Group E

[KevinB]

Bravo Italy. I predicted 0-1. It became 0-2. Congrats.


Fuck Wilmots

 

[firmino]

belgium played in "we are so good that somehow we are going to win this anyway" mode, they deserved to lose.

 

[Shaun]

Conte has drilled this Italy side really well. Still some strange selections, but you can at least see his rationale I guess. Candreva and Bonucci were particularly impressive

 

[Sokrates]

Candreva impressive? Sorry, he was shit today

 

[Javier'sSon]

Conte has drilled this Italy side really well. Still some strange selections, but you can at least see his rationale I guess. Candreva and Bonucci were particularly impressive

And Giaccherini. Italy have the best defence (with Buffon) and arguably the best coach in the tournament, that and you could never, ever, write off the Italians. But my god their squad besides the D is bad.

 

[ADRossi]

Why on earth did Fellaini start?

 

[firmino]

Why on earth did Fellaini start?

because his hair is so damn cool.

 

[Ziyad]

Candreva impressive? Sorry, he was shit today

Seriously??? One of the best players on the pitch for me. His crosses got tired at the end but they were heavily dependent on him and he brought it.

 

[Ziyad]

because his hair is so damn cool.

i have a theory that whenever a player takes too much attention to his hair and wants to get attention for it he almost always under performs.

 

[Pharaoh]

I thought Candreva was pretty good.........

Also Wilmots getting fired after this tournament unless they win it.

 

[Sokrates]

Candreva was not good in my opinion. slow at decisions making and some poor technical errors

 

[Bluenine]

Conte has drilled this Italy side really well. Still some strange selections, but you can at least see his rationale I guess. Candreva and Bonucci were particularly impressive

Couldn't agree more. Bonucci is such a quality defender and a brilliant playmaker on the ball. MOTM for me. That pass for the first goal was spectacular, and he did that a few more times only the forwards couldn't make it count.

I don't like Conte's selections, he sticks to his favourites and prefers workhorses over talent. But man, does he know how to organise a team! The tactical discipline and intensity of Italy's game today was outstanding.

Great game to watch.

 

[Shaun]

Candreva was not good in my opinion. slow at decisions making and some poor technical errors

He had an assist and could have easily had two more. Not sure how that could be viewed as shit

 

[Sokrates]

Conte is one of the best coaches in this tournament, Jogi Löw is so much worse than him.

 

[Ronin]

Candreva was pretty good. If he keeps it up we're going to have an issue with buying him for under 25m.

 

[Mariella]

Couldn't agree more. Bonucci is such a quality defender and a brilliant playmaker on the ball. MOTM for me. That pass for the first goal was spectacular, and he did that a few more times only the forwards couldn't make it count.

This. But I hate watching him (even aside from the c*nts he plays for).

He's become the defender we all thought Ranocchia would be. And had the potential to become, when we signed him. Whether he was over-hyped from the beginning or his development was stunted by growing cluelessness of our board/management, we'll never know. Probably a combination of both.

So many supporters wasted so much time and energy calling him the 'new Nesta'. What's worse is that they actually believed it. Originally, I was so convinced that we had the better player on our hands. More fool me.

 

[Harpsabu]

Bravo Italy. I predicted 0-1. It became 0-2. Congrats.


Fuck Wilmots

I feel sorry for you. If you wanted an example of how important a good coach with clear ideas vs a bad coach it was tonights game. Italys players didnt have to look half the time. They knew were they were going to be. How did this Wilmots guy get the job? I genuinely know nothing about him

 

[KevinB]

Well, to be honest I predicted this, regardless it still hurts to see how ridiculious Belgium was and played. The difference was already to be spotted at the anthems. Whereas few Belgians sang or tried, the entire Italian team screamed it out. A team.

Second difference was the mentality, Belgium would, so called & predicted, roll the Italians into cannelloni. Not. Italy was great defensively, their organisation was a rock, they had a nervous start, but grew a lot in the game and hurt Belgium where it's weak point was the biggest.

Third difference was the most obvious one, the coaches. Marc Wilmots is ruining a golden generation. Like I've mentioned in the friendlies before the EC. There is zero gameplay, tactical choices, running lines, ... And the defense gets overrun fast and easy. Conté put his pions perfectly, they were smart, fast in intercepting and knew exactly what to do.

Now about the players on Belgian side, Courtois did his job as usual, saved Belgium from a humilation (if it's not already).
Ciman, well you can't expect much better, the goal was partly on him and partly on Alderweireld.
Alderweireld played shitty. He should've had that header.. After the goal it was bad in long balls, defending (Pelle was owning him)
Vermaelen was better than expected
Vertonghen intercepted Candreva a few times, but still easily beaten at most times. Offensively awful.
Witsel, fuck I hate that dipshit. He literally only passes to the back or to the sides. He did intercept a few balls, but he brings so little offensively.. Dembélé would be a better pick on his position.
Nainggolan brought most danger, intercepted a lot, tried to play fast. He had his mistakes, but subbing him off? Ridiculious.
Fellaini is trash when he starts. We all know it, but Wilmots doesn't. This fucker didn't even do the one thing he was on the pitch for, win aerial duals (even Eder won against him )
De Bruyne was the worst player on the pitch, it almost felt like he did it on purpose, absolutely nothing went well. He is a #10. Not a winger. ffs
Hazard tried to be Maradona, he played quite decent, was the most active Belgian today, but giving him the free role fucks up the system. He was everywhere and nowhere. Constantly conflicting with De Bruyne and Mertens towards the end.
Lukaku, you fucker. Can't even finish or win duels. Fucker.

Subs

Mertens : brought action, but it almost never delivers. Played godawful
Origi : Why not Batshuayi? You know, a striker who actually scored more than 5 goals this season :yuno:
Carrasco : Too late, too little time and no system. Talent being wasted by this dipshit coach.

Wilmots; You dense, shit, fucker, asshole of a coach. Tactic zero. De Bruyne on the right Fellaini starting Subbing Nainggolan suddenly reversing to a 3-6-1 without any preparation

I still stand by my prediction. Belgium will not qualify to the second round, and even if they did, Spain or Croatia most likely awaits them.

- - - Updated - - -

I feel sorry for you. If you wanted an example of how important a good coach with clear ideas vs a bad coach it was tonights game. Italys players didnt have to look half the time. They knew were they were going to be. How did this Wilmots guy get the job? I genuinely know nothing about him

Well Wilmots was a great footballer in his day, even won the Euro cup with Bordeaux, known as the 'Kampfschwein' in the Germany. He was a good footballer. Attacker though. He got the job because he was the assistant of Dick Advocaat, who was a coach for Belgium a couple months and left to Russia after. Then he was the assistant of Georges Leekens, but he left to coach a Belgian team. So they elected Wilmots. They think he did a good job because Belgium suddenly became #1 on the ranking list (which is a complete joke)

Anyway, entire Belgium wants him out. And seeing Nainggolan's reaction on the bench, the players do too.

 

[Dylan]

I can't see Ireland scoring a goal against Italy.

 

[Batman]

I liked how Italy played today. Its crazy to think that there's not even a single creative player on the pitch. But they are following a well organized system very well. Conte's selections was still weird, like Mancini's, Motta imo should've played instead of Parolo who did almost nothing , Giaccherini although was pretty shit offensively, he was immense at covering the defense and running tirelessly, him and Florenzi can rotate eachothers. Predict this team to go far in the tournament, but won't win it.