Defense and tactics always wins championships!

[FireTrapatoni]

Take that fans of unbalanced attacking football!

I liked Portugal if they were up against the Czechs, but I actually like their chances less against the Greeks. This will be a very low scoring game. Both teams have got this far with tactics and defense, really how Italy tries to play. I knew defense and ball possession would win over shallow attacking football in the end. Both clubs play the game partly like a chess match, all out attacking football loses this intriguing aspect of the sport.

[McGinty]

Wild attacking won't win championships. However, just looking at World Cups, the past champs have almost always been the one that was the better attacking side. As Scolari said two years ago after the WC, most teams are tactically astute, especially the farther you go in a tournament so tactics often cancel each other out. You then need some talented players that can turn the game with their flair and creativity to win.

[FireTrapatoni]

Wild attacking won't win championships. However, just looking at World Cups, the past champs have almost always been the one that was the better attacking side. As Scolari said two years ago after the WC, most teams are tactically astute, especially the farther you go in a tournament so tactics often cancel each other out. You then need some talented players that can turn the game with their flair and creativity to win.

Brazil is a rare exception, they just have too much speed and offensive talent to be stopped by teams with good defense. But if you look at the finalists and winners for these competitions, Germany, France, Italy, they all have done it with defense more than anything else.

With France this year, their defense and tactics were dreadfully below the level of when they won the world cup and when they beat Italy in the last Euro. Organized tactics can outshine talent in most cases.

[The Nice Guy]

Let's see if the Greeks win the final first.

It's very tight. The Greek defensive wall has been superb. Dellas, particularly, is one of the top defenders of the competition. Portugal has the attacking flair, and the ability to get within the penalty box on dribbles which always raises my hackles.

TWG

[Kontra]

That's why Portugal is gona win!! The best defenders in the tournment, powerfull midfield and creative wings.

[OriginalAEK]

That's why Portugal is gona win!! The best defenders in the tournment, powerfull midfield and creative wings.

Greeks have prided themselves on defense in the tournament. They have the best defenders.

[Belgian guy]

Greeks have prided themselves on defense in the tournament. They have the best defenders.

Yeah, all 9 of them... :rolleyes:

[Karsh]

Nuno Valente, Miguel, Andrade and especially Ricardo Carvalho, I think they are in the top15 defenders of the tournament, being Ricardo Carvalho the #1, he is awsome, I can't remember an unique mistake from him. The greeks are very good also, but as Belgian guy said, they have almost the whole team defending lol. I'm also impressed with Ashley Cole in portugal-england match.

[Spiro_In_San_Jose]

Yeah, all 9 of them... :rolleyes:

Was Belgium even in Euro04?

[FireTrapatoni]

Greeks have prided themselves on defense in the tournament. They have the best defenders.

Portugal have played well defensively in this tournament as well, which has surprised me to some degree. Italy has good offensive players too, but that doesn't mean you have to all-out attack. However, Greece has played more like Italy in the way the style thay have played. Portugal plays well defensively by maintaining a high rate of ball possession (they are best in the world at this). Italy and Greece do not take that approach and often their opponents have more possession, but yet, they limit the good offensive chances of opponents.

[Belgian guy]

Was Belgium even in Euro04?

No, we suck. And we are boring as hell. And we play ultra-defensive. But at least we have the decency of not qualifying for the EC and boring the whole of Europe to death.

[freis]

No, we suck. And we are boring as hell. And we play ultra-defensive. But at least we have the decency of not qualifying for the EC and boring the whole of Europe to death.

LOL :D

[chopsuey]

I think that if Portugal scores early, the Greeks will have to come forward and get more men in Portugal's half and then we will have a game as they have nothing to lose and have showed that they can attack well when prompted to.

But if Greece starts winning, it will be 11 greeks behind the ball and Portugal will be on Greece's half passing the ball around until an opening appears. Not so beautiful.

[Theo the Greek]

Your half right !!!!! LOL
you do suck

No, we suck. And we are boring as hell. And we play ultra-defensive. But at least we have the decency of not qualifying for the EC and boring the whole of Europe to death.

[Spiro_In_San_Jose]

No, we suck. And we are boring as hell. And we play ultra-defensive. But at least we have the decency of not qualifying for the EC and boring the whole of Europe to death.

Throw yourself a bone. If Belgium made it to the finals like Greece did you would be in the same boat Greek fans are in.

[voros]

Brazil is a rare exception,
Hardly rare, they've won five times.

I'm sure there's an attempt to shoehorn them into fitting your statement, I just can't bothered to look for it.

So far in the tournament Greece has beaten or drawn:

Portugal
Spain
France
Czech Republic

But they lost to:

Russia.

My theory is that the double letter in Greece's name gives them a huge advantage over teams without that double letter. But when they played a team with a double letter Russia, they lost.

I think I'm right here, though it may just be that I shouldn't draw wide sweeping conclusions from a small sample of games, particularly when other games contradict those conclusions.

[FireTrapatoni]

I didn't mean Brazil winning was rare, I meant they are unusual compared to the majority of teams that have had cup success in recent memory. Most attacking nations are stifled by good defensive teams, but Brazil just has too much speed and talent for most opponents. Still, when they lost to France, they couldn't break down their defense.

"I think I'm right here, though it may just be that I shouldn't draw wide sweeping conclusions from a small sample of games, particularly when other games contradict those conclusions."

It's hardly a sweeping conclusion that defense more than offense wins championships in sports. It's a popular belief, one that seems to get lost in the goal-hungry Euro fans.

[MIGkiller]

Isn't it funny a thread like this started by someone who uses the screename 'FireTrapatoni'?

Italy fans never learn. Replacing the coach won't help them getting out of this downhill Italy is heading if they don't change the anti-football mentality.

[voros]

It's hardly a sweeping conclusion that defense more than offense wins championships in sports. It's a popular belief, one that seems to get lost in the goal-hungry Euro fans.
It's a popular belief in baseball too, contrary to the vast amount of evidence that exists in that sport to the country.

The number of people who believe something has no bearing on its accuracy.

[prk166]

Take that fans of unbalanced attacking football!

I liked Portugal if they were up against the Czechs, but I actually like their chances less against the Greeks. This will be a very low scoring game. Both teams have got this far with tactics and defense, really how Italy tries to play. I knew defense and ball possession would win over shallow attacking football in the end. Both clubs play the game partly like a chess match, all out attacking football loses this intriguing aspect of the sport.

Always? ya, that's why Italy and Germany went out in the first round, eh? It's more than that.