Cruijffista
SOY ANTIMADRIDISTA
Finland got one counter and I'll give them that yes they did make the most out of their one chance. Valdes is literally asked to stop 2-3 shots a game when he plays with either La Roja or Barca and he can't even do that sometimes. I'm seriously happy that Valdes is leaving at the end of the year, he's going to get exposed if he goes to a club that doesn't dominate possession the way Barca does.
footyfan
Calma, calma
btw Spain/Barca also play a certain way only because it suits the characteristics of their players. Football is both attacking and defending. So if Finland defend and prevent Spain from scoring more than them, then they earn the draw just as much as Spain do. Blame the game, not the team.
Eetu
Adormit
As for the 3 points argument, we are a nation that has never reached a World Cup or an Euro. When Baxter was ousted and Paatelainen took over as the coach, Euro 2016 was set as the official target and everything was to be done with that in mind. Now the focus is on getting youngsters integrated to the team and trying not to slip any further down in qualifying brackets. That and learning how to win the easier games - we manage to be Spain about it way too often.
DucdeOrléans
New member
FCBarca:
Last time I checked I only support 2 national teams. France and Italy. Countries I have ancestral ties to on both sides of my family. Just because I happen to be of mixed origins and able to trace my ancestry far back in time does not mean that I support every single national team of a country/countries that I have a connection to. Contrary to some people here including yourself. Hence the use of cherry-picking in the context of national football teams.
You can do whatever you like but it's just funny seeing an American speaking about Spain as it was your own national team without having any ties to it whatsoever. Not only that but also ridiculing the Finnish national football team in the process. Since when have USA ever been relevant in world football?
Last time I checked I only support 2 national teams. France and Italy. Countries I have ancestral ties to on both sides of my family. Just because I happen to be of mixed origins and able to trace my ancestry far back in time does not mean that I support every single national team of a country/countries that I have a connection to. Contrary to some people here including yourself. Hence the use of cherry-picking in the context of national football teams.
You can do whatever you like but it's just funny seeing an American speaking about Spain as it was your own national team without having any ties to it whatsoever. Not only that but also ridiculing the Finnish national football team in the process. Since when have USA ever been relevant in world football?
FCBarca
Mike the Knife
Nationalism or isms for that matter have resulted in the loss of more life in the past century than any disease or catastrophe in history...So if you insist on playing the nationalism card like you have the moral authority, try and spread it around less and pick one, else you look the hypocrite you come off as
Meanwhile, I'll carry on supporting who I choose - the beauty of free will in the modern world
Meanwhile, I'll carry on supporting who I choose - the beauty of free will in the modern world
Stric
New member
And there isn't a right way to play football. The goals count regardless of your tactics. 1-1, point earned, deal with it.arty1:
I'm not butthurt. And congrats on the draw, Spain deserved that. I'm just saying I don't understand the super-defensive approach if a win is the only thing that helps. If you're securing a lead or a favorable draw from a first leg, for example, then I can get why teams do it (remember Chelsea?), but in this kind of situation I don't.
DucdeOrléans
New member
Why are you suddenly talking about the deadly consequences of isms and in this case nationalism on a football forum? To derail the topic discussed? Looking forward to the upcoming Nazi comparisons.
As I said previously then people can support whatever "adopted" national team(s) they might like. Having any ties to it or not. What I and most others don't get is when they start to support that adopted national team(s) more than the national team(s) of their actual country, which you completely missed. Countries if they are of mixed heritage. But when I see an American, in your case, use the success of Spain to ridicule the performance of Finland then you and everyone else who do so can expect to be met with such comments. Actually that made me comment in the first place. You are not a fan in the sense of the word but at most a admirer. An outsider for that matter. The actual fans are the local fan base in Spain whether you like it or not.
Personally I find that kind of cherry-picking strange since it's the complete opposite of what it is meant to be. This is not comparable to club football. Everyone who says the opposite does not understand the concept of supporting your own national football team(s). Or never did it in the first place.
Thankfully most football fans actually cheer for their country(ies) and not adopted ones otherwise actual local Spanish football fans of La Roja or any other national team for that matter would have as big a say about their national team and decisions of their football federation as "fans" from Laos, Tahiti, Surinam or in your case USA. Which completely goes against the concept of national teams. You know Italians representing Italy, Frenchmen France, Spaniards Spain etc.
If everyone shared your concept of following/adopting a national football team then there would not be a need for them at all since it would not matter whether you actually supported your own national team(s) or not.
EDIT: I am obviously referring to individuals who support their adopted national football team(s) above their own and talk about them like they were part of the actual fan base and country while they are not.
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FinCulé
New member
The thing is that when you choose an ultra-defensive strategy, you won't be trashed inside the first 10 minutes or not necessarily even in the first half. Not even luck can save you if you start an open war with Spain. Now, as the game progressed, things were still open and anything could have happened. When you are a lot weaker than your opponent, parking the bus is the only option if you want to achieve any points. Do you honestly think that Finland would have had any chance if we played in a different way? We aren't the Netherlands, we aren't France, we aren't Italy. We are Finland and we need to approach the game in a way that doesn't lead us to a complete demolition.
Eetu
Adormit
Going by the 'ranking prognosis' thing on FIFA's site, we might be going 8 places up in the ranking thanks to not throwing that one point away. Which is kind of a big thing for us and the current project of the team.
Stric
New member
Well, you didn't win this way, either, right? That's my point. You didn't get the three points. You can't win by parking the bus against such a team. You can defend an existing lead or go for a draw. I mean, in theory, you could win, if the opposition doesn't score even once, but that's unlikely with Spain.
EDIT
I'm just addressing those "Finland needs THREE points" statements. If you're fine with 1 or 0, then I have nothing to say against the bus.
Again, don't get me wrong, congrats to both of you and Finland on your point and I honestly think Spain had that coming and deserved it. They need a surprising draw/defeat every now and then to remind themselves that passing is not what wins you games, but scoring.
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Kerrybai
New member
Well done Finland. Any finnish guys/girls on here ignore the negativity. Spain are an exceptional team. Lesser nations have very little options other than sitting back and trying to hit on the counter against a team of Spain's quality. 1 point against Spain is a massive achievement.
FinCulé
New member
Thank you for the congratulations. Clearly we are seeing this thing in a little different way. In my opinion, against a team like Spain it is impossible to achieve anything with the material we have here in Finland, if we don't approach the game from an ultra-defensive point of view. I think it would be utopistic to think otherwise.
Stric
New member
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