2018 FIFA World Cup

[sharkman]

...in all seriousness I am not a fan of either Ronaldo or Messi....they have never done anything for their respective countries!...no World Cup or at the very least a European Cup or Copa America!

Ronaldo: Although Portugal won the European Cup in 2016 Ronaldo did not play most of that finals game leaving when the score was tied at 0...Ronaldo left crying before the half of the finals against France only to be bailed out by Eder's goal in extra time. However, he shows up to hoist the trophy...some contribution on his part!....the Champions Cups that Real won with him as a player are meaningless compared to the World Cup / European Cup since they are not related to country match-ups....and all the players know it!

Messi: Well it's a real mess indeed....No Copa America as a player for Argentina under during and most important no World Cup yet...definitely the most overrated player of his era!

However, both of them have a slight glimmer of hope to change things around for themselves in the 2018 World Cup.

 

[Meta not Meta]

Mexico, yeahhhhh !!!!!

 

[The Nature Boy]

Joachim must be pissed....

 

[Versaute]

Germany lacked creativity upfront in the box today. Too much passing around the box. Ozil, Mueller and Werner sucked. They are supposed to be playmakers in the box.

 

[Titilleur]

Typical of German football... methodical, passive, wait for open lines, no pressing...

In baseball language, they prefer small hits over homeruns. They try to exhaust you by making you run all over the place with quick short passes. I don't have this game's stats in hand, but I guess their passes success must be very high.

You can counter them with lots of defenders in the box and one or two speedy wingers waiting for the long ball along the center line.

 

[tiga]

Could someone give me the 8 best teams that should advance, I am in a fantasy pool.

My guess: Brazil, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Argentina, Portugal, Uruguay, ???

 

[Meta not Meta]

Could someone give me the 8 best teams that should advance, I am in a fantasy pool.

My guess: Brazil, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Argentina, Portugal, Uruguay, ???

Add France ...

 

[EagerBeaver]

Add France ...

Yeah that’s pretty much the 8 I would go with.

 

[tiga]

Great, thank you, I'll keep you informed of my gains...

 

[sharkman]

German football is all about technique...however, the trend is towards agile players...and they are not agile especially in the back...they are too big and slow and it surely does not look like they have adapted to a more agile and speedier style of play!

 

[Meta not Meta]

German football is all about technique...however, the trend is towards agile players...and they are not agile especially in the back...they are too big and slow and it surely does not look like they have adapted to a more agile and speedier style of play!

Only saw the last ten minutes but which players other than Gomez, who I presume was a late sub, and the two center backs are you talking about?

 

[Meta not Meta]

Yeah that’s pretty much the 8 I would go with.

It takes no special insight to pick the favourites. Winning the WC is not easy. What is it, only seven countries that have won it? Tough club to break into! Who knows, with disappointing performances from several favourites this year we might have a rank outsider win it this time.

 

[Meta not Meta]

...in all seriousness I am not a fan of either Ronaldo or Messi....they have never done anything for their respective countries!...no World Cup or at the very least a European Cup or Copa America!

Ronaldo: Although Portugal won the European Cup in 2016 Ronaldo did not play most of that finals game leaving when the score was tied at 0...Ronaldo left crying before the half of the finals against France only to be bailed out by Eder's goal in extra time. However, he shows up to hoist the trophy...some contribution on his part!....the Champions Cups that Real won with him as a player are meaningless compared to the World Cup / European Cup since they are not related to country match-ups....and all the players know it!

Messi: Well it's a real mess indeed....No Copa America as a player for Argentina under during and most important no World Cup yet...definitely the most overrated player of his era!

However, both of them have a slight glimmer of hope to change things around for themselves in the 2018 World Cup.

Oh, dear .... where to begin? How about this, Messi is the only reason why Argentina are even at the WC this year !!

 

[sharkman]

Only saw the last ten minutes but which players other than Gomez, who I presume was a late sub, and the two center backs are you talking about?

The team and style of play of Germany in general without pointing fingers at specific players...however some notable players are:

Khedira at midfield (a huge liability) and Hummels in the back/centre

 

[sharkman]

Oh, dear .... where to begin? How about this, Messi is the only reason why Argentina are even at the WC this year !!

I agree...but he has to win the big one for his country and for his legacy as a player. In fact, football is not a one-man team either...and Messi has not been able to elevate the play of the other players on the team!

He has won nothing for Argentina yet!....I sincerely hope he can turn it around in the 2018 WC.

 

[Titilleur]

Eight counties won it... But hey, there were only 20 competitions before this year with only 16 countries or less taking part of them until 1982.

 

[sharkman]

I realize Titilleur, it's a very narrow time window that a player has to showcase his skills and leadership in the WC. But in the case of Messi, at some point you have to wonder! And no Copa America for Argentina either during the Messi years!...He's got a huge huge amount of pressure on his back!

In fact, I believe his heir apparent Dybala is a Messi look-alike is a younger and better player at this point in their careers, however, they can't fit him in the team because he plays the same position as Messi.

 

[Titilleur]

What about England? The country who's credited of being the inventor of association football... Only one title (1966) and no better finish than fourth in any other year... 26th in last World Cup...

England had its share of elite players... They even have, arguably, the toughest custom pro league on Earth in the Premier League...

Could you imagine that kind of failure for Canada in hockey or for the USA in baseball?

 

[sharkman]

What about England? The country who's credited of being the inventor of association football... Only one title (1966) and no better finish than fourth in any other year... 26th in last World Cup...

England had its share of elite players... They even have, arguably, the toughest custom pro league on Earth in the Premier League...

Could you imagine that kind of failure for Canada in hockey or for the USA in baseball?

Yes but England never had a superstar of the caliber of Messi or Ronaldo that could make the difference and propel them to a WC or European Cup win. My take is that these guys are so hard pressed to prove that they can win the big one that they believe they can be a one-man-team. It's a team sport! Ronaldo feels less pressure now because he knows that Portugal now has the right player mix to win it all, and that Portugal has a coach (Santos) that can achieve results by playing a team oriented style of play. Aside from Ronaldo, there are no superstars on Portugal.

As far as Argentina, coaching has been a disaster and the player mix is horrible...compounding the issue for Messi!

As far as the Premier League (PL) is concerned, the PL undermines the talents of British born players because the league if full of players from other countries...Italy has the same problem! Two countries doomed for mediocrity going forward.

 

[jalimon]

As far as the Premier League (PL) is concerned, the PL undermines the talents of British born players because the league if full of players from other countries...Italy has the same problem! Two countries doomed for mediocrity going forward.

If you were a team owner on the Premier League you would do exactly like them and hire the best talent as possible no matter where they come from. That is how you build the best league in the world. England has a superstar with Kane. Let's see if he will be able to revive the magic touch he had all year.

You know Zlatan was a superstar but never did anything for Sweden. Ronaldo already has the Euro. Even if he did not play the final game he is the one who brought the team there. 3 goals on his first game with an absolute beauty free kick to tie the game. Watch him

Messi is one hell of a player. Have you watch him play? He is by far my favorite to watch, I would say him and Inesta of Spain.