Euro 2024 thread
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I knew you'd say that!
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How does that narrow it down? 😉
"I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
I only really watched the highlights, given a full time job, young(ish) kids and sporting ambitions of my own. The editors fill the highlights package with Imlach one-liners on "slow news days" anyway, so there wasn't actually much cycling to watch that year. But tbh, I just wanted Wiggo to win. When I want a particular result, I'm not interested in style points. (Unless it's figure skating or ski jumping, of course.)
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There you go, computer generated team of the tournament..
You’re welcome.
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Yeah, so they got suckered. Should be better than that.
The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
As per my post Switzerland lost to England despite having a better xG.
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It was a draw in conventional term, I think. Or do penalty shoot outs affect xGs?
But as a general question, is the xG concept the solution to an existing problem, or a potential solution in search of a problem?
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I forgot that was a draw. Plenty of teams lose with better xGs, but I don't have the energy to find one for you.
It's not a solution to anything. It's a better stat than shots on target.
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Show that formation to any coach and they would be tearing their hair out!
That catastrophe is 100% down to player decision making error, not tactics.
The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
I've seen 3 other 'Teams of the Tournament' as well as the above BBC one, and only 3 players are nominated in all 4 teams – Yamal, Gakpo and Williams. I didn't see much of the Netherlands' matches, but I can't say Gakpo impressed me in what I did see. Surely there was a better 'centre-forward'? Obviously not Kane this time, maybe Mikautadze (Georgia), while Morata actually contributes a lot to Spain, even if not in a traditional CF role.
In the 4 'Teams of the T' which I've seen, 5 players get 3 nominations – Saliba, Cucurella, Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, and Olmo. Of them I can't say I particularly noticed Saliba. For me, in the french team Kounde seemed the most influential/important player, and he was nominated in two 'Teams of the T', as were Akanji and Guehi. I'd guess, if he hadn't missed his penalty, Akanji might have got more nominations.
Goalkeepers Pickford and Mamardashvili both got two nominations too. That gives you 10 field players (8 of whom are in the BBC team) plus two goalies (one of whom is in the BBC team). But of course whether they'd ever play well together is a totally diffferent thing.
The two in the BBC team who don't otherwise make a 'Team of the T'' are Kimmich and Kroos. I think Kimmich played better than his recent international/club performances, but Carvajal was even better in that position, while Walker was mostly as good as Kimmich (albeit I ignore Walker's kicking the shin of a Netherlands player in the penalty area, missed by the referee, and his being out of position for the Spain goal).
The BBC including Kroos in their 'Team of the T' must have been just in recognition of his past, because nowadays he only sporadically contributes much (albeit sometimes stunningly, like his pass in the Champions League final); he no longer has the stamina for 90 mins, and he was very lucky not to be sent off during the first half of the match against Spain.
One big omission for me in all the 4 'Teams of the T' is Kvaratskhelia, he was the brains behind all the Georgia attacks. I know Georgia (unfortunately) didn't get beyond Spain, but they provided some of the best matches.
Of other players worth a mention for a 'Teams of the T', I'd say Kante and Musiala, maybe Baumgartner too.
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Well I’m no authority (didn’t watch any of it), thats the metrics.
Re There is a write up on each player in the article I linked. Kroos sounded quite impressive…
Toni Kroos (Germany)
Kroos didn’t get the send-off his career would have otherwise merited (at least not internationally), but there was little doubt he went out on top in terms of his individual performance.
Kroos was the distribution master of Euro 2024 and went on to break the record (since 1980) for most completed passes in a single group stage in the competition (324).
Not content merely to play from side-to-side, however, the German midfielder also led all players in the tournament for line-breaking passes (141) by a significant margin.
Perhaps this is why soccer has such a problem with VAR 😁
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At least, from here, it looks like it was his choice.
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Cake is just weakness entering the body0 -
Thinking logically, he is unlikely to improve on his current record without winning the World Cup so seems to be a logical choice to go out at the (relative) top.
The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.1 -
Definitely his choice I reckon. The FA don't like change, they would have gladly kept him.
I don't see Howe or Potter as a dramatic improvement. Read that Tuchel is on the shortlist, he'd be an absolute disaster!
If we really want the best then go all out for Klopp, he would be the best chance of future success.
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Fair play to Southgate. Turned one of the most excruciating parts of English football to one of the most celebrated.
I honestly never thought I'd see England in a final, let alone back-to-back Euro finals.
That summer when he took England to the World Cup semi I will forever remember as one of the best summers, and England's performance was a big part of that.
They've stopped arguing between each other and whining at the fans and been successful and I think it's been great.
We'll look back on Southgate's tenure very fondly.
My wife gave up watching England under Capello as they were just too awful. I remember how excruciating that defeat to Iceland was.
Now look at England!
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I look forward to the people who have been moaning about him moaning at the next tournament because they get knocked out earlier.
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Could this be he end of the best era of Engish football in my lifetime?
Anyone reading any of my posts on this thread will know I'm a big fan. His success as manager is unquestionable.
I just about remember the World Cup in 1970 (at least I think I remember it) - mainly because of Pele. Certainly by '74 World Cup I can remember it being a thing. Pele again but also Cruyff and Beckenbauer were names we shouted kicking a ball around in the road. 1978 - England weren't there but I watched and cheered for Scotland for as long as I could - Mario Kempes the star of my show.
1982 and the (misplaced) hopes rested with Keegan, Robson, Francis and Butcher.
And so it goes on and on and on.
In the 46 years between my very earliest memory of an international tournament and Southgate taking over, England had reached two semi finals . . . and lost them both.
Two Semi Finals in 46 years. TWO semi finals.
Then, in 2016, we went out losing to Iceland
In 8 years Southgate has given us a world cup quarter final, a world cup semi final and two Euro finals.
In 8 years.
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think England would come into that kind of form for such a long period of time - I simply didn't think it possible that anyone could do that with the England football team.
Very sad to see him go but glad he did it on his terms . . . regardless of what some may think of the style at times, Southgate's England have given me and my mates some of our greatest ever nights watching football.
Wilier Izoard XP2 -
I think it's a decision that people will come to regret in years to come.
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Yeah. Saw a tweet which said something like "What England need is a hire like Capello again. No love for the job, nor the country. Utter contempt for half the players in the team to provide us with absolutely no good memories or hope"
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Read an interesting "stat" half an hour or so ago.
The only non-national international manager (i.e. manager not from the country he was managing) who has ever won an international tournament (Euro or WC) was Otto Rehhagel who managed Greece to Euro 2004 victory
Wilier Izoard XP0 -
Capello was a real wage thief.
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Should Pogacar have moved on from using Inigo San Millan as his coach ? I mean he finished second at the 23 Tour.
There's only so many key games where trying to park the bus doesn't work until you need to try something else. There are no guarantees especially with the FAs abysmal record but a change was needed.
[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0 -
My first memory of a championship was England not qualifying for WC 78, despite beating Italy in the last match. After that, before the Southgate Heresy, it was:
Euros 80 - early exit
WC 1982 - harsh exit under the system with two group stages, despite not losing a game. False hope - the worst thing of all - after beating France 3-1 in the first group match
Euros 84 - DNQ
WC 86 - "It's Linekeeeeeeeeeeeeer!" multiple times before national euphoria-inducing QF exit in the Falklands rematch
Euros 88 - Oh dear.
WC 90 - Cruel, but still national euphoria-inducing
Euros 92 and WC 94 - The Turnip era. Enough said.
Euros 96 - The cruellest of them all. If only...
WC 98 - Group stage shonkiness => Argentina in last 16 and the predictable though game early exit.
Euros 2000 - The Phil Neville abomination. Enough said.
WC 2002 - Why does no-one mention that the patently unfit Beckham jumped out of a tackle to protect his foot in the build up to the Brazil equaliser just before HT in the QF? Cruel. Michael Owen deserved better.
Euros 2004 - Rooney. More false hope.
WC 2006 - Golden Generation my a*se. Seem to remember this was more about the WAGs though.
Euros 2008 - Oh dear.
WC 2010 - Oh dear. Spurred introduction of VAR, for better or worse.
Euros 2012 - Peak Hodgson. Quite good in retrospect, given what followed.
WC 2014 - Home before the postcards
Euros 2016 - Iceland.
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