World Cup 2018 thread

[ViewsFromTheMiddle]

I'm annoyed "Southgate you're the one" is still stuck in my head even though we're out.

[Andicis]

17 minutes ago, AndyinLiverpool said:

There are 3 Croats there. Didn’t you think they were gash?

Yawn yawn yawn. Can you please just duck off? You're seriously boring. 

[68 Guns]

6 hours ago, ViewsFromTheMiddle said:

 

Thanks for posting that. Without your input i would've been wondering what the teams were. Had no other place i could have found that info. Only you had access to the breaking news at the time then. What a waste of a post.

[Bob The Badger]

56 minutes ago, ramit said:

With their amazing individuals.  If Croatia lift the trophy it will be because they are the best team.  As it should be.

Not sure about that.

They have staggered through the play offs like Huddersfield did.

They made the final without winning a single game in regulation.

France are a far superior team imho

[68 Guns]

48 minutes ago, Bris Vegas said:

I’d definitely have Coutinho in there. By far Brazil’s standout player.

I’d probably go for Ochoa too in goal. Biased, but he made loads of key saves.

When is a save not a 'key save' 

Is it when it would be goal if he didnt stop it? 

Or have i missed something

[1of4]

So its Belgium on Saturday, in an even more meaningless game than when we met them the first time in the group stage. What sort of team will Southgate put out for this one?

I don't think we'll see Trippier, Walker, Young, and Lingard at the very least from the team that started tonight's game,  being in the starting line-up for Saturday.  It wouldn't surprise me if at least one of the other keepers didn't get some time on the pitch.

Do any goals scored in this match count towards the golden boot award?

[LeedsCityRam]

Congrats to Croatia - I suspect I'm not the only Ram to have a soft spot for Hrvatska & wish them well against the French.

I'd have been absolutely delighted with a semi-final place before the tournament started - just feels we could have gone a bit further. Southgate deserves massive credit - the squad seemed relaxed & happy throughout and we played to our potential with the 11 players on the field. Our strength at set pieces & obvious improvement in tough situations (vs Colombia in the penalty shoot out & against petulant/aggressive opponents Panama & Colombia) is a reflection of how well he managed this group. He deserves the next 4 years in charge - no question.

However. One big wasted opportunity - Ruben Loftus-Cheek is a potential world class midfielder - a big unit with the ability to receive the ball in the final 3rd with comfort, pace, creativity, goalscoring ability & in my eyes, would have been ideal tonight when it was obvious we were getting overrun in midfield. Seemed to be an obsession with playing pace (Alli, Lingard & Sterling) but the game is played with a football & frankly, Sterling's contribution tonight was borderline negligible. The other two shone in parts but were far from our best performers in the tournament overall. Slightly ironic that our best player this World Cup (Kieran Trippier) is markedly one paced - quality will out though.

Oh well, 54 years of hurt now ?

[ramit]

48 minutes ago, Bob The Badger said:

Not sure about that.

They have staggered through the play offs like Huddersfield did.

They made the final without winning a single game in regulation.

France are a far superior team imho

And if France lose to Croatia, are they still a far superior team?

[Comrade 86]

1 hour ago, Andicis said:

                          Pickford

Trippier  Godin  Maguire  Laxalt

         Modric   Kante  Rakitic 

Mbappe    Lukaku   Rebic

I felt Lukaku offered more all round, I preferred Maguire over Varane, and I felt Young was let down by his lack of ability to cross with his left foot.

 

?So the most represented team in your best tournament 11 is........................ Croatia. 

[Highgate]

2 hours ago, StringerBell said:

I'm certainly not looking for excuses, I think we blew it really. But ive not seen anyone mention the first goal - free kick for a high foot anywhere else on the pitch?

You are probably right, outside the box that sort of thing is usually a free kick against.  But it would have been a travesty to disallow it, such a wonderful opportunistic goal.

[ramit]

51 minutes ago, Charlie Dram said:

Thanks for posting that. Without your input i would've been wondering what the teams were. Had no other place i could have found that info. Only you had access to the breaking news at the time then. What a waste of a post.

Perhaps not everyone was aware of the starting teams, i know i wasn't.  i like posts like this from @ViewsFromTheMiddle, it's like a public service announcement for the lazy and i am as lazy as they come

[Jourdan]

Fair play to Croatia - they deserved to go through over 120 minutes. They grew into the game, and their experienced players were decisive.

We were the better side in the first half and failed to capitalise. That is the most disappointing aspect, wondering what might have been. Kane had a chance at 1-0 that he buries 8 or 9 times out of 10 and had he scored, you would feel at 2-0, we see out the game. But we gave Croatia a lifeline and of course they had enough quality to take it. Once they equalised, the writing was on the wall in big bold neon pink letters.

The way we faded in the second half showed just how much the occasion had consumed us. We weren't ready for this. We looked nervous and tired, and were just playing on pure adrenaline. We had given so much just to get to this stage.

There is no disgrace in defeat. The players will learn from this and as a team, we'll grow and be more prepared for the crunch games when they come around again at Euro 2020.

Crushing disappointment aside, you have to feel massively proud of this team. They have shown more fight, passion, hunger and desire than far more capable and star studded England sides of the past. They have been a TEAM.

The golden generation would have folded against Colombia, never mind got to a semi final.

[Sith Happens]

5 hours ago, Charlie Dram said:

Thanks for posting that. Without your input i would've been wondering what the teams were. Had no other place i could have found that info. Only you had access to the breaking news at the time then. What a waste of a post.

You had better keep out the matchday thread when the season kicks off. About an hour before kick off someone always posts the team.

Not a waste of a post at all maybe some people want to discuss the lineups.

When you talk about a waste of a post maybe re read yours. Bigger waste of a post in my opinion.

[1of4]

4 hours ago, Jourdan said:

Fair play to Croatia - they deserved to go through over 120 minutes. They grew into the game, and their experienced players were decisive.

We were the better side in the first half and failed to capitalise. That is the most disappointing aspect, wondering what might have been. Kane had a chance at 1-0 that he buries 8 or 9 times out of 10 and had he scored, you would feel at 2-0, we see out the game. But we gave Croatia a lifeline and of course they had enough quality to take it. Once they equalised, the writing was on the wall in big bold neon pink letters.

The way we faded in the second half showed just how much the occasion had consumed us. We weren't ready for this. We looked nervous and tired, and were just playing on pure adrenaline. We had given so much just to get to this stage.

There is no disgrace in defeat. The players will learn from this and as a team, we'll grow and be more prepared for the crunch games when they come around again at Euro 2020.

Crushing disappointment aside, you have to feel massively proud of this team. They have shown more fight, passion, hunger and desire than far more capable and star studded England sides of the past. They have been a TEAM.

The golden generation would have folded against Colombia, never mind got to a semi final.

If Kane had scored his one and only chance it may not have counted as the linesman flaged for off-side. If after a VAR review it would have counted, that, we'll never know.

We may have been a team but we weren't a well balanced side. We were lacking a midfield that could keep the ball when needed. A midfield that could close down the oppositions midfield, to stop the ball getting into our box so often. A midfield that could win the ball and use it effectively to attack. We were supposed to have a team with an abundance of pace. How many times did we threaten the Croatian goal with the use of pace? Answer None.

As for the golden generation, yes they failed time and time again but lets not let us mask the fact that this present team are not any better because we managed to reach a semi-final and winning on penalties for the first time after hanging on for a draw with Colombia. The only good performance we produced was against Sweden.

[Dimmu]

In the bigger picture, I think England will do well.

You can have pretty much the same payers for years if Southgate decides to stick with them.

Add Will Hughes to that and you'll have a decent chance to win it next time.

[Ted McMinn Football Genius]

4 minutes ago, Dimmu said:

In the bigger picture, I think England will do well.

You can have pretty much the same payers for years if Southgate decides to stick with them.

Add Will Hughes to that and you'll have a decent chance to win it next time.

We lacked a creative spark that’s for sure, enter Will Hughes stage left ????

[RamNut]

1 minute ago, Ted McMinn Football Genius said:

We lacked a creative spark that’s for sure, enter Will Hughes stage left ????

There are other good players coming through too....Grealish and maddison for example.

 

 

[Van der MoodHoover]

Dare one say, “no plan B?”

couldnt respond when Croatia changed their shape and all our subs were like for like Rashford for Sterling, Rose for Young, Dier for Henderson......until we got to Vardy for Walker. Which I couldn’t work out the point of (why put on a counterattacking speed merchant when Croatia were dropping deeper to close off space).

plenty for Gareth Southgate to work on. He has some decent players to start from. The 3 at the back looked like it needs some practice as it all too easily became 5 and then we were stuffed having surrendered the rest of the pitch.

[Carnero]

9 hours ago, needles said:

We tried, and up until half time we looked the part. Meh. Bring on Notts County. Let's get the Derby County stuff started.

Get your Hajduk Split badge back on... you seem naked without it!!!!!

[PistoldPete2]

55 minutes ago, 1of4 said:

If Kane had scored his one and only chance it may not have counted as the linesman flaged for off-side. If after a VAR review it would have counted, that, we'll never know.

We may have been a team but we weren't a well balanced side. We were lacking a midfield that could keep the ball when needed. A midfield that could close down the oppositions midfield, to stop the ball getting into our box so often. A midfield that could win the ball and use it effectively to attack. We were supposed to have a team with an abundance of pace. How many times did we threaten the Croatian goal with the use of pace? Answer None.

As for the golden generation, yes they failed time and time again but lets not let us mask the fact that this present team are not any better because we managed to reach a semi-final and winning on penalties for the first time after hanging on for a draw with Colombia. The only good performance we produced was against Sweden.

Kane had two chances ... One he shot at the keeper and the other hit the post. I think the offside was for the second chance but the first one was where he really should have scored. It wasn't offside so VAR would have overturned it. Also stones nearly scored and lingard shot just wide. But Croatia had the better of the chances. 

In the cold light of day,the positives were our defenders , who doubled as Attackers. Trippier, McGuire and Pickford. Stones too.negatives were our attackers ... Lively and tricky but lacking the quality when it counted. And Henderson though he had a good tournament was quite poor last night. We weren't creating much second half so off comes Henderson and on comes... Eric dier. Shows how little options we had for midfield. I rate hughes but is he really at that level. Someone like him tho is was what england need. Sessegnon for young. Maddison maybe. Quite a few others too will be knocking on the door so plenty to build on here.