Evo1883
Well-Known Member
Il give it a watch tomorrow
European championships 2020 thread (16 Viewers)
- Thread starter Evo1883
- Start date
Sick Boy
Super Moderator
Keane was definitely on form during the semi-final in 2018 - Wright’s meltdown was brilliant.Roy Keane is quality
Nick
Administrator
Roy Keane actually has a decent sense of humour. Very witty.
Earlsdon_Skyblue1
Well-Known Member
Why?
HuckerbyDublinWhelan
Well-Known Member
Anybody else think Croatia are crap? Still annoys me to this day they beat us in the World Cup
Evo1883
Well-Known Member
Thought they were shite today
clint van damme
Well-Known Member
For such a small nation they're incredible
Modric is a world class player, yes, getting on now,but no small feat keeping him quiet today.
Frank Sidebottom
Well-Known Member
Thought he was German... and retired.
HuckerbyDublinWhelan
Well-Known Member
Don’t get me wrong, Modric was world class. But he’s getting on now. I always consider them in the same group as Switzerland and Poland, that group just behind us. Yeah they’re a tricky side but England should be beating them.
CJ_covblaze
Well-Known Member
Does Rupert take the Andrex into the forest?
Earlsdon_Skyblue1
Well-Known Member
I think part of that is testament to us. We played well and deserved to win.
Hopefully that'll boost our confidence going into the next game.
Sky Blue Pete
Well-Known Member
Feisty game this one
stay_up_skyblues
Well-Known Member
The ref’s boots in this one are quality. Old school.
COV
Well-Known Member
I was thinking about this. I'm not sure confidence is such a factor any more.
Yes- years gone by confidence and attitude were massive, but it was very much down to the individual and the hairdryer treatment. Nowadays though the players are swamped with sports psychologists, therapists, they live 24/7 in a goldfish bowl, they are under pressure the likes of which we can only imagine and they have professionals ready to jump in the minute they feel a bit down in the dumps. And the psychology side is taken way more seriously. In some games the manager doesn't even say much at all at half time, the sports psychologists spend time with players. I think your modern day football player is as mentally tough as they come, if they're not they fall by the wayside long before getting near the top.
Nowadays its much more straightforward- ability & tactics are everything. I'm not convinced that confidence makes much of a difference any more.
You can even see it with Cov- we got battered at QPR- and years ago that would have been it, heads would have gone down right away. But we beat Bristol City next game and looked like we were on a 10 game winning run.
Basically I think confidence is now almost the same as fitness- some teams will have a slight edge but there won't be that much difference any more.
stay_up_skyblues
Well-Known Member
Good goal.
COV
Well-Known Member
Watching it with sound down & I spent 20 mins thinking Austria were in white & that Macedonia just scored
Austria's strip shouldn't work, black & mint green.... but it does. Best strip in the tournament so far
COV
Well-Known Member
TV blaming the keeper but that was the defence's fault, proper clownlike attempt at a clearance
Sick Boy
Super Moderator
They’re far superior to Switzerland and Poland.
Earlsdon_Skyblue1
Well-Known Member
Yes, I think you have a point actually. There is definitely more to the mental side of things now, but I wouldn't underestimate the power of playing after a win against a decent team.
I still believe that edge plus the crowd will help though. Any advantage you can have is very welcome.
Even Sterling, and I genuinely mean this, will be boosted massively by his goal. That can only be good.
COV
Well-Known Member
The Austria manager looks like he's forgotten to put a shirt on and is trying to hold his jacket closed to hide the fact
Yes they are, but I see his point- you can't quite work out how.
They aren't fast, they aren't massive, they are a very measured side and I think that is deceptive- you don't look at them and think "wow", then before you know where you are you've been passed off the pitch and lost to them.
Yes they are, but I see his point- you can't quite work out how.
They aren't fast, they aren't massive, they are a very measured side and I think that is deceptive- you don't look at them and think "wow", then before you know where you are you've been passed off the pitch and lost to them.
mark82
Super Moderator
Were you there mate? How did the atmosphere feel in the ground?
COV
Well-Known Member
Oh yeah, I agree- I just don't think that the manager delivering rousing teamtalks or Crazy Gang style team spirit makes anywhere near as much of a difference any more.
With the resources these top teams (which are now essentially multibillion corporations) have available, its massivly unlikely that anyone will be allowed near a pitch unless they're in immaculate psychological condition as well as physical condition.
But yeah- I get your point. I just don't think its as much of an edge as it used to be.
And you could actually counter my argument by saying that even though psychology is much more level across teams, the margins are also much much finer- so comparatively speaking the right mindset is still a matchwinner, because with such a tiny gap between teams the tiniest thing makes a difference.
So having just disproved my own argument, I will pipe down on the matter
usskyblue
Well-Known Member
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Brighton Sky Blue
Well-Known Member
Oh yeah, I agree- I just don't think that the manager delivering rousing teamtalks or Crazy Gang style team spirit makes anywhere near as much of a difference any more.
With the resources these top teams (which are now essentially multibillion corporations) have available, its massivly unlikely that anyone will be allowed near a pitch unless they're in immaculate psychological condition as well as physical condition.
But yeah- I get your point. I just don't think its as much of an edge as it used to be.
And you could actually counter my argument by saying that even though psychology is much more level across teams, the margins are also much much finer- so comparatively speaking the right mindset is still a matchwinner, because with such a tiny gap between teams the tiniest thing makes a difference.
So having just disproved my own argument, I will pipe down on the matter
HuckerbyDublinWhelan
Well-Known Member
Disagree. They all have 1 world class player and a load of average players around them.
always have a solid side, but I never see anything to think they’re a top side.
Ccfcisparks
Well-Known Member
Am I missing something, who is Switzerland’s world class player?
usskyblue
Well-Known Member
Roger Federer m8
CJ_covblaze
Well-Known Member
As good as it can be there (crap). Hopefully it’ll be a lot better with 3000 Sweatys there on Friday rather than a couple of hundred Croatians.
Sick Boy
Super Moderator
Personally I’d put them in the same category as England.
HuckerbyDublinWhelan
Well-Known Member
Valid point. Switzerland are one of those teams who seem to qualify all the time, cause problems. But you’d expect England to beat them.
all round, I see them as a solid squad. Croatia are the same but have Modric, who isn’t the player he was 3 years ago.
COV
Well-Known Member
seems reasonable.
We have a lot of very talented young players but I don't yet see a team, Croatia don't have that same depth of player but they are a team. Almost opposites in that way but about the same level I'd say.
Mucca Mad Boys
Well-Known Member
No chance, their team has got older and not much better since 2018. Like us, they had an easy route to the final.
Our team in 2021 is a lot stronger than it was in 2018. For starts, Lingard and Alli - two stalwarts in 2018 - haven’t even made the squad this time around.