Thoughts on world cup

I've heard quite a lot of positive comments about this world cup so just wanted to know everyone's take on it.

I personally found quite a number of games dull where it was just a case of teams not interested in winning games. I feel like teams are so scared about conceding and not being able to get back in the game.

There seems to have been so many games decided by penalties.
I really enjoyed the Spain Portugal game but even the argentine France game although it finished 4-3 it was just a quick glut of goals rather than a really good match.

The VAR has probably got more decisions right than wrong but there's also a lot of games where has been ignored.

Maybe the gap between countries is getting smaller but I always enjoy seeing the better players being able to shine.

This is the 13th World Cup I have seen and it is well up amongst the better ones for me. Not every game will be a cracker and this Spain vs Russia match is a bit dull, but overall I've enjoyed most matches I've watched.

A cracking tournament although Spain v Russsia has been poor. Best World Cup ever for the quality of goals scored.
We have seen some great players shine like Cavani, Modric and Mbappe. It’s not all about Messi and Ronaldo.

Find your comments about teams not playing to win very strange considering there have been so few draws at this World Cup.

Also, there’s only been one nil nil in 51 games so far, so I think the exact opposite to you, I think in the main teams have really gone for it.

Obviously the likes of Iran and Russia are not going to try and play expansive football against the likes of Spain, but in the main we’ve seen very little of this type of tactic.

Wasn't looking forward to it as in past WCs but it has been thoroughly enjoyable on the whole to date.

You can count on one hand the poor games but I seem to remember one WC (was it Italia90 or USA94 l?) where the good games could be counted on one hand.

Pelanty shoot outs decided many games in the past and hopefully this one will be different with both teams going for it.

The Russians are making this game poor and I hope they go out, but you can't blame them for opting not to go toe to toe with Spain.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MacAdder

Wasn't looking forward to it as in past WCs but it has been thoroughly enjoyable on the whole to date.

You can count on one hand the poor games but I seem to remember one WC (was it Italia90 or USA94 l?) where the good games could be counted on one hand.

Pelanty shoot outs decided many games in the past and hopefully this one will be different with both teams going for it.

The Russians are making this game poor and I hope they go out, but you can't blame them for opting not to go toe to toe with Spain.

---

Italia 90 count the good games on one hand?!?! You must be joking!! Brilliant World Cup.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by J R Hartley

Italia 90 count the good games on one hand?!?! You must be joking!! Brilliant World Cup.

---

Memory not great, probably 94 then.

By the way, my memory ain't great.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MacAdder

Memory not great, probably 94 then.

By the way, my memory ain't great.

---

I thought 90 and 94 were poor and 2010 the worst of the lot.

One in 5 goals have been penalties that's why there haven't been many 0-0s. Now we have the start of Russians getting soft decisions after getting a pretty easy group

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pearcey3

A cracking tournament although Spain v Russsia has been poor. Best World Cup ever for the quality of goals scored.
We have seen some great players shine like Cavani, Modric and Mbappe. It’s not all about Messi and Ronaldo.

---

Agree been brilliant

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by J R Hartley

Italia 90 count the good games on one hand?!?! You must be joking!! Brilliant World Cup.

---

I don't think 1990 was great football wise mate. I remember it as being brilliant too but it's was probably more to do with our age, Pavarotti, Schillachi, Gazza, penalty shoot outs than it was for the actual standard of football.

England could reach the final by beating Colombia, Sweden and Russia. :facepalm:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pearcey3

England could reach the final by beating Colombia, Sweden and Russia. :facepalm:

---

:yikes: sobering thought!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pearcey3

England could reach the final by beating Colombia, Sweden and Russia. :facepalm:

---

Great opportunity for Croatia now?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by J R Hartley

Italia 90 count the good games on one hand?!?! You must be joking!! Brilliant World Cup.

---

2010 is probably the worst World Cup I've seen, but 1990 (there were rule changes after it to try and make the game more attractive) was the second worst.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by thehumblegringo

I don't think 1990 was great football wise mate. I remember it as being brilliant too but it's was probably more to do with our age, Pavarotti, Schillachi, Gazza, penalty shoot outs than it was for the actual standard of football.

---

I was 13 and on holiday in Majorca for the 2nd half of the World Cup, maybe nostalgia playing tricks with my mind.

I still maintain there was more than a handful of good games. Cameroon were involved in a few alone.

Enjoyed it so far and who would have thought the Germans, Spanish, argies and Portuguese would be out of the tournament by now. 1970 and 74 were the best world cups.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mazadona10

One in 5 goals have been penalties that's why there haven't been many 0-0s. Now we have the start of Russians getting soft decisions after getting a pretty easy group

---

Yeah if they didn’t award two penalties to England against Panama it would have finished 0-0

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by J R Hartley

I was 13 and on holiday in Majorca for the 2nd half of the World Cup, maybe nostalgia playing tricks with my mind.

I still maintain there was more than a handful of good games. Cameroon were involved in a few alone.

---

Cameroon were great but there wasnt much else. A very poor Argentina side somehow manage to make the final of a very negative tournament

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jamieccfc

Great opportunity for Croatia now?

---

Yes definitely. If they be beat Denmark they will come up against a very negative Russian side and for the good of the game I hope they prevail.

This World Cup has been a lot better than I expected, some big shocks already

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by J R Hartley

Yeah if they didn’t award two penalties to England against Panama it would have finished 0-0

---

That's not what I'm saying in particular a high percentage of goals are coming from penalties rather than being created.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mazadona10

That's not what I'm saying in particular a high percentage of goals are coming from penalties rather than being created.

---

So what? Penalties are usually awarded when a chance has been created? They don’t count any less?

The tournament is averaging more than 3 goals a game, but you just concentrate on the 20 odd penalties.

I’ll carry on enjoying the World Cup with the 99% of others who are enjoying it too.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by J R Hartley

So what? Penalties are usually awarded when a chance has been created? They don’t count any less?

The tournament is averaging more than 3 goals a game, but you just concentrate on the 20 odd penalties.

I’ll carry on enjoying the World Cup with the 99% of others who are enjoying it too.

---

Would that be the same 99% who thought that 1990 was crap?

:wave:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MacAdder

Would that be the same 99% who thought that 1990 was crap?

:wave:

---

How would you know? Your memory isn’t the best.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by J R Hartley

How would you know? Your memory isn’t the best.

---

You're right...
But how did you know? :shrug:

CRO v DEN 1-1 before the 4th minute. This dull world cup continues :hehe:

People slagging off Russia but they did their homework and played Spain exactly the way they wanted to. And Spain weren't good enough to overcome it?
NW did this several times last season and hopefully will again next, so why is it different when Russia does it?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by City123

This World Cup has been a lot better than I expected, some big shocks already

---

The quarter finals will be missing Germany, Spain, Argentina, Portugal, Italy and Netherlands. That must be a first.

1990 was a great World Cup
The final itself was shocking tho

I think it's been good on the whole, but took the first lot of first round games to warm up. The 10 men behind the ball strategy, although understandable, seems to be at its zenith though.

70 and 78, my greatest World Cups ever

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by J R Hartley

Italia 90 count the good games on one hand?!?! You must be joking!! Brilliant World Cup.

---

I think people tend to look back on Italia 90 with rose tinted specs. I enjoyed it, but it is widely considered to be poor from a footballing point of view with negative tactics, a low goals per game ratio and a lot of games settled by penalties.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NYCBlue

I think people tend to look back on Italia 90 with rose tinted specs. I enjoyed it, but it is widely considered to be poor from a footballing point of view with negative tactics, a low goals per game ratio and a lot of games settled by penalties.

---

Is correct. Italia 90 is very overrated.