WC 2018 Group B: Spain Portugal Iran Morocco

Regardless if the argument has had along day at work, If not for Brazil Europe would've won every World Cup for the last 30 years. The truth is there are more world class teams in Europe than in South America where there is only one at the moment and that Brasil. Portugal for me is world class purely based on the euro win but I'd agree with your classing of Portugal that more of a borderline a/b team.

 

Well after reading the arguments, I get it that most believe Iran has a solid defence (which isis true). It is very difficult to score against usthe if we are playing our A game. Four years ago, if it wasn't for Messi, Argentina couldn't score a songle goal if we played for another 90 minutes. We have been a lot better since then and the good thing is none of our opponents have a Messi in their squad. Believe it or not I do not see Ronaldo as the best in the business. He is very good but not as good as Messi. So I believe they will find it very difficult to beat us unless our idiot goalie pulls some shit and we concede and in that case as my friends said it will be very difficult for us to return to the game. Although we have not been in that situation many times so I do not see the argument that if we concede we do not make a comeback since we almost never concede first. It has happened a few times but it is really rare. We havewill some very good offensive players like Azmoun, Jahanbakhsh, Dejagah, and even Ghoddos who can be dangerous for any side. So I do not really worry about scoring cause I know we will score if we really need to.
I still see Spain as the team that will go through with 9 points. Maybe I am wrong but this is how I feel now. It will be very difficult for Portugal if they lose their first match and then it would be even terrible for them if they get a draw on theirthe second match. I don't say it will happen I say it is a possibility. Imagine if we beat Morocco and lose to Spain and then a draw would be all we need agains Portugal.
Finally, with Queiroz on our bench, I feel we have the best coach in the group and I see it as an advantage for us. We might not have the bedt players but we sure have a great coach on the bench.
God how much I love Queiroz

 

Iran vs Morocco game could be in Ramadan, does anybody know if Any Iran players will be fasting?

 

Shias don’t fast when away from home on business. From our starters, Sardar Azmoun and Vouria Ghafouri who are both Sunni, might fast in Russia. But I seriously doubt that they will.

 

They dont usually.
In 2014, they cited that during travel they are exempt.

I doubt CQ would even entertain the notion and would not care if any "clergy" retaliated as they will be in Russia.

 

No none of the Iranian players will be fasting

 

Iranian players won't fast even during the 4 weeks before the WC games? I read that ramadan ends on June 14, the day before our game but i think that (unfortunately) many Moroccan players will fast during preparation. I hope Renard and the federation convince them not to. They have the rest of the year to fast if they want to. We have been waiting for this WC for 20 years and the least they can do is prepare it properly...

Morocco had its worst month with Renard during ramadan in June 2017, when we lost against Cameroon and the Netherlands.

 

This is quite a big deal in modern football. You hear about coaches not signing players based on their strict adherence to their religion. I can understand why, jamming food into a small window is really bad for you overall health.

Eating exclusively in the evening and morning really messes with metabolic processses. The most recent studies say you should consume all food and drink within a 12 hour period and if possible following the behaviour of the sun within that season the only exception is water.

Quick turnaround games with hindered preparation seems like a problem for Morocco. Any saving grace is the weather will be quite temperate. I hope I’m wrong as I’d prefer all teams to play to their potential unlike the Iranian posters who are hoping to catch everyone on the day their childhood pet has to be put down.

 

Real Madrid fans loving when they hear Neuer cant play and Robben is injured for Leg 2. No one says anything.

When Iranian fans do it, crime of the century.

 

Ramadan starts tmw it will most likely end on the first day of the wc regarding this group I think Spain is way over rated n being given too much credit , remember they barely beat Iraq 1-0 in the confed cup when they were in their prime, both Morocco and Iran are better teams than Iraq, also they don't do very well against good defensive teams as you can see their results vs Switzerland in wc n Greece in euros and Moroco has the best d in Africa and Iran in Asia, n Portugal one of the best in Europe.

 

I think Spain is rated appropriately.
They have a core of veterans that have won many Spanish League Championships, Champions Leagues a couple Euros, and a World Cup.

As stated earlier they can keep posession better than any team on the planet. They have depth at many positions and have incentive to get rid of that bad taste in their mouth which was Brazil 2014.

Do they have weaknesses and can they be beaten? Sure. But are they overrated? No way.
They are one of the favorites to win it all.

 

I'm not a doctor but i read a few times in the past that for healthy regular people some forms of fasting can even be beneficial to your health, but if you are sick or an athlete during a competition, it's a very serious health danger and an enormous handicap.

Cameroon last June specifically scheduled their game against Morocco in the middle of the day, when the sun was at its strongest. But hey maybe they had their own reasons for wanting to play at that specific time. It's a possibility.

In this year's case, since ramadan likely ends on June 14, i assume that the staff and federation will either create a specific program for the team or find a way to convince them not to fast at all. I'm confident that things will be managed well because Renard and the current federation's president are very competent. I also think everyone learned from last year.

A comforting fact for Moroccan fans is that the beginning of the 1986 WC in Mexico coincided with ramadan, and Morocco registered its best performance that year. Not sure how they managed things back then though. It was also a less physical sport in that era.

 

spain also lost to USA in confed cup. they dont take that seriously.. in case you didnt notice. also, after their crappy 2014 tournament, they will make sure not to underestimate any teams this time. sure, spain might win every game only 1-0, but 3 points is the most important thing. they have enough options and quality to eventually score 1 goal even if Iran or morocco or portugal play defensive. i think for Iran it will be a repeat of the argentina game, it will be a close encounter but eventually spain will find a way to score. they dont have messi but they have a bunch of good players and will eventually penetrate the defense one way or another.

 

Yahoo sports, which (unlike at the time of the draw) right now ranks Morocco above Iran and gives them a better chance than Iran in Group B, nonetheless has analyzed Group B teams in a way that shows to me they are following these teams closely. You can tell that in part by the projected lineups and comments on players for these teams.

https://sports.yahoo.com/world-cup-...tions-beyond-cristiano-ronaldo-125919135.html
World Cup 2018 team preview: Portugal has questions beyond Cristiano Ronaldo
https://sports.yahoo.com/world-cup-2018-team-preview-can-spain-go-first-worst-first-125835809.html
World Cup 2018 team preview: Can Spain go first to worst to first?
https://sports.yahoo.com/world-cup-2018-team-preview-morocco-trendy-dark-horse-224557859.html
World Cup 2018 team preview: Morocco is your trendy dark horse
https://sports.yahoo.com/world-cup-2018-team-preview-iran-give-spain-portugal-fits-125853708.html
World Cup 2018 team preview: Iran could give Spain, Portugal fits

 

About Ramadan:
Most moroccan players are probably fasting since they were ten or eleven. So they are used to it. Also the weather in Russia will not be as hot as in Agadir or Yaounde and it looks like Eid Alfitr will be on the 14th in Russia.

 

It's absolutely 100% incomprehensible to me how a football player can choose to risk his performance by fasting ahead of the most important competition in his life.

Completely incomprehensible. If I were a coach I'd boot any such player from my team.

 

Apparently most muslim playing for european teams don't fast, since most moroccan players are born in Europe will they really fast ahead of the WC? Is there pressure from moroccan authorities?

https://sports.yahoo.com/ramadan-nears-tough-decisions-world-cup-bound-muslim-players-113121801.html

 

Nope there is no pressure by the authorities. But the fans will talk.
The coaching team already said that they prepared a programm for the players who want to fast.
But I think Da Costa will probably be the only one who will not fast.

 

Moroccan fans want their players to follow their religion rather than to win matches? Such an attitude is incomprehensible to me.

 

Imagine a sere A team signing an ultra-religious christian who refuses to work on sundays...

 

I mean it's very unlikely that Iran will get a point or 3 against Spain but bigger upsets have happened in football. It's not like it's scientifically impossible..

 

No they want both...
But like I said, every player can chose for himself. Some play even better when they are fasting.

 

In the olympics 2012 which also fell under ramadan 9 moroccan players choose to fast while 13 opted out. Is this team more religious?

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/...s-challenges-for-muslims-at-the-olympics.html

 

I came across it yesterday and was surprised by how decent the analysis is. They summed up things pretty well.