View Full Version : Spain-Italy Quarterfinal Euro 2008 [R]
ApoJapo
20 Jun 2008, 11:00 AM
Almost everyone is talking about Germany - Italy or The dutch vs. the Italians in the semi's. But Im sure Spain will win this quarter final. Im really not impressed with this Italian side. Spain is playing so much better and although they have the statistics against them I see them winning from Italy.
pippomo
20 Jun 2008, 11:04 AM
Almost everyone is talking about Germany - Italy or The dutch vs. the Italians in the semi's. But Im sure Spain will win this quarter final. Im really not impressed with this Italian side. Spain is playing so much better and although they have the statistics against them I see them winning from Italy.
If our physical form gets better we'll can do it. If not we're out... badly.
since now Italy ahs been the only team, with France, who has just walked on the pitch.
fliime
20 Jun 2008, 11:25 AM
Even though I am a HUGE italian fan, Italy does not win this game. They are missing 3 key players in cannavarro, gattusso and Pirlo. Losing pirlo is huge and spain should control the midfield, where italy starts there attack from.
Look for spain to push up their backs to put pressure on the italian midfield to make mistakes. Toni has looked rather lack luster this tournament and spain has nothing to fear. 1-0 spain victory.
Should be a good game i hope....
DonMancini
20 Jun 2008, 11:35 AM
What about your neighbors to the west?
... the Atlantic ocean?
As for the game, I'm unsure about this. Sure Spain looks better at the moment, but they had a far easier group so it's hard to gauge them head to head. I think that normally I would have picked Italy to win but the Pirlo suspension is a problem. I think Italy will still take it as they have the tools to exploit Spain's weaknesses but it could go either way tbh.
TheGrimSweeper
20 Jun 2008, 11:49 AM
Hard to tell but Im not convinced with Italys defense so far. Usually its there most reliable thing but not this time, I can see Villa and Torres causing lots of problems
Losing Pirlo is huge cause he IS Italys midfield.
Most Portuguese back Brasil due to our almost non-existant past in WC's, we love football so we have to back someone... This was never my thing, I never liked favorites so I allways (except Germany sometimes like in 1990) root for someone new.
Since Spain is our only neighbour, I'll root for them now that we are out.
Good luck
Do you know what Brazilians think of Portugal? Remember that one WC where Pele was seriously injured? Yea.
What about your neighbors to the west?
lol Who is Portugal's neighbor to the west?
http://www.europeetravel.com/images/maps/europe-political-small.gif
Atlantis? :D
Either way, if Italy win or lose, I'm just happy we FINALLY beat France. We're missing three essential players, so we can't expect much at this point. It will be grinta vs speed.
magalhaes1976
20 Jun 2008, 01:59 PM
Do you know what Brazilians think of Portugal? Remember that one WC where Pele was seriously injured? Yea.
You seem to like to generalize, I don't think all Brazilians dislike the Portuguese (even if I admit some do), there are "bad" Brazilians, Italians, Portuguese, people everywhere. I don't care what frustrations some ppl pack, I have fair play enough for all of them.
I could rumble for hours about Portuguese vs Spain relations, but in the end I rather have them win this cup than any of the other teams.
Cheers
glennaldo_sf
20 Jun 2008, 02:22 PM
lol Who is Portugal's neighbor to the west?
Well you know who I was referring to....l just because there's an ocean between us still doesn't mean we can't still be neighbors.... :D
Colm
20 Jun 2008, 02:26 PM
I'm going for Italy to win, I think the win over France will give them loads of momentum, I know they'll be missing key players in midfield but something in the back of my mind tells me they'll go through.
VCFan
20 Jun 2008, 02:33 PM
Hard to tell but Im not convinced with Italys defense so far. Usually its there most reliable thing but not this time, I can see Villa and Torres causing lots of problems
Losing Pirlo is huge cause he IS Italys midfield.
And you are with Spain's? Luca Toni's physical presence and all the space that the Spanish defense leaves just beg for some easy Italian goals, and Villa and Torres vs. Panucci and Chiellini also beg for some easy Spanish goals... IMO it'll come down to which side can outscore the other and whose forwards suck less at finishing.
P.P.S. There's nothing that fires Italians up than beating France. It's entirely possible that the Spaniards will suffer from the same bench sickness that the Portuguese did against Germany.
P.S. Pirlo is a huge loss, but Alberto Aquilani and / or Daniele De Rossi
(but less so) are more than capable replacements for him in the creativity department (esp. Aquilani). So while our midfield is weakened, there are players of sufficient quality that can keep it from falling apart.
footyfan1
20 Jun 2008, 03:13 PM
And you are with Spain's? Luca Toni's physical presence and all the space that the Spanish defense leaves just beg for some easy Italian goals, and Villa and Torres vs. Panucci and Chiellini also beg for some easy Spanish goals... IMO it'll come down to which side can outscore the other and whose forwards suck less at finishing.
Agree there. But Luca Toni hasn't been able to hit the side of a freakin' barn in this tourney. The one time he did, it was taken away by a bad call.
I think it's just not his tourney.
But then again, I didn't think Germany could rise from the dead either..... :o
shalom82
20 Jun 2008, 03:28 PM
Agree there. But Luca Toni hasn't been able to hit the side of a freakin' barn in this tourney. The one time he did, it was taken away by a bad call.
I think it's just not his tourney.
But then again, I didn't think Germany could rise from the dead either..... :o
Toni is always slow in his rise to form. I think he'll score 2 against Spain and 5 in the competition. Just a hunch. Italy through, and although it'd be fun to see a rematch against Holland, I see an Italy-Russia semifinal.
VCFan
20 Jun 2008, 03:29 PM
Agree there. But Luca Toni hasn't been able to hit the side of a freakin' barn in this tourney. The one time he did, it was taken away by a bad call.
I think it's just not his tourney.
But then again, I didn't think Germany could rise from the dead either..... :o
The Holland game was just a bad one for everybody, he did score vs. Romania, and he won a good penalty against France due to brilliant ball control. He could have easily had a hattrick against France if it weren't for his finishing, but we have to remember that he was often double-teamed in the physical French style and he had little support while inside the box. The Italian strategy often makes it very easy for physical teams to mark Luca Toni out of the game... it was absolutely criminal that Antonio Cassano wasn't utilized as a supporting striker.
But the Spanish defense is neither tight nor physical, so I think that if Luca Toni is going to do away with this drought, it'll be against Spain. Add to that the decline of Carlos Puyol, the continued mediocrity of Carlos Marchena, and the undependable natures of Sergio Ramos and Joan Capdevila defensively, and it's the perfect situation for Luca Toni to break out. Iker Casillas is a great keeper, but he'll be screwed by the defenders in front of him in a big way sooner or later, as soon as a team with a more than decent attack take shots on goal. Not saying it will happen, but there's a pretty good chance of it happening.
Toni is always a threat, even when he doesn't score. He draws defenders and opens up space for others. Italy's problem is that they don't play with a support striker close for Toni to pass to, so he's stuck doing all the work himself. Remember, Toni didn't score until the 1/4 finals of the WC. He's not scoring, but he's not that far from it either. The best defense wins this game.
Caesar
20 Jun 2008, 06:03 PM
Spain's defence is pretty horrendous. If they can get it together enough to make it through this game, they're a long way towards winning the tournament.
foodbiz
20 Jun 2008, 06:04 PM
There is a big group of us in LA/OC going to watch all the matches together if you want to come and cheer your team http://lizarrantapas.com/futbol.html
Spain's defence is pretty horrendous. If they can get it together enough to make it through this game, they're a long way towards winning the tournament.
Italy's isn't at it's strongest as well. I guess the "best of the bad" defense wins. If Villa and Torres can be contained, Italy is looking good. Same goes for Toni and Cassano.
Caesar
20 Jun 2008, 06:19 PM
Not a FIFA tournament. Moved to Euro 2008 forum.