2022 FIFA World Cup: Friendly matches

Just watched Denmark-Serbia: 3-0

Denmark way more serious and solid in several areas.
Serbia knows to create scoring chances but still looks like an all or nothing kind of team.
If they aim a run they need to make some changes in their backline.
VMS better than Rajkovic as gk.
Pavlovic shouldn't be in the 11 by then.

 

Turkey and Italy played a friendly today as well.....did they both know that they were going to lose last Thursday, or was that friendly arranged really, really, really quickly?

 

UEFA had arranged that losers in each path would play each other today.

 

I suspected that something had been pre-arranged

 

It was only a friendly. Personally I decided to only look up the friendly results and then move on. That's all. If a team does well or poorly in friendlies will have 0% on impact on my view on their prospects in Qatar.

How many times did we see that a team performing poorly in friendlies did well at the tournament and vice versa ?

I'm quite seasoned in that regard and I won't make the same mistake again in putting any weight into friendly results.

 

Na you can't ignore friendlies.

There's always indications of problems displayed.

Last WC Nigeria struggled with corners in our last few friendlies. In our opening game against Croatia, both goals they scored were from corners.

At the same time you can't look too much into them, but they will definately reveal trends.

 

Nigeria destroyed Argentina in a friendly before the last WC, exposing issues that they addressed before their WC meeting, helping them to change the result. I agree with your assessment of friendlies. But in addition to exposing issues, they offer the opportunity to address those issues.

 

That game I think ended our chances against them at the WC proper.

They fixed many of their problems. I think we ended Mascheranos career at CB. We surely wouldn't beat them again. Oh and the had Messi at the WC.

But the issues we and Spain exposed destroying them in those friendlies never fully were resolved.

 

My thoughts on the Croatia vs Serbia.

Serbia can only improve on past performances and Croatia can only really do worse.

However Serbia has ALWAYS been highly rated going into WC yet they continue to fail. They've always sent very talented teams.

2006, 2010, 2018 first round knockouts. I didn't find 2018 a particularly hard group either. I picked them to qualify over Switzerland. If I remember correctly they were robbed somehow in that Swiss match.

But this team also failed to qualify for the Euros. They have a habitual habit of failure. Beating Portugal also I don't put too much into. Portugal ALWAYS makes hard work of qualifying. They are just one of those teams.

Serbia has the ability to make a run but I wouldn't put any serious money on it.

I dont think they are the team to avoid in Pot 3. I think that team is Senegal.

Croatia I have noticed are a team that do really poorly in friendlies, but show up against big teams. I would fancy them against big teams way more than Serbia.

Denmark 3 Serbia 0 Yeah its only a friendly but not what I was expecting. Seems like another in a long line of disappointing results.

I would fancy Croatias chances way more than Serbia. But I don't think Croatia will improve from 2018.

 

Vlahovic didn't play against Denmark. With him the team is way scarier upfront and more lethal.
Problem for Pixie is mainly Pavlovic that he keeps using as a LCB in a 3 atb.
I see Serbia having a run if he makes the needed changes by then. A better LCB.
And maybe pick VMS (Torino's gk SMS's brother) over Rajkovic.
Then it is an all or nothing kind of team could upset a Big or two but might be exposed badly by the first serious tactical team like Denmark is still.

 

Lol those issues weren't adressed at all. The bald c*nt still went to the WC and played a 3-4-3 against Croatia (like he did in that horrible friendly with Nigeria). After Croatia the players took over and decided the tactics for the Nigeria game going with a normal 4-3-3.

 

The pre-World Cup friendlies will be interesting this year because UEFA has Nations League games scheduled for the fall international window, which means no friendlies between UEFA countries and the rest of the world.

And with only a week between the end of club play and the opening match of the World Cup, most teams will only be able to schedule one friendly then.

 

I wonder if this may give some advantage to ROW teams who have mostly domestic players. Those leagues may release those players early to have an extended camp before the WC.

 

And/or leagues which play a summer-focused schedule, like MLS.

Assuming no more USMNT players move to Europe over the summer, the US could put together a primarily MLS based team for a friendly featuring four players who are starting and/or getting regular minutes in qualifying (Zimmerman, Miles Robinson, Yedlin, Acosta) as well as several others who are in contention for backup roles on the final roster (Long, Bello, Roldan, Morris, Ferreria, Arriola, etc.).

 

It was to be played in Los Angeles but after the draw was conducted the friendly was cancelled.

Possible Argentina matches before the World Cup:

Argentina 🇦🇷 vs. Israel 🇮🇱
Argentina 🇦🇷 vs. El Salvador 🇸🇻
Argentina 🇦🇷 vs. Canada 🇨🇦 or USA 🇺🇸
Argentina 🇦🇷 vs. UAE 🇦🇪 or Qatar 🇶🇦

Matches vs. 🇸🇻🇨🇦🇺🇸 would be in the United States.

This via @okdobleamarilla.

— Roy Nemer (@RoyNemer) April 2, 2022

 

So the encounter against not qualified Italians in London will be at least on paper the biggest test before the World Cup.

 

Not really a friendly in the official sense but an unconfirmed report that if FIFA continues to rule that the match should be played, the suspended Brazil-Argentina World Cup qualifier may end up taking place during the second week of June at a European venue.

AFA envió los argumentos de la apelación contra el fallo FIFA hace un rato.
En los próximos días FIFA confirma si mantiene firme su postura y se juega el Argentina - Brasil.
Se perfila para que sea durante la segunda semana de junio. Tendría que ser en Europa.

— Gastón Edul (@gastonedul) April 8, 2022

 

Fans outside of Europe may be miffed at the lack of availability of European teams leading up to the World Cup due to the UEFA Nations League, but I absolutely love the fact that Switzerland has these games between now and November:

02/06 Czech Republic (away)
05/06 Portugal (away)
09/06 Spain (home)
12/06 Portugal (home)
24/09 Spain (away)
27/09 Czech Republic (home)

More important than "exposure to other styles" is competitive matches against quality opponents. And having been in the "A-Level" of the UNL for two consecutive editions has done wonders for Switzerland. Don't think we would have eliminated France in the Euros and taken Spain to penalties without that experience.

I think one of the reasons CONMEBOL teams performed well in the past is that they arrived "battle tested" at the World Cup due to their demanding qualifying format. UEFA outside of final tournaments previously lacked "best on best" matches for some long stretches.

Well, no more.

Throw in the fact that this World Cup is taking place in Nov/Dec and not after a grueling European club season and I predict an overall strong UEFA performance in Qatar.

 

I said in another thread whoever makes it out of Group G between Serbia and Switzerland could very well end up being a surprise semi-finalist.
I think both teams have capacity to become a giant killer.

 

What would you consider to be a "strong performance"?

In the previous three World Cups NOT held in Europe (2014, 2010, 2002) UEFA's team count in the knockout rounds were...

Round of 16:
6/16 in 2014
6/16 in 2010
9/16 in 2002

Quarterfinals:
4/8 in 2014
3/8 in 2010
4/8 in 2002

And in both 2018 and 2006 UEFA had 10/16 and 6/8. For me, I would consider this to be quite impressive, especially in a World Cup held outside of Europe..

 

My early prediction is that UEFA will send this time as many teams through to the knockouts as it did in previous World Cups on European soil. It will be 10 teams +/- 1. The Nations League helped 2nd tier to become competitive and the fact that due to the pandemic there is basically no room for ROW teams to play UEFA sides this time will result in a very strong performance by UEFA in Qatar. Don't be surprised if a 2nd tier side like Serbia or Switzerland makes it all the way to the semi-finals. And there's very good chance UEFA will keep the World Cup in Europe. Spain, France and England will be too strong for Brazil and Argentina.

 

Korea Republic will likely play friendlies against Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay during late May and early June; the additional details will be announced sooner or later by KFA.