Captain Poll – Final

Pity it wasnt 6 transfers for semi-finals and 6 for the final.

Night everyone, can't wait for Doos/Gink to toss that coin! ( 😉 )

LONG POST. My take on the Italy game and why I back Italy in the final against Spain.

Like many fans I was left thinking "WHY??" after just seeing Italy frustrate Germany and get two goals, each seemingly from nowhere. Everyone knew it would be important to mark Pirlo. It looked like the Germans had tried, from the start at least. And Italy were playing one of the top two sides in the world. How did Italy not only get the ball in the net, but create so many one-on-one opportunities that they should have scored at least 4? Here's my thoughts.

Italy are very difficult to beat because they play a completely different system from virtually every other side in the competition - that is, variants of 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3 and 4-4-2. They are regarded as playing a diamond midfield with two strikers - with Pirlo at the bottom of the diamond and Montolivo at the top, in the hole. Pirlo is the deep-lying playmaker: he sits behind the three midfielders and pulls the strings with the long balls out to the diagonals we always see.

* This is the first reason why it is very hard to play against Italy's unique approach. Everyone wants to mark Pirlo, but at what cost? You must ask either your striker or man in the hole to mark him, in which case he has already restricted your attacking threat, or you must bring your defensive midfielders out of position in which case space opens up behind them - and we saw acres of space between the German midfield and defence tonight. It is because he is so deep that he is so hard to mark.

* The second reason why it is very hard to play against Italy was horrifyingly obvious if you were supporting Germany tonight - they also have a player in the hole (Montolivo)... what's unusual about that, you might ask? ... behind TWO (not the usual one) strikers making diagonal runs towards the corner flags. Defending as a back four against the runs of two strikers is tricky. If your fullbacks have been caught out of position and you're a back two, you're finished, and Italy should have scored at least 4. Apologies for this dumb comparison but it works: Ever played FIFA with a diamond midfield and two strikers and all you need to do is get the ball to the man in the hole, send the strikers on runs and take your pick of which one to assist for a 1 on 1? That's what Italy did to Germany tonight.

* The third reason it is very hard to play against Italy is to do with the two strikers again, and it's to do with how every team seems to play nowadays: attacking fullbacks. Fullbacks have to go forward to support the attack. The two strikers simply run into the space they've vacated and cause merry hell. Keep your fullbacks back? Your attack dies. The number of times a striker was set up in a position where the fullback would normally stand was incredible.

* The fourth and final reason is that Italy don't just play a different formation, they play a different kind of football. The ideal game of every other big team in the competition is to exquisitely pass through their opponents on the ground, resulting in the dead games you keep seeing, where the ball simply will not squeeze through the gaps in the human wall. Italy have a simple solution, and that is to play the same exquisite passes in the air. You don't need lots of possession. You don't even need lots of territory because you can do this from anywhere inside your half. You just need one placed pass. Balotelli's first goal today didn't just come from a brilliant cross, the move began from a brilliant long placed lob to the flank. Balotelli was put through on the keeper for his second goal by another brilliantly placed lob.

In short, and this goes the furthest to explaining how Italy score against the best, they do not depend on possession to create goals. In fact, the more the opponents have, the further they move up the pitch and the more space they have to hit their lobs.

REGARDING SPAIN
Spain are vulnerable to all four of these problems. They play a fluid 4-3-3 and will either have to decide whether to put their center forward on Pirlo or one of their midfield 3, in which case they would be outnumbered in midfield and their passing breaks down. Their fullbacks get forward massively, playing virtually as extra wingers, offering acres of space for Italy's two forwards. Defence-wise, we've also seen from their Germany and Spain games that Italy are very comfortable camping on the edge of their box. Spain are also disadvantaged in the air (especially since the loss of Puyol) against a team which specializes in playing lobs over the top of the defence. They play a high line which is asking to be exposed by such lobs - and was exposed by Di Natale in their 1-1 draw. And finally, their dominance of possession with tiki-taka is a defensive technique as much as an offensive one. "If you have the ball, they can't score." But against a team like Italy that plays this sort of pass and has this sort of player to deliver it, that is no longer true.

looking ahead to fpl i suppose

"the petric system" is a viable fpl name or some other play on it

Hey guys, rate my team for the final!!

No GK

Alba Bonucci Pique

Pirlo Biscuits Fabregas

Negredo Balotelli

taken a 3 point hit to get this:

Casillas
Abate Alba Ramos
Busquets Fabregas Iniesta Pirlo
Balotelli Negredo Silva

Will Negredo come on at all? Would it be better to take another 3 point hit and get Cassano?

Hopefully Abate is back, but Buffon or Casillas?

anyone here get Italy or Spain in their work sweeps?

Wild Rover with Uncle Albert as grav, man with no name?

Up to 650, from 1800, would be 479 if it hadn't been for Childish Gambino. 🙁

9 players for the final with a 3 pt hit and 5 pt behind the leader of my ML think i have no chance :S too bad it was a good euro overall 🙂 feeling it will be a 0-0 final what do you think?

right folks I'm off for the night. Goldy and Garg have been re-instated to Uefa competitions. Since Giggs Boson didn't beat me in a non-UEFA contest I can;t ban him 😛

Top 20 but 16pts off the leader and only got 3 x Spain (Alba, Alonso and Iniesta) and 2 x Italy (Abate and Balotelli)

Assuming Abate isn't going to play, if I want to overhaul those above me, I have to take a punt on Italian's I think.

Question...

If I had asked a few days ago whether it was worth subbing a player who had three points for a nailed on player in a good team, most would have said yes, gamble....
So how come those people are now saying don't take hits in the final even if you don't have eleven players? Same thing... 😕

I reckon Fabregas is 100% nailed on.

1) VDB picked him against Italy in GW1, and he scored
2) Spain will want to pack the midfield in order to stop Pirlo dictating the game
3) More specifically, Fabregas is by far the strongest candidate for stopping Pirlo
4) VDB will feel as if he owes Fabregas after his winning penalty
5) Fabregas provided the assist for the goal that won the World Cup
6) Negredo is just awful, and VDB hates Torres and Llorente

I have given up

Casillas

Pique, arbeloa, alba,
iniesta, alonso, busquets, fabregas
negredo

6 point hit.. ALL OR NOTHING

Hmmmm, positive I had a bet on an Itsly Spain final, but can't find it. 🙁

Oh well Balotelli first scorer 9-1

chellini or barzaleti?

So who do the mighty Croatia face in the FFS Euro2012 final?

In my belief Italy can win this I am thinking of the following "DEFIANCE TEAM". 3 point hit. Can also get Alonso in for another hit in case Italy give away a penalty :'(

Casillas
Bonucci Barzagli Abate Arbeloa Alba
Montolivo Pirlo Iniesta
Cassano Balotelli

Subs: Negredo

Ok how this look. 3 pt hit.

Buffon
Ramos Arbeloa Pique Alba
Marchisio Pirlo Iniesta
Ballo Negredo

It's hilarious how you can select 12 players from one team for the final. So you can select the entire Spanish/Italian starting XI?

6 pt hit to get this team worth it

casillas

pique alba ramos barzagli

iniesta pirlo alonso fabs

balo negredo

or should i remove barzagli and just go with a 3 pt hit?

Leading my minigroup with 10pt margin. Need strategy advice for the final.

My current team:
NO wildcard, 0.2 in bank, 4 FT remaining

7.0, 4.0
Alba, Arbeloa, Abate, 6.5, 4.0
Pirlo, Diamanti, Busquets, 10.0, 7.5
Silva, Balotelli, Negredo

Second place team (10pt difference):
NO Wildcard, 4FT
Casillas
Jordi Alba
Busquets, Marchisio, Xabi Alonso
Silva
...so he can actually field 11 for the final round without penalty.

Third place team (13pt difference):
WILDCARD AVAILABLE!!!
no GK
Jordi Alba
Xabi Alonso, Busquets, Marchisio
Silva

4th place and beyond is 21+ pt away, so I don't care about them.

My options:
1) Nullify the differentials from 2nd place team by choosing Casillas, Marchisio, Xabi Alonso.
2) Make my final round team balanced, so I can benefit from CS by either Spain or Italy. This gives me a low-risk, low-reward strategy.
3) Go all-out on one of the teams (hopefully the same team that #3 position chooses with the wildcard) and hope I don't miss.

What would you do?

Help needed, I've still got WC so transfers are limitless..

Casillas,
Alba, Piqué, Arbeloa;
Busquets, Pirlo, Iniesta, Marchisio,
Silva, Cassano & Balotelli..

Changes/Suggestions thoroughly welcome.

^ ^ ^ ^ There's no other way.

Night all!

In the hope of a German - Spain final, I had a lot of German players and Portugal players who I thought I could replace with free transfers. Now have to take a 9 point hit...

Should I go heavy on Italy or Spain... I am leaning towards Italy...

intresting stat: spain have gone 28 matches in the euro undefeated their last defeat was in 2006 vs sweeden :

Had Balotelli captain and Ozil in my midfield. 42 points ahead of local money league opposition. Great night really. 400 quid in the bag.

Sorry but I can't bring myself to get Balo. An easy header and a great finish that Spain would have never have allowed him v the red card disaster waiting to happen and the measly Spanish def is just not worth the risk in the final....

Eeee if I only have picked Ballo as I wanted. All the troubles would have been gone