World Cup 2018 thread

[tinfoilhat 11]

......far too many questionable pass backs to our goalkeeper!

 

We got away with them, but Croatia pressed high and made them risky.

[Lex Luthor 10]

I thought it was a mistake to take Sterling off, as he was the only player beating the Croations and they had no answer to him.

 

I felt Alli had a poor game and should have been subbed off. He looked lost.

 

Rashford should have been brought on much earlier.

 

Kane wasn't on form and should have passed the ball early on, instead of trying to score from a poor position.

 

I think the ref forgot to bring his cards on for the first half.

[Baron99 772]

Brilliant post match spat between Ian Wright & Roy Keane. Wright nearly jerked Keane's chain enough to the point where it looked like Keane wanted to chin him.

 

Very funny.

 

---------- Post added 11-07-2018 at 22:56 ----------

 

Bronze medal at the Olympics pointless then.....

 

Yes. Not even silver is it.

 

---------- Post added 11-07-2018 at 22:59 ----------

 

Brilliant post match spat between Ian Wright & Roy Keane. Wright nearly jerked Keane's chain enough to the point where it looked like Keane wanted to chin him.

 

Very funny.

 

---------- Post added 11-07-2018 at 22:56 ----------

 

 

Yes. Not even silver is it.

 

Give me a single sportsperson who is / was happy with coming 3rd & who wouldn't wanted to be 1st, reap all the glory & all the financial rewards that go with it?

 

Give us a name?

[mancmart 10]

My take is, England were so much better in the first half, they should have had the game killed off and then been able to defend.

I get the vibe, even from the pundits at half time (except Keane) that England could just enjoy themselves and win; a very dangerous attitude.

Immaturity

crept in, just as they got caught napping against Columbia.

The Croatians seemed to have more stamina, and upped the pace from the start of the second half.

 

It's a shame, because the skills and ability of the England team in the first half showed that they were as good if not better.

Keane is as usual blunt but honest, an opportunity missed.

These guys are better than the teams of the Beckham/Gazza eras in that they are a TEAM, not a bunch of 'superstars'

I've never been an England fan, (Ireland) but I was really rooting for these lads, wanted them to do it, they deserved a bit more.

[Ontarian1981 10]

Great showing from our young fellas, nothing at all to be ashamed of ,on the contrary, they did us all proud over there. If only that Croatian guy had not been on the goal line when that header was perfectly aimed beyond their goalies reach, late in the game when still tied, it could be England going to the final. All credit to Croatia they proved once more that they are never done in, they keep at you until the bitter end, good luck to them on Sunday

[blake 10]

If only that Croatian guy had not been on the goal line.

 

It wasn't just him. It was all the other Croatian guys as well.

 

If only none of them had turned up at all, and England had run out to a completely empty pitch to face no opposition and been forfeited the match, then they could have reached the final of the 2018 World Cup without playing anybody who was any good at football at all.

[MAC33 10]

In the first half Lovren committed TWO professional fouls and did not get booked for either. Absolute shame on the ref but more so for FIFA.

 

I think it was Sterling or Kane who turned him on the outside left position - and Lovren then grabbed his shirt to stop a potentially dangerous attack. Only a foul was given.

 

The second professional foul Lovren did in the first half was just as blatant - but again the ref choose not to abide by the rules.

 

If you are going to cheat - you got to take the penalty.

 

Unless that is - you are under FIFA non applying rules.

 

Lovren clearly should have had two yellow cards in the first half.

 

I fancy McGuire as a central midfielder. He showed more creative ability than Henderson,Ali and Lindgard combined when he pushed forward.

 

He's defiantly one of the best central defenders in the world - especially going forward!

 

There's a Norwegian 19 year old central defender called Daniel Ager who plays so similar to McGuire - supremely confident at bringing the ball forward and creating.

Edited July 12, 2018 by MAC33

[pss60 10]

You said a few sensible things there and then came your last line:loopy: ha ha ha ha!

You can't say he wasn't right now.

[MAC33 10]

My own ratings for the game and tournament

 

Pickford - excellent,looks the part

 

Stones - no anticipation when Pericic looked likely to flick the back header. Still looks good enough.

 

MuGuire - easily England's best player of the tournament. Has class

 

Walker - super quick but has no class going forward. Still keep him.

 

Trippier - brilliant free kick but still not convinced. Final cross or pass is average.

 

Young - clearly not good enough. Super bland going forward.

 

Henderson - like Young he is super workmanlike but has no creative ability or class,and he can't shoot. Not good enough.

 

Lindgard - offers incredible energy but his finishing is wasteful. Borderline good enough.

 

Ali - shows composure and some vision but lacks the energy of Lingard. Borderline good enough.

 

Sterling - a bit of a headless chicken in the earlier games but his stamina and speed make him another borderline player.

 

Kane - excellent passer and shows good vision. His weakness is he's not a naturally fit person. Needs to work on his stamina. Definitely good enough.

 

For the next Euro Championship I'd bring in Demanjai Gray,Foden and Da Silva from Chelsea. All three offer the creative spark England still lack.

 

More game time for Loftus Cheek.

 

I'd give Sterling a run in place of Trippier at right wingback as well.

[Baron99 772]

In the first half Lovren committed TWO professional fouls and did not get booked for either. Absolute shame on the ref but more so for FIFA.

 

I think it was Sterling or Kane who turned him on the outside left position - and Lovren then grabbed his shirt to stop a potentially dangerous attack. Only a foul was given.

 

The second professional foul Lovren did in the first half was just as blatant - but again the ref choose not to abide by the rules.

 

If you are going to cheat - you got to take the penalty.

 

Unless that is - you are under FIFA non applying rules.

 

Lovren clearly should have had two yellow cards in the first half.

 

I fancy McGuire as a central midfielder. He showed more creative ability than Henderson,Ali and Lindgard combined when he pushed forward.

 

He's defiantly one of the best central defenders in the world - especially going forward!

 

There's a Norwegian 19 year old central defender called Daniel Ager who plays so similar to McGuire - supremely confident at bringing the ball forward and creating.

 

Agree with you about Lovrens. How he managed to get through the match without picking up a least a yellow card is beyond me. Especially for the shoulder charge which sent Kane sprawling.

[The Moon 10]

For this world cup we didn't really invest a lot of hope and expectation in our household this time, which is why the result yesterday isn't really a big deal in our house. I'm looking forward to the final that I hope Croatia will win. I'm going to make a point of not watching the third place playoff though, can't be bothered with that.

[tinfoilhat 11]

Agree with you about Lovrens. How he managed to get through the match without picking up a least a yellow card is beyond me. Especially for the shoulder charge which sent Kane sprawling.

 

Croatia did use quite a few of the dark defensive arts in the first half, a booking for a defender or two - particularly Lovren - may well have made a difference. The ref wasn't great in my view.

 

But it was clever by Croatia - better game management. They were under the pump first half so stopped us.