We have reached the business end of the European Championships and I have to say I have been a little disappointed with the tournament as a whole- I might be the only one who feels this way, but I think there has been a lack of real stars at the event and the overall quality of football has really gone down in my opinion.
I might just be feeling nostalgic, but I was looking back at some of the names that were involved in the World Cup of 1998 or the European Championships of the early part of the 21st Century and I just think there are a number of players that would walk into the sides on show at this tournament.
It's the forward players that have disappointed me the most- you have people in the media speaking about how well teams are defending, but the number of absolute clear-cut chances that have been missed have been disgusting to be perfectly frank.
Mario Gomez is a prime example of someone who would not, in my opinion, have been near the starter of a national team going back ten years- I was looking at Davor Suker of Croatia and I honestly think he would pretty much walk into any national side that was involved in this tournament.
Like I say, maybe I am being a little nostalgic, but I do think there is a lack of quality in World Football at the moment as teams rely on athletes and hard-working players rather than those with skills in their boots (couple of exceptions being Ronaldo and Lionel Messi).
I actually think the best four teams in the competition have made it through to the Semi Final, but I am not entirely convinced we are going to see two great matches. The Spain-Portugal affair could be tight and tense, while Italy may be a little tired after their exploits in the Quarter Final against England.
It looks like we are going to see another Spain-Germany match at a major international event, the third time in a row that will occur, but the tournament has been devoid of any real surprises so far and maybe we are going to get our first with one of those nations failing to make it through!
June 27th
Portugal v Spain Preview (http://goonersguide.com/football-pick-14535-Portugal-v-Spain.htm)
June 28th
Germany v Italy Preview (http://goonersguide.com/football-pick-14536-Germany-v-Italy.htm)
MY PICKS:Spain to win 1-0 @ 6.00 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
Germany to win and at least three goals scored @ 3.75 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
Euro 2012 Update: 7-17, - 2.11 Units (36 Units Staked)
thoughts on final? Spain or Italy?
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