AskLG

It’s the ever eventful semi’s over in Austria/Switzerland, which makes me (and probably you as well) a very happy person.  The question is: who’s going to advance to the finals?  Let’s compare notes.

The Skinny on Russia

Russia mounted a surprising win against the powerful Dutch to move into the semi’s.  With everyone amazed at the Dutch beating Italy and France, they were the favorites going in.  I even picked them to win.  It goes to show you anything can happen in the Euros.  Russia played a great game defensively to move away with late win.

What about Spain?

The Spanish moved on in the Euro via PK’s against Italy.  They were by far the most powerful team in the matchup, constantly challenging Buffon.  Italy’s over-committed defense held them from scoring, but their offense was held in check by an attacking Spanish team.   They too, had a good group stage so it was no surprise to see them challenge the World Champs.

So who’s going to win: Spain or Russia?

With the surprising (at least I was) defeat of the Dutch, I would like to say that Russia has the most momentum going into the matchup.  In all honestly, I secretly would like the Russians to win.  Realistically though, I see the Spanish moving onto the finals.  They were poised with strong, calculative strikes against Italy.  If it wasn’t for the great Italian defense and their commitment to pushing bodies in the box (not to mention some terrible calls by the referee), the Spanish would have won in the first 90 minutes.  I see this game being an offensive match which gives the edge to the Spanish.

How about them Germans?

Germany interestingly lost to Croatia in the group stage and has seemed to be inconsistent along their Euro journey.  Even beating Portugal didn’t solidify their powerhouse status since the defense gave up a late goal.  Germany has the potential to be the best team in this year’s Euro but only if they play with determination and urgency.

But those Cinderella Turks!

Yes, Turkey has had quite a journey and have been deemed the ‘comeback kings’ or the ‘cardiac turks’ or something like that.  They seem to make a comeback in every single game and get better as they go on.  I saw a few defensive cracks early on in their game against Croatia.  As the game went on though, they seemed to lock everything down.  This team has some major talent.

So who is it: Turkey or Germany?

Being German myself, I can’t bet against the Germans.  I will have to say, trying to maintain being non-biased, I believe Germany will win.  Turkey, very much like Portugal, is a team based on counters, dribbling, and flair.  Germany consistently was able to foil Portuguese setups and attacks.  On the other hand, Germany has been inconsistent.  If the same German team comes to the pitch that showed up against Portugal (and stays focused), I’d have to give the win nod to the Germans.  I believe the first 45 minutes will be crucial to Germany’s success.  They must set the game’s tempo and get at least 1 goal.  If not, the comeback kids from Turkey might make the Germans pay.  On the other hand, if Turkey can hold off the early attack by Germany, they just might be able to continue their Cinderella story straight into the finals.  I think this game will turn out to be the most entertaining of the two.  If Turkey wasn’t so talented, I’d call it a David versus Goliath match.

Tags: 2008, analysis, euro, euro 08, euro 2008, european, Football, Germany, predictions, russia, Soccer, spain, sport, sports, turkey

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 24th, 2008 at 11:17 pm and is filed under Soccer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.