England Fans In Portugal

Remove all ads!

It doesn't matter who had the possession or who played the best. All that matters is who scores the most goals. If it was about possession or skills then they would have a new points system a bit like boxing. 'Fairness' doesn't come into it at all and that's what makes it such a fascinating spectacle to watch because anything can happen! Great stuff for the neutral observer!

 

This is what ericsson wants ? To play defensive counterfootball ? I'm afraid England doesn't have the right equipment for that type of play. Italy can play that style, Germany perhaps, but England definitely not. England needs to play aggressive, their own style, otherwise they won't even make it to round two.

 

Italy is not the team that plays defensive counter because they have talented and creative attacking midfield.

In England's case last night, Gerrard and Lampard are not creative mid, Scholes is a att mid but not creative, Rooney and Owen can out pace anyone on the field, Beckham can play long and direct ball in precision, and they are up by one goal, who say England cannot play defensive counter?

Of course, for a team who wants to win (not only a match but the whole tournament), defensive counter is not the attitude. A champion team should play like a champion, controlling pace and atmosphere, constant pressing and such.

England can play defensive counter last night, but i don't think it was the right thing for a team who wants to win the champion to do.

 

Dude, Italy has NEVER played an offensive style of football. They had talented midfielders and attackers before, but that never stopped them from falling back on cattenaccio. It won't be anything different this time 'round, because it seems to be the only style they CAN play to begin with.

Italy ALWAYS plays a type of football completely based on a strong defense. Preventing the opponent to score seems more important to them than scoring themselves. That's why they always make me fall asleep.

 

Sorry, pac man, never thought that this would ever happen but I've got to go with the English team on this. Being in possession of the ball just means about nothing in football - it's the goals that count, y'know.

England certainly weren't with their backs against the wall, there was little if any pressure upon them. Yes, they controlled the game and they didn't let anything happen that they didn't want to happen.

Up until the free kick of Zidane, that is. For about 90 mins neither Zidane nor Henry nor Pires knew what to do against the English team.

BTW, I'm deeply impressed by Rooney. I really thought he was overrated. But yesterday evening was a great display. The moment Makelele tried to patronize him and Rooney was on the verge of kicking him in the face I liked best...

 

Pac Man, I think you need a bit of clarification.

In 1968, not since the dawn of time, Italy began to use the defensive strategy because they so badly wanted a win, and when it worked and gave them an EC gold, all coaches afterwards have used it, with the exception of 1982 when they won the WC with offensive play which chocked both West-Germany and Brazil, that time's great titans. For some reason, they decided to try the defensive technique afterwards and it have given them 1 WC silver, 1 WC bronze, and 1 EC silver. "That is not enough", say Giovanni Trappatoni, their recent coach, and have decided to play offensive this EC to win the gold. He don't use the 3-5-2 technique anymore, he have started to use the 4-3-1-2 technique, and if that's not offensive, I don't know what is.

 

I guess we'll see that tonight then eh ? I would truly be surprised if they would play offensively. I know they have the players to do so, but they refuse to. I hope i'm wrong this time then.

Oh... and Darkthrone.... to quote Johan Cruyff... "in order to score a goal, you gotta have possession of the ball".

So you see ? Possession DOES matter. As your national team will find out tomorrownight.

 

Pac Man, to concur the possession comment see the game between Sweden and Argentina. Argentina attacked and attacked and attacked but Sweden managed to get a draw but the goal that Argentina scored should have been discarded.

 

Right you are, Caleb. Or take for example Germanys last fine effort against Hungary. 2nd half we had the ball 70% of the time - but did we score a single goal? Did that reduce the embarrasment we felt after the game? No way...

@Pac man: you may be right, but tuesday will be so easy for us. Either we lose (most likely) which is what everyone will have expected. No harm done since we will beat Latvia and the Czech Republic. Or we win. Which has to be the most embarrassing thing that could happen to Holland, what with your van der Vaart and Snijder and all.

We really can't lose - you can, though...

 

Bah, that's the lamest excuse i've ever heard, always crawling in the underdog's skin eh ?

We can't win ? Guess again. In holland EVERY win against Germany is considered important, more important than any win against any other team, you should know that by now. But if you lose against us, you won't make it to the second round, because the Czechs have a better team than Holland. Matter of fact, at this moment i consider them the strongest team in Europe overall. Nobody regards them as titlecontenders, but those who have seen them in action in the last year and a half, know better than that.

The Czechs might be THE big surprise in this tournament, mark my words.

 

Indeed Darkthrone you'd better fear the Czechs then us. I think both teams are on the same level but the Czechs work better as a team which is the single most important thing on a major tournament.

 

I'll take this , since the title of the thread seems to be "England fans in portugal" rather than "The long cultivated rivalry between Germany and the Netherlands".

Just this: it will hardly be a surprise for the Czechs to go all the way to the title since each and every single "expert" on these matters deems them the secret favorite of the EC.

Now, Germany reaching at least the semi-final, THAT will be THE big surprise of the tournament. Mark my words...

 

Italy must be saving their offensive ideas for the second half, cause i haven't seen anything yet. There's only one team playing at the moment, and it's definitey not Italy.

But they'll probably score a goal 1 or 2 minutes before the final whistle, and celebrate like they've just become champions of the world.

Tomasson needs to stop his little "fainting" acts, that's not how i used to know him. He must have picked that up during his stay with AC Milan. Now he got a totally unnecessary yellow card, which may come back to haunt him later in the tournament.

 

Close-ish game. OK to watch.

But Italy has the glaringly obvious margin of class on their side and I would expect them to be the winner, if there is to be one. At the moment, looks like a probable 0-0. But you never know in football (a cruel lesson sometimes). Vieri is the ever-present threat as always and if Italy score, it will be that boy.

 

0-0, a very common score when there's Italians involved.

 

I had this article emailed to me today, and it, if true, may explane why the violence is down.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004270693,00.html

 

That could actually work.

There were some rumblings here and there however, but mostly by Portugese and Spanish fans.

 

LOL

Beside that I heard that one English supported got arrested for public violance and cannot enter portugal for the next three years (excluding the one he has to serve in jail right now).

 

A one year jailsentence ? That's pretty harsh, he must have wrecked an entire Portugese village all by himself.

 

That's portugals new speed law system, it works pretty well I have to say!