Round One in the Can
Ah, the deceiving allure of international football. Everyone thinks it's gonna be more fun than a Mourinho-Ferguson steel-cage death match, but really it plays out more like an encore of Kasparov-Deep Blue (which, as you're well aware, paled in comparison to Kasparov-Big Blue). That's right, the first round is under our belt and not an exciting game to speak of.
Sure, the Netherlands looked good in their domination of the Italians (and really, what's better than the eye-grating, ass-puckering style of the Azzurri getting thoroughly outclassed by the pure attacking style that the Dutch have always embodied?). And Spain looked smoother than Richard Greico circa 1988 in their 4-1 romp over the Russians. But when you have to point to a couple of blow-outs as the games of the tournament so far it might be an indicator that there's been less drama in Auswisstria than Reagan-Mondale 1984.
A few things have become abundantly clear so far:
- Germany, Spain, and Holland have emerged as the best teams after their first-round wins, though an early Dutch peak will inevitably lead to a disappointing exit in the first or second round of the knockout stage. Now, if Ruud can keep it up and the Oranje can get a few more of the gritty, industrious performances out of Gio (my MOTM) and Dirk Kuyt, as well as the brilliant finishing that Wesley Snjeider displayed, they may have a run at the trophy. Call me crazy, but I just don't see that happening.
- Franck Ribery needs to clone himself if France is going to have a chance at Euro glory. He's surrounded by young, unproven players who aren't steely enough to provide incisive play in the final third (Benzema, Nasri, Gomis), an aging prima donna who looks low on confidence, normally his best attribute (Anelka) and a player that simply provides nothing useful in the attack (Malouda; for further proof of his ineptitude, see his entire season at Chelsea last year).
France looks to be a team full of problems, and that's not even getting into their mini injury crisis. Domenech needs to tweak his lineup, which prefers Toulalan to Flamini and had Thierry Henry on the bench. I'm not sure of Henry's injury, but it seems to me that Thi-Thi is the only player who can link up with Ribery and bury the ball in the back of the net, Barca-form notwithstanding.
Benzema certainly didn't look the part against Romania and Gomis seemed content to simply give the ball away on the two or three touches he actually got. The good news for France, of course, is that they'll be facing an aging Italian team that will need to attack balls-out against Les Bleus, which would seem to suit Ribery's game well, as they'll be vulnerable to a counter-attack. If Henry can't go, I would start Gomis and Anelka, which would allow Bafetimbi a lot more time to get acclimated to the pace of a truly meaningful international match. He's more of the supporting striker prototype than Benzema, and he could drop deeper into the midfield, giving more options to Ribery who shouldn't be expected to do it all himself. Anelka is a more than capable finisher and if Gomis can alleviate some of the pressure on Ribery, it should allow Scarface the chance to put a few balls on a platter for Anelka.
- What is it about national team duty that brings the best out of Lucas Podolski? He's long been a player I've admired (yeah, I know, a real diamond in the rough that I discovered there), though I admittedly only see him with ze Germans and not with Bayern Munich week in and week out. Then again, no one's seen him play much with Bayern this year. That looks to change next year, as Klinsi comes in to take the reigns of the German giants, and Podolski is clearly a favorite of his. The former "best young player" at the 2006 World Cup got off to a cracking start, scoring two goals while deployed on the left wing, the second of which was a beautifully-taken volley that finished off his Polish brethren.
- David Villa simply must come to Liverpool. He and El Niño will combine for 60 goals, several of which will look like Spain's first today against Russia, which screamed "Who said we can't play together, motherfucker!?!" After Villa got his hatty, who does he immediately run over to celebrate with? Yup, that's right, his newly-strawberry blond-hued strike partner, Fernando Torres. Of course, with that performance his price tag just jumped by £10M (or as Tommy and Georgie call it, a few weeks worth of travel expenses).
Look, I don't ask for much, really. Just finish the Barry deal and start feeding David Villa copious amounts of Scouse stew. On second thought, let's nix the stew.
- Karma's a bitch, ain't it my Grecian friends? Picking up right where they left off, Greece came out playing their uniquely Mediterranean brand of anti-football, only this time their competition seemed up to the task. It took a belaboring 67 minutes, but Zlatan gave the world a moment of magic (relief?) when he combined brilliantly with the ageless wonder Henrik Larsson, playing a 1-2 before rifling home with a ferocious strike. Good on you, mate. You'd be hard-pressed to find a football fan who wouldn't be willing to buy the Inter striker a few rounds of Svedka after his demoralizing blow to the Grecians.
Fuck you Greece, you took the joy and passion out of Euro 2004 and I hope Spain and Russia combine to beat you 28-0.
Carry on.
Sure, the Netherlands looked good in their domination of the Italians (and really, what's better than the eye-grating, ass-puckering style of the Azzurri getting thoroughly outclassed by the pure attacking style that the Dutch have always embodied?). And Spain looked smoother than Richard Greico circa 1988 in their 4-1 romp over the Russians. But when you have to point to a couple of blow-outs as the games of the tournament so far it might be an indicator that there's been less drama in Auswisstria than Reagan-Mondale 1984.
A few things have become abundantly clear so far:
- Germany, Spain, and Holland have emerged as the best teams after their first-round wins, though an early Dutch peak will inevitably lead to a disappointing exit in the first or second round of the knockout stage. Now, if Ruud can keep it up and the Oranje can get a few more of the gritty, industrious performances out of Gio (my MOTM) and Dirk Kuyt, as well as the brilliant finishing that Wesley Snjeider displayed, they may have a run at the trophy. Call me crazy, but I just don't see that happening.
- Franck Ribery needs to clone himself if France is going to have a chance at Euro glory. He's surrounded by young, unproven players who aren't steely enough to provide incisive play in the final third (Benzema, Nasri, Gomis), an aging prima donna who looks low on confidence, normally his best attribute (Anelka) and a player that simply provides nothing useful in the attack (Malouda; for further proof of his ineptitude, see his entire season at Chelsea last year).
France looks to be a team full of problems, and that's not even getting into their mini injury crisis. Domenech needs to tweak his lineup, which prefers Toulalan to Flamini and had Thierry Henry on the bench. I'm not sure of Henry's injury, but it seems to me that Thi-Thi is the only player who can link up with Ribery and bury the ball in the back of the net, Barca-form notwithstanding.
Benzema certainly didn't look the part against Romania and Gomis seemed content to simply give the ball away on the two or three touches he actually got. The good news for France, of course, is that they'll be facing an aging Italian team that will need to attack balls-out against Les Bleus, which would seem to suit Ribery's game well, as they'll be vulnerable to a counter-attack. If Henry can't go, I would start Gomis and Anelka, which would allow Bafetimbi a lot more time to get acclimated to the pace of a truly meaningful international match. He's more of the supporting striker prototype than Benzema, and he could drop deeper into the midfield, giving more options to Ribery who shouldn't be expected to do it all himself. Anelka is a more than capable finisher and if Gomis can alleviate some of the pressure on Ribery, it should allow Scarface the chance to put a few balls on a platter for Anelka.
- What is it about national team duty that brings the best out of Lucas Podolski? He's long been a player I've admired (yeah, I know, a real diamond in the rough that I discovered there), though I admittedly only see him with ze Germans and not with Bayern Munich week in and week out. Then again, no one's seen him play much with Bayern this year. That looks to change next year, as Klinsi comes in to take the reigns of the German giants, and Podolski is clearly a favorite of his. The former "best young player" at the 2006 World Cup got off to a cracking start, scoring two goals while deployed on the left wing, the second of which was a beautifully-taken volley that finished off his Polish brethren.
- David Villa simply must come to Liverpool. He and El Niño will combine for 60 goals, several of which will look like Spain's first today against Russia, which screamed "Who said we can't play together, motherfucker!?!" After Villa got his hatty, who does he immediately run over to celebrate with? Yup, that's right, his newly-strawberry blond-hued strike partner, Fernando Torres. Of course, with that performance his price tag just jumped by £10M (or as Tommy and Georgie call it, a few weeks worth of travel expenses).
Look, I don't ask for much, really. Just finish the Barry deal and start feeding David Villa copious amounts of Scouse stew. On second thought, let's nix the stew.
- Karma's a bitch, ain't it my Grecian friends? Picking up right where they left off, Greece came out playing their uniquely Mediterranean brand of anti-football, only this time their competition seemed up to the task. It took a belaboring 67 minutes, but Zlatan gave the world a moment of magic (relief?) when he combined brilliantly with the ageless wonder Henrik Larsson, playing a 1-2 before rifling home with a ferocious strike. Good on you, mate. You'd be hard-pressed to find a football fan who wouldn't be willing to buy the Inter striker a few rounds of Svedka after his demoralizing blow to the Grecians.
Fuck you Greece, you took the joy and passion out of Euro 2004 and I hope Spain and Russia combine to beat you 28-0.
Carry on.
posted by stephen at 11:27 AM
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