Euro 2004: Post match analysis

[Captain Shamrock]

BJB,

Unfortunately, I haven't watched the game yet. It sounds like it was a very entertaining game. Perhaps I have to take all my negative Croatian comments back from the Swiss game? I guess I have already missed the replay? This fcuking work thing sure gets in the way sometimes.....


Was it a good game, BJB? Was the result a fair result? I only read the teletext at the half and it said France had dominated the first half. That's is as much as I have heard....For what it's worth, I really want Croatia to stuff England when they play them! I'm going to put 500 tokens on Croatia......

 

[Keeper]

You and I are playing against eachother in an Over '35's match somewhere down the road. You bad mouth me and I spit in your face. . . . . . .

It would never happen though.

I've seen many Over 35 matchesand no one seems to have enough energy to spit -- saliva just drools out the corner of their mouths. Poor bastards.

As sand through an hour glass . . .

 

[Jinky]

Igor Tudor (France's best player today) must be croatian for "donkey".

What a horrorshow. Sad to say it but I thought Prso was the MOTM.

 

[BJB]

Captain,

It was a great game. Well the first 30 mins sucked but.... Tudor's first game back and he got an own goal and a shitty back pass to the keeper that was intercepted by tretegay.

France dominated the first 40. Croatia played well with passing on ground but seems to give up the ball as soon as they got close to the french 18. France's first goal came from zidane free kick outside the box. Tudor should have stopped it but it somehow got underneath is foot. Croatia turned up the pressure as teh half ended. 2nd half much better start for us. Got the PK which rapajic did not fail on. Barthez guessed right but shot was just too good. 4 mins later, no clearance by french defender and prso got the 2nd goal. Then the back pass by tudor which should be a hand ball on the french player as butina tried clearing it. but french with a horseshoes stuck up there ass. Actually tretegay was close in missing the empty net. and that's it. Butina made some key saves. oh ya molnar missed from 6 yards out with about 30 seconds. freaking joke.... The game we wanted is next a MUST WIN against England!!!

Can't wait till monday!!!

Offtowatchhilites......

 

[TheRob]

you never answered my question.....

how many games TheRob??

I know.

I'd say the rest of the tourney for sure, and depending on how many games that is another few. Example, if they don't get out of the group then the next two and three more. If they do get out of the group and make the final, one more later on. That sort of thing. It's easily worth 5-6 games in my opinion.

 

[Skip]

It's easily worth 5-6 games in my opinion.

Thank you TheRob.

I'm seriously not trying to be a piss-ant here. I am truly curious to know what you and others think a fair punishment is for this incident. In my mind, 3 matches is a lot in an international tournament, and therefor fair. If it happens in Serie A, maybe it should be more. Just one man's thoughts.

Totti: brilliant player......but a fukcing idiot in my mind. With that said, judge not a team or a nation by one man's actions. Viva Italia!!

 

[Whirlwind]

You think 3 matches is allot for spitting on someone.
Actually never mind spitting on someone spitting in there face fcuckin filthy Act.
It is disrespectful and has no fcuckin place in football he should have got more games.

Whirlwind
Northern Son

 

[Rangerforever]

Prso and the Croats

Sad to say it but I thought Prso was the MOTM.

Get used to it.

 

[BJB]

He should get more.... If someone spat on me, fcuker is gonna get his ass kicked. Good thing the danish guy was cool about it and didnt' get carded for decking the fcuker. Sad thing is Italy will probably play better without the fcuker.... Give him the Bertuzzi suspension.... Ccoksucker....

 

[sensei_hanson]

Hard lines Azzuri....what a fcuking finish by Ibrahimovic.

 

[filling the net]

Hard lines Azzuri....what a fcuking finish by Ibrahimovic.

That probabley beats Larsonns goal for goal of the tournment

 

[sensei_hanson]

Well well welll....that must be seen as a massive disappointment by the Italians, especially after the class they showed during the first 45 minutes.

My guess is Trapp will come under fire for once again reverting to a defensive shell far too early...especially when Zambrotta, Cassano and Panucci were giving the Swedish backline headaches all game. Zambrotta and Panucci were devastating running the flanks early on, and had the Swedes at their mercy.

Full marks to the Swedes for battling through, and once again, that clinical finishing I spoke of earlier came into effect with Ibrahimovic's 'audacious' strike on goal. I suppose there is a bit of luck involved with a looping, no-look, back-heel strike whilst airborne, but to be fair, Sweden created several chances before that, including Johnsson's strike which was magically saved by Buffon (who was tremendous, again).

Great game to watch. If the France-Croatia game yesterday was the best of the tourney, this would have to be right behind it in terms of entertainment value. Pity the I-Ties have to once again be burned by their desire to defend in droves and forget the attack altogether. An aside to this would have to be the play of Vieri, who has been utter crap for two straight games now. When Italy were carrying the play in attack, it was the aforementioned trio and Del Piero who were doing the business, while the big Australian was more concerned with wasting chances by heading them over the bar.

 

[ZENYO]

Win or lose this tourny, Trap is gone... At what point will this guy realize that Vieri is getting nowhere. 5 headers over the bar... Come on!

Call it sour grapes, Call it what you will, Italy beat themselves today. The swedes get no kudos for their play today. They had no place, Look at the game stats ttp://www.euro2004.com/tournament/matches/Round=1581/Match=1059177/Report=TS.html.

Alas, I guess only one of those stats is important at the end!!!

Can you tell I'm unhappy right now?

 

[Luch]

I posted my thoughs on the game in the England cheats thread as a reply to E, but I suppose it should be here. My apologies if you've read this twice.

Vieri was a shocker as he was in the first match. (Regs any change of removing him from my avatar). Finishing isn't near nor is his effort. Has reminded me of Totti.

Del Piero was quality, as was Zambrotta in the first half down the left side.

Trap's decision to play defensively for that last 30 min or so was disasterous. Reminded me of why I wanted him sacked after 2002. Without Totti, Italy are a better team IF, they are allowed to play. Did I mention Trap should be sacked?

Buffon's one mistake cost Italy some vital points. Should he really have tried to get to that with so many players in the mix?

On to a nail biting Tuesday. There could be a 3 way tie by the end of the day which would make things quite confusing. I dug up these rules to break a possible deadlock. I believe they're accurate.

If two or more teams finish level on points at the end of the group phase, these are the

criteria which will be used to determine the final group placings:

1 Greater number of points in the matches between the teams in question

2 Goal difference from matches between the teams in question

3 Greater number of goals scored in matches between the teams in question *

4 Goal difference resulting from all three group games

5 Greater number of goals scored in all group games

6 Coefficient derived from UEFA EURO 2004™ and FIFA 2002 World Cup qualifiers

(points obtained divided by number of matches played)

7 Fair Play ranking

8 Drawing of lots by the Committee for the European Championship only

applicable if more than two teams are level

One further though about Pirlo. The kid's got great skill, but he's lucky if 10% of his passes today hit their intended targets.

 

[Regs]

Breaking news:

Vieri is said to have ties to a Singaporean gambling sydicate... how else can you explain the 5 missed headers at one end and the biggest missed header at the other?



Magic match with the Swedish goal and the Buffon save as the highlites for me.

~Regs.

 

[Skip]

Italy vs Sweden

Agree with everything mentioned by Sensei and Luch.

I thought the first half in particular was fukcing brilliant. Looked like men against boys out there. Wish the Italians would play with that kind of attacking and possession style more often. The worst thing that happened for the azzuri was half time (and Vieri's 5 missed headers).

Zambrotta and Panucci had their way down the flanks, and made the Swede's defense look like they were standing still. I also thought that Gatusso was key for the Italians in terms of ball winning, and chemsity in the midfield (despite the unkind words spoken about him by the typically biased commentator). Every midfield needs a 'pitbull' in my mind.

The swede goal was lucky, but they did get robbed ealier by Buffon. An interesting day looms for this group on June 22.

 

[dazza]

Luch,

I'm pretty sure 4 and 5 take the place of 2 and 3. Over in North America it seems that they use the format you mentioned, but I'm pretty sure FIFA rules are what I am mentioning.

The I Ties played great in the first half today, but once again have come out and tied their opening games, putting pressure on themselves for their final group game. Didn't see the second half so can't comment.

Daz

 

[Jinky]

So you probably shouldn't have then.

The Swedish right back was mince. I expect to see him taking No 2's spot with the Loma's next year.

That being said, the Swede's deserved everything they got today. Had Lungberg not been such a selfish cnut, he could have easily squared the ball to Ghod for a goal in the first half.

Easily I tell you.

 

[Demolition]

Trap... should definately be gone. Why the fcuk take Del Peiro and Cassano off the park when they were easily the best players on the pitch for Italy. Oh yeah to go back into the defensive shell and protect a one goal lead . I guess it basically comes down for Italy to attack Bulgaria for the whole game and beat them by at least 3 to secure a place in the next round.

yesanotherpissedoffitieattrappatoni

 

[Luch]

Jinks, your Ghod is gone . You need to move on. As for Italy moving on, even a 3 goal win would not secure going through. In fact, a win and the result of SWE / DEN match are key. Quite the mess Italy has gotten themselves into. Here is the brekdown from Football Italia:

[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]The situation in Group C is now extremely complicated and even a 3-0 victory over Bulgaria might not be enough to see Italy through to the Quarter-Finals.[/font]

[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Giovanni Trapattoni’s men must beat already eliminated Bulgaria in order to have any hope of catching the leading Scandinavian pair, but there are several different results that could put a spanner in the works.[/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]
[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]If either Denmark or Sweden win, then Italy would progress in second place with five points and the winning side would top the Group on six.[/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]
[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]However, if that game ends in a draw, then all three teams are on five points and UEFA’s rules go through a series of criteria to decide who qualifies.[/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]
[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]The only results that count would be those played between these teams, therefore discounting the scorelines against Bulgaria.[/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]
[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]As all three matches ended in a draw, the goal difference in these games would also be equal.[/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]
[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]UEFA then analyses the goals scored in these encounters, which is why the result of the Denmark-Sweden game is so crucial – it is the only one that can be changed.
[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Italy scored once in their meetings with the Scandinavians, as have Sweden, while so far Denmark are on 0.[/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]
[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]A 0-0 draw would therefore see the Azzurri safely through, as Denmark would remain a goal behind them in this miniature table.[/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]
[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]A 1-1 draw would put Sweden out in front, while Italy and Denmark are level on one goal apiece. Here, UEFA turns to the goal difference throughout the entire Group phase, so Trapattoni’s team must beat Bulgaria 2-0 to be sure of matching Denmark’s record.[/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]
[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]At this stage, the UEFA coefficient comes into play. The Azzurri again have the upper hand with a rating of 2.31 compared to 2.05 for the Danes.[/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular][/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]However, a draw between the Scandinavian neighbours with four goals or more would automatically eliminate Italy regardless of their result against Bulgaria.


[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular][/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]The Azzurri qualify if Italy beat Bulgaria and:[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]

[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]1)[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular] either Denmark or Sweden win [/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]2) [/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Denmark and Sweden draw 0-0
[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]3)[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular] Denmark and Sweden draw 1-1 and Italy beat Bulgaria by two clear goals

[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular][/font]
[font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Italy go out if:

[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]1)[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular] Italy fail to beat Bulgaria
[/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]2) [/font][font=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Denmark and Sweden draw 2-2 or above[/font]

Quite simple, really.