Iran v Spain 19:00 Ko. ITV

I have watched quite a few games now ........

Quite a lot of teams have one or two top quality players ... even Egypt. But I have yet to see a team with one or two players who can dominate the game and who can dictate play.

What we are seeing is really well organised teams making good tactical decisions and which are cancelling out the good players. And those good players aren't quite good enough to beat the organisation and tactics.

Spot on with the summary.

Everyone is just well drilled and tbh it's quite boring.

Neymar was the only one who has shown a bit of flair the other day.
 
I can't see Spain winning this WC tbh.

Great on the ball but they seem to have too many of the same type of player in their team and I think a decent team will snuff them out and hit them on the break. Doesn't really look to be an end product to a lot of their play and Costa gets injured or suspended and they are completely goosed.

Who?

I’m not saying Spain will win it, but looking at Brazil, Germany, France, Argentina, Belgium, etc, they’re all much of a muchness - good in possession, one or two players who can produce a flash of brilliance, but all a bit meh really.
 
Defending is a skill too!
Are you saying you would be happy to see that style of football every week?
Naw, don't think so!
Of course defending's a skill but it's surely only PART of the game, to go out and just park the bus and hope for the best just doesn't do it for me I'm afraid.
It's the last resort of the terminal underdog and it's certainly not entertainment!
 
Who?

I’m not saying Spain will win it, but looking at Brazil, Germany, France, Argentina, Belgium, etc, they’re all much of a muchness - good in possession, one or two players who can produce a flash of brilliance, but all a bit meh really.

More than likely the 1st decent team they meet - who that will be I am not sure, but it is pretty obvious how to beat them, sit in and don't let them in behind you then hit them on the counter.
 
And now onto England. Switched off.

Disappointed with Spain but the manager situation has to have had an effect. I don't think they were as slick as they were against Argentina but in saying that, Iran defended doggedly.
 
What happens if both Spain and Portugal win their last games 1-0?

Who tops the group and why?
 
Are you saying you would be happy to see that style of football every week?
Naw, don't think so!
Of course defending's a skill but it's surely only PART of the game, to go out and just park the bus and hope for the best just doesn't do it for me I'm afraid.
It's the last resort of the terminal underdog and it's certainly not entertainment!

Walter did it when we played the likes of Barcelona and Man Utd.. It was based on a realistic assessment of the other team's strengths and weaknesses and our strengths and weaknesses. It was about trying to get a result and certainly not about entertainment.

Brendan Rodgers didn't do it when the mhanks played in the group stages of the CL and they got well and truly hammered. So if you are the manager of the team what do you prefer? That your team goes out and has a chance of grinding out a result or your team goes out there and ships 5 or 6 goals?

Ultimately it is up to the better team to work out how to score and not up to the weaker team to play a style of football that makes it easier for them to score.
 
Walter did it when we played the likes of Barcelona and Man Utd.. It was based on a realistic assessment of the other team's strengths and weaknesses and our strengths and weaknesses. It was about trying to get a result and certainly not about entertainment.

Brendan Rodgers didn't do it when the mhanks played in the group stages of the CL and they got well and truly hammered. So if you are the manager of the team what do you prefer? That your team goes out and has a chance of grinding out a result or your team goes out there and ships 5 or 6 goals?

Ultimately it is up to the better team to work out how to score and not up to the weaker team to play a style of football that makes it easier for them to score.

Unfortunately you’re bang on.

But it kills entertainment :(
 
What a truly shit day of world cup action.

Considering the "big" teams involved.
 
Strangely I quite enjoyed that one. Only complaint was the iranians' "in your face"with the ref.

I enjoyed it too.

I think a lot of people need to see massive scoring games to be entertained. That one was about a significantly poorer team defending for their lives to get what would have been an incredible point. They defended really well at times and created a few openings.

I'd much rather watch a close game like that and the others in the WC than a 5-0 game.
 
Are you saying you would be happy to see that style of football every week?
Naw, don't think so!
Of course defending's a skill but it's surely only PART of the game, to go out and just park the bus and hope for the best just doesn't do it for me I'm afraid.
It's the last resort of the terminal underdog and it's certainly not entertainment!

I have no real issue with the so-called minnows playing to their strengths. They are impressively well organised nowadays, but that is part of the ‘problem’ in terms of the World Cup as a spectacle and supposed celebration of the best the game has to offer - as the gap between big and small narrows, matches are much tighter and with the stakes so high, less risks taken.

With the exception of one of two games, all the other matches have been very cautious and repetitive, usually consisting of one side dominating possession but frustrated by well drilled but defensive minded opponents.

This lack of variety and the failure of top players to really shine (Ronaldo might have scored four goals so far, but he hasn’t actually done a hell of a lot else) has been a feature of the last few world cups and it’s what IMO has diminished it as the fascinating exhibition it used to be.
 
The most entertaining team in the history of the world ever (according to terrestrial commentators) dominate possession mostly without purpose and win 1-0. Again.
 
I found this an intriguing match. Iran defended excellently and deserved a draw. Even a team as good as Spain find it difficult to break down a packed defense and Iran were dangerous on the break.
 
That game reminded me very much of games at Ibrox not the standard of play but the formation of visiting teams,One team trying to score the other team every man behind the ball defending hoping to get something on the break .
 
Unfortunately you’re bang on.

But it kills entertainment :(

You didn't find the game entertaining? I thought it was thrilling, Iran with plenty of chances to nick it, almost scoring a fabulous goal 69 seconds before Spain took the lead, then having a goal disallowed through VAR, and a missed header at the end, all the while Spain doing their best to try and force through another goal and make sure they were safe.

I thought it was great, and 90 minutes where I genuinely thought Iran could take points from Spain. It wasn't as if Iran were heaving the ball up route 1 either, they were playing with some substance. Games like that are akin to a thriller rather than an action movie, where tension is high and you aren't quite sure what will happen next, but each have their place as being fun movies to watch.
 
You didn't find the game entertaining? I thought it was thrilling, Iran with plenty of chances to nick it, almost scoring a fabulous goal 69 seconds before Spain took the lead, then having a goal disallowed through VAR, and a missed header at the end, all the while Spain doing their best to try and force through another goal and make sure they were safe.

I thought it was great, and 90 minutes where I genuinely thought Iran could take points from Spain. It wasn't as if Iran were heaving the ball up route 1 either, they were playing with some substance. Games like that are akin to a thriller rather than an action movie, where tension is high and you aren't quite sure what will happen next, but each have their place as being fun movies to watch.

Pity about the constant timewasting and play acting antics.
 
That game reminded me very much of games at Ibrox not the standard of play but the formation of visiting teams,One team trying to score the other team every man behind the ball defending hoping to get something on the break .
It's gonna be the same this season :(
 
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