World Cup: Group A: Russia vs. Saudi Arabia, 6/14/2018

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Every team struggles at some point in South American qualifying because it's incredibly difficult. That's hardly a point.

You just listed a bunch of reasons why they're a fancy side and then somehow conclude that they're "nothing special". As if having one of the best striker partnerships, defence partnerships, and an array of great young midfield talent somehow isn't anything noteworthy? Never mind competing in this mediocre group.

Yeah, thanks I watch enough of the SA qualifiers to know how hard it is. What Uruguay did at times in their qualifiers was awful they were as abysmal as Argentina at a certain point. Yeah, they cleaned up their game in the latter stages but it shouldn't be a foregone conclusion that they will walk through this group.

I mean I still have them winning the group and actually making it to the quarters. People just need to temper their hyperbole on them.

Razvan Marin is disappoint. Romania & Hungary are easily the most interesting...4th tier european teams...

Don't care if Argentina or any other actual world cup contenders played in them in the knock out stages it would be considered a by... and that's the point.

 

[cgf]

If Russia can put 5 (so far) past the Saudis, how many will Uruguay get? 17?

I'm afraid the Saudi's won't play with as much courage in the other matches and while try to bunker up to limit the damage instead :-(

 

[Kshahdoo]

Come on now. Let's not pretend Russia is a great team all of a sudden. Uruguay's roster craps all over theirs.

I still think we suck, but there have been so many cases, when teams that sucked all of a sudden won it all. Italy looked terrible at WC 1982 start, and then they beat a legendary Brazilian team and won the tournament. And don't forget about Denmark at Euro 1992...

 

[cgf]

The overrating of Uruguay continues lol

You're just jelly that they're going to get as far as you, with a better chance of sneaking into the final ;-)

 

[ovikovy817]

Well, that's a fantastic start of the World Cup. And those 5 goals, could help if there is a tie between Russia and Egypt. I hope Uruguay will beat Egypt tomorrow.

 

[cgf]

Come on now. Let's not pretend Russia is a great team all of a sudden. Uruguay's roster craps all over theirs.

Depends on whether Uruguay plays like they have recently, or if they revert to the way they've played the last few tourneys. If it's the latter, we could see Uruguay & the Saudi's both bunkering their way to a 3-0 in which nothing much happens.

 

[robertmac43]

It is, but folks were hyping Egypt over russia just because Salah & Elneny play in the EPL. Not because they actually knew anything about either team.

And any instance in which Elneny is needed to build hype, one should question it

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

You're just jelly that they're going to get as far as you, with a better chance of sneaking into the final ;-)

With Madrid doing their best to help Messi make it back to the finals... I don't think so. Quarters is as far as Uruguay will go anything further would be highly impressive and bruise the egos of Euro snobs so, hopefully they can do it.

 

[Alex Jones]

I'm afraid the Saudi's won't play with as much courage in the other matches and while try to bunker up to limit the damage instead :-(

Yea, usually they just play bunkerball and roll on the grass to kill time. Not sure why they got so brave in this one.

 

[McCoy]

Russia wills take 1, 3 or 4 more points.

 

[cgf]

They're not a great team but people are acting like they're Lativa... I also watched Uruguay in their campaign, the struggled at times mightily. People are just looking at that striking duo and crapping their pants. Mix that in with some nice youthful talent in the midfield and a big name on the backend. They're nothing special.

They've played some pretty football in the friendlies with the Czechs & Welsh. Which...friendlies...but still showed a new flair behind Cavani & Suarez when they were trying and strung some nice combinations together. I'm skeptical we'll see that from them once the games start to count, but it was nice to see them experiment with playing more proactively

 

[cgf]

Yea, usually they just play bunkerball and roll on the grass to kill time. Not sure why they got so brave in this one.

It's their coach. He's had them playing like this ever since he was hired a few months (?) ago, they even tried to play a bit in the germany friendly.

But I'm afraid that MbS will have a word with their coach about playing so bravely & embarrassing the Kingdom after this one :-(

 

[cgf]

Every team with a pulse should put 4 or more past the Saudis in a competitive match. I think the word commonly used for their play is 'naive'.

"naive" or "brave/courageous" which aren't always dissimilar. But I don't see a problem with it, it's not like they were going to get even a point from their group without bribing egypt to throw their match

So why not try and at least put some passes together to maybe even score a memorable goal?

 

[Alex Jones]

It's their coach. He's had them playing like this ever since he was hired a few months (?) ago, they even tried to play a bit in the germany friendly.

But I'm afraid that MbS will have a word with their coach about playing so bravely & embarrassing the Kingdom after this one :-(

I guess I haven't seen them of late. I usually watch them in AFC competition, and (like pretty much all ME sides) they tend to play 10 man defense, waste as much time as possible, and hope for a 0-0 draw against bigger teams.

I've never seen them come out to play like the did today. It's admirable, but only going to last so long at the WC, their players are very obviously technically deficient.

 

[cgf]

French League is not much stronger. It’s a bit better because of the powerhouse PSG.

France is 5 and Russia is 6 in uefa ranking.

Russian teams defeated French teams Nice and Lyon this euro season.

Russia had the money & talent in the youth teams to close the gap, but the RPL never really capitalized as everyone is too content to just focus on the RPL & rack up stacks, so that's never happened. The RPL's depth is attrocious once you get past that glut of mediocrity in the top half of the table. And youth system is almost perfectly designed to prevent youth development...from the pay to play problems at the youth levels, to the domestic player rules & massive salaries creating pressure to ensure that gifted teenagers stagnate through their early 20s, to the archaic philosophies that you see from far too many russian coaches at all levels. The RPL had the potential to push the top 5 leagues and still probably does, but the changes that needed to happen for it to grow into that never happened. And Zenit's complacency since the Anzhi project imploded hasn't helped either.

Nevermind that Ligue 1 is a lot more than just PSG, or that even after all of their sales Monaco has one of the more impressive collections of young talent in europe. And using EL matches from a Nice team who didn't have the depth to care about the EL, to argue that the RPL > Ligue 1 is weak. I used to watch a lot of the RPL, and still check in on the russian kids I like intermittently; but I also started watching a lot more of Ligue 1 two years ago when Lucien Favre took over at Nice.

And there's a significant difference in the depth of talent & tactical nuance in France...let's just say that there is a reason why german clubs are pilfering so many players from that league to compensate for how weak our current 20- & 21-year-olds are. There's a ton of young talent to be found and they develop it well...ligue 1 isn't as good at polishing possession elegance as La Liga or counter-fluidity & pressing like the BuLi; but the education they provide creates a great foundation to build on...and they're not exactly bad at those areas where Spain & Germany surpass them.

 

[cgf]

Yeah, thanks I watch enough of the SA qualifiers to know how hard it is. What Uruguay did at times in their qualifiers was awful they were as abysmal as Argentina at a certain point. Yeah, they cleaned up their game in the latter stages but it shouldn't be a foregone conclusion that they will walk through this group.

I mean I still have them winning the group and actually making it to the quarters. People just need to temper their hyperbole on them.



Don't care if Argentina or any other actual world cup contenders played in them in the knock out stages it would be considered a by... and that's the point.

You say that now, but Dominik Szoboszlai is going to lead another golden generation for Hungary

 

[King 88]

Did you watch the Euros? The Saudi's played a lot more interestingly than did like half of the teams in 2016

Getting trashed 5-0 is interesting maybe you should try basketball if score is only interesting thing about the sport.

 

[ViD]

@cgf i never argued RPL > Ligue 1, I said I don’t agree the French League is “much stronger”.

 

[Nalens Oga]

Were they fasting or something? That was an inexplicably weak performance against a team with whom they should be at a similar level with.

 

[robertmac43]

Were they fasting or something? That was an inexplicably weak performance against a team with whom they should be at a similar level with.

I think Russia is slightly better and then you add the adrenaline of hosting and the home crowd. They were not losing this game!

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Getting trashed 5-0 is interesting maybe you should try basketball if score is only interesting thing about the sport.

Highly Ironic. when you can argue the opposite. In any case, I feel that CGF cares more about positive football above all. A romantic if I ever saw one. Bless his soul.

 

[Suiteness]

Were they fasting or something? That was an inexplicably weak performance against a team with whom they should be at a similar level with.

You mightily overrate Asian football.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Eh Russia is *considerably* better than Saudi Arabia. That's not a hype on Russia, that's a realistic evaluation of Saudi Arabia. I don't know who would think Saudi Arabia are on a similar level to any UEFA qualifier. Russia didn't even play particularly well today and yet the gulf in class was quite apparent.

 

[NyQuil]

I remember Germany beating Saudi Arabia 8-0 back in 2002.

 

[ViD]

I remember Germany beating Saudi Arabia 8-0 back in 2002.

I still remember that goalie wearing pants