World Cup 2018 - General discussion

[Sassy Colin]

I am not at all excited given who is hosting it.

In general, I couldn't give a feck who the host is, once the tournament starts.

The only use I can see is for a reference e.g. Do you remember England in Italia 90?

 

[FootballHQ]

I've literally not heard of a singly one of those defenders. Trent Sainsbury sounds made up.

Pretty sure he was at Inter Milan for a while although never played.

Yeah Aussie squad has been poor for quite a while now since the 2006 golden generation all pretty much retired at the same time (apart from Cahill).

They will be competitive though...were in a very tough group with Chile, Spain and Holland at last world cup and didn't disgrace themselves.

 

[FootballHQ]

Talk in one of the English football magazines Gotze will struggle to make the cut for Germany squad.

Wonder if that's ever happened before. Player who scored in last world cup final and is fit or hasn't retired (in case of Zidane) dosen't make the cut for next world cup.

 

[Red Pavan]

Talk in one of the English football magazines Gotze will struggle to make the cut for Germany squad.

Wonder if that's ever happened before. Player who scored in last world cup final and is fit or hasn't retired (in case of Zidane) dosen't make the cut for next world cup.

Zidane retired in 2006?

 

[FootballHQ]

Zidane retired in 2006?

Yes 2006 final was his last pro game.

 

[Rasendori]

And then proceeded to pick James Tarkowski who plays for a team that couldn't string together five passes to save their lives.

On Tarkowski's debut against Italy, his ball distribution was the best of any England player on the pitch. He cut through Italy's marking with probing passes, on three or four occasions with perhaps the most notable example being ... 9 seconds in which led to one of England's best chances of the game

 

[PoTMS]

Picking or not picking Smalling is a marginal question at the end of the day. You can argue a case for him but that says more about the other options. Any combination of central defenders Southgate can pick is a big drop off from players like Adams, Campbell, Ferdinand and Terry.

Either way, Southgate is a right tit the way he's handled it. Why would Smalling wanna play for a guy that has publicly shat on him as a footballer?

 

[whatwha]

Only 5 weeks to go

 

[BBRBB]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

"High detachment of the anterior cruciate ligament with posterolateral sprain", Dani Alves could miss the world cup.

 

[bebeanderson]

Marquinhos or Fernandinho at RB over Danilo or Rafinha please.

 

[antohan]

Yes 2006 final was his last pro game.

That makes me feel so fecking old. "Feels like yesterday", yadda yadda.

 

[luke511]

40/1 for Diego Costa as top goalscorer, anyone else think that's a bit too big?

 

[ROFLUTION]

40/1 for Diego Costa as top goalscorer, anyone else think that's a bit too big?

Nope, I'm already on that one with a couple of coupons.. Spain could likely reach the semifinals too, so they will have one more game in a bronze or final match. If they don't finish 2nd, they'll likely avoid the two favorites Brazil and France.

Think he'll mostly start and be subbed for Morata around the 70 minute mark.

 

[luke511]

Nope, I'm already on that one with a couple of coupons.. Spain could likely reach the semifinals too, so they will have one more game in a bronze or final match. If they don't finish 2nd, they'll likely avoid the two favorites Brazil and France.

Think he'll mostly start and be subbed for Morata around the 70 minute mark.

I'm curious do you bet with Danske Spil?

 

[RedDevilRoshi]

Marquinhos or Fernandinho at RB over Danilo or Rafinha please.

Fernandinho at RB? Or do you mean Fabinho?

 

[Sigma]

Fernandinho at RB? Or do you mean Fabinho?

He's played full back for City a few times this season.

 

[ROFLUTION]

I'm curious do you bet with Danske Spil?

Nah, not really - why? Their interface sucks a bit. Mostly betting on bet365.

 

[Peyroteo]

40/1 for Diego Costa as top goalscorer, anyone else think that's a bit too big?

He'll most likely not be a starter ahead of Aspas, no way he ends up a top goalscorer. He probably won't get enough minutes and he tends to struggle in Spain's system.

 

[ROFLUTION]

He'll most likely not be a starter ahead of Aspas, no way he ends up a top goalscorer. He probably won't get enough minutes and he tends to struggle in Spain's system.

He played lone striker in the 6-1 against Argentina for 90 minutes recently though. He's been a regular starter too before all the Chelsea and Atletico-transferban trouble. But we'll see.

 

[luke511]

Nah, not really - why? Their interface sucks a bit. Mostly betting on bet365.

Ah fair, the company I work for supplies them with a lot of services like in play etc, I do their in play football games

 

[luke511]

He'll most likely not be a starter ahead of Aspas, no way he ends up a top goalscorer. He probably won't get enough minutes and he tends to struggle in Spain's system.

7 goals in 8 games since 2016, at 40/1 worth a punt in my eyes

 

[ROFLUTION]

Ah fair, the company I work for supplies them with a lot of services like in play etc, I do their in play football games

Nice! Now, spike the in-play odds for a United 0-0 draw to 200, and I'll be on it instantly! we'll share the profit and fly a Mourinho out banner over Old Trafford for the last game

Anyways: A shame with Dani Alves possibly out. He's a character.

 

[luke511]

Nice! Now, spike the in-play odds for a United 0-0 draw to 200, and I'll be on it instantly! we'll share the profit and fly a Mourinho out banner over Old Trafford for the last game

Anyways: A shame with Dani Alves possibly out. He's a character.

 

[Peyroteo]

He played lone striker in the 6-1 against Argentina for 90 minutes recently though. He's been a regular starter too before all the Chelsea and Atletico-transferban trouble. But we'll see.

Only played 45 minutes in that one, if he's a starter it's a good bet but I doubt that will be the case.

 

[ROFLUTION]

Only played 45 minutes in that one, if he's a starter it's a good bet but I doubt that will be the case.

Ah, you're right. Hmm - It is a bit of a longshot, but mostly because it seems like Aspas is performing on the national team.

 

[FootballHQ]

40/1 for Diego Costa as top goalscorer, anyone else think that's a bit too big?

His style never seems to suit the tiki taka, was a big disappointment in the last world cup.

Last couple of world cups gone for Higuain as each way top scorer which has nearly come off. Argentina usually have one big win in the group stages that gets people excited. No idea though what Sampaoli is planning upfront alongside Messi so might go for Lukaku this time.

 

[Charles Miller]

Daniel Alves officially out of the World Cup due to knee injury. Can't see who would replace him. Danilo is not 100% trustable. Fabinho is no longer RB. Rafinha nobody knows if you can trust him in a wc..

 

[Nedved]

Daniel Alves officially out of the World Cup due to knee injury. Can't see who would replace him. Danilo is not 100% trustable. Fabinho is no longer RB. Rafinha nobody knows if you can trust him in a wc..

Three excellent left backs but no one to replace Alves. Bad luck.

 

[Acrobat7]

Daniel Alves officially out of the World Cup due to knee injury. Can't see who would replace him. Danilo is not 100% trustable. Fabinho is no longer RB. Rafinha nobody knows if you can trust him in a wc..

Maybe a more defense oriented RB in Rafinha with Marcelo on the left could work. Rafinha is neither world class nor does he have any flair, but he gives his all, annoys the opponent and if Bayern trusts him being the backup to RB and LB Brazil should/could as well.

 

[FootballHQ]

Daniel Alves officially out of the World Cup due to knee injury. Can't see who would replace him. Danilo is not 100% trustable. Fabinho is no longer RB. Rafinha nobody knows if you can trust him in a wc..

Is Rafinha the Bayern Munich guy? Always thought he's been a good player in Bundesliga but has very few caps for Brazil.

Who played RB for them that won Rio Olympics?

 

[Charles Miller]

Is Rafinha the Bayern Munich guy? Always thought he's been a good player in Bundesliga but has very few caps for Brazil.

Who played RB for them that won Rio Olympics?

I think Rafinha use to play as back up lb for Bayern. I could be wrong. In the olimpics the rb was Zeca, very good player but hes out for months fighting against his club in the Justice and is not an option.

 

[Mr Smith]

I am so hyped for this. Over this season and just want it to end so the World Cup can begin. Wish the media build-up would start to ramp up so I have somewhere to put my excitement

 

[carvajal]

Have you seen Benzema's documentary on Netflix? He tries to explain his version of Valbuena's scandal, and it focuses a lot in his experience with the national team.
Do you think he has some option to be in the world cup?

 

[Bojan11]

Maybe a more defense oriented RB in Rafinha with Marcelo on the left could work. Rafinha is neither world class nor does he have any flair, but he gives his all, annoys the opponent and if Bayern trusts him being the backup to RB and LB Brazil should/could as well.

Danilo seems the likely option.

Felipe Luiz has a broken leg too. Neymar has a broken foot. Then you have David Luiz who hasn’t played for a long time. Thiago Silva isn’t the same player he was a few years ago.

I had them as stand out favourites a few months ago. But not now with the injuries.

 

[Asger]

Iceland’s 23-man squad:

Goalkeepers: Hannes Þór Halldórsson (Randers), Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson (Nordsjælland), Frederik Schram (Roskilde).

Defenders: Ari Freyr Skúlason (Lokeren), Hörður B. Magnússon (Bristol City), Ragnar Sigurðsson (Rostov), Kári Árnason (Aberdeen), Hólmar Örn Eyjólfsson (Levski Sofia), Sverrir Ingi Ingason (Rostov), Birkir Már Sævarsson (Valur), Samúel Kári Friðjónsson (Valerenga).

Midfielders: Gylfi Þór Sigurðsson (Everton), Aron Einar Gunnarsson (Cardiff City), Emil Hallfreðsson (Udinese), Birkir Bjarnason (Aston Villa), Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson (Burnley), Ólafur Ingi Skúlason (Karabukspor), Arnór Ingvi Traustason (Malmö), Rúrik Gíslason (Sandhausen).

Forwards: Alfreð Finnbogason (Augsburg), Björn Bergmann Sigurðarson (Rostov), Jón Daði Böðvarsson (Reading), Albert Guðmundsson (PSV).

 

[Blackwidow]

Maybe a more defense oriented RB in Rafinha with Marcelo on the left could work. Rafinha is neither world class nor does he have any flair, but he gives his all, annoys the opponent and if Bayern trusts him being the backup to RB and LB Brazil should/could as well.

He made a mistake against Real when he played on the left - but that is very untypically for him. He is very good with the ball and with build up play - when Lahm played defensive midfielder he was always starter with Guardiola - and is very good defensively - what I think is wise when you have Marcelo on the other side. I would love if he would get called for the World Cup. He had a call for the friendlies last summer. He is the absolute team player - not just on the pitch - a very valuable piece of the dressing room at Bayern.

 

[HorrorFan07]

don't you miss the World Cup songs of World Cups of the past?

there's no buzz around this world cup. the league is over.

 

[Raru9]

Have you seen Benzema's documentary on Netflix? He tries to explain his version of Valbuena's scandal, and it focuses a lot in his experience with the national team.
Do you think he has some option to be in the world cup?

No, Benzema is dead to the France's manager. His last stament about the NT wasn't helpful either.

 

[Samid]

Russia provisional squad and reserve list:

Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Vladimir Gabulov (Brugge), Soslan Dzhanaev (Rubin Kazan), Andrei Lunev (Zenit St. Petersburg)

Defenders: Vladimir Granat, Ruslan Kambolov, Fedor Kudryashov (all Rubin Kazan), Ilya Kutepov (Spartak Moscow), Roman Neustadter (Fenerbahce), Konstantin Rausch (Dynamo Moscow), Andrei Semenov (Akhmat Grozny), Igor Smolnikov (Zenit St. Petersburg), Mario Fernandes (CSKA Moscow)

Midfielders: Yuri Gazinsky (Krasnodar), Alexander Golovin, Alan Dzagoev (both CSKA Moscow), Alexander Erokhin, Yuri Zhirkov, Daler Kuzyaev (all Zenit St. Petersburg), Roman Zobnin, Alexander Samedov (both Spartak Moscow), Anton Miranchuk (Lokomotiv Moscow), Alexander Tashaev (Dynamo Moscow), Denis Cheryshev (Villareal)

Strikers: Artem Dzyuba (Arsenal Tula), Alexei Miranchuk (Lokomotiv Moscow), Fyodor Smolov (Krasnodar), Fyodor Chalov (CSKA Moscow)

Reserve list:

Goalkeeper: Marinato Guilherme (Lokomotiv)

Defenders: Vladislav Ignatyev (Lokomotiv Moscow), Dmitry Kombarov (Spartak Moscow)

Midfielders: Denis Glushakov (Spartak Moscow), Anton Shvets (Akhmat Grozny)

Strikers: Anton Zabolotny, Dmitry Poloz (both Zenit St. Petersburg)

 

[Samid]

Poland provisional squad
Goalkeepers: Bartosz Bialkowski (Ipswich Town, England), Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea City, Wales), Lukasz Skorupski (Roma, Italy), Wojciech Szczesny (Juventus, Italy);

Defenders: Jan Bednarek (Southampton, England), Bartosz Bereszynski (Sampdoria, Italy), Thiago Cionek (SPAL, Italy), Kamil Glik (Monaco, France), Artur Jedrzejczyk (Legia Warsaw), Marcin Kaminski (Stuttgart, Germany), Tomasz Kedziora (Dynamo Kyiv, Ukraine), Michal Pazdan (Legia Warsaw), Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund, Germany);

Midfielders: Jakub Blaszczykowski (Wolfsburg, Germany), Pawel Dawidowicz (Palermo, Italy), Przemyslaw Frankowski (Jagiellonia Bialystok), Jacek Goralski (Ludogorets Razgrad, Bulgaria), Kamil Grosicki (Hull City, England), Damian Kadzior (Gornik Zabrze), Grzegorz Krychowiak (West Bromwich Albion, England), Rafal Kurzawa (Gornik Zabrze), Karol Linetty (Sampdoria, Italy), Maciej Makuszewski (Lech Poznan), Krzysztof Maczynski (Legia Warsaw), Slawomir Peszko (Lechnia Gdansk), Maciej Rybus (Lokomotiv Moscow, Russia), Sebastian Szymanski (Legia Warsaw), Piotr Zielinski (Napoli, Italy), Szymon Zurkowski (Gornik Zabrze);

Forwards: Dawid Kownacki (Sampdoria, Italy), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich, Germany), Arkadiusz Milik (Napoli, Italy), Krzysztof Piatek (Cracovia), Lukasz Teodorczyk (Anderlecht, Belgium), Kamil Wilczek (Brondby, Denmark).