Just realised we were still using the group stages thread. Poll inspired by the Messi chat in there.
Current state of play:
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Is everybody looking forward to Mason Mount being immediately returned to the starting XI today?
His every touch of the ball brings a tremble to my nethers
I like him a healthy amount and think his career is worth a World Cup win
I like him but sod Argentina winning
He's great, obviously, but I don't care if he succeeds or fails
He's great, obviously, but pundits need to settle down
I'm a racist and that's why I hate him
I'm an idiot and will argue he's actually not all that good
Just realised we were still using the group stages thread. Poll inspired by the Messi chat in there.
Current state of play:
Toggle Spoiler
Is everybody looking forward to Mason Mount being immediately returned to the starting XI today?
Messi is clearly spectacular, but I don't find him interesting at all.
Nice graphic.
It’s coming home.
I'm a twit
Looking more and more likely unfortunately.
ARG-BRA and FRA-POR would be two incredible semis.
Some cracking derbies possible in the other three QFs. Spain v Portugal. England v France. Korea v Japan.
Korea-Japan would be a real stretch.
Delete every post made on the wrong thread.
Now that I'm seeing it laid out, the fixation on sides of the draw sounds a bit mad. They're both gauntlets to get through.
France’s depth at centre back is ludicrous. Imagine having the luxury of benching Konate and Saliba with Kounde out of position at right back to fill in.
Their depth in general is a bit bonkers. 4 first team players out of the World Cup off the top of my head and you wouldn’t notice. (Though they do play better without 2 of them but they’d have definitely started)
We're going to get battered.
Anyone have a stream for the France game that isn't via iPlayer?
Ta muchly.
Hesgoal.
Cheers Ben!
Kevin Mbappé, as I always think he is called before I read his actual name again (conflating him with Kevin Mbabu, I think - easy mistake to make), has this God complex of thinking he is owed a foul any time someone challenges him.
Golden chance for the French there.
All from giving the ball away.
In this game the comms are giving the Messi treatment to 'Matty Cash', which is probably worse.
Why is he shooting there?
France are playing a bit with fire it feels like.
How did we not score there?
Poland looking better than I thought they would.
I would fancy us against this France. Possible concerns would be BOTTLING the occasion and France bamboozling us with a tactical change or early substitutions.
Knockouts so far a case of the favoured teams being utterly clinical and the underdogs creating chances but just not composed enough to finish them.
No doubt England will change all that later.
Frances route to the final is piss too, it's in the bag.
Lloris continually proving he has stuff on every manager he’s played under
Id back us against France as long as Lloris keeps getting picked.
Rio playing translator for Poch.
Why have they got a pundit in the BBC studio who can barely speak English? Is he that desperate for the Chelsea/Tottenham jobs?
Remember when they had Fabio Cannavaro doing games in his pidgin English? Then he caught a stray off Martin O'Neill donning Adrian Chiles and nobody has seen him since.
Did Lineker say "Jordan Pickford and Kieron Dyer" there?
That Colombia was wild. Had it all.
Please don't combine piano and strings with Jordan Pickford trying to drool out a coherent sentence.
Mon the African boys, me and Mahow are gonna be partying long into the night.
Bruce Dyer > Kieron Dyer > Eric Dier.
That's a quality finish, shame it doesn't count.
I don't think there's any reason why the ref can't wait to blow the whistle there. Enemy of football for chalking that goal off.
Since I slagged off commentators earlier, I reckon Robyn or whoever this one is on the beeb is really good. 'You could almost see smoke coming off his feet there' a really good image for how Mbappé plays at this stage of his career.
Gave him far too much space.
Matty Cash letting down his second country.
He’s just so fucking good.