Comments on: A preview to the last great tournament

By: @mediagag

@mediagag — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 05:32:12 +0000

1. Yes, error on the Dutch part – should have been the Germans.__2. I watched 7 of the 10 matches the Dutch played in qualifying, and I won't be fooled by their numbers. They had their moments – particularly in the 4-1 win at home to Sweden – but they remained a team completely reliant on their front four, and on transitions, for their goal-scoring. This has been the case for each Dutch team since 2004, when after bullying the smaller nations in qualifying, they revert back to their counter-attacking methodology once the tournament comes around. If they score early (as they did in Euro08) then they seem irresistable, but if they face a team equal to or better than them, then I expect them to play with a deep back four and the double-pivot in front of them. _Secondly, the issue with the broken team is not of effectiveness but of aesthetics. Juve under Lippi qualified for 3 consecutive Champions League finals despite being a broken team, so I don't think its effectiveness is in doubt.

3. I fail to understand at what point in the article did I show an Anglocentric bias.

By: Soccer sucks

Soccer sucks — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 17:26:45 +0000

Who cares, its soccer

By: Robin

Robin — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 13:38:24 +0000

It's an interesting view on football, but it would have been better if your fact checking had been more thorough.

If you find your Portuguese looking a bit pale this weekend, then it might just be because they are actually Danish.

The Dutch, who you suggest is the prime example of a low scoring "broken team", were the most scoring team in the qualifiers, outscoring the Germans and the Spanish both in total and average (Spain was in a smaller group).

Perhaps your views on football would be more accurate if you were to step away from narrow-minded views of British media, and instead watched some more matches. But then I realize that in most parts of the world, it's very difficult to see anything more than the Premier League.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 11:44:59 +0000

I'm putting my money on Germany to win, hopefully they don't choke again.

I expect Russia and Poland to get through group A, and the Dutch,Spaniards,Germans will also make it to the quarterfinals, I don't see England getting past the quarters.