Football 2022/23

[Crazyfool01]

Shockingly bad Spanish pens … nice 1 Morocco 🇲🇦:) 

[steviewevie]

Brilliant

[steviewevie]

Ronaldo not playing

[charlierc]

2 hours ago, Punksnotdead said:

I love Spain - I want to live there one day - so I hope they progress, but I think they used up all their goals against Costa Rica!

Looks that way, especially given the unwanted record of 0/3 penalties. Least Japan scored one last night.

Spain seem to be inheriting England's record as "nation that least wants it to go to penalties" tbf given this is the third major tournament in a row they've lost on those things.

[charlierc]

22 hours ago, pink_triangle said:

Wrexham are playing there in the FA cup. I suspect they will work something out, so they keep playing there.

Well they've got a week and a half until Coventry were next meant to be playing at home. So there's time to stumble into a solution.

This may not be the right spot for football, but a man named William Storey is trying to get a takeover. Rings a bell as his time trying to sponsor the Haas F1 team made him look like a laughing stock, yet one that seems to have learned nothing from that debacle.

[steviewevie]

Poor Ronnie.

[charlierc]

Be something if this is the World Cup where Portugal win it for the first time ever but only after jettisoning Ronaldo.

One step at a time ofc, mind. Morocco's defence has been exceptional so won't be a slam dunk just yet.

[DareToDibble]

How are all you English feeling about the match v France?

I think you'll be surprisingly comfortable. Mbappe will be giving the defenders nightmares but the midfield is where England are likely to dominate the game. Rice/Henderson/Bellingham seems to be a great setup.

[Ryan1984]

20 minutes ago, DareToDibble said:

How are all you English feeling about the match v France?

I think you'll be surprisingly comfortable. Mbappe will be giving the defenders nightmares but the midfield is where England are likely to dominate the game. Rice/Henderson/Bellingham seems to be a great setup.

Quietly confident. I think our (England) midfield is working as a unit but we have to go on the frontfoot and attack them. I’d maybe bring Rashford back in for Saka on the right as I think he’ll track back and stay closer to Mbappe.

Already seeing people excited about next week’s “South American derby semi final”. Think Van Gaal’s Netherlands might have something to say about that? (Can’t see Croatia getting anything past Brazil).

[steviewevie]

Allez les Bleus!

[charlierc]

4 hours ago, DareToDibble said:

How are all you English feeling about the match v France?

I think you'll be surprisingly comfortable. Mbappe will be giving the defenders nightmares but the midfield is where England are likely to dominate the game. Rice/Henderson/Bellingham seems to be a great setup.

It'll either be a very open game with lots of chances or a very tight one given Deschamps and Southgate have been known for their pragmatic tendencies when needed. I'm hoping first and foremost its a good game.

[pink_triangle]

I think you can pretty much discount the performances so far when it comes to England v France. I think England were in the weakest group and why Frances (and group opponent) was slightly tougher, both have been seeing off players who wouldn't be close to their squads, never mind the team.

I feel France have a bit more big game experience, so would make them favourites. However it is a game that could go either way. . I am pretty confident Brazil and Portugal will go through fairly comfortably, so put your money on the opponents!

 

[gary1979666]

10 hours ago, pink_triangle said:

I think you can pretty much discount the performances so far when it comes to England v France. I think England were in the weakest group and why Frances (and group opponent) was slightly tougher, both have been seeing off players who wouldn't be close to their squads, never mind the team.

I feel France have a bit more big game experience, so would make them favourites. However it is a game that could go either way. . I am pretty confident Brazil and Portugal will go through fairly comfortably, so put your money on the opponents!

 

No sure we were in the weakest group - when you look at the FIFA rankings, we had ranks 16,19& 20.  France were up against 10,30 & 38.  You could argue that on the day some played better or worse than their rankings, but then that would also point to Denmark's poor showing. France only lost to Tunisia as the played a light team.

Similarly in the knock outs - Senegal = 18 and Poland = 26. 

But yeah, I'm gearing myself up for a France win - part expectation management, part realism.

[pink_triangle]

1 hour ago, Barry Fish said:

When it comes to big game experience we have to remember we have recently been in a Euro final and World Cup semi final....  Hardly lacking ourselves. 

Games that they lost! A lot of these players aren't competing for league titles, or champions leagues.

[pink_triangle]

2 hours ago, gary1979666 said:

No sure we were in the weakest group - when you look at the FIFA rankings, we had ranks 16,19& 20.  France were up against 10,30 & 38.  You could argue that on the day some played better or worse than their rankings, but then that would also point to Denmark's poor showing. France only lost to Tunisia as the played a light team.

Similarly in the knock outs - Senegal = 18 and Poland = 26. 

But yeah, I'm gearing myself up for a France win - part expectation management, part realism.

I guess that depends on you trusting the world rankings. I think Wales, USA and Iran were all quite poor. I think there were a few teams eliminated in the groups better than USA.

[Skip997]

7 minutes ago, pink_triangle said:

I guess that depends on you trusting the world rankings. I think Wales, USA and Iran were all quite poor. I think there were a few teams eliminated in the groups better than USA.

The world rankings are complete nonsense.

England were clearly in the easiest group.

[lost]

Wales are a weird one putting out Austria and Ukraine in the qualifiers whom I consider decent teams. Its like their big game older players just couldn't manage those extra few months. Maybe age is more telling regarding stamina in conditions like Qatar over Europe?    

Edited December 9, 2022 by lost

[DareToDibble]

28 minutes ago, lost said:

Wales are a weird one putting out Austria and Ukraine in the qualifiers whom I consider decent teams. Its like their big game older players just couldn't manage those extra few months. Maybe age is more telling regarding stamina in conditions like Qatar over Europe?    

Having been at both those games I really do think a huge part of it was home advantage. I've never really heard an atmosphere like those 2 games, which will undoubtedly have given the players a huge lift.

Looking back on it now, we definitely didn't give a good account of ourselves, which is disappointing. 

No shame in losing to England but the first half against USA was pretty bad, second half great (the only decent 45 minutes of football we played). The Iran game was obviously a low. The worst part about it was seeing so many fellow Welsh almost taking that as 3 points before the game even started was always going to be a recipe for disaster.

[pink_triangle]

5 hours ago, lost said:

Wales are a weird one putting out Austria and Ukraine in the qualifiers whom I consider decent teams. Its like their big game older players just couldn't manage those extra few months. Maybe age is more telling regarding stamina in conditions like Qatar over Europe?    

I'm not sure it's the conditions, more how quick the games come. Bale only had to play a game a week in the play offs.

[Crazyfool01]

Come on Croatia 🇭🇷 

[pink_triangle]

6 hours ago, Barry Fish said:

France went out in R16 in the Euros to Switzerland...  

I don't think you can read that much into a one off game in a knockout. To me the big failing for England in that final was not the result in isolation, but the fact they were at home.

 

[Skip997]

7 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

Come on Croatia 🇭🇷 

Come on Brazil

[Crazyfool01]

9 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Come on Brazil

Lucky Croatia shirt 

[steviewevie]

haha

[DareToDibble]

Unreal. Croatia are such a boring team but my my is it effective. Finalists last time out too so maybe we shouldn't be so surprised.