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I will be even angrier at Sergio Ramos than I am now if Salah misses the World Cup.
I really think Salah should aim to come back for the second round of fixtures. You KNOW Uruguay will play chippy and are a far superior team anyway, so he and Egypt should aim for maximum points against the rest of the group and attempt to fight out a draw without their talisman against them.
I actually think Uruguay could make a deep run this year but I need ti sit down with the full bracket before I make my predictions.
Take care all.
I have honestly no idea who will win the World Cup. Can’t call it. I’ll wait to see who gets to the final and make a decision then... probably.
Never look past ze chermans.
US isn't in it this year so I don't get to root for my underdog country. WHO DO I EVEN ROOT FOR NOW? Maybe i'll root for my neighbor, Mexico. I don't even know
France comfortably have the best squad so I've voted for them. Those of you who were here for the 2014 World Cup will know this is the kiss of death.
Been reading about a lot of darkhorse love for both Belgium and Columbia but I'm not sure either of them could get past Germany in their end of the bracket.
Just a little over 2 weeks away!
Predictions coming after the final 23's are announced.
Take care all.
As always I root for Spain even though I don't know anything about the ol' pigball.
It's really hard to call this WC, but I have a hunch for Brazil. Can't see France going all the way. I hope Sergio Ramos suffers a broken leg and ends his career. Despise the lad.
Considering he's 32 and has already won a load of trophies with Team Evil and Spain, not sure it would make much difference this point.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocket Edge
Good to see the media getting behing England...oh no wait they're engaging in some BS about Raheem Sterling's tattoo. The Sun are total scum.
France will be the team to beat, they're my pick of the tournament.
Just kidding, football is coming home.
This. I'm inclined to say Germany because when in doubt, Germany. I can see so many teams lifting it though... really intriguing to find out what happens.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubba
No idea who I'll be going for, if anyone. I'll just be rooting for the United players to do well rather than a team, probably.
I fancy France. England look boringly set up to relive either 2004/2006 or 1990 with the possibility of facing Portugal or Germany in the quarters (if they even get out of the group...). A lot of rubbish teams in this tournament, which means a decent chance of a minnow going pretty far. Egypt were my dark horses to get to the semis or the final until Salah decided to fall over.
The 'controversial Russia World Cup' stuff is probably actually going to end up being bigger news than the tournament itself. Just waiting for some idiot like Sol Campbell to warn of fans coming home in coffins.
I'm expecting Putin to declare the return of the USSR any day now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Manus
Even with Salah, not sure Egypt will make it past Spain or Portugal in the last 16 if they get there. Considering how poor Groups G and H are, I wouldn't be surprised to maybe see a surprise QF team like Poland or Senegal from Group H. In fact, I can see it now, Poland beat England in the second round, Nigel Farage implodes with rage.
French have a powerful looking team, at least on paper. We'll see how they are on the pitch. I voted "someone else" and I think that someone else could be Croatia. Pretty damn strong starting 11 when you look at it.
I'd be happy if England got as far as the quarters before we inevitably get seen off by the Germans. It'd be nice to get through the groups and win at least one knockout game. I can't even remember when we last won one of those...
v Ecuador (second round, 2006). I think that and the second round match against Denmark in 2002 are the only knockout games England have won in the World Cup or the Euros since Euro 96.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubba
My rooting interests, in no particular order:
Senegal, South Korea, Japan, Egypt, Iceland
Definitely want them to not win:
England, France, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Belgium
Everyone else falls somewhere in between.
Curious for your reasoning for backing / disliking each of these, if you're willing to offer! I can hazard a few guesses but some of them I'm not so certain on, particularly Mexico and Belgium.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spuuky
Sadly I don't think your rooting interests will win it, but it would be amazing if they did and I'm sure the entire world would enjoy it!
Of course my rooting interests will not win, if they might win they wouldn't be my rooting interest any longer.
Mexico is the rival country of the country I would normally root for, so of course I am not rooting for them.
Belgium is just slightly too favored, although it'd be better than all those other perennial powers like Spain/Germany/Italy (if they were qualified)/etc. And I don't like Courtois or Fellaini, and they eliminated the US from the last World Cup.
Here we go, prediction time! It's wide open though I think the heavyweights are left standing at the end with a few big upsets mixed in.
Group A:
Uruguay
Egypt
Russia
S. Arabia
Top heavy group, but, if Salah doesn't play the first game, that probably decides first from second. Uruguay are my darkhorse team in this tournament
Group B:
Spain
Portugal
Iran
Morocco
Also very top heavy though Iran could sneak up on someone. Spain look like a dominate team at this point in the draw...
Group C:
France
Peru
Denmark
Australia
France clear cream of the crop and it'll be a dragout fight for second place. I think Peru is inspired by their talisman returning to the roster and have been battle tested in qualifying.
Group D:
Argentina
Croatia
Iceland
Nigeria
Argentina clear favorites here and though I'd love another Iceland upset, I think after their run in the Euros, they won't sneak up on anyone this time. Croatia has a strong core as well and could surprise.
Group E:
Brazil
Switzerland
Costa Rica
Serbia
Brazil are firm favorites here too but the 2nd team could be any of the others. Serbia are a team in turmoil at the top and Costa Rica has trouble scoring so Switzerland should sneak in with all those crazy X factor named players.
Group F:
Germany
Mexico
Sweden
S. Korea
Ho, hum, Germany advance. It's what they do. Mexico clear second best team in this group too, though it would have been interesting to see what Zlatan could have done.
Group G:
Belgium
England
Tunisia
Panama
If England could find a way to draw Belgium, they might be able to top this group. However, I think they have just too much firepower for England to keep up with. Still, a good second place is enough to advance and keep the locals somewhat happy.
Group H:
Senagal
Columbia
Poland
Japan
The true toss-up group. Any one of the top 3 could finish anywhere with Japan, though talented, still lacking overall. Poland is the most overtly reliable on one player though and should Lewandowski not fire, the team won't advance.
Knockout Round:
Uruguay over Portugal - a real rock fight. I expect 2 red cards and maybe 6 yellows. The winner of this game has a real shot to go far in the World Cup. I think Uruguay is just a bit more balanced.
Egypt over Spain - KARMA.
France over Croatia - Croatia are a dangerous team but France has just too much firepower for them to keep up with.
Argentina over Peru - The fairytale ends here for Peru.
Brazil over Mexico - Brazil comes here with a point to prove and they keep the train running on a collusion course with revenge.
Germany over Switzerland - Insert Swiss neutral joke. Germany advance.
Belgium over Columbia - Could be a real firecracker of a match but I think Belgium have so much talent they win out here.
England over Senegal - Could just as easily see England slip up here but they find a win to grind out a 1-0 win with someone else scoring but Harry Kane claiming it.
Quarterfinals:
France over Uruguay - This could all change if Uruguay comes in at full strength. However, I just feel like they will be undermanned and not be able to keep up with France's attack.
Argentina over Egypt - My heart wants Egypt BADLY. But my head still knows that actual Messi is better than new Messi. What a run this would be for Egypt though.
Brazil over Belgium - Game of the tournament, hands down. First team to 4 goals wins.
Germany over England - Germany. Advance. On. Penalties.
Semi-finals:
Brazil over France - Brazil will be desperate to avenge the last semifinal it was in and they will take the game to France. This could be another first to 4 goals game.
Argentina over Germany - A lot of this result would be based on the draw Argentina has. Playing Peru and Egypt would leave them with just more left in the tank at this point.
Final:
Argentina over Brazil - Brazil will have gone through a gauntlet to get to the final and while they have the guns and talent to win, Messi (and Argentina) finds a way and wins the one trophy that has been eluding him.
Golden Ball: Messi, Neymar or Griezmann
Golden Boot Winner: Messi, Neymar or darkhorse Timo Werner
Breakout Player: Goncalo Guedes, the "New" Ronaldo of Portugal.
Here's hoping for great games, upsets and no big injuries.
Take care all. Allez, allez, allez!
That's giving England way too much credit for me. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by The Captain
I don't know, now that England play 5 at the back I can see us grinding out some boring as hell 0-0's.
Would England getting to the QF be deemed a success by their fans?
I rate that for Brazil, Argentina, France and Germany nothing but the title is acceptable.
Then for Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Uruguay, making the final is acceptable.
For every other team, advancing to the knockout rounds would be a success.
But England.... what really are their ambitions?
Take care all.
England fans will probably be ecstatic if they made the QFs considering how the last decade or so has gone for them
Yeah, making the QFs would be fantastic. The media and the knobheads who call into radio talk shows will still say it's a disgrace though, and Raheem Sterling will be burned at the stake.
Quarter Finals would be progress for England.
Imagine if Portugal won the World Cup? Ronaldo, already the greatest player in history, will never be touched for the rest of time.
Ronaldo, already the greatest player in history except for the fact that he has a contemporary who is better than him.
Zidane was better than Messi and Ronaldo
Really can't see Portugal winning it, they had their moment at Euro 2016 anyway.
Ronaldo can carry Portugal, who are probably worse than Argentina, for which Messi doesn't seem to be able to manage with. I sometimes wonder how Messi would manage in a different team than Barcelona. Both are incredible players of differing styles though. Shame we'll never see them on the same side, because that would be something special.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spuuky
How many international titles has Messi won while being attacked by a really angry moth?
???Quote:
Originally Posted by Loony BoB
Competitions both these teams have been at in the last decade:
World Cup 2014, Argentina 2nd place, Portugal group stage
World Cup 2010, Argentina round of 8, Portugal round of 16
Are there others? Or are you counting things like Portugal doing well in European tournaments and Argentina not?
Messi's habit of not quite managing to replicate his Barcelona genius for Argentina is pretty well documented, though it does look like he's done better in the last few years. Ronaldo really did win Euro 2016 on his own though, the rest of the team were rubbish. Saying that I'm not getting drawn into a Ronaldo v Messi debate :erm:
Indeed. Was gonna reply directly but Manus has covered the gist of it.
Created a little fantasy World Cup league if anyone feels like playing:
https://fantasy.fifa.com/en/leagues?...51514D4859555A
And to be fair, Portugal pretty much won the Euro final WITHOUT Ronaldo as he went off injured pretty early on and the team actually came together and pulled out the win. He did some heavy lifting to get them there though. As much as Messi did to get Argentina to the World Cup final in 2014.
Still, I'm team Salah :)
Take care all.
I'll join that shiz Cap. Who do you guys think is the best player in the world currently playing? Can you really say it's Ronny/Messi anymore?
At the minute, Messi is definently the better footballer as Ronaldo is aging he's more of a penalty box striker now as he just doesn't have the legs anymore.
Away from them, you're probably looking at Suarez, Kevin de Bruyne and Mo Salah as potential candidates to replace them.
I've joined the FF league.
Also, yeah, I think you can still say it's Messi and Ronaldo. Their era is definitely in its final throes though.
... and Portugal’s World Cup win will be the messy climax.Quote:
Originally Posted by Psychotic
I mean, you can, but there's much more debate than there was before, they're no longer the monsters streets ahead of everyone else that they once were.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocket Edge
I would have a few players level or ahead of them at the minute but then again I don't avidly follow La Liga so I'm not entirely sure. I think we could see a lot of people talking about Neymar as the best player in the world after the tournaments over. I think he's the best player ATM myself.
I really don't know about Neymar. He's expensive, but he's scored 19 goals in 20 games in the French league, which to my knowledge doesn't have better defences than the four leagues generally regarded above him. I know it's tough to judge someone on such a simplistic statistic, but when you have Ronaldo scoring 26 in 27 appearances and Messi scoring 34 in 36, both in a better league, and Salah also scoring 32 in 36, also in a better league... I just don't feel Neymar is going to ever be regarded as the best while in PSG unless they do amazingly well in the Champions League, which they didn't. I guess he could perhaps manage it if he did well in the World Cup and won it but yeah. If he's better than Ronaldo, Messi and Salah, he certainly hasn't got the stats as a forward to show for it.
I think he's up there but he's not the best at present.
Perhaps the best player in the world right now is a defender or a midfielder instead of a forward? For me there just aren't standout performers this season.
Neymar might have the most potential but the issue is just as BoB said, he's playing in a watered down league. Both him and Mbappe very well could be Top 5 in the world but they need to prove it against more consistent competition.Quote:
Originally Posted by Loony BoB
Two other fun questions as we round the final turn:
Will Mexico's little "party" effect them in any way?
Which team is the most reliant on their best player? Is it Argentina? Egypt? Poland?
Take care all.
Portugal? Probably Egypt though. Not sure on Poland but Argentina has a plethora of excellent players. Aguero and Messi are just the cherry on top.Quote:
Which team is the most reliant on their best player? Is it Argentina? Egypt? Poland?
Egypt is probably right though I'd also give a shout to Poland where Lewandowski scored 16 of the teams 28 goals in qualifying!Quote:
Originally Posted by Loony BoB
Relying just on him is part of why I don't think they'll qualify for the knockout round.
Take care all.
That's the tricky thing. It's so much easier to judge Messi and Ronaldo by their goal counts. But what if David De Gea is just as good of a goalkeeper as they are forwards? How do you measure it?Quote:
Originally Posted by Loony BoB
And then, is it even right to judge forwards on goal alone? I know the old school view is yes, but if they're in a system where their job is to do something else, and they do that job well, why is scoring a goal better?
The example I can think of as a Liverpool fan is Roberto Firmino. He's scored 25 this season in all competitions which is really respectable, but it's not quite so impressive when compared to a certain Egyptian team mate. But I think - and I appreciate there are not a lot of people outside of Liverpool fans who think like this - he's actually a better player than Salah because the work he does off the ball, both out of possession in making tackles and in possession in making runs, helps the team more. I don't think it's that unreasonable to say Salah wouldn't have scored anywhere near as much if, say. Harry Kane was Liverpool's no. 9. But then Firmino probably wouldn't have been as effective either if Kane replaced Salah in the line up, so it works both ways.
I guess we'll see how effective the two of them are without the other in the World Cup!
They didn't qualify, but Wales (sorry Manus). I would agree about Egypt and Poland on paper, and also you could probably make a case for Colombia.Quote:
Originally Posted by The Captain
Makes me sad that Bobby probably isn't going to start for Brazil, but will be one hell of a super sub off the bench.
De Gea as the world's best player is a very interesting theory too. Has there ever been a time when a goalie was considered the best player in the world?
Take care all.
Just once, 1963. A very familiar name is in joint eighth place. Maybe he really is a vampire after all...Quote:
Originally Posted by The Captain
I felt the same about Neymar before he left PSG and was playing for Barca. But as you said it's almost impossible to judge really? Many pundits say scoring goals is the hardest thing to do in football so you can imagine why they side with forwards so often.
You could also look at it as who's the most influential player you could bring in if you had a blank cheque. I'd class someone like De Bruyne as more essential than Ronaldo there.
As for your question - I think you're on the money with Lewandowski and Salah as their more relied on players because they seem to perform well for them when asked the question. I know Poland had the likes of cannon fodder in their qualifying group but the amount of goals Lewandowski got was staggering. I'm really looking forward to Group H. And yeah Wales/Bale definitely is an example close to home that we see. It used to be Roy Keane with Ireland.
Mexican, USA and Canadian joint bid for the expanded world cup has gone through. What an utter disaster. I mean, not quite Qatar levels of disaster, but a different kind!
Also, wow, that Spain coach stuff huh?
I don’t really have anything to say about the World Cup, but I’ve never understood why forwards are mainly considered for the best player. I guess scoring goals is one of the more exciting parts to watch. As someone who played soccer most of my life. I always felt forward was the easiest position to play as long as the rest of the team is doing what they should. Goal keeper is one of the hardest (and most fun) to play. I was worst at defense. Not that this has much to do with the players you all are talking about. I haven’t watched soccer in a few years now, so I can’t speak for any of the players.
Why is it a bad thing? A WC in these countries makes me absolutely syked for it. Ireland will qualify. They MUST qualify.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crop
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocket EdgeWhy is it a bad thing? A WC in these countries makes me absolutely syked for it. Ireland will qualify. They MUST qualify.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crop
Well Mexico has already hosted it twice since 1970 and the USA has hosted it already in my lifetime, and I'm still in my 20s. How about giving another country a go?
Not to mention the travel times, not just for the teams but for the fans too. Not only is it tiring, inconvenient and expensive but won't there be travel restrictions between the countries?
And don't get me started on the expansion of the world cup, we already get a fair few awful games with 32 teams, there are going to be some serious unwatchables in there, especially with some many players tired and jetlagged from the likely travel times between games.
And if they're intent on hosting it across a number of countries, get on over to the UK!
Expanding to 48 teams is daft, but I have no problems with USA/Canada/Mexico hosting (god knows it's better than Qatar). Everyone would have whinged anyway if they'd given it to Morocco. Mind you, maybe Mexico should have got all of it, as I always say they guarantee a great World Cup.
Someone who was born during that World Cup would be 32 years old when the next one kicks off. That isn't really that frequently for one of the only places in the world that's actually got enough soccer stadiums already built to manage an event of that size. Especially given that UEFA countries weren't eligible to bid.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crop
CONCACAF was the region that will have gone by far the longest without hosting by then, so who exactly in CONCACAF do you think should be hosting a 48-team major international soccer tournament?
48 teams sure is a lot! I too worry we'll see far too many watered down group stage games but on the bright side, since the US is a co-host, we already qualified for it! All hail 2026 golden ball winner Christian Pulisic!
Take care all. Allez allez allez.
Meanwhile at the Premier League:
"It's World Cup day! We can't have people focusing on players from foreign leagues - publish next season's fixtures!"
Meanwhile at the agent of every player who isn't at the World Cup:
"My client is like, totally fed up or something. He wants to leave. I've already told all my media chums so they can still get on the back pages during this tournament"
Canada? They have experience hosting world sporting events, the base infrastructure and the money to grow it and the social liberal society that hosting so many different people needs. But you may be right, the idea of the US hosting it again was one part of my problem.Quote:
Originally Posted by SpuukySomeone who was born during that World Cup would be 32 years old when the next one kicks off. That isn't really that frequently for one of the only places in the world that's actually got enough soccer stadiums already built to manage an event of that size. Especially given that UEFA countries weren't eligible to bid.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crop
CONCACAF was the region that will have gone by far the longest without hosting by then, so who exactly in CONCACAF do you think should be hosting a 48-team major international soccer tournament?
If its gotten to the stage where the tournament is so big that only wealthy nations that have massive infrastructure already in place then what's the point 90% of the nations in FIFA bidding? Just rotate between the US, Brazil and Spain or something.
If I could change another thing it would be joint bids going up against single bids. I'm not saying Morocco was the right country to choose but I don't think any nation could have competed with such a powerful joint bid. I don't think it should have been sanctioned.
But hey ho. Everything about football inside a football stadium I love with a huge passion, everything outside the stadium about football I can't stand. Maybe I'm just bitter!
It’s started!!
Predictably comfortable start for Russia. Lovely finish by Cheryshev for the second. I reckon they’ll score a third not long after half time then see the game out.
I’ve got this £100M in the bag :cool:
how the smurf do you keep doing this bubba
Greedy Russian bastards ruining my prediction.
Luckily, to win the £100M I just need to predict win/lose/draw. When I win I’ll buy all active members here a PS5 on the day it’s released. You both deserve it.
:monster:
Just been reading a BBC article on Paulo Guerrero, the Peruvian striker who tested positive for cocaine. They lifted his ban for the World Cup and the story is fascinating.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44415647
Blimey. That is awesome, glad that he's able to play.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubba
Nice positive start to the World Cup by the hosts. Not a fan of Russia having the World Cup for the political reasons but the guys on the pitch have nothing to do with that. Didn't watch the match but I'm told they played with real positivity from the start.
Presumed Salah wouldn't be starting so I went for a draw in the Egypt v Uruguay match.
Let's keep my £100M bet alive!
Even with him starting or on the bench it's a tough call.
Yeah, I mean Uruguay should be the favourites now. I can see it being tight and low-scoring though. I'm going for 0-0.
Uruguay have definitely looked a cut above. I hope Mo can come on and do something wonderful though but I doubt he's going to be at 100%.
What is the origin of this 100m money thing? I feel like I've missed an important episode of the Bubba show and I can't enjoy the spicy memes until I understand the context.
also damn luis that was baaaaaaad
As it stands, I'm two-for-two!
Attachment 75426
Oh bloody hell you kept that quiet. Could've shared the wealth :colbert:
Though I'd have backed a Uruguay win here so :monster:
GOD DAMNIT BUBBAQuote:
Originally Posted by Psychotic
If games ended after 88 minutes I'd be a perfect 2-for-2 with my scoreline predictions too.
Well done on predicting the Uruguay win. My one consolation is that you have the exact same chance at winning the £100M as I currently do.
They've done this bet for the last two World Cups too and no-one has even got the group stages right. In 2010, literally every bet was off after the first game when Switzerland beat Spain 1-0.
Having drawn Uruguay in the office sweep that performance didn't really fill me with confidence.
Trade you for Denmark.Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Manus
I ran my sweeps in the office, had the second pick and got Germany. Think there will be conspiracy theories going round if they win!
That own goal was something special.
well I guess that sorts out Ronaldo vs De Gea.
edit: ouch, that second though
De Gea clearly concussed.
De Gea clearly just a trout Rob Green.
But really, never get a man bun if you're a keeper. This is what happens.
What a goal and what a match!
Hey so remember when we talked about who the most one-man team is?
welp, think we missed it
Apart from Ronaldo, Portugal were pretty troute. Like, Quaresma, the actual FIFA 04 stalwart himself is still knocking about? And Jose smurfing Fonte? Bloody hell.
One man team and I absolutely smurfing love it. Over to you lionel
Only one star of the tournament so far...
Attachment 75445
(SPOILER)Attachment 75446
You make a compelling argument. I'll be sure to write to FIFA to ask them to give Uruguay's 3 points to Portugal.
Also while Ronaldo will get the headlines, I genuinely think Isco was the best player on the pitch. He was smurfing outstandingly good, what a pleasure to watch him.
oh god Australia France Iceland Argentina?! I'm English, I'm meant to hate all of these countries! The games are really getting good now. France will have to seriously buck their ideas up if they are to meet their potential.
I must say, VAR has been good and effective in this World Cup so far.
Poor Peru. That penalty was awful though.
Hard to know if Argentina or Nigeria are the biggest disappointment in that group. Maybe the latter. I mean, sure, we expect more from Argentina but at least they tried to play and ended up stifled by bus parking. Nigeria didn't really look interested at all. They reminded me of, dare I say it, England at their worst.
Wow, the holders have so ger-many problems.
Germany to finish second and play Brazil in round 2? Or maybe even go out in the group stage?! Long way to go of course, they lost a group match in 2010 (as did Spain) and still reached the semi-finals. But Sweden is a tough game up next.
Coutinho...
Meh, shinned it.
Agreed. Jammy smurf. Presumably he won a competition to be in this Brazil side.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubba
Also, theory: Neymar has the most punchable face in world football.
My suspicions before this World Cup have been validated... Anyone could win this.
I love the positivity around the England camp. I know better than to trust in that though. Still, if there was any World Cup there for the taking, so far... this is it.
Teams often start the World Cup slowly, so not surprised to see nobody looking imperious so far (aside from Ronaldo on his own!)
Prediction for England: 1-1. First half good, second half not so good.
England 3-0 Tunisia
Rashford to come off the bench (potentially replacing an injured Kane) and be England's star of the tournament.
Hopefully Tunisia or Senegal will be better than the other three African teams have been so far. I think England will win this one 2-0 though.
You misspelled Firminho.Quote:
Originally Posted by Psychotic
Currently top of the office WC results prediction league :smug:
So did you...Quote:
Originally Posted by Old ManusYou misspelled Firminho.Quote:
Originally Posted by Psychotic
:shobon:
WORLD CUP WINNERS 2018 CONFIRMED
lolQuote:
Originally Posted by Psychotic
I meant quarter instead of half i guess
Chris Waddle on Radio 5 saying England should be four goals up every minute or so and throwing a tantrum over refereeing decisions. Almost makes me long for Mark Lawrenson.
:colbert:Quote:
Originally Posted by PsychoticlolQuote:
Originally Posted by Psychotic
I meant quarter instead of half i guess
I legit don't understand why England can't handle a team that parks the bus. You all play in the Premier League, 15 teams in the league are sodding bus parkers. This is your bread and butter!
:cool:
England labouring to a victory against a limited team? Business as usual then.
Shut up Mr 3-0 Rashford! :lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubba
Good. Although we can have the usual England were trout complaints, Tunisia were trout. I'm not really big on patronising the so-called lesser nations and imho that was poor. They just sat back and made a plan of kicking England players and throwing themselves to the ground at every touch. Eventually you're going to get punished on a set piece. England were there for the taking and were rocked when Tunisia had that 10 minute spell in the first half. If they'd pushed forward I bet they could've scored again and England would've been smurfed.
Where from here? I think maybe switch out Young for Rose and perhaps Alli for Loftus-Cheek. I was actually really surprised and impressed by Loftus-Cheek, I thought it was a pretty uninspiring sub at first but at least he was driving forwards and going for it.
Pfffftttt
Money talks.
I'd love to say I loved that game, but it was too tense for me! What an ending though, great stuff, great feeling.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Manus
Indeed.
In all seriousness, after seeing Germany, Spain, Brazil and Argentina all fail to win we can be really pleased with that.
So teams are not measured on head-to-heads this year and it's back to goals for/against. What happens if everything is level?
So England beat Panama 3-0, Belgium beat Tunisia 2-1 and then we draw the final game 0-0. How are the groups decided then? Is it minutes goals were scored in?
I mean I doubt it will happen but what if?
1. fair play pointsQuote:
Originally Posted by Bubba
first yellow card: minus 1 point;
indirect red card (second yellow card): minus 3 points;
direct red card: minus 4 points;
yellow card and direct red card: minus 5 points;
If still level:
2. drawing of lots by the FIFA Organising Committee.
Yeah, but in fairness they were all playing teams miles better than Tunisia. Terrible refereeing or no, England need to be less wasteful against better teams. Or just have Kane take every shot.Quote:
Originally Posted by Psychotic
The others I'll grant you, but I don't think Iceland are actually that much better than Tunisia :p
Also, first red card. Surprised it took so long! Colombia are in a real spot of trouble now.
Conceding a set piece header to the Japanese is a truly unforgivable offence.
Own Goal for the Golden Boot!
This has to be some kind of record for penalties at a World Cup
Seeing an obviously unfit Mo Salah looking all sad makes me only wish even harder for someone to properly end Ramos's career. Ideally Luis Suarez actually bites his throat out.
Almost a record for own goals anyway (5 currently, 1998 had 6)Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubba
Ramos may be bad but even he didn't make the rest of the Egypt side play rubbish or Hector Cuper play horribly conservative football (did they even try to beat Uruguay?)Quote:
Originally Posted by Psychotic
Hmm, I'm not sure if I can believe this. I demand you provide proof to back up your wild claims that Ramos had nothing to do with any of that. Until you do, I hereby officially ban him from ever joining Eyes on Final Fantasy. That'll teach him.Quote:
Originally Posted by charliepanayi
Do we even know he isn’t a member already? If he is then he’s definitely been banned at some point.Quote:
Originally Posted by PsychoticHmm, I'm not sure if I can believe this. I demand you provide proof to back up your wild claims that Ramos had nothing to do with any of that. Until you do, I hereby officially ban him from ever joining Eyes on Final Fantasy. That'll teach him.Quote:
Originally Posted by charliepanayi
- SerLagunaramos86 drunk tanked for referring to Loony BoB as “the spawn of Satan”
- SerLagunaramos86 given a lifetime ban from EoEo for posting full body nudes of himself. He objected to the pictures being taken down. He said they should have “left his tackle in”
- SerLagunaramos86 banned for having multiple accounts. The accounts for LimitLegBreak, RedcardXIII and ThreeMatchBanon... have been removed.
This Cristiano fella is tidy isn't he
World Cup goals scored by Luis Suarez: 6
World Cup goals scored by Bubba: 0
Checkmate.
Money made betting on the World Cup through the Sky Bet app - Bubba: £68
Money made betting on the World Cup through the Sky Bet app - Suarez: £0
Checkmate
I'd be more impressed if he didn't make that much money in 30 seconds. Or in other words, the time it takes to get sent off for biting someone and then leaving the pitch. Or the time it takes for you to... well, never mind. It's personality that counts.
smurf Ramos etc. Was hoping for Iran to snatch a result. I'm not a huge fan of negative tactics but then imho that's precisely what tiki-taka is, so... :monster:
That somersault throw-in was really something.
The predictable worst day of the world cup. Three heavy favorites beating three soccer minnows, all in 1-0 matches.
I thoroughly enjoyed Kane’s last minute goal but this was the best moment of the World Cup so far.Quote:
Originally Posted by charliepanayi
I don't know, this is way up there:
http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/...84/359/4bc.gif
The best part is that is Premier League legend Alou Cisse. Did a double take when I first saw him.
Didier Deschamps is just another Pulis/Allardyce/Mourinho.
Argentina are 2015-16 Spurs vs Chelsea. Absolutely lost their heads and trying to straight up kill every Croatian player they can find. That Modric goal though, woof.
If Higuain could shoot straight, Messi would have his World Cup now.
What an awful month for goalkeepers! It's like Space Jam since Ramos decided to elbow Karius.
Still though, what sort of goalkeeper decides to do a chip over a player inside their own box. xD
Croatia are real contenders. I feel sorry for Messi.
I don't. He was as useless as the rest of the team. Bloke completely gave up before the third goal went in. He's meant to be the captain!
Embarrassing by Messi and Argentina. Croatia definitely look sh*t hot though. Don’t fancy getting them in the later rounds.
Messi should be the player dragging his team to a result. Another team this World Cup conceded three goals, to an even better team, but had their talisman score a hat trick and save their necks.
Proof yet again that unless surrounded by world class players... Messi is far from world class.
That's like saying Ryan Giggs was overrated because he couldn't get Wales to a World Cup. Messi can't work miracles, without him Argentina might not have qualified at all (he scored the vast majority of their qualification goals), such is the shambolic state they've been in of late.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubba
As for Croatia, they've started really well but they've only had to play Nigeria and Argentina so far, and both were terrible. I also remember they got people excited in Euro 2016 before they slumped out against Portugal. Could be a good clash with Denmark/France in the second round though.
Yeah let's be honest, with the exception of Aguero and maybe Otamendi the rest of that Argentina starting XI was dog troute. It's a mix of has-beens, never-weres and not-quite-yets.
I mean for god's sake Willy smurfing Caballero, Mr Subs Bench himself, as your #1 goalkeeper? Even in the absence of Romero, what the actual smurf? He would be behind even Joe Hart in the pecking order if he was English! And look, I love Javier Mascherano but the fact that he's now playing in China speaks volumes. It'd be like if England was still handing a starting berth to Wayne Rooney or Michael Carrick.
I don't really understand why Dybala isn't starting for them.
I forgot the other best moment of the World Cup so far:
"In my opinion Keisuke Honda is the best Japanese player of all time. And if any of you listening agree with me, you might say we are in a Honda Accord"
-Guðmundur Benediktsson, Icelandic commentator
Coutinho is just going out of his way to ruin 2018.
I like how Costa Rica decided to use up any sympathy they might have got for that late goal by ramping up the play-acting beforehand. Doh!
Are we all missing the obvious inevitable ending for this world cup? Russia beating Mexico on a dubious free kick that goes through a faulty wall followed by Trump congratulating his "good friend" Putin and using this as a too obvious reason to once again whip up support for the dumb border wall? "See, Mexico DID pay for the wall."
Through about a Round and a half, I've been impressed by Belgium, England and Croatia the most so far. Brazil and France are so talented that even when they get frustrated they still manage to find a way but I feel like they could see trouble if forced into a real match with a team that wants to attack them as well.
As for Argentina, enjoy Messi's last game potentially as I think he definitely hangs up his international boots after this tournament. He had the look of a player who wants to be put out of his misery. I couldn't tell if he was shirking his defensive responsibilities or was told to sort of save energy only for offense. Neither option helps Argentina at all.
Take care all.
Bloody Germans.
Gibbering with excitement over that goal. Amazing!
Gotta respect ze drama even though Sweden actually should have been up 2-1 due to the PK earlier that wasn't called on the first of Boateng's three yellows.
Erm... I don’t even know what to say right now
It wasn't bad. Actually, it was good. Jolly good, even. More than adequate ball kicking all round really.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubba
CHAMPIONS CONFIRMED
Elevate coming home status to "It's".Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Manus
This World Cup is definitely not making the expansion to 48 teams look smart
Truly amazing. England have now beaten not only Tunisia, but also a team playing in their first ever World Cup finals, who scored their only World Cup goal to date in the very game that England defeated them!
I don't think there can be any doubt that this is the greatest England team the world has ever seen.
Okay yeah I get what you're going for and why, but then given how England have stumbled in games like this time and time again in the World Cup, and given that seeing them score 6 in the finals is quite literally a once in a lifetime experience, I don't see the harm in enjoying it and dreaming of what might be for a little while.
I mean, when England do inevitably get knocked out there'll be plenty of time to be miserable then (another four years to be precise) so smurf it let's have some fun while we still can.
England's possible second round opponents in order of difficulty:
1. Colombia
2. Senegal
3. Japan
Me, my Dad, my brother and my brother's fiancee when Iran missed that chance at the end: WHOOAOARRRGHHHHHHHHHHHH!
I see you baby.
Iago Aspas.
The best possible thing would be Ronaldo opening with a hat trick and Messi with a saved PK in a 1-1 draw to a defensively solid, lesser side, prompting all the pundits to say Ronaldo is the Greatest and Messi is the Worst; and then in the third game of each group, have Ronaldo with a saved PK in a 1-1 draw to a defensively solid, lesser side and Messi getting a hat trick.
^^^ Scoring a great goal to bring your side through is good enough I think! What a finish by Rojo! Poor Nigeria. I have an affinity for teams that aren't Euro/South America in the WC, but as a neutral I'm happy seeing Argentina go through.
If Brazil top their group and Germany finish second, then one half of the draw is looking a lot tougher than the other.
The left hand side is stacked as it is. Either England or Belgium could have a much easier time getting to the semis depending on Thursdays result.
While I'm sure everyone will love Ronaldo VERSUS Messi in the QF, both of them face some insanely tough Round of 16 matchups first. Uruguay played a real complete game against Russia and France is France, so talented but maybe not as good as sum of its parts? Those games could really go either way.
I really don't want to root for Russia but would love to see them knock out Spain. They are in Moscow so maybe some home cooking....
Croatia could be sitting pretty right now.
Take care all.
Germany out to a VAR goal? Frank Lampard sends his regards hahahahah this is the best world cup i love you korea you give them a jolly good thrashing
Wasn't quite a thrashing until the very end, but oh boy was it nice to watch. Mostly because I wanted Mexico to go through (I greatly dislike Sweden's coach, gutted they won), but also because it's always awesome to see a big side go out early.
Was watching both games and it was hard to know which to keep an eye on, both really good games with lots to pay attention to.
I popped a vote for Germany before the WC began because I didn't know who would win and defaulted to Germany based on that - one of those rare occasions I'm delighted to have picked wrong. :D I'm still rooting for Belgium overall for the win but I doubt they'll do it. I just want someone a bit different to win rather than the France/Italy/Spain/Germany/Brazil/Argentina "one of them should win it really" group. Always nice to get a surprise. Fingers crossed, but I still do expect one of those six teams (well, four now) will probably end up on top.
That was an exciting 10 minutes
Sorry BoB, Italy are gonna walk it.
What has become apparent is that the supposed gap between the have's and have-not's is not the same as it used to be. When you have the the teams made up of all the "world's best" players struggling to break down the likes of South Korea, Nigeria, Morocco, etc, it shows that anything is truly possible in this tournament. Also, do no bet on repeat winners.
Frankly, now I wouldn't be surprised if somehow Brazil found a way to lose as well since everything is so upside down. Who would we say is the favorite? I think Croatia have played the most complete tournament so far with Uruguay a close second.
Perhaps we should default to how the Simpsons predicted it: a Mexico- Portugal final.
https://deadline.com/2018/06/the-sim...eo-1202418026/
Take care all.
Croatia, Belgium and (oh my) England are the ones I'd say have played best so far. Uruguay won all their games but they haven't genuinely dominated anyone like you'd expect (only managing 1-0 against two of the weakest teams in the tournament while winning 3-0 in an all-but-dead-rubber against Russia) despite being in what is almost certainly the easiest group out there. It'll be interesting to see them play in the knockout rounds to see if they can continue to keep clean sheets against the best of the rest. Portugal first up for them...
I agree that the gap is definitely not what it used to be. I hope that continues in the knockout rounds and we'll get some awesome games. :D
xD Literally in their dreams and only that. I did mention only four were still in it! But they are one of the usual six, even if they aren't in this World Cup, when it comes to "Well I guess it'll be one of them". I guess I just like an underdog, and those six are pretty much always the ... overdog... or something.Quote:
Originally Posted by Psychotic
EDIT: Just realised it's France vs. Argentina so that is one less team in the quarter finals from the usual six too! Down to three potentials. :D Hell yeah.
Not sure I'd rate Belgium and England as the most impressive teams so far seeing as all they've played are two of the worst teams in the tournament. Croatia look decent but I wouldn't be surprised if Denmark go and knock them out now the way these tournaments often go.
LolQuote:
Originally Posted by Cell
Bit insensitive to ask a dragon for the cross of St. George.
Yeah, it's really pot luck at this point, most of the teams going through could easily knock each other out if one side forgets to turn up. And fair point regarding Tunisia/Panama being as poor as Egypt/Saudi Arabia when it comes to competition. Although Belgium/England did manage to perform much more dominantly than Uruguay. It remains to be seen what'll happen tonight but I'm hoping for a good game. Gutted Lukaku is out, would have been cool watching him face up to his United colleagues.Quote:
Originally Posted by charliepanayi
I think that proves Danny Rose was never gonna be a first-team player.
Well what do you know, Adnan Januzaj DID turn out to be the greatest player of all time after all.
Wonder what Dani Pacheco is up to these days...
So... it’s Columbia with Falcao and (potentially) James Rodriguez. Our record is good against them but those stats are often misleading. I hope that loss hasn’t stopped any kind of momentum we had.
Also, there are no World Cup matches on today. What’s that sh*t all about?
They're good, but Quintero is scarier than both of them!
Belgium B vs. England B taught us a lot about nothing to do with the first choice teams. :up: I would also have probably rested loads of players if I were England manager, but it does mean they're arguably (alongside Belgium) the least truly-tested side in the last sixteen now.
QF Predictions because, why not?
France V Argentina -
Something still doesn't seem right about France. They have all the attacking power in the world and should honestly be the favorites in a lot of ways. Maybe this is the game they put it all together? Or maybe, with the weight lifted (not really) off of Argentina's shoulders, they find a way to steal this game in extra time? That feels right. Argentina 2-1 in ET.
Uruguay V Portugal -
It's the dream matchup the world wants, Messi versus Ronaldo for a shot at the semi-finals, but someone forgot to tell Uruguay that. This team reminds me of some of the old Italian squads, score a goal, scrap and find a way to cross the finish line without conceding. I think Portugal do score, probably Ronaldo, but Uruguay get through them in the end. Their biggest concern is whether they can advance without a red card, as always. Uruguay 2-1.
Spain V Russia -
Call it a hunch. I think some kind of Putin inspired collusion is going to happen here as Russia beats Spain with a very dubious penalty called late. Spain seem very weak at the back as Morocco really opened them up just as Portugal had and I think if Russia really put themselves in the right position, they will be rewarded. Russia 3-2 in very suspicious fashion.
Croatia V Denmark -
The best team in the tournament so far has been Croatia. They have played the most complete games and seem the most balanced team overall. They take on a Denmark team that are fortunate France didn't want to play in the final game and can be beaten especially if Croatia finds a way to mark Eriksen. Croatia have not conceded from open play yet and I think that streak continues. Croatia 2-0
Brazil V Mexico -
My how fortunes can change with one game. Mexico went from looking like they could be a real darkhorse to literally carrying off South Korean fans after they were gifted a spot in the knockouts. Brazil still don't seem like they are putting it all together but I think they have just too much firepower. Brazil 3-1
Belgium V Japan -
Belgium are everyone's darlings for the last couple of tournaments but it might finally be justified. The squad is deep and has game-breakers all over the field. Japan will be disciplined, they will defend, and they SHOULD play Honda the whole 90 but probably won't and will lose 3-1.
Sweden V Switzerland
This might be the closest matchup to a toss-up in the round of 16. Both teams are cagey and Sweden really showed something by absolutely beating up on Mexico. Switzerland for their part proved they can hang with the big boys when they drew Brazil and I think another bit of Shaqiri magic seems them through in ET. 2-1 on ET for the Swiss.
England V Colombia
If James is healthy, this could prove a real challenge for England. Colombia have a team full of zest and creativity but James is what really binds them all together. Without him fully fit, which is likely, England actually look solid and resourceful enough to see this through. England 1-0
A day off to breathe and think about where LeBron goes next before diving right back in!
Take care all.
France 1 - 1 Argentina (Argentina on penalties)
Uruguay 1 - 2 Portugal
Spain 3 - 0 Russia
Croatia 1 - 0 Denmark
Brazil 3 - 2 Mexico (AET)
Belgium 3 - 0 Japan
Sweden 0 - 2 Switzerland
England 2 - 1 Columbia
France
Portugal
Spain
Denmark
Brazil
Belgium
Sweden
Colombia
France 1 - 0 Argentina
Uruguay 1 - 1 Portugal (Portugal on penalties)
Spain 3 - 0 Russia
Croatia 2 - 0 Denmark
Brazil 2 - 1 Mexico
Belgium 4 - 0 Japan
Sweden 0 - 1 Switzerland
England 2 - 2 Colombia (England on penalties... just for giggles)
Honestly I don't have a smurfing clue.
Can't wait for Uruguay to smash Portugal and for Suarez to prove once and for all that he is superior to Ronaldo. I look forward to Bubba breaking down in tears and desperately trying to throw shade at Suarez to hide his feelings of shame and inadequacy at the Uruguayan's now undisputed superiority to his idol.
Anyway France, Uruguay, Brazil, Belgium, Spain, Croatia, Sweden, England.
You forgetting about one thing ...thisAttachment 75504Quote:
Originally Posted by Psychotic
Not a bad start to the knockout stage
Great fun! And two absolutely delicious goals. Somehow I think Uruguay v Portugal will not have as many goals...
Also, Mbappe. Wow.
France has always been capable of this. If they’ve really put it together, watch out.Quote:
Originally Posted by charliepanayi
Also, what in Pele’s name was that starting lineup by Argentina? I almost feel like their manager wanted to be fired.
Take care all.
Messi & Ronaldo: The greatest two players to ever play football and never score in a world cup knockout game. Bizarre!
I was going for France and Portugal. Uruguay were delicious when attacking but apparently didn't know how to attack unless they weren't winning. It reminded me of watching Manchester United's season, just sitting with 10 men behind the ball the moment they're in front despite having such good attacking options. Frustrating to watch. Portugal were like the other half of United - they were great at getting into the final third and didn't quite know what to do once they go there. Complete opposite of the game earlier in the day when neither side gave a crap if they were in front, it was non-stop attack from both sides and could go down as the best game of the World Cup.
Today's games were wonderful. You sort of have that expectation in knock out tournament football that you're going to get a tight, nervy affair but these were anything but.
I guarantee that if Portugal and Argentina qualify for Qatar 2022, Messi and Ronaldo will both be there. Quote this post in four years if I'm wrong and mock me.
Suarez should not have been given an assist for that lucky first goal. It was a clear shot that was going way wide. It’s a good job Uruguay have Cavani.
Also... (SPOILER)Attachment 75505
Yeah, I don't doubt it. Messi is a guarantee, 34 isn't the end of the world for him. Ronaldo 36 right? Doable considering how much he takes care of himself. The only thing that could change that for Messi in particular is that I suspect he may actually, permanently retire from internationals. Ronaldo wouldn't do that at all, but Messi has done it before temporarily, I wouldn't put it past him to just do it for good this time. We'll have to see what happens.Quote:
Originally Posted by Psychotic
Ronaldo would be 37 and 3/4 years old at Qatar. It wouldn't surprise me if both Messi and Ronaldo were at Qatar but it would surprise me if they were both still Messi and Ronaldo, the best players in the world at the time.