France would be a tough match for us but they have weakness that we can also cause them problems as well. Their defense is shaky and their midfield is not built for possession/build up play but counter attacking. I also doubt teams will bomb their fullbacks forward consistently against Brazil
I didn't watch the match at all. So, I had to rely on post-match reports. In the Brazilian sports media, some articles said Argentina dominated the match and was the rightful winner. Others said that while Argentina did play better and did indeed deserve to advance, that its domination was deceptive - Australia played good defense and almost drew. I do wonder whether advocates of the latter view are taking into consideration the fact that Argentina had a number of close calls whereby a couple of inches in the other direction would have resulted in goals rather than in close calls. But if Australia came close to drawing, this would indicate that while talented in offense, Argentina is quite lesser in defense. After all, the second Argentine goal resulted from a terrible error by the Australian defense. Netherlands vs. Argentina is going to be good. There has been a winner within 90 minutes when these two met in the World Cup twice; other times, it was either a victory in overtime or a victory via PKs... or a goalless group stage draw. Given you're German and therefore unbiased (I would hope), what are the reasons which bring you to the assessment that the Netherlands will eliminate Argentina? A non-South American viewpoint would definitely be welcome.
In summary, Argentina didn't really create scoring chances until the game got stretched after Australia scored their goal. They found a goal in the 1st half and forced a GK mistake with good pressure for the 2nd. But they struggled to create chances until Australia tried to push for a tie and left themselves exposed. The blueprint to stop Argentina is not very complicated. You play a low block, crowd the middle and leave the wings open. They struggle to create if well executed. Keep an eye on Messi on those runs to the top / in the box when the ball goes to the wing. You can also implement a mid block crowding the middle as well if you have decently fast defenders. Their only fast player is Di Maria. They often play well enough against us because we don't play too defensively against them. Dunga's team would still murder this Argentina IMO.
Thanks for that summary. Good points on how to play vs. Argentina. I wonder how well the Netherlands will do. They are definitely going to be the strongest opponent Argentina has had in this tournament, not the least as Van Gaal is the most experienced manager who will show up in their way so far. Dunga's Brazil... mentioning the Dunga era (including post-2014) piqued my curiosity. Out of the archives: Brazil played Argentina six times under Dunga. 4 wins and 2 draws. 12 goals scored, 2 goals allowed. If Elano hadn’t gotten injured, if Kaká’s shot in the first half against the Dutch had gone in... oh well. Dunga created a dominant Brazil, at least between 2006 and 2010. Those were amazing numbers – yet Tite has outdone them. I hope Tite’s successor has even better numbers, although right now, what I most want is the Hexa.
I'm not into gloom and doom, so I'm going to say that if Neymar comes back in decent form and there are no more major injuries then I'll be OK with Brazil's chances in a hypothetical final against France. Remember, Brazil still has S Korea, Japan/Croatia and Netherlands/ Argentina and France will most likely have to go through England and Spain before the final. Nothing is decided.
At the Globe Pub Chicago. Line a block long but I walk right in. England vs Senegal. I REALLY DO NOT WANT TO MEET FRANCE !! NOTHING BUT FUKING NIGHTMARES FROM PAST LOSSES AND ELIMINATIONS NOT TO MENTION 1998.
I still remember what happened Eons and Eons ago (it happened sometime last month, I think) when Brazil played Serbia. The way Brazil played in that game is the way to win a championship. I will take that Brazil over France any day of the week....
The thing about defense wins championships is true, but an equally true statement is that a football game is won in the midfield. Brazil, with Casemiro commanding the middle, will defeat any of the remaining teams.
True but the fullbacks are not as strong compared to the rest of the side. Danilo will have to deal with Mbappe's speed. Big responsibility for him
We played solid sides in Swiss and Serbia ... but we haven't had players who can run at this midfield / defense. So while we did well controlling those games, the Swiss and Serbs were pretty slow.
Barring something very unusual, Senegal is done. Four quarterfinalists; all have been to the final and three have won it at least once. If Brazil and Croatia advance tomorrow and Spain does the same on Tuesday, the quarterfinal will have 7 teams who have reached the final.
What do you guys think about England France? England looked very good and sharp yesterday despite a few unconcentrations. I could see france struggling the way they played before.... If they remain to be passive and not press well..... I could see England win..... What do you think???
England were clinical and looked comfortable after they scored the 1st goal. Bellingham is a game changer and Foden did well on the left. But they have a tendency to shrink against big teams. It's gonna be a good match. My guess is one of the finalists will come from the winner of this game.
England looked sloppy vs Senegal in the first half. They have had more of those moments this tournament than France has had. They are going to need to be sharper than that to beat France.