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On June 08 2012 17:23 ParkwayDrive wrote:
my picks:
Group A: Russia, Greece
Group B: Netherlands, Portugal
Group C: Spain, Croatia
Group D: Sweden, England
Winner: Netherlands
HAHA, you picked everything wrong lol :D Let me guess, you are american? Really funny :D
Here are the right picks:
A: Poland, Russia
B: Germany, Holland
C: Spain, Croatia
D: France, England
Champs: Germany
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Only in England is Joe Hart a good Goalkeeper, only in England ...
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Euro starts today and with MLG together
holy mother of weekend
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United States70 Posts
Might as well write down my picks for the Group Stages:
Group A: Poland, Russia
Group B: Netherlands, Germany
Group C: Spain, Italy
Group D: France, England
Gonna predict more after group play, but will be supporting La Madre Patria/Furia Roja all the way.
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Personally I don't want to give any prediction until first round has passed. It is too hard to predict winners based on friendly games and qualification games from few months ago. After first round we can give more precise predictions for most groups.
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On June 08 2012 09:23 GarethGore wrote:
Sweden
I agreed with a lot of what you say, Sweden are heavily underrated but i do think england will qualify over them that said. I think the reason why their so underrated they have very few really well known players at least not in the EPL like England have Rooney, Ronaldo for Portugal etc. Though the obvious exception is the player everrrrryone who watches football knows. but past that i can name very few.
I dont agree with the bit about england having a weak defence, Id say our strength is our defence and our bigger weaknesses is no rooney for the first two games and with IMO at least kinda substandard strikers, defoe is unavailable atm for personal issues, Carroll is kinda bad, welbeck is good but very young.
agreed about portugal though and lololol the last bit made me laugh so hard, its so true, its gonna be a absolute bloodbath. [/b
I have a pretty good feeling heading into the championship, albeit with a question mark over our defence. Zlatan and Elmander should get great chances against Ukraine and a fairly weak England defence. France will probably stomp us pretty bad, unfortunately.
I don't see Portugal reaching the knock-out stage at all. They have a pretty solid and technical team, but who's going to be their main goal scorer? Postiga and Almeida have good records in the national team, but I don't see them scoring against giants like Netherlands and Germany. Ronaldo will have to bring the fucking pain for Portugal to even have a chance. Also Pepe and Bruno Alves, lol. Somebody will get killed receive a red card for sure.
You're not gonna have Rooney against France or Sweden. See, that'll complicate things. I seriously hope you don't expect Welbeck to fill up a striker of Rooney's caliber, right? You tell us to worry about Welbeck whilst you have to deal with Ibrahimovíc? Do you even watch football?
The true question is whether or not France will show great strength. France is a team that can easily be the best in the world, as well as a complete catastrophe. You guys will face France in the first game, THAT will determine the outcome of the group for England's sake. Sweden vs England is a draw.
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On June 08 2012 19:41 Wakerius wrote:Show nested quote +On June 08 2012 10:51 NuclearJudas wrote:
I'm not sure that I would call England's defence the strongest part of their team. Hart is a great keeper, for sure, but the back four shows weakness to me. Cole is obviously the safest card. Terry is a damn good defender but has shown that he can do some extremely stupid shit sometimes. Lescott is usually solid, but has made some mind-boggling mistakes (he was shit against QPR, imo). Having Cahill get injured set them back so badly, since Cahill and Terry were really finding a good rhythm together. The right back position is such a huge question mark, with Johnson (the master of over-extending) and Kelly (while a good talent, not at all ready for a championship like this, imo).
For me, the midfield is a bigger threat. Young has had an amazing season and is so hard to stop. The Ox is a beast, and has shown during the season that he is ready for some damn big matches. Walcott is good (come at me, haters), although his defending leaves a lot to be desired. Gerrard has seen better days but is still a crazy good midfielder and a strong leader for a team with big egos. Milner is damn good, and has some sick crossing if needed. Parker is a very hard worker and just a great all-round player. Downing (L O L) and Henderson (who I still believe has a good future to be had) are novelty picks, but might surprise.
England's forward selection looks great. Carrol had a good run to close out the season and can give some aerial power up front. Jermaine Defoe brings the pain. The man just knows how to score again and again. Welbeck is looking great and will be very hard to deal with (especially for Sweden), and you guys know that Rooney will score against Ukraine, right? Because he will. England's whole group play is decided against France. If they take a point, they have a great chance. If they lose, I think they bomb out pretty hard.
omg, only fifteen hours left to the first match, hype hype hype hype hype hype hype You're not gonna have Rooney against France or Sweden. See, that'll complicate things. I seriously hope you don't expect Welbeck to fill up a striker of Rooney's caliber, right? You tell us to worry about Welbeck whilst you have to deal with Ibrahimovíc? Do you even watch football? The true question is whether or not France will show great strength. France is a team that can easily be the best in the world, as well as a complete catastrophe. You guys will face France in the first game, THAT will determine the outcome of the group for England's sake. Sweden vs England is a draw.
On June 06 2012 03:00 NuclearJudas wrote:Aight, time for a little run-down on Sweden, bros: + Show Spoiler [text and images inside] +Some chill music for you, lads: Now let's get started. SwedenGoalkeepers![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/jDhjn.jpg) #1 - Andreas Isaksson (30): "Isak" is our definite first choice. He's got very quick reflexes and can make some ridiculous saves. Unfortunately, he's not as solid as one would like the keeper of the national team to be. His handling leaves much to be desired, and his communication with the back four varies greatly, sometimes leading to goals for the other team. He needs to be at his best for this tournament for us, or we might go out 0-3. Thankfully he usually steps it up during big competitions, so hopefully he can do that again. The fact that PSV apparently wants to cut him loose after the season is definitely a bit worrying. #12 - Johan Wiland (31): Very solid keeper with great reflexes. Was named in "The Team of the Week" once in the 2010-11 UEFA Champion's League. #23 - Pär Hansson (25): First keeper for reigning Swedish champions, Helsingborgs IF. Haven't seen all too much of him, but I assume he's mostly here to see and learn, and is unlikely to play. Defenders![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/VIePu.jpg) #2 - Mikael Lustig (25): Looked like a great talent in his first season or two for Rosenborg, but has cooled down since. Transferred to Celtic where he has been injured and benched for some time. He has most likely lost his right back position due to his lack of playing time. #3 - Olof Mellberg (34): One of the definitive leaders in the team. Has a heap of routine from playing for clubs like Racing Santander, Aston Villa and Juventus. The one player many look to for guidance and leadership, even after he resigned his captaincy. #4 - Andreas Granqvist (27): Quite the late bloomer, he made some noise owning up in Groningen, earning himself a transfer to Genoa. Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to see much of him in Genoa, but he's been very good when given the chance in Sweden. Expect him to be the choice for right back ahead of Lustig. Goal.com named him as one of the players to watch out for. #5 - Martin Olsson (24): Speedy defender with a good eye for crossing. Very offensively minded left back. Last season he played for Blackburn, who were sadly relegated, leading to him wanting out of the club. Was not super impressed from what I saw of him in the PL, but he looks like a solid mid-table club player, imo. He's been very solid in the national team and adds to the offensive power. Expect him to cause some trouble for his opponents come the Euro. #13 - Jonas Olsson (29): Very underrated defender in my opinion. A defensive leader for Wigan, who he helped avoid relegation. Solid defender with good positioning. Most likely the starting centre back with Mellberg after Majstorovic's injury. 15 - Mikael Antonsson (31): Solid defender. Was a part of the Copenhagen team that made splashes in the Champion's League, but has since moved to Bologna. Good player to have as a Plan B. 17 - Behrang Safari (27): Was a very interesting young prospect but hasn't really turned into the player we hoped. Had a good season or two in Basel which earned him the left back position in the national team, but he literally threw that away. With a mindbogglingly stupid throw in, he gave the ball to Wesley Sneijder, who then passed the ball in to Afellay, who scored. A goal that looked like it would cost Sweden a spot at the European championship. Recently played in the friendly against Iceland and wans't all too bad, but he remains a worrisome defensive liability whenever he plays. Midfielders![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/9pt5R.jpg) #6 - Rasmus Elm (24): Solid midfielder with excellent passing and amazing free-kicks. After good seasons in Erevidise side AZ Alkmaar, he is reportedly a main interest for several large clubs, including Liverpool. A very good player to have come in towards the end of games to take set pieces and such. Likely to start out on the bench. #7 - Sebastian Larsson (26): A talent brought up in the Arsenal youth system. Left the Gunners due to too little playing time and joined Birmingham, where he became one o the club's most valuable players. He departed when they fell to the championship and joined Sunderland, where he scored on his debut. He's had an excellent debut season and has been a regular starter for the national team the last few years. Absolutely amazing crosser. #8 - Anders Svensson (35): An incredibly experienced midfielder, Svensson oozes class. Great passer and set-piece specialist (Remember his free-kick against Argentina in 2002? I sure do). Brings so much to the team, and as vice-captain many look to him for inspiration. Has taken a more defensive position after the retirement of Tobias Linderoth. Almost never has bad games. #9 - Kim Källström (29): Has always had to stand in the shade of Svensson, but in recent years have gotten the chance to play with him in the centre midfield. Great vision, passing and has a monstrous shot. Another great set-piece taker.
16 - Pontus Wernbloom (25): A warrior on the midfield. Has a temperament which could come to haunt him (I remember him getting into it with Balotelli during the U21 tourney a couple of years ago). Transferred to CSKA Moscow and managed to score against Real Madrid in the Champions League. Good defensive midfielder and strong personality on the pitch. Has shown off some great passing recently, among others a brilliant cross to Wilhelmsson during the last friendly against Iceland. 18 - Samuel Holmén (27): I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of this pick. Holmén never impressed me, and just felt like a player that left for money. Apparently he's been good in Turkey, playing for Istanbul BB, so who knows. Doubt he'll make much of an impact. #19 - Emir Bajrami (24): Very speedy and technical winger. Got his time in Twente destroyed by injuries and being benched. Looking to leave the club this summer. I can see him doing good in Italy or Spain. If he's in good shape, expect him to start and hopefully cause trouble for the opponents. #21 - Christian Wilhelmsson (32): Such a wasted career this man has had. After showing great promise during his years in Anderlecht, he transferred to Nantes. Nantes loaned him left and right from Roma, to Bolton, to Deportivo, but none of the keepers wanted to hold on to him. He later left for Saudi Arabia and Al-Hilal. After thinking he disappeared, he came back into the national team and has been consistently good the chances he's gotten. Definitely a wildcard for the opponents to look out for. Forwards![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/S3cgp.jpg) #10 - Zlatan Ibrahimović (30): Let's make no mistake about it; Sweden's chances in this tournament depend totally on "Ibra". One of the best Swedish players ever, he carries a ton of responsibility, especially so as he is the captain. I probably don't need to tell you about the amazing career this man has had. Currently playing in Milan, he was the top scorer for this season. He has recently given great performances in the national team which is something he's struggled with earlier. He can play as a deep-lying striker in more of a supplying role, or as the tip of the spear. Amazing technique, vision, passing and a great shot, Zlatan is one of the most versatile forwards in modern football. Deceptively quick for his size and incredibly strong, he's a big danger for every defence in the world. #11 - Johan Elmander (31): The energizer bunny of the Swedish national team, he can seemingly run for days. Recent years he has begun scoring more regularly (yay for experience) and as such has become a bigger threat himself. One of the biggest team players in the team, and extremely valuable. Currently injured, so it's a race to become healthy for Elmander. #14 - Tobias Hysén (30): Son of former Swedish national Glenn Hysén, Tobias has spent his entire career in Sweden, save for a year in Sunderland. Quick forward with an eye for goals. Not likely to get much playing time. #20 - Ola Toivonen (25): Very strong attacker with a mighty shot. Tall and a big threat on corner with his heading ability. Likely to start beside Ibra if Elmander is still injured when the matches kick off. #22 - Markus Rosenberg (29): Has not been given much of a chance in recent years due to bad form and few goals. Hasn't seemed very inspired to play for Sweden, but was selected after scoring some goals for Werder Bremen this season. The Manager![[image loading]](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FcDJ-iV-8k8/T7JZmpLMO3I/AAAAAAAAJvA/Fzp-YTB644E/s1600/erik%2Bhamren%2Bsuecia.jpg) Erik Hamrén (54): Just look at this handsome beast. After spending some years in Denmark and Norway as a coach, he was chosen for the Swedish national team. Has shown off some strategic wit lately, with some great substitutions resulting in goals and wins. Opted to change the Swedish line-up from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1, and secured another championship qualification for Sweden, after finishing second in the group behind the Netherlands, beating them 3-2 and effectively ending their 17 game long winning streak. I think Sweden should have a good chance of getting out of the group. Naturally England and France are great teams, but England is injury-plagued and France is a dark horse to take home the entire tournament, but both are definitely beatable. Ukraine should be a solid three-pointer in the opening game and will hopefully set the tone for a good Swedish tournament run. Probable starting eleven: ---------------------Isaksson------------------- -Granqvist-Mellberg---Olsson-Olsson- ----------Svensson-----Källström----------- --Larsson--------Elmander-----Bajrami/Wilhelmsson --------------------Ibrahimović----------------- Btw, they're currently playing a friendly against Serbia and after the first half the standing is 1-1, after goals by Toivonen and Subotic. 2-1 Sweden now, after a penalty from Zlatan.
Feel free to feel stupid now or make excuses like "I didnt follow the thread." Either way being presumptuous is pretty foolish. but then again your probably just being patriotic. So patriotic you nip at your own.
Also nice Einaudi plug in that Sweden rightup Judas ill do one to..
+ Show Spoiler +
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On June 08 2012 19:52 Rebs wrote:Show nested quote +On June 08 2012 19:41 Wakerius wrote:On June 08 2012 10:51 NuclearJudas wrote:
I'm not sure that I would call England's defence the strongest part of their team. Hart is a great keeper, for sure, but the back four shows weakness to me. Cole is obviously the safest card. Terry is a damn good defender but has shown that he can do some extremely stupid shit sometimes. Lescott is usually solid, but has made some mind-boggling mistakes (he was shit against QPR, imo). Having Cahill get injured set them back so badly, since Cahill and Terry were really finding a good rhythm together. The right back position is such a huge question mark, with Johnson (the master of over-extending) and Kelly (while a good talent, not at all ready for a championship like this, imo).
For me, the midfield is a bigger threat. Young has had an amazing season and is so hard to stop. The Ox is a beast, and has shown during the season that he is ready for some damn big matches. Walcott is good (come at me, haters), although his defending leaves a lot to be desired. Gerrard has seen better days but is still a crazy good midfielder and a strong leader for a team with big egos. Milner is damn good, and has some sick crossing if needed. Parker is a very hard worker and just a great all-round player. Downing (L O L) and Henderson (who I still believe has a good future to be had) are novelty picks, but might surprise.
England's forward selection looks great. Carrol had a good run to close out the season and can give some aerial power up front. Jermaine Defoe brings the pain. The man just knows how to score again and again. Welbeck is looking great and will be very hard to deal with (especially for Sweden), and you guys know that Rooney will score against Ukraine, right? Because he will. England's whole group play is decided against France. If they take a point, they have a great chance. If they lose, I think they bomb out pretty hard.
omg, only fifteen hours left to the first match, hype hype hype hype hype hype hype You're not gonna have Rooney against France or Sweden. See, that'll complicate things. I seriously hope you don't expect Welbeck to fill up a striker of Rooney's caliber, right? You tell us to worry about Welbeck whilst you have to deal with Ibrahimovíc? Do you even watch football? The true question is whether or not France will show great strength. France is a team that can easily be the best in the world, as well as a complete catastrophe. You guys will face France in the first game, THAT will determine the outcome of the group for England's sake. Sweden vs England is a draw. Show nested quote +On June 06 2012 03:00 NuclearJudas wrote:Aight, time for a little run-down on Sweden, bros: + Show Spoiler [text and images inside] +#1 - Andreas Isaksson (30): "Isak" is our definite first choice. He's got very quick reflexes and can make some ridiculous saves. Unfortunately, he's not as solid as one would like the keeper of the national team to be. His handling leaves much to be desired, and his communication with the back four varies greatly, sometimes leading to goals for the other team. He needs to be at his best for this tournament for us, or we might go out 0-3. Thankfully he usually steps it up during big competitions, so hopefully he can do that again. The fact that PSV apparently wants to cut him loose after the season is definitely a bit worrying. #12 - Johan Wiland (31): Very solid keeper with great reflexes. Was named in "The Team of the Week" once in the 2010-11 UEFA Champion's League. #23 - Pär Hansson (25): First keeper for reigning Swedish champions, Helsingborgs IF. Haven't seen all too much of him, but I assume he's mostly here to see and learn, and is unlikely to play. Defenders #2 - Mikael Lustig (25): Looked like a great talent in his first season or two for Rosenborg, but has cooled down since. Transferred to Celtic where he has been injured and benched for some time. He has most likely lost his right back position due to his lack of playing time. #3 - Olof Mellberg (34): One of the definitive leaders in the team. Has a heap of routine from playing for clubs like Racing Santander, Aston Villa and Juventus. The one player many look to for guidance and leadership, even after he resigned his captaincy. #4 - Andreas Granqvist (27): Quite the late bloomer, he made some noise owning up in Groningen, earning himself a transfer to Genoa. Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to see much of him in Genoa, but he's been very good when given the chance in Sweden. Expect him to be the choice for right back ahead of Lustig. Goal.com named him as one of the players to watch out for. #5 - Martin Olsson (24): Speedy defender with a good eye for crossing. Very offensively minded left back. Last season he played for Blackburn, who were sadly relegated, leading to him wanting out of the club. Was not super impressed from what I saw of him in the PL, but he looks like a solid mid-table club player, imo. He's been very solid in the national team and adds to the offensive power. Expect him to cause some trouble for his opponents come the Euro. #13 - Jonas Olsson (29): Very underrated defender in my opinion. A defensive leader for Wigan, who he helped avoid relegation. Solid defender with good positioning. Most likely the starting centre back with Mellberg after Majstorovic's injury. 15 - Mikael Antonsson (31): Solid defender. Was a part of the Copenhagen team that made splashes in the Champion's League, but has since moved to Bologna. Good player to have as a Plan B. 17 - Behrang Safari (27): Was a very interesting young prospect but hasn't really turned into the player we hoped. Had a good season or two in Basel which earned him the left back position in the national team, but he literally threw that away. With a mindbogglingly stupid throw in, he gave the ball to Wesley Sneijder, who then passed the ball in to Afellay, who scored. A goal that looked like it would cost Sweden a spot at the European championship. Recently played in the friendly against Iceland and wans't all too bad, but he remains a worrisome defensive liability whenever he plays. Midfielders #6 - Rasmus Elm (24): Solid midfielder with excellent passing and amazing free-kicks. After good seasons in Erevidise side AZ Alkmaar, he is reportedly a main interest for several large clubs, including Liverpool. A very good player to have come in towards the end of games to take set pieces and such. Likely to start out on the bench. #7 - Sebastian Larsson (26): A talent brought up in the Arsenal youth system. Left the Gunners due to too little playing time and joined Birmingham, where he became one o the club's most valuable players. He departed when they fell to the championship and joined Sunderland, where he scored on his debut. He's had an excellent debut season and has been a regular starter for the national team the last few years. Absolutely amazing crosser. #8 - Anders Svensson (35): An incredibly experienced midfielder, Svensson oozes class. Great passer and set-piece specialist (Remember his free-kick against Argentina in 2002? I sure do). Brings so much to the team, and as vice-captain many look to him for inspiration. Has taken a more defensive position after the retirement of Tobias Linderoth. Almost never has bad games. #9 - Kim Källström (29): Has always had to stand in the shade of Svensson, but in recent years have gotten the chance to play with him in the centre midfield. Great vision, passing and has a monstrous shot. Another great set-piece taker.
16 - Pontus Wernbloom (25): A warrior on the midfield. Has a temperament which could come to haunt him (I remember him getting into it with Balotelli during the U21 tourney a couple of years ago). Transferred to CSKA Moscow and managed to score against Real Madrid in the Champions League. Good defensive midfielder and strong personality on the pitch. Has shown off some great passing recently, among others a brilliant cross to Wilhelmsson during the last friendly against Iceland. 18 - Samuel Holmén (27): I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of this pick. Holmén never impressed me, and just felt like a player that left for money. Apparently he's been good in Turkey, playing for Istanbul BB, so who knows. Doubt he'll make much of an impact. #19 - Emir Bajrami (24): Very speedy and technical winger. Got his time in Twente destroyed by injuries and being benched. Looking to leave the club this summer. I can see him doing good in Italy or Spain. If he's in good shape, expect him to start and hopefully cause trouble for the opponents. #21 - Christian Wilhelmsson (32): Such a wasted career this man has had. After showing great promise during his years in Anderlecht, he transferred to Nantes. Nantes loaned him left and right from Roma, to Bolton, to Deportivo, but none of the keepers wanted to hold on to him. He later left for Saudi Arabia and Al-Hilal. After thinking he disappeared, he came back into the national team and has been consistently good the chances he's gotten. Definitely a wildcard for the opponents to look out for. Forwards #10 - Zlatan Ibrahimović (30): Let's make no mistake about it; Sweden's chances in this tournament depend totally on "Ibra". One of the best Swedish players ever, he carries a ton of responsibility, especially so as he is the captain. I probably don't need to tell you about the amazing career this man has had. Currently playing in Milan, he was the top scorer for this season. He has recently given great performances in the national team which is something he's struggled with earlier. He can play as a deep-lying striker in more of a supplying role, or as the tip of the spear. Amazing technique, vision, passing and a great shot, Zlatan is one of the most versatile forwards in modern football. Deceptively quick for his size and incredibly strong, he's a big danger for every defence in the world. #11 - Johan Elmander (31): The energizer bunny of the Swedish national team, he can seemingly run for days. Recent years he has begun scoring more regularly (yay for experience) and as such has become a bigger threat himself. One of the biggest team players in the team, and extremely valuable. Currently injured, so it's a race to become healthy for Elmander. #14 - Tobias Hysén (30): Son of former Swedish national Glenn Hysén, Tobias has spent his entire career in Sweden, save for a year in Sunderland. Quick forward with an eye for goals. Not likely to get much playing time. #20 - Ola Toivonen (25): Very strong attacker with a mighty shot. Tall and a big threat on corner with his heading ability. Likely to start beside Ibra if Elmander is still injured when the matches kick off. #22 - Markus Rosenberg (29): Has not been given much of a chance in recent years due to bad form and few goals. Hasn't seemed very inspired to play for Sweden, but was selected after scoring some goals for Werder Bremen this season. The Manager Erik Hamrén (54): Just look at this handsome beast. After spending some years in Denmark and Norway as a coach, he was chosen for the Swedish national team. Has shown off some strategic wit lately, with some great substitutions resulting in goals and wins. Opted to change the Swedish line-up from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1, and secured another championship qualification for Sweden, after finishing second in the group behind the Netherlands, beating them 3-2 and effectively ending their 17 game long winning streak. I think Sweden should have a good chance of getting out of the group. Naturally England and France are great teams, but England is injury-plagued and France is a dark horse to take home the entire tournament, but both are definitely beatable. Ukraine should be a solid three-pointer in the opening game and will hopefully set the tone for a good Swedish tournament run. Probable starting eleven: ---------------------Isaksson------------------- -Granqvist-Mellberg---Olsson-Olsson- ----------Svensson-----Källström----------- --Larsson--------Elmander-----Bajrami/Wilhelmsson --------------------Ibrahimović----------------- Btw, they're currently playing a friendly against Serbia and after the first half the standing is 1-1, after goals by Toivonen and Subotic. 2-1 Sweden now, after a penalty from Zlatan. Feel free to feel stupid now or make excuses like "I didnt follow the thread." Either way being presumptuous is pretty foolish. but then again your probably just being patriotic. So patriotic you nip at your own. Also nice Einaudi plug in that Sweden rightup Judas ill do one to.. + Show Spoiler +http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qvglWAHDak&feature=related
Why would I feel stupid? About what? About calling England vs Sweden a draw? I did even respond to my fellow countryman 2 pages back about his post about the Swedish team.
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On June 08 2012 20:13 Wakerius wrote:Show nested quote +On June 08 2012 19:52 Rebs wrote:On June 08 2012 19:41 Wakerius wrote:On June 08 2012 10:51 NuclearJudas wrote:
I'm not sure that I would call England's defence the strongest part of their team. Hart is a great keeper, for sure, but the back four shows weakness to me. Cole is obviously the safest card. Terry is a damn good defender but has shown that he can do some extremely stupid shit sometimes. Lescott is usually solid, but has made some mind-boggling mistakes (he was shit against QPR, imo). Having Cahill get injured set them back so badly, since Cahill and Terry were really finding a good rhythm together. The right back position is such a huge question mark, with Johnson (the master of over-extending) and Kelly (while a good talent, not at all ready for a championship like this, imo).
For me, the midfield is a bigger threat. Young has had an amazing season and is so hard to stop. The Ox is a beast, and has shown during the season that he is ready for some damn big matches. Walcott is good (come at me, haters), although his defending leaves a lot to be desired. Gerrard has seen better days but is still a crazy good midfielder and a strong leader for a team with big egos. Milner is damn good, and has some sick crossing if needed. Parker is a very hard worker and just a great all-round player. Downing (L O L) and Henderson (who I still believe has a good future to be had) are novelty picks, but might surprise.
England's forward selection looks great. Carrol had a good run to close out the season and can give some aerial power up front. Jermaine Defoe brings the pain. The man just knows how to score again and again. Welbeck is looking great and will be very hard to deal with (especially for Sweden), and you guys know that Rooney will score against Ukraine, right? Because he will. England's whole group play is decided against France. If they take a point, they have a great chance. If they lose, I think they bomb out pretty hard.
omg, only fifteen hours left to the first match, hype hype hype hype hype hype hype You're not gonna have Rooney against France or Sweden. See, that'll complicate things. I seriously hope you don't expect Welbeck to fill up a striker of Rooney's caliber, right? You tell us to worry about Welbeck whilst you have to deal with Ibrahimovíc? Do you even watch football? The true question is whether or not France will show great strength. France is a team that can easily be the best in the world, as well as a complete catastrophe. You guys will face France in the first game, THAT will determine the outcome of the group for England's sake. Sweden vs England is a draw. On June 06 2012 03:00 NuclearJudas wrote:Aight, time for a little run-down on Sweden, bros: + Show Spoiler [text and images inside] +#1 - Andreas Isaksson (30): "Isak" is our definite first choice. He's got very quick reflexes and can make some ridiculous saves. Unfortunately, he's not as solid as one would like the keeper of the national team to be. His handling leaves much to be desired, and his communication with the back four varies greatly, sometimes leading to goals for the other team. He needs to be at his best for this tournament for us, or we might go out 0-3. Thankfully he usually steps it up during big competitions, so hopefully he can do that again. The fact that PSV apparently wants to cut him loose after the season is definitely a bit worrying. #12 - Johan Wiland (31): Very solid keeper with great reflexes. Was named in "The Team of the Week" once in the 2010-11 UEFA Champion's League. #23 - Pär Hansson (25): First keeper for reigning Swedish champions, Helsingborgs IF. Haven't seen all too much of him, but I assume he's mostly here to see and learn, and is unlikely to play. Defenders #2 - Mikael Lustig (25): Looked like a great talent in his first season or two for Rosenborg, but has cooled down since. Transferred to Celtic where he has been injured and benched for some time. He has most likely lost his right back position due to his lack of playing time. #3 - Olof Mellberg (34): One of the definitive leaders in the team. Has a heap of routine from playing for clubs like Racing Santander, Aston Villa and Juventus. The one player many look to for guidance and leadership, even after he resigned his captaincy. #4 - Andreas Granqvist (27): Quite the late bloomer, he made some noise owning up in Groningen, earning himself a transfer to Genoa. Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to see much of him in Genoa, but he's been very good when given the chance in Sweden. Expect him to be the choice for right back ahead of Lustig. Goal.com named him as one of the players to watch out for. #5 - Martin Olsson (24): Speedy defender with a good eye for crossing. Very offensively minded left back. Last season he played for Blackburn, who were sadly relegated, leading to him wanting out of the club. Was not super impressed from what I saw of him in the PL, but he looks like a solid mid-table club player, imo. He's been very solid in the national team and adds to the offensive power. Expect him to cause some trouble for his opponents come the Euro. #13 - Jonas Olsson (29): Very underrated defender in my opinion. A defensive leader for Wigan, who he helped avoid relegation. Solid defender with good positioning. Most likely the starting centre back with Mellberg after Majstorovic's injury. 15 - Mikael Antonsson (31): Solid defender. Was a part of the Copenhagen team that made splashes in the Champion's League, but has since moved to Bologna. Good player to have as a Plan B. 17 - Behrang Safari (27): Was a very interesting young prospect but hasn't really turned into the player we hoped. Had a good season or two in Basel which earned him the left back position in the national team, but he literally threw that away. With a mindbogglingly stupid throw in, he gave the ball to Wesley Sneijder, who then passed the ball in to Afellay, who scored. A goal that looked like it would cost Sweden a spot at the European championship. Recently played in the friendly against Iceland and wans't all too bad, but he remains a worrisome defensive liability whenever he plays. Midfielders #6 - Rasmus Elm (24): Solid midfielder with excellent passing and amazing free-kicks. After good seasons in Erevidise side AZ Alkmaar, he is reportedly a main interest for several large clubs, including Liverpool. A very good player to have come in towards the end of games to take set pieces and such. Likely to start out on the bench. #7 - Sebastian Larsson (26): A talent brought up in the Arsenal youth system. Left the Gunners due to too little playing time and joined Birmingham, where he became one o the club's most valuable players. He departed when they fell to the championship and joined Sunderland, where he scored on his debut. He's had an excellent debut season and has been a regular starter for the national team the last few years. Absolutely amazing crosser. #8 - Anders Svensson (35): An incredibly experienced midfielder, Svensson oozes class. Great passer and set-piece specialist (Remember his free-kick against Argentina in 2002? I sure do). Brings so much to the team, and as vice-captain many look to him for inspiration. Has taken a more defensive position after the retirement of Tobias Linderoth. Almost never has bad games. #9 - Kim Källström (29): Has always had to stand in the shade of Svensson, but in recent years have gotten the chance to play with him in the centre midfield. Great vision, passing and has a monstrous shot. Another great set-piece taker.
16 - Pontus Wernbloom (25): A warrior on the midfield. Has a temperament which could come to haunt him (I remember him getting into it with Balotelli during the U21 tourney a couple of years ago). Transferred to CSKA Moscow and managed to score against Real Madrid in the Champions League. Good defensive midfielder and strong personality on the pitch. Has shown off some great passing recently, among others a brilliant cross to Wilhelmsson during the last friendly against Iceland. 18 - Samuel Holmén (27): I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of this pick. Holmén never impressed me, and just felt like a player that left for money. Apparently he's been good in Turkey, playing for Istanbul BB, so who knows. Doubt he'll make much of an impact. #19 - Emir Bajrami (24): Very speedy and technical winger. Got his time in Twente destroyed by injuries and being benched. Looking to leave the club this summer. I can see him doing good in Italy or Spain. If he's in good shape, expect him to start and hopefully cause trouble for the opponents. #21 - Christian Wilhelmsson (32): Such a wasted career this man has had. After showing great promise during his years in Anderlecht, he transferred to Nantes. Nantes loaned him left and right from Roma, to Bolton, to Deportivo, but none of the keepers wanted to hold on to him. He later left for Saudi Arabia and Al-Hilal. After thinking he disappeared, he came back into the national team and has been consistently good the chances he's gotten. Definitely a wildcard for the opponents to look out for. Forwards #10 - Zlatan Ibrahimović (30): Let's make no mistake about it; Sweden's chances in this tournament depend totally on "Ibra". One of the best Swedish players ever, he carries a ton of responsibility, especially so as he is the captain. I probably don't need to tell you about the amazing career this man has had. Currently playing in Milan, he was the top scorer for this season. He has recently given great performances in the national team which is something he's struggled with earlier. He can play as a deep-lying striker in more of a supplying role, or as the tip of the spear. Amazing technique, vision, passing and a great shot, Zlatan is one of the most versatile forwards in modern football. Deceptively quick for his size and incredibly strong, he's a big danger for every defence in the world. #11 - Johan Elmander (31): The energizer bunny of the Swedish national team, he can seemingly run for days. Recent years he has begun scoring more regularly (yay for experience) and as such has become a bigger threat himself. One of the biggest team players in the team, and extremely valuable. Currently injured, so it's a race to become healthy for Elmander. #14 - Tobias Hysén (30): Son of former Swedish national Glenn Hysén, Tobias has spent his entire career in Sweden, save for a year in Sunderland. Quick forward with an eye for goals. Not likely to get much playing time. #20 - Ola Toivonen (25): Very strong attacker with a mighty shot. Tall and a big threat on corner with his heading ability. Likely to start beside Ibra if Elmander is still injured when the matches kick off. #22 - Markus Rosenberg (29): Has not been given much of a chance in recent years due to bad form and few goals. Hasn't seemed very inspired to play for Sweden, but was selected after scoring some goals for Werder Bremen this season. The Manager Erik Hamrén (54): Just look at this handsome beast. After spending some years in Denmark and Norway as a coach, he was chosen for the Swedish national team. Has shown off some strategic wit lately, with some great substitutions resulting in goals and wins. Opted to change the Swedish line-up from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1, and secured another championship qualification for Sweden, after finishing second in the group behind the Netherlands, beating them 3-2 and effectively ending their 17 game long winning streak. I think Sweden should have a good chance of getting out of the group. Naturally England and France are great teams, but England is injury-plagued and France is a dark horse to take home the entire tournament, but both are definitely beatable. Ukraine should be a solid three-pointer in the opening game and will hopefully set the tone for a good Swedish tournament run. Probable starting eleven: ---------------------Isaksson------------------- -Granqvist-Mellberg---Olsson-Olsson- ----------Svensson-----Källström----------- --Larsson--------Elmander-----Bajrami/Wilhelmsson --------------------Ibrahimović----------------- Btw, they're currently playing a friendly against Serbia and after the first half the standing is 1-1, after goals by Toivonen and Subotic. 2-1 Sweden now, after a penalty from Zlatan. Feel free to feel stupid now or make excuses like "I didnt follow the thread." Either way being presumptuous is pretty foolish. but then again your probably just being patriotic. So patriotic you nip at your own. Also nice Einaudi plug in that Sweden rightup Judas ill do one to.. + Show Spoiler +http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qvglWAHDak&feature=related Why would I feel stupid? About what? About calling England vs Sweden a draw? I did even respond to my fellow countryman 2 pages back about his post about the Swedish team.
I figured it was rather obvious but your talking to him like hes an England supporter. Or do I need to requote the usage of the word You a million times.
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On June 08 2012 20:18 Rebs wrote:Show nested quote +On June 08 2012 20:13 Wakerius wrote:On June 08 2012 19:52 Rebs wrote:On June 08 2012 19:41 Wakerius wrote:On June 08 2012 10:51 NuclearJudas wrote:
I'm not sure that I would call England's defence the strongest part of their team. Hart is a great keeper, for sure, but the back four shows weakness to me. Cole is obviously the safest card. Terry is a damn good defender but has shown that he can do some extremely stupid shit sometimes. Lescott is usually solid, but has made some mind-boggling mistakes (he was shit against QPR, imo). Having Cahill get injured set them back so badly, since Cahill and Terry were really finding a good rhythm together. The right back position is such a huge question mark, with Johnson (the master of over-extending) and Kelly (while a good talent, not at all ready for a championship like this, imo).
For me, the midfield is a bigger threat. Young has had an amazing season and is so hard to stop. The Ox is a beast, and has shown during the season that he is ready for some damn big matches. Walcott is good (come at me, haters), although his defending leaves a lot to be desired. Gerrard has seen better days but is still a crazy good midfielder and a strong leader for a team with big egos. Milner is damn good, and has some sick crossing if needed. Parker is a very hard worker and just a great all-round player. Downing (L O L) and Henderson (who I still believe has a good future to be had) are novelty picks, but might surprise.
England's forward selection looks great. Carrol had a good run to close out the season and can give some aerial power up front. Jermaine Defoe brings the pain. The man just knows how to score again and again. Welbeck is looking great and will be very hard to deal with (especially for Sweden), and you guys know that Rooney will score against Ukraine, right? Because he will. England's whole group play is decided against France. If they take a point, they have a great chance. If they lose, I think they bomb out pretty hard.
omg, only fifteen hours left to the first match, hype hype hype hype hype hype hype You're not gonna have Rooney against France or Sweden. See, that'll complicate things. I seriously hope you don't expect Welbeck to fill up a striker of Rooney's caliber, right? You tell us to worry about Welbeck whilst you have to deal with Ibrahimovíc? Do you even watch football? The true question is whether or not France will show great strength. France is a team that can easily be the best in the world, as well as a complete catastrophe. You guys will face France in the first game, THAT will determine the outcome of the group for England's sake. Sweden vs England is a draw. On June 06 2012 03:00 NuclearJudas wrote:Aight, time for a little run-down on Sweden, bros: + Show Spoiler [text and images inside] +#1 - Andreas Isaksson (30): "Isak" is our definite first choice. He's got very quick reflexes and can make some ridiculous saves. Unfortunately, he's not as solid as one would like the keeper of the national team to be. His handling leaves much to be desired, and his communication with the back four varies greatly, sometimes leading to goals for the other team. He needs to be at his best for this tournament for us, or we might go out 0-3. Thankfully he usually steps it up during big competitions, so hopefully he can do that again. The fact that PSV apparently wants to cut him loose after the season is definitely a bit worrying. #12 - Johan Wiland (31): Very solid keeper with great reflexes. Was named in "The Team of the Week" once in the 2010-11 UEFA Champion's League. #23 - Pär Hansson (25): First keeper for reigning Swedish champions, Helsingborgs IF. Haven't seen all too much of him, but I assume he's mostly here to see and learn, and is unlikely to play. Defenders #2 - Mikael Lustig (25): Looked like a great talent in his first season or two for Rosenborg, but has cooled down since. Transferred to Celtic where he has been injured and benched for some time. He has most likely lost his right back position due to his lack of playing time. #3 - Olof Mellberg (34): One of the definitive leaders in the team. Has a heap of routine from playing for clubs like Racing Santander, Aston Villa and Juventus. The one player many look to for guidance and leadership, even after he resigned his captaincy. #4 - Andreas Granqvist (27): Quite the late bloomer, he made some noise owning up in Groningen, earning himself a transfer to Genoa. Unfortunately I haven't had the chance to see much of him in Genoa, but he's been very good when given the chance in Sweden. Expect him to be the choice for right back ahead of Lustig. Goal.com named him as one of the players to watch out for. #5 - Martin Olsson (24): Speedy defender with a good eye for crossing. Very offensively minded left back. Last season he played for Blackburn, who were sadly relegated, leading to him wanting out of the club. Was not super impressed from what I saw of him in the PL, but he looks like a solid mid-table club player, imo. He's been very solid in the national team and adds to the offensive power. Expect him to cause some trouble for his opponents come the Euro. #13 - Jonas Olsson (29): Very underrated defender in my opinion. A defensive leader for Wigan, who he helped avoid relegation. Solid defender with good positioning. Most likely the starting centre back with Mellberg after Majstorovic's injury. 15 - Mikael Antonsson (31): Solid defender. Was a part of the Copenhagen team that made splashes in the Champion's League, but has since moved to Bologna. Good player to have as a Plan B. 17 - Behrang Safari (27): Was a very interesting young prospect but hasn't really turned into the player we hoped. Had a good season or two in Basel which earned him the left back position in the national team, but he literally threw that away. With a mindbogglingly stupid throw in, he gave the ball to Wesley Sneijder, who then passed the ball in to Afellay, who scored. A goal that looked like it would cost Sweden a spot at the European championship. Recently played in the friendly against Iceland and wans't all too bad, but he remains a worrisome defensive liability whenever he plays. Midfielders #6 - Rasmus Elm (24): Solid midfielder with excellent passing and amazing free-kicks. After good seasons in Erevidise side AZ Alkmaar, he is reportedly a main interest for several large clubs, including Liverpool. A very good player to have come in towards the end of games to take set pieces and such. Likely to start out on the bench. #7 - Sebastian Larsson (26): A talent brought up in the Arsenal youth system. Left the Gunners due to too little playing time and joined Birmingham, where he became one o the club's most valuable players. He departed when they fell to the championship and joined Sunderland, where he scored on his debut. He's had an excellent debut season and has been a regular starter for the national team the last few years. Absolutely amazing crosser. #8 - Anders Svensson (35): An incredibly experienced midfielder, Svensson oozes class. Great passer and set-piece specialist (Remember his free-kick against Argentina in 2002? I sure do). Brings so much to the team, and as vice-captain many look to him for inspiration. Has taken a more defensive position after the retirement of Tobias Linderoth. Almost never has bad games. #9 - Kim Källström (29): Has always had to stand in the shade of Svensson, but in recent years have gotten the chance to play with him in the centre midfield. Great vision, passing and has a monstrous shot. Another great set-piece taker.
16 - Pontus Wernbloom (25): A warrior on the midfield. Has a temperament which could come to haunt him (I remember him getting into it with Balotelli during the U21 tourney a couple of years ago). Transferred to CSKA Moscow and managed to score against Real Madrid in the Champions League. Good defensive midfielder and strong personality on the pitch. Has shown off some great passing recently, among others a brilliant cross to Wilhelmsson during the last friendly against Iceland. 18 - Samuel Holmén (27): I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of this pick. Holmén never impressed me, and just felt like a player that left for money. Apparently he's been good in Turkey, playing for Istanbul BB, so who knows. Doubt he'll make much of an impact. #19 - Emir Bajrami (24): Very speedy and technical winger. Got his time in Twente destroyed by injuries and being benched. Looking to leave the club this summer. I can see him doing good in Italy or Spain. If he's in good shape, expect him to start and hopefully cause trouble for the opponents. #21 - Christian Wilhelmsson (32): Such a wasted career this man has had. After showing great promise during his years in Anderlecht, he transferred to Nantes. Nantes loaned him left and right from Roma, to Bolton, to Deportivo, but none of the keepers wanted to hold on to him. He later left for Saudi Arabia and Al-Hilal. After thinking he disappeared, he came back into the national team and has been consistently good the chances he's gotten. Definitely a wildcard for the opponents to look out for. Forwards #10 - Zlatan Ibrahimović (30): Let's make no mistake about it; Sweden's chances in this tournament depend totally on "Ibra". One of the best Swedish players ever, he carries a ton of responsibility, especially so as he is the captain. I probably don't need to tell you about the amazing career this man has had. Currently playing in Milan, he was the top scorer for this season. He has recently given great performances in the national team which is something he's struggled with earlier. He can play as a deep-lying striker in more of a supplying role, or as the tip of the spear. Amazing technique, vision, passing and a great shot, Zlatan is one of the most versatile forwards in modern football. Deceptively quick for his size and incredibly strong, he's a big danger for every defence in the world. #11 - Johan Elmander (31): The energizer bunny of the Swedish national team, he can seemingly run for days. Recent years he has begun scoring more regularly (yay for experience) and as such has become a bigger threat himself. One of the biggest team players in the team, and extremely valuable. Currently injured, so it's a race to become healthy for Elmander. #14 - Tobias Hysén (30): Son of former Swedish national Glenn Hysén, Tobias has spent his entire career in Sweden, save for a year in Sunderland. Quick forward with an eye for goals. Not likely to get much playing time. #20 - Ola Toivonen (25): Very strong attacker with a mighty shot. Tall and a big threat on corner with his heading ability. Likely to start beside Ibra if Elmander is still injured when the matches kick off. #22 - Markus Rosenberg (29): Has not been given much of a chance in recent years due to bad form and few goals. Hasn't seemed very inspired to play for Sweden, but was selected after scoring some goals for Werder Bremen this season. The Manager Erik Hamrén (54): Just look at this handsome beast. After spending some years in Denmark and Norway as a coach, he was chosen for the Swedish national team. Has shown off some strategic wit lately, with some great substitutions resulting in goals and wins. Opted to change the Swedish line-up from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1, and secured another championship qualification for Sweden, after finishing second in the group behind the Netherlands, beating them 3-2 and effectively ending their 17 game long winning streak. I think Sweden should have a good chance of getting out of the group. Naturally England and France are great teams, but England is injury-plagued and France is a dark horse to take home the entire tournament, but both are definitely beatable. Ukraine should be a solid three-pointer in the opening game and will hopefully set the tone for a good Swedish tournament run. Probable starting eleven: ---------------------Isaksson------------------- -Granqvist-Mellberg---Olsson-Olsson- ----------Svensson-----Källström----------- --Larsson--------Elmander-----Bajrami/Wilhelmsson --------------------Ibrahimović----------------- Btw, they're currently playing a friendly against Serbia and after the first half the standing is 1-1, after goals by Toivonen and Subotic. 2-1 Sweden now, after a penalty from Zlatan. Feel free to feel stupid now or make excuses like "I didnt follow the thread." Either way being presumptuous is pretty foolish. but then again your probably just being patriotic. So patriotic you nip at your own. Also nice Einaudi plug in that Sweden rightup Judas ill do one to.. + Show Spoiler +http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qvglWAHDak&feature=related Why would I feel stupid? About what? About calling England vs Sweden a draw? I did even respond to my fellow countryman 2 pages back about his post about the Swedish team. I figured it was rather obvious but your talking to him like hes an England supporter. Or do I need to requote the usage of the word You a million times.
LOL. Now I do indeed feel stupid. I quoted the wrong guy in my original post.
Either way, 4 hours left to it all kicks off
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Yea I can imagine the passion that goes into misclicking :p
But yeah would be nice to for the time to get a move on. Game doesnt start till 12 pm here and its getting harder to stay up..
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My predictions for this historical event:
Poland - Greece 1:0
Poland - Russia 0:2
Poland - Czech Republic 1:2
Spain holds the title.
As for Polish national team, make no mistakes about it; we are very unlikely to come out of our group, even despite good results in friendlies and possibly the best team we had since... well, maybe I was born. The big difference is the mentality Polish players have for big events and big pressure. Simply speaking, they underperform under the expectations and I expect nothing else here. Granted, we have Lewandowski, Blaszczykowski and Piszczek but the rest of team will most probably collapse psychologically.
Today, I expect a tense, underwhelming match with noone willing to risk a defeat. I think Poland will score some lucky goal, possibly from dubious penalty or rebound. If it happens, the massive shitstorm will rage across the country with ultraoptimistic predictions (even now, there are way too many of them here). But Russia seems extremly tough and unlikely to get beaten. And if we go for now-or-never match with some chances to advance, we like almost ALWAYS lose, so I expect nothing less against Czech team.
As for Spain; yeah, on paper Germany looks more potent, but Spain not only plays like Barcelona; it almost IS Barcelona, so any player that comes in always knows exactly what to do on the pitch. I don't think Germans will reach this level of team unity, although they will surely go far in this tournament, just as usual...
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You shouldn't be that pessimistic! Lewa, Kuba and Piszczek are pretty good! Russia and Czech are not that strong anymore. I'm rooting for Poland as a Dortmund-Fan and i'm sure you will get out of your Group. 
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So hyped for the EURO, just caaaaaaaaaaaaan't wait !!!
Beer, beef+grill, big tv are ready - the show can start 
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On June 08 2012 18:03 Otolia wrote:
Only in England is Joe Hart a good Goalkeeper, only in England ...
He would be in any of the squads in this Euro, thats for sure! He is a top class player in my opinion.
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On June 08 2012 19:41 Wakerius wrote:Show nested quote +On June 08 2012 09:23 GarethGore wrote:
Sweden
I agreed with a lot of what you say, Sweden are heavily underrated but i do think england will qualify over them that said. I think the reason why their so underrated they have very few really well known players at least not in the EPL like England have Rooney, Ronaldo for Portugal etc. Though the obvious exception is the player everrrrryone who watches football knows. but past that i can name very few.
I dont agree with the bit about england having a weak defence, Id say our strength is our defence and our bigger weaknesses is no rooney for the first two games and with IMO at least kinda substandard strikers, defoe is unavailable atm for personal issues, Carroll is kinda bad, welbeck is good but very young.
agreed about portugal though and lololol the last bit made me laugh so hard, its so true, its gonna be a absolute bloodbath. [/b
I have a pretty good feeling heading into the championship, albeit with a question mark over our defence. Zlatan and Elmander should get great chances against Ukraine and a fairly weak England defence. France will probably stomp us pretty bad, unfortunately.
I don't see Portugal reaching the knock-out stage at all. They have a pretty solid and technical team, but who's going to be their main goal scorer? Postiga and Almeida have good records in the national team, but I don't see them scoring against giants like Netherlands and Germany. Ronaldo will have to bring the fucking pain for Portugal to even have a chance. Also Pepe and Bruno Alves, lol. Somebody will get killed receive a red card for sure. You're not gonna have Rooney against France or Sweden. See, that'll complicate things. I seriously hope you don't expect Welbeck to fill up a striker of Rooney's caliber, right? You tell us to worry about Welbeck whilst you have to deal with Ibrahimovíc? Do you even watch football?The true question is whether or not France will show great strength. France is a team that can easily be the best in the world, as well as a complete catastrophe. You guys will face France in the first game, THAT will determine the outcome of the group for England's sake. Sweden vs England is a draw.
I watch football. Welbeck usually tries. which I guess is a nice quality to have.
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On June 08 2012 20:32 popzags wrote:
My predictions for this historical event:
Poland - Greece 1:0
Poland - Russia 0:2
Poland - Czech Republic 1:2
Spain holds the title.
As for Polish national team, make no mistakes about it; we are very unlikely to come out of our group, even despite good results in friendlies and possibly the best team we had since... well, maybe I was born. The big difference is the mentality Polish players have for big events and big pressure. Simply speaking, they underperform under the expectations and I expect nothing else here. Granted, we have Lewandowski, Blaszczykowski and Piszczek but the rest of team will most probably collapse psychologically.
Today, I expect a tense, underwhelming match with noone willing to risk a defeat. I think Poland will score some lucky goal, possibly from dubious penalty or rebound. If it happens, the massive shitstorm will rage across the country with ultraoptimistic predictions (even now, there are way too many of them here). But Russia seems extremly tough and unlikely to get beaten. And if we go for now-or-never match with some chances to advance, we like almost ALWAYS lose, so I expect nothing less against Czech team.
As for Spain; yeah, on paper Germany looks more potent, but Spain not only plays like Barcelona; it almost IS Barcelona, so any player that comes in always knows exactly what to do on the pitch. I don't think Germans will reach this level of team unity, although they will surely go far in this tournament, just as usual...
Dude, dont be so pessimistic. The Polish team might be encouraged by playing at home and play the tournament of their lifes.
I expect them to get to 2nd in their group.
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England will lose to France 4-1, but beat Sweden 1-0 and Ukraine 2-0 and beat the heavy favorite Spain 3-1 in Overtime and lose in the semi 3-0.
No Rooney in the first 2 games? No big deal. Russia in 2008 was without Arshavin in the first 2 games too.
In case you didn't notice, I'm predicting England to do exactly the same thing Russia did 4 years ago haha 
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EPT
