robsblubot

it does look that way unfortunately, but it could also be the pace of the league. We will find out soon enough. 😟

I guess we know why he wasn't playing before--really struggling with the pace of the league. Needs to improve a lot to become serviceable.

You joke, but I've always thought Alonso's skill on the ball was underrated here. Slight improvement... there is hope yet for Cucurella. Chilwell is still twice the player, so we need him back asap.

I'm not as interested in results actually. When you make that jump, the most important aspect is level, and esp style, of play IMO. What worked at Brighton is likely not going to work for a big club. e.g. giving the ball to the opposition and counter (not saying that's all they did). yeah, I will have to disagree. Speaking for myself once again, I did see what Arteta was trying to do and it was fairly obvious from the get go (knowing his background). He did have deadwood and players who simply could not do what was required--Aubameyang was one of them--but I could see the intent. It's not about the result, or even the level of play initially, but intent. I don't yet see the intent in Potter's work at Chelsea and as I wrote above, I'm not sure how much of what he did at Brighton would be immediately applicable at Chelsea. On the other hand, I was one of the few here who thought our transfer window business was a disaster. I did not like a single signing: did not even think Sterling was a big improvement over Werner. For this reason, I do have to cut him some slack, but his formation and strategy are making things worse because he simply does not have the players for it, IMO of course. Zakaria, for example, is really struggling with the pace of the league.

The thing is that even when Arsenal wasn't quite competitive under Arteta, I knew what he was trying to do. I also knew that if successful, that style (very much Pep's) is really effective in long championships (not so much in cups). I honestly don't see the goal line just yet. Watched Brighton and they never caught my attention; yes, organized and intense team, like I've seen many others. At this point, I can only hope that the leadership detected something in his work and is betting on it. Not his fault Auba is his only striker option tho. What a joke of a signing.... one of the most predictable flops.

What I was most concerned about when we hired Potter remains the same: I am not sure the players are running for him. He's a bit too small a fish in this pond, and will get eaten by bigger egos and pay checks. The level of commitment I see today is very similar to the what I was seeing in the final seasons with Tuchel. Thought sacking him was a mistake before, because it empowers this group of players, and it may be a mistake now too, but the players are not delivering the level of commitment needed at this level. The high press in particular (more like it the lack thereof) is a fucking joke atm.

And the thing is that both goals were really Paes’ mistakes: first was all goalie’s ball and he had no business trying a desperate tackle in a non-desperate situ; the second is the opposite as he’s nonchalant and is surprised by the post bounce. A game for him to forget for sure. He must be wishing they don’t lose this, but I think their shot was in the first half… let’s see.

This Faes guy looks like a competent striker… keep an eye on

agreed. That was precisely my point with the music analogy: it's always evolving... carriages to cars (sorry 😅).

In many places, esp in Brazil, the word "Pele" is used as an adjective. Assuming you know your music... for me the best way to think about this is, Pele was Sebastian Bach. Who is Mozart (Messi for me eh) or Beethoven? that's very personal. Pele changed the game and popularized it. Yes, FIFA benefitted tremendously and used him quite a bit, which does not make his feat any smaller. As a player, very little else to be said. Just read about his life, his accomplishments, and do watch videos. Yes, the game was a lot slower then, but it was slower for everyone--not just him.

Porto Alegre (4mil grand population) is my hometown and I grew up going go Gramado (an hour drive from Porto Alegre) -- great food and entertainment there esp in the winter... they even get snow sometimes (more like a dusting, but eh). While I'm not ignorant of the history--what you posted is well known, I have to say that I have never ever met, or heard of, of a Nazi sympathizer. Yes, it's anecdotal evidence at best, but at the same time, it wasn't a subject that ever came up (not even in college where anything goes). I'm sure they exist, but it's just not something that comes up a lot down there. Perhaps it's unfair to compare, given how news moves these days, but I have a feeling that the Nazi sympathizers here in the US are actually more organized and vocal, if not more abundant. I've had someone literally mention Nazi writings to me at some point, which was cringeworthy, evidently... not only because of what it was, but also because it was presented as scientific evidence. 🙄 Now if we go into racism, that's a different story and there is a lot of that... and it deserves its own thread (or forum).

OK back to watching the other football... the game that is squeezed in between ads. 😅

That's true, but a LOT of migration took place before (even the first) world war. Germany was in shambles and people desperate enough that they would believe lies coming from places like Brazil's gov. My granny, for ex, was already born in Brazil soil before WWI.

who knows maybe their small black population have better things to do than kick a football? I get your point though, but it's hard to say. It's the other way for Brazil (blacks are overrepresented in the NT), and I don't think that's a good thing; they are underrepresented in congress for ex. --- All in all, I think Argentina deserved the win and outplayed France for most of the game. Had Pogba, Kante, and Bezema been available and fit, things could've been different. Kante would have helped in that first half, for ex. I thought Giroud's age showed big time in the final. It was a game for different energy levels. And Dembele for me, what a stupid player. 🙂 Was a reminder why I don't like him as a player. Younger players always struggle in decisive penalty kicks -- it's not very complicated. 🙄

Best I’ve ever watched for sure.

We are talking about different things here: we are not really questioning his skill here (also fair game), as in goal scoring, but rather his level of dedication when playing for Chelsea vs playing for Morocco. That's all.

That's indeed the impression I get from him when he plays for us. On the other hand, it seems the guy does a lot socially, esp helping the poor, but I guess that's really not that connected to the his on-pitch persona. Sometimes a player simply lacks aggression, which can more or less be a detriment depending where he plays; it's usually more of a problem in the PL eh. And then again we saw what we saw at the World Cup... so, Ziyech, what the fuck?! 😆

Morocco is all motivation and physicality--refs have been allowing a lot of that in this WC--but they just lack overall quality esp near the opposition goal. You can see that they are powerful athletes who rarely lose 50/50s and that makes a difference in volume of play. With that out of the way, the game could've been made easier had Giroud been, well either Giroud of the past or Benzema, and put one of those sitters away. It did feel that Mbappe was always one run away from connecting a counter though. Happened late, but you could see how much easier it is for France to score a goal. For Sunday, it's just too close to call for me. Finals are usually tight games, and both teams have players who one their day can make a difference. Like I said before, I think Messi has he edge in tight spaces, but Mbappe is just as dangerous when he gets going. hoping for a great game on Sunday! 🎉 BTW, how to we get ziyech to run like that for us?! 😉

wow what a play by Morocco -- this is a good game actually. Though that Giroud sitter was quite a miss.

they have to push forward which breaks their strategy which has been all out defense eh.

Looks like Morocco isn't missing a lot of players. Reckon (fairly obvious too) not conceding in the first half will be key for them; even if they do concede a goal, they should never move to attack until very late in the game. Of course a second goal would change that posture immediately, but that's the game.

OK now you just want to pick up a fight... 😅! Brazilian girls >>> Argentinian girls! 🤭 (jk they are indeed pretty in their own right 😉)

I could not disagree more. I think this Portugal team is EXTREMELY overrated. Don't think there is a single Portuguese player who *would significantly improve Argentina* perhaps R. Dias and Bernardo Silva, but latter is a player who may not fit the way Argentina play. They have trouble competing physically as they showed against Morocco. Don't be surprised by a blowout tomorrow, btw. I honestly believe this Argentina team would beat Portugal 7-9 times out of 10. They just play at a different tempo... it's like one is a team from Brazil and the other is from the PL.

That's a bit harsh... perhaps fair for a team like Argentina, but he never got a good group around him. CR7 has no shot at winning the WC and that does not diminish him as a player, because it's hard to control how good a WC team can be... too many variables. So, for me a goat he is... best player since Maradona. R9 > CR7 esp before R9's exploding knees. However, for Argentina, yeah Messi won't be as big as Maradona without a WC win. Pele == Maradona == Messi. Ah duh! good point totally forgot that... makes total sense. Even if fitness is improved players are high pressing and that takes a toll as well.

yeah which kante tho. Still, not sure how much a lock there is in a WC final, but yeah France would be much clearer favorites without the absences -- even if I would still give them the edge against Argentina right now. It's going to be tight though, so any detail would be enough to settle it. 60-40... France? 🤷‍♂️ One thing I've learned from several Brazil WC campaigns is that, depth is nice to have (evidently), but only XI play and it takes a very good coach to fully utilize that extra depth. On the other hand, I'm not seeing the need to rotate players as much as before. Perhaps fitness is so more advanced that players are coping with the accumulation of physical matches better than before.