shevtheblue
Well-Known Member
Came to ask this..bit of a weird one if not injured but I think he played in an (u19s?) Tourney recently..
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Euro U21 Championships
- Thread starter BigOscar
- Start date
He went with the U20's instead, as Portugal have a shit ton of wingers and attacking midfielders, so kept him with the age group he's played all his football. Strange lineup from Portugal though tbh, I fancy England to win with Portugals lack of a striker and inexplicable picking of their backup wingers (instead of Rafa and Mane)Where Lopes? Injured?
Portugals midfield 4 is completely bossing it, with and without the ball, but Cavaliero and Ricardo Pereira offer next to nothing up front. England can't cope with the passing in tight areas in the middle, but when they get it out wide to the wingers they've had a lot more joy with cutting in. Can't see Portugal scoring with the current personel, unless Bernardo Silva does something all on his own
bluwes
Well-Known Member
Enjoying this game, some good football from both teams
A good game, which highlighted the larger problem with both nations football teams. England just aren't at the technical level in midfield of the top footballing nations, they had to just sit back in their own half and just weren't capable of playing in the tight spaces of the smaller pitch they made. Comparing the likes of William Carvalho and Bernardo Silva to Chalobah and Will Hughes is almost farsical.
Portugal absolutely bossed them in the middle, constantly winning it back straight away, but they lacked any real goal threat without any strikers even really on the bench. Andre Silva in the U20's is pretty much the only Portuguese striker of note at any age level, so if he doesn't come good then they'll probably have another decade of underachievement. Impressively, at one point there were 7 Sporting academy products on the pitch at the same time.
Both should still go through though, as Italy were apparently awful and Sweden are pretty average by all accounts.
Portugal absolutely bossed them in the middle, constantly winning it back straight away, but they lacked any real goal threat without any strikers even really on the bench. Andre Silva in the U20's is pretty much the only Portuguese striker of note at any age level, so if he doesn't come good then they'll probably have another decade of underachievement. Impressively, at one point there were 7 Sporting academy products on the pitch at the same time.
Both should still go through though, as Italy were apparently awful and Sweden are pretty average by all accounts.
MeatnSpudsMCFC
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 8 Jul 2009
- Messages
- 11,588
That game just highlighted everything that is wrong with the system. After all these years, we still insist on pushing out "aggressive" footballers, moulded in the same fashion of Gascoigne, Gerrard and Rooney etc. By the time those young lads reach the age of 16, their opposite numbers abroad are leagues ahead of them.
Completely out of touch with the modern game. This isn't the fucking 60s.
Completely out of touch with the modern game. This isn't the fucking 60s.
Scaring Europe to Death
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 31 Oct 2014
- Messages
- 4,347
Portugal were streets ahead in terms of technique, speed and intelligence, especially when playing in tight areas.
England were okay when they had time, but struggled when forced to think quickly.
The Brentford winger looked as lively as anyone, which summed us up really.
England were okay when they had time, but struggled when forced to think quickly.
The Brentford winger looked as lively as anyone, which summed us up really.