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Round of 16

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Drico said:
Because the function of qualifers should be to cull the herd: survival of the fittest.

I'm not arguing for reducing the number of tournament games for the sake of the qualifiers, though the diminution of the qualifiers is a function of increasing the number of tournament games. I'm arguing that the finals tournament should be a showcase of distilled quality - not a free for all where the likes of Scotland can turn up, be patronised for being a great bunch of lads, and then humiliated on a world stage.

They had no business here - and they weren't alone.

But hey, each to their own. Let's hope we get some classic matches from here on in.
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They had business being there purely because they qualified by the methods that were set beforehand.

16 was the right number I reckon 8 was great back in the day but the early 90's almost doubled the amount of teams with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. 24 was fine for a World Cup.
 
The standard of shooting in this tournament is poor. I wonder if that's anything to do with the Adidas ball
 
jazzy said:
The standard of shooting in this tournament is poor. I wonder if that's anything to do with the Adidas ball
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I don't think so because there have also been some great goals especially early on.

To busy working on their passing instead of their shooting I reckon the leaden booted gits.
 


TheBigIguana said:
I don’t get why having the cull be the actual tournament is in any way a problem. The bar should really just be how many teams fit while still having it be semi-competitive and with Slovenia and Georgia advancing we’re fine on that one.
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The logical extension of your argument is we have ALL of Europe here at the tournament. There's not much difference between Scotland and some of the sides that didn't qualify such as Sweden, Greece, Ireland, Norway, etc. I mean, we could, but would you really want to watch that? I suppose some people would love it. UEFA will DEFINITELY increase it to 32. They'll use the Haaland argument. Each to their own.

But basically, my argument is that if you have a good qualification competition where only 7 or 15 qualify, then you have already ensured that the best sides have made the finals tournament. And then, with the right format, you get higher quality sides playing against each other. That, in theory, should lead to higher-quality matches and a better spectacle.

I have enjoyed this tournament as a diversion from life - but the matches have largely been deeply ordinary. Not one game yet will be replayed in years to come as a "classic match". In the group stages of previous touraments we had all-time classics like Czech Republic-Holland 2004, Spain-Yugoslavia 2000, and Holland-France 2008. But then there were fewer sides and only two teams going through from each group instead of the farcical three. That, actually, is a better argument for 32 teams than what I've suggested above...
 
Papa Shango said:
Pretty much. The amount of times a player could shoot and make himself a hero but instead play a crap ball to the edge of the box does my head in. Nobody seems to be able to cross a ball properly these days either.

There is a lack of mavericks and players who can think for themselves. Too busy thinking about that they should be doing rather than just doing it.
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Like robotic football. Players just do as they’re programmed to do these days.

If there’s no obvious forward pass on, turn around and play it safe to a defender. Rinse and repeat. Very few players attempt to run at and commit opponents. Barely see any crosses from open play and, ever increasingly, from set-pieces as it’s viewed as such a low-percentage play. It’s all so very bland and leads to boring spectacles like this where neither team wants to take a risk and leave themselves vulnerable.
 

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