BirraImperial
Pura Vida!
So a least we're playing better than the last couple of games...We were unlucky to concede after hitting the crossbar and the post...I just want one goal to at least not become the only goal-less team...
The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Thread
- Thread starter BirraImperial
- Start date
BirraImperial
Pura Vida!
Welp, at least we're not the worst team of the world cup...The coach was really the culprit here, not playing the right guys in the first two matches...It was a good game overall, but one has the feeling that they deserved a bit more...
Akka
Moody old mage.
Damn, it seems that each time I root against a team, it wins.
I'm going to start to root against France then, maybe we'll go through Argentina that way
I'm going to start to root against France then, maybe we'll go through Argentina that way
Anybody can go through Argentina, given their horrible marking, but to actually beat them… you'd have to actually have a team.
Two out of three for Colombia, Senegal and Japan. Japan should go through, but if Polen can haz into sporting pride… well, we shall see tomorrow, shan't we?
Two out of three for Colombia, Senegal and Japan. Japan should go through, but if Polen can haz into sporting pride… well, we shall see tomorrow, shan't we?
(transplanted from the regilar fitba thread)
btw the best meme so far is that ze Germans have never won in Russian territory.
I wouldn't be so sure about the loopiness of the Beeb's pundits. Of course, Lineker's Law is finally refuted.
↑! Once again they play better against the best rivals than against the lowly ones.
btw the best meme so far is that ze Germans have never won in Russian territory.
Ferocitus
Deity
Pffft. What would a guy who never got a red card or dived like he was shot by a
sniper know about the FIFA World Cup?
BirraImperial
Pura Vida!
So, the runner-up of the England and Belgium group would actually have an "easier" path to the final...I wonder how that game will turn out with both sides knowing this...
I think this World Cup's Group Stage has shown that sort of calculus is perhaps less important than might be expected. Brazil hardly seems like an unconquerable titan, and I think either of Sweden or Switzerland will put up a fight.
With the pressure off, I hope both teams go for it. I don't want to see a 0-0.
BirraImperial
Pura Vida!
Colombia and Japan go through to the next round...Senegal is out due to the fair play criteria...One more yellow card made the difference...Damn, that's a crappy way to go out...
Snerk
Smeghead
Colombia didn't deserve to win that game though. But that's football.
Sofista
Deity
So, England-B manages to
- go down honorably, showing organization and skill
- show a credible second choice of strikers (but not so much as to cast a shadow over Kane/Sterling)
- drop a game that was actually a good idea to drop.
If Southgate has planned it all out in advance, hats off.
Now with a penalty shootout with Germany out of the way, and VAR to cut down freak accidents with refs... it might be a real chance for them!
- go down honorably, showing organization and skill
- show a credible second choice of strikers (but not so much as to cast a shadow over Kane/Sterling)
- drop a game that was actually a good idea to drop.
If Southgate has planned it all out in advance, hats off.
Now with a penalty shootout with Germany out of the way, and VAR to cut down freak accidents with refs... it might be a real chance for them!
EnglishEdward
Deity
I do not believe that Gareth Southgate planned a loss.
I think he and all the players on the pitch wanted a win.
But it was a very useful opportunity for both captains
to give other members of their squads a game.
The Belgium B Team was clearly better than the England B Team.
It was rather like watching 2nd division rather than 1st division football.
England lucky to lose by only one goal.
Far too many scoring opportunities were fluffed.
I think he and all the players on the pitch wanted a win.
But it was a very useful opportunity for both captains
to give other members of their squads a game.
The Belgium B Team was clearly better than the England B Team.
It was rather like watching 2nd division rather than 1st division football.
England lucky to lose by only one goal.
Far too many scoring opportunities were fluffed.
Sofista
Deity
Uberfrog: Oh no, far from it! Belgian Brilliance is there for all to see. But England usually labors under a ton of expectations (invented the sport, you know), and as Nick Hornby said, barring '66 every other time went wrong for them.
Belgium has a crop of splendid talents right now, and they also could well go far. Japan should be happy to be where it is (and the last minutes of their game made me sad Senegal could not go through instead; if you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about). Next (presumably, of course: hey Mexico, you can do it) would be Brazil, so far saddened with a Neymar who thinks he should be winning games by himself. A match to watch... well, I'm binging on football right now, so that's a given anyway.
While you're here: apparently Martinez said he has "ten better players than Nainggolan in his role". How did you folks react to his being left off the team?
EnglishEdward (sorry, you were writing while I was writing): being second is objectively the better outcome for you. Colombia could not rest anyone, so you can face them with more energy (and possibly James out?).
Of course a manager can hardly give a pep talk equating to, "go down the whole 10 seconds in the fourth round"; he rested his key men, let the others have a go. Had he needed this one, he'd have thrown Kane into the mix (did you notice how he constantly made a show of prepping to enter during the game? He truly wanted to play).
From what I heard, Rashford publicly complained about not playing enough: that he missed an excellent chance plays into Southgate's hands. He can now play the regulars without (hopefully) any locker room shenanigans going on.
Belgium has a crop of splendid talents right now, and they also could well go far. Japan should be happy to be where it is (and the last minutes of their game made me sad Senegal could not go through instead; if you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about). Next (presumably, of course: hey Mexico, you can do it) would be Brazil, so far saddened with a Neymar who thinks he should be winning games by himself. A match to watch... well, I'm binging on football right now, so that's a given anyway.
While you're here: apparently Martinez said he has "ten better players than Nainggolan in his role". How did you folks react to his being left off the team?
EnglishEdward (sorry, you were writing while I was writing): being second is objectively the better outcome for you. Colombia could not rest anyone, so you can face them with more energy (and possibly James out?).
Of course a manager can hardly give a pep talk equating to, "go down the whole 10 seconds in the fourth round"; he rested his key men, let the others have a go. Had he needed this one, he'd have thrown Kane into the mix (did you notice how he constantly made a show of prepping to enter during the game? He truly wanted to play).
From what I heard, Rashford publicly complained about not playing enough: that he missed an excellent chance plays into Southgate's hands. He can now play the regulars without (hopefully) any locker room shenanigans going on.
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Yep. Some shameful anti-football was played for far too long at the end of that match. Given how tenuous Japan's progression was (a single goal by Poland or Senegal would have thrown it off), it was a huge gamble, and thoroughly unentertaining to watch. It made me pray for a Senegalese goal.
Sofista
Deity
I hear you. I'm from the motherland of catenaccio, and I'm telling you: the last I saw a team play like that was the middle-80's. The cynical, Machiavellian ovserver in me understands their line of thought ("rest some, confide in the Cafeteros, Poland is happy with the win" [which explains why they in turn didn't even attempt to press], the football fan finds it soul-wrenching - to players, not just fans: this let's-just-mark-time mentality is, IMHO, like a drubbing to the inner child of anyone who's ever kicked a ball in the backyard.
It's not the B,C or D team that matters. It's the A team and the substitutions into the A team that matter.
Sure, but still having a quality eleven on the patch when half your best players are sitting on the bench is indicative of a strong and flexible team that is better equipped to win. We see a counterpoint with Egypt, where with Salah off, or not at peak performance, the team is a lame duck.
It's all one squad. If your B team is great, your A team is, by definition, even better. Who, after all, are those substitute players?
BirraImperial
Pura Vida!
With the group stage completed, now the real fun begins... Here are my pics:
Round of last 16
France vs Argentina
Uruguay vs Portugal
Spain vs Russia
Croatia vs Denmark
Brazil vs Mexico
Belgium vs Japan
Sweden vs Switzerland
Colombia vs England
Who do you got to make the quarterfinals?
Round of last 16
France vs Argentina
Uruguay vs Portugal
Spain vs Russia
Croatia vs Denmark
Brazil vs Mexico
Belgium vs Japan
Sweden vs Switzerland
Colombia vs England
Who do you got to make the quarterfinals?
Sofista
Deity
Birra, before bedtime, I'm game:
France vs Argentina (Psychodrama City baaarely made it...)
Uruguay vs Portugal (Suarez and Cavani didn't look to gel much to me, while CR7 is still out there, looking at least for a WC top scorer status)
Spain vs Russia
Croatia vs Denmark
Brazil vs Mexico
Belgium vs Japan
Sweden vs Switzerland (sort of have to: they kicked us out, you know. Plus, they came out first of their group: if they keep playing like they did in the first half of their Germany match [catenaccio+counterstrike] they could do it)
Colombia vs England (yep, Colombia's defense isn't up to par)
France vs Argentina (Psychodrama City baaarely made it...)
Uruguay vs Portugal (Suarez and Cavani didn't look to gel much to me, while CR7 is still out there, looking at least for a WC top scorer status)
Spain vs Russia
Croatia vs Denmark
Brazil vs Mexico
Belgium vs Japan
Sweden vs Switzerland (sort of have to: they kicked us out, you know. Plus, they came out first of their group: if they keep playing like they did in the first half of their Germany match [catenaccio+counterstrike] they could do it)
Colombia vs England (yep, Colombia's defense isn't up to par)
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