My 2022 World Cup Group Stage Predictions: What do you think?

Discussion in 'World Cup 2022 - Qatar' started by Mean Machine, Apr 1, 2022.

  1. NietzscheIsDead

    NietzscheIsDead Member+

    NO WAR
    United States
    May 31, 2019
    NO WAR
    USA (E)
    Argentina (N)
    Croatia (N)
    South Korea (N)
    England (N)
    France (N)
    Spain (E)
    Portugal (E)
     
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  2. Iranian Monitor

    Iranian Monitor Member+

    Aug 18, 2004
    Nat'l Team:
    Iran
    For those who are hesitant to accept the scoreboard and group stage advancement as the final arbiter of who were the best and worst teams in Qatar, and want something more objective than their eyes, below are the Sofascore power rankings of the 32 teams after the Group Stage.

    Power rankings
    1 Brazil 2310
    2 France 2123
    3 Argentina 2040
    4 Spain 2006
    5 England 1921
    6 Portugal 1919
    7 Germany 1876
    8 Netherlands1873
    9 Croatia 1758
    10 Belgium1751
    11Denmark 1711
    12 Morocco 1671
    13 Switzerland1666
    14 Uruguay 1658
    15 Poland 1644
    16 USA 1642
    17 Iran 1633
    18 Ecuador 1628
    19 Costa Rica 1613
    20 Senegal 1611
    21 Serbia 1607
    22 Mexico 1603
    23 Australia 1565
    24 Japan 1539
    25 Ghana 1532
    26 Wales 1525
    27 Saudi Arabia 1517
    28 Cameroon 1498
    29 South Korea 1487
    30 Tunisia 1479
    31 Canada 1477
    32 Qatar 1420
     
  3. Jon Stakes

    Jon Stakes Member+

    Egypt
    Nov 18, 2022
    Suggested it, expected 1 or 2 to pull it off, but not all three!
     
  4. Nico777

    Nico777 Member+

    Olympique de marseille
    Croatia
    Oct 19, 2017
    I was saying thé only way Cameroon beats Brazil is that Brazil gifts them the game.
    And that's what they did imo.
    Just like Portugal and Spain.
     
  5. Jon Stakes

    Jon Stakes Member+

    Egypt
    Nov 18, 2022
    That was no gift. The B team is simply not as good as people claim.
     
  6. Iranian Monitor

    Iranian Monitor Member+

    Aug 18, 2004
    Nat'l Team:
    Iran
    #3256 Iranian Monitor, Dec 3, 2022
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2022
    My own power rankings would be similar to sofascore in many instances but quite different in a few:

    1 Brazil A-
    2 France A-
    3 Spain A-
    4 Portugal A-

    5 England B+
    6 Argentina B+
    7 Netherlands B+
    8 Croatia B+
    9 Morocco B+
    10 Germany B+

    11 USA B
    12 Senegal B
    13 Australia B
    14 Japan B
    15 South Korea B
    16 Switzerland B
    17 Uruguay B
    18 Belgium B
    19 Iran B
    20 Serbia B
    21 Mexico B
    22 Denmark B
    23 Ecuador B

    24 Poland B-
    25 Tunisia B-
    26 Canada B-
    27 Costa Rica B-
    28 Ghana B-
    29 Wales B-
    30 Saudi Arabia B-
    31 Cameroon B-

    32 Qatar C
     
  7. Iranian Monitor

    Iranian Monitor Member+

    Aug 18, 2004
    Nat'l Team:
    Iran
    Football involves a lot more than lineups. Much of it has to do with focus, determination, team spirit, and other intangibles that often have a greater impact than people realize. None of the top teams that lost their games, did so intentionally. But even the same "B" teams (I reject that categorization) that lost their last games to lesser sides desperate for points, could have done better if the shoe was on the other foot.
     
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  8. Nico777

    Nico777 Member+

    Olympique de marseille
    Croatia
    Oct 19, 2017
    Not playing with the needed focus or determination was a gift for Cameroon. Same for other teams. Playing mixed teams with players that don't want to be injured or give everything on the pitch is a gift compared to others teams in their groups that had to face the best of the same squads.

    Now if you can tie a serious challenger for the second spot and got thé luck to meet an already qualified seed in the 3rd game the schedule gives you an advantage that has never been seen as much before.
     
  9. Iranian Monitor

    Iranian Monitor Member+

    Aug 18, 2004
    Nat'l Team:
    Iran
    Yes. But it was a gift driven by earlier results and the schedule. Of all the 3 matches played at the group stage, M3 ones are often the most significant but more often than not, the least telling about quality as opposed to psychological fortitude.
     
  10. ripalino

    ripalino Member

    Feb 26, 2013
    Sao Paulo
    Club:
    Fluminense Rio Janeiro
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    But tite playing a B team could have easily backfired if Switzerland had scored 1 more goal. In that case Brazil would have been relegated to the 2nd spot and instead of SK would have faced Portugal.
     
  11. Jon Stakes

    Jon Stakes Member+

    Egypt
    Nov 18, 2022
    Your take would have been believable if you had said so before the game. I suggested why teams like Cameroon could win and you outright said no. I was right you were wrong.
     
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  12. Jon Stakes

    Jon Stakes Member+

    Egypt
    Nov 18, 2022
    Cameroon with 4 pts at 31? Serbia with worst defence at World Cup at 20?
     
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  13. Nico777

    Nico777 Member+

    Olympique de marseille
    Croatia
    Oct 19, 2017
    Yes the schedule makes a différence but we have never seen that impacting so many matchs at the same time before.
    France Brazil Spain Portugal losing their 3rd game against Tunisia Cameroon Japan and Korea.
    It's the first time in History something liké that happens.
    Lmao :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
     
  14. Nani_17

    Nani_17 Member+

    Nov 3, 2011
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    All three of their b teams are still better than Cameroon, Japan and South Korea. It has much to do with really not caring much. If 1 team is already locked in first, or 90% there, or in Spains case, no incentive for first place, and the teams they're are playing still have everything to play for, who do you think will be fired up? This isn't rocket science.
     
  15. Iranian Monitor

    Iranian Monitor Member+

    Aug 18, 2004
    Nat'l Team:
    Iran
    The grades are more important that the numerical ranking. The points earned should also be read in context. If Cameroon had opened against Brazil, and Serbia-Switzerland had gone first, the points earned might have looked different too. In giving the ratings, I have also taken into account the sofascore points as well.
     
  16. Nico777

    Nico777 Member+

    Olympique de marseille
    Croatia
    Oct 19, 2017
    Serbia is 28-29 in this World cup.
    Headcase.
    Even if the main guys arrived out of form the showing is disastrous.
    Mentally tactically defensively a shameful performance.
    Better not coming if it's to bé at this level.
    Just go on developping some good players for top leagues and stop the blood with thé NT. Now it's too much.
     
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  17. Iranian Monitor

    Iranian Monitor Member+

    Aug 18, 2004
    Nat'l Team:
    Iran
    Last time, many M3 matches were low stakes matches for both sides (and neutrals) alike: Russia/Uruguay, Saudi/Egypt, England/Belgium, Tunisia/Panama, France/Denmark, Australia/Peru, ... but we had some good ones where the two teams were both seriously fighting for a place in the R16 too.
     
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  18. almango

    almango Member+

    Sydney FC
    Australia
    Nov 29, 2004
    Bulli, Australia
    Club:
    Sydney FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Australia
    If this ranking is based entirely on group performance this is all you need to tell you it's complete bullshit
     
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  19. almango

    almango Member+

    Sydney FC
    Australia
    Nov 29, 2004
    Bulli, Australia
    Club:
    Sydney FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Australia
    I'm not entirely convinced. Those "B Team" players should be keen to take the opportunity to show they should be "A Team": players and have that as an incentive to perform well.
     
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  20. The Special One

    The Special One Member+

    Aug 6, 2005
    Netherlands (N)
    Against a stingy Dutch defence I can’t see US getting the goals required.
    Argentina (N)
    would love to go with my heart but fifa is doing their best for Messi
    Japan (N)
    I think the energy & momentum of the Japanese may be too much for Croatia
    Brazil (N)
    Easy pick to be fair
    England (P)
    Senegal missing to many key players
    France (N)
    Too strong for an awful Poland
    Morocco (E)
    Morocco has a lot of momentum and I feel will be hard for Spain to break down
    Portugal (N)
    Two sides met twice in nations league first a 4-0 win for Portugal and then a 1-0 loss more recently, feel as though Portugal has more in them than the Swiss and that loss will mean they have there guard up.
     
  21. Nico777

    Nico777 Member+

    Olympique de marseille
    Croatia
    Oct 19, 2017
    Too much for Croatia you made my day :ROFLMAO:
     
  22. Iranian Monitor

    Iranian Monitor Member+

    Aug 18, 2004
    Nat'l Team:
    Iran
    #3272 Iranian Monitor, Dec 3, 2022
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2022
    I doubt it is purely on group performance but it is definitely not based on group results.

    The Danes, incidentally, had 3 (more or less) closely contested games. They just happened to lose 2 of them and get only a draw in the first one. They were neither better nor worse IMHO than either Tunisia or even Australia. About or around the same level, which was still shocking to those who thought they would be a lot better.
     
  23. Iranian Monitor

    Iranian Monitor Member+

    Aug 18, 2004
    Nat'l Team:
    Iran
    Yeah, but that is not the same as doing the best for the team. Take the so-called Portuguese Mbappe, Rafael Leao: every time I see him on the pitch for Portugal, it seems he is trying to shine individually at the expense of his team. In the process, he neither helps his team nor himself. If I were Santos, I would have a long chat with him before letting him play again.
     
  24. almango

    almango Member+

    Sydney FC
    Australia
    Nov 29, 2004
    Bulli, Australia
    Club:
    Sydney FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Australia
    I always thought football was all about results. Other stats are useful in comparing teams who haven't played against each other, but when we have results of games and the team that comes last in a group is ranked way above the teams that finished above them it casts doubt on the ratings. I accept that the performance of the teams in question against each other were close, but these ratings don't show them close.
     
  25. Jon Stakes

    Jon Stakes Member+

    Egypt
    Nov 18, 2022
    The only match that was pro-forma with no stakes this time around was... Holland - Qatar.
     
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