Russia World Cup 2018 Thread

Playing only two games is pointless. Why not have 8 groups of 6 then have the top 2 progress?
 
I'd compromise and say 40 teams, 8 groups of 5. Each team gets at least 4 matches, the squad gets used more and no team will be eliminated after 2 games.

But yes rather 8 groups of 6 if needs be, just hate the idea of 2 groups with only 2 games!
 
There's no need to extend it at all other than for FIFA and their 'official' sponsors to make more money. It will devalue the event and quite possibly make it too much football with too many meaningless games just like the Champions Lge group stage has become.

Take it back to 24, make qualifying mean something. Take a couple of European spaces away, one South American away and give them to Africa/Asia. That would make European qualifying actually mean something. Make the World Cup 4 groups of 6, making them ultra competitive, each team gets a minimum of 5 games. Top 2 qualify for Quarter Finals. 68 games, 4 more than now.
 
I think it's fine like it is. This is the "finals" of the World Cup, which has been going on for 2 years, essentially. Keep the seeding also.
 
mattmid said:
There's no need to extend it at all other than for FIFA and their 'official' sponsors to make more money. It will devalue the event and quite possibly make it too much football with too many meaningless games just like the Champions Lge group stage has become.

Take it back to 24, make qualifying mean something. Take a couple of European spaces away, one South American away and give them to Africa/Asia. That would make European qualifying actually mean something. Make the World Cup 4 groups of 6, making them ultra competitive, each team gets a minimum of 5 games. Top 2 qualify for Quarter Finals. 68 games, 4 more than now.
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@mattmid,
Agree as always Matters, that structure is quite simlar to the World Cup before 1982, and making it two extra teams in each group is very old school too. I just can't agree with others who think lesser football nations are improving, apart from Iceland and Japan, that is not the case.

Example: No USA, China, India, Indonesia or Pakistan at the World Cup, that is about half the global population, not as much a world game as FIFA bolloxology would suggest. :RANT::RANT::RANT::RANT:
 
Gunslinger said:
I think it's fine like it is. This is the "finals" of the World Cup, which has been going on for 2 years, essentially. Keep the seeding also.
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Nah, I would trim it back to 24 teams too. There were close to ten teams at this tournament that were not remotely competitive.
 
so... your predictions for URG:FRA!?
i had it 1:2 but changed it to 2:1 (even with Cavani missing)! :D swimming against the stream... ;)

edit: and as strange as it may look... tonight: BRA:BEL 1:2 too! :p
 
:CURSE: oh my!!! i would get my ass kicked at the local amateur soccer club.... :RANT:
Muslera.... unbelievable! stupid! just stupid!!! looked like the match was just turning around... no... this freaking world cup makes it possible! MAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!! :CENSOR:
 
its really not!
:HAND:and then there is actors and bullies averywhere! :RANT: i *'ing hate that so much!! just cant say how much!
im so tired of this! this world cup seems like a summary of all that "non soccer behaviour" that "we got used to" in the leagues (PL is something different, imo)! i just hate it! makes the sport look even more broken these days!!
Mbappe... Neymar... i could name other players... they dont need that kind of bad behaviour! just play soccer! and do it in an awesome way because: YOU CAN DO IT!!

wish there was a revolution in ref strictness and player behaviour (PES analogy!? :P ) ! cant see these babies bite and push and whine about **** no more!!!

sorry for the mini rant... needed to get that of my mind!
take care!
 
Good save by Lloris. Pickford save still the best of the tournament so far. Can see France winning this now.
 
Gunslinger said:
Good save by Lloris. Pickford save still the best of the tournament so far. Can see France winning this now.
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maybe the most important. but i still saw some other saves during the WC that where pretty sick... halldorsson vs ARG, Olson vs GER, Lloris vs AUS, Navas..., Patriciu...
saw some nice quick reactions here and there. what i liked most, keeper-wise, some "no name" keeper doing pretty good! love that, when the underdog gets pumped up and delivers like on another level (for his skill set)! :)

and then there is the "Karius-syndrom" happening to some well know keeper... ;)
 
Congraz Belgium well deserved, now vs France is nice especially for Henry..
Glad the actor is out guess with VAR he is useless:D
 
Brazil should have had a pen and Vinnie knew it.
But regardless of that Belgium were fantastic and deserved their win. De Bruyne & Hazard played for their ST and each other whilst Neymar & Coutinho continued to play for themselves. Brazil were a much better team in the qualifiers, sad to see those 2 become ballhoggers. when the big stage comes around. G.Jesus didn't have a great time but he never got a chance in the entire WC. Complete opposite to the qualifiers.
Belgium vs England final is the dream, would be happy even if we lost as no-one deserves success as much as Kompany does.
 
@Godotelli I think Kompany's one of those players that every football fan likes (or should) no matter who they support with all that he's gone through with injuries and the performances he gives and it would appear a great bloke as well.
 
mattmid said:
There's no need to extend it at all other than for FIFA and their 'official' sponsors to make more money. It will devalue the event and quite possibly make it too much football with too many meaningless games just like the Champions Lge group stage has become.

Take it back to 24, make qualifying mean something. Take a couple of European spaces away, one South American away and give them to Africa/Asia. That would make European qualifying actually mean something. Make the World Cup 4 groups of 6, making them ultra competitive, each team gets a minimum of 5 games. Top 2 qualify for Quarter Finals. 68 games, 4 more than now.
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Agreed.

Only thing I would change to the actual WC format is to make home&away type of matches after the group stages.
So if, say, Germany is staying at Kazan, and Rusia is staying at Moscow, then the two matches should take place at each other's nearest biggest stadium.
Finals, one match only, of course.


I'm happy for Belgium. Great team. I have been supporting them since 2014. De Bruyne is one of my favourite players in the world, and so is Hazard, of course.
Plus... I always like Brazil getting knocked out :D
 
Gunslinger said:
Belgium look like the team to bet on, they've got a foreign manager.:?
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That's because the country is a bit divided by Flanders (netherlands speaking) and Wallonia (french speaking), there's also tension when it's a wallon or a flander coach, and inside the country in terms of living style, politics etc.

There's top coaches from Belgium, but some of them refused. And the best decision was to take someone neutrar, foreign.
No assumption are made when he choose players "because is from wallonia or flanders, and the coach is wallonia so he's been under influence". Now critics are more founded, and based/related to football and football only.
 
mattmid said:
@Godotelli I think Kompany's one of those players that every football fan likes (or should) no matter who they support with all that he's gone through with injuries and the performances he gives and it would appear a great bloke as well.
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I know Kompany since his debut in Anderlecht, and that's a really smart, humble, and objective player when it cames to talk football.
De Bruyne is a bit similar in terms of behaviour, less "lovable" perhaps, but very pragmatic and realist even after the win against Brasil.
 
Isslander said:
So, only Europe left now.

France, Belgium, England, Sweden, Russia and Croatia..
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So much for the old football maxim of the World Cup being just the European Championships with Brazil and Argentina added. Turns out it is not even that.

48 team expansion for North America 2026 now looks like a bad joke.

FIFA. :R1:R1:R1
 
vialli82 said:
flander coach
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5f03_trainer_ned.jpg
 
I didn't think Belgium deserved the win, but glad they did. Brazil had the majority of the ball and the chances just couldn't convert.

I'm hoping Croatia or Sweden make it to the final.


FD
 
I didn't think they did either. I thought Brazil had no luck yesterday and should have scored several goals.
 
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