Even game, defensive Italy needs to change though. Ventura must not be exactly like previous coach. Candreva should play next time. Iniesta was ineffective as was Diego Costa.
@bradley.fcb Agreed. Attacking wise, of course Ramos is clutch and can win you a game but he can also cost your team defensively. He gets way to many card, makes too many positional errors, and misses tackles left and right. There's no question that Barzagli is a better defender than Ramos. Yet no one talks about him. Barzagli didn't make one error last season in all competitions that led to a goal and the same can't be said for Ramos or even Pique.
@Calcio_Guy Actually Ramos can win you CUPS not only games. Barzagli has excellent positioning and is one of the best tacklers of the game. Is this enough to make him a better defender? I don't think so. He does not have pace and not enough stamina to play on a line of four.
@BeautifulLoser It is enough. We are talking about defending here. Barzagli never gets cards, im pretty sure he only received one all of last season. Ramos gets way too many cards and makes critical errors. How many penalties has he given up in the past few years? Imagine if Ramos played for Granada. No one would rate him nearly as highly but Barzagli would continue to be steady for any team. You say he doesn't have pace? He is actually pretty fast, much faster than Bonucci and Pique in fact. And his stamina is still somewhat there but he is older now so of course its harder for him but he never seems to lose concentration towards the end of matches.
@Calcio_Guy- There's no question there are 25 defenders better than Ramos. You want him on the pitch but playing him as a CB is ridiculous. It's that most difficult position to play in the modern game because of the excessively attacking game-plans, ultra-high lines and the emphasis on being able to "play" rather than defend. Barzaghli doesn't get mentioned because he's a genuine defender. I haven't even seen Bonucci mentioned until recently and that's only because the Euro-wide media expected Chelsea and/or Man City to bid for him. He is probably the best all-round CB in the world. Pique is better than Ramos but still a poor defender by stndards of the previous generation when the world was awash with excellent CBs. He looks great playing next to Mascherano/Mathieu, mind you. :-p
@SteveHyland No way that Bonucci is the best all-round center back in the world. He is one of the most overrated defenders in the top 5 leagues. His long balls are overrated: statistics are the proof. He has frequent concentration drops. He lacks timing in his tackles. His aerial skills are on a very basic level (remember Bayern's comeback against Juventus?) Only a monothematic coach like Conte would make a 70mln euro bid for him. He is okay in a line of three and if he is supported he has moments of class. But that's not enough to make him one of the best.
@BeautifulLoser Bonucci isn't the best CB in the world but he is still pretty solid and works well in a back 3. Barzagli is clearly the best CB for Italy right now. Many would say Chiellini but again he makes too many mistakes with the ball.
We could have easily won it too. People complaining about Italy performance... they played defensively and that's fine. 2nd half is where we go for it. Terrible calls from the ref. Ramos should have been carded for foul on Montolivo which injured him badly. immobile WASN'T offside and he could have scored on that breakaway. Diego Costa should have been sent off, he hit bonucci twice AND kicked the ball into the stands powerfully way after whistle was blown. He almost didn't call that clear penalty and his assistant had to tell him... Masterful performance from the back 3 as usual. Immobile barely offside on that goal that could have been the winner. Barzagli or De Rossi man of the match.
@Calcio_Guy First half wasn't just defensive, it was passive and terrible. Only makes to sense to play that way if defending a goal lead down to 10 men in last 10 minutes. Nothing like Conte.
@Calcio_Guy Yes. Referee team was terrible. Most sanctions and offside decision were out of this world. Penalty shouldn't have been give. Pellè, Bonucci, Costa and Ramos should've been sent off.
@BeautifulLoser Well at least we can agree on this. Pelle? Didn't see him do anything deserving a red card. Not matter what u think of the way Italy play... these two teams dont deserve to be in the same group.
@neumi17 As they always do. By cheating, diving and behaving hysterically. With a little help from a positively atrocious referee team and Spain's massive drop in concentration.
@BeautifulLoser How did Italy cheat? Did Costa not smack Bonucci in the face? Did Ramos not foul Eder? Morata dove and held his face when jumping against Bonucci and got him booked for no reason.
Zero shots on goal, 22 % possession, ridiculously 67% pass success and only one dribble for the entire italian team at halftime, quite embarrassing for the offense and even worse than I had anticipated...
This will be a great test for Ventura. This rejuvenated Spanish team will be tough to beat unless Ventura exercises some tactical magic like Conte did in the last Euro. Forza Azzurri!! Predicting a 2-2 draw.
So Red cards against Israel do not count in qualifying matches or what ? Hint : Chiellini , PS. Spain will get a goal , if they will get any points is another topic.
Even game, defensive Italy needs to change though. Ventura must not be exactly like previous coach. Candreva should play next time. Iniesta was ineffective as was Diego Costa.
This was the best game I've seen from Spain since the final of euro 2012. I've never seen David Silva performing in big games.
Sergio Ramos is the most overrated defender of all time
@bradley.fcb Agreed. Attacking wise, of course Ramos is clutch and can win you a game but he can also cost your team defensively. He gets way to many card, makes too many positional errors, and misses tackles left and right. There's no question that Barzagli is a better defender than Ramos. Yet no one talks about him. Barzagli didn't make one error last season in all competitions that led to a goal and the same can't be said for Ramos or even Pique.
@Calcio_Guy Actually Ramos can win you CUPS not only games. Barzagli has excellent positioning and is one of the best tacklers of the game. Is this enough to make him a better defender? I don't think so. He does not have pace and not enough stamina to play on a line of four.
@BeautifulLoser It is enough. We are talking about defending here. Barzagli never gets cards, im pretty sure he only received one all of last season. Ramos gets way too many cards and makes critical errors. How many penalties has he given up in the past few years? Imagine if Ramos played for Granada. No one would rate him nearly as highly but Barzagli would continue to be steady for any team. You say he doesn't have pace? He is actually pretty fast, much faster than Bonucci and Pique in fact. And his stamina is still somewhat there but he is older now so of course its harder for him but he never seems to lose concentration towards the end of matches.
@Calcio_Guy- There's no question there are 25 defenders better than Ramos. You want him on the pitch but playing him as a CB is ridiculous. It's that most difficult position to play in the modern game because of the excessively attacking game-plans, ultra-high lines and the emphasis on being able to "play" rather than defend. Barzaghli doesn't get mentioned because he's a genuine defender. I haven't even seen Bonucci mentioned until recently and that's only because the Euro-wide media expected Chelsea and/or Man City to bid for him. He is probably the best all-round CB in the world. Pique is better than Ramos but still a poor defender by stndards of the previous generation when the world was awash with excellent CBs. He looks great playing next to Mascherano/Mathieu, mind you. :-p
@SteveHyland No way that Bonucci is the best all-round center back in the world. He is one of the most overrated defenders in the top 5 leagues. His long balls are overrated: statistics are the proof. He has frequent concentration drops. He lacks timing in his tackles. His aerial skills are on a very basic level (remember Bayern's comeback against Juventus?) Only a monothematic coach like Conte would make a 70mln euro bid for him. He is okay in a line of three and if he is supported he has moments of class. But that's not enough to make him one of the best.
@BeautifulLoser Bonucci isn't the best CB in the world but he is still pretty solid and works well in a back 3. Barzagli is clearly the best CB for Italy right now. Many would say Chiellini but again he makes too many mistakes with the ball.
@SteveHyland- * Barzagli I meant, not Barzaghli.
@Calcio_Guy no talks? what about Roman Abramovic ?
@koziol.mutant He talks about Barzagli?
We could have easily won it too. People complaining about Italy performance... they played defensively and that's fine. 2nd half is where we go for it. Terrible calls from the ref. Ramos should have been carded for foul on Montolivo which injured him badly. immobile WASN'T offside and he could have scored on that breakaway. Diego Costa should have been sent off, he hit bonucci twice AND kicked the ball into the stands powerfully way after whistle was blown. He almost didn't call that clear penalty and his assistant had to tell him... Masterful performance from the back 3 as usual. Immobile barely offside on that goal that could have been the winner. Barzagli or De Rossi man of the match.
@Calcio_Guy First half wasn't just defensive, it was passive and terrible. Only makes to sense to play that way if defending a goal lead down to 10 men in last 10 minutes. Nothing like Conte.
Second half is better of Italy but I am not shure it that will be enough. Why such a dismal performance in the first half?
@neumi17 I hope I won't see neither the hysterical catenaccio divers nor the "kompletter Vollidiot Dr. Felix" Brych at the World Cup.
Diego Costa is one of the most stupid players in the history of football.
@BeautifulLoser He is a very passionate guy. He can't handle his emotion during the game.
@CirdomAkul Sorry but I don't agree. To kick off the ball like that is not passion, it's plain stupidity.
@BeautifulLoser Yet still allowed to stay on the pitch.. terrible ref
@Calcio_Guy Yes. Referee team was terrible. Most sanctions and offside decision were out of this world. Penalty shouldn't have been give. Pellè, Bonucci, Costa and Ramos should've been sent off.
@BeautifulLoser Well at least we can agree on this. Pelle? Didn't see him do anything deserving a red card. Not matter what u think of the way Italy play... these two teams dont deserve to be in the same group.
After 55 minutes on Italian ground, 0-11 shots and 0-12 corners. Just pathetic...
How can Italy not lose that game, that is the question...
@neumi17 As they always do. By cheating, diving and behaving hysterically. With a little help from a positively atrocious referee team and Spain's massive drop in concentration.
@BeautifulLoser kid shut up. Stop with your lame conspiracy theories. You make the stupidest accusations and predictions on this site.
@BeautifulLoser How did Italy cheat? Did Costa not smack Bonucci in the face? Did Ramos not foul Eder? Morata dove and held his face when jumping against Bonucci and got him booked for no reason.
@ForzaItalia This should've been a booking for both of them. At least one booking for Pellè for his fouls on Iniesta and Ramos.
The referees' performance is abysmal at halftime. The rating is hilarious: Italy 6.53 vs. Spain 6.45?
@BeautifulLoser Not shure what the ratings are based on but certainly not on the stats of this game!
Zero shots on goal, 22 % possession, ridiculously 67% pass success and only one dribble for the entire italian team at halftime, quite embarrassing for the offense and even worse than I had anticipated...
2-2
Neither team has good 1-1 players but Italy is just to limited to win. 2-0 spain
My prediction will be on goals under 1.5 goals / total 1-2 goals, with possible scores 1-0 FT, 1-1 FT. GL
can be draw, both quite happy with it, 1-1
@koziol.mutant €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€
1-0 cattenacio...
This will be a great test for Ventura. This rejuvenated Spanish team will be tough to beat unless Ventura exercises some tactical magic like Conte did in the last Euro. Forza Azzurri!! Predicting a 2-2 draw.
So Red cards against Israel do not count in qualifying matches or what ? Hint : Chiellini , PS. Spain will get a goal , if they will get any points is another topic.
Andrea (Andre?) Belotti plays for Torino, not Genoa.
Draw
Go Spain! Matalos a todos!