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Northern Ireland27265 Posts
On September 08 2020 07:14 Liquid`Drone wrote:Show nested quote +On September 08 2020 06:52 Wombat_NornIron wrote:On September 08 2020 06:47 Liquid`Drone wrote:
Norway with the best performance in years (after a very disappointing match against Austria three days ago). (5-1 away vs Northern Ireland)
Haaland is unreal. Absolutely fantastic finishing from him. Already knew that though, so not surprised. What was pleasing was watching how he played with Alexander Sørloth - another striker talent who had a great season. Both scored 2 goals and assisted each other.
Northern Ireland was poor and will not be pleased by the game, so the result isn't really an indicator of how good our team is - any more than the dismal performance against Austria indicates how bad it is. But the performance - and then especially thinking about the striker duo, was genuinely top class. Stop rubbing it in  I think we’re seeing our talent level when you don’t have a coach to get people playing on a collective ‘greater than the sum of their parts’ level It's just sweet. Two seasons ago Joshua King was without question our best player (and the only one who was a regular starter for any team in the top 3 leagues). Now, without him becoming worse, he's not good enough to start the game (granted because we're top heavy), and the 4-5 players we have that are better than him are all 23 or younger.
Getting back to the Egil Olsen days!
Norway are a bit like Scotland, land of my father’s clan. My football awakening occurred at a time where they were both at the World Cup in 98 and they’ve never been back.
Looks like you have a decent generation. From drinking with a Norwegian football journalist it’s a little like you’re a lesser version of Belgium, with a good generation with no real structural explanation.
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So Nicolo Zaniolo has suffered his 2nd ACL injury within 8 months. Poor lad, I hope he can recover.
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Norway28875 Posts
On September 08 2020 18:28 Wombat_NornIron wrote:Show nested quote +On September 08 2020 07:14 Liquid`Drone wrote:On September 08 2020 06:52 Wombat_NornIron wrote:On September 08 2020 06:47 Liquid`Drone wrote:
Norway with the best performance in years (after a very disappointing match against Austria three days ago). (5-1 away vs Northern Ireland)
Haaland is unreal. Absolutely fantastic finishing from him. Already knew that though, so not surprised. What was pleasing was watching how he played with Alexander Sørloth - another striker talent who had a great season. Both scored 2 goals and assisted each other.
Northern Ireland was poor and will not be pleased by the game, so the result isn't really an indicator of how good our team is - any more than the dismal performance against Austria indicates how bad it is. But the performance - and then especially thinking about the striker duo, was genuinely top class. Stop rubbing it in I think we’re seeing our talent level when you don’t have a coach to get people playing on a collective ‘greater than the sum of their parts’ level It's just sweet. Two seasons ago Joshua King was without question our best player (and the only one who was a regular starter for any team in the top 3 leagues). Now, without him becoming worse, he's not good enough to start the game (granted because we're top heavy), and the 4-5 players we have that are better than him are all 23 or younger. Getting back to the Egil Olsen days! Norway are a bit like Scotland, land of my father’s clan. My football awakening occurred at a time where they were both at the World Cup in 98 and they’ve never been back. Looks like you have a decent generation. From drinking with a Norwegian football journalist it’s a little like you’re a lesser version of Belgium, with a good generation with no real structural explanation.
Player by player this generation has much, much higher potential than the 90s generation. I mean, we had some pretty good players for sure - Solskjær, Flo, Henning Berg, Rune Bratseth a bit earlier. But with the exception of some center defenders, teams either played for mid tier clubs, or they were rotation players. Now, the Ajer - Berge - Ødegaard - Haaland - Sørloth quintuple (where sørloth is 24 and the others are 19-22) is one where they all have the potential to be regular starters or star players for top 16 UCL teams. And with the exception of our central defenders (no real good partner for Ajer), then the rest of the team is just as good as the 90's team- too.
Not that I expect the next generation to get second place on the fifa rank. Egil Olsen was a brilliant coach, one whose success isn't easily replicated (especially because football tactics have advanced a lot), and 'running more than the other guys' isn't really achievable the way it used to be, either. And with how volatile and random championships can be, and with how few there are, there's no guarantee we have any real success.
But I would be shocked if I have to wait another 20 years before we qualify for another championship. And Belgium is a fair comparison, although we're still looking like a budget version. For curiosity's sake I looked at a random squad from 2010 (from a game where they beat portugal 1-0) and the starting 11 had 6 players playing in the norwegian or danish league - and only one player (Brede Hangeland) who was good enough to be a 'good PL player'. Now, even though we missed Berge and Ødegaard, only one player played in a scandinavian team, and Joshua King, whose level is basically Hangeland-ish, was relegated to starting on the bench.
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Pity Norway didn't make the Euros this time around. Tough group in qualifying and all those draws didn't help. The WC in 2 years is much harder to qualify for, but Norway doing well in 2024 is definitely not unthinkable. A winter is coming?
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Northern Ireland27265 Posts
On September 08 2020 19:44 Liquid`Drone wrote:Show nested quote +On September 08 2020 18:28 Wombat_NornIron wrote:On September 08 2020 07:14 Liquid`Drone wrote:On September 08 2020 06:52 Wombat_NornIron wrote:On September 08 2020 06:47 Liquid`Drone wrote:
Norway with the best performance in years (after a very disappointing match against Austria three days ago). (5-1 away vs Northern Ireland)
Haaland is unreal. Absolutely fantastic finishing from him. Already knew that though, so not surprised. What was pleasing was watching how he played with Alexander Sørloth - another striker talent who had a great season. Both scored 2 goals and assisted each other.
Northern Ireland was poor and will not be pleased by the game, so the result isn't really an indicator of how good our team is - any more than the dismal performance against Austria indicates how bad it is. But the performance - and then especially thinking about the striker duo, was genuinely top class. Stop rubbing it in I think we’re seeing our talent level when you don’t have a coach to get people playing on a collective ‘greater than the sum of their parts’ level It's just sweet. Two seasons ago Joshua King was without question our best player (and the only one who was a regular starter for any team in the top 3 leagues). Now, without him becoming worse, he's not good enough to start the game (granted because we're top heavy), and the 4-5 players we have that are better than him are all 23 or younger. Getting back to the Egil Olsen days! Norway are a bit like Scotland, land of my father’s clan. My football awakening occurred at a time where they were both at the World Cup in 98 and they’ve never been back. Looks like you have a decent generation. From drinking with a Norwegian football journalist it’s a little like you’re a lesser version of Belgium, with a good generation with no real structural explanation. Player by player this generation has much, much higher potential than the 90s generation. I mean, we had some pretty good players for sure - Solskjær, Flo, Henning Berg, Rune Bratseth a bit earlier. But with the exception of some center defenders, teams either played for mid tier clubs, or they were rotation players. Now, the Ajer - Berge - Ødegaard - Haaland - Sørloth quintuple (where sørloth is 24 and the others are 19-22) is one where they all have the potential to be regular starters or star players for top 16 UCL teams. And with the exception of our central defenders (no real good partner for Ajer), then the rest of the team is just as good as the 90's team- too. Not that I expect the next generation to get second place on the fifa rank. Egil Olsen was a brilliant coach, one whose success isn't easily replicated (especially because football tactics have advanced a lot), and 'running more than the other guys' isn't really achievable the way it used to be, either. And with how volatile and random championships can be, and with how few there are, there's no guarantee we have any real success. But I would be shocked if I have to wait another 20 years before we qualify for another championship. And Belgium is a fair comparison, although we're still looking like a budget version. For curiosity's sake I looked at a random squad from 2010 (from a game where they beat portugal 1-0) and the starting 11 had 6 players playing in the norwegian or danish league - and only one player (Brede Hangeland) who was good enough to be a 'good PL player'. Now, even though we missed Berge and Ødegaard, only one player played in a scandinavian team, and Joshua King, whose level is basically Hangeland-ish, was relegated to starting on the bench.
An exciting time to be a Norwegian football fan for sure. Quite pleased as a neutral that Ødegaard is blossoming into some player. Would have been a pity if a premature move to Real Madrid had swallowed him up, as so often happens with these big moves for teens moving under such fanfare.
If the stars align I could see you doing a Wales. Forever without a tournament finals appearance, but especially with the expanded Euros and a similarly settled side and underdog hunger, could have a deep run.
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Has anyone wondered why there are so many promising players born in Guinea Bissau? It's a former portuguese colony with a population of 1.6M, and most players end up migrating to Europe and playing for other national teams (mainly Portugal). Here's a short list of current players born there:
Ansu Fati (Barcelona, Spanish NT)
Danilo Pereira (Porto, Portuguese NT)
Bruma (PSV; Portuguese NT)
Romário Baró (Porto, key figure in team that won UEFA Youth League)
Tiago Djaló (Lille)
Alfa Semedo (Benfica / Nottingham Forest)
(Lord) Éder (Lokomotiv Moscow, Portuguese NT and national hero who scored the winning goal at Euro 2016)
Umaro Embaló (Benfica, promising youngster)
We could cheat a little and add Edouard Mendy to the mix, who plays for Senegal but had played for Guinea Bissau's youth teams since his father was from there.
Had all these guys sworn to play for Guinea Bissau, and the country having a decent football federation (the country's institutions are a big mess, sadly), this would be a remarkably very competitive and promising African team for years to come.
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I just watched the highlights and I gotta say quite some nice goals for 100 and 101 from CRonaldo
Also what a beast, that guy still looks like in his 20s fitness wise
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On September 09 2020 15:09 sharkie wrote:
I just watched the highlights and I gotta say quite some nice goals for 100 and 101 from CRonaldo
Also what a beast, that guy still looks like in his 20s fitness wise
He's the best
Also Bruno Fernandes can't score if it's not a penalty 
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Pandemona
Charlie Sheens House51493 Posts
Yeah Ronaldo fitness is nuts and his goals yesterday were great. Wonder how long him and Messi will play for.
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Time for a 2020/21 thread? I can make a shithouse placeholder but can't make a good one
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Pandemona
Charlie Sheens House51493 Posts
True i need some graphics let me work on it ill try get it going somehow.
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EPT
