Portugal v Spain

[Maltin]

The first penalties are the more nervy.

the first should be the least pressured as there is more time for your team to get back in it. As penalties head towards sudden death, the more likely the pressure increases as there is less time to change matters. If players less used to taking penalties go first then they take them with less pressure and should score. If the final penalty is reliant on you to score to win or stay in, then it's good to have someone more confident and used to taking penalties to take it. Clearly this strategy doesnt work if you lose before the final penalty! Putting your best on first may give you a boost of getting off to a good start but then this may increase the pressure on those, less able, having to follow you.

Whilst it didn't work for Portugal last night, perhaps if England tried a different approach to penalties it might change their luck!

 

[friedaweed]

Spain's ability makes their conservatism even more frustrating, fuck'em and all the wee wankers who jumped on their bandwagon and thik they are football's intellectuals cos they "get Spain/Barca".

This Spain side might be successful but they are not a great team in the way the Brazilians or Dutch were, because they lack a cavalier romantic attitude.

Do you want salt and pepper on that hat

 

[Ax^]

 

[T & P]

Do you want salt and pepper on that hat

Revol is still smarting from the footballing lessons Barcelona gave Man U the last two times they played each other (not to mention the pasting they got at the hands of Bilbao over two legs) so you could forget him for being a bit resentful towards the Spanish and their wicked football playing ways.

 

[friedaweed]

Revol is still smarting from the footballing lessons Barcelona gave Man U the last two times they played each other (not to mention the pasting they got at the hands of Bilbao over two legs) so you could forget him for being a bit resentful towards the Spanish and their wicked football playing ways.

I had no idea he was a Manchester lad