Day 18: Croatia vs Brazil | Netherlands vs Argentina (QF 1&2)

Absolutely. They were all over Argentina when they played hoof, why go back to trying to outplay them? I think they’ll lose with this tactic.
Yeah with Wout up front. Why not just be Burnley for 15 mins
 
Argentina have completely switched off. Don’t think they’ve registered what happened in injury time with that Dutch freekick. Still seem so stunned by it. They’ve been playing with hardly any urgency in this extra time.

Stopped playing football and engaged a failing shithouse mode. Epic fail really.
 
Argentina to get knocked out. Messi's tears. And Portugal win the WC without Ronaldo. That would be nice.

The scenes if Ronaldo scores the winner in the World cup final would be hilarious stuff.
 
Why does a team throw everything to get back into a game and then just retreat as soon as they do?
well, they had nothing to lose then and they have everything to lose now. the fear of losing in such situations is almost always stronger than the need to win. i don't like it but it's understandable in high pressure knockout games like this. *edit - i still think they should lump it forward when they have the ball, but chaos isn't as appealing when you're tied.
 
I just don't understand this from the Netherlands. Van Gaal should be telling the lads to lump it up to Weghorst/De Jong one of which whom should stick to Lisandro Martinez.
 
Wonder if LVG will send on a reserve keeper again before full time or if he has faith in this guy if it comes to penalties?
 
If Messi’s taking shots like that, you know he isn’t trusting his teammates much atm
 
I'm anti Argentina. I will support anybody they play.

Sucks for Licha, but it is what it is.

Supporting Argentina does feel a bit like supporting Liverpool doesn't it.
Acceptable only if they're playing an even greater rival like Germany, or we need them to beat someone for our benefit.
 
Yeah, but it’s been shown they’re more effective that way. Playing this way lost them 2 goals. Playing the other way got them two goals.

It's not an overall effective way of playing. It might continue working... but Argentina aren't also in pure defensive mode to counter it, which they were in ET. If lump it to the big man worked, it wouldn't be an obsolete tactic... it's good in bursts, the do or die is one of those.
 
The referee should be suspended after this game. It's incredible how this idiot has been going on like this for years and still gets to referee in a World Cup.