[hotShot]

Marlow it's 22 not just 11.

Quote

“Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win”.

From Gary Lineker

[mycroft]

Sounds like Goscinny's description of rugby (translated):

"You play it with a bladder and XXX players divided into II teams of XV. It's really frightfully simple. You can do almost anything to carry the bladder over the other team's goal line. Anything's allowed except using weapons without previous agreement…"

[gwnn]

amazing match by Spain! I'd be reluctant to say they are favorites in the final, though. All in all, the best two teams are in the final, imho.

[Codo]

Spain was so amazing because the Russians had been so horrible. What happened to them?

I don't knowwhether the two best teams are in the finals. The spaish squad had been great. But our team?
The Germans had the most effective team so far, but I think that Oranje(f.e.) will always beat them if they have a good day. Unluckily for our neightbours they happen to have more good days in the prem. or in friendly kicks, while we happen to have a team which is best when it has to be.

So the Spains will have a hard time to show their best game and hopefully their second best is not good enough.

[cherdano]

I had this conversation yesterday:
"I lam happy that Spain is in the final, they would really deserve to win a big title once."

"Right, too bad they are playing Germany in the final, then. Actually, Turkey really deserved to win the semifinal, too..."

[Aberlour10]

so the final match is forthcoming... I hope only, we will not watch some kind of chess in the midfield with overacting "safety very first" strategy.

Robert

[gwnn]

I think it will be a good match, because both Germany and Spain play relatively attractive footie when they try. Why wouldn't they try?!

[cjames]

Alas, I fear it will be a boring final much like the first 50-60 mins of the Spain-Russia match, but I hope I will be mistaken.

[brianshark]

Odds from PaddyPower.com bookies:

Number of goals (90 mins):

0 or 1: 7 - 4

2 or 3: 10 - 11

4 or more: 3 - 1

[cherdano]

cjames, on Jun 29 2008, 03:46 AM, said:

Alas, I fear it will be a boring final much like the first 50-60 mins of the Spain-Russia match, but I hope I will be mistaken.

I don't think either team's defense is good enough to make this game boring.

[Aberlour10]

Congratulations to Spain, the only team which played constantly very good during the whole time of the championships.


Robert

[Fluffy]

Well, congrats to whoever who voted for spain, it wasn't me (I didn't vote)

I've read all this post, and found it interesting how few it was talked about the winner's team. IMO this shows a big reason why referee's often boot our national team from competitions: Nobody watches our team, so not a big deal to keep us into the competition.


If someone watched several spannish matches he would probably laugh as I do about the spannish press, who made enourmous efforts for pressure to boot the spannish coach (The press wanted a team made of Real madrid only players to sell more), and Spain owes him much more than to any individual player.


Germany really had little chance, the way Germany has been playing (poor) they had little to offer, and their best weapon (being a winner, while Spain as Portugal always loses nobody knows why) was of no use, since all our nightmares were already surmounted against Italy.

[Al_U_Card]

Hi G

You sound like someone who takes his football very very seriously.

Glad your team won....44 years is a long time.

[gwnn]

I think it was a bad joke to call up Krkic instead of Raul, I think the two players are not in the same class talent-wise, and their performances during last season were quite different also. Aragones just wanted to show how he's an interesting person and after a while so many people complained about Raul's omission, that it has become fun for him. Just a thought. Not sure. They were definitely the best team though in this tourney so I'm happy.

[Codo]

Yes congratulations to the best team of this champioship. A 3-0 had been even more deserved. "My" team played the worst final I ever saw from them and I doubt that it was just because the Spains had been so good.

We saw 11 great players out there and 10 bad germans (all but Lehmann) and a bad Italian. Luckily he was not the descisive factor.

[Gerben42]

Quote

We saw 11 great players out there and 10 bad germans (all but Lehmann) and a bad Italian. Luckily he was not the descisive factor.

Yep agree with this, the referee didn't do a great job. He oversaw a rather serious foul from Silva, and on the other side he didn't see Lehmann's hand play. I don't feel bad that the Dutch didn't win, I don't think any team could have beaten the Spaniards this time around.

Maybe it's time for video evidence to support the referees...

[Fluffy]

gwnn, on Jun 30 2008, 07:04 AM, said:

I think it was a bad joke to call up Krkic instead of Raul, I think the two players are not in the same class talent-wise, and their performances during last season were quite different also. Aragones just wanted to show how he's an interesting person and after a while so many people complained about Raul's omission, that it has become fun for him. Just a thought. Not sure. They were definitely the best team though in this tourney so I'm happy.

We owe Raul the eurocup, after the worldcup, Aragones was suposed to leave (he sent dimission), but he had a discussion with Raul on the plane the way home, where he decided that he would stay and put Raul out of the natiotal team forever.

So many people complained that Raul was not there, the press was so offensive every qualifying match (and there were 23 of them I think). Even many people though that it was maybe worth it for Aragones to send Raul to the eurocup and not make him play, just to avoid the press. But oh man, had he done that, we would had have to hear the press's complaining after every match he didn't play again during euro.

Spannish sport diarys is yellow press, they are by far the most sold diarys here, nearly twice as serious ones. They have too much power and they definetelly want to use it.

[P_Marlowe]

gwnn, on Jun 30 2008, 02:04 AM, said:

I think it was a bad joke to call up Krkic instead of Raul, I think the two players are not in the same class talent-wise, and their performances during last season were quite different also. Aragones just wanted to show how he's an interesting person and after a while so many people complained about Raul's omission, that it has become fun for him. Just a thought. Not sure. They were definitely the best team though in this tourney so I'm happy.

It was a good decision for Spain, Raul may be the better player, but if he
is a team player, who puts the team interest before his own, i dont know,
my impression is, he is currently not.

They say, spain had always brilliant players, only they did not want to
work / play together, unfortunatly Aragones put an end to this.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[Aberlour10]

Gerben42, on Jun 30 2008, 05:09 AM, said:

He oversaw a rather serious foul from Silva

I saw it as a very ugly provocation by Podolski. He ran ten meters and pressed his head on Silva's. Why did he do it? He and Ballack tried such a dirty tricks at the World Cup too. Helpless in his own play, trying to turn the match on this way.
I am glad the referee oversaw it or did not want to punish it.

Robert

[Rossoneri]

Aberlour10, on Jun 30 2008, 11:53 PM, said:

Gerben42, on Jun 30 2008, 05:09 AM, said:

He oversaw a rather serious foul from Silva

I saw it as a very ugly provocation by Podolski. He ran ten meters and pressed his head on Silva's. Why did he do it? He and Ballack tried such a dirty tricks at the World Cup too. Helpless in his own play, trying to turn the match on this way.
I am glad the referee oversaw it or did not want to punish it.

Robert

Should have just sent the two of them off.

Aragones was right to haul silva right off after that.

As for Ballack, I've lost all respect for him since he started his antics after he joined Chelsea.