SEE YOU! A brand spanking new modern fitba thread 2022/23

Why don't Spain start with Morata in that central striker role? Would they not be more of a threat up top with him playing longer in games.

 

That Morata goal last night was a thing of beauty. An educated finish.

 

Clicks and Likes, internet clout, views etc....

 

Keeper tho......only place Moratta can realistically go off his left leg is near post...

 

Morata can't really go across him cos the defenders there and you just won't get purchase hitting across a ball like that....most guys miss or scuff badly.

Only way he generated power is if he drives through it straight.

Neuer covers his near post and he saves.

 

Pat Nevin having a whine about physical advantages FFS....as if speed and athleticism aren't physical advantages , Pat.

 

Sorry but that geezer was offside

 

The "impartial" BBC.....

 

Helluva game.

 

No technical replays from the TV for the two goals......no complaints from the BBC who hitherto had complained in the Qatar Ecuador game about how they didn't get the replays if the offside Ecuador goal

 

I have £2.50 on Cameroon to win or draw at 20/1

£50 profit if Cameroon can hang on.

But I really feel their 2nd goal was offside.

 

Eddie Hearn is looking at using the Emirates Stadium for Canelo vs John Ryder in May. I know Arsenal hosted a fight at Highbury once.

 

Ali-Cooper II.

 

Thanks, I knew it was Ali but forgot the opponent.

 

Irony of irony, a boxing conversation has broken out in the one place where everything else is usually discussed.

 

Actually it was Ali Vs Cooper.

 

Ghana vs South Korea. Even the tv graphics guy doesn't feel the need to identify which team is which lmao

 

I didn't think a Canelo tune up was worthy of a thread

 

He's gotten TWO mentions in here in 24 hours!!

 

Ghana spanking S.Korea.

 

Book keepers don't trust Ghana, offering 6/1 on Korea or Draw.....

 

Another great game here.

 

How are Ghana not stopping Korea getting a man free on the left EVERY time, and how have Korea not taken advantage of it?!

 

Simultaneously a lot of defense and offense failures down the stretch.

 

Yup. Should have been another 3-3 really, but that was a fun watch.

 

Who wins a Cup first: An African nation or a North American nation?

 

Africa tends to produce the better players and has had some genuinely elite and World class footballers over recent decades, where as you can't say that about North America as of yet. The problem is the talent is spread all over Africa, there isn't one specific country that is a "hotbed", so you tend to get a national team that has one or two world class players alongside some bang average workhorses who can't pass or tackle. Ghana in 2010 is probably the most well-rounded African side I've seen, but they never pushed on after that World Cup. The infrastructure for most countries in Africa isn't great either.

With North America, it's behind talent-wise, but it does have the infrastructure. Plus the USA and Canada are absolutely enormous geographically. The USA is essentially a continent in its own way (with each State varying so much from the others), so the talent doesn't have to be concentrated.

The question basically comes down to - will ONE African nation get lucky and get a generation of world class talented footballers at once, or will the US or Canada catch up quickly with the growing popularity of the sport, develop the talent and take advantage of the money and infrastructure available?

I think the latter is more likely, personally. Winning a World Cup might be a bit of a way off, there are so many variables involved, but I think over the next couple of generations it is kind of inevitable the US will get a couple of world class players come through that could see them go deep in a World Cup.

I've deliberately left out Mexico because as has been mentioned before, they've had all the ingredients for fucking ages, and still haven't done shit. If they've done nothing for all this time then it is unlikely it's going to happen any time soon.

 

What a save.