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Author Topic: 2018 World Cup Thread  (Read 144377 times)

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Offline Jumbie

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2018 World Cup Russia
« Reply #660 on: December 01, 2017, 05:25:57 AM »
The draw for the 2018 FIFA World Cup takes place in Moscow this morning (Dec 1).

Offline Trini _2026

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Re: 2018 World Cup Russia
« Reply #661 on: December 01, 2017, 12:31:19 PM »
The groups look so even
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/sh8SeGmzai4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/sh8SeGmzai4</a>

Offline Tallman

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Re: 2018 World Cup Russia
« Reply #662 on: December 01, 2017, 02:13:20 PM »
The Conquering Lion of Judah shall break every chain.

Offline Deeks

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Re: 2018 World Cup Russia
« Reply #663 on: December 01, 2017, 04:21:55 PM »
Group D look the hardest. All the Euro and South American bigshots have it easy. Well, easy on paper. let's see what happens on game day.

Offline legal alien

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #664 on: December 01, 2017, 06:59:53 PM »
I was gonna say group F is the toughest, but I realize that most of the groups hard. Group H looks like the group where all the teams have a chance.

Offline Sando prince

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #665 on: December 02, 2017, 04:32:27 AM »

I expect Colombia to do damage AGAIN in another World Cup. I see they in an easy group, so this is good for them to build momentum.

Come World Cup time six months from now Argentina and Messi should be ready, forget about their rough path in qualification, we know how this movie script plays out and the WC tournament is a different beast On paper they have the team to go all the way and Messi more than ever have to lead his team to a World Cup title. I expect them to have another great WC tournament but will they go all the way and win the title? We shall see

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #666 on: December 25, 2017, 01:27:51 PM »
FIFA has reported that in playing 22 matches on the road to Russia 2018, Australia has equalled the record set by Honduras and Trinidad & Tobago in the qualifiers for the 2002 WC South Korea/Japan.
« Last Edit: December 25, 2017, 01:29:28 PM by asylumseeker »

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #667 on: April 10, 2018, 10:01:13 AM »
Japan names Akira Nishino to replace Vahid Halilhodzic just two months before World Cup
By Andrew McKirdy, The Japan Times.


Akira Nishino will lead Japan at this summer’s World Cup in Russia after the Japan Football Association confirmed Monday that it had fired manager Vahid Halilhodzic just two months before the tournament begins.

“There is always a risk when you change managers,” JFA President Kozo Tashima told reporters at a packed news conference in Tokyo, citing poor results and a lack of “communication and trust” with the players as the reasons for Halilhodzic’s dismissal.

“There is also a risk when you don’t change managers,” he said. “If it was guaranteed that just by changing managers you would magically make the team better, we would do that. But we have considered all the risks and listened to all points of view.”

Nishino, who served as the JFA’s technical director, has signed a contract that will take him to the end of the June 14-July 15 World Cup, where Japan has been drawn in a first-round group with Colombia, Senegal and Poland.

“It was my job as technical director to support the manager, and I feel a responsibility for this situation,” the 63-year-old Nishino said in a statement issued by the JFA.

“It’s very difficult to change managers at this time, but helping the team is more of a priority than my own personal situation so I decided to take the job.”

Nishino made his name as manager of Japan’s under-23 team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and oversaw a famous 1-0 victory over Brazil that was dubbed the “Miracle of Miami.” He then went on to forge a long and successful career as a club manager in Japan, winning both the J. League and Asian Champions League titles with Gamba Osaka.

“Even if it increases our chances of winning at the World Cup by only one or two percent, we had to act,” said Tashima. “We only have two months left until the World Cup, so the new manager had to come from within the organization. Nishino has seen the team more than anyone else and he will be our new manager.

“We chose Nishino because of the timing. If we had done this earlier, we might not have chosen Nishino. But with only two months left, in this situation, we came to this decision.”

Tashima confirmed that he personally dismissed Halilhodzic at a Paris hotel on Saturday despite the 65-year-old Bosnian having led Japan to qualification for its sixth straight World Cup, punching its ticket with a 2-0 home win over Australia last August.

Results and performances in friendly matches since then have been poor, however, with a 1-1 draw against Mali and a 2-1 defeat to Ukraine — neither of which has qualified for the World Cup — last month proving to be the final straw for the JFA.

“Halilhodzic came in and built a team in a very short time and got us to the World Cup,” said Tashima, who said Halilhodzic was “surprised” to be given the news. “He is a very serious character and very passionate about football, and he conveyed that passion to the players.

“But the games we have played since we qualified for the World Cup have led to this dismissal. It’s not only based on winning or losing games. We listened to the opinion of the players and other people but that was not the only basis for this decision. In the Mali and Ukraine games, communication and trust with the players had slipped a little and we looked at all that and made our decision.”

Halilhodzic’s spiky personality frequently ruffled feathers after arriving in Japan to take over from Javier Aguirre in March 2015, and rumors of his impending dismissal swirled throughout his three-year reign.

But Tashima denied that personality clashes within the JFA led to his dismissal, and insisted that Nishino, who was Halilhodzic’s immediate boss in his role as technical director, was anything other than supportive.

“After we had lost (4-1) to South Korea in the E-1 Football Championship in December, we met to discuss things,” said Tashima. “We discussed who would take over and decided to stick with Halilhodzic. Through all that, Nishino supported Halilhodzic until the end.

“I don’t think there was any friction within the JFA.”

Nishino becomes Japan’s third manager since Alberto Zaccheroni left the job following the team’s first-round exit from the 2014 World Cup. Mexican Aguirre was named as Zaccheroni’s replacement but was fired in March 2015 after a match-fixing case naming him as a defendant was accepted by a Spanish court.

“Most people would say that it’s not a good thing to change so frequently,” said Tashima. “But given the circumstances, I don’t think you can say it’s always bad not to stick to that rule.

“I wouldn’t be taking responsibility if I didn’t take this decision. It’s the responsibility of the president to take decisions to move Japanese football forward. I won’t make any statement about whether I should stay or quit. This is the choice I have taken to increase Japan’s chances of reaching the second round of the World Cup, even if it is only by one or two percent. That’s my responsibility.”

Halilhodzic’s assistant coaches, Jacky Bonnevay and Cyril Moine, as well as goalkeeping coach Enver Lugusic, also left their positions. Nishino did not appear before the media on Monday but is scheduled to speak on Thursday.

“Of course each manager will have a way that he wants his team to play, and he will explain that on Thursday,” said Tashima. “But it will likely be a style of football that is Japanese. That means keeping hold of the ball and passing it around.”

Japan begins its World Cup campaign against Colombia in Saransk on June 19, before taking on Senegal in Yekaterinburg on June 24 and Poland in Volgograd on June 28.


Former Samurai Blue boss Takeshi Okada supports choice of Akira Nishino as new manager
The Japan Times


New men’s national team manager Akira Nishino, appointed following the shock dismissal of predecessor Vahid Halilhodzic, received the backing Tuesday of the only other Japanese manager to lead the national team at the World Cup.

With just two months until the 2018 tournament kicks off in Russia, the Japan Football Association on Monday dropped the bombshell that it had fired Halilhodzic after the national team’s poor performances in its most recent warmup matches, a 1-1 draw with Mali and a 2-1 loss to Ukraine late last month.

Takeshi Okada, Japan head coach at the 1998 World Cup in France and in 2010 in South Africa, said JFA technical director Nishino, who coached J. League side Gamba Osaka to multiple titles, including the 2008 Asian Champions League, was the “best choice” to take the reins.

“In the sense that he knows the national team well, he is the best choice,” Okada said. “Because he’s been around the team continuously, I think he has a clear picture of what needs to be done.”

The JFA cited poor communication between Halilhodzic and his players as one of the reasons for firing the 65-year-old from Bosnia-Herzegovina, but Okada said exchanging ideas won’t be a problem for Nishino.

“On top of getting great results in the J. League, he was even better when it came to communicating with the players,” Okada said.

Okada, whose second stint as Japan boss came unexpectedly after then head coach Ivica Osim suffered a stroke in November 2007, knows better than most the challenge facing Nishino in Russia.

With his unheralded squad not expected to make an impact, Okada won plaudits for leading the young group to the round of 16 in South Africa with a dynamic brand of passing soccer.

Nishino has just weeks to bring together a squad in generational transition and whose preparation has been hampered by injuries to key players and the shock of Halilhodzic’s dismissal.


Japan captain Makoto Hasebe admits he feels ‘responsible’ for Vahid Halilhodzic getting fired
The Japan Times


Japan captain Makoto Hasebe said Monday he feels partly to blame for the sacking of national head coach Vahid Halilhodzic ahead of the World Cup finals in Russia.

“I feel responsible as a player,” Hasebe told reporters after training with his German Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt. “I had the most responsibility among all the players because (Halilhodzic) trusted me with the position of captain.”

The Japan Football Association announced Monday it has terminated its contract with Halilhodzic and appointed former Gamba Osaka coach and the association’s technical director Akira Nishino for the job.

Halilhodzic steered Japan to a spot in its sixth straight finals despite taking the position just months before qualifying matches for the World Cup finals began in 2015.

Hasebe, who has 108 caps with Japan since making his debut in 2006, expressed his appreciation for the 65-year-old from Bosnia Herzegovina but said the team has to move on.

“It’s difficult to think of what to say,” he said. “I’m just focused on what is in front of me instead of looking back.”

The 34-year-old Hasebe is bound for his third World Cup finals following the 2010 and 2014 tournaments.

Japan opens its 2018 campaign against Columbia in Group H on June 19.
« Last Edit: April 10, 2018, 10:15:53 AM by asylumseeker »

Offline Deeks

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #668 on: June 04, 2018, 08:36:52 PM »
Imagine Leroy Sane did not make the cut for the Germany side.

Offline maxg

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #669 on: June 04, 2018, 10:48:16 PM »
Imagine Leroy Sane did not make the cut for the Germany side.
Just another reason why dem gettin cutass... oops, did i say that out loud..yup, sure did.. hope it starts with Mexico

Offline Flex

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #670 on: June 07, 2018, 03:14:26 AM »
Spain's full 23-man squad:

Goalkeepers:  Kepa Arrizabalaga (Athletic Club), David de Gea (Manchester United), Pepe Reina (Napoli)

Defenders: Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Cesar Azpiliqueta (Chelsea), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Nacho Fernandez (Real Madrid), Nacho Monreal (Arsenal), Alvaro Odriozola (Real Sociedad), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)

Midfielders:  Thiago Alcantara (Bayern Munich), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Isco (Real Madrid), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Saul Niguez (Atletico Madrid), David Silva (Manchester City)

Forwards:  Marco Asensio (Real Madrid), Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo), Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid), Rodrigo Moreno (Valencia), Lucas Vazquez (Real Madrid).

France full 23-man squad:

Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola (PSG), Hugo Lloris (Tottenham), Steve Mandanda (Marseille);

Defenders:   Lucas Hernandez (Atletico Madrid), Presnel Kimpembe (PSG), Benjamin Mendy (Manchester City), Benjamin Pavard (Stuttgart), Adil Rami (Marseille), Djibril Sidibe (Monaco), Samuel Umtiti (Barcelona), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid);

Midfielders: N'Golo Kante (Chelsea), Blaise Matuidi (Juventus), Steven N'Zonzi (Sevilla) Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich);

Forwards: Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona), Nabil Fekir (Lyon), Olivier Giroud (Chelsea), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Thomas Lemar (Monaco), Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Florian Thauvin (Marseille).

Argentina's World Cup squad:

Goalkeepers:  Sergio Romero (Manchester United), Willy Caballero (Manchester City), Franco Armani (River Plate).

Defenders: Gabriel Mercado (Sevilla), Cristian Ansaldi (Torino), Nicolas Otamendi (Man City), Federico Fazio (Roma), Marcos Rojo (Man United), Nicolas Tagliafico (Ajax), Marcos Acuna (Sporting), Eduardo Salvio (Benfica).

Midfielders:  Javier Mascherano (Hebei), Lucas Biglia (Milan), Ever Banega (Sevilla), Giovani Lo Celso (PSG), Manuel Lanzini (West Ham), Angel Di Maria (PSG), Maxi Meza (Independiente).

Forwards:  Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Paulo Dybala (Juventus), Sergio Aguero (Man City), Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus), Cristian Pavon (Boca Juniors).

Nigeria full squad

GOALKEEPERS: Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Enyimba) Daniel Akpeyi (Chippa United) Francis Uzoho (Deportivo de La Coruna)

DEFENDERS: William Troost-Ekong (Bursaspor) Leon Balogun (Mainz 05) Kenneth Omeruo (Kasimpasa) Bryan Idowu (Amkar Perm) Chidozie Awaziem (Nantes) Abdullahi Shehu (Bursaspor) Elderson Echiejile (Cercle Brugge) Tyronne Ebuehi (ADO Den Haag)

MIDFIELDERS: John Obi Mikel (Tianjin Teda) Ogenyi Onazi (Trabzonspor) John Ogu (Hapoel Beer Sheva) Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City) Oghenekaro Etebo (Las Palmas) Joel Obi (Torino)

FORWARDS: Odion Ighalo (Changchun Yatai) Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow) Victor Moses (Chelsea) Alex Iwobi (Arsenal) Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City) Simeon Nwankwo (Crotone)

Brazil full squad

Goalkeepers: Alisson (Roma), Ederson (Man City), Cassio (Corinthians)

Full-backs: Marcelo (Real Madrid) Danilo (Man City), Filipe Luis (Atletico Madrid), Fagner (Corinthians).

Centre-backs: Marquinhos (PSG), Thiago Silva (PSG), Miranda (Inter Milan), Pedro Geromel (Gremio).

Midfielders: Willian (Chelsea), Fernandinho (Man City), Paulinho (Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Philippe Coutinho (Barcelona), Renato Augusto (Beijing Guoan), Fred (Shakhtar).

Forwards: Neymar (PSG), Gabriel Jesus (Man City), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Douglas Costa (Juventus), Taison (Shakhtar).

Germany squad in full

Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona), Kevin Trapp (PSG)

Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich), Niklas Sule (Bayern Munich), Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea), Matthias Ginter (Borussia Monchengladbach), Jonas Hector (Koln), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Marvin Plattenhardt (Hertha Berlin)

Midfielders: Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Sami Khedira (Juventus), Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City), Leon Goretzka (Schalke), Sebastian Rudy (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen), Julian Draxler (PSG), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund)

Forwards: Mario Gomez (Stuttgart), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig)

Mexico Full roster:

Goalkeepers: 1- Jesus Corona (Cruz Azul) 12- Alfredo Talavera (Toluca), 13- Guillermo Ochoa (Standard Liege)

Defenders: 2- Hugo Ayala (Tigres), 3- Carlos Salcedo (Eintracht Frankfurt), 5- Diego Reyes (Porto), 7- Miguel Layun (Sevilla), 15- Hector Moreno (Real Sociedad), 21- Edson Alvarz (America), 23-Jesus Gallardo (Monterrrey)

Midfielders: 4- Rafael Marquez (Atlas), 6- Jonathan Dos Santos (LA Galaxy) 8- Marco Fabian- (Eintracht Frankfurt), 10- Giovani dos Santos (LA Galaxy), 16- Hector Herrera (Porto), 18- Andres Guardado (Real Betis)

Forwards: 9- Raul Jimenez (Benfica), 11- Carlos Vela (LAFC), 14- Javier Hernandez (West Ham United), 17- Jesus Corona (Porto) 19- Oribe Peralta- (America), 20- Javier Aquino (Tigres), 22- Hirving Lozano (PSV)

Belgium's final 23-man World Cup squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool)

Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham)

Midfielders: Mousa Dembele (Tottenham), Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Nacer Chadli (West Brom), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Monchengladbach), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Youri Tielemans (Monaco), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian)

Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Borussia Dortmund), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Dries Mertens (Napoli)

England's World Cup 2018 squad in full

GOALKEEPERS: Jack Butland (Stoke), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Burnley).

DEFENDERS: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Harry Maguire (Leicester), Danny Rose (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Ashley Young (Manchester United).

MIDFIELDERS: Dele Alli, Eric Dier (both Tottenham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea).

FORWARDS: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Jamie Vardy (Leicester), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal)


Portugal Full squad:

Goalkeepers: Anthony Lopes (Lyon), Beto (Goztepe), Rui Patricio (Sporting).

Defenders: Bruno Alves (Rangers), Cedric Soares (Southampton), Jose Fonte (Dalian Yifang), Mario Rui (Napoli), Pepe (Besiktas), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund), Ricardo Pereira (Porto), Ruben Dias (Benfica).

Midfielders: Adrien Silva (Leicester), Bruno Fernandes (Sporting), Joao Mario (West Ham), Joao Moutinho (Monaco), Manuel Fernandes (Lokomotiv Moscow), William Carvalho (Sporting).

Forwards: Andre Silva (AC Milan), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Gelson Martins (Sporting), Goncalo Guedes (Valencia), Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas).

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline Sam

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #671 on: June 07, 2018, 05:13:45 AM »
Imagine Leroy Sane did not make the cut for the Germany side.

That coach is a mad man, Sane was de best young player in de EPL this season, cant believe meh eyes here.

England coach crazy to, this players dont belong there, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Phil Jones, Ashley Young, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Danny Welbeck (maybe).

Nick Pope should be they number 1 keeper

Germany taking 2 strikers and one ah them (Gomez) is like 33 years ole, lord fadda. Nils Petersen and Mark Uth mighta be better options.


« Last Edit: June 07, 2018, 05:26:47 AM by Sam »
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Offline Sam

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #672 on: June 07, 2018, 05:27:15 AM »
Ah rushing to pull up meh pants dis morning and end up cuffing meh balls we.

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Offline Deeks

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #673 on: June 07, 2018, 08:08:16 AM »
Ah rushing to pull up meh pants dis morning and end up cuffing meh balls we.



Breds, wrong threads!

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #674 on: June 07, 2018, 09:51:38 AM »
Ah rushing to pull up meh pants dis morning and end up cuffing meh balls we.

Breds, wrong threads!
:rotfl:

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #675 on: June 07, 2018, 03:12:51 PM »
Jose Mourinho's picks to advance

Uruguay and Russia (Group A)
Spain and Portugal (B)
France and Australia (C)
Argentina and Nigeria (D)
Brazil and Switzerland (E)
Germany and Mexico (F)
England and Belgium (G)
Senegal and Poland (H)

Thoughts?

Offline Errol

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #676 on: June 08, 2018, 02:01:28 AM »
Ah rushing to pull up meh pants dis morning and end up cuffing meh balls we.



Breds, wrong threads!

 :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:


Offline Brownsugar

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #677 on: June 08, 2018, 04:19:38 PM »
Ah rushing to pull up meh pants dis morning and end up cuffing meh balls we.



But wha de??!!  Just so??!!  :rotfl: :rotfl:
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Or yuh shoes burst off,
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Old lady, young baby, everybody could dingolay...
Dingolay, ay, ay, ay ay,
Dingolay ay, ay, ay..."

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Online soccerman

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #678 on: June 10, 2018, 05:59:00 PM »
Jose Mourinho's picks to advance

Uruguay and Russia (Group A)
Spain and Portugal (B)
France and Australia (C)
Argentina and Nigeria (D)
Brazil and Switzerland (E)
Germany and Mexico (F)
England and Belgium (G)
Senegal and Poland (H)

Thoughts?

My predictions:

Uruguay and Egypt (Group A)
Spain and Portugal (B)
France and Peru (C)
Argentina and Croatia (D)
Brazil and Costa Rica (E)
Germany and Mexico (F)
England and Belgium (G)
Senegal and Colombia (H)

Offline Deeks

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #679 on: June 13, 2018, 05:55:33 AM »
Spain fire the WC manager because he was hired by Real for next season.

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #680 on: June 13, 2018, 10:29:53 AM »
Spain fire the WC manager because he was hired by Real for next season.

Correct decision. And, ah big eff up for Lopetegui. Every player wants to play on a WC stage. Most managers also. Lopetegui got this wrong because he was salivating at the immediate prospect of Real. Fernando Hierro is about as sensible a candidate to fill in because he knows the inside of the Fed and team and gives the episode a soft cushion.

Offline Flex

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #681 on: June 14, 2018, 01:39:34 AM »
Brazil to triumph in FIFA World Cup.
By Colin Murray (Guardian).


Just as I predicted, the West Indies won the first Test match against Sri Lanka at the Queen’s Park Oval, on easily the best pitch that has been produced in the region for a long time. The batsmen were able to play their shots and if the bowlers bent their backs, they would extract something from the surface.

Kudos to the ground curator. It was five days of absorbing Test match cricket and after the Windies got over their early match jitters, they dominated the match from after tea on the first day, right up to the luncheon period on the final day. We will summarise the series after the final Test match, as today pride and place must go to the biggest sporting event on the planet: the 2018 edition of the FIFA World Cup.

With 32 teams in eight groups contesting a trophy worth USD $38 million, winning the World Cup is any footballer’s dream. My only regret is that it comes around every four years; I really wish it was shorter, maybe every three years, but the wait is always well worth it.

Firstly, let’s examine the teams in group A: the hosts Russia, together with Uruguay, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Uruguay with Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani up front should win the group, while it appears to be a toss-up between Egypt and Russia for the second spot. The Egyptians may be too heavily dependent on Mo Salah and with the luxury of home support, Russia may take it.

In group B, Portugal and Spain stand out. Portugal come into the tournament as European champions and should be brimming with confidence, but I can’t see them getting the better of Spain as the Spaniards possess a good all round quality team.

In group C France will waltz away as winners and should go far in the tournament as they are extremely talented. Denmark, even though they had to qualify by playing in a play-off against Ireland, should pull through ahead of Peru and Australia.

Group D without a doubt is this tournament’s group of death. Any two of the four can go through as Argentina, Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria all have the ability to win against one another. However, any team with Lionel Messi in it, you just have to fancy and in Argentina, there are many match winners. The other three teams are evenly matched. Iceland will fight for every ball; so too will the Nigerians with their physical strength, however, although Croatia finished runners-up to Iceland in their European group qualification, I feel they may well turn the tables on their Icelandic counterparts and take this group’s coveted 2nd spot.

Group E sees the tournament favourites Brazil, who should have absolutely no problems in topping this group. I cannot see Costa Rica, who only lost on penalties at the quarter-final stage back in 2014, repeating their valiant progress. Therefore, I fully expect Serbia to come out of this group ahead of them and Switzerland.

Group F sees another tournament favourite in Germany—the defending champions—having a slightly tougher group than Brazil, but should also face no hurdles in winning this group. The other three teams in Mexico, Sweden and South Korea should make the runners-up position quite competitive but somehow I feel Mexico with their experience, should get the better of the Asian qualifiers—South Korea—and the tough Swedes.

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Offline asylumseeker

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #682 on: June 14, 2018, 09:46:12 AM »
Thanks for cooperating, Saudi Arabia.

Offline Bitter

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #683 on: June 14, 2018, 10:01:49 AM »
The only thing worse than the Saudi back line is the Fox Sports commentary.

Thank me later.

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Offline Sando prince

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #684 on: June 14, 2018, 11:06:51 AM »

This is why I am against increasing the number teams at the 2026 world cup, you will have more low quality teams like Saudi and you will see more shit performances like what we saw today. In the end the quality of the world cup will decrease if they increase the number of teams

Offline Deeks

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #685 on: June 14, 2018, 11:08:52 AM »
They just did not perform. It just put TT first game in 06 into perspective. We were expected to get about 5. Thanks for the memories 06 Soca Warriors.

Offline Deeks

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #686 on: June 14, 2018, 11:12:41 AM »
The clip of Putin kind of apologizing to the Saudi prince after goal is funny and priceless at the same time.

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #687 on: June 14, 2018, 12:16:45 PM »
Costa Rica with a winning trend in World Cup openers
CONCACAF


If history is a good indicator, the Costa Rican National Team will fancy its chances in its 2018 FIFA World Cup opener on Sunday versus Serbia.

The Ticos will square off against the European side to open Group E at the Cosmos Arena in Samara, and a look back at past World Cup openers suggests that Oscar Ramirez's side will be confident at getting three points.

In its first ever appearance at a FIFA World Cup at Italy 1990 playing in Group C, Costa Rica came out 1-0 winners against Scotland thanks to a Juan Cayasso goal in the 49'.

That initial victory led to a second group stage win versus Sweden, 2-1, earning the Ticos a spot in the second round before falling 4-1 to Czechoslovakia.

Twelve years later at Korea/Japan 2002, Costa Rica would again claim a win in its group stage debut with a 2-0 triumph over China in Group C, with Ronaldo Gomez (61') and Mauricio Wright (65) providing the goals.

Unfortunately for Costa Rica, it was on the wrong end of a tiebreaker on goal difference with Turkey and did not advance.

Germany 2006 was not as kind to the Ticos. Despite a Paulo Wanchope brace, Costa Rica fell 4-2 to hosts Germany to kick off Group A and was unable to earn a point in three group stage matches.

Things were vastly different to open Group D in Brazil 2014, as Joel Campbell (54'), Oscar Duarte (57') and Marco Urena (84') all scored in a 3-1 win over Uruguay, which laid the groundwork for Costa Rica's memorable run to the quarterfinals.

Now with Costa Rica set to start at Russia 2018, the Ticos will be out to claim its fourth win in five World Cup openers.

"We are continuing our preparation ahead of the debut, we are in Russia now and we should experience the World Cup party," said MF Celso Borges to reporters on Wednesday.

"The attitude is good at this moment and we are looking forward, focused on the goal which is to win the first game," concluded Borges.

Offline pull stones

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #688 on: June 14, 2018, 01:38:24 PM »
I wonder if TT could beat Saudi arabia? their defense reminds me so much of our own poor porous defense and the mistakes and the poor defensive errors we make. thank god we didn’t make it through due to the poor state of our football that has lead us to this low fifa ranking. we need a whole new defense and a new goalie asap.

Offline pull stones

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Re: 2018 World Cup Thread
« Reply #689 on: June 14, 2018, 01:40:29 PM »
PS. The saudi goal keeper was a hot mess. he made Marvin Phillips look like vandersar. at least 3 of those goals were salvageable had he used his goal line properly and positioned himself better. very poor goal keeping indeed if I may say so. i certainly hope that Egypt has a better plan.
« Last Edit: June 14, 2018, 01:45:51 PM by pull stones »

 

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