Not worthy of a thread - 2018 FIFA World Cup edition

[Raconteur]

Australia destroyed by Norway 4-1. More pain to come in the form of Colombia in London. National press gnashes teeth:

 

Let's accept it: Socceroos are just not good enough

 

ANALYSIS: Clueless, rudderless and hopeless: there is no other way to assess Australia's meek capitulation to Norway in Oslo.

 

The Socceroos suffered an embarrassing 4-1 defeat against an ordinary Norwegian side in the first match of Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk on Saturday morning (AEDT).

 

At the end of a hugely disappointing and deflating match, the Dutchman was left in no doubt about the 'mission impossible' he faces at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia which is less than three months away.

 

Australia face France, Denmark and Peru and on the evidence of the mismatch in Oslo, they would be lucky to get a single point in the group, let along reach the second phase.

 

The sloppy Socceroos were so poor and disjointed that they made the Norwegians look like world beaters, such was the ease with which the home team perforated the visitors that had more holes in their defence than a platter of Swiss Emmental cheese.

 

The defence was at sixes and sevens all night, the midfield was often overrun and outclassed and the attack was, well, pretty non-existent.

 

The Socceroos opened the scoring in the first half with a well-timed header by midfielder Jackson Irvine from an Aaron Mooy corner.

 

It would be the Australians' only memorable moment in a match they should try to forget as quickly as possible.

 

Much was said about the failings of the three-at-the-back system that was controversially installed mid-campaign by previous coach Ange Postecoglou.

 

And the news that van Marwijk would revert to a four-man defence was greeted with optimism by those who saw the old system as the catalyst for the Socceroos' wobbles in the second half of the qualifying campaign for the World Cup.

 

Events in Oslo showed very clearly that the numbers game at the back is not the reason for the Socceroos' woes.

 

While the media and fans debated the merits or otherwise of the two systems, little emphasis was made on the crucial fact that one of the main areas of concern for the national team was their general slowness with or without the ball and inability to track back fast enough when they lost possession, especially in the opposition half.

 

Yet the glaring point that emerged from the Oslo debacle is that this Australian team is not good enough to compete at the highest level, as it currently stands.

 

It is hard to accept this but we are doing ourselves no favours by not acknowledging it and acting accordingly, such as giving young players more opportunities to play at the highest domestic level or reducing the number of foreigners.

 

The current Socceroos have shown that they can do it as a unit occasionally, but certainly not on a regular basis.

 

The glaring problems we saw in Oslo were not new.

 

You cannot expect the Socceroos to be a force to be reckoned with at the highest level when they are so poor at set pieces, when they give the ball away so cheaply in dangerous areas, when their passing is so erratic, when their movement is so slow and when they are unable to create meaningful scoring opportunities.

 

Fans would be hoping that the humbling performance against Norway was merely a sign of van Marwijk's transition designed to bring the best out of the team come mid-June.

 

They would also be hoping for a reaction and a marked improvement in the next match against Colombia on Wednesday morning (AEDT).

 

A positive performance in London against a much stronger and far more experienced side than Norway would go a long way towards strengthening the resolve of van Marwijk and his players.

 

[Cartz]

Australia destroyed by Norway 4-1. More pain to come in the form of Colombia in London. National press gnashes teeth

 

First game under new coach with new system and tactics so not that unexpected. Plus we just aren't that good. Struggled to qualify. That was enough proof to show that we are in a definite decline.

 

Not many players doing much in top leagues. Doesnt seem to be any good youngsters coming through either.

 

We will show up for the World Cup and play better than expected but we are a long way from where we should be.

[Raconteur]

Australia destroyed by Norway 4-1. More pain to come in the form of Colombia in London. National press gnashes teeth

 

First game under new coach with new system and tactics so not that unexpected. Plus we just aren't that good. Struggled to qualify. That was enough proof to show that we are in a definite decline.

 

Not many players doing much in top leagues. Doesnt seem to be any good youngsters coming through either.

 

We will show up for the World Cup and play better than expected but we are a long way from where we should be.

 

I’m expecting us to go pointless and a real chance of going goalless. Therefore, anything more is playing better than expected.

[Cartz]

Australia destroyed by Norway 4-1. More pain to come in the form of Colombia in London. National press gnashes teeth

 

First game under new coach with new system and tactics so not that unexpected. Plus we just aren't that good. Struggled to qualify. That was enough proof to show that we are in a definite decline.

 

Not many players doing much in top leagues. Doesnt seem to be any good youngsters coming through either.

 

We will show up for the World Cup and play better than expected but we are a long way from where we should be.

 

I’m expecting us to go pointless and a real chance of going goalless. Therefore, anything more is playing better than expected.

 

:lol: As long as it isn't a flogging every game I'll be happy.

[Cronky]

VAR at the World Cup will be an absolute, total, complete, unmitigated disaster.

 

They are still in the stages of grappling with the practicalities of the system, and yet they're going to inflict it on the game's major tournament, where the pressure and the media attention is at its highest.

 

I think VAR is a bad idea for anything but goal-line decisions anyway, but the premature nature of this decision will compound the error.

 

 

[54]

Panama lost 6-0 to Switzerland today

[54]

No Premier League referee selected for the World Cup.

[Ndegwa]

No Premier League referee selected for the World Cup.

 

Two from the MLS going

[leffe186]

No Premier League referee selected for the World Cup.

 

Two from the MLS going

 

God help us all.

[54]

Apparently when they made the preliminary list in 2016, the only UK based referee was Clattenberg and when he left he forfeited the right to referee in the World Cup, and FIFA didn't allow the FA to nominate another ref.

[Disco]

 

[Flip]

This VAR and referee thing is a shitshow. Infantino doing a ridiculously bad job already. Too much change in to short of a time.

[Deuce]

No Premier League referee selected for the World Cup.

 

With all the weekly bitching and morning on here about the state of PL refereeing, you’d think this would be a positive.

[Deuce]

No Premier League referee selected for the World Cup.

 

Two from the MLS going

 

Geiger (the one MLS sent) did a good job in Brazil

[Figures 1-0 Football]

It’s perfectly set up for a monumental cock up like.

[The College Dropout]

Refereeing in PL is immeasurably better than La Liga tbf. 

 

 

It’s one of he biggest differences in the game. 

[Fedyan]

The new stadium in Yekaterinburg was opened this past weekend, nice reviews and all, but considering that the locals have a ton of other things to do during (still) cold weekend, it wasn't a sellout. The fact that the curtain-raiser was a match between two meh-ish teams did not help, but a decent turnout for a hockey city. In one of those charming, globally recognized "we need more building sites for a sports team cos big league status" stories this ground was already completely revamped several years ago, but then they closed it down and rebuilt it from scratch again I am sure, no brown envelopes changed hands and nobody is roasting his arse somewhere in Nice, toasting for the World Cup. The fact that the weird stands behind goals are copied from familiar stadiums in Brazil and South Korea is monumental - doing this in the coldest of the host cities must have taken some genius. Or, perhaps, a financial guru

 

Samara's mayor was desperate to open their stadium with today's cup semifinal fixture against those pesky pigs, but since his testicles and a new term are both on the line, they moved the opening to 25th of April in order to clear up the remaining details and avoid any logistical hiccups. Quite a lot of excitement in the city, a genuine football town. With Krilya Sovetov still potentially capable of both winning our Champo and the Cup (first ever trophy for the club, should they prevail), plenty of buzz all around.

 

Volgograd is ready, and immediately there are reports that a few of the reagion's wealthiest citizens will be politely asked to fund a promotion push next season (they are crap in our equivalent of the Champo this year) since there is little desire to see a brand new stadium become a white elephant of sorts. Cue great stories about some Selyuk type getting a fortune for some unknown African lads, doing a Leeds, etc. But then again, much-loved Rotor FC can boast eliminating ManU from Europe back in the day (iirc Schmeichel actually scored a goal in the return leg of the UEFA Cup fixture, but it wasn't enough). Damn, time flies.

 

Anyhow, just weeks away. Cannae wait

[Flip]

Going to Samara for the last 16. Hoping Cosmos Arena really is as good as they expect it to be.

[Ketsbaia]

Got the sticker album over the weekend and only just discovered that Kaliningrad is separate from the rest of Russia, lying between Poland and Lithuania.

[ElDiablo]

Got the sticker album over the weekend and only just discovered that Kaliningrad is separate from the rest of Russia, lying between Poland and Lithuania.

 

My old housemate was doing his PHD on it, the history is very interesting.

[Fedyan]

Going to Samara for the last 16. Hoping Cosmos Arena really is as good as they expect it to be.

 

Make sure to visit the local cult bar Na Dne (literally meaning At The Bottom). A genuine all-time classic for anyone visiting Samara for football matters. Some people just go there, buy a barrel of beer, a bucket of crayfish and spend the day at the beach. Freshly-brewed lager, anything that swims in Volga is being smoked or salted on the spot and by all means (time permitting) take a river taxi to Zhiguli mountains. Quite a sight during the summer, although (depending on your age and party animal skill level, can cause severe memory loss, if you catch my drift). The riverside is fabulous when it's warm in May (the last time I went there), but the locals tell me it's just awesome when it's really hot (June/July). Many people fall in love there. Also, the traffic can be a bit mad in the evening (the thing with Samara and Volgograd is that they are basically hugging Volga and are thus kind of like Chile geographically), so use trams. Cheap, fast, cool way to take a look around the city and no cursing while stuck in a traffic jam. Feel free to ask regarding museums/restaraunts/nightlife.

 

 

[Fedyan]

Got the sticker album over the weekend and only just discovered that Kaliningrad is separate from the rest of Russia, lying between Poland and Lithuania.

 

My dad is actually from there, told me quite a few stories from his youth about closed sites where military were deactivating mines and bombs and his impressive bullet shell collection. Never been, but the city now has a reputation for boasting a whole bunch of street food vendors and brewers (aka hipster beer snobs). Also, Immanuel Kant's gravestone is there and one can buy really cool things made of amber.

[Flip]

Going to Samara for the last 16. Hoping Cosmos Arena really is as good as they expect it to be.

 

Make sure to visit the local cult bar Na Dne (literally meaning At The Bottom). A genuine all-time classic for anyone visiting Samara for football matters. Some people just go there, buy a barrel of beer, a bucket of crayfish and spend the day at the beach. Freshly-brewed lager, anything that swims in Volga is being smoked or salted on the spot and by all means (time permitting) take a river taxi to Zhiguli mountains. Quite a sight during the summer, although (depending on your age and party animal skill level, can cause severe memory loss, if you catch my drift). The riverside is fabulous when it's warm in May (the last time I went there), but the locals tell me it's just awesome when it's really hot (June/July). Many people fall in love there. Also, the traffic can be a bit mad in the evening (the thing with Samara and Volgograd is that they are basically hugging Volga and are thus kind of like Chile geographically), so use trams. Cheap, fast, cool way to take a look around the city and no cursing while stuck in a traffic jam. Feel free to ask regarding museums/restaraunts/nightlife.

 

 

Thank you, really appreciate it.

[Disco]

Japan have sacked their manager.

[Fedyan]

New stadiums opened in Kaliningrad, Rostov-on-Don and Nizhny Novgorod over the last few days.

 

The first two hosted rather meh-ish league matches, but the reviews are good.

 

Kaliningrad was a big party, but Baltika are risking on missing out on promotion, so the mood is a bit mixed in the city.

 

Rostov was an even bigger party (Deep South, fun people and all that), but some dicks among the local ultras decided to try their best to remove the anti-vandal seats in Rostov, a few succeeded and posted their accomplishments on social media. No doubt, a few surprise visits from da polis await. Other than that, the Icelanders playing for Rostov were visibly impressed.

 

Nizhny had the epitome of a boring, run of the mill second tier match as a curtain raiser, and despite a paltry crowd (crap teams, hockey town, far more people willing to spend their time and money on watching Argentina and all), epic traffic jams ensued. Plenty of whining and complaining locals flooded the social media and talkradio, but the local police chief assured that this was a one-off and  they now have a good idea on how to avoid such congestion in the future. Truth to be told, like any major Russian city, traffic can get a bit crappy from time to time, but the new subway stations will no doubt ease the logistics. Will be in place before the tournament.

 

In other news, just for the fun of it:

 

- a fan of Luch Vladivostok travelled to an away second-tier match against Fakel Voronezh (brilliant name for an English-speaker, I know, literally translates as a Torch) which is a mere 9000 kilometers trip, and threw a toy cockerel in the direction of his side's manager. Oh, the horrors of modern football

 

- a third-tier match between two no-mark clubs was opened with a circus bear dancing a bit and giving the ball to the official. Judging by the attendance, the ecstatic public left right after the furry one, and who could blame them. The bear in question will participate in a few opening ceremonies during the World Cup iirc, so celebrity status awaits

 

- a group of Moscow hipsters and amphetamine enthusiasts (I base this assumption on their many previous "works of art") proudly presented the new Russian Premier League logo. An avalanche of jokes about brain damage caused by severe drug abuse followed. Never trust anyone who thinks that trainers mix with sweaters, neck tattoo and granny glasses any football-related project