The Beautiful Game thread, season 2017/18

[XXXIV]

Dont get me wrong I am happy for Russia.

BUT

Seriously make the pussies play til they die.

I guarantee you if they know someone has to score a real goal to win the game BOTH teams play different in extra time.

[wco81]

It’s the end of a glorious tiki-taka era for Spain too. Much like Argentina, they never played to their potential but unlike the Albicelestes, they have strong midfield players that just couldn’t deliver in this WC. I feel for Iniesta, guys like D. Silva looked tired, time to replace a lot of guys like Pique, Koke, Busquets.

Russia came with only thing in mind. Stretch the match to the PKs and with the help of their keeper, accomplished the impossible. Kudos to everyone that scored too, everyone looked cool and were deadly accurate.

This is a huge upset. That whole bracket looks wide open with Croatia perhaps feeling the pressure to advance far.

Just what I was thinking. 80%possession and 24-7 shots generated, 9-1 on goal. But it was just midget midfielders playing keep away passing to each other, not so much winning individual matchups in the final third to pose danger.

They don't have the scorers that Real and Barca have so now they're like circa 2006, technically proficient, one of the European giants, but not the dominant team of the 2010 vintage which won the WC and the Euro.

Of course replacing the manager on the eve of the WC doesn't help either.

[XXXIV]

Now this is much nicer.

[pk500]

It’s the end of a glorious tiki-taka era for Spain too. Much like Argentina, they never played to their potential but unlike the Albicelestes, they have strong midfield players that just couldn’t deliver in this WC. I feel for Iniesta, guys like D. Silva looked tired, time to replace a lot of guys like Pique, Koke, Busquets.

Glorious tiki-taka -- one of the great oxymorons of sport.

Effective? Hell, yes. A World Cup and Euro title prove that. Attractive? Hell, no. Possession for the sake of possession, with more lateral and backward movement than forward movement.

I'm glad Spain is gone. Spain is the Floyd Mayweather of soccer -- unbelievably skilled and effective, and boring as hell to watch.

[XXXIV]

It’s the end of a glorious tiki-taka era for Spain too. Much like Argentina, they never played to their potential but unlike the Albicelestes, they have strong midfield players that just couldn’t deliver in this WC. I feel for Iniesta, guys like D. Silva looked tired, time to replace a lot of guys like Pique, Koke, Busquets.

Glorious tiki-taka -- one of the great oxymorons of sport.

Effective? Hell, yes. A World Cup and Euro title prove that. Attractive? Hell, no. Possession for the sake of possession, with more lateral and backward movement than forward movement.

I'm glad Spain is gone. Spain is the Floyd Mayweather of soccer -- unbelievably skilled and effective, and boring as hell to watch.

Not nearly as boring as Russia no?

Not even close.

Enjoy your Greece clone

[10spro]

It’s the end of a glorious tiki-taka era for Spain too. Much like Argentina, they never played to their potential but unlike the Albicelestes, they have strong midfield players that just couldn’t deliver in this WC. I feel for Iniesta, guys like D. Silva looked tired, time to replace a lot of guys like Pique, Koke, Busquets.

Glorious tiki-taka -- one of the great oxymorons of sport.

Effective? Hell, yes. A World Cup and Euro title prove that. Attractive? Hell, no. Possession for the sake of possession, with more lateral and backward movement than forward movement.

I'm glad Spain is gone. Spain is the Floyd Mayweather of soccer -- unbelievably skilled and effective, and boring as hell to watch.

I disgress. I still enjoy that part of the game, in American football terms, the so called ground game that many SA teams adopt and play and Spain just perfect it when they won their WC. It may appear slow, passing the ball around but it does create spaces. But you have to have the right players to be very accurate and have fast forwards to complement that style of play.

On the other hand, you can go the English way, a physical airborne game that relies a lot on strong wingers to center the perfect ball for a header. Different styles, with different results depending where you learn to play the game.

Today’s game reminded me a lot of how Iceland played Argentina. Everyone parked the bus in the back and pray for a lethal counterattack. I don’t know, you may get the result that suits you but ultimately that’s not ‘Jogo Bonito’.

I still prefer the possession game, problem for Spain and Argentina is that they couldn’t find those open spaces and speed to complement their game, much due because of their players past their primes.

[XXXIV]

you are far too kind james...

[10spro]

you are far too kind james...

I leave the rest to you...

[wco81]

Spain at their peak could demoralize opponents, playing keep away.

Reminds me of the time Barca went into Old Trafford and embarrassed United, in one of Rooney's last seasons there.

They looked like they were in different classes, like men toying with children, not letting them have the ball at all.

Russia was able to deny good scoring chances even while Spain kept the ball at midfield.

[10spro]

Spain at their peak could demoralize opponents, playing keep away.

Reminds me of the time Barca went into Old Trafford and embarrassed United, in one of Rooney's last seasons there.

They looked like they were in different classes, like men toying with children, not letting them have the ball at all.

Russia was able to deny good scoring chances even while Spain kept the ball at midfield.

At their peak, they were a joy to watch. My coach would always say: ‘Keeping the ball away from your opponent while playing our possession game, will keep them away from scoring’.

And again, depending who the manager is, where the sport is being played, Tiki-taka will always be around.

[XXXIV]

you are far too kind james...

I leave the rest to you...

Some one has to be the bad guy eh

[wco81]

Denmark or Croatia have a chance to beat Russia and reach the quarterfinals.

Denmark has a population of 5.8 million, Croatia is about 4.3 million and Uruguay is about 3.3 million.

Really these teams are in contention because of a couple of star players right, with just competent players on the rest of the roster?

Not star-studded like the powerhouse nations like France, Spain, Germany, Brazil?

If the US ever develops a couple of very good players, in a nation of 360 million, you'd think they could be a threat to make or get past the quarter finals.

[pk500]

Enjoy your Greece clone

You mean the same “Greece clone” that was the second-highest scoring side in the group stages, with two more goals than the vaunted tiki-taka gods of Spain?

[XXXIV]

Enjoy your Greece clone

You mean the same “Greece clone” that was the second-highest scoring side in the group stages, with two more goals than the vaunted tiki-taka gods of Spain?

Look at you.

[wco81]

Big choke by Luka.

[F308GTB]

Dont get me wrong I am happy for Russia.

BUT

Seriously make the pussies play til they die.

I guarantee you if they know someone has to score a real goal to win the game BOTH teams play different in extra time.

Imagine the NBA going to a free throw contest in the playoffs, the MLB bringing out the batting cages, ... I would rather teams get an extra sub or two then to go to tee ball mode.

[pk500]

Enjoy your Greece clone

You mean the same “Greece clone” that was the second-highest scoring side in the group stages, with two more goals than the vaunted tiki-taka gods of Spain?

Look at you.

All that passing, and OPTA stats showed Spain had two legitimate scoring chances in 120 minutes. Another stat: Only 11 of Spain's 1,006 passes today reached the penalty area. Spain today more resembled a father having a kick-about with his U6 kids in the yard than a dominant football side.

The golden era is over for football's show ponies.

[RobVarak]

Paul, stop it. Continue your anti-Spain jihad if you must, but do not try to make this truly terrible Russia side into anything more than the garbage fire, second division bus-parkers that they are. A gaudy score against a Saudi Arabia team that shouldn't have been within 500 miles of Russia does not make them a legitimate all-around team.

And just for a cherry on top of the antipathy sundae, while I'm the least conspiracy-minded person you'll come across, I'm not going to believe any Russian athlete is clean at this point in any sport.

[pk500]

Russia did park the bus, Rob. And they're clearly benefiting from the home team bounce, with probably the added pharmacological jolt. But when Spain puts only 11 balls into the box all day and has no one who can beat anyone off the dribble, why shouldn't Russia throw away the keys to the bus and dare Spain to get past?

I just get sick of everyone drooling over Spain's pass-and-move game when it involves no movement, like yesterday. It was meaningless passing, the show pony of tiki-taka. If Derek Rae creamed himself one more time over the disparity in passing stats, I would have exploded. But Spain yesterday was the American football equivalent of a West Coast offense dinking and dunking its way downfield with a stream of 4-yard screen passes and stalling at the opposing team's 35.

I know Spain was lethal in recent years when it combined movement with purposeful passing. And that's exactly why I compare Spain in its tiki-taka pomp to Floyd Mayweather at his peak. Both effective as hell. Both skilled as hell. And both boring as hell.

I'll take direct, blood-and-guts football -- distasteful to the purists -- eight days a week. I don't put Russia into that category, as I realize it's a turd of a team. But bottom line is that Hierro and the vaunted tiki-taka system couldn't find a way past a team that it should have destroyed on paper, and I'm seeing as much -- if not more -- criticism of Russia's defensive style as I am of Spain's useless passing and ineptitude. That's ridiculous.

[10spro]

Pretty good start for the Mexicans with fast counters until Brazil settled their nerves and used Neymar more. Both teams with chances to score, both sides should continue to explore Lozano and Neymar’s side respectively as it opened up a few holes.

[pk500]

Pretty good start for the Mexicans with fast counters until Brazil settled their nerves and used Neymar more. Both teams with chances to score, both sides should continue to explore Lozano and Neymar’s side respectively as it opened up a few holes.

Three unmarked Brazilian players in box on the goal. Passing with purpose!

I'll stop now.

P.S.: Have you guys seen the Stats Zone app? Exhaustive statistical and metrics breakdown of every game, using Opta data. Only 99 cents for the World Cup, $10 for the year to get analysis of every match in every major footy league. Pretty cool. http://statszone.tiki-taka.co/

[pk500]

How tough would it be for FIFA to instruct referees to show more yellow cards for simulation? Neymar has reached the point of embarrassment.

[Rodster]

How tough would it be for FIFA to instruct referees to show more yellow cards for simulation? Neymar has reached the point of embarrassment.

FIFA should allow video review for stuff like that and if guilty, a mandatory yellow.

[XXXIV]

How tough would it be for FIFA to instruct referees to show more yellow cards for simulation? Neymar has reached the point of embarrassment.

FIFA should allow video review for stuff like that and if guilty, a mandatory yellow.

The idiot doing the Brazil Switzerland or the Uruguay Portugal game the other day still would not show a card.

[Rodster]

How tough would it be for FIFA to instruct referees to show more yellow cards for simulation? Neymar has reached the point of embarrassment.

FIFA should allow video review for stuff like that and if guilty, a mandatory yellow.

The idiot doing the Brazil Sweden or the Uruguay Portugal the other day still would not show a card.

He might have learned from R. Goodell's refs