Semi-Final - Argentina 3-0 Croatia - Tuesday 13th December, 2022

[Spike]

1 hour ago, Stan said:

What happened against Saudi Arabia then when they lost? 

The ref got paid out when he awarded his contractually obliged (p) and was paid a second time for letting an Arabian team win

[Spike]

BTW Julian Alvarez > Leo Messi for this WC. Alvarez could score five goals in the final  and Messi sit on the bench all game and player of the tournament would still go to Messi

[Devil-Dick Willie]

1 hour ago, Stan said:

What happened against Saudi Arabia then when they lost? 

I literally just explained that there's only so much a ref can do? South Korea didn't win the world cup either. 

[Devil-Dick Willie]

12 minutes ago, Spike said:

BTW Julian Alvarez > Leo Messi for this WC. Alvarez could score five goals in the final  and Messi sit on the bench all game and player of the tournament would still go to Messi

Player of the tournament? You think too small my friend. I've got him penciled in for the Ballon Dór already.

[Happy Blue]

5 hours ago, Lucas said:

Gvardiol has been one of the best players in this tournament. Really has. Hardly seen any attacker get the better of him one on one.

But he's just been roasted there.

Love him or hate him, you can't not acknowledge the brilliance of Messi in making that goal there.

We are looking at buying Gvadiol this summer

[Beelzebub]

3 hours ago, Spike said:

BTW Julian Alvarez > Leo Messi for this WC. Alvarez could score five goals in the final  and Messi sit on the bench all game and player of the tournament would still go to Messi

They gave him the golden ball in 2014 when he did nothing of note in the KO stages. This time he's been great though

[Spike]

11 minutes ago, Beelzebub said:

They gave him the golden ball in 2014 when he did nothing of note in the KO stages. This time he's been great though

Messi has been pechocaliente but Alvarez has been something else. 

[Devil]

8 hours ago, Happy Blue said:

We are looking at buying Gvadiol this summer

Bellingham and Gvadiol.

That would be some insane window, it wouldn't surprise me either.

[Happy Blue]

10 minutes ago, Devil said:

Bellingham and Gvadiol.

That would be some insane window, it wouldn't surprise me either.

It would be nice if we could land them both 

[Devil]

45 minutes ago, Happy Blue said:

It would be nice if we could land them both 

Land them two in the same window and your even further out there on your own quality wise.

Premier League may as well do a trophy for second place because City will be light years ahead of everyone.

[Happy Blue]

27 minutes ago, Devil said:

Land them two in the same window and your even further out there on your own quality wise.

Premier League may as well do a trophy for second place because City will be light years ahead of everyone.

We have players who might be leaving though like Bernardo, Gundogan and others getting old like walker and question marks over players like Grealish, will Pep stay more than the 2year extension? ..then you have Arsenal looking strong and maybe Liverpool will bounce back next season

[Carnivore Chris]

One huge positive for Argentina is that they won't have to play Germany. They beat them in the final in 86, but lost in 2 finals(1990 and 2014) to them since and were eliminated by them in 2006 and 2010.

 

[Tar-Mairon]

re the whole Messi thing, yes, obviously he is an amazing player and in the conversation when you talk of best players of all time. I just find the love-in ludicrious.

Firstly, football is subjective and I'm just getting really flummoxed with the way everyone has lost their shit about him. You have pundits stating that the "debate is over" and he's the greatest ever as though that's absolutely it, objective fact, you're an absolute idiot if you dare to think anything else or put a different viewpoint forward and some ridiculous revisionism and condescension regarding anyone who doesn't think he is a literal God. He hasn't even won the World Cup yet and still might not!

I mean, look at F365's article today calling him the best ever for various reasons. Half the accolades they have put in there are team/longevity accolades, in a few they have admitted there are players with better records than him and in many, there are genuine achievements and arguments for why he can be considered the greatest. Pele, Maradonna, the two Ronaldos and Zidane are very much in there.

Quote

* Lionel Messi ranks second for all-time Champions League goals (129), behind only Cristiano Ronaldo (140).

* Lionel Messi ranks second for all-time Champions League assists (40), behind only Cristiano Ronaldo (42).

That makes Ronaldo better than him in CL goals scored and assists doesn't it so cannot be used as an argument for why he is the greatest ever?

Messi for me is not the greatest Argentinian player ever, that goes for Maradona who did it when players had far less protection, on worse pitches and did it when coked off his tits for most of his career. 

The ludicrous revisionism going on on Ronaldo is ridiculous too. Yes, he's a twat, yes he's embarrassed himself hugely with his tantrums lately and yes, Father Time has caught up with him in the footballing sense (remembering he is two years younger than Ronaldo and Ronaldo was pretty sensational up until his return to United) but the way he's almost being sneeringly portrayed as always in Messi's shadow, a mere pretender who should never have been in the league with the Great Man is a joke. Cristiano Ronaldo is obviously one of the greatest players of all time and in my view, in terms of heyday, slightly had the edge over Messi for me. Amazing in the air, better with both feet, physically stronger which developed at United.

You can respect Messi is an incredible player (obviously) and that he's in the discussion about the greatest (obviously) but this smug, condescending, pseudo intellectual (saying "GOAT" does not make you clever), jerk-off-everytime-he-falls-over-he's-so-amazing act that no other footballer is worthy, greatest ever, debate over, you're a moron if you disagree is embarrassing.

 

 

[Waylander]

I wouldn't take it too seriously, they have this headline as Ronaldo and Modric have not hit the peaks this tournament.

Mbappe might be the next great one.

The media always need headlines and if necessary will invent material just to attract readers.