World Cup 2018 | 21st June Matches | Next Match: Argentina vs Croatia, KO 19:00 (BST)

[alib]

big football matches are won and lost in midfield - Argentina don't have a midfield and Croatia have one of the best midfield duos in world football , hence the result

 

[MadFerIt28]

Can’t believe that result last night... Madness! After the match last night I stumbled across this World Cup video which Bernardo S and Fernandinho star in. Definitely worthwhile for City fans to check out if you haven’t seen it already

 

[Magicpole]

Watching this game this morning. Looking good already but, Lawrenson?

That guy could make the best game of football ever played seem like a mid season clash between WBA and Stoke. Even writing that made me bored.

He’s a sour faced **** who talks shit.

Mr Depressed on Tramadol at the BBC.

 

[Marvin]

The World Cup & international football in general, does indeed put players in a different situation (Sterling has to constantly be 'fighting' for a place, under enormous pressure vs a player who has not even been on the same planet in quality). And the standard of football is largely a huge step down fro club football, which makes it tough.

Messi has for years been trying to emulate Maradona & carry an average Argentina team with nutcase managers & a paper thin defence. He has overdone it & looks weary & pissed off, as does Aguero. Ronaldo has also overdone it for Portugal, pinging in about 50 free kicks to score one, but he has scored goals & his team has fought better than Argentina & he isn't under any pressure, as he think's he's god, same as Neymar & Ibrahimovic.

But goal scoring aside, non of them, in a typical game, are anywhere near the level Pele, Cruyff, Maradona etc produced in international football, even Zico etc.

I'd still pick Messi above them, as a player.

Messi is my all time No. 1 too.

Ronaldo got a bit lucky in the first game I felt. A mistake by De gea, a ridiculously soft penalty and then a free-kick where his record is not great.

I agree normally about international football being a step down, but at the World Cup players fight with everything they have. Some nations anyway like Peru, Australia or iran and it places great demands on great players to overcome them. It was very hard not to feel sorry for Aguero and Messi. I think Messi may retire from international football. They need to rebuild that side and not place the entire success of the side on one players shoulders. That is too much for anyone. Slightly different at Portugal. Ronaldo is just the goal-hanger. His days of carrying the ball 60 yards are over. He is tremendously efficient though. I admire him a lot more than I used to. he is fighting the years.

I enjoy reading your comments.

 

[cyan]

This is an Argentina team that has grown old together and reached the end of a cycle - they won the Olympics in 2004 & 2008 and that squad was supposed to carry them to senior glory but has fallen just sort at world and continental level. The team was always more than just Messi - there were other good players around him but now the replacements are just not good enough. It's telling that they did not qualify for 2012 Olympics and failed to make it out of group stage in 2016 - that when United's second goalkeeper was injured they replaced him with Chelsea's second goalkeeper - who at aged 36 only has 5 caps and the other two goalkeepers in the squad are also over 30 with 5 & 0 caps between them - looking at their records they appear to be journeyman keepers from Argentinian league - they could have taken Geronimo who has been the u-23 keeper - but at 26 he still has no caps. It looks the same all the way down the squad list - a failure to build for the future - a hope that somehow the "golden generation" will have come good. It's a shame for Messi and for Ageuro and some others - but they missed their moment in 2014 and it probably needs a manager to be brave enough to say to that whole generation - your time is up and build a new team - of course Messi gave that opportunity after the Copa America but it seems they begged him back - they would be daft to so again and he would be daft to go back - time for Messi, Ageuro et al to enjoy their club football for another few years without the stresses of heading back to Argentina for Internationals.

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

Spot on analysis. Germany did it after 2006, and it bore fruit eight years later.
(Brazil did it after 1974, and it should have born fruit eight years later too. The best team not to have won the WC that I've seen in my lifetime).

 

[franksinatra]

big football matches are won and lost in midfield - Argentina don't have a midfield and Croatia have one of the best midfield duos in world football , hence the result

I said the same yesterday that midfielders are the modern day strikers and now have a disproportionate influence (in a good way) on the outcome of a game of football.

We have seen this with City this year and at the World Cup with Croatia and Spain looking impressive by virtue of their control of matches and possession based game.

 

[ancoats]

A good piece of writing in the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jun/20/lionel-messi-sun-king-argentina-blind-world-cup about Messi's role in the Argentina side written before the Croatia game.

I think Messi may retire from Argentinian football. He'll remain a top player but not at the devastating level he was at.

I feel sorry for Messi. He looks tortured carrying a team. Their coach looked absolutely helpless on the touchline. Massive mistake to build his team around Messi. Too much pressure for any player to carry and it broke Messi.

Really very disappointing for any football fan to see one of the great players, or possibly the greatest player humbled.

I think Messi will be back for Barcelona but not at the level of 50 league goals a season. He'll be a really top player for 1-2 seasons but not at the unrivalled level he was at.

messi was used to much in promoting both argentina and barca football at a very young age. the new GOD of football was floated around on the international stage but it never really took off with argentina with the rest just being bang average. barca had the talent to gel messi with others and fit him into a role he was great at and maybe club football suits him better than international football but also playing in a weak spanish league has not helped messi

messi should have come to england and the premier league about 4 or 5 years ago and learn the hard and fast football you pick up in england playing tough games like stoke away and wigan and WBA. you have to learn to never turn off and go missing in the premier league its 90 minutes every game every week you build your body up and get that power to defend of players wanting to kick you, just ask ronaldo what the premier league did for him and messi would have been out on his own with playing in england

 

[Neville Kneville]

Messi is my all time No. 1 too.

Ronaldo got a bit lucky in the first game I felt. A mistake by De gea, a ridiculously soft penalty and then a free-kick where his record is not great.

I agree normally about international football being a step down, but at the World Cup players fight with everything they have. Some nations anyway like Peru, Australia or iran and it places great demands on great players to overcome them. It was very hard not to feel sorry for Aguero and Messi. I think Messi may retire from international football. They need to rebuild that side and not place the entire success of the side on one players shoulders. That is too much for anyone. Slightly different at Portugal. Ronaldo is just the goal-hanger. His days of carrying the ball 60 yards are over. He is tremendously efficient though. I admire him a lot more than I used to. he is fighting the years.

I enjoy reading your comments.

I'm glad somebody does.

And vice versa. We often don't agree on stuff but that's what it's all about, & banter.

 

[super_city_si]

As Brucey would say "Good game, good game"