Maybe it's a sign of the times, but I didn't feel "worried" at all... all game. Even at the beginning when Argentina was in firm control. This was NOT a good test for Brasil. I love it when Argentina suffers, but not like this. I want the good old battles of yesteryears. When a couple players playing in China START against you and smacks you around almost too easily... Those are dark days indeed. Oh well, I will still enjoy adding this game to my collection hehehehe
Philippe Coutinho and Gabriel Jesus are geniuses! Along with Neymar, this is all we need to beat any team out there... Congrats to the Capitain Dani Alves! Alisson closed out the goal for us. Don't cry for me, Argentina!!!
Great result ... weird performance . In the end it should have been 5 or 6. Too many missed easy goals.
I cannot imagine Argentina eliminated from the next world cup.... they are in the sh*****t hole, very deep!
I just finished watching the game on DVR. Brazil was vastly superior. I think Messi is past his prime while Neymar hasn't even reached his. And this generation of Argentinians is fading fast while our team is recuperating. Argentina dodge a ball. They could easily have lost this 5 or 6 to nothing.
No way they don't make the World Cup. I don't care how bad they are right now, they will make it. Just to get eliminated in the quarters. I also hope Bauza stays. That guy is either delusional or believes in speaking things into existence because he has said some off the wall stuff( like Argentina will win the World Cup in 2018 and that Brasil was scared of Argentina, Lavezzi is needed, etc).
Man, I thought talent was our issue. I had to endure hearing the rest of CONMEBOL claim that we were nothing outside of Neymar. Heck, some of our own fans were ripping this generation. I knew not to believe any of those things until we saw a REAL coach was in charge. How things have changed, eh? Even with a questionable midfield, you are seeing the result of what an actual coach can do with a team. Other than Neymar, we have: One of the best CBs in the world, and he isn't starting yet One of the top young CBs in the world Two top fullbacks, with arguably another one in reserve A DM that was in good form for a top team in Europe Arguably one of the best players in the EPL this season in Coutinho A great young talent up front in Gabriel Jesus and we still have good pieces on the bench. As I said in the past, we have enough talent to WIN and be one of the best teams in the world. We just needed a coach who knew what the hell he was doing. In the past, we had super craques and coaches who basically just got out of the way and man managed. Now we have a tactician and a better man manager than Dunga.
I meant, not consecutive. They have four home games left, and three away (Bolivia, Ecuador, and Uruguay). If they beat Bolivia away and take care of business in their four home games with some wins and ties, even if they lose to Ecuador and Uruguay on the road, they'll still make it. They really need to beat Colombia at home on Tuesday, though, otherwise despair will settle in. Messi for example has never been psychologically strong; he tends to get despondent in tough psychological situations (remember his vomiting on the field? His tantrum that he would quit the team?). But yes, they are in significant trouble. Their coach is bad. Higuain is sh!t, Di Maria hasn't done much for a long time, Messi disappears when he is double teamed and doesn't have Neymar and Suarez to feed him, Mascherano is getting old, Aguero is another one who is good for club and not good for the NT... Their golden generation is passing its prime and they haven't accomplished anything other than getting to finals and losing. Can't say I pity them... Sure, a World Cup without them is less fun, but after the "decime que se siente" I'd love to see them miss Russia 2018 and seal for good the notion that Messi won't ever win a WC and will have his legacy forever tainted in the hunt for Greatest of All Time bragging rights (due to utter failure with the senior national team) which will then remain for the foreseeable feature Pelé vs. Maradona. While I disagree (for me Pelé is the GOAT) I don't mind those who put Maradona ahead of Pelé in that hunt (it is a valid stance). I do mind those who put Messi ahead of Pelé and even ahead of Maradona. Unless he makes a miraculous recovery and wins WC 2018 I will always think of Messi as a talented club player who is wonderful when the right system is built for and around him but is an underachiever, psychologically weak individual for the national team. I can't understand people who quote him for GOAT because for me, being the GOAT supposes success with BOTH club and country. Messi clearly only qualifies for half of this equation while most other legendary players have done if for both (at least, those who were lucky enough to be born in a strong soccer country - I wouldn't blame someone like Gareth Bale for not winning major titles with Wales, or George Best with Northern Ireland - but we are talking Argentina here) . (This is a bit off topic, I know, but... it's a favorite topic of mine). People will counter this by saying that he is their top scorer for the NT, etc. Sure, but... not when it counts. Final after final lost while showing little leadership on the field, and he very rarely made a difference, for example, when playing against Brazil's senior national team. People say it's a team sport and he can't be responsible for the supporting pieces not coming through. Yeah but he plays for Argentina, not for Zimbabwe. People say they were a hair from making it and if Higuain hadn't missed so many goals we wouldn't say that Messi didn't win major titles with the senior team. Yeah but Pelé and Maradona took care of business themselves when it mattered, and showed true on-field leadership even though they did have very good supporting cast (Pelé was luckier in this regard than Maradona which is the reason why I don't mind those who put the latter ahead of the former, but I still think that the former, career wise, gets the nod, including because he didn't self-destruct like Maradona did with drug addiction and all). And then, throwing the towel and saying he was quitting??? That's not what a dominant GOAT does.
Pele alone has more world cups than Argentina!!!! https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...for-the-world-cup-and-lionel-messi-is-fuming/
Not to forget, both the ones they won was thanks to cheating (bribing the Peruvian team in their first one, and scoring the Hand of God goal in the second one).
You know I was one of the ones criticizing the talent we had, specifically attacking wise. I still stand by my opinion at the time. Difference has been the emergence of Gabriel Jesus and the evolution of Coutinho. Now we have players other than Neymar who can really contribute to the team scoring and playmaking wise. Could be obviously argued that Coutinho should have been used earlier by Dunga.
Yep. Argentina has conceded 2 goals to Venezuela and 2 goals to Peru recently. Their defense is not that good so it's not surprising we were able to score 3 even though we struggled in to maintain the midfield. In the 2nd half, with Aguero's addition, it became easier since their midfield was weakened.
Gabriel Jesus was out there and Dunga never dared to gamble on him on the senior side. I'm not really sure Coutinho has really evolved. He's a better fit for what Tite asks. Coutinho was isolated in the few times he played for Dunga.
I think Coutinho has become more consistent, and I think his game has overall gotten better but he was always a very talented player.
One of the differences between Dunga and Tite is the way we attack. Tite is able to form strategic attacks, and Dunga failed miserably... with Hulk etc...
To be fair, Dunga attack of Neymar, Costa and Willian wasn't bad at all even though we really didn't get the best of Neymar under Dunga
Hold on a second... that has been my argument! You guys kept laughing at me for saying that even the 2014 WC team was extremely talented. I always said, talent is NEVER a problem in Brazil, we even have too much, always changing the team and never evolving. This player had a bad game, substitute him for another and move on. That shows a deep talent pool, not a shrinking one.