Have Chelsea ruined the Euro 2012's?

[Bevendean Hillbilly]

. But, if it results in England getting Semis, I would be happy.

Only if terry gets a sniff of his teammates birds

 

[Ninja Elephant]

There is as much an art to good, organised defending as there is a 35-pass team goal. Barcelona players come out every time they lose and bitch and moan that it's "anti-football", but f*** them. What are teams supposed to do, play four up top and just let them win the game? The better team is the one who scores more goals in the game, not the team with the highest pass-completion rate, however pleasing it may be on the eye. I love how Albion play but look at how Liverpool turned us over at the Amex - sat back, absorbed our pressure (we had something like 63% possession) and hit us on the break with pace and quality. If someone does that to Germany or Spain or Holland, and turns them over, fair play to them I say. But maybe that's because I'm a defender, I dunno. P'raps if I was a tricksy attacking midfielder I'd think differently.

I agree with that, and I'm neither good at defending OR attacking!

 

[brightonrock]

I did read your thread. As you say, perhaps it is because you're a defender.

You see I don't think you did, I think you read into it what you wanted so you could have a moan and feel superior. My point was about a style of defending. NOT about liking long ball, a form of attacking. I said disciplined defending is as much an artform as good attacking. I said I love the football Albion play, but can appreciate a counter-attacking performance as much as tiki-taka. What you have decided I said: LONG BALL! HIT IT LONG! SAM ALLARDYCE IS GOD!

Do you see the distinction?

 

[supaseagull]

This is the first time in decades we have gone into an international Championship with absolutely no hope of winning it.

For that reason, we're only gonna go and bloody win the thing!

I think you could be right.

We are definitely the dark horses this year and a few players have a final point to prove in their last tournament.

 

[Marxo]

There was a time when English (and Scottish) teams played attacking football with quite a bit of success. Then the continental teams played defensive counter-attacking football against us to great effect and the pundits in Britain branded our teams as naive and lacking in tactical nous! Now an English team does the same thing and again we're at fault. It's the same with big transfer fees, Spanish and Italian clubs started this when our teams couldn't compete financially. Now that we can it's suddenly not acceptable with the critics and Platini. I enjoyed Chelsea knocking Barcelona out in the semi's and beating Bayern, the words taste of own and medicine come to mind.

 

[beorhthelm]

You see I don't think you did, I think you read into it what you wanted so you could have a moan and feel superior. My point was about a style of defending. NOT about liking long ball, a form of attacking. I said disciplined defending is as much an artform as good attacking. I said I love the football Albion play, but can appreciate a counter-attacking performance as much as tiki-taka. What you have decided I said: LONG BALL! HIT IT LONG! SAM ALLARDYCE IS GOD!

Do you see the distinction?

agree, resolute defense is not the same as long ball. Chelsea play the ball on the deck through the middle or the wings when on the break, to get up to the target man. the occasional long ball short cuts this, often only to be played back out to the marauding wingers. Man U have absorbed and counter-attacked as long as Fergie been there. stretch the opponents, not play the ball around in front of them 20 passes allowing them to line up their defense.

if theres a problem with our current style, and how it differs from the Barca or closer to home Swansea style is the pace, we are too slow. you need to knock the ball about to frustrate and draw the opposition, then break forward fast. too often we slowly move the ball up the pitch then find a crowded final third.

 

[brightonrock]

agree, resolute defense is not the same as long ball. Chelsea play the ball on the deck through the middle or the wings when on the break, to get up to the target man. the occasional long ball short cuts this, often only to be played back out to the marauding wingers. Man U have absorbed and counter-attacked as long as Fergie been there. stretch the opponents, not play the ball around in front of them 20 passes allowing them to line up their defense.

if theres a problem with our current style, and how it differs from the Barca or closer to home Swansea style is the pace, we are too slow. you need to knock the ball about to frustrate and draw the opposition, then break forward fast. too often we slowly move the ball up the pitch then find a crowded final third.

Agreed, and this will come with time. With each window and the inevitable few additions to the squad that come with them, the overall quality of the squad should(!) allow us to play at a higher tempo. It's a gradual process though, which is why IMO the people writing off the likes of Barnes, CMS or Dicker are stupid. The players will adjust and improve, along with new signings around them, and the fact none have set the world alight and fired us to promotion this season does not mean they don't have the potential or the ability to make waves next season, or the one after that.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

You see I don't think you did, I think you read into it what you wanted so you could have a moan and feel superior. My point was about a style of defending. NOT about liking long ball, a form of attacking. I said disciplined defending is as much an artform as good attacking. I said I love the football Albion play, but can appreciate a counter-attacking performance as much as tiki-taka. What you have decided I said: LONG BALL! HIT IT LONG! SAM ALLARDYCE IS GOD!

Do you see the distinction?

I prefer to beat teams by being technically superior and passing the ball about. I don't want to watch a team defending endlessly and playing on the break anymore than I want to watch a team play long ball. Personal preference, not trying to be superior.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

I prefer to beat teams by being technically superior and passing the ball about. I don't want to watch a team defending endlessly and playing on the break anymore than I want to watch a team play long ball. Personal preference, not trying to be superior.

And if a team isn't technically superior or better passers, they should just play into the hands of their opponents and let them win?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

And if a team isn't technically superior or better passers, they should just play into the hands of their opponents and let them win?

No, you practise and get better.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

No, you practise and get better.

If the Vietcong had taken your advice and practised trying to fight the kind of warfare the Americans wanted them to have fought, they'd have lost. If faced with technically superior opponents, in football as in war, better to concentrate your forces where it matters most if you want to win.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

If the Vietcong had taken your advice and practised trying to fight the kind of warfare the Americans wanted them to have fought, they'd have lost. If faced with technically superior opponents, in football as in war, better to concentrate your forces where it matters most if you want to win.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

If faced with technically superior opponents, in football as in war, better to concentrate your forces where it matters most if you want to win.

Practice makes perfect my friend.

 

[Triggaaar]

This is the first time in decades we have gone into an international Championship with absolutely no hope of winning it.

This is true. The couple of times we've been worse, we've failed to qualify.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Carroll can do it. We saw him do it against Chelsea!!

We saw him do it against Brighton at Anfield!

 

[Gullys Cats]

good luck to them, money is killing football on the other hand.

 

[Deleted member 18477]

We saw him do it against Brighton at Anfield!

Oh I kno, it was a bad day .

 

[Deleted member 18477]

This is true. The couple of times we've been worse, we've failed to qualify.

So true. For once I'm excited in an underdog way!

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Some very sensationalist opinions of football on this thread. If you're not as good as your opponents, you have to work harder to work out how to beat them. My 5 a side team is pretty poor, individually. [MENTION=3475]Basil Fawlty[/MENTION] and [MENTION=3258]Da Man Clay[/MENTION] have played with my team, they can verify this. We have a beast of a player, and a marathon runner plus a half decent goalkeeper and that's it. We lack technical prowess and even the teams we play are superior. Despite this, we've won 2 league titles (in 3 years ) and we've never finished bottom of our league. We've worked out what we need to do to win (occaisonally). We'll never be able to pass teams off the pitch, so we don't try.

 

[Mellotron]

I prefer to beat teams by being technically superior and passing the ball about. I don't want to watch a team defending endlessly and playing on the break anymore than I want to watch a team play long ball. Personal preference, not trying to be superior.

Technically superior and passing the ball about are two separate things.

Chelsea were technically superior to Barca in the semis. The two bits of genuine world class technical football in those games came from Chelsea (Lampard's SUBLIME first touch outside of boot ball out to Ramires to set up Drogba, and Ramires' phenomenal lob considering the pressure at that moment), so by your logic you were glad they went through, I assume?