When nobody believed in the potential of Uruguay, and while despised our group stage, I said, Uruguay, Serbia and Mali are very strong teams (reason why Mexico was eliminated). Uruguay = 0 x 0 = Brazil = 0 x 0 = Portugal Serbia = 1 x 2 = Uruguay = 1 x 1 = Mali The top 5 teams in the tournament. PS: Senegal level is similar to Uzbekistan
I used Messi because as I said a few times (it's weird how this point doesn't seem to be coming across) I'm making a DOUBLE argument. I'm saying that AS A RULE (exceptions of course do exist) INDIVIDUAL youth accomplishments don't guarantee a good individual senior career, and TEAM youth accomplishments don't guarantee senior national team success a few years later. I said that Messi was an exception to the rule, getting youth team success and an obviously great individual career, but the Argentine youth team was NOT an exception because the country's national team hasn't had ANY true success at the senior level over more than two decades, even with individually successful players like Messi. You keep highlighting some exceptions. Well, I never said there aren't exceptions. Of course there are. What I'm saying is that there are so many other factors in having senior international success at the highest level (I listed those in a long post) that youth success USUALLY doesn't translate into senior success. Sometimes it does, of course. But not usually, which can be demonstrated by the HUNDREDS of promising youth players who then disappear (one Freddy Ado comes to memory from the USA side, but like I said there are hundreds of others), and the lack of overlap between winners of the Olympics and the U20 WC, and winners of the senior WC a few years later. Again, with exceptions, sure. And even one of the exceptions you mentioned, Argentina, I kind of roll my eyes at it. Pray tell, what has Argentina won lately? The answer is: absolutely nothing. The last time Argentina won an official senior tournament was the 1993 Copa America. That's 22 years ago. In that same interval Brazil won 2 FIFA World Cups, 4 Copa Americas, and 4 Confederations Cup. That's 10 wins for Brazil versus ZERO for Argentina. It's funny how Argentina is always considered to be a favorite but always fails to win. I remember when you sent your A team to the Copa America 2007 in Venezuela and Brazil sent a C team, and all the press was saying how the Argentinians were the favorites... and then you lost 3-0 to Brazil in the final. Now they are again saying that the Argentinians are the favorites... well, their tie against Paraguay wasn't that encouraging, and although they won the next game by the minimum score, they weren't exactly stellar against Uruguay either, so, I'll believe in it when I see it. For all I know, maybe you'll get to the final against whatever opponent, and you'll lose 3-0 again. You don't seem to be very good at finishing up the kill and actually WINNING the senior tournaments you participate in. So, you say that Argentina improved due to the previous youth team success. Show me titles (not runner-up endings) and I'll start to believe.
Again I never said success is guaranteed. I mean that would be stupid to say such a thing, If it was possible to replay this under-20 tournament, I bet the outcome would be totally different each time. All I'm saying is that the under-20 tournament can serve as a pointer as to which senior NTs may expect future improvement in the strength of their senior national team. Although I admit this theory doesn't work too well with CAF teams. But for other regions it clearly does.
Since the 2000s it hasn't worked for Nigeria (before that it did), but Ghana has had some marked improvement to general footballing level as well as how many players are present in top European leagues. After the U20 World Cup win they were a missed penalty away from the World Cup semis. Other African teams have improved slightly or markedly after relative U20 successes. Mali for example entered its best footballing spell in Africa (although they didn't achieve much outside of the continent) after its 1999 success. A lot of Egypt's golden generation of players won bronze at the U20 World Cup in 2001. So I wouldn't say it hasn't worked for Africa... it hasn't worked for Nigeria. In general Nigeria is a very problematic footballing case... 170 mln population, football crazy, in the 1990s had a squad full of elite players... Right now their star players are Lazio and Chelsea benchwarmers. Something has obviously gone wrong in the development of football talent on the continent. That said players like Obafemi Martins are doing great inthe USA and isn't even being called up... Olympics however seem to be a better prognosticator for African football. After strong showing at Olympics teams like Zambia, Nigeria, Cameroon entered into a strong footballing spell, if not globally than at least locally. I think that Senegal after the strong showing at the 2012 Olympics is entering into a great generation of players. Last year on English and Spanish players scored more goals in the English Premier League than Senegalese players.
Like i said after last world cup....Serbia is one of these european teams that can do as much as colombia or chile in the next world cup... european champion u 19 in 2013 kick spanish out (double european champion and undefetead since 35 matchs) for euro u21 2015, tie against germany tonight, when the young serbian stars are even not involved in this campaign... and world cup u20 final just a matter of time, present is difficult but future is bright for this nation
Talent is part of it. If they don't have good tactics at the senior level then that talent is wasted. Serbia is not looking good in Euro 2016 Qualifying.
i talked about the next world cup...the generations of players i described are too young anyway for the euro 2016, but between 2018 and 2022 it will be different!
Well, let's see. I like some of their individual talents and with the right manager they could be a force. But keeping things in check... ...It is not like they were blasting teams left and right in this Tournament though. Hungary and the USA could have knocked them out if a few bounces went their way.
it means also they are clutch, but fact is that whether they deserve it or not, they are in final, and this world cup u 20 final is right in the middle of previous generations success, u19 european title, and u21 qualifying over spain with morata, isco, muniain etc when the best serbians players of this age range didn't play... there will be certainly enough to pick a competitive squad between them all....i don't see them as a future world or european champion, but they can definitely challenge colombia or chile 2014 world cup results.... especially that the next world cup will be played in russia, and serbia would feel comfortable there we'll see
well they'll certainly lose against brazil, that won't change the fact that a u19 european title in 2013, a qualifying without their best players of the age range over spain u21 in 2014 (double european u21 champion undefeatead since 35 matchs playing with morata, isco, muniain, moreno etc, and a tie against germany with ter stegen, meyer, volland, emre can etc along with a world cup u20 final in 2015 shows there is something happening there, it's not only a team, but 3 in several tournaments in 2 years.... time will tell
While I hope you're right, you'll never know. Each match must be played. Good luck to Serbia - and I hope Brazil wins the cup.
Don't go full nad, bruh. If you replay the tournament with all same conditions, everything would turn out exactly the same. The usmnt were not going to win that match, regardless of bounces.
Everything would turn out exactly the same?God, it's a shame you have no idea how irrational that is. The only certainty is Mexico would still suck.
It's not irrational. All conditions being the same, you'd get the same result. Are you Portuguese, lol, you guys couldn't even make it out of the group stage of last WC while Mexico did. You guys suck.
Two teams playing with the exact same lineup on nutruel ground twice can often have very different results let alone a entire tournament falling into place exactly the same. You sound as if your certain, when in fact all your saying is, if you go back in time all things the same you will get the same results, well yeah. I think what BocaFan means is, if this tournament with the exact same groups was to start again even one day later, you could end up with very different results. Often the best team at the world cup wins, but when it comes to youth, the results are a bit more unpredictable. As far as Portugal is concerned, this is the country that has twice made it further than Mexico ever has despite having a fragment of the population, and yes that matters a ton. Also produced a few players better than any Mexican ever. Also recently beat Mexico just before he World cup without Ronaldo(not that friendlies matter) So let's not go there. Honestly truth be told the Mexico thing was just to irk you, I think Mexico is a strong and often undervalued team that I personally Rate highly.
I'm just going to be nice instead of reporting you or something. Can you keep the use of that insult to the Mexico boards or to World Rivalry? Thanks.
Well, even if he meant that it would be replayed a day later, it is still ridiculous because it will not be replayed a day later or ever. That type of speculation is foolish, that's why I told him not to act like a certain fanbase which is known for such foolishness. The fact is that Brasil and Serbia have proven to be the best at this level, no need to speculate an imaginary replay, it's pointless, and quite frankly, insulting to Brasil and Serbija. Well, a team proves it is best by winning the World Cup, outside of refereeing disgraces. There is more parity at the youth level, no doubt. That's all that was needed to be said.
We all know how unpredictable these U-20 World Cups are. No mystery in that. I have no favorites for the final
lol yeah, because only an SAS would suggest something so crazy like if Brasil and Portugal played again the shootout outcome might not play out exactly the same. Everyone that converted their kick will convert again and everyone that missed would miss again, right?
Right. It's insulting to Brasil to suggest a replay, they already played their match and succeeded. There will be no replay. So yeah, it is crazy to speculate on an imaginary replay. Only usmnt fans do that, you know that. So it's proper to throw it back in their face and say Brasil would win an infinite amount of replays the exact same way or by a higher margin.