Road to Euro 2012 (Poland/Ukraine)

nice to see torres and mata score. i wanted italy to pull off an upset, but i knew it wouldn't happen you know? oh well, good on ye spain!

Well, that was a nice Euro, Poland and Ukraine did a good job as hosts. Next one will be in France.

Meanwhile, the world will have to find a cure against La Furia Roja...

Italy, the way it played yesterday was no match for Spain. Too bad for a final game. Spain made it so easy after the first goal and Italy went home after 2-0.

Grats do Spain. This is a impressive record that no other team is expected to beat soon.

lantus360 said:

i agree. Boring to watch or not they are far and away the best team in our generation. Forget about brazil or france in the 90s/early 2000s this is the best team going around right here. Three major tournaments in a row is just an amazing acheivement and will probably have most of these players available and still a good age in 2014.

I had my doubts before the tournament that they werent hungry enough and how other teams have figured out how to shut down the tiki-taka but they really made it look easy.

Click to expand...

I don't want to heap too many laudits on a Spain that never faced Brazil in any of these three competitions that sudden place it over and beyond the Brazil squads from the 90s. But yeah, this is a really great Spanish team. If the can win the next world cup in the country that God prefers for football, then GoaT title may be conferred

Brazil was poor in 2010 (The dutch swept past them easy in the Quarter final and Dunga was sacked)

They were poor in the Copa America in 2011. (Lost to Paraguay). Honestly the past few years Brazil has been just all over the place.

They are seemingly on the rise again but i think Spain could have accounted for them easily. 2014 will be the real test. I don't think any european team has ever won a world cup in South America

Xander Crews said:

I don't want to heap too many laudits on a Spain that never faced Brazil in any of these three competitions that sudden place it over and beyond the Brazil squads from the 90s. But yeah, this is a really great Spanish team. If the can win the next world cup in the country that God prefers for football, then GoaT title may be conferred

Click to expand...

no Brazilian team during the 90s played like this Spain, the one that won 94 was just a good team, the one that won copa america 97 was full of stars but was just good, even Mexico had them on the ropes, and well the one who was supposed to win 98 we all know what happened to it, all of those were great teams but not on these level, everytime I hear about brazilian teams from the 90s I'm still wondering WTF happened to Adriano and Gian, anyone of you remember those guys?

You are all comparing uncomparable things.

Spain has its own right to be champion and they kinda deserved it.
However, luck is also a weighting matter.

Just in case if Spain lost on PK and Portugal would lost to Italy, would you all still be saying the same thing?
Spain would be as good as they are if they didn't reached the final, cause a PK shootout is always a lottery.
You would be comparing them as Zidane's France, which is IMHO ( and believe me it's damn hard to admit.. ) the most solid and balanced
national team I ever saw playing. And you all agree that the only boring thing about their football, was their constant victories...

Zidane football still is nowadays, not comparable with this gen of players.

Poland und Ukraine are so shitty teams! as hell! Spain vel Barca aka Catal00nia rock's!

Atro said:

You are all comparing uncomparable things.

Spain has its own right to be champion and they kinda deserved it.
However, luck is also a weighting matter.

Just in case if Spain lost on PK and Portugal would lost to Italy, would you all still be saying the same thing?
Spain would be as good as they are if they didn't reached the final, cause a PK shootout is always a lottery.
You would be comparing them as Zidane's France, which is IMHO ( and believe me it's damn hard to admit.. ) the most solid and balanced
national team I ever saw playing. And you all agree that the only boring thing about their football, was their constant victories...

Zidane football still is nowadays, not comparable with this gen of players.

Click to expand...

This is one of the reasons why i love football so much. Everyone has different opinions and its fascinating to discuss and hear other peoples thoughts. I agree that luck plays a part in all this. Especially in penalty shootouts.

My opinion is that Zidane's France was brilliant, but Spain has the edge. I always go back to the statistics when comparing. France were, of course, brilliant in 98 and 2000.

So, what happened in 2002 ? Spectacle of World Cup aside, France was woeful - remember the opening match against Senegal? Then in 2004 the Greeks exposed their defense. And of course came close again in 2006.

I do see what you are saying, but France struggled in 2002 and 2004 - WITH Zidane. Spain doesnt seem to have any such issues. They swept past their opponents easily - with the odd bit of luck here and there

France 98 was a really good team. Barthez, Lizarazu, Thuram, Vieira, Henry, Trezegol, Zidane, and others of course, but those guys shoot to mind first. They were perfect at each end of the field and managed to beat out a really good Brazil.

Didier Deschamps is new France coach, replacing Laurent Blanc

France really has a hardon for WC98 players becoming the national coach.

His first order of business imo : drop Evra and put Nasri on notice

lantus360 said:

Didier Deschamps is new France coach, replacing Laurent Blanc

France really has a hardon for WC98 players becoming the national coach.

His first order of business imo : drop Evra and put Nasri on notice

Click to expand...

France 98 was a good time. Laurent Blanc was a good choice for manager. Deschamps will be a good one too. The problem lies in the FFF, who have a lot of control over managerial decisions. In France, no one is actually free. No one is actually your comrade. No one is actually equal. But the illusion persists, and in the waking moments, players and staff start to fall apart. France 98 was a dream. Euro 2000 was a dream. No dream lasts forever.

lol