Euro Draw 2008 Dec. 2

[BocaFan]

Seriously, there needs to be better ways to group teams properly. I mean, France, Netherlands, Italy, and Romania in one group? Jesus!!!

BTW Best group of death in the history of the sport:

FIFA World Cup Spain 1982, Second Stage, Group C

Argentina
Italy
Brazil

We can be sure we will never see a group like this...

Apples and oranges.

Doesn't really count since that was a second-stage group.

The toughest group in recent memory for me is still Euro 2000 Group "D": Holland, France, Czech Rep. and Denmark.

[BocaFan]

What about Euro 2000, with Portugal, Romania and England? Euro 2004 with Czech Republic and Netherlands (two 1/2 finalists) was also a tough 1st round group. The Euro 1996 group with Czech Republic, Italy and Russia (two finalist) was the best group of the tournament.

Arguably this is the first time since the Euro changed to 16 teams finals that Germany didn't get the tough group. There is a reasonable argument to be made that in 1996 and 2000 Germany was in the Group of Death.

1996, yes. 2000: no-way. No reasonable argument can be made about Germany's group!

[Cris 09]

1996, yes. 2000: no-way. No reasonable argument can be made about Germany's group!

Portugal
Romania
England
Germany

Not a group of death, huh? :rolleyes:

[BocaFan]

Portugal
Romania
England
Germany

Not a group of death, huh? :rolleyes:

:confused: eh?? The question was whether or not Germany ended-up in the toughest group.

Come on! England and Germany were rubbish back then. Romania was nothing special. I'm not even sure if Portugal was any better than the third -best team in Group "D" considering Czech Republic won all 10 of their qualifying matches.

When a team with 100% qualifying record is grouped with the World Cup champs and a very tough host, wouldn't you say that is the group of death?

Even Denmark was pretty good back then (probably would've qualified out of Germany's group ;))

[Cris 09]

:confused: I don't know about *a* group of death. The question was whether or not it was the toughest group to wind-up in!

Come on! England and Germany were rubbish back then. Romania was nothing special. I'm not even sure if Portugal was any better than the third -best team in Group "D" considering Czech Republic won all 10 of their qualifying matches.

When a team with 100% qualifying record is grouped with the World Cup champs and a very tough host, then you have a group of death! Even Denmark was pretty good back then (probably would've qualified out of Germany's group ;))

Perhaps you are correct. Certainly a tough group by any standards though. Portugal was beginning their goolden age as where England...and Romania, well they are always a surprise team (made the second round while Germany and England went home.

I suppose the group with Holland, France, Denmark and Czech Republic could have been the "Group of Death" of that tourney.

[Smoga]

I submit to you that virtually any two out any four groups at any Euro can be considered "groups of death". Of course this year's one is really special. but I think that it is much easier to have a bonafide "group of death" in the world cup, just because they are that much harder to come by, if that makes any sense.

[Schwalker]

Point of order!....:p

Once a "Group of death" meant that only European and South American teams was in it...No Asian or African teams that everyone expected to roll over easily.
Suddenly it´s just a tough group regardless and we know how media loves to hype stuff like this.

But can we agree on the definition of a "Group of death" as a group that will see team/s eliminated that we expected to see in the play-offs..?

[Cris 09]

Point of order!....:p

Once a "Group of death" meant that only European and South American teams was in it...No Asian or African teams that everyone expected to roll over easily.
Suddenly it´s just a tough group regardless and we know how media loves to hype stuff like this.

But can we agree on the definition of a "Group of death" as a group that will see team/s eliminated that we expected to see in the play-offs..?

I would call the "group of death" a group in which at least three of the four are candidates (not dark horses) to at least make it to the final.

[BocaFan]

The dumbest thing about the draw which nobody has mentioned yet is that teams from the same group are lined-up to play each other again in the semis (instead of the finals).

[Cris 09]

The dumbest thing about the draw which nobody has mentioned yet is that teams from the same group are lined-up to play each other again in the semis (instead of the finals).

I think it was mentioned already, perhaps not this thread but another Euro 06 thread, and yeah; that sucks!!

[johan neeskens]

I read a funny comment in the Guardian the other day from their German correspondent who (jokingly) accused Klinsmann of not doing his patriotic duty; he didn't make theirs a perfectly piss-poor group by drawing Croatia rather than Sweden into the group.

[Prawn Sandwich]

By popular request this thread is being re-opened.

I have removed all the OT posts, please ensure all future posts stay on-topic

[96Squig]

Thanks :-)

[reccos94]

Strange group, most Polish fans feel that it was the best draw possible, especially having Croatia and Austria in there, widely considered (in Poland) the weakest teams from pots one and three. And Austrians seem to fancy their chances as well. I can't wait to see how this group turns out!

If the Poles think drawing Croatia is better than drawing Sweden, then they need to get acquainted with a little thing called reality. Croatia is much, much better than Sweden. Even their 2006 WC team beat Sweden twice in qualifying, and this Croatian team is light years better. Poland is not beating Croatia. They will battle Austria for 3rd place.

And some other poster said that this group is the easiest? Whoever thinks that the Greece, Sweden, Spain, Russia group is more difficult than the Austria, Croatia, Germany, Poland group needs to get their heads examined. Obviously Austria brings down the level a lot and is are weak but Germany and Croatia are both better than anyone in Greece's group.

[Smoga]

And some posters need to acquire more knowledge before posting about things they don't know much about. There are three key reasons why Poland prefers to play Croatia instead of Sweden: first, Sweden has had Poland's number recently, having defeated them in both World Cup and EC qualifiers in the last decade. Second, Poland has defeated Croatia in the final friendly for both teams before the 2006 WC. Third, and more importantly, Sweden is a much better team than Croatia. Croatia has done jack with the current coach and squad (winning their qualifying group means nothing, but if it did, Poland had won their group by beating a higher ranked team than England). I feel that Croatia has a lot to prove, and that they are goven way to much respect, since they didn't acomplish anything yet.

[benficafan3]

And some posters need to acquire more knowledge before posting about things they don't know much about. There are three key reasons why Poland prefers to play Croatia instead of Sweden: first, Sweden has had Poland's number recently, having defeated them in both World Cup and EC qualifiers in the last decade. Second, Poland has defeated Croatia in the final friendly for both teams before the 2006 WC. Third, and more importantly, Sweden is a much better team than Croatia. Croatia has done jack with the current coach and squad (winning their qualifying group means nothing, but if it did, Poland had won their group by beating a higher ranked team than England). I feel that Croatia has a lot to prove, and that they are goven way to much respect, since they didn't acomplish anything yet.

I don't really agree that winning the group is nothing, it certainly means something, but you are completely correct about Croatia being given too much praise, they really, really don't deserve it.

[Big balls]

Sweden I predict will make a disastrous tournament. We are in really bad shape and ended the qualifying in a bad way. Our coach is good when it comes to qualifying us to the tournament. But as a match-coach in important games he is an awfull coach and a coward. I hope he surprises me here in this tournament. Our team is a team with few talents and many old tired players. Usually we have a couple of stars. Now we only have Zlatan.

I agree about most things you said. Lagerbäck is a coward. His coaching against T&T had to have been the worst coaching in ALL of WC 06.

Just send a lot of crosses into the box against a technically inferior team. Nevermind that their whole team has been parked inside the box.

I'd disagree with you on the Swedish team. This team is weaker than the last Euro but there's more than Zlatan. Elmander who was the top scorer in the French league and was nominated for player of the year in ligue 1. Källström is excellent should have gone to Valencia for 23$ million. Freddie isn't trash as well.

[Big balls]

If the Poles think drawing Croatia is better than drawing Sweden, then they need to get acquainted with a little thing called reality. Croatia is much, much better than Sweden. Even their 2006 WC team beat Sweden twice in qualifying, and this Croatian team is light years better. Poland is not beating Croatia. They will battle Austria for 3rd place.

And some other poster said that this group is the easiest? Whoever thinks that the Greece, Sweden, Spain, Russia group is more difficult than the Austria, Croatia, Germany, Poland group needs to get their heads examined. Obviously Austria brings down the level a lot and is are weak but Germany and Croatia are both better than anyone in Greece's group.


Rubbish. The match played in Sweden was PURELY decided on 1 referee mistake. Zlatan scored a goal that was 100% by the book. The ref signaled it was a goal, the linesman signaled goal. Suddenly the ref changed his original decision and ruled it out ??. We'll never know why. Croatia won at home after Mellberg decided to start playing basketball, a correct penalty was given and Croatia won 1-0. Croatia won the group. Had the ref not made the mistake in stockholm, Sweden would've won the group.

Sweden is a better team than Croatia and if we could switch places in the Euro, I would be jumping with joy. Germany are tough but i'd rather face Austria and Poland instead of Greece and Russia. Greece has already been underestimated in 1 Euro.

[Big balls]

As for the groups, not a very good draw. I expect Sweden to make it past the group but unfortunately A&B and C&D are hugely different because of the group of death. A team from group D who wanna hold the trophy probably have to defeat the 2 WC finalists to get to a final. Sweden goes to a quarter but thats the end of the line.

[Hrvat]

Rubbish. The match played in Sweden was PURELY decided on 1 referee mistake.

As far as I remember it was decided by Srna's free kick.

Zlatan scored a goal that was 100% by the book. The ref signaled it was a goal, the linesman signaled goal.

It probably should have stayed but Zlatan did not touch the ball. Our keeper put in his own net, so it's not like the goal was a product of some great piece of football.

Suddenly the ref changed his original decision and ruled it out ??. We'll never know why.

Obviously he either hates Sweden for some reason or we paid him off with our oil money.
It was an honest mistake by the referee, because the box was crowded, and you don't know how the match would have ended had the goal been disallowed.

Croatia won at home after Mellberg decided to start playing basketball, a correct penalty was given and Croatia won 1-0.

Great teams can't afford a defender who prefers basketball to football, you should know that. We found out that ourselves in Stuttgart '06.
Anyway, you had two real chances in two matches, both in Göteborg. In Zagreb you played like, hm, England did. Enough said.

Croatia won the group. Had the ref not made the mistake in stockholm, Sweden would've won the group.

Had we drawn in Göteborg, we would have won in Malta. So, no.

Sweden is a better team than Croatia

No, again.