MY PICKS FOR THE EUROS
Jun. 9th, 2012 11:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jenni_blogI decided to do a more in-depth list of the teams I like/dislike in the Euro 2012 competition and reasons why.
Like Best:
#1: Germany - Why? It's a nice team with a nice coach & players, it's exciting to watch, & plays strong & attractive football.
#2: Spain - See above reasons but with more Spanish flair than strength.
#3: England - I know most of the players from the EPL. I hate only one of them - John Terry - but love the Liverpool and Spurs players, as well as some others. Their GKs are favourites of mine. I don't expect them to advance to the semis, but it would be great if they could. :)
#4: Ireland - It's an interesting team, I like some of the players, but I don't know them all that well, so I might change my mind again.
Like:
Greece, Portugal, Sweden and Denmark all seem like nice teams to watch and have some players I like.
Not sure about:
The familiarity of players is very important to me. It's the first way I can identify with a national team. Therefore, while the next group seem like good teams, I don't know them very well except for the odd player here and there.
Russia, Croatia, Poland and the Ukraine.
Really don't care about/dislike:
The Netherlands, France, Czech Republic and Italy.
Why?
I hated what the Netherlands did to Argentina in 2006 and Spain in 2010. They played dirty and it was against two of my favourite teams at the time. (My son loves them and even bought their jersey, which irritates me no end. He better not come over today to watch the game.)
To segue a bit here, I loved the Argie teams of 2006 and the 2008 Olympic team. But the squad has been dickered around with too much since then, with tons of players being chosen, tried and then discarded. Not to mention too many coaching changes. This should never happen. National teams are different - they need to be consistent - a core group of players who, when they get old, should be replaced by younger players who have been consistently with the team, being used as subs, but given the opportunity to get to know and play with the team, and eventually fit in.
Argentina doesn't place enough value on defenders, as they did in the past when they had Roberto Ayala, Javier Zanetti and other great ones in their prime. They and Brazil were horrible in the 2011 Copa America, not befitting two teams who WERE counted among the world's best. Not to mention the sour smell of scandal that follows the Argentines around. I've lost almost all interest in the team.
Back to the Euros:
I hate France for what they did to Spain in 2006 and how they cheated in order to get into WC 2010, taking the spot away from Ireland and then creating a big, messy scandal to boot, making their appearance there totally useless. It was an insult to football fans everywhere.
I dislike Italy for all their corruptness. I feel I can't trust any of the players and I've never really liked their playing style.
The Czechs? I don't know, they don't seem like a bad team, but for me they don't have the players who can compete with the best from the other teams.
All those are my views. I've changed a bit over the years - I used to like only an attacking playing style, but now I see the value of defensive tactics for a national team. It's different in the leagues, where teams can play more attractively, but with NTs, they must win so I can see the value in playing a more direct style in order to get the result.
May the best and most deserving team win! Let's hope for no bad referee decisions that decide games, no cheating like hand balls, and no dirty tactics!
Like Best:
#1: Germany - Why? It's a nice team with a nice coach & players, it's exciting to watch, & plays strong & attractive football.
#2: Spain - See above reasons but with more Spanish flair than strength.
#3: England - I know most of the players from the EPL. I hate only one of them - John Terry - but love the Liverpool and Spurs players, as well as some others. Their GKs are favourites of mine. I don't expect them to advance to the semis, but it would be great if they could. :)
#4: Ireland - It's an interesting team, I like some of the players, but I don't know them all that well, so I might change my mind again.
Like:
Greece, Portugal, Sweden and Denmark all seem like nice teams to watch and have some players I like.
Not sure about:
The familiarity of players is very important to me. It's the first way I can identify with a national team. Therefore, while the next group seem like good teams, I don't know them very well except for the odd player here and there.
Russia, Croatia, Poland and the Ukraine.
Really don't care about/dislike:
The Netherlands, France, Czech Republic and Italy.
Why?
I hated what the Netherlands did to Argentina in 2006 and Spain in 2010. They played dirty and it was against two of my favourite teams at the time. (My son loves them and even bought their jersey, which irritates me no end. He better not come over today to watch the game.)
To segue a bit here, I loved the Argie teams of 2006 and the 2008 Olympic team. But the squad has been dickered around with too much since then, with tons of players being chosen, tried and then discarded. Not to mention too many coaching changes. This should never happen. National teams are different - they need to be consistent - a core group of players who, when they get old, should be replaced by younger players who have been consistently with the team, being used as subs, but given the opportunity to get to know and play with the team, and eventually fit in.
Argentina doesn't place enough value on defenders, as they did in the past when they had Roberto Ayala, Javier Zanetti and other great ones in their prime. They and Brazil were horrible in the 2011 Copa America, not befitting two teams who WERE counted among the world's best. Not to mention the sour smell of scandal that follows the Argentines around. I've lost almost all interest in the team.
Back to the Euros:
I hate France for what they did to Spain in 2006 and how they cheated in order to get into WC 2010, taking the spot away from Ireland and then creating a big, messy scandal to boot, making their appearance there totally useless. It was an insult to football fans everywhere.
I dislike Italy for all their corruptness. I feel I can't trust any of the players and I've never really liked their playing style.
The Czechs? I don't know, they don't seem like a bad team, but for me they don't have the players who can compete with the best from the other teams.
All those are my views. I've changed a bit over the years - I used to like only an attacking playing style, but now I see the value of defensive tactics for a national team. It's different in the leagues, where teams can play more attractively, but with NTs, they must win so I can see the value in playing a more direct style in order to get the result.
May the best and most deserving team win! Let's hope for no bad referee decisions that decide games, no cheating like hand balls, and no dirty tactics!
