I still think they were enjoying the balance of play up and until the goal, did they not see what Argentina did to Egypt? It would have been better for them to go for a second goal and have a buffer.
Soccer/football thread 2022
- Thread starter Priller
- Start date
That’s the thing, can’t go for a second goal if you’ve pulled off all your attacking talent and stuck on beanpole defenders.
Sad waste.
Can’t take anything away from Argentina though.
Leafs fans have hope. England fans have certainty that they will choke.
It could also have been 4-1 given the saves and crossbars. Argentina were relentless.
The last few years Team Canada hockey team is trying hard to join the above two.
Lots of blame on Tuchel but not a lot of commentary on how Kane and Bellingham didn’t turn up at all. They were mostly ghosts. Completely nullified. The England team's hardest matches prior to this were against teams thought to be much lower on the rung and they didn’t make things easy on themselves in those games either. I don’t think this was a particularly strong team.
Priller
Well-known member
One of the many reasons I dislike this Argentina side is they usually seem more preoccupied with sh*t-housery than actually playing. It's only when they go down that they dial back the stupidity and start actually trying to outplay the other side. In his post-game, Tuchel said the reason he went all-defensive in his subs was because England couldn't get or keep the ball after they scored anyway, so he preferred to at least shore up the back line. I, along with the rest of the world, think that's largely nonsense (and extremely cowardly), but it does speak to the ability of this Argentina side to find more gears when needed.
Whether it's through luck or interference, Argentina have had everything go their way this tournament, including an easy path and no draining hot day games. They're going to have a free hand to be as dirty as they like in the final, as any ref will be terrified to hand out cards or pens to influence the big game. I can only hope Spain brings the same fluidity and discipline they did against France, but with the way this tournament has gone, I'm not holding my breath. Argentina will kick them all over the park while also simultaneously surrounding the ref and complaining loudly about being kicked. Not to mention if Trump is going to hang around and insert himself into the trophy celebrations, he'd much prefer to do that with his Argentinian lackeys than a bunch of commie Spaniards...
Whether it's through luck or interference, Argentina have had everything go their way this tournament, including an easy path and no draining hot day games. They're going to have a free hand to be as dirty as they like in the final, as any ref will be terrified to hand out cards or pens to influence the big game. I can only hope Spain brings the same fluidity and discipline they did against France, but with the way this tournament has gone, I'm not holding my breath. Argentina will kick them all over the park while also simultaneously surrounding the ref and complaining loudly about being kicked. Not to mention if Trump is going to hang around and insert himself into the trophy celebrations, he'd much prefer to do that with his Argentinian lackeys than a bunch of commie Spaniards...
I don’t mind the shithousery to a certain extent. It’s very Vinnie Jonesish nostalgia and this particular tie has a lot of history and animosity and that makes the game a little more edgy.
As a neutral a Spain-Argentina final should be great but having Trump have to hand over a trophy to the Spanish would be fantastic. I could hope that the Spanish refuse to accept their medals from the orange ******* but that won’t happen.
Tuchel is being a bit weird. I’m sure slagging your team off for the tactics you have put in place is not a recognised leadership technique for success,
Priller
Well-known member
Only if it's called the same both ways. If the ref rolls out the red carpet for Messi, it will be infuriating. Saw Argentina described as ten men whose job it is to:
1. Kick the other team relentlessly.
2. Surround the ref and complain like crazy when the eleventh guy gets kicked.
He's a serial antagonist. Can't help but pick fights everywhere he goes. I'm just glad he was busy with England, otherwise Liverpool might have taken a punt after letting Slot go. It'll be interesting to see if the FA keeps him. Getting to the semis would normally be considered at least 'good enough' for England, but the spineless way they went out and the clear tension with Bellingham might force a change.
Szoboszlai extended with Liverpool for five years today. Kills the potential Madrid saga, at least. They still need at least five more incomings, and that's assuming no outgoings. Sounds like Iraola wants to keep Curtis Jones, which I think is great. Liverpool without a Scouser in the side is bad. Liverpool without a Scouser or a Scot is catastrophic.
Oh, and rumours mounting that Salah is going to Besiktas in Turkey. Didn't have that on my bingo card. I'll give him credit for walking away from what must be unimaginable riches to play in the Saudi league.
Apparently Tsimikas and Harvey Elliot are back in training too. There’s odd rumours about Darwin Nunez too since he’s not happy where he is right now. I always liked captain chaos.
Priller
Well-known member
They're both back, though it's unlikely both stay.
Tsimikas went to Roma last year on a loan with an option to buy but was so bad he was run out of town on a rail. They couldn't not activate the option fast enough. Elliot is a more interesting one. He went to Villa because he wanted to start, but might be reevaluating that after the embarrassing saga. If he's happy to stay as an impact sub, then I think he'll stick around. The Nunez noise seems to have tapered off. I loved him, but he was problematic and probably isn't disciplined enough for Iraola's system. Had a terrible World Cup, too, and hasn't scored for Uruguay in over two years. He might be free from a transfer perspective, but his Saudi wages are apparently still quite high, hence why he's still available.
I think at minimum they need a striker, a right winger, a defensive mid and an experienced CB, one of whom can cover at fullback, plus a full-time RB if Bradley looks like he's staying out for the foreseeable. Part of the issue last year was the lack of depth meant the good players dropped off. If they're going to take four competitions seriously, they need more depth. I'd prefer they go for volume and see what sticks over wasting the summer chasing Barcola on a maybe from PSG.
