Belgium are much like the England "golden generation".

A fantastic collection of individual talents but little else.

Good management and team ethics make good sides, I'm not sure I see either in this Belgium side.

Italy were a well organised outfit. If Conte can do that for us I'll be happy.

Belgium manager must be ready for the chop if they don't get out the group

he's so far below the quality of the pool of players available to him.

 

I'm amazed he's still there- belgium have been together for years as a group and still play off-the-cuff football hoping for individual moments of quality to see them through. compare that to italy tonight for example and it should be clear how unacceptable that has to be.

Belgium are much like the England "golden generation".

A fantastic collection of individual talents but little else.

Good management and team ethics make good sides, I'm not sure I see either in this Belgium side.

 

There's no such thing, the way they are alike is in having a sh*t coach to waste their player's talent.

A good win for Italy last night.

There's no such thing, the way they are alike is in having a sh*t coach to waste their player's talent.

You can only blame the coach so many times, if players are that good they should be a be able to band together and perform.

You can only blame the coach so many times, if players are that good they should be a be able to band together and perform.

We should just leave Man City and the like without a coach then?

Honestly Italy do this almost every tournament, it's amazing people are surprised.

How are the Belgium press reactions today?

We should just leave Man City and the like without a coach then?

Of course the coach has a part to play but a squad as stacked with individual talent as Belgium has you can't continuously blame poor performances on the coach.

For so many talented players to put in such lackluster performances says more about the players than it does about the coach.

We should just leave Man City and the like without a coach then?

Honestly Italy do this almost every tournament, it's amazing people are surprised.

In my time watching football Italy have been either pretty hot and very cold, they have been dumped out at group stage with much better players then they have now. World Cup 90 great team semis, 92 didn't even make the tornement in a group that had Yugoslavia kicked out. 94 finals. 96 dumped out at the group stage with a great team, 98 lost on pens to France , 2000 finals to France, 2002 didn't make it out of the groups , 2004 didn't make it out of the group (Denmark and Sweden) 2006 won it 2008 I think the bummed out of groups but can't remember, 2010 think as well bumbed out of groups , 2012 finals 2014 out at group stage.

To call Italy temperamental at major tornements is an understatement, there have been some great teams that disappointed. By no means predictable

Edited June 14, 201610 yr by barak81

i been reading quite a few things about how belgian were poor, blah, blah, but guaranteed if that was spain, france or germany who beat them last night, everyone would be raving how belgium were beat by the superior team. because it is a depleted, poor italy side, it's wilmots is sh*t and the belgians are bunch of individuals. it is just funny how the narratives change when quality beats quality as opposed to when the underdogs beat the superior side. so if italy beat one of the aforementioned teams, will low, deschamps or bosque be sh*t and they had a group of individuals? italy just played great under very good tactics from their coach, so it's 50/50, but italy on paper should have been beat handily by all that "quality" 

Edited June 14, 201610 yr by enigma

Well Belgium were pretty poor, they were the same at the world cup.

I don't think I have ever seen them look like they are a decent international outfit. It's the press who always build them up but they have never shown they are capable of doing anything important on the big stage.

As an Ireland fan, I thought belgium would be the tough ask in our group, but watching them play last night (albeit I was slightly, or very, drunk) I'm not too concerned, I could see us carving out a 1-0 against them. A team of individual talent, but no Kompany there to unify them and get them playing as a team. Witsel had a good game for them I thought though, he's wasted in the poxy Russian league. 

Sweden weren't great, and I thought, in my totally objective and unbiased opinion that we deserved to win that game for sure. the own goal was so soft, and we had the majority of the chances. I still think we have a decent chance of getting out of the group though, judging by how poor Belgium were. It's Italy that I worry about, but we don't have a terrible record against them in the last 20 years or so, 2 wins, 3 draws and 2 losses since 1994. COYBIG!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36515283

Some good articles on the Russian hooligans on the BBC.

Different breed now, non drinking, MMA studying fighters. You can see how easily they'd smash up many of the drunken, out of shape English hooligans pretty quickly.

You gotta laugh (and actually worry), about some of the Russian officials commenting and praising whats going on. What an odd, weird bunch.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36515283

Some good articles on the Russian hooligans on the BBC.

Different breed now, non drinking, MMA studying fighters. You can see how easily they'd smash up many of the drunken, out of shape English hooligans pretty quickly.

You gotta laugh (and actually worry), about some of the Russian officials commenting and praising whats going on. What an odd, weird bunch.

They have came out saying they don't care about bans and alcohol crack downs, they are there to fight and fight only.

They have been training for this so god knows what 2018 will hold. Hopefully English fans don't travel...simply not worth it.

If there's more violence from the Russian loons, the only logical option would be to remove their host status for the World Cup and give it to someone else, but FIFA is so corrupt that that would never happen. Shame, since England or somewhere similar with the existing stadia to host a World Cup would be a really valid alternative. 

In my time watching football Italy have been either pretty hot and very cold, they have been dumped out at group stage with much better players then they have now. World Cup 90 great team semis, 92 didn't even make the tornement in a group that had Yugoslavia kicked out. 94 finals. 96 dumped out at the group stage with a great team, 98 lost on pens to France , 2000 finals to France, 2002 didn't make it out of the groups , 2004 didn't make it out of the group (Denmark and Sweden) 2006 won it 2008 I think the bummed out of groups but can't remember, 2010 think as well bumbed out of groups , 2012 finals 2014 out at group stage.

To call Italy temperamental at major tornements is an understatement, there have been some great teams that disappointed. By no means predictable

My comments generally meant how they started each campaign, still I feel you downplayed their achievements a little.  It's easier for me to read if listed like the below.

90 World cup - 3rd

94 World cup - 2nd

96 Euros - group stage (won the first game, exit on goal difference)

98 World cup - Quarter finals (undefeated at group stage)

2000 Euros - 2nd

2002 World cup - round of 16 (they did actually make it out of the groups, lost to that South Korean team)

2004 Euros - group stage (undefeated, exit on goal difference)

2006 World cup - 1st

2008 Euros - quarter finals (lost on penalties)

2010 World cup - Group stage (easily their poorest performance in this group)

2012 Euros - 2nd

2014 World cup - group stage (stage, won their first game)

12 tournaments in 26 years

Winner x 1

Runner up x 3

Third place x 1

Knockout rounds x 3

Group stage x 4

Edit:  Probably demonstrates how hot and cold they have been, but I wonder how many countries have a better record?

 

Edited June 14, 201610 yr by Van Butsen

My comments generally meant how they started each campaign, still I feel you downplayed their achievements a little. It's easier for me to read if listed like the below.

90 World cup - 3rd

94 World cup - 2nd

96 Euros - group stage (won the first game, exit on goal difference)

98 World cup - Quarter finals (undefeated at group stage)

2000 Euros - 2nd

2002 World cup - round of 16 (they did actually make it out of the groups, lost to that South Korean team)

2004 Euros - group stage (undefeated, exit on goal difference)

2006 World cup - 1st

2008 Euros - quarter finals (lost on penalties)

2010 World cup - Group stage (easily their poorest performance in this group)

2012 Euros - 2nd

2014 World cup - group stage (stage, won their first game)

12 tournaments in 26 years

Winner x 1

Runner up x 3

Third place x 1

Knockout rounds x 3

Group stage x 4

Edit: Probably demonstrates how hot and cold they have been, but I wonder how many countries have a better record?

I think if you consider the quality of the Italian teams until this one which for me is the weakest they have underperformed as often as achieved. Don't forget a whole tornement they missed out on. Germany with a pretty poor squad for about 6 years only had one bad tornement. Spain and France have also been hit and miss I guess

BREAKING: Russia have been handed a suspended disqualification from Euro 2016 and a €150,000 fine due to fan violence.

 

Team are on the brink of being booted out.

Edited June 14, 201610 yr by Blueblur

BREAKING: Russia have been handed a suspended disqualification from Euro 2016 and a €150,000 fine due to fan violence.

Team are on the brink of being booted out.

Won't stop the ultras

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36515283

Some good articles on the Russian hooligans on the BBC.

Different breed now, non drinking, MMA studying fighters. You can see how easily they'd smash up many of the drunken, out of shape English hooligans pretty quickly.

You gotta laugh (and actually worry), about some of the Russian officials commenting and praising whats going on. What an odd, weird bunch.

 

 

Street fighting has become very popular in Russia lately.

 

The suspended disqualification and fine only relates to incidents that occurred inside the stadium and are therefore under the jurisdiction of Uefa disciplinary bodies. The decision is open to appeal.

These Russians are a strange breed. 

Squires on the fan violence, hilarious as ever: https://www.theguardian.com/football/picture/2016/jun/14/david-squires-on-euro-2016-quite-literally-kicking-off

Kyle Walker to be kicked out of England's Euro 2016 squad after committing international incident: