Author Topic: Official Euro 2008 Thread  (Read 87575 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Re: Official Euro 2008 Thread
« Reply #60 on: June 12, 2008, 11:53:31 AM »

Online Who

  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 47135
  • Tommy Points: 2401
Yep, I'm a Chelsea fan. I'm delighted to get rid of Avram Grant and am very happy with Scolari's appointment.

So, what`s your opinion about Michael Ballack? I would love to hear the opinion of a Chelsea fan about him. Where do you see him as a player?

He suffers a lot from playing in a midfield alongside Lampard and to a lesser extent Essien and to a lesser extent Mikel and Makelele. Lampard and Ballack are the biggest problem because they like to play in the same areas of the pitch. Ballack doesn't have enough room to operate to the full extent of his abilities. No surprise that some of his best football in a Chelsea uniform came while Frank was out. Likewise, life is harder for the other central midfielders when he's playing. Too congested with too few attacking options elsewhere.

I didn't like that Ballack struggled in Mourinho's system. He didn't warm to those organized triangles and discplined passing movements. Under Jose, Ballack was regularly complacement with his passing giving away possession on passes which didn't fit the system. Hail Mary types of passes. Ballack did a lot better under Avram because the organization was non-existent. Just keep passing and moving. Ballack was able to take more time on the ball and be more creative in finding holes. He was also more able to float around the pitch and pick his spots better. Also able to direct the play better by ordering about his teammates to open up the passing angles he wanted.

As for himself as a player, he's brilliant. Incredible vision and passing. Great goalscoring threat from midfield. Good in the air and can get his foot in defensively. I love having good size in central midfield, I think it limits a lot of the opposing teams attacking options because cuts balls out before they're threatening which Ballack does well. He's a top class central midfielder that would play in any side in the world.

Lampard and Ballack will be the biggest problem for Scolari. We'll see how it goes. Essien is in the conversation too because he has to play in that central midfield also. I'd be happy enough with Ballack leaving since it would balance our squad more. Frank is younger and he's a lot more consistent, that's the main reason I'd choose him over Ballack.

Re: Official Euro 2008 Thread
« Reply #61 on: June 12, 2008, 12:16:52 PM »

Online Who

  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 47135
  • Tommy Points: 2401
Germany-Croatia is a fun game. Both teams look capable of creating a goal every time they touch the ball. Both teams getting forward and having a real go at each other. Fun game.

Re: Official Euro 2008 Thread
« Reply #62 on: June 12, 2008, 12:58:53 PM »

Offline Casperian

  • Ray Allen
  • ***
  • Posts: 3501
  • Tommy Points: 545
I think Germany plays horrendous. Not enough power, not smart enough.

Croatia`s tactic with one striker works great against us. Too many of our midfielders go back on defense without a real opponent to cover, which hurts us on the offensive end. Jansen roams around in the defensive midfield, and in result, is in the wrong position and has not enough power to beat his man. We have to involve Klose more. Good things happen when Miro has the ball.
In the summer of 2017, I predicted this team would not win a championship for the next 10 years.

3 down, 7 to go.

Re: Official Euro 2008 Thread
« Reply #63 on: June 12, 2008, 01:15:28 PM »

Online Who

  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 47135
  • Tommy Points: 2401
Germany are starting the second half with some better football. You can feel the pressure slowly starting to crank up though. They're a little impatient once they get near the penalty box.

Re: Official Euro 2008 Thread
« Reply #64 on: June 12, 2008, 01:20:28 PM »

Online Who

  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 47135
  • Tommy Points: 2401
Lehmann strikes again. Awful positioning cost them that goal. That should never have been a goal threat.

Re: Official Euro 2008 Thread
« Reply #65 on: June 12, 2008, 01:21:51 PM »

Offline Casperian

  • Ray Allen
  • ***
  • Posts: 3501
  • Tommy Points: 545
Yep, I'm a Chelsea fan. I'm delighted to get rid of Avram Grant and am very happy with Scolari's appointment.

So, what`s your opinion about Michael Ballack? I would love to hear the opinion of a Chelsea fan about him. Where do you see him as a player?

He suffers a lot from playing in a midfield alongside Lampard and to a lesser extent Essien and to a lesser extent Mikel and Makelele. Lampard and Ballack are the biggest problem because they like to play in the same areas of the pitch. Ballack doesn't have enough room to operate to the full extent of his abilities. No surprise that some of his best football in a Chelsea uniform came while Frank was out. Likewise, life is harder for the other central midfielders when he's playing. Too congested with too few attacking options elsewhere.

I didn't like that Ballack struggled in Mourinho's system. He didn't warm to those organized triangles and discplined passing movements. Under Jose, Ballack was regularly complacement with his passing giving away possession on passes which didn't fit the system. Hail Mary types of passes. Ballack did a lot better under Avram because the organization was non-existent. Just keep passing and moving. Ballack was able to take more time on the ball and be more creative in finding holes. He was also more able to float around the pitch and pick his spots better. Also able to direct the play better by ordering about his teammates to open up the passing angles he wanted.

As for himself as a player, he's brilliant. Incredible vision and passing. Great goalscoring threat from midfield. Good in the air and can get his foot in defensively. I love having good size in central midfield, I think it limits a lot of the opposing teams attacking options because cuts balls out before they're threatening which Ballack does well. He's a top class central midfielder that would play in any side in the world.

Lampard and Ballack will be the biggest problem for Scolari. We'll see how it goes. Essien is in the conversation too because he has to play in that central midfield also. I'd be happy enough with Ballack leaving since it would balance our squad more. Frank is younger and he's a lot more consistent, that's the main reason I'd choose him over Ballack.

Thanks for your answer, I agree for the most part. Ballack plays at his best when he has the chance to decide and to be creative. His shot and abilty in the air are top class.
He started his career on my favourite team as an 18-year-old(under Rehhagel^^), so I´ve followed his career since then. I remember that he started as a defender with attitude problems, but he was already a brilliant player. It´s great to see him today as the player that he is.
I agree that he and Lampard do not co-exist very well, and understand that if you had to choose, you would take Lampard. When Ballack was traded to Chelsea, I actually thought he would be a great player to pair with Essien.
Essien is one of my favourite players in the world, #1 at his position. To think of the amount of options you have with such a player makes me drool. But it´s obvious that he just doesn´t fit in this team, and that this limits his impact.

Lehmann strikes again. Awful positioning cost them that goal. That should never have been a goal threat.

*sigh*
In the summer of 2017, I predicted this team would not win a championship for the next 10 years.

3 down, 7 to go.

Re: Official Euro 2008 Thread
« Reply #66 on: June 12, 2008, 02:02:25 PM »

Offline celticmaestro

  • Antoine Walker
  • ****
  • Posts: 4558
  • Tommy Points: 81
  • "Love is the soul of a true Irishman"
for me, germany didn't deserve to lose.

when it comes to the knock-out phase i fully expect germany to get their act together. get jansen out, get gomez out, get kuranyi and borowski in.

regardless of the result, they're still the best team at the tournament, i maintain that.

Re: Official Euro 2008 Thread
« Reply #67 on: June 12, 2008, 02:30:05 PM »

Offline Casperian

  • Ray Allen
  • ***
  • Posts: 3501
  • Tommy Points: 545
for me, germany didn't deserve to lose.

when it comes to the knock-out phase i fully expect germany to get their act together. get jansen out, get gomez out, get kuranyi and borowski in.

regardless of the result, they're still the best team at the tournament, i maintain that.

Bad performance by Germany. Everyone was a step too slow.

I would love to see Borowski for Jansen. Jansen is a great talent, but he´s still too slow mentally when it comes to switching on defense. I´m not sure about Kuranyi. He´s not so reliable on the international stage, but on the other hand, neither is Gomez with his 22 years.

I would rather see Podolski at Klose´s side, not as a midfielder. Arne Friedrich is also an option for the defense.
In the summer of 2017, I predicted this team would not win a championship for the next 10 years.

3 down, 7 to go.

Re: Official Euro 2008 Thread
« Reply #68 on: June 12, 2008, 02:50:34 PM »

Offline celticmaestro

  • Antoine Walker
  • ****
  • Posts: 4558
  • Tommy Points: 81
  • "Love is the soul of a true Irishman"
for me, germany didn't deserve to lose.

when it comes to the knock-out phase i fully expect germany to get their act together. get jansen out, get gomez out, get kuranyi and borowski in.

regardless of the result, they're still the best team at the tournament, i maintain that.

Bad performance by Germany. Everyone was a step too slow.

I would love to see Borowski for Jansen. Jansen is a great talent, but he´s still too slow mentally when it comes to switching on defense. I´m not sure about Kuranyi. He´s not so reliable on the international stage, but on the other hand, neither is Gomez with his 22 years.

I would rather see Podolski at Klose´s side, not as a midfielder. Arne Friedrich is also an option for the defense.

i think the back four should be set at lahm, metzelder, mertesacker, fritz. jansen as woeful defensively.

the problem really is the shocking form of both klose and gomez - in particular gomez who has been awful in both games.

how about playing more of a 4-3-3 with borowski ballack and frings then klose, gomez and podolski up front?. i still say give kuranyi a chance because gomez has been nothing short of shabby.

Re: Official Euro 2008 Thread
« Reply #69 on: June 12, 2008, 03:01:33 PM »

Online Who

  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 47135
  • Tommy Points: 2401
He started his career on my favourite team as an 18-year-old(under Rehhagel^^), so I´ve followed his career since then. I remember that he started as a defender with attitude problems, but he was already a brilliant player. It´s great to see him today as the player that he is.
Yeah I remember Ballack playing for Rehhagel. I remember him breaking out as a player once he left Rehhagel and begining to develop into the player he was capable of becoming. Adding that goal threat and patented runs from midfield.  ;)

Rehhagel did a masterful job with that team and he did a very good job bringing Ballack into the game.

You're a Kaiserslautern fan? I liked watching them play when Djorkaeff was there. I don't follow any German team, completely neutral, but I loved watching Djorkaeff.

Re: Official Euro 2008 Thread
« Reply #70 on: June 12, 2008, 03:09:02 PM »

Offline celticmaestro

  • Antoine Walker
  • ****
  • Posts: 4558
  • Tommy Points: 81
  • "Love is the soul of a true Irishman"
so, onto tomorrow. van der vaart to rip apart les blues? i fancy it.

likely to be a germany v portugal quarter-final - that is mouth-watering.

Re: Official Euro 2008 Thread
« Reply #71 on: June 12, 2008, 03:19:56 PM »

Online Who

  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 47135
  • Tommy Points: 2401
so, onto tomorrow. van der vaart to rip apart les blues? i fancy it.

likely to be a germany v portugal quarter-final - that is mouth-watering.
Ah no! It's not is it? There goes one of my two my favourites for the competition. I think I'd favour Portugal by a small margin right now but that lack of a striker could cost them (why only a small margin).

No, I don't think Van der Vaart pulls it off. I reckon France will do a good job closing down Holland's attack. They'll keep their attacking midfielders out of the middle better than Italy did, keep them out wide and have them cross the ball without having enough numbers in the box. Doubt the French do well enough on the other end to make that matter but that's another story.

Re: Official Euro 2008 Thread
« Reply #72 on: June 12, 2008, 03:34:16 PM »

Offline celticmaestro

  • Antoine Walker
  • ****
  • Posts: 4558
  • Tommy Points: 81
  • "Love is the soul of a true Irishman"
so, onto tomorrow. van der vaart to rip apart les blues? i fancy it.

likely to be a germany v portugal quarter-final - that is mouth-watering.
Ah no! It's not is it? There goes one of my two my favourites for the competition. I think I'd favour Portugal by a small margin right now but that lack of a striker could cost them (why only a small margin).

No, I don't think Van der Vaart pulls it off. I reckon France will do a good job closing down Holland's attack. They'll keep their attacking midfielders out of the middle better than Italy did, keep them out wide and have them cross the ball without having enough numbers in the box. Doubt the French do well enough on the other end to make that matter but that's another story.

i think van der vaart will have just as good a game as he did against italy. unless vieira plays. against italy he was threading passes through to the strikers so easily.

Re: Official Euro 2008 Thread
« Reply #73 on: June 12, 2008, 03:59:00 PM »

Offline Casperian

  • Ray Allen
  • ***
  • Posts: 3501
  • Tommy Points: 545
i think the back four should be set at lahm, metzelder, mertesacker, fritz. jansen as woeful defensively.

the problem really is the shocking form of both klose and gomez - in particular gomez who has been awful in both games.

how about playing more of a 4-3-3 with borowski ballack and frings then klose, gomez and podolski up front?. i still say give kuranyi a chance because gomez has been nothing short of shabby.

The problem with this back four is that we need Lahm and Fritz on offense. In fact, we could need 2-3 Lahm clones. Fritz is not as good as Lahm, but he has his strengths and gives 100%. Gomez couldn´t play any worse. He´s a beast in the league, but he´s also the focal point of Stuttgart´s offense. I agree that Kuranyi is probably an upgrade, but Podolski even more so, imo. Klose is still handicapped by an injury, he´s not at full strength.

I have
Lahm - Metzelder - Mertesacker - Friedrich
Trochowski - Frings - Ballack - Borowski
Klose - Podolski

as my personal lineup

Trochowski has excellent ball control amd is very creative, and after Schweinsteiger´s red card, it´s him or Jansen, who seems to be in a slump. I´m kind of happy about the red card. This way, Schweinsteiger can´t mess up anything, at least... :-\

With Holland - France, I think it comes down to France` vets. If they´re hungry enough, France will beat them. If not, Holland is favoured. With vets, you just never know how motivated they are, and France relies heavily on their vets...
In the summer of 2017, I predicted this team would not win a championship for the next 10 years.

3 down, 7 to go.

Re: Official Euro 2008 Thread
« Reply #74 on: June 12, 2008, 04:03:26 PM »

Offline celticmaestro

  • Antoine Walker
  • ****
  • Posts: 4558
  • Tommy Points: 81
  • "Love is the soul of a true Irishman"
i think the back four should be set at lahm, metzelder, mertesacker, fritz. jansen as woeful defensively.

the problem really is the shocking form of both klose and gomez - in particular gomez who has been awful in both games.

how about playing more of a 4-3-3 with borowski ballack and frings then klose, gomez and podolski up front?. i still say give kuranyi a chance because gomez has been nothing short of shabby.

The problem with this back four is that we need Lahm and Fritz on offense. In fact, we could need 2-3 Lahm clones. Fritz is not as good as Lahm, but he has his strengths and gives 100%. Gomez couldn´t play any worse. He´s a beast in the league, but he´s also the focal point of Stuttgart´s offense. I agree that Kuranyi is probably an upgrade, but Podolski even more so, imo. Klose is still handicapped by an injury, he´s not at full strength.

I have
Lahm - Metzelder - Mertesacker - Friedrich
Trochowski - Frings - Ballack - Borowski
Klose - Podolski

as my personal lineup

Trochowski has excellent ball control amd is very creative, and after Schweinsteiger´s red card, it´s him or Jansen, who seems to be in a slump. I´m kind of happy about the red card. This way, Schweinsteiger can´t mess up anything, at least... :-\

With Holland - France, I think it comes down to France` vets. If they´re hungry enough, France will beat them. If not, Holland is favoured. With vets, you just never know how motivated they are, and France relies heavily on their vets...

i considered piotr trochowski, but i'm not so sure he should be starting for germany especially as he plays second fiddle to rafael van der vaart at hsv.

i think he can be a good player, but i think he'd be just as prone to a mistake as jansen. at the beginning of the season jansen operated on the left of midfield for bayern, i'm not totally against giving him an chance to play there for germany.