QuoteThink I remember a replay graphic saying 67mph.Originally Posted by NeverFeltBetter
I hope they never do. They were so petulant in their attitude. Filth all over and looking to go down rather than play football. Delighted to see them sednt packing.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
Think I remember a replay graphic saying 67mph.
their defence was truly shocking and I'd have fancied Shame Long to have caused them trouble but to me it looked like they just didn't have the balls for it. After 20 mins they just stood off Wales and totally gave up the initiative. Wales had time to feel their way back into the game which was inexcusable for a team like Belgium.
As always though, goals change games. DeBruyne should never have left his post, Fellaini and Lukaku both missed great chances.
Had we gone 1 up and Lukakau hadn't curled an exquisite shot just inside our post who knows what'd have happened? For 60 minutes Hungary gave them a really good run for their money and really should have equalised.
Anyway, another victory for a 3-in-central-defence team. Love it.
Thanks for the comments everyone. We are all enjoying it, but we aren't getting carried away. We rode our luck a bit (possibly should have conceded a penalty and a red card) although we probably deserved it overall as the stats suggest. I could hardly believe what I was seeing at times, but watching it again (day off) it's clear Belgium's defensive losses were key. They totally failed to defend against Robson-Kanu when he scored his goal. What a turn and strike, though. And, the equaliser should have been stopped by De Bruyne. But, by the same token, Ramsey should have closed down Nainggolan's goal. Overall, I think we were probably the better team. Just gutting that Ramsey and Davies miss the semis now. Ramsey has had an unreal tournament.
"Life is like a hair on a toilet seat. Sooner or later you are bound to get pi$$ed off."
"In this league, a draw is sometimes as good as a win" - Steve Morison
If ever the cliché about making your own luck was ever evident, I think this game and both these teams illustrated it perfectly.
-Obviously Wilmots has to go. The fans don't want him and the players are clearly not willing to go the extra mile for him.
-Stop believing their own hype. Confidence and self belief is a great thing but I think it only really exists on the back of hard work and subsequent success. They're full of beans when the going is good, they appear hopelessly dejected when they need to dig deep. The (false) confidence they have just evaporates.
-Pick players based on attitude and form. Hazard has had a terrible season where he barely threw a leg for Chelsea and started flirted with PSG the second things got tough. He's remains untouchable within the Belgium setup though and was even made captain. He's so far from captain material it's untrue, at least to the naked eye. He was having zero impact and what De Bruyne did for the first goal was a droppable offence in itself, yet Wilmots took the easy option and replaced the less glamorous (for now) Carrasco. I could see the temptation for bringing on Fellaini to help defend against the Welsh set pieces though to be fair, but surely it should have been one of their holding midfielders or more underperforming players that made way. I think they need a manager who has no respect for reputations, it will ruffle a few feathers but that's what is needed. They have a wealth of talent, use it, nobody is indispensable.
-Even if they get all of this right there is still no guarantee of success. They still won't really have attacking players you can absolutely rely on 90% of the time. They're a pretty streaky/flaky bunch even at club level. They don't seem to have a guy that will dig them out of a hole, for all the hype they have no real superstar in my opinion, no Ronaldo, Bale or even somebody that will consistently deliver when you need him most, like a Thomas Muller. All-in-all, they've got a lot of talented players but nothing that really sets them apart.
-In their defence (literally), Kompany, Vertonghen and Vermaelen left a massive void. Most teams would struggle defensively with three first choice defenders taken out of the equation, and Kompany is one of their few players with leadership qualities and a brilliant attitude, positive, confident but no real ego. Without Dembélé, they had no real midfield playmaker either to control the game, in the mold of a Modric or a Kroos. He is a quality player I think also, and I don't think Wales would have been able to control midfield for such long spells had he been there. I presume he was still out due to the knock he picked up against us?
Last edited by DeLorean; 02/07/2016 at 12:51 PM.
Defensive organisation. In fairness if we had lost as many centre backs to injury as they have, we'd have been playing Gunter, Richards and probably Joe Walsh at centre back, so you can see how tough those losses were. But Wilmots just doesn't really know how to coach defending in my view, even with a full team they've struggled against us. Nainggolan's headed 'pass' to Bale for the winner in the qualifiers comes to mind.
Going forward Belgium have all the talent needed to win, if you just made them hard to beat you would have a winning team, I'm sure of it.
"Life is like a hair on a toilet seat. Sooner or later you are bound to get pi$$ed off."
"In this league, a draw is sometimes as good as a win" - Steve Morison
Cagey.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
Reminds me of the Argentina/Netherlands semi in 2014. Tactical matches stopping it from being a snorefest, but just not a good game of football.
The Pelle shot before the penalty is almost a trademark of his at this stage.
Surely that penalty should have been re-taken? Huge Aldridge shuffle
Beglin talking about how Pelle's getting tired in extra time after the pace of the match.
What pace?
That kind of feint/shuffle is legal these days I think.
What's not legal is to pretend to kick the ball (deliberate fresh air shot) so that the keeper will move.
This and the Wales/Belgium game have been my games of the tournament so far. For very different reasons. This game is just compelling viewing.
I like high energy football. A little bit rock and roll. Many finishes instead of waiting for the perfect one.
Seems you're right - http://www.newstalk.com/Footballs-in...-penaltytakers
Just witnessed history - first German shoot out miss in 24 years and 23 penos
34 years, sorry. 1982.
And they're like buses now
This shoot out is somehow worse than the match
I'd agree with this. Reminded me of Dublin v Donegal in 2011. Compelling but in the moment was painful to the untrained eye. Tactical masterclasses from both managers and fupp me isn't Italian defensive play just a beauty to behold.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
Muller's head isn't right in this tournament.
No effort for the penalty.
He's nowhere to be seen when the ball is pinging around the area. Germany's goal today is Muller's bread and butter but he was marked absent. Ozil was the one in the right place at the right time.
And the chance he did get, with goal keeper out of commission he should have scored, great effort by the defender to turn it past the post in fairness, but its debatable if his shot was even on target.
Also in one of the earlier rounds when Germany won a penalty Muller shirked the responsibility (Ozil missed then and missed again tonight in the shoot out). Wonder who would take a pen if they won one in play in the semi.
Last edited by davidatrb; 02/07/2016 at 10:36 PM.
Certainly not an impressive performance from Germany throughout, if Italy had any skill going forward they should have won it. Poor Zaza looked a proper fool being brought on just for the shoot out, taking the most delayed run-up in history and then blasting it over.
Author of Never Felt Better (History, Film Reviews).
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