News: Other Teams - WC 2022 / International Edition (R)

Signs of being a 2022 version of 2018 Germany or do the players just not care? I'm beginning to wonder if this NL just doesn't have the traction with the players, after an exhausting season (aren't they all?), to give the effort they would give in a WC/EM.

 

Everybody's injured in France team right now. Deschamps fielded a full B team in Croatia (zero starter) and still nearly won.

So it's hardly the best team in the world which plays here. No Kante, Pogba, Varane, Lucas... Mbappe barely played due to injuries. A lot of newcomers who were never called before.

I'm not sure you can conclude anything, they still won the latest Final 4 a few months ago, I'm not sure they're weaker than in 2018

What is true is they look a bit worse at the back than in 2018 overall, but better at scoring due to Benzema replacing Giroud.

 

"Sick of it" - Alaba criticizes past team boss Foda and welcomes Rangnick's new style of play.

Austria have their best generation and have finally appointed a competent coach. It’s going to be interesting to follow their development.

 

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!
1-0 Croatia HT vs France
https://streamff.com/v/ff02f6

 

This Denmark core looks quite good as they get their 3rd win out of 4 matches after beating Rangnick's Austria today

 

Australia beat Peru in shootouts to advance into the WC

 

It looks like CONMEBOL's place as world football's second best confederation is coming into question with the AFC and CONCACAF biting at their heels.

 

As a supposed #22 ranked nation in the world, Peru did underachieve. However, Australia are one of those tricky gritty teams that could throw someone off.

In terms of AFC, I'd say Japan, South Korea and Iran are probably still below CONMEBOL's top teams but on their day they might upset anybody

 

I'm not just talking about NTs.

Look at the Club World Cup. The Final between the the UCL winner and the Copa Libertadores winner was pretty much set in stone, but in recent years we've frequently seen the South American Champions being knocked out by Asian and Mexican clubs.

 

hahahga France at least has bigger issues then we do

 

Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay all seem to be on upward trajectories, I can see at least a couple of these going very deep in the WC.

 

A big test for Uruguay's Darwin Nunez as he's set to make the move from Benfica to Liverpool, a transfer which folks are expecting as the Reds' answer to Man City's signing of Haaland

Him, Valverde, Araujo and maybe Ugarte is supposed to be their next group of cornerstone players

 

only care about E and F.

 

So with the 4-0 drubbing of England by Hungary anybody here of any Southgate Raus calls? I think Jogi is looking for a job.

 

hahaha jaaaa , but as said France also did not perform, dont think we should read into these games to much

 

LMAO

The French-Bayern in crisis
The French national team is in a crisis. Right in the middle are Benjamin Pavard, Lucas Hernández and Kingsley Coman, three FC Bayern players, none of whom are currently convincing.

With a measly two points from four games in the Nations League, defending champions France are already out of the race for the Final Four in a year. Only five months before the even more important title defense at the World Cup in Qatar, coach Didier Deschamps' team is in crisis.

The French Benjamin Pavard, Lucas Hernández and Kingsley Coman, who are under contract with FC Bayern, were also anything but convincing. After they were considered the undisputed regular players for a long time, they are now shaking powerfully.

As in this 2021/22 season, Pavard always seemed cramped and ponderous. Although he was nominated as a central defender, he was only set up as a right-back. In the home rivalry against Croatia (0-1), Pavard came on as a substitute in the second half and again didn't make a good impression

FC Bayern: criticism of Pavard and Hernández
He came too late in the duels and mostly seemed listless in this position. He only brought one sensible cross forward. The fact that Deschamps is still hesitating when deciding between a three-man and a four-man chain does not make Pavard's situation any easier.

"Benjamin is a reliable player who always gives his all, but he lacks consistency," ex-Munich Jean-Pierre Papin judged SPORT1. "He still makes too many positional mistakes." (REPORT: From Postman to Soccer Star)

Under Julian Nagelsmann, Pavard is to be used permanently in the middle following the signing of Noussair Mazraoui in the new season. He now wants the same in the Équipe Tricolore.

At Hernández, the situation is relatively similar. It clearly lacks freshness. He never got along with long balls in his back like against Denmark (1-2) and he was too impetuous in his duels.

Coman biggest disappointment
With PSG defender Presnel Kimpembe and newcomer and ex-Leipziger Ibrahima Konaté, the competition in central defense has increased significantly. If he doesn't improve in the autumn, he will spend most of his time in Doha just watching the action from the bench.

"I'm less concerned with him," Papin continued. He adds: “The season has been extremely long, he was really tired now and the summer break will mean that he will be back in full attack from August. He will continue to be dependable.”

The biggest disappointment is probably Coman.
The winger didn't even know how to assert himself against his club colleague Josip Stanisic.

Due to the steep development of Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku and the enormous competition on the offensive from Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann, Moussa Diaby, Ousmane Dembélé and Wissam Ben Yedder, Coman has to fear for his regular place at the World Cup.

For him, the setback would be all the greater after he had to miss the 2018 World Cup in Russia due to injury. He, too, has to step up a notch or two in late summer to appear in Deschamps' starting XI again in Doha.

"King couldn't draw attention to himself in those four June games," explains Papin. "I would have expected more from him. But purely in terms of potential and even if the fight is brutal, he should actually be part of the permanent staff at the World Cup.”
https://www.sport1.de/news/fussball...an-um-wm-stammplatz-bangen-trio-in-der-kritik

 

Hoffenheim are in concrete negotiations with Wilfried Gnonto. Not surprising since he was coached by Andre Breitenreiter as well at FC Zurich

https://www.ligainsider.de/mobile/w...nkret-verhandlungen-bezueglich-gnonto-321926/

 

Nagelsman the destroyers of National teams,
I see has taken German And french national players out of form and see he now wants to start with the Ducth team as well.

 

On the flip side Konate under klopps management is a beast, very very highly rated and his performances for Liverpool been brilliant in General.

 

I think Ginter and Neuhaus will probably make World Cup squad after a good first half of Buli…they will replace Tah and Stach
Flick rightly dropped them in Nations league for poor season…however under a new coach I am hoping Neuhaus to play well and Ginter is almost guaranteed to improve under Streich

 

What I did like about gintner ( and prefer him over Tah) he was a fighter . Last euros 2021 he put his body on tbe line he gave it his all . Someone who can fight into those last 15 minutes of the game to keep it a clean sheet

 

Ginter was also the main culprit in all of the conceded goals during the Euros.

 

Is it bad news for Germany if France hires Zidane?

Zidane wants to coach France
National coach Didier Deschamps' contract expires after the end of this year's World Cup. He leaves it open whether Zidane, who celebrates his 50th birthday this Thursday, will have his wish fulfilled: “If it has to be done, it will be done, whether at this point in time or not. When I say that one day I want to take over the French national team, I assume that. The team is currently standing with its goals. But if the next opportunity arises, I will be there.”
https://www.fussballtransfers.com/a5573379482934485089-zidane-will-frankreich-trainieren

 

So Ghana seem to be persuading a lot of duals to switch to them pre WC, along with German trio Ambrosius, Konigsdorffer and Pfeiffer they will also have English trio Lamptey, Hudson-Odoi and Nketiah as well as Spanish Inaki Williams.