The College Dropout

Think James was outstanding in the last one but his team didn't get deep into the competition.

Pogba was consistent imo. But not even France's best CM. If it were me, I would've given it to whoever team lost between Modric and Kante. Unless one of them had an absolute stormer. Perisic was great when it mattered too.

I really don't like this Macron geezer.

What’s unlikeable about Pogba? Seems a nice lad. Not cynical, doesn’t cheat or dive loads. Looks to play football the right way and tries to have fun and bring joy while doing it.

These lads are likeable. Extremely so imo. Varane, Umtiti, Kante, Pogba very likeable imo. It’s France as a nation, that is not.

Looks like the last 3 world cup winners have won due to having an industrial-like conveyer belt of top class academies producing top class footballers.

Thierry would ask the ref first.

I still remember his running rings round Colback, that will always be my abiding memory of him. And Anita. It was like a grown adult playing against 12 year olds.

N'Zonzi's been a baller for some time.

There’s been nee standout good LBs like. I was going to Vrsaljko there but I’m stickler for the deets on shit like this. I just picked Hernandez as he got to be the final but he’s probs been France’s worst starter. Went for Meunier for exactly the same reason, I thought he was excellent for Belgium and I honestly couldn't pick a left back. Couldn't believe how poor Marcelo was. He played like he had the runs or something. Thought Marcelo was great against Belgium, the second half anyway. He and Douglas Costa almost single handedly brought them back into the game. I'm disagreeing with you a lot tonight They played some quality stuff. That game, quality wise, was game of the tournament for me. That and the 3-3.

Aye, it's a big shame imo. Salah and Mane? IMO they're both better players and hungrier goal scorers. Shaqiri has that bit of magic though.

But you're the one who is offended. The Croatians used it as motivation and are in the WC final.

And even if he meant Miranda, that's fucking hard on Lukaku as Miranda had a very good World Cup and is a very good defender. Aye I meant Miranda. Marcelo did his ‘I’m not defending’ thing that entire second half. Lukaku was in that space Marcelo vacated. A number of times he was 1v1 with Miranda - did absolutely nothing. Didn’t even hold it up. Kept giving it away. Miranda’s been an excellent player but a quick, powerful player of Lukaku’s ability should have the beating of an old CB pushing up high with no support from the LB. The definitive ST performances in the KOs has come from Cavani. Maybe Mandzukic.

What about it? I don’t think Marca or even Real Madrid woul deny there’s an arrogance around them. When you win and have a history of winning, you take the arrogance as part of success. When you don’t win anything. Rarely challenge. The arrogance tag stings.

I literally wrote 1 line about the song. My point is taking the tiredness as an absolute fact, then going on about the final (ITV and BBC did this) as Bluf said - rather than focus on Croatia and how we take advantage of their weaknesses. When we've been in semi's - we barely looked at what the other semi was doing... at least that's how it seemed. Laser focus on the Man U and Marseille games I felt from the media sans x years without a trophy stuff. I'm with Bluf really. There's a predisposition of seeing the English as arrogant. Especially from Croatia, a small and relatively new nation. Beating England and going to the WC final is the biggest sports achievement ever - according to Bilic anyway. I can imagine their focus was solely on us. It's also fairly arrogant to insist we aren't arrogant. Arrogance is usually down to perception from others and an over-estimation of one's ability or standing. It's harder to call a team arrogant or in need of humility when they win and we never do.

I agree with whoever said, the English are generally seen as arrogant. With that hat on: They're tired as an absolute advantage > chat about open top celebrations in London or a tour > "Hey Slav, what's Croatian for it's coming home loolz". Seems a bit arrogant. Especially when they have Jordan Henderson as your midfield Maestro and you're Luka Modric - looking for 0.5% extra determination and motivation. You'll take it.

Someone said, if Kante played for Belgium or Brazil instead, it would be them in the final - I agree with that. I'd probably have 5 in midfield. I think in the second half against Brazil and the France game, Lukaku was awful. He had Dante 1v1 for 45 minutes and did nothing. Was great in that first half though. Mandzukic had a superb assist in the QF, scored the winner in the semi and his all-round player is always better than Lukaku's. Likewise, I thought Marcelo was brilliant in the second half against Belgium. And when he played, he was a real danger with Neymar down that left. Quietly, Lovren's been the business too.

Harsh on Chelsea tbh, they're about to hire Sarri and sign Jorginho. Yeh maybe. Haven't been following closely. But those signings should've been made in May/June. How it's taken until mid-July to get rid of Conte is shambolic imo. They will be fine I suspect.

It is when you take it as an absolute advantage. It is when you don't plan to exploit it, you just think it's going to happen. It was just "they've played loads, they will be tired." Nothing about us doing work to tire them out further. To make matters worse, we don't play in a style which is likely to take advantage of it. The formation demands a lot physically from the fullbacks and midfield 3. And we were unlikely to dominate possession and wear the Croatians out as they chased the game. I also think Croatia had a game plan to conserve energy, from their front wide men at least. Perisic and the other lad didn't bother chasing our fullbacks back which is partially why we enjoyed so much in the first half. I look at Mayweather. He exploits apparent weaknesses, he just doesn't take them as a given. You think a boxer will tire, you work his body. Or at least talk about it being in the game plan. Nobody did that. If i'm Luka Modric and i'm being told the English think we'll tire out, i'll be fired up. After 80 minutes who will be suffering more, him or Henderson? Henderson will over-exert himself in the opening 80 minutes and his touch, technique and composure will fail him. He will be passed to death. That happened in only May. Wullie - there was a plan to exploit Sterling's pace. That's not arrogance. There was no plan to exploit tired Croatian legs. No attempt to keep the ball and make Modric and co. run their legs out. In the end even our plan to use our pace became overly basic. Re: slowing it down. I don't think it's an individual thing. When the going gets tough for England (over the last 20 years), we lose belief in our ability to play technically and lose composure. Even the likes of Stones, when the going got tough, he took the easy option with his passes, it's why so many times we pass it back to the GK. We don't have that core belief to play it throughout English football culture. When it gets tough, pump it long, play it safe. Lose the ball, concede possession, sit deep. Some of it is technical. I think all 3 of our midfielders are runners first and foremost, 2 of which are final 3rd players. After 70 minutes, the running had gone from them. But most of it is mental. Think Gareth was naive tactically too. Full backs needed cover, not from the CM's who had been run into the ground.

Apparently Bournemouth are broke. Chelsea are a shambles. Don't know what the rest are playing at.

No but Bilic was there, hearing the jokes fly. Bilic managed Modric, Rakitic and Corluka - the senior lads of that group. I suspect he had a little word with some of them. The pundits were happy they went to ET against Russia. We thought stamina would be on our side. The pundits spoke about he final. When it became obvious that they looked the physically fitter - the pundits were surprised. We either over estimated our own stamina or under estimated theirs. It’s arrogance. Just seen a clip of Henderson misplacing 7-8 Long balls. A lot of it was due to a lack of composure.

He wasn't 'linked', he was about to sign until the deal fell through at the last minute after Nice noticed a loophole in his release clause and hiked the price. Ok. I've never seen the lad play. All I know is there was lots of Barca talk about him last year. Didn't know it got that close. Now look at us.

Based on them taking what was said, to heart.

It wasn't just that. First it was Croatians will be tired, then they even started talking about where the open top bus parades will be. Yes, it's mostly a joke but it tells you something about where our minds are. I don't think the Croatians would be doing that.

The ITV coverage of the Croatia - Russia game spoke a lot about Croats being tired. Bilic was there and he probably felt an air of arrogance. Knowing the Croatian players attitudes it would motivate them. And then In the other Semi the Beeb presenters spoke a lot about fading France and had to remind themselves they had a game against Croatia to play. That speaks to our weakness as a nation. Thinking about wining a final rather than the next game. It’s no wonder it seems like the England players played the occasion.