Both sides have been poor in the final third, whilst Modric is still a delight to watch he has been unable to get his team on the same wavelength & Tunisia showed some good honest endeavour but the lack of final product is disappointing.
Yet they are ranked 20 in the world by FIFA, just above Morocco who gave Croatia (runners up in the last World Cup) a real run for their money. Can’t help thinking the current appalling situation in Iran must be playing on minds.
... you can be highly rated by any measure and still be rubbish on the day btw @micra
Not massively in favour of betting odds being waved about so much in the press but it makes sense that they are kept more accurate. Doesn't guarantee anything though.
Thanks for that @StrongestTeam ! As a Wanderers supporter for over half a century, I’ve observed the phenomenon a phenomenal number of times.
One of the earliest examples was an FA Cup qualifying game at Marlow in the 1974/75 season when we played appallingly but somehow must have scraped through because we managed to reach (I assume) the third round in January 1975 and held the then mighty Middlesbrough side to a draw. And we came within minutes of taking the replay at Ayresome Park to extra time.
I would argue that other than perhaps Qatar there are no chumps at this tournament.
It is interesting to see that teams like Saudi Arabia, Canada & Japan have worked out that the way to combat the obvious skills of the top teams is to operate a high intensity high press & give them no time on the ball (sound familiar?).
Spain were superb & Costa Rica made the mistake of standing off them which allowed the Spanish to pass the ball around at leisure; how superb will be seen in their next game against a chastened Germany.
Iran were poor, again because they allowed England too much time & space on the ball, they only really pressed England once the game was dead but did manage to expose England's soft defensive under belly & scored 2 goals they really shouldn't have been allowed.
Spain & France have looked the best teams so far, though I think France edges it as they were given a much tougher test by Australia.
It will be interesting to see how Brazil fare against Serbia, as well as Uruguay against South Korea & Portugal against Ghana. Once everyone has played their first games we might have a better feel for how the groups might pan out...
Just want to say well done to the Japan fans for clearing up after themselves. Absolutely tremendous stuff, completely forgot about that from the previous World Cup.
Especially to see the forum and pundit "experts" who'd for some reason heavily backed them as favourites despite players like Messi and Di Maria being well beyond their best,
They were considered among the favourites because they've been one of the very best teams in the world for the past couple of years. That result was a monumental upset.
I wonder if there is some issue with this 'semi automated offside' system? I've seen two 'goals' ruled out in this World Cup where I have been convinced that a player on the other side of the pitch has been playing the forward onside.
Comments
Isn't everyone a former youngster?
Young people aren't, unless in the spirit of Mitch Hedburg ("I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to, too").
Not for Wycombe Games! We'll never get home on a Tuesday night!
This has been even worse than watching Wycombe
Both sides have been poor in the final third, whilst Modric is still a delight to watch he has been unable to get his team on the same wavelength & Tunisia showed some good honest endeavour but the lack of final product is disappointing.
Morocco.
We've been spoilt by the attacking performance of .....England, no nervous opener there, coming out on the front foot and smashing the goals in.
Who'd have thunk it??
*Yeah, Iran were rubbish
Yet they are ranked 20 in the world by FIFA, just above Morocco who gave Croatia (runners up in the last World Cup) a real run for their money. Can’t help thinking the current appalling situation in Iran must be playing on minds.
Or that the FIFA rankings are as bent as everything else about them? 🤔
FIFA rankings are largely meaningless but can be handy for narrative
... you can be highly rated by any measure and still be rubbish on the day btw @micra
Not massively in favour of betting odds being waved about so much in the press but it makes sense that they are kept more accurate. Doesn't guarantee anything though.
Thanks for that @StrongestTeam ! As a Wanderers supporter for over half a century, I’ve observed the phenomenon a phenomenal number of times.
One of the earliest examples was an FA Cup qualifying game at Marlow in the 1974/75 season when we played appallingly but somehow must have scraped through because we managed to reach (I assume) the third round in January 1975 and held the then mighty Middlesbrough side to a draw. And we came within minutes of taking the replay at Ayresome Park to extra time.
Forgot to mention. Middlesbrough were top of Division 1 at the time.
Ha, yeah, that did read back as a bit more stating the obvious than needed 😀
Up the Japan!!!
That's Tuchel's next job sorted.
Yes we did play appallingly at Marlow in the first qualifying round lucky to get through. The rest of that cup run as they say is history
Canada look a decent team !
I would argue that other than perhaps Qatar there are no chumps at this tournament.
It is interesting to see that teams like Saudi Arabia, Canada & Japan have worked out that the way to combat the obvious skills of the top teams is to operate a high intensity high press & give them no time on the ball (sound familiar?).
Costa Rica lost 7-0 today. Are you putting that down merely to Spanish brilliance?
Or Iran conceding 6 to us?
Spain were superb & Costa Rica made the mistake of standing off them which allowed the Spanish to pass the ball around at leisure; how superb will be seen in their next game against a chastened Germany.
Iran were poor, again because they allowed England too much time & space on the ball, they only really pressed England once the game was dead but did manage to expose England's soft defensive under belly & scored 2 goals they really shouldn't have been allowed.
Spain & France have looked the best teams so far, though I think France edges it as they were given a much tougher test by Australia.
It will be interesting to see how Brazil fare against Serbia, as well as Uruguay against South Korea & Portugal against Ghana. Once everyone has played their first games we might have a better feel for how the groups might pan out...
Just want to say well done to the Japan fans for clearing up after themselves. Absolutely tremendous stuff, completely forgot about that from the previous World Cup.
Have only just seen that that Martinez goal that was ruled out for Argentina was actually onside, and the "lines" were done against the wrong player!
That goes in and they most likely romp a 4 or 5 niller in.
Why?
Ah well… hand of god etc. Shit happens 😂
Yes, between the 78 corruption and 86 cheating, Argentina are due a lot of bad breaks if things really do even out. (They don't).
Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased generally.
Especially to see the forum and pundit "experts" who'd for some reason heavily backed them as favourites despite players like Messi and Di Maria being well beyond their best,
They were considered among the favourites because they've been one of the very best teams in the world for the past couple of years. That result was a monumental upset.
They'd won about 35 games on the trot including a Copa America
Malone is having a shocking tournament
I wonder if there is some issue with this 'semi automated offside' system? I've seen two 'goals' ruled out in this World Cup where I have been convinced that a player on the other side of the pitch has been playing the forward onside.
The isolated graphics , like that shot of the leg offside early on certainly don't fill you with confidence do they.