No Irish, No Yanks, No Clogs - FIFA World Cup 2018

FWIW eventually you have to just hold your hands up to say that this England squad looks good because it *is* good. Maybe not winning a World Cup good but still very good. People said Colombia would rip them apart even without James and they didn't, people said this Sweden team would impossible for them to break down and that they'd put Italy, Holland and effectively Germany out, and England dispatched them pretty comfortably in the end.

They have looked laboured and devoid of ideas at times, but here's the thing, *so has everybody else*. None of the four teams still involved have swept everyone in front of them away - on balance I think France are the best team but there's a lot to be said for England's pace, energy and directness. They can clearly score goals but they've also been good at getting back very quickly in numbers.

Agree with Deems that Henderson/Modric is the key here. Don't fancy England's chances but I'm not sure about the other Croatia players' ability to keep England out either. The thing to remember about England sides of the last 15 years or so is how SLOW they were.

People said Colombia would rip them apart even without James and they didn't, people said this Sweden team would impossible for them to break down

Did many people say either of those? Especially the latter, Sweden have looked shit from start to finish.

Anyway, fwiw, I got accused of jinxing for saying they would beat Colombia and Sweden, I saw no propect of them losing to Sweden, Colombia was more touch and go. I also said they could definitely beat either Russia or Croatia which got shouted down.

I thought they'd struggle to break Sweden down. They scored from a set piece, I don't think I was wrong. I think you're over-selling them a little Matt, which is fair enough as a corrective to kneejerk dismissal, but none of their goals have come about from pace and directness since the Panama game. And all of the last 4 teams in the other half of the draw are better than England imo. Doesn't mean they can't be beat, but still. I think they'll beat Croatia, just, but it will say as much about their deficiencies as it will about England's virtues. And that applied to Colombia and Sweden too.

I think those teams were all better than England as well but I also think England would have been able to get a result against at least two of them, particularly Uruguay playing the way they did against France. Not convinced they would have been able to play Brazil or France.

At this stage it also doesn't actually matter if your goals come from setpieces as long as they happen.

but who has the best blood sausage of the last 4?

At this stage it also doesn't actually matter if your goals come from setpieces as long as they happen.

At any stage tbh.

A World Cup final with eight Spurs players and two former Spurs players would be surreal.

gotta say that if they can get over the inevitable exhaustion of this whole experience, spurs will have that belief next season which they’ve always seemed to lack previously.

when does the transfer window close btw and who are going to be the big moves due to this World Cup?

It doesn't matter where your goals come from, I'm just questioning whether England's attacking prowess is delivering much.

I sort of admire Southgate's commitment to sticking with Sterling, presumably for tactical reasons, but Sterling is never going to be good enough as a starter at this level and I wish he'd give Rashford - even Vardy, if he was fit - a go instead. Henderson is getting worse over time if anything.

Henderson's had an avalanche of praise from football gammoneers.

He is shit and I'm not trying for hyperbole.

Premier League window closes on August 9th

Southgate has managed the squad and any potential garbage surrounding the team well enough (no need to manage expectations given Iceland beat them at the Euros). Other than that England have had a ridiculous path - only France and Russia's group were poorer.

They were lucky James was injured (same with Cavani against France...South Americans have not been as fortunate as England that's for sure) and even then (relying more on match reports here) the moment Colombia started to play they scored. Yesterday Sweden played a little and nearly scored too.

Like you'd expect an unfancied team to reach the SFs (Turkey and S Korea in '02, Croatia '98 and Sweden '94 are some examples) but it just doesn't feel like England have earnt anything, its simply the vagaries of tournament football. Really bitter about it.

Hard Brexit if England win this.

Vardy is the player I just don't think fits into this system and I think he was only ever intended as a late sub. Reckon if Rashford had scored against Belgium he'd have been in the team now.

Sterling has enough of the physical attributes and the technique to succeed but his decision-making in advanced positions has been execrable, particularly when Kane was unmarked and in a good position yesterday. He looks desperate to score and that's affecting everything. I was quite happy to be perfectly indifferent towards him before his treatment from the media last month, now I feel essentially duty bound to support him, which frankly is quite annoying.

If you're getting most of the attacking play you're going to get more setpieces, particularly if teams think you dangerous enough to warrant regular fouling. I'd like them to score more from open play but the number of setpieces doesn't in and of itself undermine their attacking threat.

mildly interesting that both Jesus and Sterling (to a slightly lesser extent) have looked fairly useless outside Pep's system

dream of a world of pink faced england fans playing kabbadi but chanting "gammonygammonygammony" while the meteor hit and the earth turned to desert

If nothing else this World Cup has consolidated the Premier League as the most powerful league in the world - the Belgium team is virtually an EPL XI.

yeah the media treatment of Sterling was enraging, but there seems to be plenty of similar players to him in top half Champo/lower half prem squads, who have no end product/ability to do much damage in the final 3rd.

Like you'd expect an unfancied team to reach the SFs (Turkey and S Korea in '02, Croatia '98 and Sweden '94 are some examples) but it just doesn't feel like England have earnt anything

Turkey and South Korea were excellent in 2002 and that late 90s Croatia team was magnificent. If England, being uncharitable, parallel with anything it's Germany 2002, who made it to the final despite not being that good and having a stupidly easy route there.

Also 'anyone can survive a kicking' is transparent guff coming from an Arsenal fan.

i agree re: Sterling and the media tbh, but as you say his decision making is abysmal and his over-dependence on his right foot must make him an easy job for quality defenders. i can't see either of those things improving much over time.

calz are you saying Sterling is the English VLP :D

I think the answer to the Sterling question is that Pep has worked out how to get him to play the right pass (and play really well) and no one else has. There's a reason he's in the squad and, say, Theo Walcott isn't.

xp exactly, lol!

VLP has wiped all Town related stuff of his instagram and posted an enigmatic pic of himself in his granite bath tub, he must be off to Barca!

Even that German '02 side had Ballack and Kahn in the team and Ballack was suspended for the final.

Agreed on Turkey, South korea and Croatia - what I mean is like England they were not expected to make it to the latter stages pre-tounament (certainly not the first two). I just don't quite see what England have done to get here. Very pedestrian, just some energy due to the average age of the squad, organisation and playing opposition where a playmaker is injured or Sweden who are just very bad (that's the draw for you - if only fucking Argentina had won the group they could've been playing Eng now ffs).

And Matt I remember the George Graham years.

Really wanted Argentina in the group back when they did the draw - England never did get to face Messi (in any condition).

Worth pointing out again that the tournament has felt ridiculously unbalanced from the get go. That's largely down to Russia and Poland being seeded - the latter for no apparent reason. As a result you got some ridiculously hard groups and others (Group A lol) that turned out to be a complete piece of piss.

That's before you got the big teams underperforming obviously, but it's debatable whether that would have happened to the same extent had the draw been more balanced in the first place.

Argentina are an excellent example of why energy and organisation are important. They have one or two footballers who are better than most of England's lot put together but at no point in the World Cup did they remotely make sense as a TEAM.

the seedings are based on the world rankings and Poland are somehow ranked 8th in the world

the hosts always go in Pot 1 I think

actually Poland were 6th when the draw was made

I think the answer to the Sterling question is that Pep has worked out how to get him to play the right pass (and play really well) and no one else has. There's a reason he's in the squad and, say, Theo Walcott isn't.

― Matt DC, Sunday, 8 July 2018 12:05 (thirty-nine minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

all poch did with walker was stop him ever kicking the ball or rackling the opponent, voila 55m

sterling no different. shit footballer good athlete, good option in many systems

rosh rot a rackle raggy

And of course Spain and Germany (and Argentina) are at the end of their cycles too - they would all been knocking about but the wc defnitely shows you up. You could say Russia earned their seeding by beating Spain - as for Poland its pure FIFA rankings nonsense but that system has been around and confusing the world for a long time.

Argies were badly managed. Certainly not putting organisation down. It would've been totally fine if England showed something more than that. Guess its the combination of seeing the pedestrian getting away with it, and then people blocking that out (lj's inventive system or what have you - they are tidy, no more). No sense or perspective.

Tough ask, I know.

none of that says anything more than england were readier than usual to exploit opposition disarray as opposed to being one of the disarrayed

which is a rubbish criticism

Everyone knows that England haven't played like Brazil 1970 and that they haven't faced world class opposition. Literally every fucker in the country deep down knows it. Right now that only really matters if you're Gareth Southgate or an opponent or are paid to have an opinion about football.

Basically it comes down to whether you'd rather be one of the people having fun or the guy telling them why they're all wrong to be doing so.

Like I don't want to be that guy and most ppl aren't inventing a fantasy. But in Italia '90 (this is at the very back of my memory now) Eng at least beat Cameroon who were a good side. Or Platt's goal against Belgium is a memory or what have you.

Just show something. Is it too much to ask?

England in WC2018 can be the Portugal of Euro 2016 (which put to rest the idea that it is the best team that wins a cup tournament)

I can remember a load of pumped on booze + coke thuggish idiots racially abusing the one black guy present at someones house when Cameroon went ahead against England in '90. And then afterwards making embarrassed apols - "it wasn't personal, mate ... honest" etc...

england will do croatia at a canter

there's been some standout performances (colombia against poland, japan against belgium) but only france have looked anything like being a good_team in the round. even then only it's only in fits in starts. would expect them to do england in the final, if they can get past belgium. if belgium beat france, then england win the world cup and heaven help us

These England criticisms are getting ever more desperate and ridiculous.

who last won a tournament without criticisms of their play

brazil? wasnt germany, spain, portugal.

oh I definitely criticised that Brazil team

Italy 06 got to the semis without a real challenge, although you could say they laboured with luck against Australia. Then they put in their best performance against Germany and were solid enough in the final. Liked that team a lot though.

yesterday it occurred to me that fifa '19 is going to need to incorporate all the fortnite celebrations if it wants to retain even a veneer of verisimilitude - at which point fortnite could sue fifa for copyright infringement? wheels within wheels

sons update: i pulled them up on declaring maguire "dead" and they responded that they had been talking about his haircut

Croatian blood pudding usually has rice in it. That’s not necessarily bad but it’s an approach that hasn’t proved effective at this wc.

http://time.com/5332548/uk-soccer-its-coming-home/

After its 2-0 victory over Sweden on Saturday, the U.K. is advancing to the World Cup semifinals for the first time since 1990.

it's the UK's only remaining team in the competition, maybe that's what they meant? (probably not) :-)