Paid Members PunkStep Posted June 22, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted June 22, 2018 2 hours ago, Briefcase said: One thing I have noticed is the lack of Plan B from teams in this World Cup. I think since the Spain model too much focus has been on playing one way and hoping it pays off. I think you've used the wrong example there, as Spain strike me as a team that has a Plan B. In fact, they exercise plans A & B with the same players! Not too dissimilar to their 2008 side. Their Plan A is clearly to suffocate their opponent with possession and pressing, patiently working the ball until they have an opening and score. Very much what you've come to expect from them and Barcelona over the past 10 years. If that isn't working, Plan B they get somebody to smack a 40 yard diagonal ball up to Costa to bring down and use his strength to battle off the defenders and score. Iago Aspas is their Plan C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Jazzy G Posted June 22, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted June 22, 2018 This thought just crossed my mind while watching Serbia Vs Switzerland and given how well Croatia are doing: What would a 2018 Yugoslavia squad look like, and how would they be doing at this World Cup? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Maestro Posted June 22, 2018 Share Posted June 22, 2018 Sounds fun! It might look something like this. Options in midfield are ridiculous. GK: Oblak (SLO) RB: Vrsaljko (CRO) CB: Milenkovic (SER) CB: Lovren (CRO) CB: Vida (CRO) LB: Kolarov (SER) CM: Brozovic (CRO) CM: Milinkovic-Savic (SER) CM: Modric (CRO) CM: Rakitic (CRO ST: Dzeko (BOS) Subs: Handanovic, Ivanovich, Matic, Pjanic, Perisic, Mandzukic, Mitrovic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members PunkStep Posted June 22, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted June 22, 2018 Man, you talk of the amount of midfield options and stick in a five-man defence! I'd chuck Savic (Montenegro) in at the back, but yeah, that's a damn good team. Maybe put Goran Pandev on the bench to give Macedonia a shout-out, even though he's old as fuck and has a Steve McClaren hair island. Putting together a USSR side years ago would've been fun. Now it'd mostly be Russians with Yarmolenko, Konoplyanka and Mkhitaryan thrown into the mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted June 22, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted June 22, 2018 25 minutes ago, PunkStep said: Putting together a USSR side years ago would've been fun. Now it'd mostly be Russians with Yarmolenko, Konoplyanka and Mkhitaryan thrown into the mix. Yeah, it does seem like the best chance for a more diverse USSR XI would've been around the turn of the millennium, with maybe Pahars, Poom, Shevchenko and Rebrov (and Hleb 😁). Or maybe a few years earlier than that when there were a few decent Georgian players too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members PunkStep Posted June 22, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted June 22, 2018 2 minutes ago, Carbomb said: a few decent Georgian players too. Kaladze would make my USSR XI for that era. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted June 22, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted June 22, 2018 Just now, PunkStep said: Kaladze would make my USSR XI for that era. A lot of tough choices, really. Not sure about the XI, but Kanchelskis and Kinkladze would certainly have made the squad. Lots of Ks. Maybe even Ketsbaia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members PunkStep Posted June 22, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted June 22, 2018 Ah yes, Kanchelskis in a 90s side for sure. Today's football was pretty good. Watching Neymar constantly moan at the ref, dive, throw a strop, do a ridiculous bunny hop/rainbow flick hybrid, score and then cry was quite the spectacle. Ahmed Musa scored two gorgeous goals (the first is probably my favourite of the tournament so far) after a dull first half from Nigeria and then Switzerland VS Serbia was far more entertaining than I thought it would be. A nice Xhaka rocket and impressive performances from Shaqiri and Mitrovic tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members bAzTNM#1 Posted June 23, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted June 23, 2018 Kanchelskis was some player. One of my first players I liked. He did take the piss out a bit out of Ayr United in that Scottish Cup Semi-Final (or was it the Final) though. No need for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted June 23, 2018 Awards Moderator Share Posted June 23, 2018 Kinkladze was my favourite player* during the 95/96 season. If he’d have signed for Newcastle I’d have been the happiest child in the world. We got Ketsbaia a couple of years later, but he was no Georgi and we all knew it. *other than Les Ferdinand, obviously Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Jazzy G Posted June 23, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted June 23, 2018 Serbia vs Switzerland was quite the spectacle. That double team on Mitrovic was terrible, especially when the ref just waved it away right before giving the free kick for something much more minor at the other end. There's no denying Switzerland's talent,but that incident potentially robbed Serbia of at least a point. If they end up going out now there'll be some very unhappy campers. Nigeria were like a completely different team in the second half of the Iceland game and deserved to win the game given that performance. You've got to wonder whether they can get something from Argentina in the final group game and sneak through to the last 16. Groups D & E have been very interesting so far.. Although Groups F & H could also be interesting today and tomorrow as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted June 23, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted June 23, 2018 7 hours ago, HarmonicGenerator said: *other than Les Ferdinand, obviously Obviously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamTH17 Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 England vs Belgium could be quality. Two teams whom have looked dangerous going forward with susceptible defenses. I think we're getting goals in that one. I think we beat Panama, but get tonked by Belgium. Players such as De Bruyne, Hazard, Lukaku etc are going to be used to how we defend due to every fucker in our team being from the Premier League. Don't see us coming out of that with anything sadly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members PunkStep Posted June 23, 2018 Paid Members Share Posted June 23, 2018 18 minutes ago, AdamTH17 said: England vs Belgium could be quality. It'll probably be shit. If England beat Panama tomorrow, then both teams will have qualified. With no team in particular to avoid from Group H, why make a huge effort to win the group? I expect to see the likes of Vardy, Delph, Tielemans and Chadli play out a draw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doog Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 Martinez has already said he’s going to make a lot of changes, Hazard Lukaku and Mertens have “minor injuries” as well so I suspect England will follow suit. Be a dull 1-1 or 0-0 probably which will do of course. Could be better to finish 2nd anyway depending on what happens with Brazil and Germany in their respective groups Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.