alonso and busquets must start...this is tournament football.
spain would use the double pivot....holland had de jong and van bommel....
germany had schweini and khedira even though they coulda played any of
kroos and goetze instead of khedira. in tournament football, 2 holders must sit!
spain would certainly play alonso and busquets

as predicted, busi, alonso, xavi, iniesta all started.

ritchboy:

Mr Mumu, if you consider Swiny part of the "pivot" then you must be completely mad to suggest Xavi can't do the same.

Hehehe "as predicted", even the lice in your nether region knew they would start so what exactly did you "predict"?

Your "prediction" was Cesc would only start the final group game, one of his aforementioned clones must have scored then!

I'm sure i also told you few years ago the perks of playing for Barca/Real.

coogar:

schweini is a pivot pairing with khedira to form a double pivot.
they link the defence with the 4 forward players. xavi cannot play in there!
you were the one saying one of busquets or alonso should be dropped...i told
you they won't be dropped.




nah...the lice in your nether region was too stubborn to admit this is tournament football
and not a friendly match against vanuatu. spain play 4-2-3-1 in tournaments. defensive
stability is a priority.



cos i never knew cesc would start ahead of his strikers....but i said
cesc can't be trusted to play in the midfield ahead of the quartet of xavi, iniesta, busi
and alonso. i said cesc can only play a forward role where his funky passes wouldn't hurt
his team as much.



which yeye perks.....what has this gotta do with our argument that cesc can't be trusted
in the midfield? del bosque played him as a striker for a reason and if he could trust cesc,
he coulda moved him back to the midfield and sub one of alonso/busi for a striker....but it
was cesc that got subbed.

your idiotic assumption that cesc is also better than iniesta was finally put to bed last night.
iniesta murdered cesc with his almost messi-like performance. dribbling players at will,
providing the passes, linking the play, etc. ritchboy, it's time you start paying attention
to football in the advanced level and stop your douchebaggery watery analysis.

AjanleKoko: Next up: England vs France.

Why am I getting this feeling that tomorrow's headline will read 'French Fried' or something along those lines?

AjanleKoko: Next up: England vs France.

Why am I getting this feeling that tomorrow's headline will read 'French Fried' or something along those lines?

AjanleKoko: Next up: England vs France.

Why am I getting this feeling that tomorrow's headline will read 'French Fried' or something along those lines?

A "psychic" raccoon at a British zoo has predicted that England will beat France in their opening match Monday, his keepers said.

Rocky the raccoon is the latest in a string of animals hailed for their so-called clairvoyant powers.

The animal, kept at Bristol Zoo Gardens, southwest England, follows in the footsteps of Paul the "psychic" octopus, who shot to stardom during the 2010 World Cup.

When offered two pots with equal amounts of food marked with the shirts of the opposing teams, Rocky the raccoon was quick to plump for England.

"This is the first time Rocky has demonstrated psychic abilities and he's chosen the underdogs to win," said his keeper Mat Richards.

"So we are all keeping our fingers crossed that he is right and we have a win from England."

ritchboy:
I don't have time to be yarning long thing with you, but to sum up, you think:

Xavi cannot play alongside a primary DM(something he's already done a billion times including Euro 2008), but Schweinsteiger can.

B. Fabregas cannot retain possession.

C. To win a tournament, you MUST play with two "pivots".
Coogar, you are a disgrace!

chic2pimp: Not anymore son......

coogar:

because you have nothing to say....



things have changed since then....firstly, it was under a different manager(aragones)
since 2010, the whole continent has moved to playing 4-2-3-1 from their traditional
formation.....then there's now the emergence of busquets and xabi alonso has redefined
himself. so of what essence would it be to sacrifice xavi as a pivot when cesc cannot
even retain possession as much as xavi? you are very daft!



i know you would put a spin in this.
all i said was cesc is more likely to give the ball away trying
hollywood passes than xavi, iniesta and busquets. the stats
proved so, why are you still moaning like a bitch?
your rebuttal to that was comparing joe allen to maradona.



yes, you must play with 2 pivots.

in the last world cup....

spain - alonso + busquets
holland - de jong + van bommel
germany - schweini + khedira

football managers have now learnt to be more cautious
and reactive than going gung-ho and getting thrashed.

ritchboy, you are a disgrace to football punditry!
rest one of busquets or alonso? in 2012? your brains should
be quarantined.

chic2pimp: And how does that affect the price of fish in the market?

Didn't y'all think England would get well beaten by the french?....England were apparently "No Hopers" but still got a result against the much fancied French.

I've said it all along If England maintain their shape and discipline, they'll be hard to beat and will go a long way in this tournament.

dayokanu:

So England drawing the French is some form of trophy? Let them qualify from the group first and get past the Spainards or Italian before we can have a conversation

ritchboy:
You still dey yarn?
Anyway before I sign out it's imperative I don't leave you believing this myth Cesc cannot retain possession as well as Keita and co by letting you know Cesc doesn't play furthest forward because he has the lowest pass completion percentage, he has the lowest pass completion percentage because he plays furthest forward.

Anyone with half-a-brain knows it's easier to keep the ball closer to your goal where (A) The opposition are happier to let you have it and there is less pressure, and (B) You're attempting far less risky passes(i.e through balls). That's why DMs/DLMs(incl. Denilson, Mikel, Keita etc) always have some of the highest pass completion rates.

Go and check Cesc's ratio when he played deeper and make sure you keep tissue on stand by!

P.S. According to your logic Joe Allen is the sixth best "shape keeper" in Europe, no?

coogar:

you are a glorified simpleton!
what has cesc's playing furthest forward gotta do with this?
welbeck was a forward tonight and he posted 92% pass completion....

cesc is a liability...telling us he plays furthest forward in a team
that has messi and alexi sanchez makes you a world class Arrow.

his ratio is horrible wherever he has played.....cesc is always attempting risky passes.

what has this gotta do with the argument? your theory that xavi should be benched for cesc
makes you a bumbling oaf.

ritchboy:
Ode, how is Welbeck posting 92% in a one-off game relevant? Does he post 92% every season?

When did I say this? Were Sanchez and Messi included in the stats you provided? Is it my fault you cannot read?

Proof?

When was this posited? Was Xavi not in the Spanish team i posted earlier?

Abeg, don't suck me into your imbecilic arguments again. . . I can do a lot of things but i cannot cure stupidity!

chic2pimp:
I've said it all along If England maintain their shape and discipline, they'll be hard to beat and will go a long way in this tournament.

AjanleKoko:

Nah. Quarters is what I give them. I was backing them to shock the French, but I think they will implode in good time.
Some teams, like France and Spain, they might just get past. But if they come up against Germany or even Russia, they will be well handled.

StarBoard:
For some reasons this England side appears solid without the much-fancied players.
Just an observation although it was something of a change seeing England being tactically astute.

StarBoard:
For some reasons this England side appears solid without the much-fancied players.
Just an observation although it was something of a change seeing England being tactically astute.

coogar:

england were lucky france were also shyte!
a competent team would have ripped that team apart.
let ozil catch the bumbling scott parker or let podolski
square up with glen johnson....

coogar:
that england team lacked creativity...parker/gerrard
were dire. they only defended well, offensively,
they were very hopeless. welbeck and young were fed
with scraps.