FIFA World Cup 2026 Results & Discussion Thread [R]

Most if not all Dani's injuries have been due to his style of play. Then finally the ACL came, again due to his style of play. Cucurella is similar. If he is not careful the injuries are going to start coming thick and fast. Militao is another one with that type of style and he is also cursed with recurrent injuries and now multiple ACL injuries.

 

Hardly one game but ok.

 

France looked like a team of destiny heading in, they were my choice to win this World Cup. But I had some doubts how far Deschamps get the ball to the front 4 and let them cook tactics we’re going to last once they faced a real midfield. We got our answer. Interested to see where Zidane takes this France side.

 

Already renewed. He's typical Mou DM. Creativity will have the come from CM next to Tcho.

 

Neither Real Madrid/France has player that can control the tempo. Guy like Rodri/Vitinha will fix the problem.

 

Only this game where Spain did well to deny him the ball. He was their creative engine as AM in every other WC match with midfield combination of Rabiot, Kone, Tcho behind him not having any creative ability.

 

I dont know. The more I watch him the more I think we'll need two creative players next to him/ either side of him. Sort of how we had both Modric and Kroos with Casemiro. He doesn't have to be creative but he needs to pass and move and on the ball he is very heavy. Almost like a CB playing as DM.

 

Yes, please don't.

I don't know about 200ME but wasn't Olise one of the top assist getters in this WC? And he played a very different position and role than he does/would at club level.

 

Who? Bernardo? Guler ?

 

Only Kroos started in 2023-24 alongside Tcho, Fede, Jude. Modric obviously made an impact as super sub in big games.

 

It was the 8 win in the last 11 games between France and Spain.
Spain dominate them as their Nemesis

 

That's not going to be Valverde or Bellingham imo

 

Yes it was a great organised game by Spain, but it’s criminal to give away a goal or two to this Spain team.

The first goal is a boneheaded move, and the second is two players (Doue and Kone) both ball watching and not tracking Porro. Spain did nothing special for those two goals, but their defensive display was exceptional once they got gifted their goals.

 

He was bad against Paraguay, Morocco and Spain. Even against Norway he was quite poor.

 

90% of his assists came against Sweden and Iraq. He stunk it up when he played RW.

 

Tcho played half that season as a CB.

 

France outplayed Morocco and a lot of their play went through Olise. Paraguay came to kick Olise and Mbappe so not much football was played.

 

France utterly nullified by a classy Spanish side..I think today's game highlighted Deschamps' severe limitations as a coach, he had no plan B..and for a WC SF that's disasterous, dlF made him look like a novice..but it's not like his players showed up either..

I mentioned this after the Austria game, Rodri is imperious.. he's stayed fit in a high tempo competition..but I think it's known why Perez doesn't want him, at least one of the chief reasons..

I hope England win tomorrow..

 

I'm now thinking about a 4-4-2 with Carreras as the LMF.

 

You could say the same about Vitinha, Neves, Fernandes, Pedri, or lots of other top midfielders tbh.

 

And Camavinga wasn't creative either. It was still all on Kroos. And defensively Camavinga hasn't matured even still. That first half in CL final by Camavinga was disastrous.

 

Olise started playing against Morocco when Morocco had given up. Created the solitary chance which was less than ALL of the players in that frontline and he is supposed to be their AM. It is just more glaring when France don't win.

 

Exceptional play by Spain to keep game under control from start to finish. When it comes to attacking they probably have the worst personnel out of the 4 semifinalists, and the 2 goals today were absolutely on France.

 

And they are creative midfielders. Creative DMs usually come once in a generation like Redondo, Busi and Rodri. Tcho, Casemiro etc need playmakers beside.