Euro 2016

Don't hate him his inability to see his own teams failings and blame the way Iceland played is just winey and makes him look like a petulant cunty brat. Edit new page fail

He has a sort of point. It is annoying when other teams set out to defend. However, goals are overrated.....
I like the skill required for the co-ordination of 11 players to maintain a minimal space between them.
BUT!
I think Spain said the same thing after their narrow victory:
Of course it's a massive thing to score the goal that gives us the win, but we all performed very well – we managed to play very well both at the back and up front. If you can play and attack well, that means you open up the pitch and can find a way through, even if the opposition are defending really deep. That's the way you create chances: by creating space.

Nani and Him missed two chances. Nani should have been shot after the header. Really.

trying to find that Jonathon Wilson article where he talks about there being no shame if a team defends and hits on the counter, that good defending is an art in and of itself. But my google-fu is weak.
Iceland did what they needed to do, and Portugal have only themselves to blame for not taking their chances and not producing a top flight striker for as long as I've been watching them in international competitions, Postiga, Pauleta, Pinto, Gomes, Futre????

As this preview stated
https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/jun/14/just-give-the-ball-to-cristiano-ronaldo-portugals-plan-a-and-b

" The tactics are simple enough. Out of possession: work hard, cover the spaces, then give it to Ronaldo. In possession: work hard, cover the spaces, then give it to Ronaldo. Portugal do, of course, have a plan B. Plan B is to give it to Ronaldo slightly quicker."

If the team is built to maximise his presence, then maybe he needs to look at his own performance (which wasn't that bad) rather than denigrate the team which held you to a draw..

Yet if Chelsea do it the whole world is up in arms. You play to win, not to entertain.
#priorities

What he needs to do is have a word with Nani for missing the header.
Then have a word with the Number 15 for failing to get his crosses past his man.
And then have a word with Quaresma. Something along the lines of, "what the fuck man, it was supposed to be you, me, and him (points to Nani). We were supposed to be able to beat the world. WHAT THE FUCK?"

He has a point at the playing on the counter and defending but the "they will do nothing" comment shows him up as the twat he is. I find I quite funny how he has had hissy fit.

I was gonna say the same thing and then thought, nah, can't be fucked...

@jaw, we've had this conversation multiple times, if "smaller" teams do it, there's no shame, there's the acknowledgment that they are outmanned so seek to negate the "bigger" teams tactics by defending deep and hitting on the counter.
Chelsea see themselves as a "Big" team so to use the tactic against another "Big" team defeats their claim to be a big team. If you're a "Big" team go out and impose your game on the opposition, go and attack them, don't pretend you're Iceland playing Portugal, when you've talked yourself up to be bigger than Portugal..

Say that to the Italians and the Argentinians, might as well add the Germans in for good measure.

France look like the strongest team to me. So much pace, power and technique in that midfield. Lloris might have to keep bailing out the defence though.

Chelsea aren't a team in any of those countries...

and you didn't play like Atletico did in defeating Barca and Bayern Munich, playing on the counter and defending high, with a quick harrying press, rather than just sitting deep and absorbing pressure.

So just accept Chelsea played like a small team in that Champions League run and leave it at that..

football thread is >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Chelsea play to their strengths (or they did until last season). That's what good teams do. Look at Italy against Belgium, a masterclass in tournament football.

Look at Italy against Belgium, a masterclass in tournament football.

Loved that performance from them...Vialli said it best after the match: 'they love to defend'. England could do with a bit of that mentality.

This.

Never.

Amy Lawrence on the problem that is Pogba

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/jun/15/paul-pogba-france-didier-deschamps-problem

Wonder if France would be better with the last formation mentioned below, change of pace and more invention in the #10 with Payet there... Maybe that's the double switch the Deschamps will head to after 60mins, or being more daring start a game with..

"At training during the week Deschamps has continued to practise with the 4-3-3 used against Romania, with Pogba, N’Golo Kanté and Blaise Matuidi in midfield behind the attacking trio of Dimitri Payet, Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann. But what really got tongues wagging was when Deschamps tried an entirely new system with Pogba and Griezmann, two of the main men, taken out. Experiments with a 4-2-3-1, with the two young whizzes Anthony Martial and Kingsley Coman either side of Payet in the No10 role, hinted at something very different."

Russia/Slovakia draw is the best result right?

Icelandic response to CR brilliant.
Iceland’s Kari Arnarson to respond: “What does [He] expect – for us to play like Barcelona against him? He fannies about and dives around.”

Wales destiny is in their own hands, so today's result is less important as long as they get three points tomorrow.

I have no issue with what Iceland did.

Don't the Italians historically build a team with the defence a priority? Surely better to defend a draw or a narrow margin than to go balls deep and risk conceding?

Every time Ronaldo does some good somewhere (his list of charitable causes is apparently endless), he opens his mouth and makes himself look like a right cunt.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/jun/14/euro-2016-republic-of-ireland-fans-solidarity-northern-ireland-fan

Did no-one tell them that this tournament is all about showing other countries' fans how big a cunt you are?

I guess Ireland just don't really get it. They're a long way off fitting in. They're making themselves look like decent people, the idiots.

If they get kicked out, without playing Wales, what points do Wales get?

Best result for us would be Russia to beat Slovakia then get kicked out. I think.

#hasrussiabeenkickedoutyet ?

fuck this tournament if russia get kicked out.

don't get all the Ronaldo hating either. he was one of the few players that made last night's game interesting.