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Czech Republic12129 Posts
On June 24 2021 16:56 Laurens wrote:Show nested quote +On June 24 2021 16:41 deacon.frost wrote:
What's wrong with the play offs? They split the first place finishers so both parts of the play offs have 3 of them. Yes, unfortunately that means that SOME of the first place finishers will meet each other. Duh! Look at the potential quarter finals. Top half might have Italy v Belgium/Portugal and France vs Spain. These are matchups you could see in the semis or grand finals. Meanwhile bottom half will have England/Germany vs Sweden and Netherlands vs Denmark/Wales. One super exciting bracket half and one super snooze. Winner of the tournament will be known on Tuesday 6 July already. Of course we said all the same things in 2016 ...
but this is the issue of every tournament since forever.
Edit> "Issue" - like I don't see it as one. Also I hate the French lazy approach so why not stack them.
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Oh yeah, let's all pity France.
They must face the allmighty Swiss (3rd place finisher with a stunning group stage performance), and then, oh horror, might have to play Spain, the team which placed behind Sweden, who are supposedly the freebie of the lower half of the bracket...
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Germany vs England is going to be interesting. Germany sometimes performs well, but generally doesn't. I wasn't too impressed by England as well, so it should be a pretty even match.
My winner prediction for this Euro is Italy. Seemed like the strongest team to me. That being said my predictions this time around are pretty damn awful.
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Czech Republic12129 Posts
On June 24 2021 17:21 mahrgell wrote:
Oh yeah, let's all pity France.
They must face the allmighty Swiss (3rd place finisher with a stunning group stage performance), and then, oh horror, might have to play Spain, the team which placed behind Sweden, who are supposedly the freebie of the lower half of the bracket...
Let's all join the English bandwagon of hating the French!  (editorial note - I believe it's not just the English, but they started first )
On June 24 2021 17:07 DropBear wrote:Show nested quote +On June 24 2021 16:49 RKC wrote:On June 24 2021 16:28 DropBear wrote:
Surely the fairest way to set up the bracket seeds is a team beer sculling contest Aye, replace penalties for that too. Only way that football can finally come home to England (and set up a truly classic rivalry with Scotland). Then again, maybe 'em Germanic tribes have some tricky tricks up their beards. Cunning buggers. It's the Czechs you would have to watch out for
lol no xD
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France12904 Posts
On June 24 2021 17:21 mahrgell wrote:
Oh yeah, let's all pity France.
They must face the allmighty Swiss (3rd place finisher with a stunning group stage performance), and then, oh horror, might have to play Spain, the team which placed behind Sweden, who are supposedly the freebie of the lower half of the bracket...
Or we might play Croatia, finalist of world cup 2018 and still a scary team with Modric. How can you even deny that the top half is far more stacked than bottom?
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On June 24 2021 17:29 Poopi wrote:Show nested quote +On June 24 2021 17:21 mahrgell wrote:
Oh yeah, let's all pity France.
They must face the allmighty Swiss (3rd place finisher with a stunning group stage performance), and then, oh horror, might have to play Spain, the team which placed behind Sweden, who are supposedly the freebie of the lower half of the bracket... Or we might play Croatia, finalist of world cup 2018 and still a scary team with Modric. How can you even deny that the top half is far more stacked than bottom?
Croatia wasn't very impressive in the group stage though? Modric had one good game, yeah. But otherwise? Didn't look like a great team. They are similar to Germany in that regard I guess.
But yeah sure, if we don't go by performance the top half is much much better from the country names.
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France12904 Posts
On June 24 2021 17:32 HolydaKing wrote:Show nested quote +On June 24 2021 17:29 Poopi wrote:On June 24 2021 17:21 mahrgell wrote:
Oh yeah, let's all pity France.
They must face the allmighty Swiss (3rd place finisher with a stunning group stage performance), and then, oh horror, might have to play Spain, the team which placed behind Sweden, who are supposedly the freebie of the lower half of the bracket... Or we might play Croatia, finalist of world cup 2018 and still a scary team with Modric. How can you even deny that the top half is far more stacked than bottom? Croatia wasn't very impressive in the group stage though? Modric had one good game, yeah. But otherwise? Didn't look like a great team. They are similar to Germany in that regard I guess.
Being impressive in the group stages doesn't mean you are gonna perform well in the playoffs, and the contrary as well. Portugal had a shitty group stages phase in 2016 and look what happened. Same for France in 2018.
The most likely thing to happen is that top half teams will be too burnt out in the finals to win so any team that had an easier time in bottom half will take it.
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Belgium's nightmare scenario: out against France in the semis again.
Or worse, beat the French and then lose to Holland in the grand finals OH MY GOD PLEASE NO.
Happy to go out vs Italy in Quarters XD
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Czech Republic12129 Posts
On June 24 2021 17:34 Poopi wrote:Show nested quote +On June 24 2021 17:32 HolydaKing wrote:On June 24 2021 17:29 Poopi wrote:On June 24 2021 17:21 mahrgell wrote:
Oh yeah, let's all pity France.
They must face the allmighty Swiss (3rd place finisher with a stunning group stage performance), and then, oh horror, might have to play Spain, the team which placed behind Sweden, who are supposedly the freebie of the lower half of the bracket... Or we might play Croatia, finalist of world cup 2018 and still a scary team with Modric. How can you even deny that the top half is far more stacked than bottom? Croatia wasn't very impressive in the group stage though? Modric had one good game, yeah. But otherwise? Didn't look like a great team. They are similar to Germany in that regard I guess. Being impressive in the group stages doesn't mean you are gonna perform well in the playoffs, and the contrary as well. Portugal had a shitty group stages phase in 2016 and look what happened. Same for France in 2018. The most likely thing to happen is that top half teams will be too burnt out in the finals to win so any team that had an easier time in bottom half will take it.
Both Croatia and Spain had pretty lackluster performance in their groups IMO. So unless they were hiding their BOs for the playoffs they should be easy to take for France even on a French worse day. C'mon.
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We were shit in groupstage, but when things get serious we're always fired up against bigger teams. Our only kryptonite is France (be it football or handball), but in the knockout stages we always punch above our weight and exceed expectations.
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France12904 Posts
On June 24 2021 17:50 deacon.frost wrote:Show nested quote +On June 24 2021 17:34 Poopi wrote:On June 24 2021 17:32 HolydaKing wrote:On June 24 2021 17:29 Poopi wrote:On June 24 2021 17:21 mahrgell wrote:
Oh yeah, let's all pity France.
They must face the allmighty Swiss (3rd place finisher with a stunning group stage performance), and then, oh horror, might have to play Spain, the team which placed behind Sweden, who are supposedly the freebie of the lower half of the bracket... Or we might play Croatia, finalist of world cup 2018 and still a scary team with Modric. How can you even deny that the top half is far more stacked than bottom? Croatia wasn't very impressive in the group stage though? Modric had one good game, yeah. But otherwise? Didn't look like a great team. They are similar to Germany in that regard I guess. Being impressive in the group stages doesn't mean you are gonna perform well in the playoffs, and the contrary as well. Portugal had a shitty group stages phase in 2016 and look what happened. Same for France in 2018. The most likely thing to happen is that top half teams will be too burnt out in the finals to win so any team that had an easier time in bottom half will take it. Both Croatia and Spain had pretty lackluster performance in their groups IMO. So unless they were hiding their BOs for the playoffs they should be easy to take for France even on a French worse day. C'mon.
Well it's still a difficult match and semis should be even worse. I would rather face England than Spain though.
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It's obvious but understated how it's far more challenging to face a string of strong teams en route to finals. Now Portugal has to potentially beat Belgium, Italy and France just to get into the finals. Yes, partly their fault that they finished 3rd, but that Group of Death really shouldn't happen.
After beating a strong team, you're physically and mentally exhausted. Maybe a player picked up a yellow and got suspended. Hitting top gear for consecutive matches in a short space of time is a tall order for any world-class footballer (how Zidane ran out of steam in WC2006 or Baggio in WC1994).
The fact is, Portugal got super lucky in Euro 2016. Finished 3rd in a group including Iceland, Austria and Hungary. Barely scrapped past Croatia and Poland, then had the good fortune of meeting lucky Wales (yes, they just caught Belgium on a bad day). France had a somewhat easy passage in RO16 and QF. But SF against Germany must've sucked a lot of energy. I guess karma caught up with Portugal this Euro then.
Bracket luck matters, especially in fast-paced competitions. That's why weekenders don't count much in SC2. GSL format best format 
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I mean, I don't see the fatigue argument. Yes, in the group stages I see it. But now? A lot of time between each match.
The mental argument has some merits, some teams are very experienced and others aren't which will make some teams perform better when it matters. But that's not always true either, there are always teams that do well when they aren't experienced and expected to win.
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Czech Republic12129 Posts
On June 24 2021 17:57 Poopi wrote:Show nested quote +On June 24 2021 17:50 deacon.frost wrote:On June 24 2021 17:34 Poopi wrote:On June 24 2021 17:32 HolydaKing wrote:On June 24 2021 17:29 Poopi wrote:On June 24 2021 17:21 mahrgell wrote:
Oh yeah, let's all pity France.
They must face the allmighty Swiss (3rd place finisher with a stunning group stage performance), and then, oh horror, might have to play Spain, the team which placed behind Sweden, who are supposedly the freebie of the lower half of the bracket... Or we might play Croatia, finalist of world cup 2018 and still a scary team with Modric. How can you even deny that the top half is far more stacked than bottom? Croatia wasn't very impressive in the group stage though? Modric had one good game, yeah. But otherwise? Didn't look like a great team. They are similar to Germany in that regard I guess. Being impressive in the group stages doesn't mean you are gonna perform well in the playoffs, and the contrary as well. Portugal had a shitty group stages phase in 2016 and look what happened. Same for France in 2018. The most likely thing to happen is that top half teams will be too burnt out in the finals to win so any team that had an easier time in bottom half will take it. Both Croatia and Spain had pretty lackluster performance in their groups IMO. So unless they were hiding their BOs for the playoffs they should be easy to take for France even on a French worse day. C'mon. Well it's still a difficult match and semis should be even worse. I would rather face England than Spain though.
Yes, semis should be difficult :D Yes, bracket luck is a thing, but that's the way it is. The true champ should defeat everyone so who cares who's silver anyway It's not like Spain's playing Protoss and thus has an advantage
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I'm actually glad Portugal faces strong teams. I want to see those games, more than I want to see Portugal getting a lucky string of matchups all the way to the finals. This team is mature enough to deal with it, I mean you literally have strong leaders everywhere on the pitch (Rui Patrício, Pepe, Ruben Dias, Bruno Fernandes, Ronaldo).
That being said, playing in the group of death while two of those matches are away games is BS. Being third seed after winning the last two UEFA nations competitions is also BS.
Hopefully by now Fernando Santos has figured out we can't play with both Danilo and William, and we can't play with CR, Jota, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva upfront. Also, Bruno Fernandes has played around 70 games this season, and Bernardo Silva over 60. Meanwhile, Renato Sanches is a beast, Palhinha is ready to shine and we could play around with André Silva, João Félix or Rafa Silva up front.
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On June 24 2021 18:56 deacon.frost wrote:Show nested quote +On June 24 2021 17:57 Poopi wrote:On June 24 2021 17:50 deacon.frost wrote:On June 24 2021 17:34 Poopi wrote:On June 24 2021 17:32 HolydaKing wrote:On June 24 2021 17:29 Poopi wrote:On June 24 2021 17:21 mahrgell wrote:
Oh yeah, let's all pity France.
They must face the allmighty Swiss (3rd place finisher with a stunning group stage performance), and then, oh horror, might have to play Spain, the team which placed behind Sweden, who are supposedly the freebie of the lower half of the bracket... Or we might play Croatia, finalist of world cup 2018 and still a scary team with Modric. How can you even deny that the top half is far more stacked than bottom? Croatia wasn't very impressive in the group stage though? Modric had one good game, yeah. But otherwise? Didn't look like a great team. They are similar to Germany in that regard I guess. Being impressive in the group stages doesn't mean you are gonna perform well in the playoffs, and the contrary as well. Portugal had a shitty group stages phase in 2016 and look what happened. Same for France in 2018. The most likely thing to happen is that top half teams will be too burnt out in the finals to win so any team that had an easier time in bottom half will take it. Both Croatia and Spain had pretty lackluster performance in their groups IMO. So unless they were hiding their BOs for the playoffs they should be easy to take for France even on a French worse day. C'mon. Well it's still a difficult match and semis should be even worse. I would rather face England than Spain though. Yes, semis should be difficult :D Yes, bracket luck is a thing, but that's the way it is. The true champ should defeat everyone so who cares who's silver anyway It's not like Spain's playing Protoss and thus has an advantage
It's not just about determining the champion. But also the top placements. Every team deserves recognition for its performance.
By your logic, might as well randomised all knockout matches without seedings. Or put all the higher seed teams (group winners and best 2nd place finishers) in the same bracket. Since all that matters is determining the champion, doesn't matter who finishes as runner-up, semi-finalists, and so on.
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On June 24 2021 19:02 warding wrote:
I'm actually glad Portugal faces strong teams. I want to see those games, more than I want to see Portugal getting a lucky string of matchups all the way to the finals. This team is mature enough to deal with it, I mean you literally have strong leaders everywhere on the pitch (Rui Patrício, Pepe, Ruben Dias, Bruno Fernandes, Ronaldo).
That being said, playing in the group of death while two of those matches are away games is BS. Being third seed after winning the last two UEFA nations competitions is also BS.
Hopefully by now Fernando Santos has figured out we can't play with both Danilo and William, and we can't play with CR, Jota, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva upfront. Also, Bruno Fernandes has played around 70 games this season, and Bernardo Silva over 60. Meanwhile, Renato Sanches is a beast, Palhinha is ready to shine and we could play around with André Silva, João Félix or Rafa Silva up front.
That's what I've been saying for a while. The group seeding system is crap. Points should be given not just for qualifying form, but other recent completions (especially the UEFA Nations League).
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Norway28700 Posts
Championships, EC and WC both, are about providing entertainment and drama, not about finding which team is best. The knockout games are bo1s with penalty shootouts. Results do not equal performance in this sport - denmark played a whole lot better than sweden, got 3 vs 7 points.
24 team leads to a bit of a silly format, but itll be 32 soon enough. 😉
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On June 24 2021 19:14 Liquid`Drone wrote:
Championships, EC and WC both, are about providing entertainment and drama, not about finding which team is best. The knockout games are bo1s with penalty shootouts. Results do not equal performance in this sport - denmark played a whole lot better than sweden, got 3 vs 7 points.
24 team leads to a bit of a silly format, but itll be 32 soon enough. 😉
That's true, but it's no fun watching a Spain-Sweden final or semi-final where one team is playing to score goals and the other just parking the bus for 120 minutes. Having high quality games has a commercial spin too. Why else do people come up with the European Super League (bad idea as it was)?
Just watched back some of the previous matches. Scotland really played their hearts out - feel bad for them. Good performances from Denmark, Switzerland, Poland and Hungary. Results can be deceiving. And there's some huge element of bad luck from injuries and COVID (Eriksen, Gilmour, Busquets, etc)
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Btw:
I was the #2 for Matchday3 of 22k German users in Fantasy:
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/m2qfDYh.png)
YOYOYO
(Word #1045 on MD3)
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EPT
