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    Originally posted by treibeis View Post
    I don't know. When asked why he wasn't in the starting line-up for the first group game, Marco Reus let slip that he was being rested so as to be full of energy for "the more important matches".
    Haha, that's made my day already.

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      Originally posted by Pietro Paolo Virdis View Post
      I can translate what he says here, ad hoc, and the other I've seen post game, but I have a feeling you don't really care.

      I do care. If the translation in this quote is poor, and he doesn;t say what the quote being bandied around says, then I'd be happy to reassess my distaste at what i perceive to be his arrogance here. I've never had any reason to dislike Dejan Lovren before I read all of this, so I'd be quite happy to return to that.

      You think these things I'm saying are all sour grapes or something, but I have decidedly mixed feelings about England (both the country and the football team), and I'm certainly no patriot, let alone a nationalist - I did want them to win last night but not with any great thumping need. After the game I didn't have any emotional response, I just went to bed and fell asleep. Croatia deserved to win and I think pretty much everyone on OTF is entirely in agreement about that.

      That whole thing above where you can overlook the nationalist triumphalism of whatever cross section of Croatian media is represented in that Guardian piece after the game, because it's after the game and somehow that makes it OK, is a bit beyond me, given your outright rage at some of what you've found in the UK media. It may well be that the pieces quoted in that article are as representative as The Sun and The Express, and if so, let us know.

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        No, I mean I don't care venture deeper into what was said after the game and who said when.

        I think you might be right. That Lovren said that. As a reaction to all ahead of the game that Croatia were there for the taking like you pluck olive from a branch. And it wouldn't be the first time someone in football has a big head.

        When I thought about it, that clip is pointless and no proof at all he didn't say so because obviously the players walk through a mixed zone with like 50 journalists from as many countries.

        What I mean with I don't care is not that I don't care what you say. I mean right now I don't care about anything beyond this happiness the day after we won a semi.

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          Originally posted by Pietro Paolo Virdis View Post
          Ask Tactical Genius, FIGS, ask him how he's been received the times we've met.
          I have been received well by PPV and his Croatian mates. PPV, have you changed your number or you ignoring my messages. PM me

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            TG, yes I have changed my number, a long time ago. Why would I ever ignore you?
            You always have a place here. I've moved since we met last time, and there's always an extra room for you here.

            send me a message here zvonko.katic@gmail.com

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              Lovren made his comments in English, so it's not an issue of translation. You can watch the interview here (sorry, can't figure out the embed thing):

              https://twitter.com/beINSPORTS/statu...67006574039041

              Actually, it sounds a lot more reasonable coming out of his mouth than it does when transcribed. It's clear he's been hurt by the criticism of his abilities, and that's where the remarks are coming from..

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                TG, help me remember who you met when we hooked up first time down in Barcelona. Was it Zeljko, Paco, Attila, who else?

                Paco and Attila are running two of the finest restaurants in Gothenburg now. Zeljko is stuck home watching two kids.

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                  Lovren might want reminding that Djimi Traore won the European Cup and no one would describe him as one of the best defenders in the World.

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                    Back after a walk which has been like they've been several times these past weeks. Out the door just to get shit out of my brain and calm down. All of a sudden I'm somewhere not planned toward and have to find my cardinal directions. Like a zombie.

                    Meanwhile, came to think of it.

                    Lovren was out of the squad for quite a spell because he acted the cu**. Only when they changed to new manager was he allowed back in.

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                      If you want someone in the Croatian side to pick on, pick on Kalinic.
                      That bastard has been worthless in Milan. Refused to do his best in practice several times there, refused to come in when the Croatian coach called him up, several times. And now he will get a World Cup medal even though he was sent home before the group stage was over.

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                        Originally posted by Pietro Paolo Virdis View Post
                        If you want someone in the Croatian side to pick on, pick on Kalinic.
                        That bastard has been worthless in Milan. Refused to do his best in practice several times there, refused to come in when the Croatian coach called him up, several times. And now he will get a World Cup medal even though he was sent home before the group stage was over.
                        Will he actually get it though? He's not there to pick it up in person, and I doubt the Croatian FA will be going out of their way to pass it on. I suspect very few people will worry if somebody at the Croatian FA 'misplaces' it.

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                          Poor old England. Now in the dock for saluting opponents- No Surrender to Ivan Rakitic's Army

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                            Originally posted by Pietro Paolo Virdis View Post
                            send me a message here xxxxxxxxxxxx@gmail.com
                            PPV, maybe it's wiser to PM info such as email addresses and real names. I'd edit that.

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                              Doesn't matter now, G-Man. My name is well known since long before*. People have put it up here years ago. My mate who I miss, Jonathan, used to call me by name here. And other, and I really don't have anything to worry about. Not like I'll be bombarded with email from people here.

                              * I didn't mean that as in I'm popular or some fucking star. I just meant that as in how I wrote it.

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                                If Croatia wins, my money is on Grabar-Kitarović (the President in the team kit) as most likely to pocket Kalinic's medal.

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                                  First medal of a major tournament to be posted to its recipient since Kevin Moran in 1985?

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                                    So now that Ursus has provided her name I can repeat my schoolboy joke from the prediction thread- is Macron going to try to Grab-her Kitarovic..?

                                    If so she should ruffle his carefully assembled combover

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                                      England scored three goals from open play in their six games. They played two extra time half hours, making a total of 600 minutes. That means they got a goal from open play every 200 minutes. Deadly!

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                                        When you're scoring so frequently from dead ball situations, this of course becomes less imperative.

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                                          I'm not sure I get why this is such an important statistic. After all, a goal scored is a goal scored - and this has been England's goal-scoringest World Cup finals ever. Can anyone expand on why it should be vital to score a higher percentage from open play?

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                                            Because you tend to win finals then, or even play them.

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                                              I seem to recall Greece winning both of those matches from set pieces in 2004...

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                                                It's a risky strategy because it limits your options. Usually, but not always, you need to put a few shots on target to score one against a good team.

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                                                  Ok, so why shots from open play versus shots from set pieces?

                                                  What irks me, perhaps unreasonably, is a general sense among all the commentary on TV and online that England needed to solve the problem right away if they were to stand any chance. Realistically, an inability to break teams down in open play is unlikely to be solved in a few weeks at a World Cup. Club sides can take months or even years to overcome that problem and its usually rooted in personnel as much as it is tactics and playing style.

                                                  That notwithstanding, England were not as bad in that department as is being made out - their problem was being clinical enough to score when they did create.

                                                  If set pieces are a team's strength, which is undoubtedly so for England, I see it less as limiting options and more gaining an edge by trying to capitalise on it.

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                                                    Originally posted by SouthdownRebel View Post
                                                    I'm not sure I get why this is such an important statistic. After all, a goal scored is a goal scored - and this has been England's goal-scoringest World Cup finals ever. Can anyone expand on why it should be vital to score a higher percentage from open play?
                                                    Because most teams with the likes of harry kane, and raheem sterling etc, score three goals from open play for every goal from a set piece. England are the other way around. And yes scoring an opening goal from a set piece reduces the pressure to score a bit, and removes the possibility the first goal from open play. But on the other hand, scoring the first goal from a set piece, makes it easier to score another goal, by causing the opposition to tear up their deep lying game plan, push the defence 10 yards further up the pitch, and committing more players forward. This is literally the entirety of jose mourinho's game plan. virtually every team in the premier league does this.

                                                    the thing is that england managed to do this once in the five games where they scored the first goal from a set piece. The thing to take from this is that aside from being really good at scoring goals from set pieces, England played basically the same muck football that they always do, every bit as uninspired as in 2010. They just were collecting these free goals, and most of their opponents were awful. Well done to England for being good at set pieces, but that's only a detail in what southgate was trying to do, which was to give them a vaguely functional style of possession play, and he got no nearer to it than capello or sven.

                                                    The reason ultimately for dwelling on how few goals they scored from open play, is that a team with a front four of Kane, sterling, Alli and lingard is picked to score lots of goals from open play. Particularly wth two wing backs able to get the ball into the box. on the one hand, England got to the semi final, but on the other hand they fell so massively short of what they were trying to do, that it's hard to be too impressed with the golden waistcoat. He's just a well spoken, plausible mediocrity.

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