France just looked like a team of superstars being outworked by a champion team. I know DD has the record for wins in world cups but he has come up short tactically the last few tournaments. Opting for a midfield two against Spain's midfield was just conceding the the entire middle of the pitch before the game had been played. Feel like he should have done more with this golden generation of French players. 1 World Cup win out of 4 tournaments is great by most standards, but not for the talent he has had at his disposal. The only time he got it tactically right was in 2018 when he came in with a more conservative gameplan (Matuidi playing on the wing and putting in massive defensive shifts) and looked to catch teams in transition. These last two cups its looked kind of like the early Fozzie All Blacks years. Beat the other team solely through talent.
@Frank said in FIFA World Cup:
Probably a very tall order, but I really hope England can win the whole thing.
I hope so too. Would be nice see them end their 60 year drought.
@ACT-Crusader Now compare the weekly wages of the French team and the Cape Verde team.
Huge credit to Cape Verde for working so hard. France were off it last night, partly because of Spanish brilliance but partly because they were off it and got their game plan and approach to the game wrong.
Quality of chances Spain have faced (xG) this tournament
Cape Verde, 0.2
Saudi, 0.14
Uruguay, 0.2
Austria, 0.32
Portugal, 0.63
Belgium, 0.34
France, 0.3
One goal conceded, and it's as much about their midfield as defence.
Spain are most vulnerable to a clinical team like Argentina or England. It should be a fascinating final.
Reading your own press in L'Equipe doesn't equip you to win a SF
Bereft of effort and ideas
Shameful and embarrassing from the Argentine Vice President going the English "usurping pirates" and "invaders" ahead of today's game, although lots of British lefties will agree with her:
@sparky said in FIFA World Cup:
Shameful and embarrassing from the Argentine Vice President going the English "usurping pirates" and "invaders" ahead of today's game, although lots of British lefties will agree with her:
The English need to rise to that level of intensity or they will lose. Beckham can give them a team talk about how he got sent off, and the way the Argentinian team celebrated afterwards. They won't necessarily fight fair, and won't give it a second thought in their quest to win
@canefan said in FIFA World Cup:
@Jet said in FIFA World Cup:
This is the match in a nutshell.
That Spanish bank of 4 had carte blanche while Mbappe and the other sunshine boys seagulled up front.
Perspiration beat inspiration.
So seagulling doesn't work?
Luis Enrique launched Mbappe out of PSG and won two Champions Leagues back to back.
Mbappe is great at knocking over the minnows, but at the business end when you meet a team as technical as you , you need all 11 players running their socks off. Yes all 11. Even the Spain keeper was playing as a sweeper.
It’s the same with every team that indulges latter day Ronaldo. He is like a siege gun that needs to be wheeled into position.
Portugal will be exponentially better once he fucks off.
@canefan said in FIFA World Cup:
@sparky said in FIFA World Cup:
Shameful and embarrassing from the Argentine Vice President going the English "usurping pirates" and "invaders" ahead of today's game, although lots of British lefties will agree with her:
The English need to rise to that level of intensity or they will lose. Beckham can give them a team talk about how he got sent off, and the way the Argentinian team celebrated afterwards. They won't necessarily fight fair, and won't give it a second thought in their quest to win
It’s going to be pure and utter skullduggery tonight.
@MiketheSnow said in FIFA World Cup:
Judging by that poster 2026 world cup winners should be the All Whites!
@nostrildamus said in FIFA World Cup:
@MiketheSnow said in FIFA World Cup:
Judging by that poster 2026 world cup winners should be the All Whites!
Except that Darren Bazeley is a Pom!
@Higgins said in FIFA World Cup:
Except that Darren Bazeley is a Pom!
Nobody's perfect!
(Especially if they are English)..
Maybe his job was to wave a white flag?
@sparky The British left (of the twitter variety anyway) are fucking insufferable. Tuchel needed to print this off 50 times, slap it on the dressing room walls and get the lads firing.
C’mon lads, play with passion, play with pride. Please for the love of sweet Jesus keep the pace up, go for the press and make space. This is gonna be spicy!
First World Cup since record of these things were made (1966) not to have a shot in the first half hour.
No shots on goal in the first half.
A combined total of 0.08 XG so far.
Where is this man when football needs him?
MacAllister might have blown it for the Argies. He should have scored from there. Even Lisandro Martinez should have done better with his chance.