*** Official *** Euro 2008

[Matteh]

Yes the Jerrys are the Germans. Stems back to WWI or WWII iirc. Dont' know how it eventuated though.

Germany, Ger-many, Jer-many, Jerry.

 

[Johnners]

Bojan: I'm too tired for Euro 2008

Fairplay from the young bloke imo. Reckon it would take a fair bit to knock back national selection at 17/18.

 

[irfan]

Should be a good tourny. Hopefully the more talented teams get through over the more defensively organised ones. Would love to see Spain vs. Portugal final and Torres & Ronaldo go head to head.

 

[Craig]

Spain's Euro 2008 squad:

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Pepe Reina (Liverpool), Andres Palop (Sevilla)

Defenders: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Joan Capdevila (Villarreal), Raul Albiol (Valencia), Carles Puyol (Barcelona), Carlos Marchena (Valencia), Fernando Navarro (Real Mallorca), Alvaro Arbeloa (Liverpool), Juanito (Real Betis)

Midfielders: Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Xavi (Barcelona), David Silva (Valencia), Santi Cazorla (Villarreal), Xabi Alonso (Liverpool), Ruben de la Red (Getafe), Marcos Senna (Villarreal)

Forwards: David Villa (Valencia), Daniel Guiza (Real Mallorca), Sergio Garcia (Real Zaragoza), Fernando Torres (Liverpool)

 

[irfan]

Dissapointed at the lack of Aguero and Raul after Bojan pulled out. Should have replaced the geezer.

 

[Craig]

Reckon this will be Guiza's last season at Mallorca as well, 26 goals and the leading goal scorer in La Liga, he will be sold at a pretty good fee for Mallorca.

 

[Johnners]

Dissapointed at the lack of Aguero and Raul after Bojan pulled out. Should have replaced the geezer.

Well given that Aguero has already played 3/4 games for Argentina...

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Dissapointed at the lack of Aguero and Raul after Bojan pulled out. Should have replaced the geezer.

Are you serious?

 

[cpr]

was about to say, thought Aguero was Argentinian.....

 

[sledger]

ironically I doubt his form this season would get him a place in the side even if he was spanish tbh.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Should be a good tourny. Hopefully the more talented teams get through over the more defensively organised ones. Would love to see Spain vs. Portugal final and Torres & Ronaldo go head to head.

Portugal != talented (with the exception of Ronaldo and possibly Nani). They hack, thump and dive. Witness last WC campaign.

That said, there aren't too many good players on show. Each team has a couple at most: Toni a natural goalscorer, Pirlo, Gattuso both very good at what they're told to do, Nihat wields a decent boot, Pogrebnyak and Arshavin work well together (yes, still love-in with Russians), Benzema showed flashes of brilliance v Man U, Huntelaar *heart*, Xavi, Villa, Torres, the aforementioned Portuguese, Klose and Ballack, possibly Smolarek.

 

[Pup Clarke]

Forgetting Iniesta obviously.

 

[sledger]

I see France have done themselves a huge favour by leaving the massively overated David Trezeguet out of their squad, never been a fan of this guy tbh, good goal scoring record, but whenever I have seen him he has looked very out of his depth.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Forgetting Iniesta obviously.

Yeah.

It really should be Spain's year tbh. But I still think they'll take their group too easily and choke.

 

[Pup Clarke]

Hopefully a changed formation will help, apparantly Iniesta will play in an advanced role on the right wing.

Hopefully something like...

Casillas
Ramos - Puyol - Ibanez - Capdevilla

Senna

Xavi - Fabregas

Iniesta Torres Villa

 

[aussie]

Hopefully a changed formation will help, apparantly Iniesta will play in an advanced role on the right wing.

Hopefully something like...

Casillas
Ramos - Puyol - Ibanez - Capdevilla

Senna

Xavi - Fabregas

Iniesta Torres Villa

Ibanez wasn't picked its anyone guess who will partner Puyol in the centre.

Iniesta on the wing hmm. Would be weird if Spain played 4-3-3 tbh because if you have to put either Torres & Villa on the wing you would be wasting them IMO. This is where Raul would be been good, very strange he wasn't picked given his form this season.

 

[Craig]

Got hopes for Ibrahimovic to prove he can fire in the big games and not go MIA when the heat is on when he came off the bench to score the winning two goals that got Inter the title last night. With the scores at 0-0 and the tile heading to Rome (Roma were 1-0 up at that stage) he came on and did what was required of him.

 

[Steulen]

Portugal != talented (with the exception of Ronaldo and possibly Nani). They hack, thump and dive. Witness last WC campaign.

That said, there aren't too many good players on show. Each team has a couple at most: Toni a natural goalscorer, Pirlo, Gattuso both very good at what they're told to do, Nihat wields a decent boot, Pogrebnyak and Arshavin work well together (yes, still love-in with Russians), Benzema showed flashes of brilliance v Man U, Huntelaar *heart* , Xavi, Villa, Torres, the aforementioned Portuguese, Klose and Ballack, possibly Smolarek.

*pop* there goes your cred.

Massively overrated Ajax striker who fills his boots against poor Dutch defenses and is found out every time there is really something at stake. Witness his performances in the Champions league play-off games against FC Twente last week. Not fit to shine Van Nistelrooy's boots.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

*pop* there goes your cred.

Massively overrated Ajax striker who fills his boots against poor Dutch defenses and is found out every time there is really something at stake. Witness his performances in the Champions league play-off games against FC Twente last week. Not fit to shine Van Nistelrooy's boots.

No doubt you are better placed to argue, but I'm fairly sure you could have framed a similar argument for van Nistelrooy before he moved from PSV?

 

[Tom Halsey]

You could, van Nistelrooy somewhat of an exception so far though IMO. If Huntelaar goes to a big club, I wouldn't rule him being successful out completely, but I would be surprised. Don't want him at United, don't know how true these rumours are.