World Cup Qatar 2022 - Desert Strike

[ryodi]

Big wins haven’t always been followed by a good performance so far in this World Cup. I think Brazil beating Croatia is only guaranteed result in the quarter finals, everything other game could go either way.

[dizogg]

1 minute ago, englishbob said:

 

You want me to base what on what?

Im just asking if “it’s looking like a Brazil Portugal final” is based on them both getting big wins against crap teams?

 

Because once they play good teams there are totally different challenges to face.

[englishbob]

2 minutes ago, dizogg said:

Im just asking if “it’s looking like a Brazil Portugal final” is based on them both getting big wins against crap teams?

 

Because once they play good teams there are totally different challenges to face.

 

Based on performance I guess rather than the amount of goals.

[dizogg]

6 minutes ago, englishbob said:

 

Based on performance I guess rather than the amount of goals.

You sound very confident though for saying it’s quarter final stage! Definitely whoever wins out of France or England will be favourites against Portugal still I’d say.

[Gabzy]

12 minutes ago, dizogg said:

You sound very confident though for saying it’s quarter final stage! Definitely whoever wins out of France or England will be favourites against Portugal still I’d say.

You sound very confident!

[Timmo]

43 minutes ago, englishbob said:

Looking like a Brazil vs Portugal final - although it has been a bit like the FA Cup rather than the World Cup so anything could happen

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/schedule

Did you have Spain down as winners after the Costa Rica result?

[dizogg]

4 minutes ago, Gabzy said:

You sound very confident!

I said they’d be considered favourites not that they’d be sure to win. Either France win who are current world champions, or England beat France which will be a huge win for us. Portugal will have beaten Switzerland and Morocco so harder to judge.

[Timmo]

The bookies still have England and France above Portugal, despite the fact they’re playing each other, so to say it’s looking like Portugal are getting to the final (something they’ve never done before) is a pretty big call.

 

I’d definitely have Portugal ahead of Argentina to win the whole thing, though. 

[englishbob]

5 minutes ago, Timmo said:

Did you have Spain down as winners after the Costa Rica result?

 

I don't think I did, but can't be certain. I've not enjoyed a Spain match since Espana 82 when England played them in the 2nd group stage - was a frustrating watch - as an 11 year old my lasting memory was they were dirty trick players. They are now just boring as hell

[Gabzy]

5 minutes ago, dizogg said:

I said they’d be considered favourites not that they’d be sure to win. Either France win who are current world champions, or England beat France which will be a huge win for us. Portugal will have beaten Switzerland and Morocco so harder to judge.

You’re right. Was just hoping you’d bite, to be honest. Disappointingly measured response.

[dizogg]

Just now, Gabzy said:

You’re right. Was just hoping you’d bite, to be honest. Disappointingly measured response.

You do know I’m married now? You’ve got to stop all this flirting!

[Gabzy]

2 minutes ago, dizogg said:

You do know I’m married now? You’ve got to stop all this flirting!

How would I know?! Besides the late night text you sent me.

[spork]

21 minutes ago, Gabzy said:

How would I know?! Besides the late night text you sent me.

Leave my husband alone 

[Boothjan]

I thought that was the best team performance of the tournament so far. 

 

Frightening at times, plenty of individual quality, very hard to play against.

 

I didn't see Portugal as a genuine contender before that, but a performance of that quality should make everyone take note.

 

There are some very capable teams in the last 8. And it feels great to say even without bias that England are one of them.

[Gotters]

Portugal did look fantastic like night, no doubts about that (massive xG overscore mind) but the thing that sticks in my mind before getting carried away with them dropping Ronaldo and winning the pot is how little they dived and cheated.

 

I don’t think that was down to newfound Corinthian ideals but simply a sign of how terrible and passive the Swiss were.

 

Not enjoyed a Portugal game as much since that famous battle with the Dutch a while back.

[SeanR]

[Ork1927]

I reckon 6/8 quarter finalists have got a decent shout of winning it.

 

Croatia just don't have the legs/players to go one better than 4 year ago and Morocco probably won't be able to keep a team that shoots instead of passes at bay.

 

Everyone else has a shot I think - it feels like a really good last 8.  

[Floyd]

You know it's coming home? You know originally that song got released just before euro 96 and only meant it's coming home because the tournament was held in England, so literally they meant football's coming home. 

 

I know it now means winning the trophy and bringing it home to the "home of football"

 

A small and somewhat irrelevant note but I'll be making sure I tell everyone this boring little fact in the pub on Saturday. 

 

 

[Gotters]

Yeah there is nobody who looks in pole position or been totally convincing throughout.

 

Agree it pretty safe to rule out Croatia and Morocco, probably the Dutch too as a big ask to get past Argentina, probably Brazil then whoever comes out the Fra/Eng/Port half of the draw.

 

If the gods are really smiling on Qatar for a storyline a Messi v Ronaldo final is still a possibility, would be quite funny watching him combust on the bench with his painted on Homelander style smile making out everything is fine.

[Timmo]

24 minutes ago, Ork1927 said:

I reckon 6/8 quarter finalists have got a decent shout of winning it.

 

Croatia just don't have the legs/players to go one better than 4 year ago and Morocco probably won't be able to keep a team that shoots instead of passes at bay.

 

Everyone else has a shot I think - it feels like a really good last 8.  

Mostly agree but Greece and Wigan have shown us that anything can happen in a cup competition.

[Plissken]

Croatia have looked like they don't have the legs for it since the last 16 in 2018.  I agree that Brazil should be too much for them.  Yet here they are.  Again.

[Gotters]

Croatia hanging around to the latter stages of tournaments is the international equivalent of Bolton, Stoke & Burnley not having the decency to get relegated and free up a space for somebody else in the PL.

[Plissken]

[Ork1927]

20 minutes ago, Timmo said:

Mostly agree but Greece and Wigan have shown us that anything can happen in a cup competition.

True - but those other 6 teams all look either on it and/or have a superstar(s)/potential superstar(s) looking dangerous.

 

I'm predicting England Portugal semi final.  England have a goal lead in the last minute of extra time and are desperate to avoid penalties.

 

Ramos looks certain to score, but wait, Ronaldo pushes him out the way to take the shot himself and skies it over the bar.

[milko]

England to finally be the team Ronaldo actually scores a free kick against, Pepe gets on the edge of the wall and gives Saka a crafty nudge just at the right moment.

[Loik V credern]

Bellingham was asked who the greatest player ever was, spent a few seconds thinking about it and said Zidane. It's just hard to wrap your head around these players being so young they grew up watching the likes of Henderson rather than Zidane. There were a few moments in the second half where Bellingham lost the ball a few times under little pressure trying to dribble, in terms of being complete is that area of his game that strong and what about his vision for a pass and the execution, or his long range shooting if he's being compared to Gerrard. It seems like it's stamina, decision making, physicality and leadership are his strengths, his run was perfect in releasing it to Foden at the right time, more satifying because so many breaks that way are fluffed up. His means to be everywhere and not hide seems rare and why the usual hysteria over a single England player that will become the saviour of the team is different with him i think, because he's doing the basics right and just that means to be so prominent in an area where England are lacking makes him now the most important player i think.

 

I don't know what Southgate advises the players but he's getting up the pitch more frequently than we're used to seeing of midfielders. Anyway, because of naming Zidane and again watching those clips of him against Brazil in the quarter final of world cup 2006 where he just commanded the ball early on and from then on it seemed like the game revolves around him i thought to look at some Bellingham skills

 

 

I could see any of Brazil, Morocco, Portugal, France winning it so i'm not going to predict, but i'd think beating France would be a bigger achievement than beating Germany two years ago, which might be obvious, Germany's certainty in tournaments has gone now but it's just with France missing so many key players as well.

 

 

Never thought about Alli. The similiar frame, footwork and eagerness to get forward into the box, but Alli never excelled in centre mid did he, or did he, i dunno, and Bellingham's mentality seems more certain. But still when pundits look ahead to the future with these players, we've done it before with others and they don't progress or are replaced. We have to look at it as this being the best opportunity now and it not being too early. All the players think that anyway, see what Walker said, basically 'yeah Mbappe is a great player but i can't allow him to get in the way of winning this tournament'.

[Hamus]

Dele Alli most certainly had a darkness about him. Too quick to anger. He never to hold himself up anywhere near how Bellingham behaves.

 

It seemed to me after he shot to some footballing fame he started to appear everywhere, and perhaps either the media and money got to him or he got on it too much.

 

Either way Bellingham seems to be a very different character - and this can't be about football it is probably about upbringing. Which is very said for Alli because perhaps he was fated to fade despite everyone trying to help him.

 

As far as Mbappe goes, isn't he given free roam to not defend? This could really play into England's hands on Saturday because the possibility of exploiting the gaps he leaves in the France left midfield become apparent. Or if cover is added there by France, then we either get more space in central midfield OR I would fancy we might see us trying to switch the play to Shaw and whoever plays on our left.

Suddenly an overload there to exploit any space opening up, due to the additional cover needed for Mbappe, could prove key.

[Mike1812]

This is brilliant. 

 

[TheFixx]

Please tell me someone managed to make a meme of the crazy Moroccan fan during the penalty shootout, (I think after the second or third moroccan goal). I don't think I've ever seen someone shake their head looking so demonic but so godamn funny at the same time!

[feltmonkey]

Has everyone been following the adventures of Samuel Eto'o recently?

 

He attacked a man (reports vary as to whether he was an Algerian fan, a journalist, or a youtuber) after the Brazil vs South Korea match and viciously kneed him in the head.  

 

Here's a video.  Content warning: someone gets kneed in the head.  Not nice.

Spoiler

 

 

He isn't all bad though - he later issued an apology.  Sorry, that shoud be "apology."

 

 

It's amazing.  A masterpiece of the art of the non-apology.  He doesn't apologise to the guy he kicked (who he describes as "probably an Algerian supporter", an amazing phrase when apologising for attacking the man he's referring to), just to the nebulous concept of "the public."  He follows up a short paragraph explaining what happened and sort-of apologising (while throwing in the caveat that he's not normally the type to attack people in the street) with a much longer paragraph slagging off Algerians and painting himself as the victim.  He denies the allegations surrounding the play-off match between Algeria and Cameroon, and frankly god knows what happened there, but the mention of "competent jurisdictions" is weird.  He ends the paragraph by hoping that a greater tragedy won't occur.  I know what he means by this, but it does sound like he's hoping that he doesn't have to tragically kick any more of them in the head.

 

My favorite thing about it though is the font at the top.  I've never seen such a sarcastic font.