FIFA day matches (March 2018)

oghabealborz

Elite Member
Feb 18, 2005
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Strawberry field
We definitely need as many buses as we can get in the stadium!

Unfortunately, our second game is agianst Spain, but even if they did not need any points and played all their reserves I think we would still have a very tough time and not much chance to lose with a small margin let alone get a point the way both teams play right now.
Really ? I though we play Spain in our last game .....bloody hell they play magic football .
 

Azhidahak

Bench Warmer
May 30, 2005
1,707
67
Too bad for Messi, but Argentina get what they deserve for not picking Icardi! Absolute joke!

Always soooooo much politics in Argentina NT when picking their squad. I still cant get around not picking Javier Zanetti for WC 2006...
 

Mahdi

Elite Member
Jan 1, 1970
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Mjunik
Too bad for Messi, but Argentina get what they deserve for not picking Icardi! Absolute joke!

Always soooooo much politics in Argentina NT when picking their squad. I still cant get around not picking Javier Zanetti for WC 2006...
If it was about politics, Icardi would play. The problem is that Icardi is mainly a 9 for the box and not a player to roam around and create space for people behind him. Also, he wouldn't come to Russia to sit on the bench. It is actually progress that he is not picked. I also don't see how he would have helped against Spain or would solve the problems the team has (midfield, slow defenders, goalkeeper). Mind you, Higuain should not be in the squad by any means.

With all that said, it was a fairly experimental line-up and despite the bad score very irrelevant. The less people believe that Argentina is any good, the less pressure and the less stress for the world cup. Plus if Messi is healthy, he alone is good enough to drag them to the final.
 
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Mahdi

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Jan 1, 1970
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This Spain team is going to shit on us, and everyone else (apart from Germany) this summer.

Spain and Germany are too far ahead. Other nations should just bring a few youngsters and get ready for Qatar.
Spain does not have any player consistently day in day out performing on a world class level. Well, maybe Busquets and De Gea. Other than that, they don't. This is not the same team as in 2010-2012 but rather the old Spain of yesteryears that was World Champion before the tournament started. Plus their coach is rather average.
Germany is good/great as they are some sort of machine, but their teams heartbeat is a bit out of form. Naturally, they could line up 3 teams and make the quarterfinals. But none of them would probably make the final.
The only team ahead of the pack for now is Brazil. Brazil has excellent quality in every line. They only have one problem, and that's the Ozghal from PSG who is too big of a distraction. If they manage to keep him disciplined for 4 weeks, I don't know how they are not going to win. Especially since for the first time since 1982 they have a proper coach. Also, guys like Coutinho, Firminho, Gabriel Jesus, Willian, Fernandinho etc. are really good players and characters that are difficult to root against. But then again, their star player is a clown.
 
Likes: Payandeh Iran
Nov 29, 2002
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The only team ahead of the pack for now is Brazil. Brazil has excellent quality in every line. They only have one problem, and that's the Ozghal from PSG who is too big of a distraction. .
They have a cult of personality and are far too psychologically frail to go the distance even if their squad is much better than last time.
 

Mahdi

Elite Member
Jan 1, 1970
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They have a cult of personality and are far too psychologically frail to go the distance even if their squad is much better than last time.
Maybe but don't underestimate the role a proper manager can have on a squad.

All in all, if they keep the personality cult crap aside, and Neymar plays for a month football like a proper human being, they should walk it. Given that he won't, it will be close.
 

Azhidahak

Bench Warmer
May 30, 2005
1,707
67
If it was about politics, Icardi would play. The problem is that Icardi is mainly a 9 for the box and not a player to roam around and create space for people behind him. Also, he wouldn't come to Russia to sit on the bench. It is actually progress that he is not picked. I also don't see how he would have helped against Spain or would solve the problems the team has (midfield, slow defenders, goalkeeper). Mind you, Higuain should not be in the squad by any means.

With all that said, it was a fairly experimental line-up and despite the bad score very irrelevant. The less people believe that Argentina is any good, the less pressure and the less stress for the world cup. Plus if Messi is healthy, he alone is good enough to drag them to the final.
Absolutely true that Icardis presence wouldnt have made any difference in the result of yesterdays game, but its just a case of me being a hater because of the very fact that he is not invited :)

I can buy into the argument that they dont need a number 9 right now, but as long as they have any player in the squad who in anyway is close to a number 9 then that player should be Icardi. And as far as the current selection goes, as far as they play with Higuain I cant grasp how Icardi is not a much better choice.
 

Mahdi

Elite Member
Jan 1, 1970
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Absolutely true that Icardis presence wouldnt have made any difference in the result of yesterdays game, but its just a case of me being a hater because of the very fact that he is not invited :)

I can buy into the argument that they dont need a number 9 right now, but as long as they have any player in the squad who in anyway is close to a number 9 then that player should be Icardi. And as far as the current selection goes, as far as they play with Higuain I cant grasp how Icardi is not a much better choice.
Me neither but Higuain is a bit more mobile than Icardi. But he should not play there at all. Neither should Aguero.
 
Oct 18, 2010
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i would not put too much stock in the results of these friendly matches.
teams and managers experiment in these games to pick their players
and simulate different game conditions.
come june 14 you can start counting on the results, right now this is
all pre-season matches as in nfl.
 
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