1. Germany
2. Spain
3. Netherlands
4. France
Portugal and England looking unusually good at the start, but it comes to nothing.
Racist crowds marring about half the matches.
Official PSJR Euro 2012 (hype/predictions) Thread
(271 posts) (1 voice)-
Posted 11 months ago #
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- whoever wins group B can go all the way
- Germany is not as good as many think
- Poland and France will deliver some surprises
- Barwuah Balotelli will be the star of the EUROPosted 11 months ago # -
Russia will play at the finals.
Posted 11 months ago # -
Balotelli will be the star up until Italy's last group stage game when he either headbutts a referee or urinates on the opposing goalkeeper.
England is my darkhorse pick. They channel Chelsea's combination of insane luck and ability to park the bus and make a run all the way to the finals where they defeat Netherlands 1-0 in extra time. Cristiano Ronaldo will flop several dozen times and will score one meaningless goal in a losing effort somewhere.
Posted 11 months ago # -
Russia will play at the finals.
like this optimism but seems misplaced unless other teams walk off due to racist chanting...and only Russia is left.
Posted 11 months ago # -
Ukraine will be the darkhorse
they have a good team, no stars but tight and cohesive, good passingNetherlands, Germany, Spain and Ukraine will be top 4
France is very good but they are still unpredictable and inconsistent
Posted 11 months ago # -
OP:
Portugal's case is tragic.
They have tons of attacking, gifted players, but they've been playing catenaccio since Alex Ferguson's ex assistant took over and even now. They waste great talents.England are crap. They barely beat Norway and Belgium; plus no Lampard.
Posted 11 months ago # -
I predict 2-1 for poland v greece
Posted 11 months ago # -
Russian team strong, Ukraine weak. Oleg bad.
Posted 11 months ago # -
--Russia and Greece qualify out of Group A
--Germany wins Group B. Portugal finish 2nd in group B ahead of Holland.
--Spain not surprisingly win Group A. Italy's players rally in light of the match-fixing scandal and grind out a 2nd place finish.
--England get a win and loss in their first 2 games, needing a draw against Ukraine to advance. With Rooney returning, the media are full of exultant headlines. They lose, and Sweden qualify 2nd behind France.QF:
Portugal 1-0 Russia, Spain 2-0 Sweden, Germany 3-0 Greece (the battle of the euro!), France 2-1 ItalySF: Portugal 1-0 (aet) Spain, Germany 3-2 France (game of the tournament)
Finals: Germany 2-1 Portugal
You can say anon told you first...
Posted 11 months ago # -
I predict it collapses within the next 2 weeks...oh whoops, we're talking about soccer. Ummm, let's see, I'll go with Spain taking the whole thing. Their weakness is the lack of elite strikers, but then, isn't that just about everybody's weakness?
Posted 11 months ago # -
great games tomorrow
Denmark and Portugal will get new aholes ripped for them tomorrowPosted 11 months ago # -
Well done Denmark: making it interesting!
Posted 11 months ago # -
^^ WOW, you really have no clue. You must be a quant.
Posted 11 months ago # -
Portungal-Holland is going to be interesting. Still think Holland is going to go through. Maybe today's loss will be the character-builder they sorely need.
Posted 11 months ago # -
What country is Holland? I think the Netherlands are going to play their best game against the Germans, and will choke once again against the Portuguese.
Posted 11 months ago # -
People expecting racist accidents like what we saw in Stadiums of Hate obviously have no clue. It is no shocker that there is a LOT of racism at the terraces in Eastern Europe, but the EC is something completely different. I do of course expect some troube outside the stadiums, but that is always the case - what lives in society lives in football too - but the politics/hooligan problem is way more serious in club football, most die hard football fans care more about club football than the national team.
Germany were a big disappointment tonight, I had high expectations, and they did not live up to it. Holland somewhat unlucky, but props to Denmark.
Posted 11 months ago # -
Germany played their worst tournament game in a while, but came out on top. Moreover, the Dutch lost and will now have to bring their game to the Germans, who are essentially a counterattacking team. The Danes will go for a sneaky counter against the Portuguese, who are not used to making the game. This would make a nice 0-0 for the last game between the Danes and the Germans (cf. Germany-Austria @ Spain 1982).
Posted 11 months ago # -
^ I'm not sure how one can label a team that got a win over a very tough and defensive-minded opponent a "disappointment." No, they didn't look great, but let's not forget Spain lost their first game in 2010 to Switzerland. Obviously, form matters. I know it's a cliche, but a win's a win, and all you're really hoping to do is make it out of the group stage with a better idea who your best XI is.
Posted 11 months ago # -
^Amen.
Posted 11 months ago # -
Portugal stuck the tournament's star player on the left, and didn't allow him enough creativity. I know they were scared of Germany, but they were never going to hang on for a 0-0. Given that Ronaldo is going to be triple-marked, they have to allow him to roam around wherever he wants to, so that at the very least the opposing team loses its shape trying to keep watch on him, and space opens up for Nani or someone else.
Posted 11 months ago # -
Listen, I know it's cool and edgy to watch football. I'm sure you all feel very special, but please for the love of god, desist from thinking that you know anything about the game in the four years you have been watching sawker. Thanks. Enjoy bandwagoning your favorite Euro team as you bandwagon your favorite premier league team.
Posted 11 months ago # -
^ Please don't pretend to be a European. It's insulting.
Posted 11 months ago # -
^^^ two things about Portugal:
1) Ronaldo doesn't really know how to play football.
he is a good dribbler/shooter; but he has no sense of positioning, timing, passing, or vision. Those are the real elements of playing the game. He is a starlet; he is not ''the best player of the tournament.''
2) Portugal hasn't had good football since 2004; it tends to be very defensive despite strong, skilled players.About Germany: today they showed they aren't what they are cracked up to be; they barely beat Portugal.
Glad to see Netherlands fail. Dont believe the hype.The good football will be shown by Spain and France.
Posted 11 months ago # -
BTW: pundits and we all suck. NO ONE predicted Netherlands losing to Denmark; no one on earth.Also, most expected Germany to cruise past Portugal. This is the great thing about football. But having said that, the Brazil-Argentina game today was 100 times better :) South American football is more of the beautiful game than Euro.
Posted 11 months ago # -
Any predictions for tomorrow's Spain-Italy? I'll go first, 0:0 draw.
Posted 11 months ago # -
Spain 2-0 v italy
Posted 11 months ago # -
^^^^
No. Ronaldo is the best player in the tournament by a considerable distance. Being famous doesn't make someone over-hyped (Maria Sharapova completed the career grand slam yesterday, but she's been accused of being a 'starlet' since at least 2006).
Ronaldo has been acknowledged by the vote of pundits as one of the two best players in the world in three of the last four years. This doesn't happen to a player who doesn't know how to play football.
Posted 11 months ago # -
OP,
There is no 3rd/4th place playoff in the Euros.
Posted 11 months ago # -
^ was meant to indicate teams most likely to win, in order.
And I stand by it today.Posted 11 months ago #