The amount of penalties is obscene.
What a fucking idiot.
What has Aguero said about Sampaoli?
He's a classless cunt. Those tattoos are pathetic.
Disappointing game.
The players looked knackered in the second half.
Ramifications?
How do Argentina finish third.
Fucking Icelandic pricks.
Nigeria need a point to knock the Argies out I'm assuming?
You are correct.Originally Posted by Pleb
If Argentina win then Iceland need to win by either the same score or by more goals (they are currently ahead on goal difference by one goal).
Argentina need:
- a win
AND
Iceland fail to beat Croatia
OR
Argentina's margin of victory is greater than Iceland's
Hope either Nigeria or Argentina go through. Can’t be having the European Championships for the last 16.
Also is Gylfi a national disgrace who doesn’t care for missing that penalty?
The Nigeria win really was the best result Argentina could have hoped for. They're going to shit their way through, unless Croatia are total heroes and just score own goals.
Fuck that noise. Super Eagles are going through.
I don't think Sampaoli pandering to Messi has helped. When you're afraid to tell a player to run more it can't be good news. And then that shambles in the press.
Considering his high reputation and previous sides who were judged as tactically sound, they've looked a mess.
Not at all. I haven't seen anyone criticize him for it.
He cares a lot, I think. He's just not the type of person to wear his heart on his sleeve.
I'm not actually sure he pandered to Messi here. As far as I've read Messi specifically asked for that 3-4-3 not to be played with Argentina because he felt it didn't complement his attacking movement or something to that effect. (Or did you just mean the post-game comments?)
He did obviously not run enough though.
@Serj Oh that's true, I did hear about the 3-4-3. But I meant more in terms of not getting enough effort out of him, which is related to ego, and his press comments. Both suggest a wider approach/attitude of 'Messi is king'.
And it's the wider approach that is the problem, rather than anything Messi literally does or doesn't do on the pitch. It spreads through their entire team and attitude.
Yeah, if the team were into it, they'd be running into space and providing Messi with options. They'd increase tempo as well. They look completely lost, like it's their first game together.
If true
I'd be surprised if he was ever picking it.
They should collectively drop Messi.
They need to parachute Bielsa in for the third game.
How do 'the players' pick a team?
'Sorry, Leo. You're out.'
'Lionel.'
Hold a vote for each position.
Direct democracy.
No.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44594914
Does this fucking idiot not want to wind his neck in once in a while?
That said, the federation president having the haircut apparent in that picture suggests he may have a point about him.
There's a video of him getting rapturous applause for doing a shot off his arm with a massive bag of gear beside him.
Maradona really is a prize moron.
Kane has now scored as many World Cup goals as Messi.
Less World Cup finals though.
This Messi is overrated talk needs to get in the bin. Argentina's games are always awful because it's always going to be 10 men behind the ball and 3 of them on Messi. And they would have won the whole thing last time if Higuain wasn't a massive bottler.
Argentina has a better team overall compared the likes of Portugal. Messi & Co have failed massively in every final they have been in. He is good in an Argentina shirt, but not good enough.
I'm not arguing he's overrated. Just shows how dysfunctional Argentina has been more than anything else. Argentina's games are always awful because Messi has 3 people on him all the time, yet the rest of the team don't take advantage of the space that's created.
Outside of the 600 forwards they have, who is good? You can't play a 2-2-2-4. At he back their biggest defender is Otamendi who's been a walking punchline for years and they don't have a goalkeeper who isn't second choice for whoever they play for.
How have they failed massively in finals? They've lost 2-3(can't remember) on penalty kicks and one to the last kick of the game in extra time.
They failed because they've lost them all.
You can compare Pepe to an Otamendi sort of. But Argentina also has the Di Maria and Mascherano's the world. Portugal has nothing compared to those two. It's Ronaldo + 10.
Argentina has fucked up three finals. Unacceptable behaviour.
Thanks for ignoring the adjective there.
Defensive midfield extraordinaire Angel Di Maria and a 35 year old Javier Mascherano who's played CB for 6 years. Nice midfield you got there, would be a shame if anyone attacked it.
You're right, they're plucky upstarts who did well to qualify.
It's almost like there's something inbetween best team in the whole world and utter dogshit. All I said was the idea that this team that needs to 'drop Messi' in Sincere's words have achieved more than 99% of the countries out there in the last 4 years.
They've been total shit this tournament, mind. Messi is obviously undroppable (and rightly so) and there's still a decent chance they get it together for the last game and sneak through in second place.
Exactly, total shit and yet they'll still probably qualify. The skies not falling.
Really good article from one of the Argentina 1986 squad.
https://www.theguardian.com/football...messi-football
Nor do I want to overlook something of great importance: the mediocrity of the debate, where a base crassness more suited to bad actors than good journalists bastardises the play and denigrates players. This infernal racket conditions everything, a deafening noise that surrounds everything and made the Argentinian people believe that if Messi does not win a World Cup he will never be Maradona; that made Messi himself believe it.
Thirty-three titles later, Messi has taken that message to heart and when the World Cup starts he becomes a tortured soul who carries the fierce demands of 45 million people on his shoulders. And yet it’s not true: Messi has defended Argentina’s footballing pride like no one else for 15 years now and he has done so with an astonishing, scandalous consistency. But that perception became received wisdom and Messi is treated as if he was any old player by journalists who demand an excellence from him they cannot even dream of.
Aye, that's a good read, although I think you sell Valdano a bit short by describing him (merely) as one of the 1986 squad.
It's still a marvel they got to the final last time. I'm not sure I can recall the last time I saw them play well.
I'm seriously tempted to put in a bet on Argentina winning the whole thing.
Just because it would fuck everyone off. Even themselves, by the sounds of it.
Maradona to take full credit.
I don't honestly know what team they've been putting out, but I've just looked at their squad and they have players like Banega, Biglia and Mascherano who should be good enough to form a functioning midfield. They are definitely no worse than some of the dross Portugal field.
The defence admittedly is pretty thin, but again it's not like they are having to field conference players or some shit. Otamendi and Rojo should be a good enough centre-back pairing to easily get through their group.
I don't think they need to be playing these daft formations I understand they've been putting out.
Play something like:
GK: the coach is fat enough that he'd be better the Caballero
RB: Mercado
CB: Otamendi and Rojo
LB: Tagliatelle
DM: Banega and Mascherano
AM: Dybala
Forwards: Messi (right) Aguero (central) Di Maria (left)
I could win the world cup with that team easy.
(Inb4 that's the exact team they've been fielding)
They have been starting with players in midfield, who are still playing in Argentina
Argentina have a player called Tagliatelle? How did I just learn this? Get him and Kevin Lasagne in the same team.
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