oh Wien.
Doesn’t really work the same does it, but that’s why we have the English language so people can write pretentious songs that are kept off the number one spot by classics like “Shaddap You Face”.
So the best team won in Wien last night, not only the best team on the night but throughout the whole tournament, it does make a change and certainly an antidote to the last champions Greece.
Still doesn’t mean it’s been as great a tournament as the media would have you believe, if it was a team as bad as Germany wouldn’t have got out of the group stages never mind get to the final. But then they were in a group with Poland and Austria two exceptionally bad teams and then were also lucky enough to be in the Austrian based side of the draw meaning they had an easier route to the final, a Portugal side that wasn’t as great as we kept being told and a Turkey who on the night should have won but before that game had played only about 45 minutes of football in their previous four games.
Added to all that the other side of the draw based in Switzerland had that hosts along with crap like France, Romania, Sweden and Greece, that’s an awful lot of the 16 finalists not mounting up to much. Oh and without the English there was no trouble of course, except for the Poles, Germans, Turks, Croats etc, that scruffy oik Platini did his best to have that brushed under the carpet 🙄
Would agree with most of those chosen for the squad of the tournament, most are no brainers, though there are a couple I’d certainly not pick.
Philipp Lahm the German left back was found wanting again in the final, how many goals against has he been responsible for? He really can’t defend, though maybe the even greater inadequacies of the German centrebacks over shadowed that. Going forward he’s OK as long as he’s allowed to come in on his right which for some bizarre reason he was allowed to do time and time again, shown the outside on his left nothing worth writing home about. Would have picked Sergio Ramos ahead of him and Puyol.
And one that was certainly found out on the big occasion was Fabrigarse, all the talk that he must start and he’ll have to start with Villa out and his performances in previous games and that he’ll have to link up with Torres like Gerrard does. Well he certainly played like Gerrard but the Gerrard in an England shirt missing in action and when he did get the ball he gave it away with over hit passes. He certainly showed that it’s easy to look good when you come on as a sub when the other team is already beaten or chasing the game your side is running.
Was there an competition for the worst player at the tournament? Not really, only one real entrant it’s mister 19 attempts on goal with zero scored the one the only Luca Phoney err…Toni. I wonder if the German media would blame his team mates for his ineptness if he didn’t play for Bayern of the Munich, or missing by yards for their team.
Much talk now of what this means for England with the Spanish finally ending a long wait for a trophy, well they won with an attacking mentality and plenty of possession while we’ve been lumped with a defensive minded Italian coach – now that worked wonders for the Italians themselves didn’t it – who thinks that the most profligate user of the ball, Gerrard, should form an integral part of his team.
Doesn’t look good does it?