FIFA World Cup 2018 chat thread

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Re: FIFA World Cup 2018 chat thread

Postby sussexpob » Wed Jul 11, 2018 10:38 am

Poor Belgium, but I am happy.... if they had won it, Id never hear the end of it.

Over to us.... god I am nervous. The final would be good, to win it a dream.... but the final! It could change so much for the future belief and structure of the game. We've done well, better than anyone thought, and losing tonight would be (after a day or two) not paint over that. But the final... god please let it happen.
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Re: FIFA World Cup 2018 chat thread

Postby Arthur Crabtree » Wed Jul 11, 2018 11:13 am

Are you in the UK?
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Re: FIFA World Cup 2018 chat thread

Postby sussexpob » Wed Jul 11, 2018 11:54 am

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Are you in the UK?


Yep, arrived yesterday. With my mum at the moment, BBQ round a mates planned for the game. Couldnt miss this, could I?? It wouldnt have felt the same sitting in a bar with depressed Belgians trying to avoid all mention of the World Cup.
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Re: FIFA World Cup 2018 chat thread

Postby yuppie » Wed Jul 11, 2018 12:09 pm

Hope can be the cruelest thing.......
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Re: FIFA World Cup 2018 chat thread

Postby sussexpob » Wed Jul 11, 2018 12:55 pm

yuppie wrote:Hope can be the cruelest thing.......


France will beat us. Croatia can beat us..... less about winning, more about coming home and being part of the thing. Watching away from it all makes you feel a bit detached and homesick, dare I say.
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Re: FIFA World Cup 2018 chat thread

Postby Arthur Crabtree » Wed Jul 11, 2018 2:00 pm

An England v France final, the meeting of the one time winners, has an appealing balance.

The winner might be allowed into the most exalted circle. The multiple winners seem to have more status, give or take Uruguay.

I've no idea how good Croatia are, but my feeling is it's going to be close and come down to whether one side freezes, or who gets the most good fortune.

Didn't Croatia get to a semi final in the days of Boban, Bilic, Suker and Prosinecki?
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Re: FIFA World Cup 2018 chat thread

Postby Arthur Crabtree » Wed Jul 11, 2018 2:01 pm

Yes, they lost to France in the semi of the France WC. Their debut.
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Re: FIFA World Cup 2018 chat thread

Postby sussexpob » Wed Jul 11, 2018 2:03 pm

They lost 2-0 in 1998, when France were at home. If memory serves, it was the French right back Lillian Thuram with both goals, a great defender but a person who never usually scored. That was a great team though, always considered a dark horse in 1996 buy forgotten about by that world cup. Some excellent players.

Croatia have two world class midfielders, and another couple who on paper at least have dangers about them; but mostly they are a team that rely heavily on those few very good players, and who as a team should not be good enough to beat us. Having said that, our recent record would be encouraging for them.

I think it is going to be a tight win for England, but at this stage you take a win whichever way.
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Re: FIFA World Cup 2018 chat thread

Postby Arthur Crabtree » Wed Jul 11, 2018 2:03 pm

Until now, that was the only time they progressed beyond the group stage.
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Re: FIFA World Cup 2018 chat thread

Postby Arthur Crabtree » Wed Jul 11, 2018 2:07 pm

sussexpob wrote:They lost 2-0 in 1998, when France were at home. If memory serves, it was the French right back Lillian Thuram with both goals, a great defender but a person who never usually scored.


2-1 but right about Thuram who i think played WCs at right back and centre half. But right back in that WC. Good memory. Suker scored for Croatia to level the scores.
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Re: FIFA World Cup 2018 chat thread

Postby Arthur Crabtree » Wed Jul 11, 2018 2:17 pm

Thanks for the info too. I know Modric from playing at Spurs a few years back. Don't recognise the other names. I see Rakatic plays for Barcalona, so he's going to be decent. Brozovic and Pericic for Inter, Kalinic and Strinic for Milan. Kovacic for Real Madrid (with Modric), Mandkucic and Pjaca for Juventus. Lovren for Liverpool. A few in the German league. Quite a pedigree! I'm starting to see Croatia as favourites.
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Re: FIFA World Cup 2018 chat thread

Postby sussexpob » Wed Jul 11, 2018 2:22 pm

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Until now, that was the only time they progressed beyond the group stage.


The 1998 Tournament might be best ignored, not because of the quality of the team, but because its difficult to say whether or not it can be classed as a result of Croatian culture. The Yugoslav authorities increasingly invested a massive amount in football as an outlet for united cultural sentiment, and I believe the last ever team to enter an international tournament as "Yugoslav" was the 1991 European Cup winning team from Red Star Belgrade, a win at a time when Milan's dominance under Sacchi/Capello is considered to be arguably the pinnacle of European football. They were kicked out of Euro 1992 because the war had started a month before. Think they were kicked out literally just before after smashing teams in qualification. Their replacements, Denmark, won the tournament having not orignally qualified. They would have gone as one of the favourites, an amazing team. Many people in Serbia and Croatia nowadays would tell you the war could have ended much sooner had they gone and done well. They will tell you more had the fabric of that 1991 team stayed into their experienced prime, they could have been the most potent force in world football.

Add Pancev (Macedonian), Sinsa Mihaljovic (Serbia, best left back in the world at the time), Jovanovic, Stankojvic, Stojakovic, Petkovic, Savicevic (Montenegrin), Jugovic to that Croatian team, they would have been a scary prospect to play.
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Re: FIFA World Cup 2018 chat thread

Postby sussexpob » Wed Jul 11, 2018 2:28 pm

Arthur Crabtree wrote:Thanks for the info too. I know Modric from playing at Spurs a few years back. Don't recognise the other names. I see Rakatic plays for Barcalona, so he's going to be decent. Brozovic and Pericic for Inter, Kalinic and Strinic for Milan. Kovacic for Real Madrid (with Modric), Mandkucic and Pjaca for Juventus. Lovren for Liverpool. A few in the German league. Quite a pedigree! I'm starting to see Croatia as favourites.


Rakitic is a high intensity midfielder and is world class at his best. Very good technique and passer, but he has looked very tired since the knockouts came. Modric has developed into a fantastic deep playmaker, and we need to stop him. Kovacic is excellent, but plays in the aforementioned other twos positions, he will be on the bench. Mandzukic is a big forward, but hes a bit of a croatian Peter Crouch. On his day he can dominate you, but his day is not often. He scored 5 goals this year in over 30 games. Pjanic wont start. Kalinic is a bit of a flop, and Strinic just got released by Sampdoria where he couldnt start ( Milan are no longer a sign of top quality, they are a team in steep decline, playing for them is the mark of probably a lower end relegation candidate in the Prem).

I love Perisic at Inter, very strong and powerful winger with pace and a cannon foot.... has had a terrible tournament though, been subbed early in all the games I believe. Brozovic isnt a start at Inter, and Strinic plays over him.

Vrasjlko is a very good right back, but I cant see him playing as he had to be helped off the pitch injured v Russia. A disciple of Simeone, if he does play expect him to get booked, dive and hack.
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Re: FIFA World Cup 2018 chat thread

Postby sussexpob » Wed Jul 11, 2018 2:31 pm

Kramaric is the main question mark. He was terrible for Leicester, but he's rebuilt his career elsewhere and has been a threat in this tournament. If Modric gets space to pick passes, he can bring these others in. Jordan Henderson needs to have a good game, its his job to close down these twos space in that midfield. Modric will drop into space, so Henderson needs to cover him like a cheap suit. They are weak at centre back Id say. They look like they can ship goals in other games, its a case of can England take those chances, and can they keep Croatia quiet.
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Re: FIFA World Cup 2018 chat thread

Postby Arthur Crabtree » Wed Jul 11, 2018 3:01 pm

Thanks.

Henderson played well in the last game (POTM for me) though I've noticed he doesn't get much approval on this MB! I saw him when he first started and he wasn't much good then (and very young).
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