A Tale Of Two Countries
Jul 7th, 2016 by 'holic
It was the night we couldn’t lose. It was the night we couldn’t win. Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud versus Mesut Ozil and reported target Julian Draxler. France hosting Germany in the Euro semi-final.
France started the stronger and as the clock ticked past six minutes an astonishing passage of play, in which Antoine Griezmann was the principal player, ended with Manuel Neuer forced full length for a desperate save. In this mood Griezmann will become a serious target for the biggest clubs and Atletico must be relieved that he signed a contract extension just last month.
Determined not to be overrun the World Cup winners fashioned opportunities of their own. Misfiring Thomas Muller missed a larger than cow’s backside sized target with his banjo of a foot. Then Draxler teed up Emre Can for an effort that Hugo Loris did well to save at his right hand post. Toni Kroos thought he had been clipped by Paul Pogba but the referee waved play on.
The first quarter of the match flew by. An end to end contest continued with a Dimitri Payet free-kick from thirty yards out bringing a diving save from Neuer. An increasingly rare break-out saw Pogba denied in similar fashion. France broke twice in the minutes before half-time and after Griezmann blazed an effort into the side-netting Giroud was put in behind the defence but could not get his effort away before Benedikt Howedes got back for a remarkable block. He was roundly criticised for his lack of pace, but it should be pointed out he is actually handicapped by the number of critics on his back.
The half ended in near chaos when France were awarded a penalty when Sebastien Schweinsteiger was controversially adjudged to have deliberately handled a corner, and Griezmann finished clinically. To add insult to injury an incredulous Schweinsteiger was shown a yellow card, as was Ozil for kicking the ball away. In the BBC studio Thierry Henry confessed “we were more than fortunate”.
Germany weren’t helped on the hour as Jerome Boateng was helped off with what looked like a pinged hamstring, or gone in the fetlock for the benefit of one of the most avid readers of this blog! In a bid to break out of their second-half funk Mario Gotze was sent on for Can. The French response was to send on N’Golo Kante for Payet and almost immediately Griezmann ensured the night was his with a toe-poke to double the hosts advantage.
Josh Kimmich, the young full-back who had made a mistake in the build-up to the second goal, almost made amends with a wonderful strike against the junction of bar and post. Giroud made way for Gignac and received a standing ovation from a French crowd who have warmed to him during this tournament. So they should. He may not have added to his incredible recent international scoring record, but he ran himself into the ground for the cause.
The final whistle confirmed that the hosts would play in their own Final in Paris. They will face Portugal. I had prepared a major piece on the first of the semi-finals. It was too painful to proceed with. Wales and Portugal were evenly matched for the opening half. Shorn of Aaron Ramsey, so important to them, Wales had no way back when Ronaldo turned the match with a superb header and an assist for Nani early in the second-half.
It would be wrong not to acknowledge what the Welsh achieved over the course of this tournament. It would have been wonderful to see them take that final step. It is rumoured that Chris Coleman will announce his resignation tomorrow (Friday) and it is only right that he should be offered an opportunity to establish himself in a high profile club appointment. It would be sad for Welsh football if he did not achieve that. His team have rightly set the expectation level higher for Wales in the coming World Cup qualifying campaign.
Here’s to Sunday, and go on Laurent and Olivier (and ok, you too Bacary). Allez les Bleus.
84 Responses to “A Tale Of Two Countries”
Buy Griezmann.. 85m..cheap!
😀
Evening H
Going to be an fascinating trying to work out the run on side against Liverpool on Sunday 14th August.
With a few players missing due to Euro participation,and late holidays.
At the back,
Cech,Bellerin and Monreal,with Gab and Mert in the middle.
Santi and Granit in front of them,with Alexis on the left wing,that’s 8 spots taken.
No Giroud/Ozil or Ramsey for the more forward positions,so will Jack/Wally/Ox/Iwobi get a start,will we have a new striker. ?
Or a new wide right side addition, ?
Going to be an interesting few weeks.
Yeah, agreed BB.
What a player.
Now get some rest Ozil. Arsenal needs you at 100% ASAP!
Allez allez allez. If the French win I plan to go out and buy large quantities of Bordeaux and Camembert. Once I get them home they will have little chance. 😉
Well done France. This tournament has lasted far too long and provided only sporadic entertainment. The consequences will be long lasting for a number of the sides who provide players that have progressed into the latter stages. Sadly one of them is us.
Hopefully the French will stuff Ronaldo and his me and we can enjoy the sight of his tears and French delight. As a Huguenot myself I can even indulge in the celebrations. But it’s time for cricket to have a few weeks in the limelight, the Open and Andy Murray’s second Wimbledon triumph.
Andy Murray?
Really?
Rumours say AW has bid for Draxler. But as what? A striker who scored a whole 10 goals for his club last season? Or another midfielder where we have a plethora already? I don’t get it.
Have to say I have always liked the look of Höwedes who can play FB or CD. He hasn’t done a lot wrong in this tournament and could add some welcome stiffness to our fragile defence.
Chris
Draxler is neither a striker nor a midfielder.
He plays wide left or right being 2 footed.
He is a provider who can score as well.
So 10 goals is perfectly acceptable.
thinking of lonestar with what’s gone on in Dallas.
If you’re saying he’s a winger, Clive, that would be a midfielder in AW’s mind. Having solved (hopefully) our defensive midfield problems with Xhaka and Elneny I thought our other primary needs were for a striker and a CD.
If we need a winger I’d rather pay more for Mahrez or Gotze or Lucas Moura. Or stick with you know who! 🙂
Sorry Clive, but I had to check the stats, and I find Draxler’s contribution last season in the Bundeslige was 6 goals and 5 assists, and his most assists ever was 6 three seasons ago.
That suggests neither the goal-scorer nor provider we need. He’s still young of course and AW may well see him developing into another Henry, but he looks more like another Jose Antonio Reyes to me … not quite the real thing.
Chris
I hadn’t checked the stats Chris,i was going off your post saying he had scored 10 goals.
Also stats can lie,as although Draxler only had 5 assists,that i assume was in chances that were converted.
How many did he create that were missed. ?
Don’t think Wolfsburg had a particularly good season last year,obviously missed De Bruyne who decamped to City.
He scored 10 in his most productive season 2012-13 (plus 3 assists), but very young then.
If we sign him I’ll be delighted if you’re proved right, Clive. Not sure who else is left we might sign. AW is taking his time as usual.
So Draxler is Theo Walcott without the goals?
Yay.
Chris – Draxler is better than Theo because he does not shy away from an on rushing player or having to make a tackle to win that thing called ‘a football’. I would love to see Draxler in the Arsenal shirt. Draxler plus Lukaku or Morata would be a fantastic piece of business. Obviously we would have to sell Theo to recoup some of that heavy spending.
The only other area we might need to buy is the right back if Debuchy leaves and Jenko is still injured for any length of time. If Gibbs decides to leave then we might need another left back as well although I would like it if he stayed – there are very few second choice left backs in the league as good as Kieran Gibbs.
Nice one Guvna.
Last night Germany reminded me of our most possession-rich, incision-poor worst. Much as I like the look of Draxler – he really strongly reminds me of the young Dutch skunk – the lack of finishing at Arsenal isn’t going to be corrected by anyone in that German team. Imagine Mesut providing the bullets for someone with the class of Lewandowski, Suarez or Aguero? That’s the type of player we need and I know we have missed out on all of these names. I think Morata might be our best bet on that score. If we buy Draxler, we still need that other guy.
Sadly for you, bath, we are of one mind. 🙂
Bath
No disputing we still need a top gun up front.
As i mentioned in my post @2,it is going to be fascinating to see who lines up up top against Liverpool in the opening game.
Also,belated birthday wishes,just think when your next one comes around,Scotland could be Independent,and we may well be dissecting another season where the boys fall short again, [ much more likely ]
or [ I’m not holding my breath ]celebrating a Title win.!!
Oh mesut you were amazing yesterday. The striker not being there is something you would be fed up with both at the national level and at the club one. Mesut for me was the best player on the pitch, better than greizmann, krimmic and schwensteiger.
Draxler would be great if we are playing him right wing and not as a striker. Rumours of alexis to juve continue to build and i wish he ends it by signing a contract with us now.
Talking of signings, where is the cb ? Per should have been off last season so imagine if he lines up against pool again. Right back seems to be the lyon guy, sibide who can also play lb. Not sure whey the rodriguez rumours went away, he did have an outstanding tournament for the swiss.
lastly, come on Roger, this is your best chance to win your last slam.
Standard behavior for Liverpool when they plan to get rid of their current manager in the next year or two. 😉
http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36745294
I see Liverpool finished eighth last season under Klopp. No doubt they will consider next season a success if they manage to finish in the Europa League places.
Desi@15: According to L’Equipe, we are looking at Lille’s 23-years old uncapped left-back, Djibril Sidibe.
I’m sure a number of jokes could be made about this story if one were a supporter of Derby County or a host of other small Midlands clubs that have a rivalry with Nottingham Forest. 😀
http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/36748743
try as i fuckin might
??
god bless you ‘holic
i can’t get barred or stay away
unbelievable people who i think of as friends
i can’t keep apologizing for some things i say
fuckin hell
slainte
sorry for dragging stuff kicking and screaming
outta my head into your Arsenal
My Arsenal
anyhoo
UP THE ARSENAL !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGOEUo_sLxY
God bless all here !
.
?
(ya feckin shower o dungshovellers)
where’s zico ?
he big heap laugh joke fella .
?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBfZ8VxsAUk
*tumbleweed*
i don’t blame ye
i intimidate people
with my ‘apparenty’
devastating good looks
.
.
.
pffffttttt
.
.
.
GET OVER IT PEOPLE !
“To the Batcave , Alfred ! “
©
?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps-Qq7ucMA0
So Simon Pegg thinks he’s being a hero by writing Sulu as gay in the next Star Trek film as a tribute to George Takei, and Takei tells him he’s a silly cunt and to get to fuck (in so many words)
Got to love it when people are unimpressed by attempts to be right-on on their behalf.
Back to Luther on the telly box.
cba – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-Q2wCEgvbQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EEZAivzl1Q
cynic
?
but
i think they are a bit
“reliably-on-ably”
the star wars geezers were in Donegal
i had a pass
Ned @22
We might be looking at him,but that’s all we’ll be doing.
He has just signed a 5 yr deal with Monaco.
By the by,
Can you ask the Monks if any team other than the the Arse,has reached Christmas undefeated,since the inception of the EPL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXDWm8WE8S4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5iI0__9S1c
Just to wind up SSY ‘ Well done Andy ‘ Gooner’ Murray’ . Hopefully Wimbledon champion elect . ??
Bath nailed it completely at 16. Germany would have won this tournament with a decent striker. Even Giroud!
tennis ?
.
.
sheesh
TTG That’s because Giroud is good. CBA you’re a mad fucker but I like you, as Dick Emery used to say.
another admirer
WOW !
hire a skip ‘holic
Draxler is better than Theo because he does not shy away from an on rushing player or having to make a tackle to win that thing called ‘a football’ desi (#15)
Must be a different Draxler, desi. According to this evaluation of his defensive qualities https://www.whoscored.com/Players/96449 he and Theo could be brothers:
Defensive contribution … Weak
Tackling … Weak
Does not dive into tackles
As Cynic put it so succinctly (#14) Draxler is Theo Walcott without the goals
Make room in the skip for one more, cba. This could be you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkCR-w3AYOE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFJi3l1DPWk
sláinte ya oul tart ?
half ton
oh yes
“Mine , allllll miiiiinnnnnnnnnnnne ! “
altogevver naaahh
.
# HAVE YOU SEEN MY WIFE MR JONES ?
# HAVE YOU SEEN MY WIFE MR JONES ?
Is this a trick question?
Is she a transexual?
mind you
100% on my all time top ten
sandy desert yoke
.
they clearly were sellling themselves
as sex objects
it’s all good lady cba can do
to bridle her lusty yearnings for robin gibb
.
even i can see it
THE BIG HUNKA TESTOSTERONE !
.
.
gonna drop her off at a wife swapping party
.
no returns accepted
# HAVE YOU SEEN MY WIFE MR JONES ?
BBC website introduces a feature that labels when stories were posted to their site, just to show how out of date their headlines are.
Clive@39, as you know, most contracts aren’t worth the paper they are written on these days; but then so is most stuff you read in the newspapers.
Man U also got to Christmas undefeated in 2010/11.
I see we have been active in the transfer market. Dan Crowley is being loaned to Oxford Utd, newly promoted to Div 1.
I see, also, that Kyle Bartley, formerly of this parish, is being loaned by Swansea to Leeds. He was another youngster of whom we had great expectations that never really materialised.
I really don’t think Arsenal has a specific plan when it comes to signings. Its like we just go with the flow and see what happens. We don’t make shit happen. I am sorry but there is no reason why we have not signed the players we need. We are suppose to be an elite club, but we run shit like a fucking third division club. Really pathetic, and they got the nerve announcing the signing of some Japanese Kid. What a joke?
well now
because of well rounded arguments
just such
I
can’t be arsed
(drunk of this parish)
do solemnly swear
to never support The Arsenal no never more never ever again
.
the scales have fallen from mine eyes
.
tis a free er unshackled existence for me henceforth
thank you
.
*frolicks to the middle distance free and unburdoned*
ps
.
.
.
UP THE ARSENAL !
wooo hooo
the big six o
.
i just got it
don’t remember being given it
but the numbers don’t lie
.
*high fives*
.
.
.
.
.
” Don’t leave a brother hangin’ ”
.
.
.
.
.
suit yerselves
ya shower o shites !
herself broke out again
https://www.youtube.com/#/watch?v=ZxOBInMi3l0
last seen wearing clothing
but
.
Hatless !
.
-repeat-
.
Hatless !
.
.
©
(Clancey Wiggum)
@60. Either a pancake or a waffle. 😉
now bt8
am no stranger meself to the meanderings
of a mind
but what the holy hairy mary are you on about ?
.
.
strange fella
?
Probably a pancake and certainly with no hair in it, cba. The hair rarely makes it to the middle distance anyhow so you should be in good stead. Or shed as the case may be. ??
ye see
I’m all clued up
now
.
how difficult was that
.
.
a stickler for plain speaking understandability is where I’m all about
Ah, the man is back. Howdy cba 🙂
You sound like a man with stuff on your mind tonight. I’m here for what it’s worth bucko.
I think I spotted her, cba. Definitely hatless anyway… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2VKaH2sKtU
BBC website in its great wisdom declares Cristiano Ronaldo has been “reinvented” whatever the fuck that is supposed to mean. From wanker to doubler wanker, must be.
San Antonio Gunner,
You seem so very unhappy with so many aspects of the club.
Just out of interest, what was it that attracted you to follow the Arse in the first place?
UTA.
Chris @46, From the same whoscored page about Draxler :
Dribbling – very strong
Aerial Duels – strong
Long Shots – strong
Through Balls – strong
Holding on to the ball – strong.
Out of those areas of strength Dribbling, Aerial Duels and Holding on to the ball are remarkably weak areas of Theo’s game. It is a result of these weaknesses that he goes completely missing against teams with well drilled deep defences. This is where Draxler would be a huge upgrade and an ideal foil in a technical sense to the mercurial and risk taking Sanchez on the other flank. Plus both of them could interchange at will making it very difficult for the opposing full backs to mark them.
When I wrote about tackles – I meant them in an attacking sense and not a defensive one. I meant closing down the full backs when the centre half passes the ball to him in their own half, or going full tilt to the corner flag in a foot race with the opposition full back and making that last ditch attempt to win the ball even if it means a nasty collision with the full back. These are tackles in an attacking sense – trying to win the ball higher up the pitch.
So in a nutshell – Draxler would suit us much more than Theo with our present squad. He would strengthen areas which represent Theo’s weaknesses.
And lastly I admire your defense of Theo through thick and thin. Perhaps even I would do the same for my favourite player. But to be honest – ever since that injury two seasons ago, Theo hasn’t looked like the player he was just before that injury. Arsene has tried his best to accommodate him – both wide and as a front man. But with repeated failures (not necessarily his alone in isolation but of the team as a whole), he has become somewhat of a symbol of what Arsenal need to change about their squad. I fear that if he stays it would be detrimental rather than beneficial for him because of the hatred he would face even for a slightly below par performance. With Theo we have reached a stage where a change of scenario would be best for both parties. He could really thrive at a slightly lesser club where the pressure is less.
Dribbling is another way of holding onto the fucking ball so we get nowhere. I hate dribbling. Alex Hleb was a good dribbler. He was also about as much use as a chocolate frying pan.
Wilshere is a decent dribbler. All it gets him is injured.
Fuck dribbling.
Can’t look at dribbling in isolation Cynic. It might not necessarily be the greatest asset for a central midfielder but for a wide player – a good dribble always helps in getting past full backs or cutting in and beating a couple of players. A good dribble is what helps Sanchez in tight areas and I don’t know any Arsenal fan complaining about him being good at dribbling. A deep lying midfield pivot also benefits from a good dribble when surrounded by players of teams who press high up the pitch – ala Cazorla. Where Wilshere gets it wrong sometimes is that he overdoes the dribbling and doesn’t release the ball quickly after a good dribble past one or two players. He almost wants to dribble past the entire opposition. It’s very good to be a one touch passing team but even those teams need a couple of good dribblers otherwise it all becomes mighty predictable and easy to defend against. Barca often break stubborn opposition defenses through the quick dribbles of Messi or Neymar on the edge of penalty box.
bt8 @70, it wouldn’t surprise me if it was BBC ‘code’ for cosmetic surgery.
Heh bath. 😀
@ Noosa Gunner
No disrespect but that was a ridiculous question to ask. Are you happy with the way the club is being ran in regards to our transfer dealings for the past 2-3 seasons?
I rarely say this but there was a useful article on our options in the transfer market given squad limits and home- grown players , in Untlod Arsenal yesterday
http://untold-arsenal.com/archives/54338
I would relish Ned’s take on the statistics. In the comments there are two corrections to the article suggesting a couple of players are home- grown in addition to those cited. The key contention is that we need to move around eight players out before we can add to the squad and this explains Wenger’s unwillingness to purchase more than three players. So it’s not Wenger’s stinginess, it’s the rules!
Moth lands on Cristiano’s nose and he cries. Who wouldn’t have predicted?
Moth knew he was rotting on the pitch..decided to take a bite before he completely disintegrated…!
Griezmann linking well with Giroud.. buy him!
…and Payet too, on general principle alone for what he did!
😀
Portugal are better organized now that Mothman has gone off… might have lost a bit on the attack but they are defending well.
Giroud to get one in the 2nd half!
This has been a very poor and mostly boring Tournament. They need to return it back to sixteen teams.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
UEFA have been tom toming about the 24 team format having been a big success – well this is what happens when you allow a team that comes third in its group to qualify.
Greece were defensive in 2004 buy they didn’t have the Ronaldos, Nanis and Renatos in their team. Portugal have been supremely boring and it’s a shame that it had to turn out this way in the end for France. And Clatternberg once showed his penchant for unnecessary limelight with that stupid booking for Koscielny. Perhaps he would have chased Eder closer and not let him shoot had he not been booked.