2018 FIFA World Cup Megathread

[Relikai]

Political statements by players at a World Cup are a no-no.

Political statemnt? Good luck trying to prove that!

They would know, and if it's political FIFA would eventually step in as most people who understand the rules of the game would understand without further explanation.

[MERIZoC]

Good job, Switzerland!

(Image)

And they should be fined by FIFA for that.

Players at the biggest expression of national pride in the world should be fined for....expressing national pride.

[Infected Mushroom]

Is it just me or are Brazil and Argentina both so bad this year?

They are both massively underperforming to an unprecedented extent

[Kohr]

Is it just me or are Brazil and Argentina both so bad this year?

They are both massively underperforming to an unprecedented extent

Brazil? Seems to me that they're fine. They tied a game last time too.

[Relikai]

And they should be fined by FIFA for that.

Players at the biggest expression of national pride in the world should be fined for....expressing national pride.

As a means of provocation, which of course some would fail to understand.

Why not have a player do the Nazi Salute as an expression of his belief then? Oh wait, it happened, and there was a red card for that.

[NewLakotah]

And they should be fined by FIFA for that.

Players at the biggest expression of national pride in the world should be fined for....expressing national pride.

There is a difference between expressing national pride, and attacking another one, no matter the history. Its the same difference between waving your flag vs. trampling on another.

[MERIZoC]

Players at the biggest expression of national pride in the world should be fined for....expressing national pride.

As a means of provocation, which of course some would fail to understand.

Why not have a player do the Nazi Salute as an expression of his belief then? Oh wait, it happened, and there was a red card for that.

oh jesus this is just some stupid serb bullshit isnt it

[Starblaydia]

And here was me thinking hoping it was the Imperial Aquilla because they're both massive Warhammer 40,000 nerds.

[Bombadil]

It would be awesome if Sweden managed a win over Germany.. come on Thor, make up for screwing up taking out Thanos and give your people a boost!

[Natanya]

Political statements by players at a World Cup are a no-no.

Political statemnt? Good luck trying to prove that!

Lol, you can't say good look trying to prove something is political after posting an image that proves that it's political.

[Geneviev]

It would be awesome if Sweden managed a win over Germany.. come on Thor, make up for screwing up taking out Thanos and give your people a boost!

It would be more than awesome if Germany could win. They just have to put Reus in the game.

[Lillorainen]

It would be awesome if Sweden managed a win over Germany.. come on Thor, make up for screwing up taking out Thanos and give your people a boost!

It would be more than awesome if Germany could win. They just have to put Reus in the game.

All I genuinely hope is Sweden's not gonna turn a 4:0 into a 4:4 again. It still makes me cringe.

[Brod]

Is it just me or are Brazil and Argentina both so bad this year?

They are both massively underperforming to an unprecedented extent

Argentina are pretty overrated imo; they pile way too much pressure on Messi (if anything, he's too good - Dybala admitted that they often pass to him even if there's a far better alternative simply because he's Messi ), and they lack any real squad depth (apart from in attack, with Messi, Higuain, Dybala, Aguero etc). They struggled to make it past the qualifiers, seem to lack team cohesion, and have been shown up tactically on numerous occasions (eg. Sampaoli's 523/532 has been pretty toothless), so no, I don't think they've been underperforming tbh. Brazil aren't really underperforming - they're top of their group and have looked a lot more defensively stable than their 2014 iteration.

[Baltenstein]

It would be awesome if Sweden managed a win over Germany.. come on Thor, make up for screwing up taking out Thanos and give your people a boost!

I can think of another Swede who kicked German ass.

[San Regada]

Alright Tunisia, this just got really interesting. If Tunisia can upset Belgium again, this will certainly be a good game.

[San Regada]

It would be awesome if Sweden managed a win over Germany.. come on Thor, make up for screwing up taking out Thanos and give your people a boost!

If Germany didn't learn from Mexico and play in a similar fashion, I'm sure the Swedes could squeeze 1 or 2 goals in.

The problem is, Germany is quite a good side. They make mistakes but learn. I think Sweden will be up against it hard.

[Brod]

It would be awesome if Sweden managed a win over Germany.. come on Thor, make up for screwing up taking out Thanos and give your people a boost!

If Germany didn't learn from Mexico and play in a similar fashion, I'm sure the Swedes could squeeze 1 or 2 goals in.

The problem is, Germany is quite a good side. They make mistakes but learn. I think Sweden will be up against it hard.

Yeah, you'd imagine Loew will realise that playing with *six* attacking players (seven after subs were made!!) doesn't make for a balanced gameplan. They need a DM more disciplined and solid than Khedira/Kroos - imo Rudy could fill this role. Hopefully Sweden win though It'd certainly make the WC a lot more interesting.

[Relikai]

So I'm late for my analysis!

But I'm a happy Manchester Untied fan this time, or one with mixed feelings because...

Here's Belgium's Golden Generation, with Lukaku (United), E.Hazard (Chelsea), and De Bruyne (City) playing among the front three. Creativity wise they are not lacking at all. Pace wise they are not lacking at all, and quality wise should put Tunisia to the sword. That said, Tunisia played extremely high marking, a high 4-4-2 which would make this game very interesting in the second half with two attacking sides.

Tunisia have nothing to lose, and Belgium would not want to compete for points against England when they can rest players there and then.

No need for my prediction here.

---

Group F plays next, with crunch matches all around. Losers of the previous round could turn the match into one heck of an interesting conclusion if South Korea and Germany wins their games.

South Korea vs Mexico

Fresh off their excellent performance, Mexico would seek to win against a Korean side which has nothing to lose. Whether Korea could handle the Mexican attack is another matter, although they might be tempted to play deep and defend against Mexico's pace. Son alone cannot carry his side against an inspired Mexico, and Mexico would want to rest key players after two tough matches.

Mexico to win.

Sweden vs Germany

A draw would see Germany placed on the brink, and a loss would all but eliminate them from the competition. Loew's men would surely learn to pick up their pace, with most players off-form the previous match needing to step up. Mueller should play either in front or in the center of Germany's attacking 4-2-3-1, but if they'd start with a defensive formation with three DefMids, Kroos can play behind the striker and switch back to the center of the midfield while Goretzka and Khedirea adds more steel into the German backbone.

Sweden without Zlatan seem more average, with few standout players among the side. Perhaps this match would reveal who are the stars of the future if they manage a dogged win or draw against Germany, but holding the current World Champions to a draw would be one they can be proud of.

Germany to Win.

[Shofercia]

Damn, what are those VAR people doing? Are they watching porn or something? First Kane gets tackled, then Petcovic gets tackled, and no penalty in either case. Someone should start handing out pink slips right away. This is a tiny blip of idiocy, on what has otherwise been a stellar tournament. And the best way to rid ourselves of said idiocy, involves pink slips. C'mon VAR folks, stop watching porn or whatever's distracting you, and do your job instead.

What is the point of this VAR? You can rugby tackle players in the box and it's apparently fine...

VAR's supposed to work; problem is that it's administered by idiots pretending to be blind.

And they should be fined by FIFA for that.

Why?

Because international sports isn't a place to express your political bullshit. FIFA has specific rules against that. They were invited to play by FIFA. Without FIFA, they wouldn't have had millions of viewers, because, to be frank, they ain't that good. Had VAR administrators actually performed their damn jobs, Serbia would've won, and they would've continued on with their insignificant existence.

Good job, Switzerland!

(Image)

And they should be fined by FIFA for that.

Or suspended from the next game.

Players at the biggest expression of national pride in the world should be fined for....expressing national pride.

They're playing for Switzerland, not Kosovo. Essentially, they're using FIFA to broadcast their cheap shot propaganda to millions of viewers, whereas had they been playing for Kosovo, they would've gotten a few thousand.

Political statemnt? Good luck trying to prove that!

Lol, you can't say good luck trying to prove something is political after posting an image that proves that it's political.

[Shofercia]

And in more positive news, Russia 3, Egypt 1! Fuck yeah! I know I'm late, but work's been quite hefty. RUSSIA!!!

The question is, if Russia draws Portugal, can Russia shut down Ronaldo like Salah, and unlike Real Madrid, Russia didn't even need an armbar maneuver

[Relikai]

And in more positive news, Russia 3, Egypt 1! Fuck yeah! I know I'm late, but work's been quite hefty. RUSSIA!!!

The question is, if Russia draws Portugal, can Russia shut down Ronaldo like Salah, and unlike Real Madrid, Russia didn't even need an armbar maneuver

Russia doesn't need an armbar because Egypt's that one-man team.

[Shofercia]

And in more positive news, Russia 3, Egypt 1! Fuck yeah! I know I'm late, but work's been quite hefty. RUSSIA!!!

The question is, if Russia draws Portugal, can Russia shut down Ronaldo like Salah, and unlike Real Madrid, Russia didn't even need an armbar maneuver

Russia doesn't need an armbar because Egypt's that one-man team.

Yeah, yeah, as a Barca fan it's my duty to make fun of Real Madrid

[San Regada]

Loved the sportsmanship from Lulaku throughout the game, especially at the end. Tunisia fought hard but Belgium - the better side through and through - simply outclassed them. At the end of the day, Tunisia can hold its head high knowing that they managed to get not 1, but 2 goals against a side like Belgium. It's unfortunate that they couldn't get back in the game, but well done Belgium.

[Bombadil]

A couple of thoughts off that game..

Belgium don't seem to enjoy playing with each other, they're constantly remonstrating with each other.. at 4-1 you'd think they'd enjoy the game but I fear there's bad blood in that team - a team that has amazing attacking potential. In addition, I don't think they're using De Bruyne too well, he's too deep.. the guy has magical touches and not only do they seem to rarely pass to him but he's stuck back.

The other thing is a bunch of teams just aren't that bad if not for a lack of a proper striker, Tunisia played some lovely football, I really like Morocco and a bit sad they've done poorly. If for a good striker in either of those teams and they'd be good.

Seems odd to criticise Belgium and play up Tunisia given the score, but I fear Belgium will come undone if they don't play as a team.

[Riemstagrad]

This was a good game to watch. Tunisia played positive football and managed some decent outplayed attacks. The Tunisian defence however was no match for Hazard, De Bruyne, Lukaku & co. and that 5-2 was not exagerated in the end.