World Cup 2022

[Lobster Johnson]

As if an American has just accused Europeans are being smug and arrogant.

Lemme guess, we have no self awareness either?

Speak loudly everywhere they go and refuse to learn a second language?

 

[Drico]

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.

The next tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico will take exactly as long as this one, it seems. The provisional format is for 16 groups of 3 with the top two progressing to the last 32 knockout competition. That means the same seven games for the finalists and the tournament ending in about a month - as now.

There is talk of changing the format to 12 groups of 4, but that would be disastrous in my view as it means too many group matches involving fodder and a bewildering qualification format for the last 16. In theory, the 12 group winners and the four best runners-up would be what they have in mind. I hope they stick with the 16 groups of 3 where everyone gets two matches and if you can't get into the top two in that tough luck.

 

[Charles Hawtrey]

So all 4 of the Everton boys made it into the last 16, so no early returns to FF. Gana will likely be the first one out and he can't even play the next match lol

Onana?

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

I think Morocco will do well

Shouldn't struggle too much with the conditions, should be well supported for the most part and they have some decent players

Hey I was overdue one!

Makes up somewhat for me thinking Wales would beat England lol

 

[Walken]

Bobby brown looking to finish his destruction of a really talented generation of players, he is an appalling manager

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Bobby brown looking to finish his destruction of a really talented generation of players, he is an appalling manager

I wouldn't toot the horn of victory just yet mate

I remember a lot of joviality during that Japan game but they turned it around

He lives a charmed life sometimes does Roberto

 

[Walken]

I wouldn't toot the horn of victory just yet mate

I remember a lot of joviality during that Japan game but they turned it around

He lives a charmed life sometimes does Roberto

Regardless of today's result he's done a woeful job with them

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Regardless of today's result he's done a woeful job with them

Yeah if he doesn't win something with them then he's missed a trick

If you compare what he's done with Belgium's Golden Generation to what Joachim Loew did with Germany's then it's night and day

Yes, things did end in years for Germany, but he still got them to the pinnacle in 2014 so it wasn't a wasted era like Martinez's has been

 

[Walken]

Yeah if he doesn't win something with them then he's missed a trick

If you compare what he's done with Belgium's Golden Generation to what Joachim Loew did with Germany's then it's night and day

Yes, things did end in years for Germany, but he still got them to the pinnacle in 2014 so it wasn't a wasted era like Martinez's has been

Loew nearly ballsed it up trying to play pepball but credit to him for changing mid tournament and putting lahm back to full back and playing a proper budesliga style that blitzed Brazil and overpowered the little hormone addict messi

 

[Rita_Poon]

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.

Imagine what it does to the qualifying. What jeopardy are Italy in in a qualifying group of Luxembourg, Gibraltar, San Marino and Scotland?
What do England learn in a group of Faroe Islands, Cyprus. Georgia, and Malta?
What do France learn in a group of Finland, North Macedonia, Latvia and Wales?
What spectacle is there with Germany grouped with Armenia, Albania, Moldova and Azerbaijan?
Spain in vs Estonia, Lithuania, Montenegro, and Kazakhstan?
Holland vs Northern Island, Andorra, Kosovo, and Belarus?

These much lesser football nations ought to be in pre groups with one another, to earn the right to play the heavy hitters. It would mean more interest for them playing their equals (especially neighbours) it would mean less disruption to the elite leagues football as it could be played whenever as these international sides don't contribute many elite players yet. And less pointless games means the best players fresher for the top tournaments. The state as things are is chuffin rubbish and for the sake of greed fifa are looking to expand the tournament by a third. how will a 6+ weeks WC align with the olympics? Where and when are all the extra qualifying group games being played? The integrity of the competition previous is at stake as someone will eventually secure the golden boot for 20+ goals, a few hat tricks in the group stages vs Trinidad and Suriname will allow all sorts of players to eclipse the likes of Muller, Eusebio, and Kocsis without even making the semi's.

Shambles!

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Loew nearly ballsed it up trying to play pepball but credit to him for changing mid tournament and putting lahm back to full back and playing a proper budesliga style that blitzed Brazil and overpowered the little hormone addict messi

Loew also arguably overachieved at tournaments a few times before winning the big one

Got to a final in 08 and a semi-final in 10, which you could argue were better than expected placings based on the development cycle of the squad

Can you honestly say that Martinez has ever overachieved with this Belgian squad?

 

[Walken]

Loew also arguably overachieved at tournaments a few times before winning the big one

Got to a final in 08 and a semi-final in 10, which you could argue were better than expected placings based on the development cycle of the squad

Can you honestly say that Martinez has ever overachieved with this Belgian squad?

He's a failure, only 2018 was good enough for a par score and I get the impression that was player led with kompany, rom and felli dragging them forward against his awful tactics

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

He's a failure, only 2018 was good enough for a par score and I get the impression that was player led with kompany, rom and felli dragging them forward against his awful tactics

Oh Fellaini bailed him out against Japan, no doubt

 

[Toffe3m4n]

Onana?

My bad.. I automatically assumed that Belgium had gotten out of the groups lol

 

[Jamiednm]

Imagine what it does to the qualifying. What jeopardy are Italy in in a qualifying group of Luxembourg, Gibraltar, San Marino and Scotland?
What do England learn in a group of Faroe Islands, Cyprus. Georgia, and Malta?
What do France learn in a group of Finland, North Macedonia, Latvia and Wales?
What spectacle is there with Germany grouped with Armenia, Albania, Moldova and Azerbaijan?
Spain in vs Estonia, Lithuania, Montenegro, and Kazakhstan?
Holland vs Northern Island, Andorra, Kosovo, and Belarus?

These much lesser football nations ought to be in pre groups with one another, to earn the right to play the heavy hitters. It would mean more interest for them playing their equals (especially neighbours) it would mean less disruption to the elite leagues football as it could be played whenever as these international sides don't contribute many elite players yet. And less pointless games means the best players fresher for the top tournaments. The state as things are is chuffin rubbish and for the sake of greed fifa are looking to expand the tournament by a third. how will a 6+ weeks WC align with the olympics? Where and when are all the extra qualifying group games being played? The integrity of the competition previous is at stake as someone will eventually secure the golden boot for 20+ goals, a few hat tricks in the group stages vs Trinidad and Suriname will allow all sorts of players to eclipse the likes of Muller, Eusebio, and Kocsis without even making the semi's.

Shambles!

It’s arrogant and blinkered to ask “what do England learn from playing minnows”.

Football’s governing bodies have a responsibility to develop the game internationally, and the development of the popularity of football is probably one thing we can give FIFA and UEFA some credit for.

If that means the big teams play the smaller teams now and then, so what?

A 48 team World Cup sounds excessive, but I know I’d watch it. I already miss having 4 games a day going on now this group round is ending. Even if I don’t watch a lot of the games, it’s great to have the World Cup going on, scores to check etc all the time because it’s fun.

The alternative to continued expansion is a static sport which is exactly the same every year - the MLB in the US springs to mind. The NFL have started playing matches overseas to develop their sport in international markets, but that’s after decades of being a closed shop and they’ll always be behind football.