European Beatings
I'm not sure if the early stages of Euro 2008 qualifying count as cruel and unusual punishment but I think Andorra and San Marino would tell you it is. Those two states took on England and Germany, respectively, and the results were as predictable as a David Ortiz walkoff home run. England beat Andorra 5-0 while the Germans put up an American football score on San Marino, winning 13-0. Yes, you read that correctly.
It's hard to get much out of these games other than the realization that they are brutally unfair. I don't think a state like Andorra, which has a smaller population than my suburban home town, has much of a chance against the Brits.
On the other side of the coin though, England essentially played a town team and won 5-0. Should England's fans be happy?
It seems to me that the only way for the powerhouses to "win" these games is to score in double-digits. Otherwise, these matches are likely fodder for members of the European press who believe the favorites must thoroughly embarass their opponents in order to prove their might.
That said, just because England played the equivalent of a New York YMCA squad does not mean scoring more than five goals was all that feasible. After all, the Andorrans were more than happy to put eleven players behind the ball. I didn't see Andorra control the ball in England's half after the opening kickoff.
I suppose one good thing about these games is that playing them gets them out of the way, bringing us closer to the competitive qualifiers between Europe's big fish.
Oh, and watching them makes me think about moving to Andorra - if only so I could get schooled by Steven Gerrard on national television. But I'm not sure that would be a good thing.
It's hard to get much out of these games other than the realization that they are brutally unfair. I don't think a state like Andorra, which has a smaller population than my suburban home town, has much of a chance against the Brits.
On the other side of the coin though, England essentially played a town team and won 5-0. Should England's fans be happy?
It seems to me that the only way for the powerhouses to "win" these games is to score in double-digits. Otherwise, these matches are likely fodder for members of the European press who believe the favorites must thoroughly embarass their opponents in order to prove their might.
That said, just because England played the equivalent of a New York YMCA squad does not mean scoring more than five goals was all that feasible. After all, the Andorrans were more than happy to put eleven players behind the ball. I didn't see Andorra control the ball in England's half after the opening kickoff.
I suppose one good thing about these games is that playing them gets them out of the way, bringing us closer to the competitive qualifiers between Europe's big fish.
Oh, and watching them makes me think about moving to Andorra - if only so I could get schooled by Steven Gerrard on national television. But I'm not sure that would be a good thing.
posted by jcanzo at 7:32 PM
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