Euro 2008 — Running Thread

I think the possibility is they want to give him a couple of days off, keep him fresh for the semis and the final. At least that's my hope.

The Dutch have scored, so Romania needs a big comeback. If Italy gets through, they might win the thing. Their M.O. is exactly what we've seen so far, start off slow, get better every game. They'll be a handful in the quarterfinals.

 

According to Inky's link, Smyth is doing all of the remaining games.

Poor Romanians. They put up a good show against Italy and France but the Dutch were just too much for them.

 

Well, we have a couple of plum ties for the quarterfinals with Spain-Italy getting added today. Italy will miss Pirlo a lot more than Gattuso, but I think they can overcome their absences.

Buffon has been absolutely fantastic the last two games.

 

Nothing was more disgusting than seeing that smug bitch De Rossi scoring. Fucker never should have been allowed back in the World Cup after breaking Brian McBride's face, and he scored a key PK in the final. Fuck him.

One thing I noticed about Italy today, a likely byproduct of the classy Roberto Donadoni - not as much acting, diving and crying. Still a lot of face covering for routine fouls, but not nearly as bad as it was in the WC.

 

More impressively, he's done it both with and without the neck handkerchief

 

As a fashion statement, it is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever seen any Italian wear. I thought dress-sense was ingrained at birth there.

 

I don't know why he's allowed to wear it at all.

I mean, if you can't wear an earring on the pitch because it's not part of the uniform then how does his kerchief pass?

 

Gianluigi Buffon has a cold.

Seriously, he may have gotten clearence for it as it being part of his goalkeeping uniform. He could have consulted with Puma to get it attatched to the uniform for him, and that's why it's permissible.

 

I think Spain will give the Italians a heaping of trouble without Pirlo and Gattuso in to control the midfield areas. Italy's d has also showed some holes (then again, so has Spain's) that Villa and Torres can exploit.

 

Oh, Domenech, you romantic French bastard you ...

 

Not if he's not in the area, you're not. And a PK isn't a guaranteed goal. If you round the last man, it's all but a guaranteed goal.

There has to be a strong incentive not to deny that opportunity. A yellow card won't do it, and a PK won't do it. Even if the PK is scored, the disadvantage of being down to 10 men is far more a deterrent than the disadvantage of conceding a goal.

 

Agreed, desk--if your the last man back, and you take down the man who gets past you (assuming you take him down with a slide from directly behind), it should be a straight red.