World Cup 2022 - Team and Match Discussion

How many years of Dunphy, Giles and Brady doing exactly that. RTE is not known for its innovation.

Welcome to Eaven !

I remember 82 and that Brazilian team. They were a joy to watch. Just about everyone was convinced they were going to Samba their way to the trophy (think Dunphy actually was the exception, and thereby set the template for the rest of his punditry career) until Italy and Rossi did a number on them. I was devastated at the time. The Italy game was epic and could have gone either way. Still have to be the best team not to win the trophy (possibly Hungary in 1954, but that was way before my time.)

Ide say Italy in 94. Amazing players in every position and 2 of the best defenders in the history of the game in one team.

Easy for lads who played positions where you are subbed on and off the whole time to say that.

Cant see England getting past France. Too much quality in that French side and Mbappe is playing out of his skin. Win it with a couple of goals I reckon.

Same with Croatia. They’ve been just ok, and they haven’t really had any tough opposition so far. Japan’s energy in the first half caused them problems and Brazil will have that and more.

The most interesting QF is Netherlands v Argentina - could go either way, but I’d probably back Argentina to shade it.

Brazil must've been over the moon with Korea getting through - they knew they'd play it clean. Uruguay would've kicked Brazil up and down the park. Brazil would still have won, of course, but there wouldn't have been much dancing... hard to dance on knobbled ankles!

Yeah, they really were that good. They were punished by Italy for a couple of mistakes, but still looked like scoring more in that game, at least that’s my recollection of it. Still think it’s a travesty they didn’t win it. I don’t remember the 70 Brazil side, but in 82 they were something else. I think you’re right, this current team doesn’t compare. In fact I think they won it in 94 and 2002 with inferior teams to that side, at least skill wise.

Also, Ireland were very unlucky not to qualify in 82, out of a group with Holland, France and Belgium. We only missed out on goal difference, and were robbed by the ref in Brussels. I remember being quite sore that Northern Ireland qualified out of a far easier group when I really felt we had better players at the time.

Sounds like I'm not missing much without ITV

Re Brazil 82 and the comparisons with now.

That was a brilliant side, no doubt. However, there was a huge aura around those sides back in the 80s. We simply didn't see them play until the world cups. We had heard of the likes of Zico, Falcao, Socrates, but apart from an odd clip, we were only familiar with them from reading of their exploits, tv coverage was pretty non existent.

Nowadays, we see the likes of Richarlison and Casemiro on a weekly basis, warts and all. The aura and mystery is gone.

correct, I’m dubious about any of the great players or sides unless I saw them play.

for example if Cristiano’s career was transferred to the 80s or 70s no one would have known or talked about that he completely fell off at the end of his career and the sides he played suffered from having him and he reacted in the worst possible way to being past it. The age of micro analysis of football means this will never happen again.

2018 is key though to this team though. They lost to teams rated higher than them, Belgium (5) (twice) and beat the teams rated lower than them in Tunisia (28), Panama (49) and Sweden (25). They drew with Colombia (13) and Croatia (18). England were ranked at 12.

England are now ranked 5, but France is ahead of them at 3. Waterloo, and all that!

What team has played "somebody"

What would be funny is if Brazilian players got booked for ‘excessive celebrations’ and then a second yellow later on. Could change a game. Plus with the refs adding on loads of extra time those celebrations could bite back.

I think France could suit England the way they play. Another poster said England were walloped in the Nations League. But wasn’t it only Hungary that walloped them. The rest were close? Still France should have too much for England if they are tuned in.

I would agree with you to an extent but Brazil battered teams with pure swagger in 82.

I only went looking it up because Souness was eulogising about Brazil 82 best team he ever played against etc. Different level etc.

Now Souness is not a fella to give praise lightly at all. But basically said Scotland were lucky to keep the Brazil lads to 4 goals.

And that Scottish team was littered with quality but they were completely outplayed.

Good point on C. Ronaldo but he STILL gets the goals and STILL turns up in the big games.

I got to be honest football wise he impresses me. But it is with reluctance - as his big ego personality annoys me. And that Peirs Morgan interview was like a mockumentary.

I think the Brazil celebrations are annoying and OTT but if they can put their money where their mouth is and keep winning then they can be as arrogant as they want, however if they do get knocked out at some point I want to see whatever team beats them going 110% with every celebration.

Nobody hates Neymar because of what he can do with a football.

People hate Neymar because of every single thing he does without possession of the ball, on and off the pitch.

I just can’t believe the level of discussion around it! I didn’t even really notice they’re celebrations that much apart from with Tite but I thought that was a bit of craic. I certainly don’t see how it’s disrespectful to the opposition, planned celebrations have been part of football for decades and haven’t been reserved for tournament winning goals either.

Think Tite has done a superb job building this Brazil team generally and you can see the camaraderie throughout the whole squad. As much as I dislike Neymar I really like this Brazil team compared to recent others because it really feels like it’s not just about him anymore.

At international tournaments, 2018 they came from 2-0 down to beat Japan 3-2. They knocked out Brazil in a superb performance of attacking football.

Stupid things like being "injured" at the same time every single year to celebrate his sister's birthday back in Brazil (which is also a bit weird IMO), his primadonna attitude and general behaviour outside of football...

Do you really need more? As for the "endorsing Bolsonaro but what else?" comment; there doesn't even need to be anything else, that's pretty bad form in its own right given the political climate of Brazil and the financial incentives he's given for it.

He is making a lot of stuff up to prove his narrative.

Fair answer, he broke his back in 2014 and the surgeon said he was a small measure of never walking again. So thats the context of the “funeral”. I don’t think he asked for that funeral, it’s just Brazil follows football as a religion and this was a home World Cup and he was in a strikeforce with Fred, Bernard and…maybe Willian….which is deeply average without him so the country as a whole lost it.

i wouldn’t say greed is his style, his assist stats are huge. I’d call that out as nonsense. He should have played Vinicius in yesterday but it’s not normal for him to not play that pass.

A continuous string of sexual assault allegations? There is a troubling one with Nike. There is one where he was accused of rape, had hidden camera footage of the interaction and it was the opposite of rape. Why he had a hidden camera at all is questionable but it proved a wise decision. Not aware of anything else?

people have been strongly criticizing him a lot since very early, before these things came out so that is why it’s smells like jealousy to me.

I think Morocco could win this.

Its the preplanned nature of these celebrations that bores the ars off me. Give me SuperPippo or Marco Tardelli just screaming with pure joy any day over this tedious crap.

Best celebration so far was the Ghana lad doing Ronaldo's stupid publicity stunt 🤣