What’s next for Spain’s Football?

It has been over 6 years now since Spain won the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. That was the 2nd of three major titles that they won in a 6-year span.  Fast forward to 6 years later and Spain has failed to win another major title. To go even further they have looked an absolute shell of themselves in recent tournaments. Spain came into Euro 2016 as the defending champions and they got eliminated after the round of 16 when they lost to Italy, a team that they trashed to win the tournament four years prior. That lost against Italy was their second in the tournament after they were beaten by Croatia in the group stages. It was the second major tournament running where they lost two games in the tournament after they did so in the 2014  FIFA World Cup in Brazil. What has happened to that dominant Spanish team that was threatening to rewrite all the history books?

I think Spain reached their zenith in 2012 after they won their third successive major title. After 2012 Spain had two years to get themselves prepared for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. These two years were very crucial and it was the time for Spain to bring fourth a few youngsters to mix with the more experienced players. When Spain announced their squad for the FIFA World Cup, 18 of the 23 players that had won the Euros in 2012 were still in the squad. I know continuity is important but 18 of 23 was just too many. When you take into consideration that most of those 18 players had been with the squad since 2008 you realize that the squad is not evolving. Most of the players that were within the squad had past their prime and from the very beginning of the that tournament it was apparent that they would fail. The majority of the other teams in that  tournament came with a youthful look while Spain stuck to their old guys.

Spain’s Gerard Pique, front left, gestures as he and his teammates leave the pitch after the Euro 2016 round of 16 defeat to Italy.

Spain failed to keep their more experienced players relevant by mixing them with some of their younger, brighter players. This lack of change in Spain’s squad caused their downfall in 2014 when they were humiliated by being knocked out at the group stage. In 2016 they are having the same problem, failure to integrate the youngsters. Throughout the European Championship, Spain relied only on players such as Iniesta, David Silva and Cesc Fabregas and they simply failed to deliver the goods. I wrote in my pre-tournament article that Spain’s over-reliance on these players will cost them greatly and it did.

Apart from Alvaro Morata, who I must add did his best at the tournament scoring three goals before Spain got knocked out, the other few young players that were included did not really get much opportunity to show what hey could do. Spain was constantly looking to the same players that had no answer two years ago in the FIFA World Cup.

In 2013 Spain won UEFA’s u-21 competition. I watched the finals of that tournament and I can still remember the pictures clear in my head. Thiago Alcantara scored a first half hat-trick in the game and Isco added another as Spain got the better of Italy 4-2. Three years later and only five of those 23 players who won that trophy managed to make Spain’s squad and of those 5 players only 2 played any significant role at the Euro’s for Spain. This again shows the lack of transition within the Spanish set up.

I am still baffled by Spain’s decision not to include Isco in their squad for the 2016 Euros. originally I thought that maybe it was becasue he hadn’t featured regularly for Real Madrid in the past campaign. However, when I looked at the squad and saw players like Pedro, I thought that the squad was picked on reputation, however,  I could make the case that Isco is one of Spain’s most creative midfield player today. So if the squad was picked on reputation he would have certainly had a chance at making it.

Euro 2016 taught me a lot about some of the head coaches for the “big teams”. A lot of them did not know how to tactically affect the game; Spain’s Vicente Del Bosque was one such coach. In the game against Italy, the Italians came with a system that Spain was not used to and Vicente Del Bosque could not respond to this. In the 2012 European Championship finals Spain defeated Italy 4-0 and they did this by playing 75 mins without an out-n-out #9. I was impressed when Spain brought in Alvaro Morata to lead the line up front but I knew that Spain was not going to beat Italy playing with an out-n-out #9. I knew that Italy’s team was a bit different from the one from 2012 but something that had not changed was the defence. Vicente Del Bosque should have known this as well and switch his tactics to playing with a false #9 just as they did in 2012.

Where do they go from here? 

Vicente Del Bosque has announced his resignation from the head coaching position and I think that is a good move. He has won it all on the world stage but his style of play is outdated so it is time for him to move on. They need a manager now that understands the game and knows how to relate to the players. Spain still has some quality players within their ranks it is just a matter of getting them together and motivated. Spain needs to move on from their over reliance on players such as Iniesta, David Silva, and Cesc Fabregas. They can still be included in the squad for their experience but they should not be playing any significant minutes.

Spain has to face the fact that they will probably have to go through another disappointment at a major tournament before they can get back on track. The fact that the squad has not really evolved over the past 8-10 years means that the players that should be leading them forward such as Isco, Koke, Thiago, Morata doesn’t have much tournament experience. Some of the players have been at major tournaments before but they have not played any significant minutes so they will still be practically in-experienced.

Spain will be in a group with Italy in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and this might not be good for Spain as only one team will be automatically qualified for the tournament in Russia 2018. I think if they get in a new coach as early as possible they might be able to beat Italy and win the group because Italy as well will have a new coach.

I am optimistic that Spain can get back to the top of world football but they have to change a few things.

Do you agree with my assessments? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

 

The Finale: Euro 2016 Finals Portugal vs France

We are hours away from crowning a new European Champion! France and Portugal will be facing off for Europe’s biggest prize in the finals of Euro 2016, set for Sunday (July at the Stade De France,Saint-Denis.  Over 80,000 spectators are expected to fill the stadium on Sunday for the Epic showdown. France vs Portugal will be more than just Griezmann vs Ronaldo it will be two nations that are hungry to get their hands on a major title. France has not done it since 2002 and Portugal have never done in their history. These European championships, if anything, has taught us that history is made to be re-written and records are made to be broken. We have seen may historic performances already and Portugal might just provide us with another.

France will be coming into this game full of confidence after beating  World Champions, Germany 2-0 in the semi-finals. France was not very impressive in that game against Germany but they  seize the chances when they came. It was that type of ruthlessness  why many pundits picked France as their favorites to win the title. After that performance, I am more confident in my prediction that France will win the tournament.

Portugal will not be a walk over. We have seen thus far in the tournament that they know how to grind out results. The problem is, we have seen from France that they know how to unlock defenses, with the likes of Griezmann, Payet, and Giroud. These three players have developed such a chemistry it is hard to believe that this is their first tournament playing together. The link up play between Griezmann and Giroud has been causing a lot of problems for defenses and we saw it again in the match against Germany. These players have the ability to punish you if you allow them time and space on the ball.

French Coach Didier Deschamps took a gamble in the game against Germany when he left out Kante out of the starting 11. We saw the effect this had on the team;  Germany was able to dominate position because of it. I have said repeatedly without Kante you lose a lot of position because he is the one who wins the most tackles. Kante came on in the second half and France were able to gain some amount of control on the game. The impact that this player has on the team is undeniable, after coming on in the second half he finished the game with the most tackles for France.

Deschamps now has another big decision to make, does he leave Kante on the bench or play him from the start. I think given the opposition, he can afford to leave him on the bench and bring him on at half-time. Kante’s suspension for the game against Iceland provided the coach with the ability to pick what I think is his most potent attacking line up. I don’t think he should change his line up for the finals. Portugal will not dominate position like Germany did so France should be able to control the tempo of the game with Pogba and Matuidi in the midfield.

Portugal will be going into the game as huge underdogs and I think this might help them. We know it is easier to fail when there are a lot of expectation, however, they will need a much better performance than the one against Wales if they are to win this tournament. I watched that game aginst Wales and I was not impressed by what I saw, Wales was astonishingly poor and Portugal was just good enough. Portugal put themselves in a nice position to win this tournament but they have to play their best game to beat France.

I am not sure we will see a good game from Cristiano Ronaldo, he has a tendency to go missing in Finals. We saw it in the Champions league finals against Atletico Madrid where he was virtually a no-show. On that occasion he was saved by Juanfran’s penalty miss however, this time, he cannot afford to be absent in this game because his team needs him. Portugal needs the Ronaldo that has scored 50+ goals in his last 6 campaigns for Real Madrid. If that guy turns up Portugal by Monday may be celebrating their first major title. I am not too sure what to expect from the other players because for most of them this will be the biggest game of their careers. This type of game normally motivates players to play at their best but the pressure could cause them to shy away from the moment. I think if Ronaldo turns up big then the players will follow his lead.

The problem that Portugal will have in this game is the fact that they don’t have an out and out #9;  a player that can hold up the ball and bring others into the play, a player that can be a treat in the box on set pieces. Defending set pieces have been France’s weakest area in this tournament, Portugal is not equipped to exploit this weakness. I think the absences of a true #9 will show for Portugal in this game.

Final thoughts

France will be crowned champions on Sunday.

France vs Germany: Euro 2016 Semi-Final 2

This is it, Euro 2016 rolls into the semi-final stage and we have another mouthwatering clash on our hands. It’s Germany vs France on Thursday at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille. There is a lot of history between these two teams. Many of the older football fans will remember that clash between Harald Schumacher (Germany) and Pattrick Battiston (France) in the 1982 FIFA World Cup which left Battiston hospitalized with a few broken bones and lacerations. The most recent competitive match between these two heavyweights ended in a 1-0 victory for the Germans in Brazil at the quarter-finals stage of the 2014 FIFA World CUP. France will surely be looking to end their run of defeats to Germany in  major tournaments; we have to go all the way back to 1958 for the last time France beat the Germans in a major tournament. Germany has won the last three major tournament counter between themselves and France.

France will be coming into this game with a lot of confidence after their performance in the quarter-finals against Iceland. France also won their last game against German albeit a friendly in November on the night of those bizarre terrorist attack. The French in their last game looked as if they finally found their form because they had been underwhelming in the previous game. I must say when the French are scoring goals they are absolutely dangerous to stop. France will be looking to get off to another quick start when they face world champion Germany in Marseille on Thursday. If they can get an early goal it would be difficult for German to beat them. If France get an early goal in the game it forces Germany to change their mindset and try to get forward and that would leave holes in the back for France to exploit and France certainly has the players who could exploit such opportunities. So I think the first goal is key in this game because it might change the entire complex of the game. Coach Dider Deschamps didn’t do exactly what I thought he would in the last game when he started Moussa Sissoko. The question for Deschamps coming into this game is whether or not he changes that line up which looked absolutely breath-taking against Iceland.

I would make one change to the line-up that started against Iceland. Kante has to get back into the line-up for this big semi-final game, no one covers more grounds than Kante and no one makes more tackles in the centre of the park than he does. I would drop Matuidi on the bench and play Pogba and Kante deep in midfield. I know Matuidi was very good in the last game he provided a beautiful assist for the first goal but the fact that it was Iceland gave me cause to pause in my assessment of the French performance. We know Germany will provide a far better challenge than Iceland- no disrespect to Iceland- France simply has to be aware of this. France will need Kante’s defensive ability in this crucial game and if Kante plays either Pogba or Matuidi has to drop because there is a lack of creativity when all three are on the field at the same time.

If Coach Deschamps gets his starting 11 correct as he did against Iceland,we could see another fast start for France and maybe an appearance in the Finals of the European championship.

Germany is coming into this game with a lot of uncertainty surrounding some of the key players.We know that Mario Gomez and Sami Khedira will be out of the game with injury problems and Mat Hummels will be serving a one-game suspension. According to reports out of France on Wednesday, team captain Bastian Schweinsteiger who was doubtful with a knee problem will be available from the start. It is very important for the team to have a player like Schweinsteiger on the field because with his experience he could make a difference. Schweinsteiger’s presence, though important, will not hide the fact that the German team  will be without three key players for this massive game.

I think the player they will miss most is, Mario Gomez, I know I had said he should not have started against Italy and I believe if he had not started Germany probably would have won the game in 90 minutes. Gomez was never suited for that game because of how Italy set up and the players they have in defence. This was evident in the game as he only got one real opportunity when he was not able to find a way past Buffon in goal. Against the French he would have been far more valuable up front because of the threat he poses on set pieces with his aerial ability. France does not have one of the best defenses in this tournament. They give away a lot of space on set piece opportunities, Germany could have benefited from that weakness with a player like Gomez. Also, Mats Hummels is good in the air as well so they will miss both these players on set pieces. Ozil,  I figure will have a lot of time and space on the ball so he should be able to create a few chances as he has done in the tournament thus far.

I haven’t seen much from Toni Kross in these championships, he has to be better in the middle of the park. Khedira’s absence will also be tough for Germany as he is their best tackler but I think Germany can cope with his absence if they play positional football. Julian Draxler did not start in the last game as coach, Low switched things up to match the Italians, I must admit that was a clever strategy. He has to now revert to his original formation and bring back Draxler into the starting eleven. I think we might see a special game from Thomas Muller in the semi-finals, he is a fantastic player but he hasn’t shown up thus far maybe this is the type of game and occasion to spring him into life. I am looking forward to some beautiful football from the Germans, when they are playing at their best its truly a sight to behold.

Final Thoughts

We will have a closely contested game in Marseille but I think the French will get the better of the Germans. I am predicting France to book their place in the Finals.

– T. Welch

 

Wales vs Portugal: Euro 2016 Semi-final 1

left: Gareth Bale, right: Cristiano Ronaldo

When the Euros started 25 days ago not many would have predicted that Wales and Portugal would be in the semis. The expanded format of the competition ensured that some of the giants meet early in the knockout stages and that some of the lesser teams face each other.This is why we ended up with Wales vs Portugal in the semis; Rather than an Italy vs Spain.  We will see Gareth Bale taking on his club teammate Cristiano Ronaldo in what should be an end to end, non-stop entertaining clash.

 

Wales

Wales, Euro 2016

Wales will be coming into this match on a high after they outplayed Belgium in the quarter-finals. The Welsh will be without two key players for this match after Aaron Ramsey and Ben Davies both picked up yellow cards in the win against Belgium resulting in a one-match suspension. This will be a tough loss for Wales, especially not having play-maker, Ramsey out on the field. He was spectacular against Belgium as he set up two of the goals that Wales scored in that game. Wales may bring in Andy King to replace Ramsey. King is a decent player but he is not as creative as Ramsey. It will be interesting to see how these suspensions affect the  Welsh on the field. I don’t think they should change their shape and style because it has worked for them throughout this tournament. The absence of Ramsey will mean that Gareth Bale will have the play at his feet more often and we know what he can do with the football. Ben Davies’s absence will not be too much of a blow because Wales have James Chester as a replacement and Chester is a capable defender.

Wales had a lot of success in the wide areas against Belgium as all three of their goals were scored with  balls that came from those positions. I think they will look to do the same against Portugal. Wales’ Joe Allen has been very outstanding at this tournament in the middle of the park. I think he will dominate that area against Portugal who will be without key defensive midfield player, William Carvalho for the game. The key for Wales in this game is to defend as a unit, they cannot afford to have players such as Chris Gunter being isolated against Cristiano Ronaldo. They have to help out because Portugal has the individual quality that can hurt Wales. The other key for victory is for Wales to ensure that Bale has the ball as much as possible in the opposition’s final third. That means Joe Allen and Andy King- who I believe will start in central midfield -have to ensure that they can win position in the midfield area and get the ball up to Bale.Wales has really looked like a true team in this tournament and they can use that to beat Portugal.

Portugal

Portugual, Euro 2016

Portugal managed to get the better of Poland in a penalty shoot after playing 1-1 through 120 minutes in their quarter-finals game. Cristiano Ronaldo played another below average game; there were moments in the game where he was virtually absent. He has to be better in this semi-finals if Portugal is to advance. With that said, I think he will be motivated for this clash as it is another opportunity to show the world who is the best Galactico.

Portugal will be without William Carvalho in the midfield for this game. I am interested to see how the coach switches up things in his absences. I think he is their best tackler and they will miss his presence in this game. They have players that can step in but I am not sure those players will bring the same level of intensity and fight as he does. Renato Sanches was very good against Poland as he scored a beautiful goal which turned out to be crucial in the end. This player definitely has a lot of potential but this is a big game and the pressure will mount so Portugal cannot rely too much on him in this game. They need their experienced players who have been in big matches previously in their careers. Those such players are Cristiano, Nani, and Pepe. These players have to lead by example and get their team over the line.

Portugal will have a lot of possession in the game as I mentioned in a previous article Wales likes to play off the ball. If Portugal is to capitalize on this weakness the ball has to get to Ronaldo and he has to be spectacular. Ronaldo has to take over the game with his leadership and quality, this is his moment so he cannot shy away. Recently sports analysts have criticized Ronaldo for not turning up in big games, however, he negated those claims when he scored the hat-trick in the Champions League quarter-finals against Wolfsburg. That was a special performance from Ronaldo and if he can do something similar in this game against Wales, his critics will be silenced.

Final thoughts

We have seen a lot of historic performances in these Euros and I think we will have one more historic game on Wednesday when Wales play Portugal. I am predicting a victory for Wales, I think they will get the better of Portugal.

Do you agree that Wales will come out on top? Share your thoughts and predictions in the comments below!

The Trade Block: 2016 NBA Free Agency.

The 2016 NBA free agency period started on Friday, July 1 and we have seen some major cash being splashed around the league. We cannot begin to speak about free agency without discussing the NBA salary cap. The NBA salary cap is the limit to the total amount of money that teams are allowed to pay their players.The salary cap for the 2016-17 season is up by more than $9 million moving from $84.74 million last season to $94.14 million this upcoming season. This means that teams are better positioned to target top players that will demand a lot of dollars. There is a great number of free agents in the NBA this year and we have so far seen quite a few of them making moves. I will look at few of those moves in this article and what it means for the teams.

Mike Conley’s 5-Year, $153 Million deal with the Memphis Grizzlies

This is the biggest move we have seen thus far as it relates to money. Personally, I think the dollars are ridiculous but from a pure basketball perspective, it is a good move for the Grizzlies. He had an injury hit season but when he was on the court for the Grizzles he was certainly one of their best players and as such the Grizzlies felt that they needed to do their best to keep him and that explains the $153 million contract. Grizzlies centre, Marc Gasol, who suffered an injury to his right foot early last season, should return to the court by the beginning of next season so Grizzlies could make another run to the playoffs.

Timofey Mozgov Agrees to 4-Year, $64 Million Deal With Lakers

Timofey Mozgov

I was genuinely shocked by this move. Mozgov struggled to get off the bench for Cavs in the recently concluded NBA finals. I was thinking that the Lakers would try to go for a better centre, Hassan Whiteside was available he is certainly better than Mozgov. I do not like this move and I think it will turn out to be a bad decision for the Lakers.

Joakim Noah Agrees to 4-Year, $72 Million Deal With Knicks

Joakim Noah

I think this is a good move by the Knicks. Noah will be a strong presence on defense and he is a good rim protector. The Knicks also signed Derrick Rose to $94 million 5 year contract. Rose and Noah will be able to link up on pick and role as they used to do in Chicago. Noah also a good passer of the ball playing from the centre position and he can score in the paint. He will add stability to the Knicks’ defense some of which they have been lacking for a while now.

 

Al Horford Agrees to 4-Year, $113 Million Deal With Celtics

 Al Horford

Horford is a good player but I am not sure he has what it takes to be a big-time player. Celtics need a big time player and I am not sure Horford is that player. He will add his 15 points per game but I am not sure what to expect from him on the defensive end of the floor. This is certainly a lot of money to give to a player that may not improve the team. I will be watching closely to see what other moves Celtics will make.

Luol Deng Agrees to 4-Year, $72 Million Deal With Lakers

Luol Deng

 

This is a decent move by the Lakers. Deng will add some experience to the rather inexperienced Laker squad. He will also score points on offense but he will not offer much on the defensive end. Though this may be a good move for the Lakers, they are still lacking that marquee signing. Deng certainly is not that type of player; good job though by the Lakers for adding him to provide the experience in the locker room and out on the court.

The one that Surprised us.

Dwayne Wade will start the 2016/17 NBA season as a member of the Chicago Bulls, not many persons would have predicted that at the start of free agency. Wade is going to Chicago to fulfill a childhood dream of playing in his hometown. If we look at it like that we may say, ok he feels as if its time to move on from the Miami Heat where he has won three NBA titles. On the other hand if you look at how he has been treated by the Miami Heat organization you may well and say he just said enough is enough. Miami Heat at the beginning of free agency offered Wade 10 mil for a one year contract, this is absolutely insulting taking into consideration that he signed a one year 20 mil contract last season. You don’t need to be a mathematician to see that the Heat wanted him to take a 50 percent pay cut. Remember this is a guy that was instrument in bringing the city of Miami its first NBA championship, also he took a pay cut that enable Miami to sign LeBron James and Chris Bosh which resulted in a further two championships coming to Miami. When we consider all that Wade has done for Miami they should have been  willing to give him any amount of money he wants. The Miami Heat did raise their offer to 40 mil for two years or 20 mil a year, exactly what he got last year. In the end he decided to go to Chicago on a 47 mil two year contract. Dwayne Wade made the right decision to leave the Heat, no player should stay at a franchise that does not look out for their best interest. In Chicago he will be teaming up with Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rando, I am not sure that these guys will click together because they don’t compliment each other. Nonetheless Wade has a new challenge and it will be good to see how he responds to that challenge.

The big one

Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant has signed a 2-year $54 million deal with the Warriors, with a player option after the first season. This is a massive move by Durant and the Warriors. Not long ago Durant and the Thunder had the Warriors on the Ropes 3-1 down in the Western Conference finals and we all knew what happened thereafter. I thought after their meltdown in the western conference finals they would have come back together next season better and stronger. I think Durant took the easy way out by joining a championship team that already knows how to win. Also, he was partially at fault for the Thunder’s collapse in the Western conference finals aginst said Warriors, so I felt as if he owed them a redemption season.The Golden State Warriors just got better and its is devasting to think what they could do to the rest of the teams in the NBA next season with Durant in the lineup. GSW won 73 games last season which is an NBA record, I think they could win 80 games this season with this acquisition. I think it is a good move by the Warriors but a cheap move by Durant after the way his team lost in the Western Conference finals last season.

List of moves thus far:

DeMar DeRozan Agrees to 5-Year, $139 Million Deal With Raptors

Nicolas Batum Agrees to 5-Year, $120 Million Deal With Hornets

Hassan Whiteside Agrees to 4-Year, $98 Million Deal With Heat

Jordan Clarkson Agrees to 4-Year, $50 Million Deal With Lakers

Derrick Rose Agrees 5-Year, $94 Million Deal  with Knicks

Timofey Mozgov Agrees to 4-Year, $64 Million Deal With Lakers

Ish Smith Agrees to 3-Year, $18 Million Deal With Pistons

Jeremy Lin Agrees to 3-Year, $36 Million Deal With Nets

Bradley Beal Agrees to 5-Year, $128 Million Deal With Wizards

D.J. Augustin Agrees to 4-Year, $29 Million Deal With Magic

Andre Drummond Agrees to 5-Year, $130 Million Deal With Pistons

Al Jefferson Agrees to 3-Year, $30 Million Deal With Pacers

Jerry Bayless Agrees to 3-Year, $27 Million Deal With 76ers

Evan Turner Agrees to 4-Year, $70 Million Deal With Trail Blazers

Chandler Parsons Agrees to 4-Year, $94 Million Deal With Grizzlies

Evan Fournier Agrees to 5-Year, $85 Million Deal With Magic

Joakim Noah Agrees to 4-Year, $72 Million Deal With Knicks

Solomon Hill Agrees to 4-Year, $52 Million Deal With Pelicans

Matthew Dellavedova Agrees to 4-Year, $38 Million With Bucks

Mike Conley Agrees to 5-Year, $153 Million Deal With Grizzlies

Jeff Green Agrees to 1-Year, $15 Million Deal With Magic

Kent Bazemore Agrees to 4-Year, $70 Million Deal With Hawks

Jared Dudley Agrees to 3-Year, $30 Million Deal With Suns

Joe Johnson Agrees to 2-Year, $22 Million Deal With Jazz

Luol Deng Agrees to 4-Year, $72 Million Deal With Lakers

Arron Afflalo Agrees to 2-Year, $25 Million Deal With Kings

Bismack Biyombo Agrees to 4-Year, $70 Million Deal With Magic

Al Horford Agrees to 4-Year, $113 Million Deal With Celtics

Courtney Lee Agrees to 4-Year, $50 Million Deal With Knicks

Ian Mahinmi Agrees To 4-Year Deal, $75 Million Deal With Wizards

Cole Aldrich Agrees to 3-Year, $22 Million Deal With Timberwolves

Dwight Howard Agrees to 3-Year $70 Million Deal with Hawks

What do you think about the moves so far? share your thoughts on the NBA free agency period in the comments below!

The Super 8: France vs Iceland Preview

We have another match on our hands. The last of the quarter-finals of the European Championship will see the host and pre-tournament favourites France take on Iceland. The French have not been playing their best at these Euros but with individual brilliance from players such as Antoine Griezmann, Dimitri Payet and Kingsley Coman, they have been able to fend off every challenge that they have faced thus far. Iceland has had a different story from France; coming into this tournament- their first major tournament- they had 100/1 odds of winning the whole thing. Suffice it to say not many people expected Iceland to get this far.  They have been the ‘underdog’ throughout this tournament and after what they did to England in the last round, certainly some eyes will be on them for this quarter-finals game.

France, Euro 2016

France at this championship has not had a good opening 45 minutes to a game. They have played most of their football in the second half and this certainly has to change if they are going to win this tournament on their home soil. France’s head coach has had a lot of time to tinker with his squad and he has played a lot of different players throughout. Didier Deschamps has to get his tactics right from the get go because I don’t think France wants to be chasing the game against a well-disciplined Iceland team.

 

The suspension of Adil Rami and N’golo Kante means that Deschamps’s hand will be forced from the beginning. It will be very interesting to see how he approaches this game; we know that either Samuel Umtiti or Eliaquim Mangala will have to come in for Rami. I think he should start Samuel Umtiti, he is young, has pace, which Rami lacks and he is very physical.  Samuel Umtiti can really stake a claim for a more regular starting role he if plays and plays well. The next change is not so straight forward; I personally believe that there is not a perfect replacement for Kante in France’s team. This loss will hurt the French, but coach Deschamps can minimise the impact of this blow if he plays a 4-2-3-1 formation instead of his usual 4-3-3. Paul Pogba and Matuidi should play the central midfield position with Payet and Coman wide and Griezmann playing behind the striker who I think should be Anthony Martial.

I think those changes that I listed above will suit the French well, we saw in the last game what happened when Kante was removed from the game. Paul Pogba dropped deep and the team started to flow and they got back into the game. France needs a big performance from Paul Pogba, he had a good game against Switzerland but apart from that he hasn’t had a good tournament thus far. France will definitely need a good performance from him in this quarter-final game. Oliver Giroud, has been underwhelming and I think he needs to be benched; Anthony Martial should be given a chance to play up front on his own.

Iceland, Euro 2016

Iceland was terrific against England and they will need more of the same to get past France. What impressed me the most about Iceland was the fact that they never folded after that early goal, they went on with the game and created two opportunities and scored from the two of them. That was one of the most clinical finish I have seen in a while, Iceland scored their two goals from their first two shot at goal. I know we may want to look at England’s issues and say they were completely atrocious but take nothing away from Iceland, they were compact and resolute and they truly deserved to win that game.

Iceland has had a lot of success from set piece and I think it’s a huge advantage for them in this game. It is no secret that the French are vulnerable in defence so Iceland can take advantage of this weakness. If they can get those long throws into the box it will certainly cause problems for France’s defence. The chemistry in their defence is weak and it will further weaken with Rami’s absence; Iceland has to capitalise on this. The player that everyone knows from Iceland is Gylf Sigurὅsson, he has not been a standout and that is because Iceland plays as a team. I liked their shape in the game against England as we saw that the midfield four was playing close to the defence. They were also defending in groups so there wasn’t much isolation, they will need more of the same against France.

I am concerned about how Iceland will approach this game. Will they sit back and allow France to have all the possession and try to play on the counter or will they try and take the game to France as they were forced to do against England after going a goal down. I think Iceland should try and take the game to France; they might not be able to match France’s quality in the final third but I think they will have a better chance of winning if they do that. The game will become difficult if Iceland comes with the mentality of sitting deep and playing on the counter. They will have to be completely disciplined to do this and we know France has the players to unlock any defence. Iceland has come a far way from Cristiano Ronaldo’s “small minded” comments to beating England in the round of 16; I think they will go for it.

Final Thoughts

Deschamps has to get his tactics right from the get go and I think it is imperative that Yohan Cabaye not start this game. He does not keep possession when France has the ball and he is not good enough at backing possession when they are off the ball. Iceland has to be ambitious in this game, if they have the same belief that Wales had when they defeated Belgium then they can mount a real challenge for the French.

Who wins

France’s quality will prevail and they will win this game to book their spot in the semi-finals.

Do you agree? share your thoughts and predictions in the comments below!

The Super 8: Germany vs Italy Preview

The European Championship is shaping up well and we have another highly anticipated clash on our hands. Three-time European Champions, Germany will take on four-time world champions, Italy in a crucial game on Saturday (July 2), while on Sunday in the last quarter-finals game hosts and pre-tournament favourites, France takes on Iceland fresh off their tremendous victory against England. The winners of each game will go on to play against each other in the semi-finals. What can we expect when Germany meets Italy?

Germany vs. Italy

Germany, Euro 2016

Germany v Italy will be a heavily contested game and one that should be closely watched. Everyone by now would have heard the stats which states that Germany has never beaten Italy in a competitive game in their history. Italy has gone unbeaten aginst Germany in all of their previous 8 competitive meetings winning four and drawing another four. Some of the recent results we may remember are: Italy knocking out Germany in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup in 2006 or even more recent when Italy defeated Germany 2-1 in semi-finals of euro 2012 just four years ago.

 

It seems a long time ago since Mario Balotelli scored those two beauties to knock out Germany in Euro 2012. Germany may be in the best of shape that they could have been in to face Italy on Saturday. These German players will clearly remember that they got the better of  Italy in March quiet comfortable. Albeit in a friendly the belief will be in the German squad that they can breach Italy’s Mount Sinai of defence.

I am eager to see how German head coach, Joachim Low approach this game. This game will be a tactical battle we saw already in the Euros where Italy has gotten the better of two teams that have more quality players than they do. Germany can play with an out and out striker or they can play with a false #9 as they most often do. I think the best option for Germany is to play with a false #9 because you can not use physicality to beat this Italian team. Belgium and Spain both approached their game against Italy with an out and out striker and we saw in both games that those striker struggle against the Italian’s stout defending.

Mario Gotze should start up front for Germany, he can use his pace to get the better of Italy’s Andrea Barzagli. Germany will have the majority of the ball in the game as Italy has shown that they are quite comfortable off the ball. This means that Germany with the likes of Mesut Ozil and Toni Kroos have to make the most of those possessions that they will have. Ozil has to play the number 10 role where he can be most effective, Italy plays with a lot of widths so Ozil will not have space if he is playing out wide.

Germany’s Head coach has to get his tactics correct from the get go, the last thing Germany wants to do is to be chasing the game against an Italian team that gives nothing away in defence.

Italy, Euro 2016

Italy has been a surprise for many at this tournament, I must admit when I saw the lineup against Belgium I thought  Italy would be in trouble. The players have stepped up and answered the call and this Italian team may be the most balanced team in the tournament. There is not much reliance on individualism, many pundits have said that this Italian squad is the worst Italian squad in over 50 years. When they made this statement they were looking at the individuals but we have to lift our hats off to coach Antonio Conte for getting the players to play as a true team.

 

Italy will not change their playing style and with Antonio Conte, we know what we will be getting; a team that is hyped up and ready to play. The Italian defence that has been so good all tournament will be asked a few questions on Saturday.  Italy will be playing a lot on the wings and I think they will have a lot of success in that area against Germany. The Left back and Right back positions for Germany is their weakest link because of the inexperience they have in those positions. Italy will have to exploit this weakness by getting down the flanks every opportunity they get and send balls into the box for Graziano Pelle to get on the end of.

Italy may be without midfield general, Daniele De Rossi and this will be a tough loss for the Italians who will also be without Thiago Motta- De Rossi’s most obvious replacement- for this big quarter-finals clash. It will be interesting to see who Conte slots in the central midfield position to play in front the back three.  Italy will have a hole to fill in their midfield area and I think they should drop Marco Parolo deep and play Lorenzo Insigne in an attacking midfield position behind the strikers.

Italy is in a good place and they will be confident that they can extend their streak of unbeaten games against the Germans to nine when they meet on Saturday.

Final Thoughts

This game is a bit tough to predict because I am not sure what Joachim Low will do with his lineup. I think Germany has a good chance of winning this game if Mario Gotze plays up front. I also think Germany could lose this game if Mario Gomez starts up front. I think Italy will find a way to win this game, the pressure will mount on Germany and they will miss that leader on the field that they have been lacking ever since Phillip Lahm retired.

Do you agree? Share your thoughts and predictions on this hotly anticipated clash in the comments below.