Off Topic World Cup 2018
- Thread starter karlos5001
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Get out the group, scrape a win in the last 16 then get to the quarterfinals. That will do Young Lions. But no. They did better than that, did better than most of us thought. Ok they are not the best team in the world and yes they can only score from set pieces. HASH TAG PROUD AS ****
are they an improvement on the previous teams of big names , yes ..., have they been over hyped once they reached the knock out stages , most definitely, have they been shown to be a middle ranking team in world terms , yes . Can they improve to match the likes of belgium , croatia etc , possible but unlikely given the structures that exist in the country , where the major league is dominated by players from all over the world , not much room for developing talent in the clubs .
In the end a reality check was given as to exactly where this young England side is with a bit of a men v boys result yesterday that meant we end the tournament on a slight downer. Belgium just looked so much better than us all over the park, with Croatia showing us what experience gets you when your back's up against the ropes. If Southgate can learn owt from this tournament is that his team has balls, has a team spirit and will upset one or two of the big boys in future tournaments... But win one...?!?!
The Germans, Italians & Spanish will have to re-build somewhat from a terrible tournament, Italians didn't even make it either, and we have one good tournament under our belts as well. It's all about quality, and the French, Croats & Belgiums have em, we sadly do not...
If we made the semi's of the next Euro's then I can say it's progress. I also think had we got past Croatia then todays final could be a bit of a massacre with the French beating us by 3 or more and that would have seriously set this young England team back...
We'll see, but I for one have not got carried away with the whole coming home ****e as it never was in my eyes...
The Germans, Italians & Spanish will have to re-build somewhat from a terrible tournament, Italians didn't even make it either, and we have one good tournament under our belts as well. It's all about quality, and the French, Croats & Belgiums have em, we sadly do not...
If we made the semi's of the next Euro's then I can say it's progress. I also think had we got past Croatia then todays final could be a bit of a massacre with the French beating us by 3 or more and that would have seriously set this young England team back...
We'll see, but I for one have not got carried away with the whole coming home ****e as it never was in my eyes...
Or the preoccupation in the media with the Harry Kane golden boot Red. Nice accolade for him to have but it's a team game.
Skybet have enhanced Mbappe to score anytime from 2/1 to 4/1. I'll have a slice of that pie please.
What marks out the top teams is their movement off the ball, the ability to create space and pull the opposition team out of shape. Only Raheem Sterling has shown some ability to do this for England, the rest of the team seem rigid and constrained in terms of how they move without the ball. It’s what Germany did so well in 2014 but failed totally to do this time around. Hazard, De Bruyne and co are a joy to watch, their movement and pace are superb. Yet even they had no chance against the French, who at times just seemed to have more men on the pitch. France easy winners today and worthy champions 
I can see Lovren being run ragged today so happy to have a punt on him being yellow carded anytime 5/2.
Yep. So simple to move without the ball, no technical skill required, just a footballing brain - yet it's a problem for many teams/players. We also seem to lack in technical ability compared to the top. I don't know what training is carried out with youngsters in England but technical training is very high in France. In the U13, for example, they have skill tests and they have to do 50 keepy uppies with each foot (my grandson can do over 200 with either foot) and also walk about 20 metres keeping the ball off the ground. They also have to keep the ball in the air just heading it 30 times. Every training session involves pass and move. It's quite impressive But it's the same from 6 years and upwards except to a lesser extent (eg in the U11s they had to do 20 keepy uppies with each foot and 10 headers). The footwork is incredible, in one on ones; it's like the ball is glued to their feet. I won't go into the ****ing nutmegging - humiliating
I’d like to see Luka Modric get the Player of the Tournament award. Quality player. Without him Croatia would not be in the final. He will have to have a great game today to win it from Mbappe imo. Modric is 32 so probably his last World Cup, there is time for Mbappe
To be fair though England are the U17, U18 & U21 Champions so it's not like we've not got owt behind us. It's just developing those players in the Prem and Internationally... It's not all gloom n doom...
The bets to avoid! France ht/ft 21/10 France -1 11/4 France to win both halfs 6/1
Get yir cash on Croatia
Get yir cash on Croatia
Not after timing I backed France to win before the start (see my first post) I like Ste’s bet Mbappe to score anytime 4/1 so done that. I just hope it’s an entertaining final. Good luck all with your bets
It will be entertaining if:
France win both halfs
France win -1
France win ht ft
Mbappe scores 4 goals and takes the golden boot
Other than that it will be schite!
Yes, that is promising, especially as Gareth S is involved at those levels (I think). He will bring through some of them, whether or not they get regular first team places in the Premier. Something the old guard wouldn't risk
The French were nothing special against Belgium, they simply dropped off deep when they did not have the ball to nullify the pace of Belgium, De Bryune and Hazard going forwards on the break, Belgium had around 65% possession due to this. It was only an og that split them it was a very even game.What marks out the top teams is their movement off the ball, the ability to create space and pull the opposition team out of shape. Only Raheem Sterling has shown some ability to do this for England, the rest of the team seem rigid and constrained in terms of how they move without the ball. It’s what Germany did so well in 2014 but failed totally to do this time around. Hazard, De Bruyne and co are a joy to watch, their movement and pace are superb. Yet even they had no chance against the French, who at times just seemed to have more men on the pitch. France easy winners today and worthy champions