Euro 2012 - News & Predictions

[dokhtar92irooni]

^ that's what makes them succesful though they tire out the defenders and after 60 mins or so they can bring in strikers to attack when the defender's legs are all tired out. Plus David Villa was missing from the team.

[KC McElroy]

^ that's what makes them succesful though they tire out the defenders and after 60 mins or so they can bring in strikers to attack when the defender's legs are all tired out. Plus David Villa was missing from the team.

Yesterday's game aside, they play anti soccer. When you play soccer you try to score, not keep possession.

[Amin_]

You don't need to be an expert to see that Spain was the best team and has been the best team in the world in the last couple of years.
Bring up Motta's injury is just making up excuses, cause Spain would have won regardless. That doesn't mean that we should disrespect Italy! I have great respect for them and what they achieved. The only team that probably stands a chance against Spain in the upcoming WC is the homeside Brazil (and that is because they are playing at home).

[dokhtar92irooni]

Yesterday's game aside, they play anti soccer. When you play soccer you try to score, not keep possession.

Well it seems like a good strategy to me there's a reason why they have been able to win Euro Cup two times in a row and the last World Cup

[EKBATAN]

^boring football?? Lol please stop it. Accept it that spain was 3 classes better than Italy. spain played not with 100% when Motta was injured but after Torres came in they wanted Torres win the scorer trophy that was the reason they started attacking again. At this day spain was unbeatable even if italy played with 12 men and cassano with two hearts.

how come the first game was an even match??

[EKBATAN]

You don't need to be an expert to see that Spain was the best team and has been the best team in the world in the last couple of years.
Bring up Motta's injury is just making up excuses, cause Spain would have won regardless. That doesn't mean that we should disrespect Italy! I have great respect for them and what they achieved. The only team that probably stands a chance against Spain in the upcoming WC is the homeside Brazil (and that is because they are playing at home).

how is it an excuse?? it took the chances of italy away for even making a come back

you are FORCED to play with 10 men, if it was a red card then it would make sense but the fact is once that happened...the game was OVER! maybe italy would've still lost but 2-0 or 2-1 but to have the score line of 4-0 is quite unfair.....at least there was a first game where italy was more dominating (in my opinion) cuz they had way more chances.

[EKBATAN]

p.s. I love how all the italy haters were mooosh mooshak and gone after the semis, now that this happened they're all coming out

[Amin_]

how is it an excuse?? it took the chances of italy away for even making a come back

you are FORCED to play with 10 men, if it was a red card then it would make sense but the fact is once that happened...the game was OVER! maybe italy would've still lost but 2-0 or 2-1 but to have the score line of 4-0 is quite unfair.....at least there was a first game where italy was more dominating (in my opinion) cuz they had way more chances.

It's an excuse hearing people actually claim that Italy would have equalized/won if that hadn't happened! If the scoreline was 0-0 and Italy would have been the much better team and after Motta's injury they suddenly conceded 4 goals, then yes, you might have had a point, but not in yesterday's match.

Yes Italy was forced to play with 10 men, but that's football. I know Chiellini got injured and was forced to be subbed out, but it was strange to make your last sub in the 57th minute and bring in a DM. I would say if you're 2-0 behind in the finals, let Cassano in and bing in Di Natale and play an all or nothing game, but these are all speculations afterwards anyway. The fact is that Spain just better yesterday and imo Italy would have lost regardless, whether Motta got injured or not (I do agree that there's a good chance that the scoreline wouldn't have turned out 4-0 though had Italy played with 11 til the end).


I wanted to say you should read my post in the other thread ("Italy NT haters...") before you think I'm another "Italy hater", but I just saw you've read it. So as you can see, I'm no Italy hater at all, as a matter of fact they have always been one of my favorite national teams, but I am just being realistic.

[EKBATAN]

^ i didnt think u were a hater...ive seen your post...i was just responding, sorry if it sounded harsh. I was just pointing out the unfair conditions italy had to deal with in an uphill battle. Sure u go down 2-0 but its not the end of the game. Italy was still pressing for a goal....the sub made no sense like u said, thats a coaching decision, montolivo was fine and there were better subs than motta. but the fact is no its not football....i cant remember last time something like that happened especially in a final that a team had to play with 10 men even though they werent red carded. Like i said i never said italy would've tied or won...but it was an unfair condition they had to deal with, they didnt deserve this for how hard they worked.

[Go_Daei]

basta con la pasta seniori!

[KeonKish]

In my opinion, Italy played amazing GIVEN THE PLAYERS THEY HAD.
an angry child as a forward
a frankenstien winger (cassano) He was only at about 60-70% of his normal self.
An old dog ( Di natali)
and an aging keeper.

Spain is the best team in the world, no doubt. I Didn't expect them to beat spain. But I give them major credit for coming so far with SO little. Just keep in mind that germany thrashed portugal netherlands AND denmark, and italy made germany look like a bunch of stupid children.
italy's squad is aging and will need some new blood by the WC.

[Amin_]

Eki jaan, I think you're just upset about the 4-0 scoreline which, yes, probably was due to the fact that Italy was forced to play a big part with 10 men. Sure, there was a slight chance of Italy coming back (everything is possible in football), but like I said, it wasn't like Italy was the much better side and was leading until Motta got injured or anything. Sure, naturally Italy tried to press after the 2-0, but Spain was in control and the control increased when Italy came down to 10 men.
I do agree that the first game was a better power measurement because things were more in balance. In the first game Italy actually created some good chances, however in the final game Spain was much more in control, even before Motta's forced substituion.
Del Bosque did a great job neutralizing Italy's best player (Pirlo). You could see that there was always someone up his ass and they barely gave him space to move.

They had the odds against them in the finals and were kinda unlucky too with the 2 forced substitutions of Chiellini and Motta (although Spain should have gotten a pk, but ok).
All in all Italy should be proud of what they achieved, no one really expected them to play so wel and reach the finals and like I said earlier, it's no shame losing to this Spanish side, as they they have been the best team in the world for years now.

[Go_Daei]

this guy played for his own not the nation adopting him.. personally some satisfaction he got vaffanculo 'd in the finals..

what are the 3 stripes for?

Lol that was so funny when he took off his shirt

[yashar_fasihnia]

Spain is the best team in the world, no doubt. I Didn't expect them to beat spain. But I give them major credit for coming so far with SO little. Just keep in mind that germany thrashed portugal netherlands AND denmark, and italy made germany look like a bunch of stupid children.
italy's squad is aging and will need some new blood by the WC.

not at all, italy was VERY lucky against germany to have shots hitting their post and balls being cleared off their line. throughout the tournamet balotelli had every shot of his up in the sky, only in the game against germany it went in.

the most deserved and closest final would have been germany - spain once again but this is football, the scoreline isnt always fair...

[Masoud_A]

p.s. I love how all the italy haters were mooosh mooshak and gone after the semis, now that this happened they're all coming out

I never dissed Italy in this tournament even gave them props after they beat us. You were over the moon after that win and acting like a prick, making threads gloating about how Italy dominated the Germans and the score line should have been 5-1 or some unrealistic bullshit. You did not show class when you won and decided to rub it in and make fantastic claims, I did not say anything to you cause you would just accuse me of being bitter. Now after Spain schooled your favorite team you don't show grace in defeat and are calling everyone names and still making stupid remarks about how Spain was classless cause they whooped your team 4-0? You actually calling them out for punishing you like that?
You can call me a hater or bring up the Germany game, but the fact of the matter is you never give your opponent credit and act like Italy is that super team comprised of supernatural players who never make mistakes and always dominate, so don't expect people not to give you the same treatment when your beloved team gets humiliated like that in the finals.
I watched the match with my Italian and Spanish friends in a bar and we all had a good time, it's funny how an Iranian American fan of Italy in the US gets all worked up over every Italian team games and jumps on anybody's ass who says something bad about them.