Olympic Football Thread! - Page 17

On August 05 2012 07:28 Rebs wrote:


I didnt say the athletes involved didnt want to compete. Everyone involved wants to play to win. But do you really believe that as far as preparation and hype is concerned the results matter to them that much , the players will be disappointed sure. but the national interest and federation backing is a huge part of how well a team does when it goes into a tournament.

Its effectively a junior tournament. The european teams rarely dominate at that level its a pretty even field. And no I dont believe the players on european teams work as hard. They might lay it all out on the pitch at crunch time but the stark reduction in quality on the pitch is a direct result of failings of it. Something that they do not let happen at the top tier. And this isnt anything new. Its always been that way in the Olympics. They arent taken as seriously, but feel free to believe what you want.

On August 05 2012 07:35 Klogon wrote:


So we can agree on this: the players and coaches tried their best, but the old, rich, white men in suits watching from their glass and steel high rises didn't care as much so didn't prep the team as much. I'm okay with that.

But if you honestly believe kids who are under-23 playing in their first starting position in a major tournament don't see it as an opportunity to gain a bigger contract and more playing time in their club teams, perhaps you need to try to see these things from an individual "non-star" athlete's perspective perspective. A Neymar already has it made. A guy like Cleverly? Still a ton to prove and this is a great opportunity to gain attention and more playing time next season with United.

On August 05 2012 07:43 Klogon wrote:
This is you trying to win the argument for the sake of trying to win it.

If you're young, hungry, and still have a ton to prove, you work your ass off and try to boost your resume however possible. You can bet your ass off NBA #1 draft pick Anthony Davis tries his hardest when he gets playing time in the Olympics, even though most NBA fans consider NBA games to matter more. When you're young and hungry, you're out there with something to prove. I think it'd be more surprising if it was the opposite.

In terms of a player making headlines in the Olympics, I did not follow soccer as closely back then, but I do remember Carlos Tevez making a break out performance for Argentina back in the Olympics many years ago when he was still playing in Argentina. I have a feeling that really strong performance when he was young helped him through confidence, hype, marketing, etc, but I have no idea as I don't know if the media was already hyping him before the tournament.

On August 05 2012 07:50 Klogon wrote:
So if Cleverly stomped out the entire midfield, dominated every game Zidane style, pummeled in goals, had sublime assists, etc - are you saying that wouldn't help his career at all? If so, we're done. It was nice debating with you.

On August 05 2012 07:52 Rebs wrote:


it would. But he didnt. And theres a reason for that, which isnt just limited to effort on the pitch. And those failings off the pitch, conditioning, squad training, mental prep, strategy among others is what determines whether a performance is taken seriously or not. Why is that so hard to understand?

People kept hyping all this Spain and Brazil talk (and Brazil havent even been that good tbh, theyve been running on individuals) before the event and I didnt say anything, because well who cares. But I wasnt so sure taking into account the history of the even that they would just waltz past everyone. It hasnt happened before. Why would it now unless some serious changes were made, which clearly wasnt the case.

Team GB was lackluster they have the players to play fantastically but their midfield was paper thin. No one dropped to take a pass from the defenders and make things happen regularly out of fear of losing it. These are things that get worked on outside 90 mins and it doesnt matter how talented you are if your not well prepared its not going to work unless the other teams are just atrocious.

On August 05 2012 08:00 ExceeD_DreaM wrote:
What is with the discussion? GB got out played in midfield. Koo Ki combo was too much for them.
Despite getting welfare penalty shots, still loses... and Korea had several other chances to score.
Before anybody calls it blatant handball, look at it in slow mo, where else would you put your arm?

On August 05 2012 08:02 Klogon wrote:


I think we're arguing past each other a little bit right now because I largely agree with you that level of prep does matter from an overall perspective. Like how much support you get from your club boss to train for this, how many days and resources your national federation got to prepare the team, etc. It'd be ignorant to say these things do not matter as it is all necessary support to have a team firing at 100%. However, my main point is that to say that the players and coaches who have careers on the line are not trying their best is false. Giggs probably gives less of a shit than the younger players.

I bolded the part of your quote because that is exactly my point. If he had, he'd break out not only in the public eye, but in confidence, etc. And he knows that. Why wouldn't he take that opportunity then and go for it? Young players will push themselves for a shot at a breakout performance like that.

On August 05 2012 08:11 Sated wrote:
Rebs, if any of the players at the games are being scouted by any club at any level then it is going to be important for their career to do well. Scouts can only report on what they see from a player, and if they see that a player doesn't try every game then what use is that to a club? Players aren't stupid about these sorts of things so they're going to try their best.

On August 05 2012 08:46 Juissi wrote:
Well olympic soccer is really nothing compared to the major tournaments. Ofc the players are still fighting for their country as there is medals for share. But not many gives value to olympic soccer other than that.