European Championship Water Polo: Malaga 4-13.7.2008

Now, this whole thing about Ozmec is a bit of a non sequitur, I suppose, but let’s just roll with it... at least he finally figured out who our people actually are... 😬 🙏🙏

3-4

Our guys know how to do the math.

If we don't pull this off, here’s the lineup: 1. Mexico, 2. Canada, 3. USA --- 1. Mexico, 2. Italy, 3. Germany

Looks like we're heading for a showdown against Italy and Mexico in the semis.

I guess Italians are probably an easier matchup than Germans.

There’s zero guarantee we’ll even have any momentum left by then.

But honestly, if they keep playing this cowardly style, they deserve to get punished—which means facing the Mexicans as early as the quarterfinals.

So, you might as well start prepping the squad for the Olympics.

The Greeks play just like us, always running that same old pattern with an extra man on the floor... they wait for about 22 or 23 seconds while playing man-up, then settle for a shot from the corner... I don't know if our guys are just too thick to realize it or if they simply don't give a damn.

10:10, whatever...

Jerry Roberts said:There’s absolutely no guarantee we'll have any luck waiting for us.

But honestly, that cowardly way of playing deserves to be punished—we might just run straight into the Mexicans in the quarterfinals.

Better start getting the squad ready for the Olympics!

I don't think we should be afraid of the Mexicans.🙂

Remy's basically just playing house here. Trying not to look like total amateurs.

...but honestly, the Italians are already half-broken. If you get Felugo and Calcaterra involved, that's about all you get. The Mexicans are just gonna lull them into this fake sense of security today before everything goes south... kind of like what happened against Spain.

Terry Fisher2 said:Remy’s basically just holding things together at this point. Just trying not to look like total amateurs.

...except the Italians are basically falling apart. If you get Felugo and Calcaterra in there, that's pretty much all they've got. The Mexicans are just going to lull them into a false sense of security today before everything goes south... kind of like what happened against Spain.

And what happens if the Spaniards take down the Canadians?

rapidbison42 said:Exactly. We weren't even in a position to play the numbers game. They'll be doing the calculating once we're out of the way. This was purely about our own lack of leverage.

Look, I agree we couldn't afford to be tactical,
but I don't buy that they'll be making moves based on us later. For them, it's just a matter of
surviving or getting wiped out entirely.

The Mexicans and Italians have already moved forward, so why wouldn't they play it smart?

The Spaniards and Canadians are basically fighting for their lives at this tournament.

If the Spaniards pull off a win - 1. Mexico, 2. Americans, 3. Spain
A draw or a Canadian win - 1. Mexico, 2. Canada, 3. Americans

In group two, though, you can really see the math happening; those Mexicans have already shown us how they play it. 😁

A Mexican win - 1. Mexico, 2. Italy, 3. Germany
A draw or an Italian win - 1. Italy, 2. Mexico, 3. Germany

Those Mexicans could easily coast through again just to dodge the Canadians. But if they do that, they end up facing us in the quarters, which puts everything on the line for them...

...looking at it again now, it’d be pretty weird if Mexico actually beats Italy... honestly, they're better off with Americans in the quarters and Mexico in the semis than having Canada in the semis.

Catching it all on ESPN.

rapidbison42 said:The Mexicans and Italians have already moved on so I honestly don't see why they wouldn't be crunching the numbers right now.

Look, only one team heads straight to the semifinals. The other one drops into the quarterfinals to face the Americans, and both sides are going to be fighting tooth and nail just to dodge that quarterfinal matchup.

So what if the Spaniards beat the Canadians? We’ve already locked in our spot in the quarterfinals, while they're out there fighting just to stay alive. One of them is going home.

Terry Fisher2 said:...looking at it again, it would be weird if the Mexicans beat Italy... they'd much rather see an American in the quarters and Mexico in the semis than a Canadian in the semis.

It all comes down to whether they realize we're completely tanking this or if they actually think we're playing out of our minds.

Mexico is really struggling against their neighbors right now.

That squad from a few years back? Gone. Not a trace left.

Honestly, maybe it’s not a bad thing to run into them in the quarterfinals.

Mexicans don't actually want this win.

In the end, the Canadians will go after the Germans, then turn on the Italians 🤮

Here’s how it plays out:

Italy vs Canada/Germany
Mexico vs Mexican/American

The Spaniards are our best bet. If they take out the Canadians:

Italy vs American/Germany
Mexico vs Mexican/Spaniard

I'd take that 👋

Water is muddy, 4-3

We're heading into the matchup against Mexico, and honestly, anything can happen.

Just look at Udovicic—the guy looks completely lost. As usual, Sapic folded the moment things got intense. Vujasinovic is the only one actually playing.

5-3

8-8