jazzypom wrote in ontd_football

euros and friendlies all tied up with strings



Chatter from the sidelines


Pictures: a selection from the matches played yesterday
Euro qualifiers- Israel 0- 1 Belgium

Line up. Idek if I like this kit

Kompany got two yellows= red

Got sent off! But I hear that entire match was weird. Fill me in on the deets

Israel in the mix, but came away with nowt in the end

Holland 2- 0 Spain

Iniesta in the field. God help me, I like the Spanish 3rd kit. I don't particularly care for the team, but I'd rock the long sleeved third kit. Hmmm. Must think about this

Is it me or has Ramos' teeth gotten bigger?

de Gea was in goal, his defenders let him down. "Hostia," he thinks "this is why they brought me in, because I'm accustomed to leaky defence at Man U."

For the first time in seven years, the Dutch team had no van surnames. They were van free

Suarez and Depay getting into the mix

Bernant and Jaanmat getting in there

David De Gea screamed at his defence. Good!

Ironically, some people started blaming the English for their Spanish woes!!!! They say that the old team had people coming in together through youth teams in clutches, coming from cantera to first teams, like the Barcelona and the Real Madrid crews, but now they are peeling off to England, and are individuals instead of the cohesive moment they had back in the day. Dude, say what? The team is in transition. Pep Guardiola, in his watershed series Juego de Posición intimates that you have to start seeding new players into teams every four years. Spain had a magical four years from 2008- 2012 because all their players were coming into the peak of their powers. They didn't start to seed in 2010 when they should have done, and got caught out in 2014. Look to Pep Guardiola's articles that he wrote when he was doing editorials in the Catalan dailies, the blue print is there. England, we already have our issues and are working through it, thanks. To quote that toddler on youtube, worry about yourself

Italy 1 - 1 England

The line up. When Roy Hodgson named Jones for the friendly, I cackled like a loon because bruh, what? "Woy gives no fcuks," said a poster at Reddit, "because that's not the way to go"


Friendlies are a time to experiment with the team line up, so I wasn't expecting a win or us marauding over the opposition. It's Italy- they are the masters and creators of Catenaccio. They play cagey, they throw the lock, and England has always found its force blunted when it comes to the Azzuri. That being said, dropping Rooney in midfield? Did this work for LvG and Man United?


Walcott was to show why he'd be worth northwards of £90k a week. Um


And we were off. Giorgio Chiellini was all over Kane like Suárez's teeth on the aforementioned's shoulder.


Midfield battles were everywhere


Kane got started, not necessarily to get a hat trick (although that would have been nice). Got it to see what top flight international football would be like, to hopefully take that experience with him to the U21s


Graziano Pelle got his first shot in the back for the net... damn it. He's been begging for goal in the last upteen matches and he finds it with us? FIGURES!


Ah England, we used to defend. What happened to us? Joe Hart was working for far too much


This is why England is pretty secular. If you follow football, it is its own religion. The act of support a measure of faith in itself. We'll get a second star on our crest, we will. One day. Until then, you turn up and support.



Second half, Michael Carrick came on. Jones, you had your audition and failed. Carrick forced the midfield open, gave the lads up front service. Then Roy threw on the Spuds as subs, Andros Townsend and Ryan Mason. Carrick aiming the balls forward, Mason got a cross to Townsend and...


Tick, tick, tick, tick... BOOM!


Townsend gets feted by his Spurs teammates. Spurs wonder why Poch won't put him on the left, because when he's on the right... his form is spotty. Spurs also wonder why Townsend grows when he puts on the England shirt, but can be invisible in the Lillywhite.

Switzerland 1 - 1 YEW ES AYY

Brek Shea covers his face because he did an unbelievable thing

Got the USMNT in lead.

I believe that we can w---- get carded by the ref for telling him something unsavoury

Switzerland equalised at the 80th minute. The take away is, the USMNT look more cohesive (don't you guys have a nickname? Like... la roja, or the three lions, or the oranje? No? Okay) but lacks defensive verve

OP: done! Sorry about the lack of South American teams, but their pictures aren't on the wire by the time I get up. Any cheers, jeers or pushback, you know the drill. Thanks
club: juventusclub: manchester unitednt: belgiumnt: englandnt: italynt: netherlandsnt: spainnt: united states

LJ Video