World Cup: Group D: Argentina vs. Croatia, 6/21/2018

[Theon]

This is one of the rare games in NT jersey where Luka "I don't remember" Modrić played like world class player.

Does he usually not play well? He's been on point so far in this tournament.

 

[Live in the Now]

Croatians have to be pleased as well when looking down the road. I think Spain will win the group and play Russia, which could lead to Croatia playing Spain. Croatia has a good track record against them as well. Then on the other side of that same bracket they could avoid Germany or any other favorite.

 

[LemmyUlanov55]

Kudos to Croatia, well executed game plan, A level discipline aswell.
Argentina really managed to not win anything during the Messi era, dumbfounding when you think about it..

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

Croatians have to be pleased as well when looking down the road. I think Spain will win the group and play Russia, which could lead to Croatia playing Spain. Croatia has a good track record against them as well. Then on the other side of that same bracket they could avoid Germany or any other favorite.

Croatia's track record against Spain really is stellar, you gotta think they're hoping for it.

 

[Live in the Now]

Does he usually not play well? He's been on point so far in this tournament.

He usually plays really well, until things like the knockout games where teams like Portugal use their gigantic midfielders to completely shut him down. Sometimes other players outshine him like in the Spain game two years ago.

I don't really know what the poster is talking about though.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

Few things from today's game and an assessment of Argentina's team.
The coach is terrible, and the squad selection is proof of that. Argentina have too many filler players (Perez, Pavon, Meza, Acuna...). I blame the coach for the subs he used today; no Lo Celso, and removing Aguero when they need goals.The team just hasn't gelled. It could be that they just don't like the coach's system.

On to today's game from what I saw.

Croatia is not a joke of a team. They're good but for reasons other than just simply being good at football. They are a very dirty team and easily get under the opponents skin. There was instances of at least two red cards that I counted. The foot-stamping was atrocious and some of you will point out that Argentina did the same but those were in response to the referee letting them slip. I am not discounting that Otamendi also committed a straight red, but overall Croatia is a dirty team no question about that. They are also a slimey bunch. Rakitic napping while Argentina were on the attack is an example of that.

 

[Live in the Now]

Croatia's track record against Spain really is stellar, you gotta think they're hoping for it.

I'm really hoping for Uruguay to throw the game against Russia and clean out Spain.

Then we're guaranteed an out of nowhere finalist.

 

[MaxV]

I still think Argentina finishes 2nd.

 

[Ivan13]

Does he usually not play well? He's been on point so far in this tournament.

He plays well, but people who have no idea about what makes a goid player think he just passes the ball to the guy first to himself, but that has an upside, ignoramuses are easily detectable.

 

[Luigi Habs]

Last time Argentina went out in the first round a great generation of new players came in and were great in 2006. Hopefully we see similar pattern here.

I expect half their squad including Messi to retire.

 

[Ivan13]

Few things from today's game and an assessment of Argentina's team.
The coach is terrible, and the squad selection is proof of that. Argentina have too many filler players (Perez, Pavon, Meza, Acuna...). I blame the coach for the subs he used today; no Lo Celso, and removing Aguero when they need goals.The team just hasn't gelled. It could be that they just don't like the coach's system.

On to today's game from what I saw.

Croatia is not a joke of a team. They're good but for reasons other than just simply being good at football. They are a very dirty team and easily get under the opponents skin. There was instances of at least two red cards that I counted. The foot-stamping was atrocious and some of you will point out that Argentina did the same but those were in response to the referee letting them slip. I am not discounting that Otamendi also committed a straight red, but overall Croatia is a dirty team no question about that. They are also a slimey bunch. Rakitic napping while Argentina were on the attack is an example of that.

 

[cgf]

This Argentinian team is a mess. You don't have a resemblance of a scheme, you play Pavon, Perez, Acuna and cia instead of Dybala, Di Maria, Higuain. Such a wasted potential, shame on Sampoli and AFA for this mess.

But, like they say, "don't cry for me, Argentina"

Lo Celso was the guy they should've played, given that they didn't bring Ascacibar, or at least Paredes as well. So which striker got deprived service because Messi had to drop deep to generate any forward impulses due to the impotent midfield, doesn't much matter to me. This is exactly what happened to germany against Mexico, we where so weak in the deeper midfield that our genius playmaker had to keep dropping deeper & deeper so that he was unable to be there in the final third to find that moment of genius.

And the solutions to these problems have to come from deeper on the pitch; be it via better selection of midfielders & formations, or a radical tactical shift that sees Messi playing a Pirlo-esque role to accommodate more attackers in front of him so that him dropping so deep didn't neuter them in the final third...but for that to work they'd have to stop looking for him to come up with everything in the final third...plus it's dumber than just playing Lo Celso & Paredes with Mascherano in a midfield 3 would've been while letting Leo stay in the parts of the pitch where he's spent his whole career.

That's why I don't mind Pavon playing instead of starting both Higuain & Aguero...despite how much I love 2 forward formations...even if Pavon's a dumb-dumb he's no dumber than AdM, and he at least tries to help Messi move the ball forward.


Anyways, just so I don't accidentally make a post that's not about the german NT ;-) here's to hoping that there have now been enough warnings to struggling giants for Jogi to get our lineup right against Sweden:

Werner/Gomez - Müller*
Özil
Hector - Gundo - Toni - Kimmich
Hummels - Süle - Boateng
Neuer

*Reus | Brandt | Goretzka
​

Switch to a 4-3-1-2/4-3-2-1, with Goretzka replacing Süle & no chance of Gomez, against the koreans. And then vacillate between those two lineups depending on whether the opponent's quickness or physicality is more of a threat and how much they'll press vs bunker.

 

[filip85]

Croatia is not a joke of a team..

Of course we are not, but we are also very overrated team...

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Croatia is not a joke of a team. They're good but for reasons other than just simply being good at football. They are a very dirty team and easily get under the opponents skin. There was instances of at least two red cards that I counted. The foot-stamping was atrocious and some of you will point out that Argentina did the same but those were in response to the referee letting them slip. I am not discounting that Otamendi also committed a straight red, but overall Croatia is a dirty team no question about that. They are also a slimey bunch. Rakitic napping while Argentina were on the attack is an example of that.

That's pretty silly. Both teams played a chippy game. Given Argentina's reputation for extracurriculars, one could also say that Croatia simply held their own.

 

[Live in the Now]

The post you quoted was overboard, but they were quite dirty. It doesn't really matter though, any good player will know how the ref is calling the game and respond accordingly. If he's not giving out cards for fouls that deserve them, any smart team will go in and make lots of hard challenges.

Still they deserved their win without dispute, and as far as fouls go they did what practically every other good team would have done.

 

[Timeless Winter]

Argentina have no midfield, and played against a team with an elite midfield. Not a shocking result. No back line and no midfield for Argentina, and I find it hard to believe a country so soccer crazy doesn't have a better keeper than Caballero.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Really wishing I had gone with my gut and put Argentina out in the group stage.

Worked for me

 

[Ceremony]

The sooner you accept there's a bunch of cynical cloggers in your team, the better. Laughing off the suggestion just makes you look like you're wilfully ignoring reality.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Argentina have no midfield, and played against a team with an elite midfield. Not a shocking result. No back line and no midfield for Argentina, and I find it hard to believe a country so soccer crazy doesn't have a better keeper than Caballero.

In those countries nobody wants to go in goal. It's different in countries that have a history of producing legendary keepers. There's a reason Germany produces them on an assembly line: The position gets respect.

 

[Live in the Now]

Argentina have no midfield, and played against a team with an elite midfield. Not a shocking result. No back line and no midfield for Argentina, and I find it hard to believe a country so soccer crazy doesn't have a better keeper than Caballero.

They do have many better keepers than Caballero. They don't bring them. Rulli had a horrible season and is still better than that bum. Armani is better. Managers for some countries are the greatest reason their team can't win.

In fact they have better players than their backups (in some cases starters) at almost every position that they don't bring. CB is the only exception. I think their squad also got wrecked a bit by Lanzini getting injured.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

Of course we are not, but we are also very overrated team...

I don't think you're overrated. If anything many people don't see/didn't see you advancing further than maybe quarterfinals, but I think they have the potential to win it all.

 

[Adele Dazeem]

That's pretty silly. Both teams played a chippy game. Given Argentina's reputation for extracurriculars, one could also say that Croatia simply held their own.

Disagree. In both matches I watched, Croatia were dirty. I'm not saying that to discount their performance. It's a good strategy but you have to accept that the style they're playing is very very physical. A good ref would book them with yellows for each of those foot stamps.

You're saying that the overall game was chippy. Chippy is not football. The ref has to stand his ground and give yellows when they are deserved.

 

[cgf]

When I see Argentina's midfield, I don't see the midfield of a contender. Argentina seem to have plenty of forwards but no idea of how to actually get them into good situation.

What's so dumb about it is that it's not even that they don't have young talent that deserved to play. I'm not saying a Mascherano, Lo Celso & Paredes trio would be outclassing every other midfield on earth...but with their attacking talent, that midfield would be more than good enough for a world cup winner.

 

[filip85]

I don't think you're overrated. If anything many people don't see/didn't see you advancing further than maybe quarterfinals, but I think they have the potential to win it all.

I still think they are overrated, if you listen croatian media for last ten years about this team, you would think that we are made up of Pele's and Maradona's.

 

[ViD]

I still think Argentina finishes 2nd.

If Nigeria wins or it’s a draw, I think it’s very likely.

The problem is the horrible goal difference for Argentina. They have to trash Nigeria to get it back