El maestro is gone for sure. At least I'd like to believe that... The timing is also good there being no more games until late January. More coach options to pick from. In my opinion they should go for cacique Medina (uruguayan Talleres coach, current 2nd in argentina league).
I never thought this Uruguay generation would be only 1 point ahead of Bolivia with 4 WCQ matches to go in the 2022 tournament. I respect the Maestro's work, but the recent results show me it's time for him to move on. Uruguay is likely out of the World Cup, maybe a playoff spot. Time to rebuild.
I won't go as far as to say that they're out. They play Venezuela and Peru at home which are both winnable games. Se juegan la vida against Paraguay in their next game. That's a must win.
Perhaps. Recent rounds have seen surprises. Chile was seen as dead by many but the Chileans have mounted a comeback and are 5th at the moment. They will be 4th if they defeat Ecuador tonight. If Uruguay gets key points plus other results, then maybe.
After watching our match versus Argentina, I didn't bother to skip work and watch the Bolivia match. Hearing my angry neighbours was more than enough. The silver lining is that I have one less excuse to watch the Qatar World Cup.
Given the roster Colombia has, it should easily be 3rd or 4th place. It has better players than Peru, but Gareca is doing what in Brazil is said to be "tirar leite de pedra" - extracting milk out of rocks. He is getting the most he can with a limited but spirited roster. With Paraguay needing a major rebuild, Chile all but eliminated, and Uruguay in transition, Peru has a chance to fill in the void left by those teams; visiting Uruguay and hosting Paraguay are definitely winnable games.
Standings after round 16: Brasil, 39 pts (one match pending) Argentina, 35 (one match pending) Ecuador, 25 (+10 goals) Uruguay, 22 (−3) Perú, 21 (−4) Chile, 19 (−1) Colombia, 17 (−3) Bolivia, 15 (−12) Paraguay, 16 (−14) Venezuela, 10 (−16)
FIFA orders abandoned Brazil-Argentina match replayed. https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/ne...zil-vs-argentina-match-replayed-issues-fines/ No need. Both have already qualified.
Peru, Colombia and Chile. Fifth team will also be in Qatar. Colombia started too late. Uruguay might just visit Chile, without any burden. Is Paraguay motivated to spoil the fun in Peru? Not sure, does one draw becomes enough for Peru? I doubt that Paraguay can win. Colombia will have easier job in Venezuela. Ecuador is the positive surprise. Just like Argentina, Brazil who are undefeated. Very nice achievement since we see many challenging away matches. Mountains, tropical areas, coasts... Uruguay did it again, in manner of experienced veterans. Last chance for Chileans Alexis, Vidal, Bravo, Isla, Medel, Vargas. Maybe too many older players wasn't so helpful. But where to find great replacements.
I'm glad Peru won and secured the playoff spot. The Uruguayans won because a legitimate Peruvian goal wasn't counted. Colombia and Chile disappoint. The former has plenty of talent, but very bad results early on were never overcome. As for the latter, it's time to rebuild with new blood. The 2015-2016 era was sweet for Chilean fans, but the Chilean federation needs to look to the future. Ecuador is in, as I expected, and their last-minute goal tonight spared them a home defeat Paraguay definitely needs a major overhaul. BTW, with 2026 expanding to 48 teams, there's talk of breaking up CONMEBOL WCQ to an old format with groups.
Brazil is South America's best hope at winning the World Cup. They have the depth and talent that no country in South America can match. Ecuador and Peru aren't candidates to win. Uruguay has holes in their squad. Argentina is a flawed team. If Brazil can address their weakness at RB then they're a serious candidate to win the world cup. England and France are the two candidates in Europe.
I agree with your assessments of Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay. Is Argentina flawed? Yes - however, no team is perfect. Rivalry aside, I would say that in this current form, Argentina is an "orderly" team - they know their system and they are consistent in getting the most out of that system. Given that no team is "flawless," what do you mean exactly with Argentina being "flawed?" I agree with "Brazil is South America's best hope at winning the World Cup." I sure hope that happens.
Depth for one. If key players get injured does Argentina have replacements that can perform at the same level? Does Argentina have real competition for spots in the starting 11? I feel like Argentina knows who they're starting 11 would be if the world cup started tomorrow. It's a double edged sword. Take Brazil for example. GK - you can go with Alison or Ederson. You can put their name in a hat and pick from it and honestly you wouldn't see a difference. Right wing? Put the names of Rodrygo, Matheus Cunha, and Antony in a hat. Left wing? Neymar or Vini Jr. Defense too. Marquinos gets injured or is suspended no problem Eder Militao is there. Vice versa. I don't see that level of depth in Argentina. They have talented players no doubt but there would a noticeable drop in performance if Messi, De Paul, or ADM get injured. Tactics too. When Argentina goes up by a goal they can concede possession and stand behind the ball. Part of that may (or may not be idk) philosophical as there's a certain sector that believes that's how the game should be played. Playing like that against England or a team that's vertical and adept at finding open spaces is begging for trouble. Reliance on Messi. Montiel also struggled. Opposing teams are going to target him. Argentina is a talented squad no doubt about it. I feel like they can make the semi finals if everything breaks right for them. That's the thing tho. Everything has to break right. Good luck. I will root for all south American teams in the world cup.
I agree on everything except the reliance on Messi thing. Last month we had a big test playing two (semi) competent opponents without him and, while his exquisite passes were obviously missed, the actual output of the team was pretty much the same as with him. Other players simply filled his spaces. Of course, we are not winning this WC without him, but it's not like the team becomes incapable of anything in such case.
When Messi plays the game is run through him. Rightfully so as he's one of the best players in the world. Teams will try to take him out of the game and if that happens other players have to step up. I feel like Argentina is tactically sound to adapt but it can cause problems if the correction doesn't happen in time.
FIFA has made an announcement on Castillo-gate: Ecuador has now been confirmed as a 2022 World Cup participant. Chile had alleged Ecuador had wrongly used Castillo as a player NOT born in Ecuador. Chile will only be back at the World Cup at 2026 (at the earliest).