Platini's Euro84

Discussion in 'Players & Legends' started by babaorum, Sep 12, 2012.

  1. babaorum

    babaorum Member+

    Aug 20, 2005
    Marseille
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    I've recently found these clips focusing on Platini during his Euro84 campaign. I find them particularly interesting as they show well Platini's game style and the way he connected with the other members of the Magic Square. I also find interesting to see how Platini could change his positioning and tactical approach during a game when things went wrong.

    First game vs Denmark :


    In this difficult game Platini was relatively well shut down in the first half by the Danish defenders I thought. He moved up-front in a false 9 role in the second half and scored the only goal of the game.

    Second game vs Belgium :


    In his usual number 10 position Platini was scintillating in his playmaking role and scored a hat-trick. One of the best game for him and this generation of players.

    Third game vs Yugoslavia :


    In the first half Platini played very deep 'a la Pirlo' right ahead his defensive line and was -I think- well controled by the Yougoslavians. In the second half he moved up-front as a false 9 (like vs Denmark) and scored a hat-trick, again (with the head, the right foot and the left-foot).

    1/2 final vs Portugal :


    In his usual number 10 role Platini was well controled in the first half. He considerably elevated his level in the second half and extra-time creating lots of chances. He moved up-front as a false nine -again- when Lacombe left (66's) and scored the decisive goal at the end of the game.

    Final vs Spain :


    This game was probably the most difficult one for Platini and the French team. In his playmaking role he was very well controled by the Spanish. He still scored the decisive free-kick goal however... with the help of Arconada :p
     
  2. JamesBH11

    JamesBH11 Member+

    Sep 17, 2004
    It's great that you can bring back Platini's glory days at his peak
    Actually in that tournament, Platini was playing more like a forward (just behind striker Lacombe) in 4 4 1 1 and he did that just excellent!

    Here is his comment about that
    Michel Platini on France '84

    "It was the only final tournament where I wasn't injured. In 1982 I was injured - I had a groin problem - and in 1986 I was injured - with a nerve problem. In 1984 I wasn't injured and I was able to perform to my peak. It was a great moment for French football and for French sport as a whole. For us, it was also symbolic after the rather special defeat we had suffered in the World Cup semi-final in Seville against Germany in '82. Other than that, France had a very good tournament. We were superior to everybody and expressed ourselves on the pitch."
     
  3. babaorum

    babaorum Member+

    Aug 20, 2005
    Marseille
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    Not completely true : if you watch closely the games I posted, you'll see that Platini was most of the time in his usual midfield role, playing even sometimes surprisingly low on the field (like in the first half of the game vs Yougoslavia when he acted like a deep lying playmaker). It is true however that he also played a significant number of minutes in a forward (false nine) position vs Denmark (2nd half), Yougoslavia (2nd half) and Portugal (part of second half + extra-time). Playing in such an advanced position allowed him to score a lot of goals (5 out of 9).
     
  4. JamesBH11

    JamesBH11 Member+

    Sep 17, 2004
    Well every player plays their style to their comfort. I meant he was a forward at Euro84 so he had more freedom to move up scoring - (than he used to be in midfield before) and he did rather well leaving a mountain for younger genration to follow 9goals/Euro - wow
     
  5. PuckVanHeel

    PuckVanHeel Member+

    Oct 4, 2011
    Club:
    Feyenoord
    It needs to be said that they played against a severely weakened Belgian side.
     
  6. JamesBH11

    JamesBH11 Member+

    Sep 17, 2004
    Agree that is one fact. However, I see it slightly different. Great players took the best occasions and made them THEIRS .

    Platini did that at Euro84 - even if we suppose all the teams he met were weak, the main point is that he rode on his luck (if any?) to the ultimatum. 9goals/5games at Euro is just like Fontaine 13goals at WC58 or Eusebio 9goals WC66.

    WC98, Zidane took his ride on a " headless chicken Brazil team" (with Ronaldo on the moon) and won the cup with his 2 headers.

    or in WC2002, many had critisized that Ronaldo was "lucky" (with Brazil) to have played 'weaker teams" ... well somewhat true, but the same point with Platini, he took it to his greatness with 8goals/7games WC that seemingly difficult to break in modern games 90-now.
     
  7. PuckVanHeel

    PuckVanHeel Member+

    Oct 4, 2011
    Club:
    Feyenoord
    I would not deny that it was a great performance but the high goal output was also facilitated by the problems of Denmark, Belgium and Spain in particular in terms of personnel.

    I think he had the qualities to shine in a tournament anyway, see the other tournaments where he did pretty well despite injuries but I see the high output also in light of the strength of the others. That's all. Also funny: Netherlands met Spain in the qualification phase and managed to get the better head-to-head. But Spain reached the final.
     
  8. JamesBH11

    JamesBH11 Member+

    Sep 17, 2004
    mmm ... Netherland were so closed and Spain got qualified over them by Goals difference (= points) Head to head they were even (NET 2-1, and ESP 1-0) over 2legs (with Spain got 1 away goal advantage if UEFA rule applied)

    Unless we say, IF Netherland would get to the final and they would have more chance to beat Platini's team (than say Spain)?

    ==============================================
    back To Platini 9goals, I see exactly where you were coming from (so I gave example of Ronaldo WC02). Deep down no one (with a good knowledge) would use that to claim Platini Euro84 was > Maradona WC86 or Pele WC58 (for he scored more goals)!

    In other hand, within the context of Euro (only) I would say Platini was ythe best performer (EVER) than the rest , Basten88, Zidane2000 .. and whoelse?
     
  9. PuckVanHeel

    PuckVanHeel Member+

    Oct 4, 2011
    Club:
    Feyenoord
    No, that is not what I imply. It is just funny. Netherlands eliminated on goal-difference and a 12:1 game and Spain reached the final with many injuries...

    It is exactly my point that you can't conclude that.

    By the way, I would not put Pelé 1958 in the same bracket.
     
  10. JamesBH11

    JamesBH11 Member+

    Sep 17, 2004
    why not? A 17yrs old came off from bench and scored 6goals (4winning goals) to win WC58.
    Note that he was not a playmaker type at times, but who cares, not like his 6goals were all TAP IN ...

    In a sense they were quite the same "bracket"
    - Maradona left the best performance WC86 ever
    - Platini left the best performance at Euro ever
    - Pele left the best young/striker ever in WC
     
  11. PuckVanHeel

    PuckVanHeel Member+

    Oct 4, 2011
    Club:
    Feyenoord
    Discussions about that have been made many times before. I have no appetite to rehearse it. All I'm saying is that Pelé in 1958 does not belong to the same group IMO and your assumptions about 'best world cup performance ever' isn't shared by me either.
     
  12. babaorum

    babaorum Member+

    Aug 20, 2005
    Marseille
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    It is pretty clear in the game vs Belgium : a full strength Belgian team would have make it more difficult for France, as shown by the previous games vs France in the early 80's during which les Bleus struggled. Now France didn't have easy games at all vs Denmark and Spain and Platini probably played his 'worst' football of the tournament vs these two teams : he was very well marked during one hour by the Danish defensers and it's only when he moved upfront that he could score his only goal. Same as in the game vs Spain during which he was well shut down and couldn't score in open play or set up chances for his teammates.
     
  13. babaorum

    babaorum Member+

    Aug 20, 2005
    Marseille
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    There were no weak teams really : even if we admit Belgium was weakened, that remained a solid team as were Denmark, Yugoslavia, Portugal and Spain. In fact France didn't have an easy road at all to the final.
     
  14. JamesBH11

    JamesBH11 Member+

    Sep 17, 2004
    I said in the context ... not in the same "group"
    For example:
    1- Group (your suggestion) of best performers at high level: Maradona WC86 was #1, and Pele 58 would be easily in bottom TOP10 IMO

    2- My saying: in the context of "No one did it before nor after " kinda performance , there Pele58 (a 17yrs old striker) is in the same "context"/ Not even Maradona, Cruijff nor Ronaldo and lately Messi could have done that ... (well in fact only Ronaldo was selected in the team but held on bench - the rest were not even selected to the senior team)
     
  15. PuckVanHeel

    PuckVanHeel Member+

    Oct 4, 2011
    Club:
    Feyenoord
    I thought he was at his worst against Portugal in regular time.
     
  16. babaorum

    babaorum Member+

    Aug 20, 2005
    Marseille
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    Funny you say that because I thought the exact opposite : his second half vs Portugal was outstanding IMHO. He created at least 4 clear chances during it. He was more average in the first half however.
     
  17. JamesBH11

    JamesBH11 Member+

    Sep 17, 2004
    Let's borrow Goal.com FLASH back moment:

    Coming on the back of France’s agonising semi-final defeat to West Germany in the 1982 World Cup, Les Bleus needed no more disappointment. France were the favourites of English bookmakers to win the tournament with odds of 5/8, so they had no reason whatsoever when they faced a determined Portugal side and were certain that this time they won’t be denied another shot at a major trophy.

    It was all free-flowing stuff, action end-to-end but the first 20 minutes had been riddled with petty fouls and one of these, by Frasco on Platini, which led to the opening goal. Michel Platini, the consensus player of the tournament, cleverly decided against taking a free-kick in a promising position, allowing Jean-François Domergue to use the element of surprise and he thumped in a left-footed pile driver of a shot that went in off João Pinto's head giving the host nation the lead.

    [​IMG]

    Platini's plan of not taking the free kick worked


    ......

    Many had thought France vs Portugal was the best macth of Euro84 and among the most memorable ones in Euro history!

    Platini goal in extra time to hand France the ticket to the final was among the TOP10 goals of Euro history.
     
  18. babaorum

    babaorum Member+

    Aug 20, 2005
    Marseille
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    That's right, though to be fair Tigana did 80 % of the job :

     
  19. JamesBH11

    JamesBH11 Member+

    Sep 17, 2004
    Yes Tigana was awesome in his move to create that winning goal. In a way, Platini success somewhat owed to the so called "carre' magique" . Without them he could not score that many goals (like Ronaldo9 got 8goals in WC02 thanks to Rivaldo Ronaldinho Cafu and Carlos)
     
  20. PuckVanHeel

    PuckVanHeel Member+

    Oct 4, 2011
    Club:
    Feyenoord
    It has nothing to do with euro84 but this is one of my favourite Platini performances



    He was literally flying in the game. Must be one of his better European Cup performances for Juventus I think?
     

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