World Cup: R16: France vs. Argentina. 6/30/2018

[Evilo]

If you told me France beats Argentina 4-0... I would say yeah, that makes sense. As does a 1-0 win for either team.

I say this game could be had. France have DD but Argentina are inept. France also is worlds better on paper.

@Evilo's tears or mine. Either way HF rejoices.

Not really for me.
No offense (pun intended), but if France can't beat *that* Argentinian team, they have no business claiming to win the WC.

 

[S E P H]

In 78, Argentina managed to beat France on a scandalous penalty. Tresor touched the ball with his arm (not on purpose at all), and the ref didn't call a penalty.
Under the pressure of crazy Argentine players and a mad stadium, he simply chose to change his mind many seconds after the fact. One of the most scandalous ref decision ever.

Why is everything that is against France somehow scandalous from you? Just face it, France has had some low lows' and they've had some high highs'. They're a good nation that needs a lot of help from immigrates to be better. At least Argentina is filled with a ton of homegrown players...hell even Denmark is.

 

[illpucks]

Need to check Maradona before the game. The guy is out of this reality

Just list him as a sub.

 

[illpucks]

Would be funny if Argentina beats France and Portugal beats Uruguay

 

[Live in the Now]

After the first game, Messi was given a good luck charm by a reporter and he actually wore it in his boots. Bear in mind how badly reporters have treated their team and that he could have done practically anything else with his time. I'm genuinely stunned by that.

 

[Corto]

I saw. Argentina still dominated possession completely and had their goalkeeper play like a complete moron.

People need to stop getting hung up on possession. It does not necessarily mean scoring chances or goals.
Tossing the ball around the CBs and the goalkeeper does not mean you dominate the game in any way. Caballero had more touches in the first half than Messi and Aguro combined.

Croatia doesn't play possession football, it makes no sense with the forwards they have.
They play high pressure, quick pass football, with people running into empty pockets of space, Modric opening up passing lanes and Rakitic and him switching side when needed. Noone takes people on (except sometimes Modric),
The three forwards (Mandzukic, Rebic, Perisic) can run for hours - Dalic recognizes that and uses them properly.
The three are technically limited, with very limited vision and sometimes suspect decision making. But tactically, all three are fantastic, cover a LOT of ground, and they force constant turnovers or the opposition to just punt the ball forward.

Either way, saying a team that plays high pressure (naturally not for 90 minutes) has "parked the bus" couldn't be further away from the truth.
They literally played high pressure even up 1-0 and 2-0.

Croatia may win games, or lose games - but it sure as s**t isn't by parking the bus.

My point is, Argentina HAVE played a team that does not park the bus, and failed miserably at it.
Having watched the Nigeria game, they looked slightly better, but against inferior opposition.

I don't see Argentina's midfield holding up to France, and if France don't win this game it will be on them.

 

[Elliman]

It’s simply ok for Argentina to bow out here and not get completely killed back home in the press and by the fans. If Argentina win, France can blame Messi. Arguably one of the greatest players of all time. I want both sides to go for it.

 

[Ivan13]

First time Argentina is playing against a team that won't park the bus either, it should be said.

Both teams have terrible managers who don't know how to get the team to play great football, France has more individual talent, they should win. But if it's a tight game, a 0-0 game in the 80th minute, they don't have a Messi. I intend to bet on France, but I wouldn't be surprised by anything here.

PS

I guess Liverpool under Rafa also parked the bus all the time.

 

[Incubajerks]

Well France is one of the three favorites, if they do not win against the poorest Argentine team of all time ....

 

[Corto]

I mean, how can you not cheer for Argentina. Scenes like this:
(click for gif apparently)



What a specimen.

 

[maclean]

Why is everything that is against France somehow scandalous from you? Just face it, France has had some low lows' and they've had some high highs'. They're a good nation that needs a lot of help from immigrates to be better. At least Argentina is filled with a ton of homegrown players...hell even Denmark is.

Ahhhahahhahahahhaha... haaaahahaha.. ooo. . . aaaaaahahahaha....oh, by the way, take your racist bullshit somewhere else

 

[Evilo]

Why is everything that is against France somehow scandalous from you? Just face it, France has had some low lows' and they've had some high highs'. They're a good nation that needs a lot of help from immigrates to be better. At least Argentina is filled with a ton of homegrown players...hell even Denmark is.

Awful post from start to bottom.

 

[letsgocaps]

All the french players are homegrown. What are you talking about..

 

[Power Man]

France is the more complete team, but Messi can do something unexpected

Though tough....but I'm going with France

 

[Luigi Habs]

Argentina may not have played a perfect game vs Nigeria, but at least they played with a lot of passion compared to the first 2 games.

The bad news is, I don't think this team can play better than they had vs Nigeria, while France has yet to show their true potential. Argentina has a chance if they play with passion and France play the same way they've played in the first round.

Now that it's evident Dyabala and Lo Celso won't be playing, the only change I'd like to see from the starting lineup in the last game is Pavon for Perez.

 

[S E P H]

Ahhhahahhahahahhaha... haaaahahaha.. ooo. . . aaaaaahahahaha....oh, by the way, take your racist bull**** somewhere else

That term is used so loosely around here that I don't think people know what it means anymore...

 

[maclean]

That term is used so loosely around here that I don't think people know what it means anymore...

Oh, then I'm happy to explain it to you. It means you consider black (probably also Arab?) French players to somehow not be homegrown, despite being born and raised there, while Argentinean players that are descended from immigrants each and every one of them are measured completely differently because they are "white".

 

[S E P H]

Oh, then I'm happy to explain it to you. It means you consider black (probably also Arab?) French players to somehow not be homegrown, despite being born and raised there, while Argentinean players that are descended from immigrants each and every one of them are measured completely differently because they are "white".

So that means you support colonization then? Sorry, but that's a bit more racist than whatever I said in my post.

 

[maclean]

So that means you support colonization then? Sorry, but that's a bit more racist than whatever I said in my post.

Hm, wanna flesh out your logic there?

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Not really for me.
No offense (pun intended), but if France can't beat *that* Argentinian team, they have no business claiming to win the WC.

Oh, I don't expect and never expected an Argentina to win the cup and that's the mentality I had against Nigeria but I still will be devastated when they lose. It hurts regardless of expectations.

See Germany 2014.

 

[canuckster19]

I have a hard time gauging this one because France didn't exactly have a tough group nor did they impress me much with their 7 points but looks can be deceiving, and Argentina are they peaking or do they have more to give?

Certainly one of the most intriguing round of 16 matches.

 

[Evilo]

Oh, I don't expect and never expected an Argentina to win the cup and that's the mentality I had against Nigeria but I still will be devastated when they lose. It hurts regardless of expectations.

See Germany 2014.

I know I won't be too disappointed. Of course, the fan part in me, but they are the best team in the tournament on paper. They however have played bad football.
I don't, contrary to others here, blame DD for all this crap. He has his part, but the players on the field, as well as the system, are good enough to blow out Australia, Peru and maybe Denmark too.
Yet they sucked.

If they suck their next game, so be it. DD will be gone (he's gone if we don't get to the SF per FFF statements) and the new generation will blossom under a different coach.

 

[Evilo]

The difference is also that for Argentina it's win now with Messi aging. That french team is awfully young. They'll win one or two WC/EC under a good coach with the players they have. This one might be too soon though.

 

[Suiteness]

I think it's over for Messi, 2014 was pretty much his chance. It was pretty much a WC on home soil with a paper soft path to the finals.

 

[Elliman]

I want France to win but I also would love a Messi vs Ronaldo quarter final match.... the options.....

Suarez vs Messi
Messi vs Ronaldo