MikeO Posted July 7, 2018 Report Share Posted July 7, 2018 3 minutes ago, Bill said: So should it be a penalty. ? Morally maybe but not by the rules of the game, any incident that happens while the ball is out of play is dealt with accordingly and then the ball is put back into play from wherever it went out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finn balor Posted July 7, 2018 Report Share Posted July 7, 2018 Croatia aren’t as good as us. We will beat these and beat France in the final EFC-Paul 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EFC-Paul Posted July 7, 2018 Report Share Posted July 7, 2018 The ball was in play whilst the challenge was made so there's a difference to Bill's analogy but he's right in what he's getting at Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey Posted July 8, 2018 Report Share Posted July 8, 2018 13 hours ago, markjazzbassist said: you realize we had a physio and fitness coach quit over martinez overruling their decsions right? that's for A. for B only a unyielding optimist would believe a millionaire 21 year old who is trying to get laid at the clubs every other night would be "hitting the weights" extra time. this is what koeman got right, it's mandatory and always should be. if you want to put in extra time to try and make that next step, sure that's on you, ala Ronaldo, but the basics of fitness, conditioning, weights, etc. should all be mandatory. You do realise they were replaced by other fitness staff? They didnt just leave and then Martinez took over? The person that replaced the head of medicine had also been at the club for a long time so its not like he was his own man. They obviously had disagreements but the injury record under Martinez was only slightly worse than Moyes' and whilst I dont doubt they were more drilled under Moyes they would have been working on a lot more explosive training and ball work under Martinez, which are condusive to more injuries. How do you know Martinez wasnt pissed off by the recurrant injuries and why it was taking so long to recover that he had a set to with the people who essentially came to the club during with Moyes and his archaec training methods? Dont just assume that because you have heard a line or two from a disgruntled employee that it is the whole truth. Ask yourself why would a manager want his best players on the physio table and not on the pitch? These lads have been at the club training for years and years before they get a sniff of the first team. These ARE dedicated professionals already so they know what to do and when to do it and that if they want to play for the first team then they know they have to put in the work. Its not like they wouldnt have had supervised sessions either, otherwise why even have a fitness coach? The players arent at FF all day and during rhe season tactical work is more important to the manager than the fitness work because the fitness work should take care of itself. Its also not like it worked out any better under Koeman. He claimed they were unfit and werent ready for the start of the season etc but its not like we improved, he was just feeding a line to the media to support his narrative (out of the Allardyce playbook). Lots of people like to find ways of bashing Martinez, and I get why people werent happy with how the club went by the time he left but just because he did things differently doesnt mean he did things wrong. It just didnt work for us at that time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_E Posted July 9, 2018 Report Share Posted July 9, 2018 I mostly haven't been a fan of Roberto during his time in charge of Belgium, but he did well with the changes he made for the Brazil game. Moving to a 4-3-3 when defending and a 3-4-3 when attacking, inserting the less talented but more dependable Chadli for Carrasco, adding defensive steel with Fellaini for Mertens while at the same time freeing De Bruyne. He waited too long to make subs, I felt, as we stopped threatening Brazil on the counter attack as time went on in the second half. I didn't agree with taking Lukaku off, though Hazard ultimately did an incredible job keeping the ball and moving the team up field those final minutes. I'm curious how he's going to line up against France though, now that Meunier is suspended. According to the Belgian press, the most likely option is that Chadli moves to right back and that either Carrasco re-enters the starting line-up at left wing back or that Vermaelen will play next to Kompany and Alderweireld and that Vertonghen plays left wing back. A less likely option would be that Chadli stays at that hybrid left wing back in attack / central midfield in defense role he played versus Brazil, that Vertonghen, Vermaelen and Kompany play at the back and Alderweireld plays right back. I don't trust Carrasco defending on the same side Mbappé plays so out of those options I'd favor Vertonghen playing the left wing back position with Vermaelen backing him up. I don't know whether I trust that swapping between 4-3-3 and 3-4-3 either, that might work against the less brilliant Willian, but I think that's going to leave a lot of space for Mbappé in transition. I'm hoping for a fixed 4-3-3 with Vertonghen, Vermaelen, Kompany, Alderweireld in defense and Dembélé, Fellaini and Tielemans in midfield (of course Witsel is going to play though) behind Hazard, Lukaku and De Bruyne. holystove 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeO Posted July 9, 2018 Report Share Posted July 9, 2018 48 minutes ago, Steve_E said: I mostly haven't been a fan of Roberto during his time in charge of Belgium, but he did well with the changes he made for the Brazil game. Moving to a 4-3-3 when defending and a 3-4-3 when attacking, inserting the less talented but more dependable Chadli for Carrasco, adding defensive steel with Fellaini for Mertens while at the same time freeing De Bruyne. He waited too long to make subs, I felt, as we stopped threatening Brazil on the counter attack as time went on in the second half. I didn't agree with taking Lukaku off, though Hazard ultimately did an incredible job keeping the ball and moving the team up field those final minutes. I'm curious how he's going to line up against France though, now that Meunier is suspended. According to the Belgian press, the most likely option is that Chadli moves to right back and that either Carrasco re-enters the starting line-up at left wing back or that Vermaelen will play next to Kompany and Alderweireld and that Vertonghen plays left wing back. A less likely option would be that Chadli stays at that hybrid left wing back in attack / central midfield in defense role he played versus Brazil, that Vertonghen, Vermaelen and Kompany play at the back and Alderweireld plays right back. I don't trust Carrasco defending on the same side Mbappé plays so out of those options I'd favor Vertonghen playing the left wing back position with Vermaelen backing him up. I don't know whether I trust that swapping between 4-3-3 and 3-4-3 either, that might work against the less brilliant Willian, but I think that's going to leave a lot of space for Mbappé in transition. I'm hoping for a fixed 4-3-3 with Vertonghen, Vermaelen, Kompany, Alderweireld in defense and Dembélé, Fellaini and Tielemans in midfield (of course Witsel is going to play though) behind Hazard, Lukaku and De Bruyne. What is it you're talking about? The football's on Wednesday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_E Posted July 9, 2018 Report Share Posted July 9, 2018 43 minutes ago, MikeO said: What is it you're talking about? The football's on Wednesday. I don't know whether to be jealous of England or not. I'm scared shitless for tomorrow's game against France, I fear an anticlimax, but ultimately that knockout win against Brazil and a semi-final matchup with France really are games you'll remember for decades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubecula Posted July 9, 2018 Report Share Posted July 9, 2018 Has anyone impressed as left back at all we desperately need one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holystove Posted July 9, 2018 Report Share Posted July 9, 2018 3 hours ago, Steve_E said: I mostly haven't been a fan of Roberto during his time in charge of Belgium, but he did well with the changes he made for the Brazil game. Moving to a 4-3-3 when defending and a 3-4-3 when attacking, inserting the less talented but more dependable Chadli for Carrasco, adding defensive steel with Fellaini for Mertens while at the same time freeing De Bruyne. He waited too long to make subs, I felt, as we stopped threatening Brazil on the counter attack as time went on in the second half. I didn't agree with taking Lukaku off, though Hazard ultimately did an incredible job keeping the ball and moving the team up field those final minutes. I'm curious how he's going to line up against France though, now that Meunier is suspended. According to the Belgian press, the most likely option is that Chadli moves to right back and that either Carrasco re-enters the starting line-up at left wing back or that Vermaelen will play next to Kompany and Alderweireld and that Vertonghen plays left wing back. A less likely option would be that Chadli stays at that hybrid left wing back in attack / central midfield in defense role he played versus Brazil, that Vertonghen, Vermaelen and Kompany play at the back and Alderweireld plays right back. I don't trust Carrasco defending on the same side Mbappé plays so out of those options I'd favor Vertonghen playing the left wing back position with Vermaelen backing him up. I don't know whether I trust that swapping between 4-3-3 and 3-4-3 either, that might work against the less brilliant Willian, but I think that's going to leave a lot of space for Mbappé in transition. I'm hoping for a fixed 4-3-3 with Vertonghen, Vermaelen, Kompany, Alderweireld in defense and Dembélé, Fellaini and Tielemans in midfield (of course Witsel is going to play though) behind Hazard, Lukaku and De Bruyne. Completely agree. In an ideal world Naingolan would be starting instead of Tielemans in your line up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romey 1878 Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2018/jul/09/martinez-southgate-belgium-england-world-cup-semi-finals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12ubb3rduck3y Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 16 hours ago, Steve_E said: I mostly haven't been a fan of Roberto during his time in charge of Belgium, but he did well with the changes he made for the Brazil game. Moving to a 4-3-3 when defending and a 3-4-3 when attacking, inserting the less talented but more dependable Chadli for Carrasco, adding defensive steel with Fellaini for Mertens while at the same time freeing De Bruyne. He waited too long to make subs, I felt, as we stopped threatening Brazil on the counter attack as time went on in the second half. I didn't agree with taking Lukaku off, though Hazard ultimately did an incredible job keeping the ball and moving the team up field those final minutes. I'm curious how he's going to line up against France though, now that Meunier is suspended. According to the Belgian press, the most likely option is that Chadli moves to right back and that either Carrasco re-enters the starting line-up at left wing back or that Vermaelen will play next to Kompany and Alderweireld and that Vertonghen plays left wing back. A less likely option would be that Chadli stays at that hybrid left wing back in attack / central midfield in defense role he played versus Brazil, that Vertonghen, Vermaelen and Kompany play at the back and Alderweireld plays right back. I don't trust Carrasco defending on the same side Mbappé plays so out of those options I'd favor Vertonghen playing the left wing back position with Vermaelen backing him up. I don't know whether I trust that swapping between 4-3-3 and 3-4-3 either, that might work against the less brilliant Willian, but I think that's going to leave a lot of space for Mbappé in transition. I'm hoping for a fixed 4-3-3 with Vertonghen, Vermaelen, Kompany, Alderweireld in defense and Dembélé, Fellaini and Tielemans in midfield (of course Witsel is going to play though) behind Hazard, Lukaku and De Bruyne. I think it’s Pogba you have to worry about tomorrow the French central players are a while different kettle of fish than Brazil. rubecula 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubecula Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 1 hour ago, 12ubb3rduck3y said: I think it’s Pogba you have to worry about tomorrow the French central players are a while different kettle of fish than Brazil. not sure I entirely agree on this, but I do like the point you made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_E Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 2 hours ago, 12ubb3rduck3y said: I think it’s Pogba you have to worry about tomorrow the French central players are a while different kettle of fish than Brazil. I'm worried about all 23 of their players at the moment, incredibly nervous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubecula Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 20 minutes ago, Steve_E said: I'm worried about all 23 of their players at the moment, incredibly nervous. I would feel that way too however you have De Bruyne, Hazard, and Lukaku. Your team can interact openly on the pitch in a number of languages but the French can realistically only shout in French which you all speak anyway, how many of them can speak Flemish (or even Walloon if you can understand Dutch) Besides my ancestry may be Belgian anyway, which while it won't give you much comfort means I know who I will be cheering on Steve_E 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holystove Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 Dembele starts, good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghoat Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 These teams are both stupidly loaded. Not sure their seconds XI's wouldn't finish 2nd or 3rd at worst in most groups. That being said, Belgium is seriously on the front foot in the first 20ish mins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 Belgium should be ahead by now. They will regret not taking a chance soon in classic Martinez style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghoat Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 16 minutes ago, Bailey said: Belgium should be ahead by now. They will regret not taking a chance soon in classic Martinez style. You can lead them to the 18, but you can't make them shoot - American Folk Proverb. Or something. markjazzbassist and Bailey 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 France now well on the up. Belgium too sloppy and giving the ball away in unnecessary positions. The big difference between the two sides is in those defensive midfield positions. I dont really understand the hype around Witsel. Sir McGiven 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghoat Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 I don't either, and I think that's partially why he is still in China Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyblue23 Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 Goddamn Kante is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holystove Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 even steven so far. two great saves, one by lloris and courtois each. hazard looks hungry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyblue23 Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 So far it’s De Bruyne, Hazard and Courtois v France. Belgium’s defense has been just good enough so far. Chadli can’t put in a dangerous cross to save his life and Fellaini has fallen off after a good start. Still can’t rule them out, though, as either of those first two can make goals out of absolute shit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hafnia Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 Hazard is fookin awesome... nightmare for defenders as is mbappe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 This is almost an interview for Real madrid for Hazard tonight with the Ronaldo news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hafnia Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 Just now, Bailey said: This is almost an interview for Real madrid for Hazard tonight with the Ronaldo news. He could probably demand they sign mbappe as a sweetener. £600m right there..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyblue23 Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 Familiar sight that is. A Martinez side going down a goal via set piece. Who woulda thought? markjazzbassist 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 Big goal! All started with Kompany getting rolled by Giroud. He has had all sorts of trouble with him and has only just got away with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghoat Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 Belgium needs to make some subs, they need a spark, they just look flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey Posted July 10, 2018 Report Share Posted July 10, 2018 The sub has changed things for Belgium and the are finding some joy with these balls into the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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