Day 14: Netherlands vs USA | Argentina vs Australia (Last 16 1&2)

IFC 1905 said:
This team has the one thing you need to win something like this: Being solid defensively. Arabia was an anomaly, but this team is pretty solid.
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They don't look solid, if the Aussies had decent players they would have battered this team.
 
FrankFoot said:
Ronaldo is 2 years older, and this is Australia buddy.

I love Messi, but Messi can definitely have a bad game against Brazil/Netherlands and get knocked out, it has happened before when he was at his prime.

Also the best games of Messi now are mostly in Ligue 1 against french minnows, he has been mediocre in the UCL against decent teams.

He is still a great player obviously, but he is completely terrenal now, and can have a bunch bad games against good teams...the Messi from 2009-2018 is gone.
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Australia is not the only team Messi has played against this season.

You’re forgetting how many shite teams Ronaldo has been mediocre against this season.

Stating messi isn’t what he used to be is stating the obvious. The whole world knows that. That’s not the point though.
 
#07 said:
Australia has given it a good go, the Argentines have been almost as bad as as they were against Poland, yet there's nothing remotely surprising about Argentina leading 1-0 thanks to Messi. Argentina will likely come into it more in the second half, like they did against Poland, once the Aussies decide to come out and try and chase a way back into the game.

This Argentina side is pedestrian. There's no real zip in Argentina's play, they don't close down particularly well, there's nothing very special about them besides one man: Messi. Compared to the Argentina teams Messi has played in, with players like Zanetti etc, this may be the worst one. If he can drag this team to winning the World Cup it'll cement his greatness. It'd be like an artist making a masterpiece with crayons.
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Agreed.

They can't press at all. They had Tevez, Aguero, Higuain and Lavezzi, insane athletes and pressing machines, especially Tevez and Lavezzi, now they have no pace and if Australia find it easy to play out of their 'press' I can only imagine what Brazil would do to them.
 
Just Hope said:
On the contrary, I think Argentina will fare better against more offensive teams.
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It's not about attacking its about the energy and work rate, they will get out done with better teams just on that and with quality to hurt them in attack unlike Aus and Poland .
 
WI_Red said:
3. WCQ was almost a disaster and included some absolute debacles where the US looked outclassed tactically. If not for Pepi coming off the bench in Honduras at halftime to rescue the game we may not have qualified.
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I'm surprised he wasn't a part of the roster. As a Groningen fan I watch him every week and he's been killing it.
 
wangyu said:
Messi’s grandpa football keeps paying off. It feels like kick in the teeth for all those players working their socks that the laziest guy on the pitch keeps getting the plaudits.
With the way I see him playing on this tournament it surprises me how good his statistics are this season in France.
All things that didn’t go his way for his country throughout his career now fall his way. It seems written in the stars that Messi will be crowned the greatest player of all time this tournament.
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why so bitter, just enjoy a great player
 
RedDevilRoshi said:
Argentina have just looked so underwhelming in this World Cup.
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Beating Mexico and Poland after losing a game that was probably the biggest ever wc upset shows a lot of character

This has been an awful game but yet they are winning

Not sure they are good enough to win it but also wouldn’t bet against it
 
Just Hope said:
On the contrary, I think Argentina will fare better against more offensive teams.
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Kinda, but the likes of Brazil, Netherlands,France, Spain, England have the quality to damage Argentina... Australia don't, neither did Mexico or Poland, those are all defensive teams with no actual quality in offensive, which make it teams for Argentina so they could look very dominant with possession and shots.
 
Do you know what I won’t miss when Messi and Ronaldo finally retire?
 
Why everything must come down to tribalism?
Jaysus, Messi is 35 and having great worldcup, why cant you applause that?
 
Why does Lineker look so shifty all the time on the edge of his seat and constantly rubbing his nose? Definitely on the stuff.
 
Well anyway, hopefully the 2nd half will be more lively, fingers crossed.
 
wangyu said:
He is not having a good game, I’m sure you can see that as well
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Your post wasn't only about this match though was it? But about this match, Australia are sitting back playing a low block, so I think he's playing the right way against them, and it's worked so far because they are 1 up and he got the goal.
 
Argentina is so bang average. No chance they will win the WC. Even Messi cant save them in the next one.
 
RacingClub said:
The Copa America winning Messi? He was fantastic in Brazil.
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Agreed.

"Yeah! F**k Messi and his 4 goals and 5 assists in 7 games Copa Winning performance in 2021."
"Also, F**k Messi and his outstanding first half of 2021 with Barca."

People have conventient memories that last as long as their argument requires it. Just write off half a year to suit the argument for the latter half year in order to create the false narrative that the whole year was bad. Couldn't make it up.
 
#07 said:
Australia has given it a good go, the Argentines have been almost as bad as as they were against Poland, yet there's nothing remotely surprising about Argentina leading 1-0 thanks to Messi. Argentina will likely come into it more in the second half, like they did against Poland, once the Aussies decide to come out and try and chase a way back into the game.

This Argentina side is pedestrian. There's no real zip in Argentina's play, they don't close down particularly well, there's nothing very special about them besides one man: Messi. Compared to the Argentina teams Messi has played in, with players like Zanetti etc, this may be the worst one. If he can drag this team to winning the World Cup it'll cement his greatness. It'd be like an artist making a masterpiece with crayons.
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Agreed with all of this. I was hoping for more from them this time, and all the talk before the World Cup was that this Argentina was different, that they weren't as reliant on Messi, but we've seen none of that at this tournament. There is no cohesion, no dynamism to their play, and I don't think they're particularly great defensively either. Unless they figure something out very quickly as a collective or with some sort of tweak by their manager, I just don't see them winning this.
 
Echo others thoughts about being happy for the messi/ronaldo era to be over. Tedious.
 
The goal is being made out to be a top 10 Messi goal. The best thing as always is the case is Messi's movement once he made the central pass. Defender goes over the ball with his leg instead of trying to block the angle and just further unsights the gk who.

One of the most impressive things about Messi is his positional awareness and ease of movement. He literally floats about the pitch and makes the best decisions on the ball then off the ball.
 
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