Russia 2018 Finalists: International Friendlies (R)

Every time I watch Benfica I have one question in my head. How is Salvio continually starting? I mean, I know why. Because the club has been trying to offload him due to purchase price + injury history. I used to really like the guy, but after his last major surgery, he's not been the same. Even his flashes of brilliance are rare, on top of the lower level consistency-wise.

@Pipiolo ol' pal, can you explain how Salvio, after not being able to make the Argentinian team formerly when he was a much better player, now not only gets called consistently but is even apparently in the prospective Starting XI?

I frankly don't see much difference in terms of competition for position he occupies over those periods. Argentina had and continues to have serious depth in attack, both then and now. In what world does Dybala sit on the bench and Salvio play in the Starting XI? Not in one based on reality, IMO.

 

I also don't think Salvio is NT level for Argentina, my guess is either Messi has endorsed him for some reason, or Sampaoli has a connection to him although I can't tell where.

The winger position is a problem for Argentina, it's only DiMaria and Lavezzi who have shown world class level in some years during the decade.

 

On your first point, I hope the Jorges Mendes Cabal hasn't infilitrated Sampaoli's pockets. "Oh what's that, start him in meaningless friendlies so you can tell your suitors he's a starter for the Argentinian national team to raise their bids?".

And yeah, understood, meant more in terms of overall attacking talent. Any system that consists of Salvio, and does not include Dybala, is not the right system. I don't see Salvio touching the Starting XI at the World Cup. Push comes to shove, Sampaoli wouldn't have the balls to play Salvio over Dybala in a World Cup semi-final. Wouldn't get semi-finals playing with Salvio anyway but you get what I mean.

 

Sorry, but offside goals don't come any more obvious than that one. He was way offside. No question.

I don't know about the score flattering Russia given Akinfeev had a masterful game and goalkeepers are also players. Argentina forwards were just worse than Akinfeev.

 

Russia played with eleven players, not just Akinfeev.

 

Sure, but if Akinfeev made remarkable saves than Argentina does not deserve to have scored more.

 

Bulgaria - Saudi Arabia 1:0

 

Poland 0 Mexico 1

Poland missing quite a bit of their first team.

 

I want to face Mexico in a knock out stage or in a first group game with the team we have now.

I like mexico and mexicans...especially girls (by the way iranian women are gorgeous for the one writing above me hehe lot of them in London) but the past results are still pissing me off.
We beat Spain at euro after they pissed us off as well in 2012.
We destroyed Greece now after they pissed us off in 2011 euro qualifiers.

I got the same feeling toward brazil portugal mexico and france. I want to beat one or two of these on our way for the past losses.

Their time will come...each of them soon or later one by one.

 

Don't trust Mexico that much. They're very Jekyll/Hyde, specially with this manager.
Plus they tend to have some bad scoring spells and their defense is sometimes super shaky.

 

Mexico will have a deep run for sure. 5th game way overdue.

 

I'll believe it when I see it. They still have a lot of problems and again, their coach doesn't inspire me with any confidence.

 

This could go two ways:
5th game way overdue.
Group finish way overdue.

Not saying which one is more likely, just pointing this out.

 

China 0 Colombia 4
Serbia 1 South Korea 1

So South Korea with 2 good results this window against credible opposition at home, (beat Colombia earlier) even though both Colombia and Serbia seem to be semi experimental sides. Are they turning things around ?

 

Playing at home in Asia against experimental sides and playing in Russia are two different things.

 

Sure, but last international window South Korea even struggled at home vs similarly experimental sides.

 

Even so. Experiments in November have little to no relevence when it comes to evaluating how a team will do in June.

Heck even the March and Summer friendlies won't tell us all that much.

 

Well... the summer friendlies can be indicative. Sure, not always, but they give a pretty decent outlook as to how it will go. That said just prior to the World Cup 2014 Cameroon had a stormer of a game vs Germany.

 

well that actually was pretty indicative because Germany struggled against and drew after 90 minutes both African opposition they faced in Brazil, just as the drew with Cameroon.

I think people discount friendlies too much, but people also look too much into them, I like to be somewhere in the middle.

I think the major thing about friendlies is if the teams are at full strength. If they are then I think the results are pretty damn indicative of what may happen at the proper tournament.

 

It is difficult to for me to look deeply into results because 1) Half of the starters are usually not playing or if they are playing are going through the motions with less intensity in these sort of matches.and 2) There are 5/6 substitutions which makes it seem like totally different sport. Makes a huge difference on strategy and effort when you know half the starting lineup is going to be on the bench in the second half and we won't see anything like that in Russia.

 

Friendlies are meaningless for the players involved in the best european clubs most of the time. It's the clubs that pay them not their national team. And they ask them to go slow.

 

not directly before the WC.