***TRIPLE DIME PLAY***
In my opinion, this German team is the best team of the tournament and even though I’m rooting for my home team Portugal, I think that Germany will win EURO 2012.
Their “motor” is impressive and it is a tough task to compete against them for the full 90 minutes. They also have an incredible depth especially on the front as no other team would have done what they did against Greece and still dominate the game – they changed their whole trio on the front, the same trio that produced 5 goals in the first 3 games!
In normal conditions I would give Germany the physical edge. They look fresher and they are unquestionable more athletic than the Italians, but for this contest, Germany had 2 more days to rest and prepare this game and if that wasn't enough, Italy's game against England went to overtime and then a penalty shootout, so the physical edge for Germany will be even bigger.
Italy totally outclassed England in the quarter finals and they deserved to win the game in regular time. England’s tactic was so obsolete that the Italians’ 4-4-2 diamond formation completely owned them. England played only with two interior midfielders in Gerrard and Parker against the 4 Italians player from the midfield, so England had to react: James Milner was drawn inside and played close to Daniele De Rossi, while Ashley Young also ended up in a very central position near Claudio Marchisio. While Milner could perform such role, Young's performance was a disaster. With Italy having the numeric advantage in the midfield, both Gerrard and Parker had to make such effort that Gerrard started suffering from cramps with just 70 minutes played!
Like I’ve said, Andrea Pirlo was the X factor of this contest and England’s strategy was to send Rooney to pick him up. That worked fine in the early stages of the game but that didn’t last long, as Rooney’s tactical indiscipline was pivotal in my opinion! Once Pirlo got some freedom on the field, he completely dominated the game. A quick stat that proves my points: Pirlo completed 117 passes, more than Cole, Gerrard and Johnson (England's top 3 outfield passers) combined. They completed 104 between them! Plus Andrea Pirlo attempted 133 passes, that's19 more than England's 4 starting midfielders. He completed the same amount as they attempted: 114.
However, Germany is on another level than England…
By playing their midfield line of 4 players, so close between them, England didn’t have any width and depth on wing. This is the Italians' biggest weakness and England couldn’t take advantage of it. I mean, the biggest threat that England offered was from some a couple of runs by their right back Glenn Johnson. On the other side, Germany plays a dynamic 4-3-3 formation built to stretch the field and play essentiality from the wings, so they will take full advantage from Italy’s biggest weakness.
Mesut Ozil or even Thomas Muller (who is a great tactical player) will likely pick up Andrea Pirlo once he advances in the field and this will neutralize almost any potential danger that Italy is capable of creating.
Germany plays on a fast pace, with 1-2 touches on the ball and they use all the width in the field. In the group stages, Spain was about -125 / 1.80 in their game against Italy. We all know that Spain almost exclusively uses the center of the midfield on their offensive plays, so it was “easier” for Italy to defend when compared to Germany’s style of playing. Currently I’m rating Germany above Spain, so it is quite understandable the fact that we have some tremendous value with Germany at this current lines of -105 / 1.952. Therefore, I'll be taking Germany to win on this contest on a Triple Dime Play!
However, Germany is on another level than England…
By playing their midfield line of 4 players, so close between them, England didn’t have any width and depth on wing. This is the Italians' biggest weakness and England couldn’t take advantage of it. I mean, the biggest threat that England offered was from some a couple of runs by their right back Glenn Johnson. On the other side, Germany plays a dynamic 4-3-3 formation built to stretch the field and play essentiality from the wings, so they will take full advantage from Italy’s biggest weakness.
Mesut Ozil or even Thomas Muller (who is a great tactical player) will likely pick up Andrea Pirlo once he advances in the field and this will neutralize almost any potential danger that Italy is capable of creating.
Germany plays on a fast pace, with 1-2 touches on the ball and they use all the width in the field. In the group stages, Spain was about -125 / 1.80 in their game against Italy. We all know that Spain almost exclusively uses the center of the midfield on their offensive plays, so it was “easier” for Italy to defend when compared to Germany’s style of playing. Currently I’m rating Germany above Spain, so it is quite understandable the fact that we have some tremendous value with Germany at this current lines of -105 / 1.952. Therefore, I'll be taking Germany to win on this contest on a Triple Dime Play!
Pick: 5 units (Triple Dime Play) on Germany ML @ -105 / 1.952 on Pinnacle
Many European countries allow gambling on sports and regulate it
ReplyDeletesports handicapper
Many European countries allow gambling on sports and regulate it
ReplyDeletesports handicapper