World Cup 2018

The FIFA Rankings and ELO Ratings disagree with the odds of Croatia being about 3 times more likely to win than Switzerland and Denmark. If Croatia finishes second, they will face the winner of France's group. If Denmark finished second, they will face the winner of Argentina's group. If Switzerland finishes second, they will face the winner of Germany's group.

Mexico's streak of losing in the Round of 16 could continue. If they finish second, they face the winner of Brazil's group.

 

It'll be good to have the ratings available - will add a source from England to compare with Kicker from Germany, some Italian sources, perhaps France Football or Voetbal International etc.

The All-Time XI section is nice, particularly the selections by a legend from each country - so far only 10 completed and it's variable whether the player includes himself or not. Insightful write-ups from each of the selectors anyway. I saw Cafu's in the newspaper, and put it on the Interesting Best XI thread, but noticed the link to the others a day or so ago.

I did put a couple of votes in myself for 7 of the teams - I didn't feel informed enough for Nigeria, Japan and Australia:
Portugal: Costa Perreira; Joao Pinto, Coelho, Carvalho, Hilario; Figo, Coluna, Rui Costa; C.Ronaldo, Eusebio, Futre
Spain: Zamora; Salgado, Hierro, Pique, Alba; Xavi, Alonso, Iniesta; Butragueno, Di Stefano, Raul
(2nd vote: Camacho for Alba, Busquets for Alonso)
England: Banks; Neal, Wright, Moore, Pearce; Edwards, B.Charlton; Matthews, Lineker, Greaves, Finney
(2nd vote: 4-3-3 with Hoddle for Greaves)
Brazil: Gilmar; Cafu, C.Alberto, Aldair, N.Santos; Falcao, Didi, Zico; Pele, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho
(2nd vote: Didi in Falcao's slot with Zito in, Pele in Ronaldinho's slot with Garrincha in)
Belgium: Preud'homme; Gerets, Grun, Albert, De Wolf; De Bruyne, Frankie Van der Elst, Scifo; Ceulemans, Braine, Hazard
Argentina: Fillol, Zanetti, Ruggeri, Passarella, Marzolini; Ardiles, Redondo, Maradona; Messi, Di Stefano, Kempes
France: Bats; Amoros, Blanc, Desailly, Lizarazu; Zidane, Tigana, Platini, Vieira, Pires; Henry
(2nd vote: 4-4-2 with Zidane moving to the left for Pires, and Kopa and Fontaine in attack rather than Henry).

 

I suppose some of those will look different if only looking at NT form.

 

Certainly yes! Di Stefano could even go from 2 inclusions to none I guess!

If I'd spotted any instruction to vote on that basis (I didn't but could have missed it) it would have changed my mind a bit.

Also of course if having a completely free vote regarding available players, formations and being able to put players in different roles/positions (eg Zico and Maradona had to be midfielders, and the 4-2-3-1 is deemed to have 4 attackers in). The legends did have a free canvas though for their selections - Barnes isn't even available I don't think for England for example, and Anderson picked him while also putting Bobby Charlton in an attacking role in his 4-3-3.

The consensus teams also just show inclusions from right to left (most votes to least) in each section of the team, rather than considering which places the players were put most often (maybe impossible for an automated system).

 

Less than two days to go. I'm really looking forward for the tournament, although I don't know what to expect from the opening match. Russia haven't won in the last 7 matches and Saudi Arabia has changed the coach three times in the last year. Maybe the worst opening match in the WC history?

It's a long time since Brazil didn't arrive in a World Cup in such a good position (fabulous squad in 2006 and strong results in 2010-2014, but not with the same consistency of the current system of play and not with so many great players in great shape), so is the favorite for me, followed by France and Spain. I would not bet on Germany to win in Russia. Argentina is still building a team, but they have Messi. Curious to see what Portugal will do.

 

"Spiegel" website has come up with a fairly ridiculous ranking of the 50 greatest players in World Cup history:

http://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussbal...sten-spieler-der-wm-geschichte-a-1210962.html

 

This is not ranked in order but I liked this series by France Football and how they have done it (although it has notable omissions like record holder Maldini, but apparently they weren't too impressed with him and tbf his 1994 ratings by France Football aren't otherworldly with five 3s, a 4 and one 5).

https://www.francefootball.fr/news/...marque-l-histoire-de-la-coupe-du-monde/889442


For example this is the one for Lothar Matthaus (25 games, the record holder)

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His history with the World Cup
He will have tried his luck many times, to raise the Holy Grail in the end at one time. The history of Lothar Matthäus with the World Cup, as long as rich, begins in 1982 in Spain, where the young man (21 years) played only a little more than 50 minutes, in a competition lost in the final . And it ended sixteen years later, in the quarter-finals of the 1998 World Cup played in France. Between these two dates, the midfielder will have written his story and participated in enriching that of the Nationalmannschaft. After the debacle of 1986, when the Germans were stopped by Argentina's Maradona (3-2 defeat in the final), Lothar Matthäus and his teammates took their revenge at the 1990 edition (victory 1- 0 in the final). Above all, the midfielder flew over the competition, most of the time playing in the stadium where he used to play with Inter Milan, San Siro. Thanks to sumptuous performances, and four bonus goals, he took a more than significant share in the third German world title won in Rome on June 8, 1990. A triumphal year, therefore, which will end logically with obtaining the Ballon d'Or.

The highlight
The opening match of the 1990 World Cup. For their first match in the Italian World Cup, the Germans make a strong impression, much more than the other favorites of the tournament. The team squirmed indeed the Yugoslavs 4 goals to 1. Lothar Matthäus is the captain and boss. It is therefore natural that the number ten shows the way to his thanks to an XXL performance, crowned with two goals including a huge strike right on his second achievement. His first goal, from the left, is considered the most important of his career.

The figure: 25
The German has the record of longevity in the competition. With 25 matches played in total, he is ahead of Miroslav Klose (24 games played) and Paolo Maldini (23 games). Another figure to remember, Matthäus played five World Cups (from 1982 to 1998). It is also a record, which he is sharing this time with the Mexican Antonio Carbajal (from 1950 to 1966).

The FF archive
In an interview given to France Football in December 1990 entitled "The number 10 changed me", and while he had just been crowned Ballon d'Or, Matthäus returned among other things to the German coronation in Italy: " The penalty in the final? It's quite simple: after twenty minutes of play in the first period, I split the sole of my right shoe. At half time, I had to change, and the pair was not exactly the same model. I said to Brehme, "Go!" (...) We were not always radiant, but in the end, we played the best football, the most attractive. What do we blame? to have won "only" on penalty. For us too, it was a frustration. We would have liked to put one or two other goals. It does not question our dominance. It just gave a bitter aftertaste to our triumph. (...) Now the kids are talking about balloons as if they started talking about tennis. They identify with Voller, Klinssmann or Brehme as they identified with Becker or Steffi Graf. During my holidays in Bavaria, I heard a child say to his friends, "I am Lothar Matthäus." That makes me proud. As proud as when I get the World Cup from Joao Havelange. " Klinssmann or Brehme as they identified with Becker or Steffi Graf. During my holidays in Bavaria, I heard a child say to his friends, "I am Lothar Matthäus." That makes me proud. As proud as when I get the World Cup from Joao Havelange. " Klinssmann or Brehme as they identified with Becker or Steffi Graf. During my holidays in Bavaria, I heard a child say to his friends, "I am Lothar Matthäus." That makes me proud. As proud as when I get the World Cup from Joao Havelange. "

This is the one for Dennis Bergkamp (a name particularly highlighted by the OPTA podcast on the 1990s World Cups, mentioning his goal, assists and creativity)

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His history with the World Cup
He begins his adventure with the Netherlands just after the 1990 World Cup. It is in full strength of age (25 years) and with a status of titular that Dennis Bergkamp enters his first World Cup in the United States in 1994. The attacker opened his counter in the last group match against Morocco (2-1), before moving in eighth ahead of Ireland (2-0, a goal). But the team coached by Dick Advocaat will then land on Brazil, future world champion. The fault of the Romario-Bebeto duo (2-0 after the hour of play). However, Bergkamp, again, then Winter put the two teams tied for a quarter of an hour. Finally, the Seleçao takes a ticket late in the game thanks to Branco. A frustrating first World Cup, before a fourth place in 1998. Goal scorer against South Korea in the first round (5-0), a piece of magic against Mexico (2-2), Bergkamp opened the score in eighths before writing his legend in quarters (see below). And it is still Brazil who will be the executioner in the last four. Bergkamp scored his shot on goal, but he saw Cocu and De Boer fail. The Netherlands will then be beaten by surprising Croatia for third place (2-1). Too bad, despite the rather exceptional potential of the Netherlands in 1994 and 1998, Bergkamp has never managed to reach the final.

The highlight
Hot afternoon in Marseille on July 4, 1998. After eliminating Yugoslavia and England respectively, the Dutch and Argentines have a rendezvous at the Vélodrome to compete for the final four. After a start to meet at one hundred per hour (Dennis assisted Kluivert to open the scoring before Claudio Lopez equalized less than five minutes later while we did not play for twenty minutes), the two selections seem to be heading for the extension . Especially after this post signed Batistuta with a heavy strike from the left. Action that looks like a turning point. 90th minute: Frank De Boer moves slowly towards the center line. Not attacked, the Ajax player sees Dennis Bergkamp, his former teammate, make the call in depth. The control in the surface is magic, the small flicking to eliminate Ayala is just as much. And what about the finish, from outside the right out of reach of Carlos Roa. A finish that allows him to become the all-time director in the history of the selection of the Netherlands. Bataves spin in half. This goal, which he describes as "the most significant of a career" enters the legend.

The number: 6
His number of goals in the history of the World Cup, in twelve matches. Four of these six achievements were scored in the knockout matches.

The FF archive
Three days after Bergkamp's stroke of genius in front of Argentina, FF writes: "All of a sudden, his muscle had become the most valuable good of all the Netherlands. No treasure of the Batavian kingdom aroused so much care and attention. As long as he heals! The greatest bigots joined hands for a slightly pagan prayer, the one that would allow Dennis Bergkamp to heal in time for the World Cup. A contracture suffered in late April had already deprived him of the apotheosis of his English season: Arsenal had completed the historic double without him. He would have suffered too much from such frustration in selection. Today, from Maastricht to The Hague, from Amsterdam to Entschede, the people breathe. He exulted Saturday when, at the last minute, the magic Dennis mystified Roberto Ayala before beating Carlos Roa with a scathing shot from outside the right foot (...) The genius of this action is declines time as a hypnotic slow motion, illuminating like the call offered at the opening of Frank de Boer, velvety like this foot-end control that domesticates the ball, ruffling like its flip-flop and this one-off dribble invented for the occasion. And then the strike, straight, controlled, simply fatal. In the heat of action, the bust has never lost its noble stiffness, this falsely fragile balance. Dennis Bergkamp, once again, has achieved the supreme elegance of the footballer. "

Most of these profiles are rather good, but there are some glaring omissions like Maldini and Gascoigne (best dribbler and chance/big chance creator of 1990) I think.

 

This has some atypical placements certainly.

Garrincha is a semi-contemporary of Pele and never placed ahead

Djalma Santos is rarely that high

Platini at 13th... never happens. Great player but not a great World Cup player

Iniesta above Xavi

Cruijff is in almost all other lists top 10 or top 15 (in So Foot their recent list he was 7th). Played only one tournament of course, but generally rated as one of the best (often just behind Maradona 1986 and Garrincha 1962).

Cabrini also sticks out

 

Sergej Milinković-Savić looks to be a special talent on first viewing

 

Incredible how wasteful both teams are.

And that you can't see the level of the clubs the players are playing for.

 

De Bruyne is terrible. Looks as a very average footballer now with a run of the mill technique.

Will be a miracle if this team reaches the semis.

Panama no Haiti or El Salvador though

 

Okay, now it is better. Panama imploded in 2nd half.

 

Nice ratings.
I see Yotún as the 2nd best peruvian player that day.