2018 FIFA World Cup Megathread

[Outer Sparta]

Still can't believe the US got beat romped by Trinidad and Tobago... USA! USA!

Anyway, I think Brazil or Germany has the best chance of the finals, with France, Argentina, and Spain vying behind.

[Shofercia]

I agree, it was definitely intentional, but here's my issue with a 3 game UEFA ban. It doesn't really punish Ramos. You're playing 6 group stage games, and Real Madrid is good enough to withstand even a 6 game UEFA ban on Ramos. And then, when the final comes again, Ramos can just take out another star. Such a ban would essentially encourage the same thing to happen all over again. If you're doing a UEFA ban, it should be for at least 8 games, so that Real Madrid can feel the impact. Otherwise, you're just giving him a free ride.

I hate Ramos, have for years. He's a fantastically dirty player who gets away with it time and time again.

Problem is, I can't see how UEFA could get a long ban to stick. Officially his record is pretty clear.

Hence my suggestion for the World Cup punishment. You punish someone like that once, and the players will remember, and there will be less douchebaggery. Otherwise it'll simply continue.

[Fartsniffage]

I hate Ramos, have for years. He's a fantastically dirty player who gets away with it time and time again.

Problem is, I can't see how UEFA could get a long ban to stick. Officially his record is pretty clear.

Hence my suggestion for the World Cup punishment. You punish someone like that once, and the players will remember, and there will be less douchebaggery. Otherwise it'll simply continue.

Bluntly, FIFA will not ban Ramos for something he did in a UEFA game. Especially not 5 minutes before the world cup.

Given my choice he'd get a ban like Cantona did for that kung fu kick into the crowd. Or even an arrest for assault. But those will never happen, I'm trying to realistic and a 3-5 game ban by UEFA is the absolute maximum I could see happening.

[Bombadil]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFMZUxX6K6o

Thoughts?

Seems designed for the video game.. not very singable is it.. no 3 Lions on a Shirt..

[Starblaydia]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFMZUxX6K6o

Thoughts?

It's shitty europop track with reggae-style rapping and a random famous American person doing a bland guest spot to an upbeat tune about players seizing the moment that will be dated inside 3 weeks and has absolutely no singalong value.

Encapsulates FIFA perfectly.

[Bombadil]

I don't know if you can determine that Ramos was deliberate, though lord knows his previous form doesn't help but it did change the complexion of the game. If you watch the first half hour Liverpool press up until the GK gets the ball, and then they force RM to play out and press the defenders and midfield - that is they don't press the GK but they do press the defenders and midfield.

Once Salah is out they move to an effective 3-5-1 and allow RM to press out of their half.

Technically you could argue that Klopp should have stuck with 4-3-3 rather than go defensive, and that an injury to Salah shouldn't have changed that but then it was notable that Klopp had little depth on the bench compared to RM. You could also argue that Carvajel is a better attacking defender than Nachos, and that RM could have won by more if Carvajel also hadn't gone out.

First team for team and I think Liverpool would have won it, but football is also about replacement options.

I don't know, nor can anyone, determine whether Ramos specifically thought to dislocate Salah's shoulder, did he create a tackle that aimed to hurt.. it's part of the overall game and one that Liverpool lost but, for me, more for their lack of options on the bench and timidity in not maintaining a high press on RM's defenders and midfield.

Such is the game.

[Starblaydia]

I don't know if you can determine that Ramos was deliberate, though lord knows his previous form doesn't help but it did change the complexion of the game. If you watch the first half hour Liverpool press up until the GK gets the ball, and then they force RM to play out and press the defenders and midfield - that is they don't press the GK but they do press the defenders and midfield.

Once Salah is out they move to an effective 3-5-1 and allow RM to press out of their half.

Technically you could argue that Klopp should have stuck with 4-3-3 rather than go defensive, and that an injury to Salah shouldn't have changed that but then it was notable that Klopp had little depth on the bench compared to RM. You could also argue that Carvajel is a better attacking defender than Nachos, and that RM could have won by more if Carvajel also hadn't gone out.

First team for team and I think Liverpool would have won it, but football is also about replacement options.

I don't know, nor can anyone, determine whether Ramos specifically thought to dislocate Salah's shoulder, did he create a tackle that aimed to hurt.. it's part of the overall game and one that Liverpool lost but, for me, more for their lack of options on the bench and timidity in not maintaining a high press on RM's defenders and midfield.

Such is the game.

Ramos may not have been trying to rip Salah's arm out of his socket, and may have just been aiming to be generally rough with him (lord knows I've done that a few times) to make Salah wary of future tackles, but that was an armbar takedown that wasn't even given as a foul. When you throw in the elbow he deliberately threw at Karius, and the dive for the yellow card when Mane's thigh touched him more gently than a lover's caress, the holding of his face when lightly tapped on the side of the head... events of the "dark arts" (i.e. blatant cheating) IN JUST THIS GAME. The guy's got form for this shit, and no matter how good a player or a leader he obviously is, he's managed to take out the biggest threat to his team on the pitch, and the biggest new threat to the Ballon D'Or for his teammate in the long run with a move that's even banned in Judo for being too dangerous, and is a great transition in WWE for a crossface submission.

Fuck Sergio Ramos; I hope Spain don't even get as far as England.

[The Blaatschapen]

Okay, pick time :

A:
Uruguay, Russia. I don't see Salah being back on time.

B:
Spain, Portugal. Though I have hopes for Iran.

C:
France, Denmark. Eriksen will get the Danes to second place in the group.

D:
Argentina, Nigeria. This could go anywhere. Weak Argentinian side, and Iceland and Croatia are also decent.

E:
Brazil, Serbia. C, D and E are going to be fun in the group stage.

F:
Germany, Mexico. Sweden without Ibra not that interesting.

G:
Belgium. And then England. The British are lucky with this draw.

H:
Colombia, Poland. Lewandowski and Rodriguez will shine and get this one.

Semi finalists :
France, Germany, Spain, Brazil.

[Starblaydia]

G:
Belgium. And then England. The British are lucky with this draw.

(emphasis mine) I'd wager all three other British nations do not count themselves as lucky in this regard having a) not made the Cup in the first place, and b) not seeing England knocked out at the earliest opportunity.

[The Blaatschapen]

G:
Belgium. And then England. The British are lucky with this draw.

(emphasis mine) I'd wager all three other British nations do not count themselves as lucky in this regard having a) not made the Cup in the first place, and b) not seeing England knocked out at the earliest opportunity.

So you're hoping for an Exit?

[Starblaydia]

(emphasis mine) I'd wager all three other British nations do not count themselves as lucky in this regard having a) not made the Cup in the first place, and b) not seeing England knocked out at the earliest opportunity.

So you're hoping for an Exit?

I'm hoping England exit the tournament with the trophy that looks like you held a melon and dipped your hand into custard. It's the rest of the UK that will want us to lose

[The Blaatschapen]

So you're hoping for an Exit?

I'm hoping England exit the tournament with the trophy that looks like you held a melon and dipped your hand into custard. It's the rest of the UK that will want us to lose

Eh, Scotland loves you. They voted stay in union with you

*hides*

Also, I'm sorry for your loss.

[The Archregimancy]

G:
Belgium. And then England. The British are lucky with this draw.

(emphasis mine) I'd wager all three other British nations do not count themselves as lucky in this regard having a) not made the Cup in the first place, and b) not seeing England knocked out at the earliest opportunity.

Not everyone in the UK who isn't English wants England to do badly in the World Cup. I'd be perfectly happy to see England do well.

Going back a fair few tournaments, my mother is quite firm in her belief that everyone in her street in suburban Glasgow was supporting England in the '66 World Cup final.

If England is playing one of the other home nations (in any sport), that's a different issue, of course.

Eh, Scotland loves you. They voted stay in union with you

Yes; yes we did.

Not everyone who's Scottish suffers from rampant Anglophobia.

[The Archregimancy]

Meanwhile, at the Estádio Municipal de Braga...

64 minutes into the Portugal - Tunisia friendly, the Tunisians have come from 2-0 down to make the score 2-2.

According to the BBC, Portugal are all over the place, their defending is terrible, and Tunisian are running rampant.

It's just a friendly, of course, but food for thought on several fronts there.

[Starblaydia]

Not everyone in the UK who isn't English wants England to do badly in the World Cup. I'd be perfectly happy to see England do well.

I'd wager post-Brexit vote that may have shifted somewhat, from a nationwide perspective. Also a lot of the flags waved at the '66 final were specifically British flags, I seem to recall from the replays. Waving St. George's cross around didn't seem to be a thing.

Eh, Scotland loves you. They voted stay in union with you

Yes; yes we did.

Not everyone who's Scottish suffers from rampant Anglophobia.

Now run, and save yourselves!

[The Blaatschapen]

Not everyone who's Scottish suffers from rampant Anglophobia.

True.

Most of them seem to enjoy it.

[The Archregimancy]

Not everyone in the UK who isn't English wants England to do badly in the World Cup. I'd be perfectly happy to see England do well.

I'd wager post-Brexit vote that may have shifted somewhat, from a nationwide perspective. Also a lot of the flags waved at the '66 final were specifically British flags, I seem to recall from the replays. Waving St. George's cross around didn't seem to be a thing.

As it happens, one of my lectures on the development of different types of nationalism in the UK post-WWII addresses that very topic (see also '66 mascot World Cup Willy [slang also seems to have moved on since '66]).

But that would likely lead to a derail; a topic for another thread, perhaps.

[Shofercia]

Not everyone who's Scottish suffers from rampant Anglophobia.

True.

Most of them seem to enjoy it.

Zing!

Relevant:

[Fartsniffage]

I'd wager post-Brexit vote that may have shifted somewhat, from a nationwide perspective. Also a lot of the flags waved at the '66 final were specifically British flags, I seem to recall from the replays. Waving St. George's cross around didn't seem to be a thing.

As it happens, one of my lectures on the development of different types of nationalism in the UK post-WWII addresses that very topic (see also '66 mascot World Cup Willy [slang also seems to have moved on since '66]).

But that would likely lead to a derail; a topic for another thread, perhaps.

That would actually be interesting to read.

[The Archregimancy]

Not everyone who's Scottish suffers from rampant Anglophobia.

True.

Most of them seem to enjoy it.

This isn't remotely your fault, but I find it intensely depressing that this seems to be the primary narrative on Anglo-Scottish relations, both within and without the UK.

I think I'm just going to ignore the topic if it comes up again in this thread. I'd rather just focus on the World Cup.

[The Blaatschapen]

I'll cut down on the banter.

[South Toronto]

Believe it or not- my country Uganda could've qualified if Egypt weren't so damn good (for an African nation). It'll be interesting to see what Egypt and Nigeria can do in their group and as we all know nothing is a guaranteed win for the top nations.

[Nazis in Space]

Believe it or not- my country Uganda could've qualified if Egypt weren't so damn good (for an African nation). It'll be interesting to see what Egypt and Nigeria can do in their group and as we all know nothing is a guaranteed win for the top nations.

Speaking of which, do we have any data points on how good Egypt is without Salah?

I'm usually skeptical about one-man teams (unless I want to insult the Welsh, at any rate), by which I mean that I sincerely doubt it's just that one man. Else, you'd think that Finland would have qualified for, well, something when Jari Litmanen was around in the 1990s, so I'm less than convinced that Egypt is ded without him, but, you know...

Hard data would be neat.

[Fartsniffage]

Believe it or not- my country Uganda could've qualified if Egypt weren't so damn good (for an African nation). It'll be interesting to see what Egypt and Nigeria can do in their group and as we all know nothing is a guaranteed win for the top nations.

Speaking of which, do we have any data points on how good Egypt is without Salah?

I'm usually skeptical about one-man teams (unless I want to insult the Welsh, at any rate), by which I mean that I sincerely doubt it's just that one man. Else, you'd think that Finland would have qualified for, well, something when Jari Litmanen was around in the 1990s, so I'm less than convinced that Egypt is ded without him, but, you know...

Hard data would be neat.

The whole of their current squad combined has scored fewer international goals than Salah has individually.

[Arcoto]

Lets see who I'll go with...
Groups
A - Russia and Uruguay
B - The Iberian Peninsula
C - France and Aussie
D - Argentina and Iceland (Only slightly biased, he says with a Iceland kit in his closet)
E - Brazil and Switzerland
F - Deutchland and Mexico
G - England and Belguim
H - Colombia and Senegal

Skipping a few games, final four I have Deutchland, France, England, Argentina, with Germany repeating. Let's see how wrong I am.