ish) for England (assuming we can beat the Germans of course)

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Guest HTT II

Decent game, with neither really impressing massively. Gutted for Ronaldo, but again if England can’t win it, I wouldn’t mind Belgium doing it. If only for Enzo Scifo and Albert! 

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Thought Ronaldo looked a bit off the pace. Bit like Kane, coming too deep and not getting the ball in the dangerous areas. 

 

Belgium were entirely pedestrian sans Lukaku. Definitely vulnerable in behind the fullbacks. 

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1 hour ago, La Parka said:

Thought Ronaldo looked a bit off the pace. Bit like Kane, coming too deep and not getting the ball in the dangerous areas. 

 

Belgium were entirely pedestrian sans Lukaku. Definitely vulnerable in behind the fullbacks. 

 

Ronaldo's tactic of get the ball to the edge of the box, they lay it off to a team mate so that he can sprint towards the goal ready to receive the cross didn't work very well. Assume he thinks he's the only one who's allowed to score?

 

Thought Meunier was poor for Belgium (for a change) and KDB didn't have much impact before getting injured. Nothing to fear from these.

 

Denmark still looking the best team in the cup for me.

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You might not need to be a great coach to do well in international football, but it certainly does no harm. 

 

I like Southgate and I hope he brings us success, but you can't tell me we've looked particularly well coached or capable of taking it up a notch against say France or Belgium.

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I think it's difficult to predict how we'll fare against far better opponents. To have beaten both Czech Republic and Croatia with ease has to count for something. Scotland was poor but I think there are certain caveats with that game. 

 

I think we're capable of stifling and boring just about any opponent into submission; and I think we can set up well enough to avoid an onslaught from even some of the most dynamic attacking teams. 

 

What we've no idea about is how we'll adapt to going a goal behind. Since coming out of the traps against Croatia we've barely attacked with any real gusto. In that game we just ground them down and converted the solitary gilt-edged chance we had; whilst against the Czechs it was an early goal and then shut-up-shop. I've no idea what's going to happen when the onus is really on us to take the game to someone.

 

At this point I'm assuming Southgate's plan is to win the same way against every opponent. Dull, safe, attritional, patient. If that gets us to the final then I suppose you have to say hats-off but as a casual fan who's had to effectively manufacture a ramping-up of passion due to the state of club football, it's going to feel difficult to really really enjoy it. :lol: I'll certainly take it though, and am buzzing for tomorrow. 

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Yeah he was decent, but I think him playing upfront alone didn't allow him to be as involved without them then having no one in the box.

 

Would have been more interesting if they had paired him upfront with Felix or Silva and allowed him more freedom to roam, while still then having a striker that was more of a mainstay upfront.

 

 

Edited by KaKa

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