International Friendlies Thread

Watching Italy v Brazil. Brazil walking all over Italy ,0_2@ half time.

More like Italy walking all over Brazil, but Brazil somehow winning 2-0

Is it? You are probably right, I only saw the last 10 mins of 1st half and I,m drunk

Italy catch up within 11 mins of 2nd half restart. Derossi & ballotelli

Who thought it would be a good idea to hire Clarke Carlisle as a commentator?

Italy could be 3 -2 up. Ballotelli missed a sitter. Neymar las done eff all.

Distracting watching italian tv coverage, they actually squeeze in ads during breaks in play.

2-2 ft

Balotelli was boss again yesterday Always impressed with him when he plays for the Azzuri

That goal was ridiculous.

Brazil are so underwhelming right now. They still have time to get it right of course but they are just trying to shoehorn as many attacking players into the side right now, no balance whatsoever. Kaka and Oscar on the wings

Neymar right now is chronically overrated too, not fit to clean Balotelli's boots

The only player impressing me is Hernanes, very classy player, off both feet too

Neymar has yet to really impress in any international game I've seen him play in. Most overhyped player since the last Brazilian.

Romford Pele wrote:Brazil are so underwhelming right now. They still have time to get it right of course but they are just trying to shoehorn as many attacking players into the side right now, no balance whatsoever. Kaka and Oscar on the wings :doh:

Neymar right now is chronically overrated too, not fit to clean Balotelli's boots :k:

The only player impressing me is Hernanes, very classy player, off both feet too :ale:

imo Fernando, Hernanes, Oscar is reasonable on paper - particularly if one of the fullbacks plays conservatively - and in the Italy match the 3 were all individually decent albeit without really gelling (Fernando was quiet, but he covered his space, and chances mainly came from inside the flanks rather than the hole). Thing is, the Brazilian forwards are too direct so they don't really get a chance to use their midfield's creativity. I think it's an issue of ethos rather than personnel.

I think matches like these are good for Neymar, he was so awful in the Olympics and needs to learn how he can play against modern elite sides. His assist was nice. He needs these games to catch up with Hazard.

christmasborocooper wrote:Neymar has yet to really impress in any international game I've seen him play in. Most overhyped player since the last Brazilian.

Flat... track... bully.

NeoChap wrote:

Romford Pele wrote:Brazil are so underwhelming right now. They still have time to get it right of course but they are just trying to shoehorn as many attacking players into the side right now, no balance whatsoever. Kaka and Oscar on the wings

Neymar right now is chronically overrated too, not fit to clean Balotelli's boots

The only player impressing me is Hernanes, very classy player, off both feet too

imo Fernando, Hernanes, Oscar is reasonable on paper - particularly if one of the fullbacks plays conservatively - and in the Italy match the 3 were all individually decent albeit without really gelling (Fernando was quiet, but he covered his space, and chances mainly came from inside the flanks rather than the hole). Thing is, the Brazilian forwards are too direct so they don't really get a chance to use their midfield's creativity. I think it's an issue of ethos rather than personnel.

I think matches like these are good for Neymar, he was so awful in the Olympics and needs to learn how he can play against modern elite sides. His assist was nice. He needs these games to catch up with Hazard.

Yep, Brazil's forwards are way too detached from their midfield so everything they do looks very individualistic. Until they learn to attack and defend as a unit, they'll exit the competition against the first decent team they come up against. Even England would beat them in a knock-out game currently. Where was Ramires last night? At least he injects some energy into the lifeless central midfield area.

I'll eat my hat if Brazil win the World Cup next year.

Murray wrote:I'll eat my hat if Brazil win the World Cup next year.

Brasil are just beginning to get a team together with Scolari. Their first game against England, I believe they only trained together one day and it showed. Against Russia, they took their very first step, and it showed.

Brasil will be ready. Write them off at your own hat-eating!

Puro wrote:

Murray wrote:I'll eat my hat if Brazil win the World Cup next year.

Brasil are just beginning to get a team together with Scolari. Their first game against England, I believe they only trained together one day and it showed. Against Russia, they took their very first step, and it showed.

Brasil will be ready. Write them off at your own hat-eating!

It's the worst Brazil squad since the pile of shite they had in the 1990 World Cup

Home advantage is a big thing & I'd certainly not write Brazil off - but whether they can 'get a team together' to win the tournament in just over a year is questionable when they'll be up against very well established teams like Spain & Germany.

perhaps some parallels with Germany 2006 - low expectations from results pre-tournament, but they did better than many expected when it came to tournament. still not enough to win it.

Murray wrote:
It's the worst Brazil squad since the pile of shite they had in the 1990 World Cup

Brasil 1990 got a lot of stick because it did not have the fantasía of the 1982 and 1986 teams, but they all share the same thing: extreme bad luck! TFS!

Brasil '82 = the best team in the WC by far, can only be beaten by themselves and so it came to be as they went half-ass against Italia. There was a game on and they didn't know about it. Spotted Italia leads with ugly goals.

Brasil '86 = the best team in the WC again (this team was even better than the '82 edition because Careca replaced the donkey Serginho up front! Zico missed his PK against France and it was game over right then and there. UNLUCKY ZICO!

Brasil '90 = Lazaroni was the Mourinho before Mourinho, but Lazaroni had some fantasy in his teams. So tough to break them down, Brasil scores and it was game over. Arguably the best team in '90 as well. Dominated Argentina and Maradona, they hit the post and crossbar 100 times, Goicoechea played the game of his life! oh and one genius move by Maradona and Canniggia scored. It was Argentina's only shot on goal and they won! just like when Chelsea beat Barça while defending the entire game. TFS!

You sound like an England fan. We'd have won every world cup if only for penalties/hitting the bar/the keeper being amazing

debaser wrote:You sound like an England fan. We'd have won every world cup if only for penalties/hitting the bar/the keeper being amazing

The HUGE difference is that Brasil were utterly destroying their opponents until the unfortunate (for them) series of events unfolded unlike the team of the k/h.a../z/ars who were always given a push.

1966 was the ultimate heist in World Cup history. Everyone outside England knows it!

1990 comes to mind too, when Belgium and Cameroon were ROBBED when England were getting penalties as end-of-the-year gifts! And they weren't even penalties at all. Pure robbery! TFS!

That's the difference, delusion (England) and extreme bad luck (Brasil). TFS!

Are you scared about Montenegro?

Puro wrote:

debaser wrote:You sound like an England fan. We'd have won every world cup if only for penalties/hitting the bar/the keeper being amazing

The HUGE difference is that Brasil were utterly destroying their opponents until the unfortunate (for them) series of events unfolded unlike the team of the k/h.a../z/ars who were always given a push.

1966 was the ultimate heist in World Cup history. Everyone outside England knows it!

1990 comes to mind too, when Belgium and Cameroon were ROBBED when England were getting penalties as end-of-the-year gifts! And they weren't even penalties at all. Pure robbery! TFS!

That's the difference, delusion (England) and extreme bad luck (Brasil). TFS!

Hmm this is not all strictly true is it..take World Cup 1990:

Brazil 2-1 Sweden
Brazil 1-0 Costa Rica
Brazil 1-0 Scotland
Brazil 0-1 Argentina

"utterly destroying their opponents"

Puro wrote:Are you scared about Montenegro?

Yes, terrified. Hold me, Puro

You 'forgot' the '82 and '86 WC's.

And I forgot to mention the HUGE México-USA game tonight right after the Venezuela-Colombia War!

well here's something else not strictly true:

1990 comes to mind too, when Belgium and Cameroon were ROBBED when England were getting penalties as end-of-the-year gifts! And they weren't even penalties at all. Pure robbery! TFS!

the 2 penalties against Cameroon were both penalties. 1st one you could argue Lineker wasn't in control of ball but his legs were taken by defender nowhere near winning ball. 2nd he was through on goal, took it past keeper and was tripped. Pretty blatant.

Everyone can watch them here and judge whether or not Puro is being honest in his assessment:



Belgium there was no penalty, but a last minute winner, Platt's volley.

I think he's dishonest.

Puro wrote:

debaser wrote:You sound like an England fan. We'd have won every world cup if only for penalties/hitting the bar/the keeper being amazing

The HUGE difference is that Brasil were utterly destroying their opponents until the unfortunate (for them) series of events unfolded unlike the team of the k/h.a../z/ars who were always given a push.

1966 was the ultimate heist in World Cup history. Everyone outside England knows it!

1990 comes to mind too, when Belgium and Cameroon were ROBBED when England were getting penalties as end-of-the-year gifts! And they weren't even penalties at all. Pure robbery! TFS!

That's the difference, delusion (England) and extreme bad luck (Brasil). TFS!

Are you scared about Montenegro?

I can't have this Puro. Everyone inside and outside England knows that the ultimate heist in World Cup history was Italy in 1934. All others aspire to that degree of larceny!

EMP wrote:I can't have this Puro. Everyone inside and outside England knows that the ultimate heist in World Cup history was Italy in 1934. All others aspire to that degree of larceny!

Not to mention Argentina '78. Involving a certain country beginning with P losing 6-0 in suspicious circumstances

debaser wrote:

EMP wrote:I can't have this Puro. Everyone inside and outside England knows that the ultimate heist in World Cup history was Italy in 1934. All others aspire to that degree of larceny!

Not to mention Argentina '78. Involving a certain country beginning with P losing 6-0 in suspicious circumstances

Doesn't that result have Pope Francis' blessing now?

EMP, 1934 was also a HUGE robbery!

Debbie, in 1978, Perú were threatened at halftime my members of the Argie Junta and soldiers with machine guns. Look it up!

The goalie Quiroga and a couple defenders namely Manzo (who went to play in Argentina) may have been bribed, but Cubillas and the rest were not. They hit the post twice in the first half. It was after the halftime 'meeting' that the mood of the entire team changed. Their lives were threatened in a friendly manner.

Videla said "entre amigos hay que ayudarnos no les parece" (friends help each other, don't you think) and behind him his soldiers with the machine guns. Ask Kissinger, he was there!

Puro wrote:EMP, 1934 was also a HUGE robbery!

Debbie, in 1978, Perú were threatened at halftime my members of the Argie Junta and soldiers with machine guns. Look it up!

The goalie Quiroga and a couple defenders namely Manzo (who went to play in Argentina) may have been bribed, but Cubillas and the rest were not. They hit the post twice in the first half. It was after the halftime 'meeting' that the mood of the entire team changed. Their lives were threatened in a friendly manner.

Videla said "entre amigos hay que ayudarnos no les parece" (friends help each other, don't you think) and behind him his soldiers with the machine guns. Ask Kissinger, he was there!

Indeed! Which is why I added it as an example of a very dodgy world cup. Argentina would not have got to the final without a huge win & they got a huge win by threatening/bribing the opposition.

you can go on about dodgy refs in '66 but a team being threatened with their lives unless they lose by enough goals to let the host nation reach the final is far more clear-cut case of a fixed world cup..