Okay, enough of my griping...
Hopefully, this post will enable me to vent my frustration since I can't socialise like a normal human being.
Format of the last 16
Quite obviously I'm not referring to the actual format, but rather that of my own analysis. Basically, I'll be going through all 8 matches. I need to be brief though since the first match starts in less than 2 hrs later.
Confoederatio Helvetica versus Rzeczpospolita Polska
So we have it, the first fixture on the list quite literally. So far, the group stages haven't exactly set the tourney alight. Apart from La Furia Roja enjoying a nice pre-Christmas meal and CR7 finally goaded to do something useful, there wasn't much to cheer about. As for Switzerland against Poland, I won't be surprised if it ended up becoming a decent scoring affair. Maybe we will even see a Pt II@Wimbledon, who knows?
Offensively wise, it's quite hard to gauge the Swiss. Apart from France, the other two teams weren't exactly known for opening themselves up. Albania was playing like Stoke, Romania was playing like WBA, I'm actually referring to Pulis patrolling the technical area. The reason why I say it may be a decent scoring affair lies in Poland not willing to do it like Stoke, Crystal Palace, or WBA. Robert "will he become Lews Therin Telamon?" Lewandowski will want to prove a thing or two to his critics (not mention his new foreign talent boss as well). For some funny reason, however, I don't really recall him scoring a goal at all so far.
It will be interesting to see how the midfield battle will pan out. Granit "the Swiss granite" Xhaka will want to impress his new boss just like Big Lews himself. For the Poles, the key is for them to play the ball out from the midfield asap so that Big Lews will have a chance to be the new Lews Therin Telamon. Ultimately, I suspect it will be a match between the Swiss Gewalthut and Polish Hussars. Just don't ask me whether the two beautiful tennis ladies will take a leaf out of what I said here in the event where Wimbledon reenacts this match.
Cymru versus Tuaisceart Éireann (or Norlin Airlann if you're an Ulster Scot)
This is it. Dragon of the South versus Lugh himself. Like the kind of dragons we fantasy geeks are so fond of, the Welsh enjoy flexing their wing muscles at every moment. Like the son of Lugh, the Northern Irish will definitely approach the battle as if it is to be their last.
If the children of Lugh want to slay the reptilian brood, they need to find a way past the five-man wall. The moment they see two blokes moving up from the back, they will be most likely screwed. The Welsh will play it compact from the back till the midfield, width to width.
As for the Dragon Princes of Cymru, they need to find a way to break through the Norn Iron Fort. I just saw the team sheet (unless ofc Dragon Chris and Iron Michael end up altering their personnel), my advice to the neutrals is this: Unless you're either Welsh or Northern Irish, please skip this match. My reason for this statement is very simple. Imagine a back 5 playing against a middle 5. It's a no-brainer, it's not as if Germany is playing 5-3-2 and France doing a 4-5-1.
Suffice to say, this fixture feels weirdly like a Hollywood movie.
Republika Hrvatska versus República Portuguesa
There's a comedic touch to the whole Croatia-Portugal match. It's quintessentially a battle between two republics rather than one republic going against an empire. It feels almost like the soccer equivalent of Trump versus Cruz, Trump versus Rubio, or quintessentially Trump versus *insert any name from the GOP*. The greatest question on everyone's lips is this: Will we see the last of CR7 come the end of this international year?
While the Portuguese Ronaldo has a couple more years' worth of footballing fuel in his bionic tank, Croatia will surely be the last opponent Portugal wants in this round of 16. During 2012, the Portuguese Armada nearly destroyed the Spanish Conquistadors. Two years later, the Hrvatsko Konjaništvo went 2 goals better and destroyed the Spanish.
Make no mistake about it, failure for Portugal is not an option. Surely the press will not let up their slavering charge. Make no mistake about it, failure for Portugal is a very real possibility. Surely the tactics of Vatreni will place A Selecção das Quinas under the cosh from the midfield down to the back 4. The furious manner of destruction faced by La Furia Roja(k) shouldn't be taken lightly. Bereft of half their creative spark, the Croats nevertheless put the Spanish to the sword. With Tenser and Mordenkainen on standby, the only way for Portugal to make things count lies in how the team will play for Ronaldo. This will be a game of speed, chances, and tactical risks. The team which draws first blood may easily go on to win the match.
P.S: I discovered that the character of Xiao Shi Yi Lang actually reflects my inner world to a certain extent. I won't say that I'm dashing, but I resonate with him when it comes to his friendship with wolves. Apparently, human beings will stop at nothing when it comes to harming each other. Unlike wolves, that is. Interestingly enough, I accidentally stumbled upon this song via TV.
Add P.S: The Taiwanese drama my dad is watching now is making my emotional state into a bloody roller coaster now no thanks to one wicked woman out to destroy her kindhearted nemesis and her entire family. Either way, here's hoping I can calm myself down...
[暮春三月，羊欢草长，天寒地冻，问谁饲狼？人心怜羊，狼心独怆，天心难测，世情如霜……]
~萧十一郎
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