Guest Posted July 13, 2018 Posted July 13, 2018 Your Country: Peru What was expected? I'd say we were expected to get past the groups. Any previous year we would have just been happy to participate, but the team was playing seriously good football that it was impossible not to dream. With the lovely tiki taka we played, as well as our unbeaten run, we needed to make an impression. Did you meet expectations? We half met expectations. I think a lot of people expected us to go out in the groups but in Peru, we expected more. I think we impressed some people with our play style, but the results just weren't there. We really could have gotten out of that group but luck didn't go our way in some instances and in that bit, we failed. The only reason I'm slightly giving it an OK grade is because we tried our best. Sure it wasn't what we played in March of this year and last year but you could see the team cared and that the team played to a good ability. What went wrong/right? There is a lot of things that went wrong in my opinion. Besides luck which seemed to be the primary reason for going out (story of our lives), Cueva's missed penalty set a bad omen. Many Peruvians are blaming him for it but you could see he was nervous when he was about to take it and he was distraught after missing it. There's no shame in that. I don't get why people here are being so hard on him. However, if we did score it you could make the argument we would have at least drawn the game. Because our undoing was losing to Denmark. Beating France was always a longshot, and as expected, we couldn't. We didn't even give them a great game to be honest. However, I stand by that their goal was extremely lucky. We were playing well until then. France decided to shut out and their defenders bar Umtiti had an excellent game. It was their win more than our loss if you ask me. I think some of our key assets underperformed too, more on that later. However, we at least got our first world cup win in 40 years (we didn't win any game in 1982) so there is always one thing to be bright about. Best player? I think that whole right flank was great. Advincula and Carrillo really put on a show this world cup. Its a shame the former won't get the respect he deserves as he seems to be either going back to Lobos or Rayo Vallecano, while the latter is lazy and I don't trust him at club level. However they were both very good in this world cup and hopefully they can both kick off their careers from him as they are both very talented. Revelation? Anderson Santamaria. He only played the second half against France and the whole Australia game, and I knew he was good but I've gained newfound respect for him as I began to realize he's actually an immensely underrated center back. He has talent and can defend proper. Disappointment? The right flank were the angels, while the left flank were the devils. Miguel Trauco and Edison Flores are amongst 2 of our most important players, and in my opinion at least one of the 2 had to perform to win games. Both of them had a poor world cup and I think that was one of our biggest undoing. Edison Flores is an excellent "space finder" I guess you could put it, and he's a goalscorer. Miguel Trauco is a full back essentially performing like a deep lying playmaker. He was OK at points but nowhere near his best. I was also disappointed in Alberto Rodriguez. I was absolutely raving about him before the world cup about how he's one of the most underappreciated CB's in South America, but I now see that his physique stops him from being that at any level. I still think at his best he's one of our all time CB's but I think he's a bit past it to be honest. Additional thoughts Not sure what else I need to say to be honest. I think we had a bit of a disappointing world cup with some high points, I'm not too keen on the moves the Peruvians are getting but I guess one step at a time. If they move to Europe before they are 27, there is a possibility they could play at a top club at some point. Its funny though, we went from Juan Manuel Vargas being linked to Real Madrid 8 years ago to Advincula being linked to Rayo Vallecano in our "bronze generation". Here is the template if you wish to do it. Your Country What was expected? Did you meet expectations? What went wrong/right? Best player? Revelation? Disappointment? Additional thoughts
Dr. Gonzo Posted July 13, 2018 Posted July 13, 2018 Most of us are English. We did 3rd or 4th best in the World Cup. We didn't expect a fucking thing for the most part, maybe just hoping not to embarrass ourselves in the group stages. We met the expectations and then kept going. What went wrong was not scoring more than one goal in that first half against Croatia, because they could go up a gear or two and our players couldn't. Best player was Trippier. Revelation is that the England team can be a source of pride for the country when it's not just 11 individuals out there, but when it's a team playing with a cohesive plan. Disappointment was losing in the semi-finals. No additional thoughts.
Burning Gold Posted July 14, 2018 Posted July 14, 2018 22 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said: Most of us are English. We did 3rd or 4th best in the World Cup. We didn't expect a fucking thing for the most part, maybe just hoping not to embarrass ourselves in the group stages. We met the expectations and then kept going. What went wrong was not scoring more than one goal in that first half against Croatia, because they could go up a gear or two and our players couldn't. Best player was Trippier. Revelation is that the England team can be a source of pride for the country when it's not just 11 individuals out there, but when it's a team playing with a cohesive plan. Disappointment was losing in the semi-finals. No additional thoughts. Not much to add to this, except to say that Sterling and Kane were disappointing for England after the seasons they both had for their club. I know Kane's likely to win the Golden Boot, but only one goal came from open play, and he knew nothing about it. Sterling's role made good use of his pace, which was an asset for the team, but personally he was poor. Final thought is that while we may have had some easy draws and failed to beat any genuinely good sides, this is the first England team I can remember that haven't underperformed (and the first to beat Sweden in forever). That in itself is progress
Eco Posted July 14, 2018 Posted July 14, 2018 Hard to even do this when some of us still have 'teams' in it. Since I choose France at the beginning, I find myself very happy with how they have performed (obviously), and while I'll watch tomorrow and be happy as a lark, it's nothing like watching my Native Country (USA), or my long time adopted Country (Italy)
Guest Posted July 14, 2018 Posted July 14, 2018 34 minutes ago, Eco said: Hard to even do this when some of us still have 'teams' in it. Since I choose France at the beginning, I find myself very happy with how they have performed (obviously), and while I'll watch tomorrow and be happy as a lark, it's nothing like watching my Native Country (USA), or my long time adopted Country (Italy) So you have French parents but you were born in America and then moved to Italy? I thought @SirBalon heritage was complicated
Eco Posted July 14, 2018 Posted July 14, 2018 2 minutes ago, Gunnersauraus said: So you have French parents but you were born in America and then moved to Italy? I thought @SirBalon heritage was complicated Ha - Nope, I think my 'heritage' is actually English and Scottish (Father's Side). Although my family is half Russian (Mother's Side). I just love Italy and France, which is why I typically cheer for them.
nudge Posted July 14, 2018 Posted July 14, 2018 Worst World Cup ever, eliminated after group stages for the first time, dull football, no spark, no plan and no team cohesion, everything what could go wrong went wrong, everyone performed well below par or worse, there were no revelations and it all was a huge disappointment. No additional thoughts
Guest Posted July 14, 2018 Posted July 14, 2018 9 minutes ago, Eco said: Ha - Nope, I think my 'heritage' is actually English and Scottish (Father's Side). Although my family is half Russian (Mother's Side). I just love Italy and France, which is why I typically cheer for them. I'm even more confusd
Subscriber RandoEFC+ Posted July 14, 2018 Subscriber Posted July 14, 2018 53 minutes ago, nudge said: Worst World Cup ever, eliminated after group stages for the first time, dull football, no spark, no plan and no team cohesion, everything what could go wrong went wrong, everyone performed well below par or worse, there were no revelations and it all was a huge disappointment. No additional thoughts Great job from Lithuania to qualify though to be fair.
nudge Posted July 14, 2018 Posted July 14, 2018 Just now, RandoEFC said: Great job from Lithuania to qualify though to be fair. Sigh.
ASF Posted July 15, 2018 Posted July 15, 2018 What was expected? We arrived the tournament as European champions, so a semi-final place, at least, was expected. Did you meet expectations? No. Below average result and the feeling we could/should have gone further. What went wrong/right? Some factors that could have gone against us, was the attack of Sporting hooligans on their players, which lead some of them to leave the club and play in the WC, with their future hanging in uncertainty. Some key players, like Raphael, not being in the ideal conditions. The pressure getting to some of the younger players. By the looks of it, the Ronaldo saga with Real didn't helped matters either. Best player? Most went under the radar, in this WC. But because of his goals, I'd say Ronaldo. Revelation? None. Disappointment? Raphael, Gonçalo Guedes, André Silva, Bruno Fernandes. Additional thoughts: We have quality players coming through, so the future keeps being bright.
SirBalon Posted July 15, 2018 Posted July 15, 2018 Your Country Spain What was expected? To win the World Cup Did you meet expectations? Obviously not and it was a disaster. What went wrong/right? The sacking of Julen Lopetegui hurt the whole plans massively and was the main factor but he had to be sacked because ethics are more important than a football tournament for all the obvious reasons. Also some key players arrived either unfit or weren't motivated for whatever reason like Piqué, Sergio Ramos, Bisquets and Silva in a big way! Best player? Probably Isco although not even at 50% of what he'd been for the last year and coming into the tournament for Spain. Revelation? None Disappointment? Too many to write about because it would be very long but the biggest disappointment was the lack of respect shown by Real Madrid considering we're talking about a World Cup and the representation of Spain. Additional thoughts Many lessons learned and there are a lot of great young players coming through which made the elimination quite easy to take... Even I was surprised at how I felt after it to be honest considering how I get about football. Even with the disaster I feel had we gotten past Russia Slain would've made the final.
Subscriber Dan+ Posted July 15, 2018 Subscriber Posted July 15, 2018 Your Country England What was expected? Looking at the way the draw had fallen - a quarter final finish with the expectation that we would run into Germany or Brazil there, who would likely send us packing. Did you meet expectations? Exceeded them by making the semi finals, beating Sweden in the quarters after Germany's implosion. Knocked out by Croatia. What went wrong/right? Right: Set pieces were a huge plus throughout the tournament for us. The choice about number one goalkeeper ended up being settled by probably the best overall goalkeeping performance from an England keeper at a tournament I remember by Jordan Pickford. Winning our opening game which we hardly ever do (although it was close run!). Slapping the cannon fodder rather than struggling past them. Winning a penalty shoot-out!!!!!!!!!!!! Having the golden boot winner. Having the fans back on side by and large. Wrong: Lost every time we faced a genuinely decent team. Outclassed by Croatia. Too slow to react to conceding a goal. Worrying lack of chances created from open play. Sterling still not scoring (I'm not trying to shoot him down but he needs it so badly). Still showed lapses at the back despite a couple of excellent defensive displays. Our midfield being pretty poor. Best player? Jordan Pickford and Kieran Trippier were both outstanding all tournament and are both strong contenders for team of the World Cup for me. Revelation? The same two players. As previously stated, we went into this not knowing who our number one keeper was. Pickford's made the position his own. Trippier I've always thought is decent (though Storts isn't keen I know) but he took it to another level this tournament. Disappointment? Dele Alli and Marcus Rashford for me. Alli did score in the Sweden game to effectively seal it but I thought he was pretty poor throughout and largely a passenger. Lingard I think was steady but he shouldn't get away scot free here as it was a fundamental issue to our game that we didn't create enough. Rashford I thought was ineffective in nearly every game he played in. Sterling divides opinion and I think I'm somewhere in the middle. I get what he's there for - different player but Okazaki was similar for us in the title winning year (and after in fairness), he didn't score or create enough but he contributed all-round to our game. Unfortunately, considering Kane's six goals were three penalties, two from corners and one that literally bounced off him, Sterling didn't do enough to really compensate. The Panama game distorts our stats. They were a disgrace. Additional thoughts People have gotten behind the national team again and that's an outcome I'm delighted with. Plenty of people who had completely switched off from it were getting involved and it was great to see. I do think Southgate's earned the next tournament for sure and I'd like to see how he shapes the team. This next two years will truly show what he's about for me. I think we need an alternative plan for attacking because for me, that front four simply didn't work. I don't want to appear too critical as we did better than I expected but there is always room for improvement and it's dangerous to pretend otherwise.
Bluewolf Posted July 15, 2018 Posted July 15, 2018 Your Country England What was expected? That we would get knocked out some point after the group stages Did you meet expectations? Absolutley What went wrong/right? What went wrong? We got knocked out... What went Right? For a brief time it did bring people together to celebrate the progress we did make and gave everyone a positive feel good factor, Every time we got a bit further you could hear people around where I lived having garden parties and such like enjoying themselves and even people that don't normally follow the sport in general were either talking about it or watching it in the hope we could make the final. Watching all those fans tears of joy and sorrow throughout the whole thing shows us just how much it means to people of those respective countries.. Best player? Pickford was the stand out for for me... Couldn't have asked for more Revelation? That we won a penalty shoot out Disappointment? That yet again we were unable to clear that final hurdle Additional thoughts I didn't really have any expectations at the start if I was truthful, I have been watching England for a long, long time now and it always ends up the same way at some point so as far as I am concerned going out was sadly inevitable, It was always going to be just a question of when. England are like a Scratchcard, You need 3 of the same to win the big one and you get 2 of what you need but the last one ends up being a Melon and yet another Tournament gets ripped up and binned once again along with all your hopes... I cant say I am given to being over emotional at the best of times and when England play it's almost none existent but I believe it's some self preserving immunity I have built up over the years to protect me from the eventual disappointment, Like being in a relationship with a woman who is a free spirit, you enjoy it while you can but all the time bracing yourself for the 'It's Over' moment.. In all Cups you need a degree of luck or good fortune and we can't say we didn't have that... A very easy group stage, and after the likes of Spain, Portugal, Germany & Argentina all went home a very easy knock out route to the Final. With a lovely a penalty shoot out win cherry to top off and it would be fair to say that we did not have an easier and better opportunity than this one to make it and yet once again we fell over when it mattered most.. For the life of me I can never put my finger on why we seem to always do so badly, I could spend all day going through the good, bad, and ugly of it all but it changes nothing and I fear it never will. We can't blame it on the English culture or mind set either because these players have played under a host of Coaches/Managers from all parts of the world at their respective clubs, Diets have changed drastically as have the fitness levels required to be playing at this level and England have employed a host of different Managers over the years. You would have thought that by now something would have finally fallen into place? Southgate is only limited by his experience at this level but he managed to gel the players as a group and is not an unlikable bloke so failing where so many have failed before is not something that should keep him awake at night with 'what if's'. You live, you learn you move on.. Then eventually get replaced.. And for all those that believe 'this generation' will eventually come good with a few tweaks better talk to their Dads and Grandad's for a reality check on that thinking.. Every generation has been saying the same old thing for well, generations now... Might as well get it carved on your gravestone because you will still be saying the same old thing when you are old and wrinkly... When England won the World Cup in 66 I was just a baby at the time so never really got to enjoy that particular glory. The only Cup that interested me back then was probably a sippy cup.. so I suppose when I finally pop my clogs at least I will go knowing that we won something worthwhile in my lifetime, something I fear all you younger generation may never get to say... To be honest though , If VAR had been around back in 66 we probably wouldn't have won that fucker either...
El Profesor Posted July 16, 2018 Posted July 16, 2018 Your Country Brazil. What was expected? World Cup title. Did you meet expectations? No What went wrong/right? Midfield was never good enough, not enough creativity, not enough defending. Once again, a brazilian coach uses favoritism over merit, picks the wrong players and it ends up in defeat. This has been Brazil´s story since 2006. We haven´t a played a decent match in a World Cup since 2002. Best player? Thiago Silva Revelation? Brazil was a very experienced team, all players were well known. No revelations, really. Disappointment? Gabriel Jesus was terrible. Looked very uncomfortable during the entire competition and should´ve been replaced by Firmino. Additional thoughts We still have good players, but our coaches are terrible and we seem to be falling behind the european nations. Brazil is still a respectable side, but we´re probably not elite anymore. We´re gradually becoming a quarter-final team.
Eco Posted July 16, 2018 Posted July 16, 2018 Your Country: USA, Italia, and France What was expected? Semi-Finalist, with hopes of winning Did you meet expectations? Yes. France are the 2018 World Cup Champions What went wrong/right? Great defense. Pavard, Varane, Kante were all flawless. Even Pogba played great when going back. Going forward, just one word. Mbappe. Best player? Mbappe with a slight edge over Kante, decided in the final. Mbappe was dangerous every game, whereas Kante fell apart in the Final. Revelation? If this team doesn't win the next Euro AND World Cup, it'll be due to either severe injuries OR the likely culprit, Didier Deschamps, who plays defensively when all these attacking options are available. Disappointment? Giroud - numerous missed opportunities, and I'm not even sure he had a shot on goal. Additional thoughts Couldn't be happier for France. So great to see all this young talent playing together and not getting too caught up in the moment. Mbappe is a national hero, and Kante, Pavard, and Varane are all legends. Now I will have to figure out who I love more on this team, Mbappe or Pavard. Both are absolutely amazing.
Guest Posted July 16, 2018 Posted July 16, 2018 I just thought it's such a shame Ray Wilkins died before the world cup he would have loved to England get to the semis
Fusion Posted July 16, 2018 Posted July 16, 2018 Your Country : Peru What was expected? To be in the final at least. Did you meet expectations? No, but we gained experienced for the next one. What went wrong/right? Just unlucky in my opinion. Best player? Carillo, easy choice. Revelation? Christian Cueva, I think he will play for a big club soon, he has big talent. Disappointment? We fight as a team and we lose as a team so I won't blame anyone. Everyone did their best. Additional thoughts: I think we will win the next World Cup.
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.