I agree with the tactic, they're not playing well though. But 2nd half starting out better so let's see..
Both Spain and England have teams capable of beating France Spain's reason for not doing it is Unai Simon That is a goal Raya 100% does not receive and honestly almost the same for Garcia
I'm not sure how you stop that goal by Belgium unless the guy just happens to head it right at the 'keeper. I think the weak link for Spain is Ferran. It seems de la Fuente is obsessed with given him more minutes than Merino, even though Merino's form is miles better in this WC. IMO, England's defense is not good enough to beat France. One can at least envision how Spain could beat France. Not saying they're gonna do it, but you can see how it could happen. How does England beat France with that defense and midfield?
I would link the video but I am sure it is geoblocked for Romania only He effed up twice after that. He was lucky Belgium didn't score Again Raya and Garcia save that. He just stood there. Spain will lose a big opportunity just because DLF is a stubborn moran. Don't get me wrong France is more than capable but in order to beat France you need a GK that is capable of making impossible save. I really don't want France vs Argentina again
Reaction time there is just not much he could have done when the ball is hit. It's a point blank header. His positioning maybe could have been better.
I recognize that. I'd rather that they didn't. I'd rather that De La Fuente and Flick would fvkcing sub when Spain or Barca are up by 2 or more by minute 60. I'd rather that Barca players sweat and bleed for Barca, because I don't care much for the corrupt international game.
No sane manager would sub important players up by 2 goals in a WC KO match by minute 60th. That's just crazy.
Meh ... international game is corrupt, continental game is corrupt, domestic game is corrupt. In summary, the game of futbol is corrupt. From the top executives all the way down to the players who generally speaking play with no sporting ethics. The sport is what it is. I like international futbol. The WC at least. Nations League is indeed nonsense.
They've studied this for years. In a match between evenly-matched opponents, a 2 goal lead is an 80% probability of winning in regulation time. [In the EPL.] So, having Yamal play 90 in the 1-0 win vs Portugal, De La Fuente behaved rationally. By contrast, having Yamal play 85 minutes was idiotic, moronic, and dumb. And this doesn't even consider HOW the match is played. In the Austria match, it isn't "just" possession data that indicated complete domination, there are also the abject lack of top chances by Austria that showed that there was no chance for Spain to lose. In the Portugal game, both possession and big chances were closer between the two sides.
All of this is true. But the other factuality is that without the club game, there would be no international game. Without the clubs, the spectacle of fubol would be a farce. I like the game, and if one side, or the other disappeared, let it be the international side.
That 20% probability in KO match when it bites you, you're out of the tournament. Sorry, you don't take important players out in such a match that early making your team theoretically weaker and more susceptible to an accident. One goal pulled back and it's pressure and game on. The stakes are too high.
Wait, even in the Austria game? That's entirely too risk-averse in one way, and risky from the perspective of injury risk and fatigue.
Here's another source that shows a 90% CHANCE OF WINNING, when up by 2 goals in the second half, whether playing home or away. Up by 1 goal, on the road by minute 60, there is only an 8.6% chance of losing. [In the EPL, in any case.] The numbers have been overwhelming as to the probable outcomes. Flick and De La Fuente are often far too fearful in their allergies to substituting earlier.
Absolutely. In this World Cup this has already happened twice. Egypt and Senegal both blowing late 2 x 0 leads. Plus, your point of view is what's best for Barca. You want him rested for Barca. De La Fuente's interest is what's best for Spain. And from Spain's perspective, it's more in its self interest for Lamine, having just come back from injury, to play more minutes and get more match fit and in rhythm than keep resting him. Assuming Lamine is physically recovered and able to play 90. He isn't fatigued from club season because he was out injured for like 2 months pre-WC.
I don't know how relatable those two examples are, SPECIFICALLY to Barca or to Spain. For one, both Egypt and Senegal were getting outplayed, and went up by 2 goals against the run of play. Equally true is/was that Egypt and Senegal were inferior sides to Argentina and Belgium, for various reasons. Spain, and Barca rarely face foes that are their superiors. What's more, typically, in any given match, the team that is playing better usually wins. This is true. But even Flick's moronic avoidance of subs irritates me, and works against Barca's interests. As with Flick's idiotic avoidance of subs, over the course of a competition, fatigued players get injured and play worse; De La Fuente's idiotic avoidance of subs reduces his chances for success over the course of the Mundial. [It also works against Barca's interests as well.] That I don't think much of international play only works hand-in-hand with Barca's/Spain's interests.
Yes. True. Difficult for minnows to come back over a big team. But it's a WC and weird things happen. And again, Lamine needs more mins and not less. The context of each player matters. I don't like the thought of having a hard set rule as you seem to support. Up 2 x 0 and sub at the 60th no matter what. I don't understand that logic at all. Flick and De La Fuente are two different contexts. From the beginning I stated that in a WC KO round match .... it's not a smart move IMO. If I am a fan, I am screaming at the manager if he makes such a move for a healthy player thinking about the next game. It makes zero sense.
DLF did alot of rotation with the midfield and attack in the group stage (e.g. Lamine played about 3 halves), so he gave himself the option to keep his key players fairly fresh even if he did not take the risk of subbing them early in the knockout stage. The WC games are also more spread out than what we see in the club season.
I could see losing your/our sh!t over a 60 minute sub in a semifinal or final match of a tournament. Or, in a clasico. But a round of 16 or round of 32 vs inferior foes? Nah. Subs early and often keeps your team fresh for the clutch games.
I am guessing the LPB forum is in full meltdown mode, but the human world breathes a sigh of relief that nobody has to watch Switzerland v England in a WC semi. A Euro group stage match, ok.