Putting together an all-tournament team

First, congratulations to Sixes and Sevens who won the Wicked Deflection Euro 2008 Fantasy League.

Consider some of these fantasy points totals in choosing your Tournament 11.

Strikers
Lukas Podolski, Germany - 28
Miroslav Klose, Germany - 24
David Villa, Spain - 23
Roman Pavlyuchenko, Russia - 22
Fernando Torres, Spain - 19
Nihat Kahveci, Turkey - 18
Semih Senturk, Turkey - 18
Dirk Kuyt, Netherlands - 15
Andrei Arshavin, Russia - 15
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden - 14
Robin van Persie, Netherlands - 14
Ruud van Nistelrooy, Netherlands - 14
Daniel Guiza, Spain - 14
Ivica Olic, Croatia - 12
Nuno Gomes, Portugal - 12
Libor Sionko, Czech Republic - 12


Midfielders
Wesley Sneijder, Netherlands - 25
Michael Ballack, Germany - 24
Hakan Yakin, Switzerland - 23
Cesc Fabregas, Spain - 22
Xavi, Spain - 22
David Silva, Spain - 21
Bastian Schweinsteiger, Germany - 20
Konstantin Zyrianov, Russia - 18
Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal - 17
Andres Iniesta, Spain - 17
Arda Turan, Turkey - 16
Hamit Altintop, Turkey - 16
Deco, Portugal - 15
Jaroslav Plasil, Czech Republic - 15
Sergei Semak, Russia - 15
Danijel Pranjić, Croatia - 14
Luka Modric, Croatia - 14
Orlando Engelaar, Netherlands - 14
Marcos Senna, Spain - 13
Daniele de Rossi, Italy - 13
Darijo Srna, Croatia - 12
Igor Semshov, Russia - 12
Yuri Zhirkov, Russia - 12
Arjen Robben, Netherlands - 12


Defenders
Philipp Lahm, Germany - 20
Joan Capdevila, Spain - 19
Carles Puyol, Spain - 18
Christian Panucci, Italy - 18
Sergio Ramos, Spain - 17
Carlos Marchena, Spain - 16
Petter Hansson, Sweden - 13
Gio van Bronkhorst, Netherlands - 13
Pepe, Portugal - 12
Aleksandr Anyukov, Russia - 12
Giorgio Chiellini, Italy - 12

Goalkeepers
Iker Casillas, Spain - 19
Gianluigi Buffon, Italy - 12
Jens Lehmann, Germany - 12

I'd want to see Sneijder, Robben, Iniesta, Cesc, and Senna in my midfield.
Villa and Torres up front. Podolski really faded in the last game or two.
Lahm was beaten badly on multiple occassions, but that winner against Turkey was out of this world, so he's in there.
Definitely Sergio Ramos.
Maybe Gio van Bronkhorst to round out the back three.

Casillas in goal.


Villa Torres
Cesc
Robben Sneijder Iniesta
Senna
Gio Ramos Lahm
Casillas

Your standard 3-1-3-1-2.

Disclaimer: I caught a lot of Spain and Holland games.

Torres the goal-scoring hero as Spain win Euro 2008 Final 1-0 over Germany

Torres did really well to score his goal, with Lahm and Lehmann losing out.

Aragones took off Fabregas for Xabi Alonso. Xabi did ok while he was in there, but a better manager would have found a way to keep Cesc on as he was growing into the game.

Iniesta once again looked like a great midfielder pushing forward.

One thing I like about Spain is that they can change formations and players can change positions, and there's not necessarily a nationwide moan. France and England, when they try to be creative and experiment, there's a huge uproar.

Spain and Real Madrid right back Sergio Ramos had a really strong game, both defending and pushing forward.

Spain's holding midfielder Marcos Senna was really solid, and also had some decent push forward, on the rare occasion he left his post.

For Germany, I thought Bastian Schweinsteiger was one player who looked useful. Ballack, too, perhaps, althoug he's not a likable player.

It was a good game, although it was a shame when Cesc went off.

Footballing world in dreamland on the strength of Cescy goodness

Cescy football at its finest.

I've found myself reverting to expletive non sequiturs (all deleted to improve readability, mind you), to characterize the sheer magnitude of my approval for the two assists from Cesc Fabregas in Spain's 3-0 Euro 2008 semi-final victory over Russia.

It's a violation of site policy to throw around terms like "show down" and "epic clash" willy-nilly; but for the case of Sunday's Spain-Germany final, it's warranted.

Russia's Dutch manager Guus Hiddink said after his side's 3-0 reversal, "It is a very deserved win. It's very difficult to play against a team like that who can play one-touch football.

"We could handle Torres and Villa in the first half okay, but with the change to a midfielder in there [Cesc] came more mobility."

Hiddink's tone and body language indicated that he was stopping short of revealing the extent of his thoughts on the Fabregas substitution, which are believed to include, "Dammit, why did they have to send on Cesc. We were like lambs to the slaughter with that kid in there."

What a game! Germany 3, Turkey 2

Hopefully you saw that one. The Turkey goal that tied the score at 2-2 in the 86th minute was improbable, the Philip Lahm winner in the 90th minute was much less probable.

Turkey is fantastic. That winner was fantastic.

We've talked about Andy Gray recently: he really rose to the occasion, and used his strong accent to humorous effect. "This isn’t the finish of a right back playing left back; this is the finish of a 20 or 30 million pound striker."

That audio would be worth another listen. Short of that, we give you some highlights with Tommy Smyth. I'd have a beer with Tommy Smyth.

You might have to click the play button twice to get the video to play.

Fox in the Box!

Arsene Wenger needs to hire this guy, now!

If the hyper link doesn't work, use this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thOdWgS2B4s

Cesc seals it from the spot

There wasn't very much to choose between Spain and Italy, and it finished 0-0 after 120 minutes. Spain didn't play as well as they can. Of the three subs that Aragones brought on, Cesc, of course, was brilliant, but the other two guys? I would have left on Torres and Iniesta.

Spain keeper Iker Casillas did really well to stop Italy twice in the final shootout, and Cesc kept his nerve and sent Buffon the wrong way to put away the spot kick that sealed it.

Next up for Spain is high-flying Russia in the Euro 2008 semi-finals.

American viewers had commentary from Andy Gray and Adrian Healey, who are by far superior to any commentators we've ever heard on ESPN. Andy Gray made a really convincing case against German referee Herbert Fandel. I don't normally enjoy beating up on referees, but Fandel was consistently bad, hopeless.

Russia - Who knew?

I, for one, just found out that Russia can play some nice football.

I thought Holland was lucky to only be 1-0 down in regular time when they equalized in the 84th minute.

Russia picked up where they left off in added time, creating countless scoring opportunities, and converted a couple of them to finish the match 3-1.

As a supporter, you want your team to play pretty much exactly like Russia played today.

Maybe Holland leaving a lot of space at the back helped Russia look especially good, and it looks like they'll be missing some of their players who got too many yellow cards, so maybe Russia will get bounced in the semi-final, but if they can continue to play like they did today, they'd be worthy Euro 2008 Champions.

France out of Euro 2008

It was a frustrating Euro 2008 for France Supporters, but France did score a goal against Holland. That goal is a consolation given the events of the 2002 World Cup in which France also managed only a single point from the group phase, and didn't score a single goal.



The Henry goal came from a great cross by Sagnol, albeit on the wrong end of a 4-1 rout.

Delusional as it may be, I thought France looked ok in large part in Euro 2008. The defense crumbled at key moments against Holland. The offense was impotent against Romania and Italy, and for the most part against Holland. Aside from being really bad, France looked ok.

The echoes of 2002 are ringing in my head: Henry sent off early against Uruguay with France in a tight spot, Abidal sent off early against Italy with France in a tight spot. France dramatically underachieving, but still with a chance to go through in the 3rd group game, only to underline their underachievement in that 3rd game.

Still, disappointed as I am; "Gutted" as the British say, and delusional as it may sound, I still feel an air of greatness about France's national team, a tangible sense that with a little luck they could be all-conquering.

Tenuous greatness, mind you, as a couple of the best players in world football over the last 10 years, Claude Makelele and Thierry Henry, are at, or very near, the end of their international careers.

Maybe the timing and luck will continue to be all wrong for France in 2010, with the new greats, Benzema, Ribery, and associates, still lacking the supporting cast of a complete first 11 that can conquer the world.

For me, as an Arsenal supporter, I've been well-prepared for disappointment by the events of the 2007-2008 Premier League and Champions League.

And while France have had a disaster, other teams like Holland and Spain have looked like producing the magic this time around. Good luck to them.

On tap for tomorrow: Victory for France and a result for the Netherlands

You read it her first: France will triumph over Italy, and the Netherlands will get at least a draw against Romania. I can absolutely guarantee that is what I want to happen.

France beaten badly by charismatic Dutch 4-1

France's defense, and goalkeeper Gregory Coupet, were hammered by the Netherlands for 4 goals. France actually played fairly well in stretches, and created many chances to score, but on 4 occasions, France couldn't keep the Dutch out. Malouda was beaten badly for the opener, letting Kuyt head a goal into the back of the net. Holland's 2nd, 3rd, and 4th goals were from open play: Arjen Robben setting up the 2nd and scoring the 3rd.

It was football from the Dream Factory from the Dutch, and France's defense and goalkeeper were badly over-matched.

The value of France's consolation goal cannot be overestimated: it was one nice moment in what has been a Euro 2008 implosion for France. Sagnol, who was beaten badly and repeatedly by Holland's attack, sent in a nice cross, and Henry put it away with a nice touch. Henry had blown a good chance earlier.

Domenech cut a hapless figure on the touchline. The change at left back from Abidal to Evra apparently didn't help France's defensive ability, but Evra did look useful going forward.

I wonder if Benzema is injured? In addition to being a goal threat, he could have put pressure on the Netherlands, so they weren't quite so free to rampage forward, but he didn't start and never came on.

If I were in charge of Holland, I'd be tempted to throw the game against Romania to knock France and Italy out of the tournament. It would be just reward for their unseemly under-achievement.

France, Netherlands tomorrow

Domenech said he was hesitating about 4 positions for which there may be players who are stronger than the players who started against Romania.

One of those is probably Henry coming in for Anelka.

Another that he's hesitating about would be Vieira for Toulalan. I gather that might be a tough call. Vieira is allegedly not fully fit and/or not looking sharp. He's recovering from a thigh injury.

Another could be Evra replacing Abidal. When you hear about a player who's stronger than the one starting in front of him, Evra immediately springs to mind. Domenech, though, went on to say that he would rather not make any changes in defense.

Another switch could be taking off Malouda for anyone: Nasri, Govou, Evra? Evra at left midfield might be an idea that's too creative for Domenech.

Some France Supporters are talking about the possibility of leaving out Benzema. That would wound me deeply.

Another idea is that Clerc could replace Sagnol. I'm not really excited about this one, but not fervently against it.

I don't have a lot of faith in Govou, he looks several years past his prime to me, so I'd rather not see him come in.

I do want to see Henry and Benzema partnered up front. Here's the 4 changes I hope Domenech has in mind:

1. Henry for Anelka
2. Evra for Abidal
3. Nasri for Malouda
4. Possibly Vieria for Toulalan

Leaving a first 11 of:

Coupet
Sagnol Thuram Gallas Evra
Ribery Vieira/Toulalan Makalele Nasri
Henry Benzema

With this lineup, I'd expect a France victory along the lines of 2-0 or 3-1.

Spain play some beautiful football beating Russia 4-1

I'm now well-settled on my 2nd favorite side at Euro 2008: Spain. In addition to having jerseys that are a really cool color of red, they have players like Iniesta and Fabregas, among others, who are fantastic on the ball, and great fun to watch. David Villa's 3rd goal was my pick of his hat-trick, but the first goal was notable for the sweet set-up from Torres. Maybe they'll fizzle out as they always have before, but for their opening game, at least, they played some great stuff.

Nil draw against Romania a fair result as France generate very little going forward - France Player Ratings

Neither Thierry Henry nor Patrick Vieira were fit to face Romania, so Nicolas Anelka and Jeremy Toulalan started. France generated very little going forward. Anelka headed one over. Benzema hit one or two right at the keeper. Gomis, when he came on, could hardly get a touch.

There was a short spell at the start of the second half when France looked ok, but for most of the game, they didn't look like they deserved any more than a point against Romania.

Claude Makalele looked like France's best player in the first half, but faded in the second half, as Toulalan saw more of the ball.

Malouda saw a lot of the ball in the first half, but did little with it.

Ribery was France's best player in the second half, and probably the best player over the 90 minutes.

Coupet, Thuram, and Gallas had very little to do. The full backs Sagnol and Abidal were more involved, and did fairly well.

France Supporters would like to see more production out of left midfield, especially considering how much Malouda saw of the ball. That said, he had a good spell in the beginning of the second half when France looked most likely to score, but he'd still lead the list of players that France Supporters would like to see make way for other options, followed by Anelka.

Benzema's 6 was more of a 6.5 - he had some great touches and looked dangerous at times, but didn't get involved as much as France Supporters would have liked, and when he did have a good chance, he hit it straight at the keeper, but he's certainly not a player France Supporters want to see on the bench.

In addition to Gomis, France's other substitution was Nasri, who wasn't able to make a big impact when he came on.

As a spectacle, the game was poor. France's performance overall was poor. Curious then, that I found the match so gripping, but that's high-stakes international football.

No cause for panic and dismay; France just need to get a little more push forward. It was almost a relief when the full-time whistle blew, because there wasn't much between the sides down the stretch. With both teams winning corners, I had visions of France letting one in.

Wicked Deflection's prediction for France's first 11 Clean sheet expected against Romania

France kick off their Euro 2008 campaign against Adrian Mutu's Romania on Monday, June 9, 2008 in Zurich. Mutu, in form for his country during Euro 2008 qualifiers, is a goal-scoring threat, but France's defense should keep a clean sheet.

Wicked Deflection hereby reveals it's predicted first 11 for France against Romania. Benzema is surely one of the bright spots for France. He has great pace with the ball at his feet and shoots ruthlessly with both feet. It is largely because of Benzema that people like James Doyle at the Guardian believe France may have the best squad in the tournament. Other players expected to perform include Makalele in the Makalele role, Henry up front, Coupet finally getting his long-over-due run in goal, Thuram looking confident, if slower, Gallas without the pressure of being Arsenal captain, Sagnol with his lethal crosses, Ribery running down the channels, and Anelka, Nasri, and Diarra coming on. Domenech will want to give Diarra a run.

ESPN 2 will carry the match in the states. Click the image to enlarge

That's noon Eastern my friends. I'm taking the whole day off.

Prediction: France 3-0.

Wicked Deflection Fantasy League Up and Running

Readers:

A fantasy league has been created for readers and writers of Wicked Deflection. Put a team together and register.

Go to http://euro2008fantasy.soccernet.com/

Register and create a team for free

Go to your team page and click on Mini League and join the following:

League Name: Wicked Deflection

Password: www.wickeddeflection

It wasn't accepting the longer version of the password. This should now work.

Euro 2008 Internet Resources

There's so much media available for the upcoming tournament that it is hard to sift through. However, you've got to keep up on the television schedule. ESPN and ABC have it covered, and reports indicate that much of it will be in glorious HD programming.

The UEFA website for the tournament is a productivity-sapping wealth of information. It is sure to get even an England fan (like myself) excited.

Feel free to share your favorite Euro 2008 links in the comments section.

Coming soon: the Wicked Deflection fantasy league, which will be open to all readers. Stay tuned for access information. See how your managerial skills match up against the WD Staff.