Apologies if I've missed this being started anywhere, I know I'm a couple of days early, but I see threads discussing the tickets, the beer and the TV schedule, but none for the actual main event - the football. So I figured I'd start a thread for all your game related or general tournament chat.
I don't know about you lot, but football hasn't been much fun for me lately. Thank goodness for Leicester's fairly tale otherwise I might have lost interest altogether last year. However, I just finished watching Thierry Henry's documentary on iPlayer and it's given me a good shot of nostalgia, and reminded how much I bloody love an international football tournament. Really looking forward to this one.
All the games are on while I'm at work, but the PVR is set to series record and the beers are in. If I can find the will power to avoid the results during the day (keep your score spoilers in here please) then I should have as much as 4.5 hours of football to watch some evenings! Smashing.
I haven't actually figured out if this can happen, but I'm going for France vs Belgium in the final, France to win on home soil again. England to get to the semi finals, and me to be secretly supporting Belgium as well, because of my great grandad (probably shouldn't admit that on here, I may get burned as a heretic).
Fingers crossed for a trouble free tournament.
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Really interested to see what side France go with tomorrow. They have so many attacking options. Can see Giroud now starting with Griezmann and Payet wide, meaning they still have Martial and Coman on the bench'
Apart from supporting England naturally I'm hoping that the minnows do well (i.e. Iceland / Northern Ireland / Albania) whilst have mixed emotions towards Wales, i.e. they're a Home Nation so want them to do well but at the same time they seem to have a bit of arrogance due to the fact they've got one of the best players in the competition.
Its only Poland I want to see out of the competition though...
That's mainly because of their reporters attitude towards Northern Ireland (i.e. You've got a player from Fleetwood) especially as Fleetwood have bigger attendances than some of the Polish top flight sides
Can't wait for the tournament, flying over to the South of France for 8 days on Saturday morning, we've got five matches including two Northern Ireland & Belgium v Italy and are staying a few nights each in Nice, Lyon & Marseille.
I'm looking forward to the tournament because there's no massive favourite for me, I think there's six or seven teams that have a great chance and some of the smaller teams now have some star power. I think that has something to do with the Globalisation of football and similar to the Premier League the smaller sides being more competitive should make for a better tournament.
Embarrassing array of talent considering Benzema, Lacazette and Gameiro aren't in the squad.
They could potentially struggle at the back though. Varane, Laporte and Zouma all out injured are big losses.
Every WC and Euro tournament I organise a some sort of sweepstake (never just a straight draw though). In the build up I get quite excited about this. This year, I only got around to it when people started questioning me about when I'd do it - there was no enthusiasm. I'm not sure whether it's me falling out of love with football (aided by the gruesome twosome and their shenanigans), or whether this year's tourney is the dullest for decades.
Means that you'd get less meaningless group games as we'd have to endure nearly two weeks of getting through the first round of group games from A to H, instead the Euro groups would flash by in an instance and by being open to only the best sixteen teams you'd get great matches nearly every game (with a handful of matches against underdog sides that had made it).
Now though the Euros by being extended to 24-teams means that yes we'll see the best teams and best players but the group stages will drag by... progression to the 2nd round will see more teams advance than those that go home which isn't right.
When you have groups which involve two teams progressing, the matches are really cagey because defeat in your first game means you must get a result in the second if you want to advance... Hopefully in this case teams will surely need to attack because they wont want to be one of the two worst third placed teams but no doubt will be still cagey as they dont want to be the side that finishes bottom!!
Of course not saying that England have a given right to host a competition but when you see France hosting yet again and with dodgy voting coming from FIFA and UEFA its no surprise that people dont get more excited for it.
I imagine even less people being excited for Euro 2020 because its being held everywhere rather than one country!!
Was watching the Thierry Henry Euro's programme last night and was struck with hindsight how much the German / Dutch / French sides of the 80s / 90s were filled with what we now recognise as top players.
Lastly, watch out for Austria and Switzerland, the central European countries both have a few stand out players but they have great squad togetherness and mental toughness too, and one could be surprising semifinalists in my eyes.
Would just remind them of Euro 96 and Kuntz strutting aound
for the tournament I just hope for some underdogs getting a few results against the big teams... got Iceland to win it.
i hope he stays at Leicester as he said he wouldn't leave whatever came up. if he does imo (if he cares) he would go way down in my view. edit: if he does stay he would go way up in my view. man of his word would be welcome change in the crazy rich fickle world of top football.
Sounds amazing, we'll end up in Marseille next weekend after visiting Nice & Lyon, can't wait to see it.
If they can build a bit of momentum they are capable of winning it, they're probably the best of the dark horses. Would that make them dim horses?
Hazard - Been arguably shite all season
Lukaku - Good Striker but Kenwyn Jones had a couple of outstanding seasons
Benteke - Ditto above
Feilani - Again arguably just above average Prem Midfielder last 2 seasons
Be Bruyne - I would class him as a Very good Player, amongst a side of Superstars, possibly their one World Class Player IMO
Cortois - Very good but wasn't outstanding last season, again, IMO wasn't in top 3 Prem Keepers last year.
Id love to be proved wrong but as per a few on here I believe they are overated.