He was the doctor responsible for high level players on Madrid, Barca, Spanish cyclists and the national side during their success period...The laptop had the evidence to bring the house down and the courts ordered the laptop to be destroyed instead.
The 2012 Spanish team were doped out of their minds. But it’s pretty naive to think they are the only ones
Spain winning three football tournaments in a row has the same vibe as Lance Armstrong winning the Tour de France seven Times in a row.
I didnt say that but they were the only ones to have a high level court case and when presented the chance to blow the lid on it, the judge ordered the evidence to be destroyed. Says all you need to know.
Based on what data though. Possibly striking pace and accuracy from the spot in training? Because has Saka ever hit a pen in his life? Analytics has a huge part in the game now but that cant ignore common sense (19 year old boy hitting your crucial pen). Gary Neville says it would be "data driven". Sounds like bs to me. Glad Southgate made the worse pen decision he could ever make though. Makes it all the more funny to see England beat like that
The Henri Delaunay trophy was designed and crafted by Italian trophy and medal manufacturing company Bertoni, so the English were correct. It did come home.
It’s amazing the amount of articles on England’s reaction to losing the final vs articles on Italy winning it and what it means for a country hit hard early on with covid.
From one fellow Calabrese (the beautiful streets of Cosenza) to another..Forza Calabria! Still feeling amazing after this win. So proud to be an Italian.
I have to say it's been great spending some of these last few weeks with you guys. I'm in my 40s now and these moments are quite special. We probably don't do enough to stay in touch between big tournaments, but it's nice to see (most of) us getting along. Gli Azzurri even found a way to unite some of us who are the most testardi...which is quite a feat! I'm going to make an effort to be more present over the next year as we get ready for Qatar. I think this team still has a lot of youth and can do some special things...let's enjoy this one though PER TUTTO L'ESTATE!! FORZA ITALIA
I thought I would enjoy the victory more than I did in reality. I'm obviously happy for the whole team - particularly my boy from Lettomanopello di Abruzzo (Veratti) and of course Mancini who has restored a sense of pride that has been lost for quite a while. , I'm just slightly disappointed that we didn't do more with all the possession we were afforded by England. Its the same criticism that I heaped on Spain who, similarly, dominated us when the shoe was on the other foot and like Spain, Italy strung together endless passes that seemingly were to nowhere. We should have simply beaten England to a pulp in regular time as we're clearly the more capable team (a better starting 11 at least) but we were so tense in the first half that it seemed to really affect our play overall. A bit of shame considering that England played scared and it meant that the game was there for the taking. Injuries did play a part and it was clear that once Chiesa was done that we didn't have enough spark in attack that would have lead anyone to believe that we were likely to score again in open play. Overall it was an excellent tournament and we played exciting football at times. However, as great a victory as this is, it's ultimately a distraction from some of the larger issues that calcio faces. Namely, the financial mess a lot of Italy's top clubs face and the ever-increasing inequity between the Premier League's top clubs and Serie A. If we're ever going to restore some semblance of a balance between our respective leagues, it needs to begin with everyone in Italy having an honest conversation about what direction we would like to see Italian football go. The fact that many of the Azzurri's best players don't even play in Italy is a place to start I think.
They are unquestionably the best CB duo since Nesta and Cannavaro, and all the more impressive because they had to transition from being a trio after Barzagli's injuries forced him to retire. That being said, even though football has changed, I would still probably choose Nesta and Cannavaro in their prime (and fully fit). What they did against the Dutch in the semi-final of Euro 2000, along with Francesco Toldo, I have not seen before or since. Magnificent isn't even the word for it.
They rarely pass round 16 before and after that WC. Spain usually out at round 16 or group stage. They're only dominant for short period. They just happen to have those Catalans golden generation. The most "suspect" team would Bayern.
The final was the 7th game of the tournament, players werent as fresh as in group stage. Most people dont consider this. The fact that previous match went to 120 mins made it even worst.
There's room for improvement and if Italy has a bit more luck with injuries in 4 years they will be very tough to beat.
Feeling is mutual This place helps me with my frustrations/emotions when we play. I will always be Mr. Doom and gloom when we play bad, go down one or lose a match so it's helpful to come here to vent and have people calm me down some lol
For me this win is slightly more satisfying than in 2006 because that final was marred with controversy. There was too much talk then about “the best team didn’t” win and people constantly throwing the Australia game in our face. Here there is no dispute (besides maybe some English geniuses) that the best team won. So I’m very happy with that.