Bilbao does a great job developing players, I just wonder how long they'll be able to hang onto Williams and Simon.
Euro 2024 Thread
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Bilbao does a great job developing players, I just wonder how long they'll be able to hang onto Williams and Simon.
Well, Williams probably is leaving this Summer. Until the last two years, his older brother Inaki was considered the more likely one to go for a big fee, but he really has emerged these past two seasons.
Bilbao has the strictest rules of any Basque team insofar as signing players. They all have to have Basque heritage or have been born in the Basque Country. The Williams brothers both were born in Bilbao.
It’s amazing how they have been able to be so competitive for so long. Years ago, Basque teams dominated Spanish football, but that era has long gone and yet Bilbao remains a quality side. Both they and fellow Basque team Real Sociedad, from my favorite small city in the world, San Sebastian, will play in Europe this coming season.
yeah donevan is right that neither team wants to take chances in xtra time. might as well go straight to pks like copa
I'd be OK with a rule that all England games go straight to PKs. Watching the anguish on their players and fans' faces is way more exciting than watching extra time.
I hate that so many teams do that. Athletic Madrid is the worst offender. The linesmen need to stand where the throw in should be and make teams take it from there.
I think for a number of years throw ins weren't emphasized or seen as a means of generating chances so no one cared. Now that they have throw in coaches, the situation is much different.
I highly doubt Anthony Taylor was trying to keep Germany alive. Maybe he’s just a trash ref? I’d go with that since I actually watch the guy every week on tv and don’t understand how he has a job in England, let alone get paid to do high stakes FIFA matches. Oh, and another reason would be that he didn’t call a blatant and textbook handball on Cucurella and award a rightful penalty to Germany.
By the way, that’s the same Cucurella who flourished under Pochettino at Chelsea this year, started every game, kept English international Ben Chillwell on the bench, and helped Chelsea out of nowhere catch form and qualify for Europe. then unexpectedly forced his way into Spains squad, then into Spain’s starting lineup and regarded by many as one of their breakout players of the tourney. Good for him. I hadn’t really been a fan of his up until this point. Heck of a good guy.
More offense in the Turkey-Netherlands match than any other one in the knockout rounds. Not great finishing, but both teams genuinely tried to play attacking football. Good for them!
The Dutch were not particularly good on defense at all in the Euros and were woeful on the Turkey goal off a free kick, with 2 short guys trying to mark 3 tall guys at the left post, but they showed they know how to kill off a game in the final 10 minutes with lots of long balls into the Turkish end.
The Dutch were not particularly good on defense at all in the Euros and were woeful on the Turkey goal off a free kick, with 2 short guys trying to mark 3 tall guys at the left post, but they showed they know how to kill off a game in the final 10 minutes with lots of long balls into the Turkish end.
The BBC rules expert said it was the right call under the rules. Cucurella’s arm was extended vertically down in a natural position. He didn’t like the rule but he said it was the right call. I agree but for a different reason. Cucarella’s arm was in that position before the ball was struck. He didn’t move it to try to deflect the ball.
That being said, I was surprised the ruling was made that fast. There was almost no delay in the match.
That’s crap. The arm wasnt vertical and it was away from his body by a significant distance. He made himself bigger. The UEFA nuance is that it wasn’t “judged to be an unnatural position and wasn’t judged that he made himself bigger”. It clearly wasn’t the case. But UEFA are going to back Anthony Taylor and Stuart Atwell who is another dolt that was the VAR official.
In any event, Anthony Taylor didn’t do Germany any favors…and the right result occurred…which myself and most of Europe approve of. Lol.
I think the problem with that would be that if a team grabs the ball and takes the throw quickly the linesman would then be way out of position for a potential next pass being on or offside.
Now once they get to fully automated offside calls, which is going to come in the bigger leagues before too long, that won't be an issue anymore.
So......I watched alot of the two games yesterday. As I said on the football board, England to me are the Toronto Maple Leafs. The similarities are amazing. England last won a major tourney in 1966, the Leafs last won a Cup in 1967, and despite the tremendous resources enjoyed by both, neither have even been finalists since. Both have storied and passionate fanbases. Both have media that cover them as pure fanboys. Both just usually crumble over extreme expectations and pressure. Both are basically the center of their sport. And with no hatred, just a perverse enjoyment of seeing them fail, I always root against. England is prevailing....but barely.
Yea, ALWAYS root against England. They are sort of like Penn State for me but I get the Maple Leafs comparison.
Absolutely magnificent fu**ing goal by Lamine Yamal. Now youngest scorer in Euro history.
I hope Olmos gets credit for the 2nd. I think it was on frame when deflected in by Kounde.
I hope Olmos gets credit for the 2nd. I think it was on frame when deflected in by Kounde.
And he almost did it again.
Man so much young talent in these tourneys. We are seeing the new generation of stars budding before our eyes. The Chelsea kid (Paez) became the youngest goal scorer, or maybe the second youngest ever in Copa. He’s a month older than Yamal. Brazil had Endrick playing as their starting #9. He’s a year older. Gonna be lots of Madrid/Barca Endrick/Yamal battles in the future.
Much deserved win by Spain. Mbappe was totally ineffective after that early assist. Taking the mask off didn’t change anything. Spain dominated the ball and the chances. Never went into a defensive mode until the last 7-8 minutes — and then they defended by keeping possession of the ball. They won this game with a Center Back and Right Back suspended and a 38 year old former forward playing Right Back.
De La Fuente made some controversial choices for this squad, a couple of which were really bad choices, and they are winning in spite of them.
When they won the World Cup in 2012, Carles Puyol and the other Barca players pulled up their jerseys to show Catalan T-shirts. If they win, I wonder if the 8 Basque players will do something to honor Euskadi, their name for the Basque Country. Maybe all wear red berets.
France had so much talent but no talisman pulling the strings. If you don’t have a great MF like Xavi or de Bruyne (not this year’s version) or Modric to control the game, you don’t control the play. Camavinga, Tchoumani, Rabiot, Griezman — none of them impacted the game. And, their defense was mediocre. I thought Kounde was the best of their back 4, and it was ironic that the winning goal struck his leg. He did a better job on Williams than anyone in the tournament.
De La Fuente made some controversial choices for this squad, a couple of which were really bad choices, and they are winning in spite of them.
When they won the World Cup in 2012, Carles Puyol and the other Barca players pulled up their jerseys to show Catalan T-shirts. If they win, I wonder if the 8 Basque players will do something to honor Euskadi, their name for the Basque Country. Maybe all wear red berets.
France had so much talent but no talisman pulling the strings. If you don’t have a great MF like Xavi or de Bruyne (not this year’s version) or Modric to control the game, you don’t control the play. Camavinga, Tchoumani, Rabiot, Griezman — none of them impacted the game. And, their defense was mediocre. I thought Kounde was the best of their back 4, and it was ironic that the winning goal struck his leg. He did a better job on Williams than anyone in the tournament.
I know he's a striker but Endrick played the entire game vs Uruguay and completed 1 pass, the kickoff pass.
Yeah I remember Erling Haaland getting shit like that too at times. Big mistake.
How about this from Yamal:
The day before the match, Adrien Rabiot, the French MF, had some things to say about what Yamal had done so far, saying, in essence, that he had done some good things but had not done enough or shown enough to make it to a Euro final.
Yamal responded in an Instagram post showing a chess player silently moving a pawn. It read: “Move in silence. Only speak when it’s time to say ‘checkmate.’”
Then, Yamal went around Rabiot to create the space to take that shot and score that goal. Checkmate!
The day before the match, Adrien Rabiot, the French MF, had some things to say about what Yamal had done so far, saying, in essence, that he had done some good things but had not done enough or shown enough to make it to a Euro final.
Yamal responded in an Instagram post showing a chess player silently moving a pawn. It read: “Move in silence. Only speak when it’s time to say ‘checkmate.’”
Then, Yamal went around Rabiot to create the space to take that shot and score that goal. Checkmate!
So you can get off your shot unimpeded and the defender makes contact with you as you are completing your follow through and going to the ground, and it’s a penalty? A joke.
Euro 2028 is going to be cool. Being hosted by the United Kingdom and Ireland. Games in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Ireland. Lots of controversy over the Belfast location as is its in the Catholic section of the city so the Protestants say they wont go. Hard to believe they're still at it.
It looks like all 5 teams will go through qualifying as normal and then 2 spots will be held in reserve for teams that don't qualify. So if it was this year, England and Scotland would have qualified and then Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Wales would have had some mini tournamet for the final 2 spots.
It looks like all 5 teams will go through qualifying as normal and then 2 spots will be held in reserve for teams that don't qualify. So if it was this year, England and Scotland would have qualified and then Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Wales would have had some mini tournamet for the final 2 spots.
Decent chance they don't end up playing in Belfast. Stadium hasn't been used in years and may not be ready in time
