Euro 2012 Final - Spain v Italy

[Maguire]

Hold on a second, is NSML seriously comparing Spain’s style of play with Reading’s last season? They couldn’t be more different surely?

No, he said Reading were boring ie the opposite of Spain

[Uke]

Many Italian fans may be feeling the same way as a lot of Reading fans after the Arsenal match back in 2006

Gutted to lose

But to be fucked with such technique

[Victor Meldrew]

Good to see some of the doubters now appreciate how good Spain and Spanish football can be.
I thought Spain were electric last night right from the off,so much more so than in the earlier rounds,and are quite rightly being favourably compared to the Brazil of 1970.
Lol@ all the pundits who just couldn't grasp how a team could play without a big central striker.
It was so obvious that without the quick-footed Villa who is dextrous enough to fit in with the interchange of passing nobody else would fit in-a Torres of 4 years ago could have done but not the current version and that is why (after the Negredo experiment) Del Bosque went with the quick-witted and quick-footed Fabregas.
There was no point in changing their overall style so that crosses were fed in to a central striker who might not even be quick enough to get there.

Thickos like Shearer and Keown steeped in English unimaginative football just didn't get it-not just them but so many associated with our game who literally can't think outside the box (the Italians played 3 at the back for one game and 4 in another) and that includes coaches,players and fans.
I probably come across as a footballing snob but all my life,and that includes coaching , I have tried to get teams playing a controlled passing game and so these past few years with Barcelona and Spain playing this way I feel vindicated because played well it CAN be very entertaining but when it doesn't work it is described as boring.
I find long-ball,hit-and-hope that Shane or somebody might just get on the end of things boring and whereas (other than in the times of Mansell,McGhee and to a lesser extent Coppell and Brian) for most of my time watching Reading for 57 years has been mainly long-ball stuff I was so pleased that with Roberts arriving last season we looked to a striker holding on to the ball and Brian was prepared to change what up until then was quite successful football but in the long run would be no good in the Premier League.

Rodgers failed with us because he didn't have players comfortable enough on the ball and (me included) we thought that this was more Burns than McGhee but time has shown us that his way can work in English football.
Having had quite a decent bet on Spain I do feel happy and a bit smug today but more so I hope that kids will want to play like Xavi and Iniesta rather than Milner or Fletcher and realise that hard-running alone is just not enough.
The foreign players in English football have shown us the way in recent years,Bergkamp,Zola,Silva etc so maybe just maybe their skills will be copied as well as defenders passing the ball out of trouble rather than just wellying possession away-the other way has been around for many years but will we now join them or carry on extolling the virtues of a Wimbledon or a Stoke although in fairness some teams will still have to play their way because of the lack of skills within their ranks but I would love to see English players with the top clubs not just being the workhorses-eventually that would benefit the England team.

Viva Espana but I'm just off to Portugal and on the proceeds of Spain's win can afford not to have to just shop at Lidls.

[Maguire]

Many Italian fans may be feeling the same way as a lot of Reading fans after the Arsenal match back in 2006

Gutted to lose

But to be fucked with such technique

Do you know, when Spain scored their first last night the thing that instantly sprang to mind was Fabregas doing exactly the same thing to James Harper at the MadStad and cutting it back for Henry to tuck away.

[southbank1871]

Hold on a second, is NSML seriously comparing Spain’s style of play with Reading’s last season? They couldn’t be more different surely?

No, he said Reading were boring ie the opposite of Spain

Oh yeah, just re-read his post. Poorly worded though imo.

[Nick Shorey my Lord!]

Hold on a second, is NSML seriously comparing Spain’s style of play with Reading’s last season? They couldn’t be more different surely?

No, he said Reading were boring ie the opposite of Spain

Exactly.

[Super_horns]

Spain played like they had a point to prove.

Were Italy even that bad till they went down to 10 men...not sure.

Spain did their usual stuff with the added extras.

[pea]

Spain played like they had a point to prove.

Were Italy even that bad till they went down to 10 men...not sure.

Spain did their usual stuff with the added extras.

Italy looked good the first 15 of the second half, the injury knocked the stuffing out of them, although I think they were losing steam already

will finish this post off when I think of some more metaphors

[sandman]

Italy were more attacking than most of the teams Spain play which was why the game was more open. Fair play to the Italians for giving it a go but the downside of it is that other teams will be even more defensive when they play against Spain than they were before.

[Man Friday]

Italy are miles better than England. Spain were miles better than Italy. How cr@p does that make us? Very cr@p unfortunately. Thank God we won the WC once. 'Cos we ain't never going to win it again.

[Hoop Blah]

Italy are miles better than England. Spain were miles better than Italy. How cr@p does that make us? Very cr@p unfortunately. Thank God we won the WC once. 'Cos we ain't never going to win it again.

So, miles better but unable to beat us? How does that work?

We're not crap, but we're not as good Spain or a few of the other top top teams. That doesn't make us crap. Crap teams are all those we beat we relative ease without really getting out of 2nd gear.

[Royal Rother]

How does that work you ask...

The team that plays "Miles better" doesn't always win the game you know. But over an extended period.... etc. etc. which is why the end of year league table rarely if ever lies.

[Hoop Blah]

What's the closest thing to league tables in international football?

FIFA's rankings? And where are England and Italy?

[Royal Rother]

Ooof! Yep, well done. I walked into that one!!

[Man Friday]

Italy are miles better than England. Spain were miles better than Italy. How cr@p does that make us? Very cr@p unfortunately. Thank God we won the WC once. 'Cos we ain't never going to win it again.

So, miles better but unable to beat us? How does that work?

It's called football. The only sport where one team in a one-off match can dominate the other and yet the scores remain close, even level.

See FA Cup Finals of 1970, 1973, 1976, 1988.

[Hoop Blah]

Not really miles better at the aim of the game then.

They played better than us on the day yes, not disputing that. Miles better? Not really no. Does that one off day make them a miles better team? No, of course it doesn't it.

We weren't crap, we aren't crap, and we're very unlikely to ever be crap. The sooner idiots like you realise that then the sooner the national team will be able to go about it's business a bit more effectively.

[who are ya?]

We weren't crap, we aren't crap, and we're very unlikely to ever be crap. The sooner idiots like you realise that then the sooner the national team will be able to go about it's business a bit more effectively.

[RobRoyal]

Not really miles better at the aim of the game then.

They played better than us on the day yes, not disputing that. Miles better? Not really no. Does that one off day make them a miles better team? No, of course it doesn't it.

We weren't crap, we aren't crap, and we're very unlikely to ever be crap. The sooner idiots like you realise that then the sooner the national team will be able to go about it's business a bit more effectively.

Italy had 36 shots in that game - no side in euros history has had more without scoring. They were let down in the final third in most of their games, but domination like that suggests they were a lot better than us.

LOL@ "one off day" too - you saw the other games, right?

[RobRoyal]

P.s. they did beat us, btw - that's why they played two more games and we went home.

[Man Friday]

Not really miles better at the aim of the game then.

They played better than us on the day yes, not disputing that. Miles better? Not really no. Does that one off day make them a miles better team? No, of course it doesn't it.

We weren't crap, we aren't crap, and we're very unlikely to ever be crap. The sooner idiots like you realise that then the sooner the national team will be able to go about it's business a bit more effectively.

It's complacent idiots like you that have held us back these last 30 years. "We're as good as them, we just play differently." Smell the coffee (or your own fart). Look at the Premier League. The top teams are made up of mainly foreignplayers because the English aren't good enough. I've had my fill of your crappy posts over the years. There's one idiot between us and it ain't me. With defenders like you we'll never win another tournament again.