The Official FIFA World Cup 2022 Megathread

[Tony Towner]

Belgium had a lot of PL players you'd heard of

 

[Johnny75]

2016-18 was their time really wasn't it. Managed to fuck it against Wales in the euros mind

Were they the best in the world 6 years ago?

France were bloody brilliant as were Spain.

Argentina should've been on talent level.

 

[Alan]

Weren't Italy #1 when they lost to Macedonia in the playoff?

 

[Alan]

Were they the best in the world 6 years ago?

France were bloody brilliant as were Spain.

Argentina should've been on talent level.

Maybe in terms of total talent, but IMO the Argentinians always pool talent on the attacking end.

Argentinian attackers = great, world class, sometimes even a GOAT amongst them

Argentinian midfielders = pretty damn good, almost always silky footballers at minimum

Argentinian defenders = I mean, you probably could win with them... But I wouldn't bet on it

Argentinian goalkeepers = have they had a really decent one since Roa? No one jumps to mind

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Martinez is a very good keeper

Argentina have had some fucking awesome defenders. Zanetti immediately springs to mind.

 

[Alan]

Martinez is fine, I wouldn't fight for him in a backyard draft, though.

Zanetti is a good shout, but who was in that defense with him? Seems like they can never get a full set of defenders or midfielders to go along with the absurd attacking talent.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

They had Walter Samuel and Roberto Ayala at around the same time, both excellent.

 

[GLASGOWOLF]

This is just nonsense.

Their defenders are all over the hill. Hazard is broken as is Lukaku. Neither wing back gets into anybody else's top side.

Courtois and KdB are top level talent and that's it.

Compare that to France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, England, Argentina or Brazil and it's not even close. I don't even think they're better than the Netherlands.

Now they are really no where near, 4 - 7 years ago they were

 

[GLASGOWOLF]

2016-18 was their time really wasn't it. Managed to fuck it against Wales in the euros mind

They really underestimated the Welsh, they believed theuly needed to just turn up and win, that was their tournament, and the failed massively

 

[Alan]

They had Walter Samuel and Roberto Ayala at around the same time, both excellent.

FIFA 11 legend

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

They really underestimated the Welsh, they believed theuly needed to just turn up and win, that was their tournament, and the failed massively

World best teams don’t do that.

 

[Johnny75]

Now they are really no where near, 4 - 7 years ago they were

They weren't the best in the world though.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

In 2016 Belgium had Jordan Lukaku and Jason Denayer as half their back four, and they've always had crud like Boyata, Fellaini, Chadli, Batshuayi etc clogging up the squad.

A good team, not the best in the world, definitely not "far and away".

 

[MARKakaJIM]

They had Walter Samuel and Roberto Ayala at around the same time, both excellent.

Did Heinze complete that back four? He was good for period.

 

[Alan]

Worth pointing out as well that even players of theirs like KdB don't do the business consistently in red and black (and yellow).

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Did Heinze complete that back four? He was good for period.

Around 2006 he would have done, yeah.

Although they also did textbook Argentina shit like leaving Zanetti out of the World Cup squad for never explained reasons and took Scaloni, who might be a decent manager but was a shite RB.

 

[Alan]

Samuel Eto'o took the time to kick the shit out of someone who heckled him while he was posing for pictures, apparently.

 

[Del Woppio]

Morocco are playing a lot more adventurously than I expected, going to be a tight game this, Spain don't look on it

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Morocco are playing a lot more adventurously than I expected, going to be a tight game this, Spain don't look on it

They haven't been any good other than the opening game when Costa Rica were in turn appalling.

 

[AndyWolves]

Offside but that's terrific last ditch defending after an awful fuck up