UEFA EURO 2024 (Winners: Spain)

[moomba]

The downfall of Foden in an England shirt needs to be studied. Looks an entirely different player altogether at City.



lol, but yeah. Seemed to be a pretty cynical challenge.

Auto correct is a bitch.

 

[99 Problems]

I don't think anybody is saying this. Italy were awful all tournament.

Southgate and England get a lot of stick for always having easy draws, but Italy is an example of how an ‘easy’ draw usually happens. When people look back at this tournament no one will remember it was a good Switzerland team, they’ll just say how lucky England got with who they played in the quarters.

 

[QuietB]

Have they had as much talent relative to other teams? I don’t think so.

It is not a well balanced squad - do they even have a single left sided player?

 

[Art Vandelay_]

I watched the 1988 Euros and Holland were magnificent to watch.
Hopefully they win it again in Germany!

CFL conspiracy explanation please. I will keep asking.

Making two finals is pretty impressive.

Southgate cops a lot of flak. A lot unfairly.

1968-2016 England won 6 tournament knockout matches. Under Southgate they have won 9 knockout games between 2018-24.

There's a WC SF, WC QF, Euro Final, Euro SF*.

Before GS 2016 out to Iceland R16. 2014 WC bottom of group (no wins). 2010 WC R16 defeat to Germany. 2008 Euros. DNQ. 2002-2006 'golden generation' Scholes, Lampard, Gerrard, Beckham, Terry etc. Did not progress past QF at any tournament.





*at least.

 

[darth_timon]

CFL conspiracy explanation please. I will keep asking.

Southgate cops a lot of flak. A lot unfairly.

1968-2016 England won 6 tournament knockout matches. Under Southgate they have won 9 knockout games between 2018-24.

There's a WC SF, WC QF, Euro Final, Euro SF*.

Before GS 2016 out to Iceland R16. 2014 WC bottom of group (no wins). 2010 WC R16 defeat to Germany. 2008 Euros. DNQ. 2002-2006 'golden generation' Scholes, Lampard, Gerrard, Beckham, Terry etc. Did not progress past QF at any tournament.





*at least.

This is where Southgate becomes an enigma. He does deliver results, but via some of the most aggravating, frustrating and at times, lucky means. He's got his players playing with handbrake on. He picks players for tournaments out of loyalty, or starts players out of loyalty, instead of form. There are so many times where he's played it safe, or reacted to problems, rather than showing initiative.

At Euro 2020, there were times when Grealish would do nothing but warm the bench. Foden experienced the same during the World Cup. This time, it's Cole Palmer. We've barely seen Bowen and Gordon, or Ollie Watkins. Southgate sticks with Kane out of loyalty, and yes, Kane is a proven goal-scorer, but sometimes you have to mix things up. Yes, he's gotten England further than a host of his predecessors, but does he have the imagination and the willingness to take a risk, in order to get us over the finish line?

Things improved against Switzerland, but there is still room to get better. There is room to raise the tempo and get players like Foden and Kane more into the game. It's that or drop Kane for Watkins, and drop Foden for Palmer, and let them have a go. It's risky, but if England don't shake things up, the Netherlands will dismantle us.

 

[jod23]

I feel recently though that a lot of top teams have dropped off. Like a lot of international traditional powerhouses are at a low ebb. Look at the Brazil team, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, their current teams do not match up well against teams from 10-20 years ago.

I think England obviously isnt as loaded as it was 10-20 years ago either but the drop off hasnt been as severe as other nations, so it's kinda like the top teams coming back to the pack and England can then sort of excel.

Southgate is trash despite his record, I think England have achieved these recent results in spite of Southgate, not because of him which begs the question if you put a competent manager in Southgates shoes, could England have a Euros and WC in the cabinet?

 

[99 Problems]

International football was never high quality. People look back at teams with such rose coloured glasses, especially tournaments from when they had just really got in to football.

The difference is it used to be a lot more naive and open, and there was a big difference in how teams from different continents played. All that made it more entertaining. Now teams play a much more similar style, and the teams ranked in that 30-50 range are really hard to beat. That’s why when a team like Georgia this tournament come along they are so good to watch, because they don’t play like that.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

International football was never high quality. People look back at teams with such rose coloured glasses, especially tournaments from when they had just really got in to football.

The difference is it used to be a lot more naive and open, and there was a big difference in how teams from different continents played. All that made it more entertaining. Now teams play a much more similar style, and the teams ranked in that 30-50 range are really hard to beat. That’s why when a team like Georgia this tournament come along they are so good to watch, because they don’t play like that.

I think a big difference at the moment is the lack of genuine star strikers these days. Look at Italy, Germany, Portugal, Dutch, French, Spanish, Brazil..all lacking that striker that we always had at big tournaments

 

[Frank Bunn]

Semi-finals

Wednesday 10th July 5am
Spain v France

Thursday 11th July 5am
Netherlands v England

* AEST

 

[Bostonian]

Let's go Bart!

 

[Bostonian]

Kadıoğlu is a top player. Represented Netherlands at youth level but now a regular for Turkey.

We tried to sign him back in 22.

Apparently back on for him again.

 

[Frank Bunn]

International football was never high quality. People look back at teams with such rose coloured glasses, especially tournaments from when they had just really got in to football.

The difference is it used to be a lot more naive and open, and there was a big difference in how teams from different continents played. All that made it more entertaining. Now teams play a much more similar style, and the teams ranked in that 30-50 range are really hard to beat. That’s why when a team like Georgia this tournament come along they are so good to watch, because they don’t play like that.

The Euros have always been like that. In 1992 Denmark won it when they didn't even qualify. Greece were not exactly a flair team in 2004. Portugal arsed it in 2016.

As you say, when teams set up similarly they are hard to beat. It relies on star players to make the difference. Williams and Yamal have that for Spain. Mbappe hasn't done much so far but potentially could win games on his own.

 

[Cruyff14]

I think a big difference at the moment is the lack of genuine star strikers these days. Look at Italy, Germany, Portugal, Dutch, French, Spanish, Brazil..all lacking that striker that we always had at big tournaments

When was the last time Italy, Germany, Holland or Portugal had a star striker? Not any time recently, that's for sure.

 

[Zidane98]

Predictions

France 0 Spain 1

England 0 Netherlands 0 - Netherlands progresses

 

[bok_party]

It looked a handball to me. Germany had a number of chances too that they didn’t capitalise on.

France still without an open play goal at this stage of the tournament is quite the stat. They can only rely on their defensive quality to get them through matches for so long.

Need to bring Giroud on.

 

[Coolangatta]

Predictions

France 0 Spain 1

England 0 Netherlands 0 - Netherlands progresses

England will win if it’s a shootout.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

 

[Misher]

I watched the 1988 Euros and Holland were magnificent to watch.
Hopefully they win it again in Germany!

Wouldn’t mind seeing the Dutch win either, mate.

Also looks as though you’re being followed around and harassed on here as well. Feel free to DM me if you ever need a chat, smash.

 

[Zidane98]

England will win if it’s a shootout.

This is England we are talking about right? Penalty shootout failure is England tradition.

 

[Frank Bunn]

This is England we are talking about right? Penalty shootout failure is England tradition.

England have won 3 out of their last 4 penalty shoot outs. All 5 penalties against Switzerland were top quality.

 

[revo333]

The worst Euros since Euro 96.

I remember 96 being more interesting/exciting than 04 was.

 

[revo333]

Agree to disagree. Switzerland just knocked Italy out, dunno if Italy would be thinking that was a particularly easy match up.

Some are saying it's the worse Italian team they have ever seen.

 

[RPCB]

The Euros have always been like that. In 1992 Denmark won it when they didn't even qualify. Greece were not exactly a flair team in 2004. Portugal arsed it in 2016.

As you say, when teams set up similarly they are hard to beat. It relies on star players to make the difference. Williams and Yamal have that for Spain. Mbappe hasn't done much so far but potentially could win games on his own.

Greece get a bad wrap for being “too defensive”, “boring”, the media having a complete meltdown about it and it being 20 years ago so the memories of it have faded. But I watched the matches recently and what I saw was Greece played better than Portugal in the opening match and held their own well in every other match they got a result in. Defensively and in the midfield they were sound and they attacked when they needed. They had good chances to score in the QF and SF outside their goals.

Rio Ferdinand interviewed Greece’s goal scorer in that final recently and Rio said he hasn’t seen a tougher route to a tournament victory than the one Greece faced (including number 2, 3, 11 and 22 (twice) on the World rankings pre-tournament). No one Greece played against played outstanding. They deserved the title.

 

[Frank Bunn]

Greece get a bad wrap for being “too defensive”, “boring”, the media having a complete meltdown about it and it being 20 years ago so the memories of it have faded. But I watched the matches recently and what I saw was Greece played better than Portugal in the opening match and held their own well in every other match they got a result in. Defensively and in the midfield they were sound and they attacked when they needed. They had good chances to score in the QF and SF outside their goals.

Rio Ferdinand interviewed Greece’s goal scorer in that final recently and Rio said he hasn’t seen a tougher route to a tournament victory than the one Greece faced (including number 2, 3, 11 and 22 (twice) on the World rankings pre-tournament). No one Greece played against played outstanding. They deserved the title.

Greece deserved to win in 2004. But they are a good example of teams winning the Euros by hard work and commitment rather than having star players.

 

[darth_timon]

England will win if it’s a shootout.

If England and the Netherlands go to a shootout it will still be going on at the next Euros.