Euro 2004

[Anders MacGregor-Thunell]

When Beckham invited Croatia into the game in the beginning of the match I thought they would continue to play a more aggressive game with lots of pressure on the boll holders - high up on the English defense and midfield. Instead Croatia committed the mistake of backing up - and once again it did not pay off! I really don't understand how one team after the other one makes the same mistake...

Well, once again I was very impressed with Wayne Rooney (it's hard to not be impressed...). What an extra ordinary player you have!

Meeting Portugal in the quarterfinal I think actually is a better deal for England than Greece (remember the game you nearly lost in England not to long ago...). The reasons why I think Portugal fits England better is;

England plays more like a team (even if several parts of the team can become better). This is something very valuable when you meet teams that have some individually good players but lack the discipline to play like a team

Portugal has the "disadvantage" of being at home. It's an enormous pressure on the players...

Portugal managed to defeat Spain which means that some players might think that they done what they came for. No matter the results at least one game was won with honour...

Sven-Göran Eriksson was the trainer of Benfica several years and he knows Portugese fooball well

I think (and hope) that the English team will improve with every game they play. The first game they played was one of the few good defensive games we seen in this tournament and it was so close to succeed - not a beaty for the eye though... The game against Switzerland was the weakest one so far (for the English team) - nervous with an open defense and a fairly poor midfield, still England won. Yesterdays game was an improvement, but several players have quite a bit moore to give. One thing that made me believe in further advancement for the English team was the fact that they did not back up in the second half - in the same way as Croatia (before them the Netherlands, Italy...) did. That was quite reassuring. Will the great play come in the next game (next games)?

Tonight is our nervous night - will it be Danish dynamite or will it be Swedish "coolness" ?

Edited June 22, 2004 by Anders

[John Simkin]

I think (and hope) that the English team will improve with every game they play. The first game they played was one of the few good defensive games we seen in this tournament and it was so close to succeed - not a beaty for the eye though... The game against Switzerland was the weakest one so far (for the English team) - nervous with an open defense and a fairly poor midfield, still England won. Yesterdays game was an improvement, but several players have quite a bit moore to give. One thing that made me believe in further advancement for the English team was the fact that they did not back up in the second half - in the same way as Croatia (before them the Netherlands, Italy...) did. That was quite reassuring. Will the great play come in the next game (next games)?

Tonight is our nervous night - will it be Danish dynamite or will it be Swedish "coolness" ?

Another impressive analysis of a football game. I was also pleased with the way England played last night. I was especially impressed with the way they did not panic and kept to their original game plan after they went behind so early in the game. I was also encouraged by the way they did not sit back after they equalized (after all a draw would have been enough to qualify).

You are right that several players have a lot more to give. Michael Owen is not the player he was (he admits he is constantly worried that his hamstring will go again). This is stopping him from making those quick runs into space. Even when he is put in a position with only the goalkeeper to beat (it happened twice last night) he fluffed the chance (although one of these chances led to the first goal). Defenders have also got wise to Owen’s pace and defend much deeper against him (a similar tactic is being used against Henry but he has the ability to beat his man before accelerating towards the goal).

Beckham concerns me. He seems incapable of playing a good long pass that splits the defence (luckily Lampard has now adopted this role). His discipline is poor (he gave away a silly free kick that led to Croatia’s first goal). He is not doing his defensive duties well and several times failed to get back to cover his full back. He appears to have lost his stamina (maybe the result of a hard season in Madrid). His failure to find players with his long passes has dented his confidence and is now much likely to play a simple short pass instead of the long killer pass.

Gerarrd has also been disappointing. He again looks tired and in the second-half took too much time to get back quickly enough after taking part in an attack.

The good news is that Rooney and Lampard have turned out to be the world class players I thought they were. The form of Neville, Campbell, Cole, James and Scholes has been good and I expect Terry to be fully fit by the next game.

Yes, I expect England to beat Portugal. However, to go further we will need to see an improvement in the form of Beckham and Owen. One excellent long pass from Beckham and a lucky goal from Owen will do it (he was wisely kept on by Eriksson last night to in order to achieve this – unfortunately Owen could not deliver even against a tired defence).

[John Simkin]

Tonight is our nervous night - will it be Danish dynamite or will it be Swedish "coolness" ?

An article in my newspaper reports that Italy has been awash with conspiracy theories since it became clear that a draw of 2-2 or more would see Denmark and Sweden progress to the next round.

I suspect that Italy does not really believe this theory but by getting it into the press they have made sure it will not happen.

I think the same thing happened yesterday with the press stories that Croatia would try to get Rooney sent off. These stories made sure it would not happen. But it would not surprise me if he gets sent off against Portugal. It is only a matter of time before he loses his temper and hits someone.

[John Simkin]

Well, once again I was very impressed with Wayne Rooney (it's hard to not be impressed...). What an extra ordinary player you have!

Rooney is indeed an extraordinary player. However, we thought the same about Michael Owen six years ago. Another extraordinary teenager a couple of years ago is currently sitting on the bench with little chance of getting a game (Joe Cole). The last footballer with Rooney’s talent, Paul Gascoigne, is now a washed up alcoholic. So also is George Best. Both Gascoigne and Best never reached their full potential.

I remember reading an interview with the man who discovered Alan Shearer. He was asked what makes an outstanding footballer. He said it was not about talent but character. The test comes, he said, when they suffer a set-back (a serious injury or a severe loss in form). It is only when they overcome this that you can judge whether someone is a great player.

It is too early to say whether Rooney is going to reach the standards of someone like Pele or Zidane. How will he respond to a poor patch of form? How will he cope when he comes to London and plays for Chelsea? Will he keep his alcohol consumption under control. Will he always train hard (he looks overweight to me)? How will he cope with a manager who tries to keep him on the straight and narrow.

In his autobiography Gascoigne tells the story that when he was 17 his manager at Newcastle (Jack Charlton) told him: “I hear there’s a bit of skill underneath all that fat. Well, you’ve got two weeks to get it all off. If you don’t, you’re out of the youth team and out of the club.” He got the weight off and remained on the straight and narrow while he played for Newcastle but it all went wrong when he moved to London to play for the Spurs. He could not cope with London life and was soon losing his fitness (but not his skill).

Gascigne is now back living in a flat in Newcastle. He estimates that he has blown £20 million and his career is now finished. However, he has been off the drink for a year and is slimmer and fitter than he was when he was playing. As a local taxi-driver said, we look after him in Newcastle. There is something to be said for playing for the community where you come from. Maybe it was the secret of the success of Bobby Moore and Bobby Charlton.

[Dan Lyndon]

Sweden 2 Denmark 2

It's a nordic fix-up!!!!!!!!!!

Only joking, what a great game, both teams easily deserved to be in the next round. Forza Italia, seems like a spit in the ocean at the moment!

Edited June 22, 2004 by dan lyndon

[Guest]

The last footballer with Rooney’s talent, Paul Gascoigne, is now a washed up alcoholic. So also is George Best. Both Gascoigne and Best never reached their full potential.

Surely there is more than a hint of the old puritan about Mr Simkin's comments on footballers. One is left with the feeling that he would rather watch "wholesome" plodders like Shearer and Keegan than genuinely talented flair players like Best, Gascoigne, and Rooney.

Real talent often comes with frailities and human weaknesses, this is why such sports stars remain enduringly popular long after their talents have waned.

To make a comparison with a real sport for a moment, I would rather watch the chain smoking hard drinking swashbuckling young Arnold Palmer take his clubs from the back of his car than watch that wholesome media created automaton Tiger Woods play a full round of golf. It's all a question of style really.

Do I think the Vikings fixed tonights result? I doubt if the last 2 mins were played with much purpose other than that I believe it was a fairly played out draw

[John Simkin]

Pleased that both Sweden and Denmark got through. However, I was not very impressed with Sweden tonight. They looked very tired and should have lost by a couple of goals. As an England supporter I was pleased by the exit of Italy. Like Spain they had the players to win this. I would rather meet Sweden or Denmark in the semi-final than Italy.

[Anders MacGregor-Thunell]

I really don't know what to say - but for us it was not a very good game (even if the result was good). I don't understand why we start so very slow (even if it was a little improvement in this game). The defensive on the left side (Michael Nilsson) does not get any help (as I said he is a midfielder) and he obviously doesn't feel comfortable at this position. The coaches must do something before the quarterfinal. Once again we see the midfield backing up - weak today. I don't know how many games we will get away with this kind of play, but maybe the team can relax now and know that they will not be favourites in any game that follows... that can make them better! Now I need another drink...

[John Simkin]

Surely there is more than a hint of the old puritan about Mr Simkin's comments on footballers. One is left with the feeling that he would rather watch "wholesome" plodders like Shearer and Keegan than genuinely talented flair players like Best, Gascoigne, and Rooney.

Real talent often comes with frailities and human weaknesses, this is why such sports stars remain enduringly popular long after their talents have waned.

This could not be further from the truth. I was a man brought up on the football of West Ham. I am all for innovation and creativity. I just like it to be accompanied by self-discipline. This is the only way players can reach their full potential.

I remember reading that as a boy Bobby Charlton was right-footed and was handicapped by a weak left-foot. His mother spotted this problem and encouraged him to constantly practise using only his left foot. By the time he made the Man United first team he had the hardest left-footed shot in football. Maybe I’m a puritan but that is the sort of person I respect.

As Gascoigne admits in his autobiography, he was born with most of his talent. He then went ahead and wasted that talent by abusing his body with drugs and alcohol. He also head butted his wife and then repeatedly banged her head on the floor. By his own admission his reckless behaviour has resulted in the deaths of three friends. Are we really meant to admire someone like that?

[Guest]

As Gascoigne admits in his autobiography, he was born with most of his talent. He then went ahead and wasted that talent by abusing his body with drugs and alcohol. He also head butted his wife and then repeatedly banged her head on the floor. By his own admission his reckless behaviour has resulted in the deaths of three friends. Are we really meant to admire someone like that?

You have the advantage on me in your knowledge of Paul Gascoigne's life, I shan't be running out to buy his book however.

Talent is more than hard work and application - talent is talent. That is what makes it worth watching. Any fool can train 8 hours a day to be better than competent. Sometimes, in fact quite often, real talent is accompanied by a finger closely in proximity to the self destruct button. I wonder why that is? Perhaps there should be legislation introduced to protect footballers from themselves

Surely Bobby Moore was a better player to watch than Bobby Charlton?

How depressing would it be

to reach your full potential?

I am nowhere near mine, I trust you can say likewise

[Dan Moorhouse]

The Italian team ought to be fined / reprimanded by UEFA for suggesting that the Swedish and Danish teams would 'fix' the result. Making that allegation is unsportsmanlike in itself and has painted a very sour image of the competition. Tournaments are better off without management teams such as this, the behaviour of the management and some players is a disgusting example of the underhand tactics that some teams employ to try and undermine the mental state of their opponents.

On another note. One of the Croatia players failed to sign a declaration form relating to drugs he was given by the team doctor. In theory a failure to sign this form is as serious an offence as failing to attend a random drugs test. Can anyone explain why the player was then allowed to take the field against England whilst Rio Ferdinand is still banned for his, apparently similarly serious, indiscretion?

[Anders MacGregor-Thunell]

The dissapointment as well as accusations from some Italian players, leaders and papers were expected. I understand the frustration - but Italy lost their place in the quarterfinal against Denmark (by playing bad!) and Sweden (by backing up and letting the Swedes back into the game). The result between Denmark and Sweden was just a confirmation of the inability of the Italian team before this game!

Denmark had quite a firm grip on yesterdays game - with maybe the exception of 15 minutes before half time and 10 minutes after (until the second Danish goal). They were closer to 3-1 than Sweden was to 2-2. I'm quite worried about the very open (or non-existing) defensive midfield of Sweden as well as the weak left-side (Mikael Nilsson). The players are not aggressive enough. The Danish players as well as the Italian players before that gets all the time they need to deliver good passes undisturbed. We have to move the midfield further up and close that gap and put a lot of pressure on the ball holder so they don't get the time to deliver good passes. In the game yesterday you saw Swedish players back up - running backwards with 2-3 meters distance to a player attacking. Not only does the attacking player have the advantage of being left alone he also has much more speed and it's quite easy to pass the defending player. This was a pattern that was repeated again and again...

The only positive things I bring along from yesterdays game (except the fact that we actually qualified for the second round and won the group) is the fact that our goaley is very stable (he is only 22 years old - he's born exactly the same date as Zlatan), the offensive can create chances even if the midfield doesn't work very well (they often back down and get the ball themselves) and the moral - Sweden does not give up - they will play to the very end (the coaches have reinforced the idea of giving everything. Their favourite expression is "into the tiles" - refering to swimming...).

At the same time I must admire the Danish play. Denmark knew exactly how to play, they were the better team and they play like a team! Czeck Republic will not get an easy game against the "Danish dynamite" !

I remember reading an interview with the man who discovered Alan Shearer. He was asked what makes an outstanding footballer. He said it was not about talent but character. The test comes, he said, when they suffer a set-back (a serious injury or a severe loss in form). It is only when they overcome this that you can judge whether someone is a great player. "John"

I agree with John (or with his quote of "the man who discovered Alan Shearer"). A few years ago we saw the terrible pictures when Henrik Larsson broke his leg (just when he started to play for Celtic). It was sickening to see how the leg hung in a very strange angle... Still - he came back and played even better than he did before his injury. That is some talent mixed with the right attitude!

Edited June 23, 2004 by Anders

[Guest]

I must say I found the Italian calls of "fix" this morning hilarious. Their goalkeeper has been quoted as saying "someone should be punished" (for the alleged fix). Well someone has been punished - the Italian team for their dreary defensive style of play

Never mind Italy, perhaps they could enter their football team into the "synchronised diving" event at this years Olympics

[John Simkin]

The Italian team ought to be fined / reprimanded by UEFA for suggesting that the Swedish and Danish teams would 'fix' the result. Making that allegation is unsportsmanlike in itself and has painted a very sour image of the competition.

I believe that as a result of Italy’s negative play they probably deserved to go out last night. However, I do feel that the Italians have a right to complain about what went on in the Sweden-Denmark game.

On a purely statistical basis, the 2-2 result was unusual (only 3 times in 161 games at the European championships – the last time was 22 years ago).

I saw the game and believe 21 out of the 22 players were trying to get the best result for their country. However, the behaviour of one player, Thomas Sorenson, was highly suspect. He gave away an unnecessary penalty at the beginning of the second-half.

In the 89th penalty he made a mistake that was extremely unusual. This was pushing out (rather than catching or punching) a weak cross.

In Britain we have examples of game-fixing. It became clear from these investigations that the most important people in this was goalkeepers. This is usually done with very few people becoming suspicious (for example, giving away a penalty). However, when the game nears the end it needs drastic measures. That is what Thomas Sorenson did in the 89th minute of last night’s game.

I do not believe the Swedish team had anything to do with this. But I suspect a team of professional gamblers based in Sweden know a great deal about it. My advice to UEFA would be to follow the money. Not that I expect them to do this. However, I am sure some of the Italian newspapers will be doing their own investigations.

[Anders MacGregor-Thunell]

I saw the game and believe 21 out of the 22 players were trying to get the best result for their country. However, the behaviour of one player, Thomas Sorenson, was highly suspect. He gave away an unnecessary penalty at the beginning of the second-half. "John"

So was the behaviour of the Italian goalkeeper when Zlatan scored in the 85th minute. Was he bought by a players syndicate as well? I don't think so and I think you are wrong John. Except the last minute and a half when the Swedish players just walked around with the ball I think both sides tried to win this game. The referee could have choosen to not give Sweden a penalty kick when Larsson fell and in the 89th minute a Danish player was very close to the goalie obviously disturbing him a bit - was he included in the conspiracy? I don't think there was one! This time I think you are wrong!

Edited June 23, 2004 by Anders