Euro 2016: Tactical Tweaks, Stroppy Ronaldo & The Wonderful Irish
Merci , Payet
Well, you can’t say Didier Deschamps doesn’t have balls. You can’t say Joachim Löw doesn’t either, but that’s a different story. Deschamps left his best striker out for legit personal reasons (and not Benzema’s personal reasons either) but it was a tactical call to leave starlet Paul Pogba on the bench against Albania.
France had struggled to break down the Romanians in their first game playing a 4-3-3 and the word was out of the French camp that they were also working on a 4-2-3-1 in training since then. And true to the rumour, that was the formation that lined up with Pogba and Antoine Griezmann – two of the team’s brightest young players and biggest names – benched for Anthony Martial and Kingsley Coman (no mugs themselves) to come in as wide forwards. Gutsy stuff.
Unfortunately, it didn’t really work for a few reasons and against an incredibly stoic Albanian defence, Martial found himself drifting too far inwards and Dimitri Payet struggled to find the space he’d had in the previous game. Olivier Giroud had a couple of headers off target but for the most part France controlled the first half for no real threat. Martial got past his man a few times but he was also dispossessed more than a few times (4 times, actually – as many as Payet had in twice the minutes) – he needed to stay wide. Having said that though, it was interesting how little space he could find wherever he went, particularly with a forward in Giroud who wasn’t ever going to look to run in behind and stretch the defence. Remember that Martial’s best run of form came in the last third of the season for Manchester United after Marcus Rashford brought in that exact dynamic – it’ll be curious to see how he gels with Zlatan Ibrahimovic in that regard, who's a lot more like Giroud, a back-to-the-goal type.
So Martial was brought off at half time for Pogba with the French reverting to the shape they began the tournament in. 67 mins in and Griezmann was on for Coman and they found themselves with the exact same personnel as well. Make up yer mind, Didier!
Despite a couple of decent crosses in, Albania never looked like scoring – which is a huge bonus for this French defence. Again, just as with their last game they will face much tougher tests than this but this maligned defence has yet to concede from open play in 180 minutes, which is more than decent. The star man there isn’t a defender at all though, it’s N’Golo Kante, who has been simply brilliant so far. Payet gets the headlines but Kante was superb in the first half especially against Romania and he was a comfortable Wildcard’s Man of the Match in this one too. The way he can cover so much ground and win so much ball… mate, he hasn’t lost a step from his Leicester form.
But they still struggled to break through. Albania’s defence played a magnificent game, in particular was Arlind Ajeti, a 22 year old who plays for Frosinone in Serie A. He only played because the captain Lorik Cana was sent off against Switzerland, but good luck dropping him after that. Unfortunately the dude’s a bit short on matches in that regard and he was subbed off with five to play and the score at 0-0. And it was five minutes later that Griezmann found the space in the box to head in the winner, Dimitri Payet making sure of it deep in injury time on the break. France squeaking through to a second straight win.
It wouldn’t have been a disaster had they only drawn, in fact they still would have finished top with a win in their final game. Still, it’s a good sign for the hosts that they’ve been able to twice steal late results. What isn’t such a great sign is that in a game in which they had 22 shots, the two goals (90 mins and 90+6 mins) were the only shots on target. Bloody awful, really. Giroud had five shots all off target, one coming back off the post. Most were headers. Unable to break them down on the ground, they reverted to a crossing game but with the OG up top, that shouldn’t be a problem. They had more than enough chances and, as we’ve seen from a number of teams these Euros, couldn’t make ‘em count. Koscielny missed a header that only needed a touch later in the second half. Plenty of shots were blocked, seven of them – four by Ajeti alone. Neither keeper had a save to make, to be completely honest.
So Deschamps has two formations now to choose from, I’d kinda like to see him go back to 4-2-3-1 – except with Pogba in place of Blaise Matuidi. Kante does enough work for the both of them and the Pog is gonna give you more going forward. Although even when he came on, he didn’t exactly change the game. It looked more like he’d worn the wrong boots, slipping all over the place. Five times he lost the ball because of bad footing or a bad touch. I also wonder about starting Martial (or even Griezmann) in the middle up front, though I cannot imagine Mr Deschamps dropping his boy Giroud. Although he did sub him off here, bringing on the pudgy Andre-Pierre Gignac for a run. Gignac was one of Payet’s boys at Marseille that all left in a hurry at the end of last season, Payet to West Ham, Andre Ayew to Swansea, Gianelli Imbula to Porto (and then to Stoke), Florian Thauvin to Newcastle… and Gignac to Tigres in Mexico. Sounds like a retirement move but the 30 year old scored 32 goals this season and was promptly called up for France. Good fun.
A Song of Ice and Ire
There are a bunch of underdog nations competing in these expanded Euros but Iceland are the one that have captured the most hearts. A country with a total population of 330,000 people, apparently based on that alone a man in his 20s or 30s had a 2000/1 chance of being selected for the tournament. Remember that Leicester were famously 5000/1 odds to win the Premier League and there ya go. Actually, Leicester and Iceland have almost identical populations, now that you mention it. Roughly 8-10% of Iceland is expected in France during this tournament.
It’s such an incredible story. The wintry nation that has always been footy-mad but wallowed as minnows until a big push for indoor stadiums and modern facilities through the 90s and beyond suddenly opened up the entire year to football training. With the population that they have, there is a UEFA qualified coach for every 500 citizens, ten times the ratio as in England. The kids that first got the benefits of moving indoors with this footballing boom are the ones in this squad today.
To be fair, Portugal played them off the park. So much possession, so much footy in the final third… just not the goals. They were wasteful, Nani heading a perfect Ronaldo cross straight at the goalie. As you might expect to look at them, Portugal really lacked for creativity, though the goal they did score was a rare bit of incision. Nani finishing it off to make up for his earlier miss. However they’re also very average at the back, what with Pepe ready to crush anyone who goes near him and Ricardo Quaresma 38 years old and running on fumes. Ronaldo and Nani effectively played as strikers, both are naturally wingers, and even after Iceland fell behind they continued to sit deep and frustrate.
Five mins after the break, they were level. Birkir Bjarnason scored the leveller, just in case you ever need that in a pub quiz. From there it was panic stations for the Portuguese, who pretty much let Ronaldo shoot on sight and he was every bit as out of touch as you’d expect from a man who has spent the time since winning the Champions League while already short on fitness chilling out on holiday, working on filling in that fake tan.
Heroic stuff all around to grab a point from Iceland, particularly keeper Hannes Thor Halldorsson, who made eight saves. Ronaldo, on the other hand, had 10 shots and only one was on target. A tip for the future would be to start an actual striker, and also give 18 year old Bayern kid Renato Sanchez a start – something to inject a little energy in there. Portugal weren’t awful by any means but once again a favoured team lacked the ability to break down a cautious opponent. At some point you need to find a way and the teams that have (France, Germany, Spain, Italy) are the ones to fear at Euro 2016. The ones that haven’t (Belgium, Portugal) are the ones not to. It’s only been one game for most of them but the difference between the sides that can create goals when they need to against weaker teams is clear to see. I reserve judgement on England for now.
Fair to say Ronaldo didn’t take the result too well, chuckling maniacally to himself as he walked away without offering to shake any hands (though Iceland’s captain Aron Gunnarsson did track him down for a shake). Then he took an unfair dig at the negative approach of the Icelanders:
“Iceland didn’t try anything. They were just defend, defend, defend and playing on the counterattack. It was a lucky night for them. We should have three points but we are OK. I thought they’d won the Euros the way they celebrated at the end. It was unbelievable. When they don’t try to play and just defend, defend, defend, this in my opinion shows a small mentality and they are not going to do anything in the competition.”
Meow.
Meanwhile Iceland defender Kari Arnason responded by hitting old CR7 right where it hurts the most…
“He’s a fantastic footballer but he’s not a gracious human being. The thing is we almost nicked the win so him saying we weren’t going for the win contradicts that. We got a draw and could have nicked it. Obviously we’re not going to create as many chances as a fantastic team like Portugal but his comments are the reason why Messi is always going to be one step ahead of him. You wouldn’t expect Messi to say that. It shows we got under his skin. It was lovely to hear that.”
Oh but even after that cold hearted Messi jab, Anarson still wasn’t done:
“It makes it even sweeter when he’s a sore loser like that. He can say whatever he wants. He didn’t really get a chance. He got one and he couldn’t put it away. What can I say? Sore loser. Tough shit. What does he expect – for us to play like Barcelona against him? He fannies about and dives around.”
Well, This Explains Its All
Get In Sson!
Iceland’s Starting XI vs Portugal:
- Halldorsson
- Skulason
- Arnason
- Sigurdsson
- Saevarsson
- Bjarnason
- Sigurdsson
- Gunnarsson
- Gudmundsson
- Bodvarsson
- Sigthorsson
The Rest of Them
Right, yeah, so we’ve now seen every team and with that it looks safe enough to say that the teams we thought would challenge are the teams that will. Unless you were dumb enough to fall for the Belgians. They’re not going to win the Euros with Marouane Fellaini in the midfield. Romelu Lukaku will have much better days against much worse defences than the Italians (we knew they’d be good at the back, but wow) but call me crazy, I just don’t see Eden Hazard leading them to glory. Kevin De Bruyne’s got a chance but they need to get him involved more, perhaps slip him into the middle – or at least get him drifting like Payet does. But their biggest problem is that they have about six top centre backs and no fullbacks. Oh, and Marc Wilmots is not exactly Antonio Conte.
Man to man, almost every Belgian midfielder or striker was better than their Italian opponent but it was the Italians that had the gameplan. In some ways not having the talent that you’d expect of an Italy team has sort of helped Conte. He was free to pick a team that’d fit exactly into his scheme whereas Wilmots has always had trouble fitting in this golden generation of Belgians into an XI. Like, Jan Vertonghen at fullback for example. Up against that, Conte sent out Matteo Darmian and Antonio Candreva as wing backs and they played all the way up the pitch. Seriously, they were up and down that line like greyhounds – they had to be because they were the width.
And so Italy were able to dismantle the Belgians by taking them out of what they wanted to do and where they wanted to play, continually spoiling them and then pouncing on mistakes to launch the counter. Set pieces are going to be huge for them. I’d still argue that they’re going to struggle if Graziano Pelle is expected to score their goals (way too profligate for a team that’s gonna rely on a few good chances) but his finish was beautiful for the second. They’re still large outsiders for me. Still, they’re a team that can play to their strengths and while we knew they’d be good, we weren’t expecting quite this good from the BBC: Bonucci, Barzagli and Chiellini.
Spain copped it a bit for taking their time in getting past the Czech Republic but what I saw impressed me. It was Spain as we’ve known them while they’ve topped the world. Short one Xavi, I’ll give you that, but Andres Iniesta was sublime in that game. They’re yet another team with a centre forward problem, though in Alvaro Morata they have the guy there – it’s a matter of figuring out the balance. He’s going to need to drop deeper and play in the midfield now and then, that’s how Spain do.
And winning games by small margins is also pretty Spanish. Don’t be fooled by the late 1-0 win, they were never in much doubt of losing. Gerard Pique also had an impressive game and with David De Gea in goal, they have who I last Euro Thingy claimed to be the best goalie on the planet. No backsies. At the 2010 World Cup the Spanish won every knockout game 1-0. They have that hyper-possession style that invites teams to sit deep but in the end they tend to find a way through.
Get ready for the Granit Xhaka hype train, Arsenal fans. That dude has been magic for the Swiss so far:
Croatia are a team that could be genuine dark horses. Austria were the thinking man’s pick for that title before the tourney but a 2-0 defeat to Hungary changes a few things. Given that Hungary were expected to be one of the worst on show, this was a massive result. They withheld the Austrian assault, which included David Alaba hitting the post in the first minute, and then scored a beauty of their own to take the lead. An equaliser was disallowed because of a foul – which drew a harsh second yellow for Aleksandar Dragovic, the dude who slapped a politician on the head that time (It was in our Euro Preview, look it up). But Austria, while they had a few decent looks at goal, were kinda crap. So much for Sydney FC old boy Marc Janko as well.
Hungary though. It’s too early to start chatting up the revival of the Mighty Magyars of the 1950s but midfielder Laszlo Kleinheisler is a monster and their striker Adam Szalai looks the goods too. Apparently his sumptuous chipped finish for goal two was his first in 41 games for club and country. Wouldn’t know it to watch him.
But the biggest hero has to be 40 year old goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly. He’s now the oldest player to play at a European Championship. Lothar Matthaus held the record before him at 39 years and 91 days. Shay Given will move into second place if he gets on the park for Ireland. Kiraly’s cult hero status comes partly because he looks every bit his 40 years of age and still made a few big saves. But mostly it’s because, in the age of high-tech compression sportswear, he still takes the park in sweatpants. They call him 'The Pyjama Man'.
The story goes as such, from the man himself:
“We were fighting relegation. I wore black leggings but for some reason they were not clean so the kit man brought me some grey ones, and they turned out to be really lucky. We went nine matches without defeat and I conceded only two goals.”
A very superstitious man, so it appears. His teammate Zoltan Gera reckons Kiraly will be sleeping in those pants now. Apparently he only drives a Mini Cooper, as well as always wearing a black basketball singlet (with a tiger on it) under his jersey. He has worn shorts during spells in England and Germany but it didn’t feel right. Ultimately, it’s about comfort and mobility.
Gabor Kiraly: “I'm a goalie, not a top model”
Hey, why not both?
Gigi Buffon, Mi Amore
Speaking of goalies, let’s take a second for Gianluigi Buffon, representing Italy at his 11th major tournament here. The 38 year old is one of football’s finest ever goalkeepers, and a legendary personality to boot. He might not play another tournament (then again, he might play another three, who knows? Dino Zoff captained Italy to the 1982 World Cup aged 40 – plus he won best keeper that year) so raise a glass one time for the great man.
Here is a dude who doesn’t just sing his national anthem, he belts it out from the very bottom of his soul while he strains to hold back the tears. No, wait… Buffon would never withhold his emotions.
But he should maybe withhold jumping onto the crossbar after this little swing in front of the Italian fans after that win over Belgium. He ran the whole length of the field to fall flat on his back. Ouch.
Of course, goalkeepers are a strange breed, so they say. And Italian ones especially. Here’s a poem he wrote to the goal that he protects a few months back, it’s gorgeous.
I was 12 when I turned my back on you, denying my past to guarantee you a safe future.
I went with my heart
I went with my instinct
But the day I stopped looking you in the face is also the day that I started to love you
To protect you
To be your first and last line of defence
I promised myself that I would do everything not to see your face again. Or that I would do it as little as possible. It was painful every time I did, turning round and realising I had disappointed you.
Again
And again.
We have always been opposites yet we are complementary, like the sun and the moon. Forced to live side by side without being able to touch. Team-mates for life, a life in which we are denied all contact
More than 25 years ago I made my vow: I swore to protect you. Look after you. A shield against all your enemies. I’ve always thought about your welfare, putting it first even ahead of my own.
I was 12 when I turned my back on my goal. And I will keep doing it as long as my legs, my head and my heart will allow.
Schwing
Smells Like Team Spirit
Lukas Podolski: "It is not an issue within the team. I believe 80 percent of you and me as well, sometimes scratch your nuts from time to time. So everything is fine."
