early start. forgot put this up ystday. no time later.
1st Round done. 29 goals (bunch of OG too) is right on par. 23 yellows not too concerned about as that will be ramped up as it continues. things will start getting chippy when facing elimination. and as luck would have it, after Round 1 we are sitting at the top on BOTH Group goal props (most: C/fewest D). will see how things unfold.
Round 2: put these in already earlier. going lightly, will let futures dictate for most part. as mentioned, just leery of that age old saying of not being as good/bad as previous match. opponent is different, in some cases so is the pitch, and table placement can cause adjustment to formation/strategies. and as mentioned, this is just the 2nd Round people always fall into this trap - teams dont "need" to do anything, just get the 'w' or whatever and give themselves a chance in the final round.
(thoughts only)
Italy/Switz - we might be neighbors but hardly ever play another. Swiss side are no pushovers as they are an experienced, especially in the back. Mancini only making one change (Florenzis injury); and barring any in-game knocks, already mentioned the same rotations. our attack from midfield to the frontline was seamless; but again this was made easier when theres no ball pressure. (though this lineup wont fare well the deeper we go). Marco might see some minutes as hes was with them on the pitch during training, will help with the MF rotations. on the other side, judging from Vlads discussions it appears hes set to put 5 across the middle. Embolos pace will be a good test for that backline, but since we are expected to win the posession game, chances might be few. as always, no plays on sides; with advancement at stake and the huge opportunity to rotate in the 3rd match, i dont expect them to push forward if have the lead, but still have that TT prop if they do. getting 3 pts, advancing and keeping a cleansheet along the way is heaven. smells like one of our customary 2-0 scorelines next wednesday. PASS.
FORZA ITALIA!!!!
but blaming the Turks for everything detracts the performance Wales put forth, a solid game. experience beat youth. spacing, ball movement, shifting and overall awareness - hallmarks of an experienced side. Gunes is just half of the blame, a coach can only do so much. letting an opponent walk down the endline - on a corner no worse for godsakes - thats not bad coaching its something else. and it's un-printable. and defenders are taught that in youth academies - make sure your heels are on the line, if he gets by you and foul? its a free kick. not a PK. of course Gareth putting it 20 rows back helped. but it should never of even come to that. cant blame coach for everything yet thats the stuff which gets them sacked. Ramsey is another classic example of playing on another level when slipping on your countrys patch cause he had a rough time with us this year. he'll be super motivated next week.
made a ton of plays for 3rd round already will try to get those up later.
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