davek
Player Valuation: £150m
Brilliant.Not sure but this might illustrate your point?
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World Cup 2022
- Thread starter RAFUH
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TN Toffee
Player Valuation: £25m
Sure, the US just labored to a 1-0 win over Iran, but don’t worry, Charles Barkley thinks we’ve got something for all those teams. Although, “that boy Muhbappe…he ain’t no joke.”
Drico
Player Valuation: £50m
Yup, been saying it for months. The winner - and probably both finalists - comes from that trio. The standard of this tournament is abysmal. I understand and accept that international football will no longer match up to the standard set in the Champions League by multinational sides. But the format of this tournament is all wrong. We'd be far better with a World Cup of 16 teams playing in four groups of four. Basically, the Mexico 1970 format. Or a tweaked Argentina 1978 format with two semi-finals after a second group stage. But that's gone with the last century...
I, for one, think a 48-team tournament is ludicrous, but given that there will be more knockout games in that format as a percentage of total matches, I don't think the 2026 format is all that bad given the low standard of the international game, in general. Two group games are enough. On to the jeopardy of knockout!
If you ignore the standard of the group games, a 48 team tournament does give a much better chance for lesser teams who usually just miss out in the qualifiers, to play in the tournament. Which will be amazing for their fans.
I do like seeing the fans from nations where you wouldn’t normally watch their football, how they embrace it and how they celebrate when they cause an upset. That’s brought some of the best moments of this and recent World Cups.
Even having a 16 team tournament, the 3 teams you’ve mentioned would all probably win it, it’ll just take a bit longer to get there.
4737carlin
Player Valuation: £90m
If England win on Sunday anyone who who they might play next and when?
4 Eyes Better Than 2
Player Valuation: £8m
Think they would play winner of France or poland on the 10th
Drico
Player Valuation: £50m
I tend to agree with you. I've long since given up on the notion that the World Cup is a tournament that is designed to crown the best side as champions. That hasn't been the case, arguably, since 1978. Then you had three group games, and then three more against top eight sides. You then got to the final. Now, it's becoming more of a lottery. But with two out of three teams making it out of the groups - apparently - in 2026, there is little jeopardy for the top sides and then we're into knockout. So, it's really a cup competition now and chance plays a bigger role than it would in the quasi leagues of the 1970s. But no minnow is going to win five knockout games to win the World Cup, so in the end the usual suspects will take the glory.
This USA team is our best roster. We have players playing regularly at the top European clubs.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with being patriotic and hoping we win our games. Most European nations are very smug and arrogant and I'm sure the Dutch are feeling very confident in beating us too.
As if an American has just accused Europeans are being smug and arrogant.
Lemme guess, we have no self awareness either?
Haydn
Player Valuation: £10m
Welsh fans who went over to Doha will be returning now and bringing a few lessons learned back with us.
I’m probably correct in saying, that the biggest lesson learned, is that your life is wholly incomplete, if you don’t have one of these, at home.
They are truly life changing, arse wasps instantly become a thing of the past. Yes, Wales played poorly, but as a nation, never has there been such collective cleanliness of the hoop.
People met up in bars and the first conversation would be, have you, you know, tried the hoop hose ?
Until I get one fitted, explaining to the neighbours, why I am squatting, kecks down and legs akimbo on the patio, with the Karcher pressure washer on full blast, will be a tough call, but believe me, this is the way forward.
Thank you Qatar, Gianno Infantino and World Cup 2022 for this enlightenment
I’m probably correct in saying, that the biggest lesson learned, is that your life is wholly incomplete, if you don’t have one of these, at home.
They are truly life changing, arse wasps instantly become a thing of the past. Yes, Wales played poorly, but as a nation, never has there been such collective cleanliness of the hoop.
People met up in bars and the first conversation would be, have you, you know, tried the hoop hose ?
Until I get one fitted, explaining to the neighbours, why I am squatting, kecks down and legs akimbo on the patio, with the Karcher pressure washer on full blast, will be a tough call, but believe me, this is the way forward.
Thank you Qatar, Gianno Infantino and World Cup 2022 for this enlightenment
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Chuck being Chuck...despite not ever winning a Championship, still a HOF'er and you can partly see why; never beaten until he was beaten. Took the GOAT to deny him his chance. Nothing but love for the Chuckster, a genuine personality; warts and all.
Haydn
Player Valuation: £10m
Honestly, there were no hooky fans in the numbers reported in the Qatar crowd attendances.
Everyone waving those flags was a diehard supporter.
This lad, from south Wales, I think, from his strange accent. Was just posting his dissatisfaction with tactics and team selection, on the Wales fan forum.
Everyone waving those flags was a diehard supporter.
This lad, from south Wales, I think, from his strange accent. Was just posting his dissatisfaction with tactics and team selection, on the Wales fan forum.
brieverton
Player Valuation: £50m
I would agree that a 48-team tournament is ridiculous and will be very difficult to manage. That's just a complete sop to commercial interests and goes way overboard. How long will the next tournament take to complete, 6 weeks?
Between 24 and 32 teams is the best format in my opinion. Maybe 28 teams with a bit more creativity and imagination as to how the tournament is organised as regards group and knockout stages. Football is a truly global game after all.
There has to be inclusion of African and Asian sides to make it a global competition, even if the weeding-out process in the group and round of 16 stage has to be longer as a result. These teams and the travelling fans bring something unique and even if FIFA don't care at all about the fostering of the game and its popularity globally other than the $$$ element, their inclusion has been a positive overall.
I'm almost thinking of this with my Everton hat on, and the proposed super-league. A tournament of elites is great for TV audiences, but it too has its limitations and there has to be fodder to a certain degree (it's just a pity that Everton are this very same fodder in our case).
We have seen some shock/unexpected results and even though most of these will be flashes in the pan, the progression of Australia to the last 16 again is great to see, as it is for the USA also. There is absolute success and relative success and the latter is important for those teams. Morocco have been impressive also and I'd expect them to reach the last 16 too.
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