O/T:- World Cup 2022

[jackal2]

A whole new level of stupid from VAR, absolute joke decision. Justice done with that particular incident, though not with Poland ultimately going through. You would think the prospect of playing Australia rather than France would have motivated them to give it more of a go.

It was a joke decision, but the blame doesn't lie with the VAR technology which showed what happened very clearly. The blame lies with the (two!) incompetent officials watching it. The playback clearly showed that the Polish goalkeeper made inadvertent contact with Messi as he flew through the air reaching for the ball, and if two supposedly experienced human football referees couldn't deduce that, it's an argument for more automation rather than less.

[countygump]

A whole new level of stupid from VAR, absolute joke decision. Justice done with that particular incident, though not with Poland ultimately going through. You would think the prospect of playing Australia rather than France would have motivated them to give it more of a go.

A couple more goals for the Argies and Mexico would have got through, given that, you can understand their caution. Mexico played really well, where have they been hiding?

[laddo]

Group stages are all about qualifying.

How you did, how you performed or didn't doesn't all gets forgotten once you reach the knockout stages and business end of the competition.

[jackal2]

PS well done to Australia today - the epitome of a team being greater than the sum of its parts.

[queenslandpie]

PS well done to Australia today - the epitome of a team being greater than the sum of its parts.

Stayed up to watch the game at 1am.

You are quite correct about the team being greater than the sum of its parts. They really are not very good at all, they remind me of watching Notts in the dark days of the trust. Hit and hope for the most part, very limited in possession give the ball away easily but pretty solid in the middle. Denmark were atrocious though, some of those misplaced passes towards the end of the game were pub team level, but I think they had pretty much given up by then. We will see how Messi gets on against them. I am assuming an absolute hammering. But you never know Argentina known to crumble in big games.

[jackal2]

Stayed up to watch the game at 1am.

You are quite correct about the team being greater than the sum of its parts. They really are not very good at all, they remind me of watching Notts in the dark days of the trust. Hit and hope for the most part, very limited in possession give the ball away easily but pretty solid in the middle. Denmark were atrocious though, some of those misplaced passes towards the end of the game were pub team level, but I think they had pretty much given up by then. We will see how Messi gets on against them. I am assuming an absolute hammering. But you never know Argentina known to crumble in big games.

Aaron Mooy's been an underrated player during his career I reckon. He first came to my attention at Huddersfield where he was one of their star players in the Premier League, albeit in a struggling team. His career seemed to drift after moving to Brighton, and he's older than I thought he was, but he's got a nice mix of ability and energy.

[queenslandpie]

Aaron Mooy's been an underrated player during his career I reckon. He first came to my attention at Huddersfield where he was one of their star players in the Premier League, albeit in a struggling team. His career seemed to drift after moving to Brighton, and he's older than I thought he was, but he's got a nice mix of ability and energy.

Yes he's got a good engine for sure. Also Souttar considering he has just come back from injury was an absolute colossus against Tunisia. Got an easier ride against Denmark. If he keeps those performances up he won't be at Stoke much longer. There isn't a lot of creativity in the side but they work bloody hard for each other. However I fear the worst against Argentina.

[the_anticlough]

A couple more goals for the Argies and Mexico would have got through, given that, you can understand their caution. Mexico played really well, where have they been hiding?

I'm actually at the World Cup and attended this last night. It was an unbelievable occasion - 85,000 passionate fans from both sides all in green or white. It might have looked end-of-the-bill on the fixture list but it was anything but that

Mexico only have themselves to blame, they should have approached the Poland game as a must-win against their main opponent to get out of the group, instead of a must not lose first game.
They had 26 goal attempts, so yeah they were hiding in that first game.

[upthemaggies]

Denmark were atrocious though.

In the last Euros in front of their own fans, Denmark were great to watch. This World Cup, they've been one of the most boring and worst teams of the tournament, they've faded as badly as the emblem on their shirts. I'm hoping as few European sides get through as possible, it's the other continent's teams that are making this World Cup worthwhile, in the stands as well as on the pitch (for the most part). The team I most wish had qualified (other than Scotland) is Turkey - they would have had unbelievable support out there and got some real momentum going, followed by Egypt (for the Salah factor). Really hoping Morocco and Japan get through today.

[jackal2]

In the last Euros in front of their own fans, Denmark were great to watch. This World Cup, they've been one of the most boring and worst teams of the tournament, they've faded as badly as the emblem on their shirts. I'm hoping as few European sides get through as possible, it's the other continent's teams that are making this World Cup worthwhile, in the stands as well as on the pitch (for the most part). The team I most wish had qualified (other than Scotland) is Turkey - they would have had unbelievable support out there and got some real momentum going, followed by Egypt (for the Salah factor). Really hoping Morocco and Japan get through today.

I know what you mean.

If it's possible to be over-professional and over-coached, a lot of the European teams do look that way. They have some gifted players at their disposal, but their priority is to be "well organised", set up primarily not to give goals away, relying on one or two flair players to produce a bit of individual magic rather than trying to entertain and play with flair as a team.

The coaches who believe in this approach will no doubt point to the statistics and claim it's the one which most often produces results, and no doubt they are right, but football is supposed to be an entertainment business. Even the South American and African teams have moved closer to the "well-organised" blueprint, but I agree there's still a spirit of adventure and individuality in teams like Brazil and Argentina that hasn't been completely suppressed (yet).

Also, the pure passion of the fans of the South and Central American teams harks back to a less cynical era of football, and the African fans all look like they're determined to have a party whether their team wins or not, which makes for a great spectacle and is what makes the World Cup a far more watchable tournament than the European Championships.