World Cup
- Thread starter Willcampbell
- Start date
Tactically Martinez got lucky. His choice to play a center back at left back and a midfield player at right back, nearly undid all the good work they did to get to 2-0. Marcelo and Costa were tearing them apart at the end and creating chances..poorly finished chances I might add. Not changing his formation from 4-3-3 when they needed more defensive coverage at 2-1 was nearly disastrous.... goes to show that a great GK can bail you out sometimes. All of the South American teams are out. This WC continues to serve up surprises.
I'm not sure they needed a tactical change so much as they needed fresh legs on D. But I think Belgium and France is the de facto WC title game. The winner of that game, so long as the winner escapes with no red card DQs or injurys, and after nearly a week of rest, will take the title game.
I only want France to lose so Fekir can finalize his move to Liverpool, haha.
Its Semi Final time..who ya got?
I have Belgium over France
and England over Croatia
I have Belgium over France
and England over Croatia
I've got France and Croatia in the finals. I don't ever trust England enough in big tourneys and they've had an easy walk so far.
From a pure talent standpoint, I think France is the best team left by a sizeable margin. However, Belgium has been the best overall team in the tournament. That will be a great game.
I feel bad for that one side of the draw. Belgium/Brazil and Belgium/France should have been finals.
It's been a good tournament. I always hate the later stages because there are fewer games on. I prefer the daily chaos, haha.
From a pure talent standpoint, I think France is the best team left by a sizeable margin. However, Belgium has been the best overall team in the tournament. That will be a great game.
I feel bad for that one side of the draw. Belgium/Brazil and Belgium/France should have been finals.
It's been a good tournament. I always hate the later stages because there are fewer games on. I prefer the daily chaos, haha.
I have faith in the young lions,i think they beat Croatia,it's time Sterling gets going,they seem un fazed by the enormity of what they are doing,yes they had the easier side of the draw,but still you have to beat who you play,that's how you move on..
France and England.
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Not that it matters really, IMO, the World Cup final is today at 2 eastern. The winner of that game, barring key injury or Red Card suspension, should easily take the winner of tomorrow's Croatia and England.
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Not that it matters really, IMO, the World Cup final is today at 2 eastern. The winner of that game, barring key injury or Red Card suspension, should easily take the winner of tomorrow's Croatia and England.
I agree that France and Belgium should be the heavy favorites. But it's not like they're playing Saudi Arabia or Panama in the Finals. Brazil had 27 shots, and 9 on target against Belgium, and they really, really struggled to score. Obviously they had a lot of GREAT chances. But soccer sometimes takes a bit of luck. England or Croatia winning the World Cup isn't that far-fetched. Either one could easily pull off the mild upset. That being said, I'm taking Belgium over Croatia.
I think Croatia has played well, but has been fortunate in the draw so far. Further, I think they lack the offensive punch to keep pace with Fr (or Bel).
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England is incredibly vulnerable to the counter attack, an area at which Fr excels (ditto Bel).
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England and/or Croatia are quality teams, but their biggest weaknesses play into France's strength.
England will protect against the counter attack by sitting deeper - they wont be the ones pushing the pace of the game. If they decide to venture forward in numbers it will be at set plays...then maybe Mbappe can use his speed to effect.
England still needs to get past Croatia....the toughest team they have played so far, so its no gimme they make the final
France are the favorites now regardless of who they play. Todays game would have been a worthy final.
I agree, but I'm not sure that's a reason Croatia will beat them. Croatia needed penalty kicks to get past Russia and Denmark. Give me the young English in this one. They're showing up four years earlier than everyone thought, and they can sense how close they are now. They'll be outmatched by France, but not Croatia.
Fair enough. My thought is more like the NCAA tournament statement that Croatia knows how to grind out a win so far in this tournament. I still take Croatia, which pains me a little because I like Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold. I don't have a horse in the race, so as long as it's a good game, I'm a happy dude.
It is a young English team, and as I said earlier, I think this group is too dumb to appreciate the pressure. It didn't really exist before the tourney, and still barely exists now.
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But, should they win, it will amp up. Not just because of the moment, but because this France team is YOUNGER than England. If Fr wins now, in four years, aka the peak for this Eng team, France will also be at its peak, possibly already with a WC title.
I didn't know that kick it long and pray was a viable strategy. It doesn't seem to be working out for England.
Maybe England was just lucky. That was bad, bad futbol by them. No real chances, no strategy, and they were the exhausted team.
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Walker should never be allowed near the NT training ground. Awful clearances, including the one that lead to the tying goal in regulation.
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And I don't know why they didn't include Kane today. He obviously wasn't on the pitch, and I can't imagine why they went with that strategy.
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Walker should never be allowed near the NT training ground. Awful clearances, including the one that lead to the tying goal in regulation.
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And I don't know why they didn't include Kane today. He obviously wasn't on the pitch, and I can't imagine why they went with that strategy.
I was wrong. They weren't too dumb to appreciate the pressure. Complete choke job by the three lions.
Patrick; I appreciate your knowledge and your posts, but you do know you have been talking to yourself, right? That could get you hauled off to a hospital in some neighborhoods.
OFC
OFC
Patrick; I appreciate your knowledge and your posts, but you do know you have been talking to yourself, right? That could get you hauled off to a hospital in some neighborhoods.
OFC
They were unique thoughts, and I feel they merited separate posts. When you become a mod, feel free to police the board as you see fit. I wait with bated breath.
You did notice the smiley face, no? No offense, my friend.
OFC
Several good chances to make it 2-0....one by the very man Kane you mention who "wasnt playing" - England's problem is central midfield or lack thereof and lower quality all around. They benefited from a favorable draw and goals from set pieces. A semi final was a fitting end for the talent on this team. The better team won in the end, but a second goal from Kane or Lingard would have made it a very different story.
Kane hasn’t looked good the last 2 games and Croatia dominated that match for all but the first 10 minutes of the game and 15 minutes of the first overtime. They just kept giving away possession by trying to have Sterling score on long runs, but as good as Croatia’s midfield and defense was playing, I’m not sure England could have consistently built up by passing through the midfield.
Really wanted to see an England vs France final, and have a feeling England falls on their face against Belgium in the 3rd place game with or without Trippier. Think Belgium wins like 3-1 or 4-1 and LuKaku may end up taking the Golden Boot trophy from Kane.
Simply put,the better team won..England wasn't able to step up in the second half or overtime.They and their country should be proud of their making it to the semi final of the world cup..Their future looks great,they are really young and if you did not know,England is reigning world champions in both under 17 and under 20 soccer.English football is alive and well
Apparently not, haha.
Alright, I've got France in the final. They've been there before and I think they take it. Let's hear some picks.
France 2-0. I enjoy watching them, their speed is ridiculous. Mbappe is gonna be a force for a long time. Pogba is unreal in the middle, controls the whole game.
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