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http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/euro_2004/3846255.stm Underdogs 1, Big Boys 0 By Tom Fordyce France, England, Italy, Spain, Germany - where are you now? The five countries with the richest domestic leagues in European football are all out of Euro 2004. In their place, with the exception of Holland, are the continent's traditional small fry. It's not a freakish situation. At the World Cup two years ago the same pattern was apparent - big boys like France and Argentina out in the first round, Turkey and South Korea in the semi-finals. For Turkey then, read Greece today. As Alan Hansen says, "It used to be the case that if you were fit, organised and had tons of team spirit, it got you in the First Division play-offs. "Now it gets you into the quarter and semi-finals of the major competitions. If you look at some of the teams in the last eight, you've got average Premiersh players." Sleeping on the job Are the big stars simply worn out after exhausting domestic seasons? England's midfield against Portugal, and most of the French team against Greece, looked shattered - hardly surprising considering that someone like Frank Lampard has played more than 60 games this season. The Real Madrid contingent can also complain of having to share the domestic playing burden with a much smaller first-team squad than Lampard at Chelsea. Then again, Italy's demise can hardly be explained by the same factor. Not only do Serie A clubs play just 34 league matches a season - the same number as Portuguese clubs in the Campeonato Nacional - but the national team's elimination from 2004 had much more to do with poor substitutions, negative tactics and suspensions than exhaustion. German clubs also play just 34 games in the Bundesliga. And they were uninvolved in the strength-sapping later stages of the Champions League and Uefa Cup. Love or money Maybe the big stars don't care as much about international success as the smaller nations. "The Czechs have so much love for their country that when they go out on the pitch they actually raise their level of performance," says Peter Schmeichel, a European Championship winner in 1992. "When I played for Denmark, it didn't matter if I was tired - I loved being out there." Could it be that the Champions League has superseded international tournaments in the players' priorities? Possibly - although the bitter disappointment on the faces of David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Raul as their teams exited Euro 2004 would suggest otherwise. And anyway, it was the underdogs again, rather than the traditional powers, who dominated last season's Champions League. Neither Porto nor Monaco, the two finalists, could be termed European giants. Porto also supply the backbone to the Portugal side which plays in Wednesday's semi-final, and Deco, Ricardo Carvalho, Maniche and Costinha have hardly looked either jaded or disillusioned in their progress so far. Overseas expertise Greece have certainly benefited from the input of a foreign coach, Germany's Otto Rehhagel. "He has brought out the best in them," says Schmeichel. "We always knew they could play, but now they can compete as well." Portugal have also profited from the input of their boy from Brazil, Felipe Scolari. But there has to be more to it than that, otherwise Sven's England players - and, who knows, even Berti Vogts' Scotland players - would not currently be on their summer holidays. Greece, Portugal and the Czech Republic have all played as teams - working hard for each other, doing the basics well and showing scant regard for individual reputations. It was the same for Turkey and South Korea, as well as quarter-finalists USA, two years ago. The two most likely to triumph next Sunday - Portugal and the Czechs - also have one or two players capable of providing something different, a moment of inspiration to turn a tight game. Teamwork and talent? It's the oldest recipe in the book. ~~~~~~ 唉...魚與熊掌真的很難兼得 一個賽季有三項主要賽事要爭奪冠軍 每個禮拜都為了三分拼個你死我活 像亨利...FA CUP對曼聯那場,難得沒首發上場,賽後就哇哇叫 拉老輪替戰術又飽受批評 也許這就是為什麼今年賽事從歐冠冷到歐錦 那麼...人員該怎麼調度才能十全十美? 藍帕德下賽季還需要全勤嗎? ~~~~~ -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 61.228.18.8
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