Inverted

Antony looks quite tidy to the eye, but over the course of a game you start to realise he doesn't really seem to do anything apart from pick the ball up on the touchline, cut in a few yards a play a square ball inside. He doesn't really have the pace or directness of a proper winger or the creativity of a wide playmaker sort of guy.

Most of the way through this. A good introduction to a period of history I didn't know too much about.

Very good so far. Even before it gets to the Mexican War or the Civil War I'm finding it a page-turner.

Kinda ruined it with the weird local dress covering the kit. Can't wait for the oil to run out and the sand to reclaim these wretched places.

Mbappe could not have done more to spoon-feed that game to France and they were so shocking they still couldn't win it.

Qatar must have forgotten their half time bribe.

Griezmann off and Camavinga left back. Do France still have any guillotines lying around they could use for when Deschamps gets back?

Do you mean the France side who haven't taken a shot in over an hour of play?

Couldn't think of many funnier guys than Dembele to have potentially the worst performance in a WC final ever.

I personally can't believe that teams that sit in their own side of the pitch all the time and don't pick their best defenders in their natural positions tend to give away more penalties.

Embarrassing from France. Its even more embarrassing that they've already won a WC playing this way.

You'd think the france coaching staff would have told the players that if the plan is to sit off on the edge of your own box, you shouldn't keep bringing players down for no reason. Having a guy who cannot defend man-marking a guy who's a really good dribbler is also not smart.

I thought some moments did well at showing a gritty and realistic-feeling example of trench life but there were some action scenes which just felt over the top to a degree which became cartoonish. Also, having the main villain being a moustachioed Prussian general sipping wine by the fireplace was a bit cliched.

Germany's overall play was better but the Allies were just more clinical where it counted.

How were England meant to win if France scored 2 and the ref only gave them 2 pens? That means that even if Kane had miraculously scored them both they still would've only been able to draw. Completely unfair and shambolic refereeing display imo.

Not fair. Most of the time he is thinking intensely about how to breathe through through your nose.

The issue with Kane is that when you play him the only feasible game plan becomes winning pens. If he can't even convert them then there really is no point. Either play someone more mobile or play someone with the kind of commitment and aggression that Giroud has.

France are doing their best to gift this one to England and fucking Big Bird can't do his one job.

Hernandez jesus christ he is grim. I think the English debate around TAA is skewed by how unaware they are that most elite fullbacks are shit defenders.

Kounde is getting repeatedly done in the air by Foden. Have some shame and retire son.

Is Saka planning to try and beat anyone or is he just going to keep getting done for strength and hope the ref takes pity at some point.

Its so shite watching football in the UK. A young guy rifles in a fucking piledriver in a World Cup quarter-final and the only commentary you get is some guy on the edge of tears saying "looked like a foul on Saka".

Would've been a disgrace for Argentina to win from that 90.

Yeah I think Croatia are just good at leveraging the fact that despite not being full of attacking brilliance they have a midfield and defence which is excellent at retaining possession and suffocating games. A lot of people might not have thought it from the eye test but Croatia had more of the ball, which is poor given that Brazil were in my eyes heavy favourites. Possession doesn't mean much in itself but every second Modric, Brozovic and Kovacic have the ball is a second where Brazil aren't getting to use their attacking talent.

From whatever Liverpool games I've seen this season, it honestly feels like Van Dijk is getting a connection from basically every corner but Liverpool are hardly ever converting it into goals.