The International Football Thread

[Vesper 27,345]

these Be In sports presenters SUCK

fucking so annoying

and are so not sussed into reality

they are talking like Marcelo is the best LB on the planet and what a big miss he is

truly WTF, lololol

it isnt 2014 mate (not that he was the best then either, as he has always been dogshit on defence)

[Magic Lamps 11,452]

1 hour ago, NikkiCFC said:

Barkley lol we need world class players. 

Isco is only good when he is in the mood tho. He might look flashy with his nice dribbling but rarely scores so he is basically an upfield Kovacic minus the defensive prowess.

[Vesper 27,345]

what a shit El Clásico

first scoreless draw since 2002

[Magic Lamps 11,452]

that's what you call Bayerndusel. Play crap all game, concede tons of chances, still win 3-1 with two stoppage time goals.

[Vesper 27,345]

48 minutes ago, Magic Lamps said:

that's what you call Bayerndusel. Play crap all game, concede tons of chances, still win 3-1 with two stoppage time goals.

[Johnnyeye 7,415]

These scouse cunts are so lucky, its sickening to watch. Come on Flamengo

[Atomiswave 6,072]

6 hours ago, Johnnyeye said:

These scouse cunts are so lucky, its sickening to watch. Come on Flamengo

Beyond ridiculous....they are good and have a super manager but fuck me every margin, every deflection go their way. And in epl the fa pgmol and media love to kiss that ass, hence they are now called varpool.

17 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

What psychology says about guys like Ramos with tattoos all over the body? 

I dont fucking get it, many many do it cuz it makes them feel more manly or rough etc.....its ugly as fuck imo to cover so much of your body in tatoos. I have plenty myself but its scars from fights and wars and whatnot.

Ramos is straight up a cunt no matter whats covering him.

[NikkiCFC 7,595]

Cameroon confirms 2021 Africa Cup of Nations will be played at start of year

The tournament was due to be held in June and July but, because of weather conditions in the country at that time of year, the Cameroon Football Federation has decided to stage it between 9 January and 6 February.

 

This makes me so happy  Liverpool 6 weeks without Salah, Mane and Keita next season. City without Mahrez. Arsenal without Pepe and Auba (he will leave anyway).

This tournament in the past hurt us a lot with Drogba, Kalou, Essien, Mikel... Time has changed. Can't wait to hear Klopp moaning 

We don't have African players at the moment in the squad. 

 

[Vesper 27,345]

In the midst of freefall USSF ignored parachute

http://www.usforacle.com/2020/01/26/in-the-midst-of-freefall-ussf-ignored-parachute/

 

absolutely RIPS the people running the yank's national footie team

 

[NikkiCFC 7,595]

I wish we have back All Star game like in the 90s Europe vs World. Or now even better continents tournament. 

Imagine how interesting that would be? 

Africa: Onana, Aurier, KK, Matip, Hakimi, Ndidi, Mahrez, Ziyach, Auba, Mane, Salah plus Gueye, Osimhen, Zaha, Keita...

South America: Alisson, Alex Sandro (Alex Telles), Gimenez, Marquinhos, Dani Alves?, Casemiro, Coutinho, Dybala, Messi, Neymar, Martinez (Aguero) plus Fabinho, Firmino, Jesus, Icardi...

Europe: Oblak, Alaba, Varane, Van Dijk, TAA, Kante, Saul, Sancho, KDB, Mbappe, Lewandowski.

[Vesper 27,345]

Reconsidered: Just how good was Zidane against Brazil in the 2006 World Cup?

https://theathletic.com/1882390/2020/06/21/michael-cox-zidane-brazil-2006-world-cup/

This is a series re-assessing the most famous individual performances of the modern era. Some will be legendary displays by established world-class players, others will be once-in-a-lifetime cameos that have nevertheless gone down in history.

It’s easy to look back on historic performances through rose-tinted spectacles or to revise our memories of particular displays based on what came afterwards. A second look at such games from a greater distance can be revealing.

This week, we revisit Zinedine Zidane’s display for France in their 2006 World Cup quarter-final win over holders Brazil…

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Why this game?

This is often cited as the most concise summary of Zidane’s brilliance, when he dominated a World Cup game on the highest stage.

What was the context?

Zidane had said he was retiring from football after this World Cup. We’ve become accustomed to players announcing they’re stepping away from international football after a major tournament, then spending their final years as a professional concentrating on their club career.

Not Zidane.

He had already retired from international football after Euro 2004, then reversed that decision on the condition he would be deployed in his favoured central role rather than from the left. But his Real Madrid form had been extremely patchy over the previous couple of seasons, and Zidane had basically had enough.

About to turn 34, he’d grown tired of falling below the standard he desired, both because of his physical limitations and Real Madrid’s increasingly shambolic approach to tactics. “It’s been two years now that I haven’t been playing like I want to,” he explained, when justifying his decision to retire completely. He had a contract at Real Madrid until 2007, but was so underwhelmed by his own performances he decided to depart a year early.

A World Cup was a fitting finale, though. Zidane often felt like an international footballer more than a club footballer; he endured several disappointing campaigns with both Juventus and Real Madrid, but his form tended to recover on the international stage. You think of Zidane wearing No 10, but it was only for France where he wore that shirt, having worn No 21 for Juventus, and No 5 for Real Madrid.

This was unquestionably the most eagerly anticipated of the 2006 quarter-finals — it was a meeting of the sides who had won the previous three World Cups combined. It was Zidane against Brazil for the first time since his two headed goals won the host nation the 1998 World Cup final. Whoever won this game would go into the semi-finals as favourites to win the whole thing — Argentina had surprisingly been defeated by plucky hosts Germany, Italy progressed past Ukraine but hadn’t truly been tested, and Portugal hadn’t been particularly impressive in progressing past 10-men England on penalties after a goalless draw.

France had laboured through an easy group, finishing second behind Switzerland, before a late victory over Spain in the second round, with Zidane scoring the final goal in a 3-1 victory. Neither he nor Thierry Henry had been at their best — Patrick Vieira and Franck Ribery had been their liveliest players.

Brazil had won all four matches, albeit without having been tested seriously. Significantly, coach Carlos Alberto Parreira made a major tactical change for this game. Having previously used the “magic square” of Kaka and Ronaldinho behind Ronaldo and Adriano, he brought in defensive midfielder Gilberto Silva for Adriano, and moved to more of a 4-3-3, or 4-3-2-1. The reason for Gilberto’s introduction was obvious: he was there to shackle Zidane, as he had done effectively in Arsenal’s 1-0 Champions League victory at the Bernabeu a few months beforehand.

As you probably already know, ultimately this wouldn’t be Zidane’s final game in football, but it would be the last World Cup game played by the likes of Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo and — most surprisingly — a then 26-year-old Ronaldinho.

What was his best moment?

Zidane’s best contribution comes in the opening minute. Collecting a loose ball in the middle of the pitch, he traps it to suck in two opposition midfielders, Ze Roberto and Juninho, and then backheels it to turn past both. Dribbling towards goal, he approaches Gilberto, then gives him a stepover and changes direction as he goes by him.

Parreira beefed up his midfield to try to stop Zidane, and Zidane has dribbled past all three Brazilian midfielders within 40 seconds of kick-off.

Was he as good as we remember?

It is a wonderful display of technique and grace, right from the outset. Throughout his career, Zidane wasn’t at his best when shooting, or passing, or even dribbling, but simply when controlling the ball.

If Henry was best when receiving the ball wide-left, Lionel Messi best when presented with crowded bodies on the edge of the box or Cristiano Ronaldo best with a ball hung up to the far post, Zidane is best when a wayward ball is dropping in his general direction.

Here, on 12 minutes, he kills a high ball beautifully, almost without moving. Later, he takes a bouncing ball, launches a counter-attack which leaves Cafu and Gilberto hopelessly hacking in his general direction, and slips in Vieira. Gilberto often can’t get near him, not merely because of Zidane’s trickery, but because of his physique and ability to shield the ball. Later, in midfield, he lofts the ball over the head of club team-mate Ronaldo, and then casually heads the ball out to Eric Abidal. Little touches like that make Zidane’s best matches so memorable.

There’s the whole range of Zidane tricks, and he’s particularly expressive when France are 1-0 ahead. There’s a double turn between the lines, not to evade his marker but simply to slow the game and control the tempo. There’s a classic “roulette” past Gilberto which gets an “Ole!” from the crowd. There’s a drag-back and then a chip in the general direction of Willy Sagnol. Zidane is focused on showing off, on doing what looks and feels impressive, rather than necessarily playing the right passes at the right time.

What might we have forgotten?

For an attacking midfielder who played between the lines, and played with a succession of top-class forwards, Zidane wasn’t particularly effective at hitting a delicate ball in behind the defence.

That’s obvious three times within the first 10 minutes of this game, as Zidane plays three alarmingly bad passes intended for Henry.

The first comes inside the first minute, after the aforementioned skill to avoid all three Brazil midfielders. Zidane neglects to play a simple through-ball between defenders for Henry and instead tries a remarkably ambitious chip over the top, which Lucio gets his head to, and it runs through to goalkeeper Dida.

Two minutes later, after Lucio has dribbled forward and lost possession, Zidane has another chance to release Henry into space. Cafu — who, a little sadly, looks woefully short of the required speed to defend properly throughout this game — would have been panicking had Zidane sidefooted a simple pass to Henry, in his usual position on the left touchline. Instead, Zidane tries an overcomplicated outside-of-the-boot pass for the sake of it, miscues it horribly, and the ball goes in completely the wrong direction.

And then, when Zidane collects the ball on the left touchline himself and has the opportunity to launch it over the top for Henry, who is making a run from an inside-right position, again he plays completely the wrong pass. He should be looking for a drifted ball over the top, instead he pings the ball with far too much power and it bounces through to Dida.

Zidane would get the assist on Henry’s winner just before the hour, his deep free kick volleyed home at the far post. It was a curiously simple goal that came from a situation that developed throughout the game — Brazil played a very dangerous, disorganised offside trap at wide free kicks.

But Zidane assisting Henry was an anomaly; the two never developed a good on-field relationship. It was his second and last assist for the former Arsenal striker; the first came from a simple short pass on the halfway line against Denmark at Euro 2000, which Henry took, dribbled 50 yards and then finished into the far corner for his typical goal. Neither goal demonstrated genuine understanding between the pair.

Henry found Zidane immensely frustrating to play with — he’d been disappointed by his return from international retirement in the first place — and the first 10 minutes here demonstrate why. An attacking midfielder less focused on showmanship but more assured in terms of passing — an obvious example would be Cesc Fabregas, as he was playing with Henry at club level at the time — might have created three chances for him with these passes. Zidane’s attempts all went astray.

What happened next?

Zidane remained centre stage. He settled the semi-final four days later by scoring the only goal from the penalty spot in a 1-0 victory over Portugal.

Then, in the final against Italy, Zidane’s performance was perhaps the most famous — or infamous — individual display of all-time.

It was incredible enough that he chose to attempt a Panenka penalty on that stage — it bounced off the bar and only just crossed the line — and later, having nearly buried a header to put France 2-1 ahead in stoppage time, he ended his career in incredible circumstances, headbutting Marco Materazzi in the chest and being dismissed.

His lone walk past the World Cup trophy was the final time he was seen on the pitch as a player.

[NikkiCFC 7,595]

Fuck! Mane and Salah will play full season for Pool.

[Vesper 27,345]

30 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

Fuck! Mane and Salah will play full season for Pool.

yes, I saw that, lucky cunts

[Vesper 27,345]

Happy 55th Birthday to

José Luis Chilavert

2nd highest goal-scoring keeper ever, and the only one to ever score a topflight hat trick

[NikkiCFC 7,595]

Top!

[NikkiCFC 7,595]

This is what will Timo do to DDG regularly!!!

[Vesper 27,345]

nice goal Timo

[Vesper 27,345]

Bale looking like Blanka for Street Fighter