Group C: France v Netherlands (P+R)

[Silencer]

That might be a wee bit arrogant of him to say. I mean, Italy/France will surely be better against Netherlands if the two teams play again, they'll be more composed and play a tighter game so would you really wanna play them in the knockout stage? I think Ireland or Norn Ireland or someone and some other team 'threw a game' because they'd both be through from their group. I don't think this is illegal if it's between the players on the field, if there's no money involved, etc. If I were the Dutch, I'd let the Romanians bang a few in

I know that most people don't think like this but for me it's the smart thing to do no matter how 'stupid' it seems. They can go out and play in the 2nd half, would make a funny news story too.

And let's not get ahead of ourselves, Luis Aragones is the worse manager here, not Domenech.

If you want to become European champions you play every game like it's the finals so if we have to face Italy/France again so be it but let's not rule out the Romanian side yet because we had it pretty rough in the quals against them although I give us more chances now

 

[Turk123]

Holland is the best team in the tournament, they scored 7 goals against Italy and France, i really am glad Turkey is not in their group
They play quick counter attack style with perfect finishing, its a joy to watch them.

 

[Yossarian]

Enough has been said about the Dutch and their amazing performance, but I've really gotta commend MvB's second half substitutions. That dude's got some impressively sized balls taking out a defensive minded player with just a goal lead for an out an out attacker! That is my kind of soccer, man. Engelaar should have never started to begin with, but I love how he corrected his mistake immediately and subbed him in for Robben....the audacity and brilliance involved in the making of that decision gave me an instant hard-on....that's the kind of coach i want running the clubs that I support, man.

-Boulahrouz....boy has this kid improved his game significantly. I mean, he always had all the physical tools to be a great defender, but it was his focus and mental composure that seem to let 'em down. Not anymore, I don't think that I've seen a stronger, more sharper defender in this tourney than him, man. His alertness and ability to preemptively quash a potentially dangerous attack has been awe-inspiring.

he was my player of the game in this one.


-Makelele......what a physical specimen....he'll probably be shredded as sh!t into his 80s. As much as he's an undeniable warrior and stalwart, he was also very erratic and undiscipline out there. He had plenty of card worthy offenses in both games to have eventually garnered a red and put his team's chances in jeopardy. He's been an absolute foul machine this tournament, man.

 

[Mandieta6]

I disagree Yoss, I think Engelaar is playing quite well, he's not as good as De Jong in his role, and he was more inconspicuous in this match, but he played quite well in bith matches. I do not think Basten took him out because he was underperforming, but because he wanted to keep the french somewhat defensive by bringing an attacking player in.

 

[Yossarian]

that theory is quite possible in regards to his strategic aims, but I feel that this Engelaar dude has been an apparent blight to this otherwise immaculate squad. His awareness is poor, his passing maybe even worse and he just doesn't use his immense size properly for my liking, you know? You've got a player half his size in Makelele who is a stronger more fierce presence on the field. I just don't understand why he's out there if he's not enforcing, imposing his will and generally fuccking sh!t up out there because he certainly hasn't shown the skills necessary to warrant 'em being in the lineup, let alone on the roster, man.

 

[Filipower]

you're just saying that because he hasn't got the type of technique you'd expect from a dutch. That said, I also think he's the weakest link in the Holland team, but yesterday France played a lot more football than Holland when Engelaar wasn't on the field, Holland won because of their fantastic counterattack.

 

[Mandieta6]

Engelaar definitely is not the best player in the Oranje squad, but he does impose. It is hard to get the ball off him and his passes are adequate, his role is to stop the opposition from catching them on a counter, and pause the match slightly, allowibg the players in front of him to find spaces. He does this well. He is not playing the same role as Maks, and Maks is one of the best at what he does, so the comparison is not necessary. He is a sort of nix between Toulalan and Maks, and when he was on the field, he neutralised Toulalan very well, as well as keeping the Italians in check last time, but also contributing to the attack.

If I were Basten, I would use him again.

 

[newbie original]

I missed this game, so I was hoping for 0-0....

 

[Num Lock]

Enough has been said about the Dutch and their amazing performance, but I've really gotta commend MvB's second half substitutions. That dude's got some impressively sized balls taking out a defensive minded player with just a goal lead for an out an out attacker! That is my kind of soccer, man. Engelaar should have never started to begin with, but I love how he corrected his mistake immediately and subbed him in for Robben....the audacity and brilliance involved in the making of that decision gave me an instant hard-on....that's the kind of coach i want running the clubs that I support, man.

-Boulahrouz....boy has this kid improved his game significantly. I mean, he always had all the physical tools to be a great defender, but it was his focus and mental composure that seem to let 'em down. Not anymore, I don't think that I've seen a stronger, more sharper defender in this tourney than him, man. His alertness and ability to preemptively quash a potentially dangerous attack has been awe-inspiring.

he was my player of the game in this one.


-Makelele......what a physical specimen....he'll probably be shredded as sh!t into his 80s. As much as he's an undeniable warrior and stalwart, he was also very erratic and undiscipline out there. He had plenty of card worthy offenses in both games to have eventually garnered a red and put his team's chances in jeopardy. He's been an absolute foul machine this tournament, man.

oh brother Yoss how i've missed your postings in the forums

don't you agree that watching Make fouling left and right was a beautiful thing to watch?

it's like catching an artist in the sublime moment of creating a masterpiece

every time he was cought he would smile to the ref like saying "i know i broke his and legs and face, but you know I'm Makélelé "

 

[Filipower]

what about Ribery though? The guy ran like a freakin horse all game, everytime he touches the ball it means danger to the opposing team, just fantastic...

 

[treble41]

Meh it's kinda pointless when you have Gomis on the other end of the ball, I like Henry/Benzema better. Btw is mister Huntelaar starting? Shoulda had a spot in WC 06, specially if MvB was gonna bench Ruud. These poor Bundesliga players don't get recognized.

I was shakin my head at why Larsson who's only played 11 games in the Svenska league got the start ahead of Rosenborg. Also Kallrstrom should really be a starter, great player. I'd go with a 4-5-1 if I were Sweden with Ibrahimovich as the lone striker, Larsson hasn't exactly 'supported' him or looked dangerous.

 

[Yossarian]

oh brother Yoss how i've missed your postings in the forums

don't you agree that watching Make fouling left and right was a beautiful thing to watch?

it's like catching an artist in the sublime moment of creating a masterpiece

every time he was cought he would smile to the ref like saying "i know i broke his and legs and face, but you know I'm Makélelé "

hurhur.....appreciate the kind words, bro. Maks is an uncompromising badass. He can be a ruthless bastard, but I do love how he tries to pretend to be remorseful after he's completely demolished an opposing player. He seems to get away with a lot, but he also doesn't seem to get (from my limited knowledge of his discipline history) sent off frequently, so I guess it's alright. His silly and petty fouls can be a detriment to the development of a good flow for your squad sometimes....that's basically my only gripe with 'em.

what about Ribery though? The guy ran like a freakin horse all game, everytime he touches the ball it means danger to the opposing team, just fantastic...

no doubt. I think that folks take 'em for granted and are blase towards 'em in an egregiously unfair manner sometimes because he's replacing someone who's virtually irreplaceable, but his fierce determination, alertness, unfaltering workrate and aggression are all awe-inspiring, man.....definitely one of the best performers in this tournament so far.....what an endurance BEAST!