astraguy Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 You can still qualify. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unbelievable Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 You can still qualify. Aye, Sweden lost. Need three wins apparently. Not going to happen, probably for the best. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
triggs Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 Ah well, glad that's over. Same with the transfer window. Small mercies I know Just looked it up. You have to beat Sweden and Bulgaria at home and Belarus away and you'll probably get to a playoff. I know you're playing terribly but still seems a decent chance on paper Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The College Dropout Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 You could name a B Team France side that are better than the Dutch. Never seen such a poor Dutch side. A tier 1 national side all my life until the last couple of years. The side that went to the WC final was the worst team in terms of talent that I had ever seen from them at that point. A steady decline in talent since and the same star men from 2010 in the team. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The College Dropout Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 Ah well, glad that's over. Same with the transfer window. Small mercies I know Just looked it up. You have to beat Sweden and Bulgaria at home and Belarus away and you'll probably get to a playoff. I know you're playing terribly but still seems a decent chance on paper It's hard to not consider the Netherlands - the Netherlands. But they're genuinely no better than Bulgaria. Don't have the talent. No culture of playing as an inferior side either. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponsaelius Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 Netherlands isn't a big country. Rather than arguing they're doing extremely poorly right now, it's probably more the case that they've overachieved for the last 40 years. They were a minnow pre-1974. Always more likely to have poor generations, and blips of failing to qualify, than other larger European countries like France, Germany and Italy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponsaelius Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 I mean a Euros win, 3 world cup finals, and 6 more major semi finals. That's a hell of a run for a country of, what, 15 million? If anything they're due a major slump for a while. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foluwashola Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 Ajax academy though. Nah what you mean though, one of those countries you always associate with quality despite being 'smaller'. Like Uruguay. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
triggs Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 Ajax academy though. Nah what you mean though, one of those countries you always associate with quality despite being 'smaller'. Like Ireland Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foluwashola Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 Ajax academy though. Nah what you mean though, one of those countries you always associate with quality despite being 'smaller'. Like Ireland Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponsaelius Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 Since the Irish spend most of their time playing fucking catch the pixie with sticks or whatever the GAA is it's probably a bit true. They're more in the Iceland/Faroe Islands category of overachievement than Netherlands/Uruguay though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackandWhite Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 Since the Irish spend most of their time playing f***ing catch the pixie with sticks or whatever the GAA is it's probably a bit true. They're more in the Iceland/Faroe Islands category of overachievement than Netherlands/Uruguay though. Ah yes Gaelic football. 30 failed goalkeepers hoofing a ball over a wide and tall bar and pretending like it takes talent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Posted August 31, 2017 Share Posted August 31, 2017 Portugal v Faroes at the Bessa for me the neet. I'll be sure to give Palnese's marra a good reception. Wish Jóan Símun Edmundsson made it here He's not too shabby. Owld Ronaldo scored a bicycle in the first 2 mins right infront of where we were sat. Lovely old job. Don't know if anyone bought Big Willy Carvalho in the end but he really stood out albeit against shite. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
triggs Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 Messi really has to do so much for Argentina. None of their midfielders or defenders can pass the ball forward so Messi has to go deep to pass the ball forward and then run and try to score. Still playing really well tonight Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
afar Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 Messi really has to do so much for Argentina. None of their midfielders or defenders can pass the ball forward so Messi has to go deep to pass the ball forward and then run and try to score. Still playing really well tonight It's shocking really how average Argentina have been during the Messi years, it's not like he's been their only world class player in that period. Is it his fault or the management ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
triggs Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 Messi really has to do so much for Argentina. None of their midfielders or defenders can pass the ball forward so Messi has to go deep to pass the ball forward and then run and try to score. Still playing really well tonight It's shocking really how average Argentina have been during the Messi years, it's not like he's been their only world class player in that period. Is it his fault or the management ? I've only really started to watch them regularly since the last world cup but I think it's the fault of the midfield. Banega is about as good as it's got in a creative sense in there in recent years. Messi has to drop back to create which means it is then tougher for him to get forward to create or score in more dangerous areas. Higuain and Aguero have terrible for Argentine in big games in that period as well. It's literally just Messi and Di Maria doing anything going forward Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Village Idiot Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 Yeah, it's weird how dull Argentina are going forward, given that on paper they have way more than Messi and Di María. And they have gone through several managers in this period, too. Nobody has made that team click. Messi dropping deep to create should be fine, given that they have the likes of Agüero and Higuaín up there. It's not like he can't be effective if he's not the frontman, like the partnership with Suárez shows. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
triggs Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 Yeah, it's weird how dull Argentina are going forward, given that on paper they have way more than Messi and Di María. And they have gone through several managers in this period, too. Nobody has made that team click. Messi dropping deep to create should be fine, given that they have the likes of Agüero and Higuaín up there. It's not like he can't be effective if he's not the frontman, like the partnership with Suárez shows. It's not that he has to drop deep every so often though, he has to do it literally every time for them to have any kind of attack. Last night they had 5 defensive players playing, three centre halves and two centre mids and none of them were able/tried to pass the ball forward until they could give it to Messi. He still created a lot and had a very good game mind Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fugazi Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 Merino has scored for Spain under-21s Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 Who do Scotland have that's a better bet than Ritchie? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
54 Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 Who do Scotland have that's a better bet than Ritchie? James Forrest apparently Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superior Acuña Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 Scotland 2-0 up, Robertson just scored a peach. Ritchie (and Hanley) playing Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 Scotland 2-0 up, Robertson just scored a peach. Ritchie (and Hanley) playing They're both on the bench. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superior Acuña Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 Scotland 2-0 up, Robertson just scored a peach. Ritchie (and Hanley) playing They're both on the bench. Thought Ritchie was having a quiet one Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superior Acuña Posted September 1, 2017 Share Posted September 1, 2017 Ritchie on now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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