a bit harsh for cron to be in that team tbh but then, MESSI :*
― Rosie 47 (ken c), Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:27 (eleven years ago) link
Is Reus not favored to keep his place after excellent game v Greece?
― boxall, Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:28 (eleven years ago) link
Milner didn't play in the middle either so that seems a tad unfair
― Number None, Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:29 (eleven years ago) link
Be close but Loew trusts Mueller more I think, especially defensively. LB for Italy got a lot of joy vs England.xp
― pandemic, Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:31 (eleven years ago) link
Thought G Johnson had a decent tourney (although I would stan for him I guess)
― pandemic, Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:32 (eleven years ago) link
left a permanent gap for italy to attack iirc
― Rosie 47 (ken c), Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:34 (eleven years ago) link
but then that could have been the whole defence tbf
i haven't seen any rumours about the team selection vs italy
i'd probably favour muller for his track record and combination play, reus on this form has higher upside but not the same solidity if things get difficult and he is denied space
― dis civilization and its contents (nakhchivan), Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:34 (eleven years ago) link
nah Johnson was one of the better Englishes imo
― ENPBGIW (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:35 (eleven years ago) link
Seemed like he was out of position a lot. Played Sweden onside for their first goal
― Number None, Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:37 (eleven years ago) link
GivenO'Shea Vlaar Mykhalyk Willems Andrews RezekRobben Gerrard Nasri Kerzhakhov
― Smothered, Covered and Chunked!!! (a hoy hoy), Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:37 (eleven years ago) link
like if it is chiellini and he can take care of reus (which is possible cuz he is agile for his size) then reus becomes an underused outlet ball whereas muller can drift around and play 1-2s as well as being better defensively
― dis civilization and its contents (nakhchivan), Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:37 (eleven years ago) link
Maybe have Rooney in a 4-4-2 and drop Rezek (just like he was in that first game amirite?)
― Smothered, Covered and Chunked!!! (a hoy hoy), Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:38 (eleven years ago) link
Andrews was Ireland's best player fwiw
― Number None, Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:38 (eleven years ago) link
I'd play Reus left actually, Podolski has been disappointing and Abate's not fully fit, Maggio more wingback than fullback, etc.
― boxall, Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:38 (eleven years ago) link
I still like Schurrle more generally but he wasn't very good last match.
― boxall, Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:39 (eleven years ago) link
Ireland had a best player? I only saw 11 stallians running around trying not to be shot in the face and taken away to make glue
― Smothered, Covered and Chunked!!! (a hoy hoy), Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:40 (eleven years ago) link
andrews is trash, not that #0 might not be right
― dis civilization and its contents (nakhchivan), Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:41 (eleven years ago) link
reus lw makes more sense but poldi seems pretty much a fixture at this point
― dis civilization and its contents (nakhchivan), Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:42 (eleven years ago) link
maggio is suspended, if abate is still injured who steps in?
― mizzell, Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:46 (eleven years ago) link
yeah i agree with reus over poldi.
― pandemic, Thursday, 28 June 2012 14:50 (eleven years ago) link
No idea but I suspect Thiago Motta could do a job there. (xp)
― boxall, Thursday, 28 June 2012 15:00 (eleven years ago) link
Reus has been great
― Love Max Ophüls of us all (Michael White), Thursday, 28 June 2012 15:00 (eleven years ago) link
andrews was prob ireland's best player. Certainly the only one to emerge with a better rep than when he entered. If he makes yr worst xi then they're all wearing green
― Ну, там твое место, там сабе будь! (darraghmac), Thursday, 28 June 2012 15:41 (eleven years ago) link
Are these worst XIs based on performance-to-reputation-gap, or just performance?
― Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 28 June 2012 15:42 (eleven years ago) link
i've always rated him, at least above the likes of whelan who offers nothing. andrews has character if not any great ability. he had a string of decent attempts against croatia cos he kept at it.
― Know how Roo feel (LocalGarda), Thursday, 28 June 2012 15:43 (eleven years ago) link
xpost to dmac
he was v good in paris against france that night too.
whelan offers a lot more ito movement and passing, andrews good in big games, better in the air and in the tackle.
Both combined are maybe good enough
― Ну, там твое место, там сабе будь! (darraghmac), Thursday, 28 June 2012 16:02 (eleven years ago) link
ok ok i should have had whelan over andrews.
nick - a bit of both. nasri didn't have a bad game v england or ukraine but he didn't exactly look inspired either and caused the backroom shit that got france knocked out i guess
― Smothered, Covered and Chunked!!! (a hoy hoy), Thursday, 28 June 2012 16:03 (eleven years ago) link
(and considering he is one of the few players supposedly worth 25m on the last year of his contract - you'd think he'd be one of the lynchpins on a team).
biggest gap between reputation and performance is robben
― Smothered, Covered and Chunked!!! (a hoy hoy), Thursday, 28 June 2012 16:04 (eleven years ago) link
rooney
― pandemic, Thursday, 28 June 2012 16:06 (eleven years ago) link
But he only played 2 games, and scored in one, so.
Yes, or maybe Wazza imo xp
― you can't stream a pancake (onimo), Thursday, 28 June 2012 16:07 (eleven years ago) link
Actually I don't think Xavi is having that good a tourney tbh. But still, he's Xavi.
― pandemic, Thursday, 28 June 2012 16:07 (eleven years ago) link
Xavi's looked a lot less productive because he keeps having to take pointless corners.
― you can't stream a pancake (onimo), Thursday, 28 June 2012 16:09 (eleven years ago) link
biggest gap btwn rep and performance is always rooney
― Ну, там твое место, там сабе будь! (darraghmac), Thursday, 28 June 2012 16:15 (eleven years ago) link
Van Persie.
― Matt DC, Thursday, 28 June 2012 16:19 (eleven years ago) link
Van Persie at least had spells where he tried and hit the post twice iirc
― Smothered, Covered and Chunked!!! (a hoy hoy), Thursday, 28 June 2012 16:20 (eleven years ago) link
he keeps having to take pointless corners.
Considering possession and number of corners, I was shocked at how ineffectual Spain's corners have been
― Love Max Ophüls of us all (Michael White), Thursday, 28 June 2012 17:07 (eleven years ago) link
I reckon if you force Spain into taking 60 corners a game you've a good chance of a 0-0, or better if you're half decent on the break. They have two players who can attack a crossed ball and have to take both of them out of defence to try it.
The crowd would boo them even more for it but they'd be better taking them all short and continuing to pass and probe.
― you can't stream a pancake (onimo), Thursday, 28 June 2012 17:22 (eleven years ago) link
punting the ball into the stand behind your own goal at every opportunity is a tactic i'd like to see enacted.
― Merdeyeux, Thursday, 28 June 2012 17:26 (eleven years ago) link
According to #Bild : Germany starting line up : Neuer, Boateng, Hummels, Badstuber, Lahm, Sami, Basti, Ozil, Reus, Podolski, Klose
― boxall, Thursday, 28 June 2012 17:36 (eleven years ago) link
Mueller and Gomez are still possible subs, ja?
― Love Max Ophüls of us all (Michael White), Thursday, 28 June 2012 17:43 (eleven years ago) link
hold up, #Bild was wrong.
― boxall, Thursday, 28 June 2012 17:45 (eleven years ago) link
replace Klose with Gomez and Reus with Kroos. Still no Muller, though he's not injured I don't believe.
― boxall, Thursday, 28 June 2012 17:46 (eleven years ago) link
the subs bench is the rest of the squad
klose is a player i don't like but i'm not sure why
― Smothered, Covered and Chunked!!! (a hoy hoy), Thursday, 28 June 2012 17:47 (eleven years ago) link
Kroos on the right instead of muller/reus? Or are they putting ozil right and having kroos look after pirlo from the #10 position?
― pandemic, Thursday, 28 June 2012 18:07 (eleven years ago) link
The talk has been of Ozil at the #10 against Pirlo.
― Love Max Ophüls of us all (Michael White), Thursday, 28 June 2012 18:08 (eleven years ago) link
xp I would think the latter. Ozil to drift in from right to center, Khedira to shuttle right and cover him defensively vs Alba/Iniesta.
― boxall, Thursday, 28 June 2012 18:09 (eleven years ago) link