Semi Finals: Argentina vs Croatia | Eng... France vs Morocco

TheNewEra said:
It's not bias they had more clear cut chances.

I don't feel like France were better today honestly, just more clinical.
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No they didn't, come on. Name the clear cut chances :lol:
All Morocco had was decent territory that didn't translate into shots. France in the first half had Giroud hit the post with a 1v1, Mbappe had a 1v1 saved, Giroud missed the net from a wide open shot from roughly the penalty spot, Theo Hernandez scored a clear cut chance, and then their 2nd goal was a tap in.

Morocco had the chance at the very end, and nothing else. A bicycle kick hit the post, but that's not a clear cut chance. Lloris never had a real save to make really.
 
Nick7 said:
Skipped by three players effortlessly, drew in 4 pulling the Moroccan defensive shapes apart but it’s worthless because of a deflection apparently
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He is such a constant threat. Teams can manage to keep him quiet for long periods of times but he never loses his confidence, he just keeps on trying. Creates enough to help decide this game as well.
 
Still think the Keeper should have been out to Hernandez and got right on top of him. Stopped and allowed him to get on top of a bouncing ball and get the shot off when he had the time to smother the shot.
 
Bobski said:
Still think the Keeper should have been out to Hernandez and got right on top of him. Stopped and allowed him to get on top of a bouncing ball and get the shot off when he had the time to smother the shot.
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Exactly, I said it at the time as well that it's a keeper mistake. In real time I was stunned he didn't rush him.
 
Kopral Jono said:
Surely I can't be the only one here who thought that was rather comfortable for France bar a few scares here and there? That said, Messi is going tear Hernandez a new one come Sunday.
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I agree. France could easily be up 3 in the first half. Then they decided to play counter.
 
bosnian_red said:
By far... I wanted Morocco to win, but like... they didn't create anything. A bicycle kick off a corner isn't a good chance. Shots from range aren't good chances. They only had the one run at the end of the game when the game was over already. France had multiple chances in the first half that they missed, but just sat on their 1-0 lead and didn't look overly troubled.
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They created good openings that didn't translate to chances because of some excellent defending from Varane and Konate. They did put pressure a lot on France at the end of the first and beginning of the second,which made Deschamps have to change things. After that France basically controlled it.

But yeah, France clearly had the better chances in the game...but they didn't boss it or anything.
 
bosnian_red said:
Having more possession isn't really out playing a team. You gotta make chances. The only chances in the whole game for Morocco was that bit at the end that Kounde blocked on the line. Was feck all chances before that, some almost connections on crosses was it.
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True. Same thing England struggled with, had the possession and dominated the ball but in terms of actual chances? Probably on the Maguire header that hit the post.

Which again just makes me sad that Grealish and Rashford weren't brought on earlier to create / finish in the final third.
 
bosnian_red said:
No they didn't, come on. Name the clear cut chances :lol:
All Morocco had was decent territory that didn't translate into shots. France in the first half had Giroud hit the post with a 1v1, Mbappe had a 1v1 saved, Giroud missed the net from a wide open shot from roughly the penalty spot, Theo Hernandez scored a clear cut chance, and then their 2nd goal was a tap in.

Morocco had the chance at the very end, and nothing else. A bicycle kick hit the post, but that's not a clear cut chance. Lloris never had a real save to make really.
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Bicycle kick, the dribble where he should have hit it earlier, the one at the end.

There was also a header in the first half, 4 v 5 chances so France had one more, but the game was largely played in Frances half.

Morocco honestly played a lot more in Frances box but I think they lack the quality to find the last pass, or take a shot. They moved the ball better than France in that game.

I generally think if Morocco had one or two more players at Frances level the tie could have been slightly different. Of course France scoring first meant France could use their experience and sit back a little.

France are a team that have the marks of a title winning team, they grind out fairly ugly results without playing particularly well.

England was a wonderstrike, even against Argentina last finals the Pavard goal was insane. They always seem to find a away without really dominating.

This WC it's expected with their injuries of course but I don't think France were good today. I think they just did enough, because Morocco in my opinion played better and its not underdog bias.

You kind of go to watch France and expect a performance from World Champions but you have a good moment or two and France are clinical IMO. I can't see them not winning the WC.
 
Annihilate Now! said:
They created good openings that didn't translate to chances because of some excellent defending from Varane and Konate. They did put pressure a lot on France at the end of the first and beginning of the second,which made Deschamps have to change things. After that France basically controlled it.

But yeah, France clearly had the better chances in the game...but they didn't boss it or anything.
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Oh yeah they absolutely didn’t boss it. It was fairly even game that France edged. They weren’t hanging on by the skin of their teeth. Two good teams playing a good game.
 
Mbappe was poor, whole attack was pretty poor. Very fortunate Morocco didn't score. Griezmann was the light for France.

France just grind results out though. Like a peak Mourinho or Simeone team almost.
 
Annihilate Now! said:
They created good openings that didn't translate to chances because of some excellent defending from Varane and Konate. They did put pressure a lot on France at the end of the first and beginning of the second,which made Deschamps have to change things. After that France basically controlled it.

But yeah, France clearly had the better chances in the game...but they didn't boss it or anything.
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That was the real difference between the teams. Could have been a very different scoreline if France lost three of their first choice defenders as early on as Morocco did.
 
MDFC Manager said:
Exactly, I said it at the time as well that it's a keeper mistake. In real time I was stunned he didn't rush him.
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It was not as if he was going to be able to move the ball to the side of him, at least not quickly enough to escape closing defenders. Stopping and just letting him shoot was weird.
 
With France in the final, we’re deprived of the best referee, (Turpin).
He’s a class above the rest.
 
bosnian_red said:
Having more possession isn't really out playing a team. You gotta make chances. The only chances in the whole game for Morocco was that bit at the end that Kounde blocked on the line. Was feck all chances before that, some almost connections on crosses was it.
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There were a few hairy moments for France but they were more than happy to let their opponents keep the ball. The former created more clear-cut chances, too. Valiant effort from Morocco, they tried and tried and through sheer determination they certainly made that game much more of a spectacle than Croatia last night, but I think underdog-tinted specs are clouding many posters' judgment here.
 
People here still don't understand this France team.

Their purposely solid. Always have a solid, strong, organized backline as far back as the Zidane team.

They work hard and everyone has a role.

They don't like to hold possession, so therefore, unless they are chasing a game, don't go guns blazing when attacking. In fact, they chose to limit the amount of attackers used in any possession to a few pacy fast ones, which means, that even on the counter, they should be relatively solid.

Kounde/Pavard are essentially a third centre back.

Today's game, they weren't as solid as they usually are in midfield. Fofana isn't great. Usually Rabiot and Tchouemeni slow down attacks to a minimum, so in order to break this team down, a lot is needed.

Thankfully, Deschamps finally played Konate and Varane. Theis means France have by far the strongest defensive partnership in the competition added to a solid defensive right back and a good goalkeeper. To beat them, you will either need to completely break them down or a brief moment of magic. However, like the last world cup, they can attack aggressively. When they chose to attack, they are also the most incisive team in the competition. They play very efficient football. People don't like that they chose not to keep possession, but its clearly a solid, resolute style.

Midblock 4231 with a solid centre and creative flanks, linked with a playmaker and target man.
 
TheNewEra said:
Bicycle kick, the dribble where he should have hit it earlier, the one at the end.

There was also a header in the first half, 4 v 5 chances so France had one more, but the game was largely played in Frances half.

Morocco honestly played a lot more in Frances box but I think they lack the quality to find the last pass, or take a shot. They moved the ball better than France in that game.

I generally think if Morocco had one or two more players at Frances level the tie could have been slightly different. Of course France scoring first meant France could use their experience and sit back a little.

France are a team that have the marks of a title winning team, they grind out fairly ugly results without playing particularly well.

England was a wonderstrike, even against Argentina last finals the Pavard goal was insane. They always seem to find a away without really dominating.

This WC it's expected with their injuries of course but I don't think France were good today. I think they just did enough, because Morocco in my opinion played better and its not underdog bias.

You kind of go to watch France and expect a performance from World Champions but you have a goo
d moment or two and France are clinical IMO. I can't see them not winning the WC.
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Oh don't get me wrong, I never am impressed by France, they play like shit every game and have shit on a stick tactics but get bailed out by talented players. Very unimpressive coaching... but Deschamps is 1 win away from 2 World Cup wins so it's worked for him and the complaints feel pointless.

xG for the game today was 2.35 for France, 1.21 for Morocco... except they had below 0.5 xG heading into the 90th minute. I'm just being grumpy as I feel like we missed out on potentially memorable semi finals by getting 2 upsets in the quarters which led to pretty much non-events for semi finals of a World Cup, which is just once every 4 years.
 
TheNewEra said:
Bicycle kick, the dribble where he should have hit it earlier, the one at the end.

There was also a header in the first half, 4 v 5 chances so France had one more, but the game was largely played in Frances half.

Morocco honestly played a lot more in Frances box but I think they lack the quality to find the last pass, or take a shot. They moved the ball better than France in that game.

I generally think if Morocco had one or two more players at Frances level the tie could have been slightly different. Of course France scoring first meant France could use their experience and sit back a little.

France are a team that have the marks of a title winning team, they grind out fairly ugly results without playing particularly well.

England was a wonderstrike, even against Argentina last finals the Pavard goal was insane. They always seem to find a away without really dominating.

This WC it's expected with their injuries of course but I don't think France were good today. I think they just did enough, because Morocco in my opinion played better and its not underdog bias.

You kind of go to watch France and expect a performance from World Champions but you have a good moment or two and France are clinical IMO. I can't see them not winning the WC.
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Dribbling and not passing isn't a chance though
 
bosnian_red said:
Oh don't get me wrong, I never am impressed by France, they play like shit every game and have shit on a stick tactics but get bailed out by talented players. Very unimpressive coaching... but Deschamps is 1 win away from 2 World Cup wins so it's worked for him and the complaints feel pointless.

xG for the game today was 2.35 for France, 1.21 for Morocco... except they had below 0.5 xG heading into the 90th minute. I'm just being grumpy as I feel like we missed out on potentially memorable semi finals by getting 2 upsets in the quarters which led to pretty much non-events for semi finals of a World Cup, which is just once every 4 years.
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I'm not a big fan of xG, the predictive model can't work very well if you have an expected goal disparity of what's scored.

It gives a metric for people to look at and throw around but goals are all that really matters.

This is Frances to lose at this point though.
 
kouroux said:
Dribbling and not passing isn't a chance though
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It's not but Morocco played better, in fairness though the game changed when France got a 4th minute goal.

They ended up just defending a lead and countering. France know how to grind out wins and that's tournament football for you.

I haven't come out of this tournament thinking how good France are, I've come out seeing good individuals that win a game with a chance.

Supremely talented team though, I think they'd do well with a coach that isnt Deschamps because they could really tear teams apart.

I expect France to be in the 2026 and 2030 finals too with the team, and experience they have.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
That was the real difference between the teams. Could have been a very different scoreline if France lost three of their first choice defenders as early on as Morocco did.
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Oh please ! Not a good idea to challenge France with injuries...
 
Pogue Mahone said:
That was the real difference between the teams. Could have been a very different scoreline if France lost three of their first choice defenders as early on as Morocco did.
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Yep... Could you imagine how less close that quarters would have gone if 3 of our back 4 were Coady, Dier and Tripps at LB
 
TheNewEra said:
I'm not a big fan of xG, the predictive model can't work very well if you have an expected goal disparity of what's scored.

It gives a metric for people to look at and throw around but goals are all that really matters.

This is Frances to lose at this point though.
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Oh for sure. But I'm just using it to say that Morocco didn't really create much... which is true. They huffed and puffed and put in a ridiculous amount of energy, but struggled to create a chance before the 90th minute, while France never looked too stretched, missed good chances themselves but got 2 goals anyway.
 
bosnian_red said:
By far... I wanted Morocco to win, but like... they didn't create anything. A bicycle kick off a corner isn't a good chance. Shots from range aren't good chances. They only had the one run at the end of the game when the game was over already. France had multiple chances in the first half that they missed, but just sat on their 1-0 lead and didn't look overly troubled.
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That's something people haven't learnt yet. France have always been in the lead against these teams that people say were unlucky. They were always in a position where conceding would not be the end of the world, so going for it wasn't a necessity.

Whenever they are in a position where they are behind, they hit back very quickly because their attacks are quick and direct, with lots of combinations.
I think they do this for a reason. When teams like Spain keep possession, they have to either pull their more attacking players deeper to have more numbers or they push their defenders high to squeeze the space. Pulling attackers deeper disrupts potential attacking opportunities and limits space available to attackers. Pushing defenders high creates opportunities for a counter attack for teams who may not usually have that option.

Instead, playing with the midblock and not pressing to high allows the team to keep its shape. Players like Mbappe and Dembele are always in position to attack. Giroud and Griezmann are always in position to link and the opposition has to pull the team apart to get a look in at goal, before being swamped by the defensive line, which is a rather long hard process. Since they have the lead when they do this, it usually has no real cost for them. If Rabiot were there in place of Fofana, I have a feeling this game would not have looked as close as it did.
 
Nick7 said:
He was sent home before the semis I think
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Was he? Didn’t realise that.
I suppose if he had reffed the first semi he could have felt compromised.
Anyhow, in my opinion he’s the best. Never shows any semblance of losing control.
 
France had like one good opponent (England) and is in the final again. Bit of a joke
 
tjb said:
That's something people haven't learnt yet. France have always been in the lead against these teams that people say were unlucky. They were always in a position where conceding would not be the end of the world, so going for it wasn't a necessity.

Whenever they are in a position where they are behind, they hit back very quickly because their attacks are quick and direct, with lots of combinations.
I think they do this for a reason. When teams like Spain keep possession, they have to either pull their more attacking players deeper to have more numbers or they push their defenders high to squeeze the space. Pulling attackers deeper disrupts potential attacking opportunities and limits space available to attackers. Pushing defenders high creates opportunities for a counter attack for teams who may not usually have that option.

Instead, playing with the midblock and not pressing to high allows the team to keep its shape. Players like Mbappe and Dembele are always in position to attack. Giroud and Griezmann are always in position to link and the opposition has to pull the team apart to get a look in at goal, before being swamped by the defensive line, which is a rather long hard process. Since they have the lead when they do this, it usually has no real cost for them. If Rabiot were there in place of Fofana, I have a feeling this game would not have looked as close as it did.
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This is spot on. France are a very efficient team when going forward. Throughout 2 World Cups, they have shown that they can attack differently but still defend collectively as a team and maintain their shape...pragmatic football gets shit on here, but in tournament football, it's effective and at time necessary. They are extremely comfortable and disciplined when it comes to defending. It doesn't always work and yes they'll conceded, but it's still effective and they don't let matches get too out of hand like Croatia did against Argentina.

The one thing that hurts France is depth, but bringing on Thuram when Deschamps did was fantastic. Thuram has the better combination of size and speed on the outside, then moves Mbappe in the middle and allows him to move around. Giroud couldn't stretch Morocco as they have the pace, strength, and shape.
 
Antarion said:
France had like one good opponent (England) and is in the final again. Bit of a joke
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What about Argentina? Croatia played their worst match but still had a shit attacking unit which they got away with the entire tournament.

France faced England and a group topping Morocco who did not allow an opposition goal until today.

Argentina and France has it all on paper.
 
Antarion said:
France had like one good opponent (England) and is in the final again. Bit of a joke
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And Argentina has faced Australia, a dutch side with no quality upfront, and Croatia with no legs after playing 240 minutes, to the reach the final

Yeah i would say, that both got similar paths.
 
Bobski said:
Still think the Keeper should have been out to Hernandez and got right on top of him. Stopped and allowed him to get on top of a bouncing ball and get the shot off when he had the time to smother the shot.
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Yep agreed, he hesitates rather than just charging in to close the angle. Perhaps he was mindful of the penalty last night.
 
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