EURO 2012

Germany did this in the last 15 mins y'day. Worse, they had Neuer playing holding MF.

If Spain can play like they did in the last half of extra time, and Italy play as good as yesterday this could be a great game.

Llorente is excellent, and better to have him come on than Navas crossing to no-one

neuer's diving header on the halfway line was incredible

Thought Italy last night was the performance of the tournament so far, hope they can keep it up for the final

Balotelli's first goal came just as the people I was with were getting in to a discussion over what exactly Balotelli had done, was good for and why was he even playing when he's so rubbish etc, which was pretty funny

I wanted more Neuer madness. Ref was a dick (even though they should have lumped that free)

been really impressed wih mario holding the ball up this tournament, bringing others into play. thought he was great in the first spain match dragging their defenders out and coming wide.

spain make me feel like a sceptical boondocks sheriff looking at two moonshone alien abductees- if all this probing is really going on, then why is there no attack?

They do attack. Silva and Iniesta in particular have just missed a lot, mostly through shooting from ambitious places, mostly due to not having a striker where one should be.

the attack pinballs so far, then it peters into a shot (and i dunno do they ever seem to get the guys who can shoot into an area where they get a shot) or it recedes like a beautiful tide back to the centre half for another round.

the pitch last night was horrible. that should have been a 4-3 CLASSIC and instead we got number nines like klose and di natale tripping over divots instead of putting away chances. khedira wld totally make my team of the tournament though, he was p much the impressive german last night. it's a shame they are out.

but balotelli and cassano is my dream partnership. i felt so frustrated watching last night, the commentary was all about the guy in the premiership despite cassano having the best performance of the euros. his control and poise is a true work of art. and they have the crazy connection thing going on.

the italy team play a style i prefer to watch over spain, they have more enduring characters, a better (4/5 unbeaten depending on who they play) defence and i put a fiver on them at the start of the tournament at 11/1. i'm not rooting for spain.

spain are a deeply unlikable team, or at least it just seems to have grown over the past two or three years. i've always had a distaste for xavi for his arrogant cuntbaggery (more than a club my dickhole), puyol too but he's not there. then there is the racist, so fuck him (go freddy kanoute!). oh and there is something you can't help but resent about a guy on the verge of true everlasting greatness throwing it away to fly around the world, miss training sessions etc. just to be with fucking shakira. and busquiets can go fuck a chainsaw too. oh and i despise their bureaucratic control risk evaluation game. wld be happy for xabi alonso and iker casillas to pick up more medals though.

They scored as many as Italy in the knock-out stages and more when they were in the same group.
xp

They do attack, just not every chance they get. It's like they've carefully worked out probabilities and decided that they need 20% chance of a goal before taking the risk of losing possession. It's utterly maddening watching them wait for the needle to edge over that 20% mark, and particularly when it does and they don't spot it - but it's not a ridiculous way of playing the game, just a rather clinical one.

re: ken's comment. it's a shame ronaldo won't be there to austin-at-wm17 the spanish if they win but hell, we'll have a beaten balotelli - we could still see something beautiful in the making.

So Ireland were in the hardest group after all.

Don't really get this dislike of Spain tbh Then again I love Barca as well.

It's just boredom I think, not actual dislike. It's like watching a guy get seven-letter words every round on Coundown.

cassano - balotelli makes me nostalgic for cassano - pazzini at sampdoria at sampdoria (and italy on occasion). a truly wonderful partnership, with pazzini being more of a goalscorer than balo, less of player. the amount of sweet crosses fantantonio would put onto his beautiful bonce :'-c

Barca actually score goals though tbf

I have this strong feeling that the ESP-ITA midfield battle is going to turn on tactical fouling by Spain, and that they could be in trouble if the referee is of a mind to hand out cards early. Just a hunch though.

Barca actually score goals though tbf

― Number None

where's the vituperation for italy, since theyve scored even less.

Do Barca often rack up the goals against v good opposition? I mean I guess they won that Clasico 5-0 a couple of years ago, but Spain haven't exactly been playing chump opposition in the last 2 tournament knock-out stages.

but Italy aren't the bestest team ever

Montolivo got away with quite a few last night. Not bad fouls but good tactical ones.
xxp

but Italy aren't the bestest team ever

― Number None

not sure if you're serious.

football isnt a comic book.

"they can't be the best team ever they don't win 3-0 every game."

football should be more like comic books

i'm not stanning for italy either, fwiw. solid outfit that counter effectively, the only thing that annoys me about them is my oft-stated aversion to OOOH MARIO LOOK INNEE MAD LOL whenever he does something stupid and OOOH MARIO WORLDY TALENT INNEE BUT DEMONS ETC whenever he does something half-ok

i don't get hate for xavi or iniesta btw?

I miss David Villa

ya

xavi and iniesta are, as far as i can tell from interviews, about as nice as you can expect from footballers, and humble, disinterested in celebrity, etc. puyol made friends with miki roque - who he'd never shared a dressing room with - after he developed cancer because they were from the same region, roque's mother from the same town as puyol, and paid for his cancer treatment. what a horrible guy.

wasn't it just Fabregas that people were expressing hatred for (no doubt he gives a lot to charity, loves his mum etc.)

he's got to love his mum, aiui, seeing as she's the only person could love his face

fabregas burns horses

I possibly bumped Xavi above Silva on the basis of his hubristic pomposity at the start of the tournament.

my hate for xavi and puyol (and deco, eto'o, ronaldinho, pique, reina etc.) is the 'more than a club' thing continued every week arrogance and that henry and cesc etc. were wasting away why play for arsenal no-one cares about them give up and just play for us, whats london anyway, they most probably have no fans and play shitty football or something, these 3rd division minnows, we are more than a club, political heroes who score 12 a game and are beautiful and beloved by everyone fighting evil we'll let you wear a cape unless you don't immediately fit in and then we'll hate you like zlatan or henry but don't think about that come to us because nothing you have done means anything until it is barca

yeah xavi had a bad interview near the beginning.

he 'more than a club' thing continued every week arrogance

Maybe this is two complaints missing a comma, but do you understand the first part at all? It seems like you think it means something it doesn't.

what was that xavi interview?

well we know why you hate them, sam- you're their feeder club. but i think you need to accept this and move on.

i hate utd for lots of other reasons, for instance

sorry, jarvy interview. motson's pronunciation the best.

I don't really hate any clubs tbh. I consider them all beneath me

this one I suppose? xp

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/spain/9320302/Euro-2012-Xavi-exposes-fractures-in-Spain-squad-and-takes-swipe-at-Jose-Mourinho.html

I want to thank a hoy hoy for writing out almost exactly what I couldn't be bothered to re Spain.

is the way this spain team plays a result of the same type of changes made in germany after euro 2000, or is just a result of barca/la masia producing these type of players and everyone else being so good that they can easily fit into this tiki-taka system?

I don't see a new fleet of outrageously skilful and intelligent central midfielders on the Spain bench, though there is Thiago Alcantara left out of the squad. Javi Martinez doesn't seem quite on the same level, technically.

Mario Balotelli @45MarioBalo45
Very happy to see john terry cry when we play england, he deserve it..no one can be racist and get away to it

im going to take a guess that that's a fake account.

Fake or no fake, Balotelli OTM