(ESP-ENG) No todo lo que brilla es oro en Catar // All that glitters is not gold in Qatar!
Hello friends, good vibes to all.
The World Cup party has already started and we have only been here for a little more than two days where we have seen a little bit of everything, but today I want to focus on what we saw yesterday, not only with Argentina but also with the rest of the matches that made up the four remaining games. The World Cup for those fans who have had the fortune and joy of enjoying their national team's call must be the best thing in the world, listening to the national anthem in the most important world sport tournament must be one of the best feelings there is, but logically behind that excitement and nervousness is the desire to win, the thing is that those desires in the Albiceleste disappeared at times.
Did Argentina play badly or was it Arabia who played a great game? - In fact, in my betting pool I had put 4-0 but what the South Americans did not count on, or what they did count on but they underestimated the rival, was the particular way the Arabs defended and the fact that the line of defenders was practically in the middle of the field. This is an uncommon approach, that if it works well, great results are achieved, like yesterday's, but if it goes wrong, it can be a tragedy, as yesterday's first half also looked like. Another thing I am going to say is that Argentina did not go scoreless because they were given a penalty, for me that was never a foul, in this life or in a thousand others.
Yes, Argentina had three goals disallowed but that was not by chance or because the VAR was against Scaloni's team, that happened because of what was said before, the Arabs played and bet on this method which is completely valid and it seems to be effective. Saudi Arabia's match was an anthology, to be framed because it was a sample of what soccer is and that there is nothing written in it, a team that took advantage of the couple of times that came to worry Dibu Martinez to score two great goals because both were of great workmanship. Argentina lost the undefeated and was one game away from catching Italy, this team had not scored a goal since the beginning of the year, they arrived in Qatar as the great favorite with a lively Messi and a good condition but they met a green wall that in the end could not be knocked down.
What's left? - To go all or nothing against Mexico, which is expected to be a high caliber match. After the first matchday that Arabia is in first place against three teams that on paper are much more than what this group will be from now on. Argentina ended up muddy, with no reaction capacity, the two goals were defensive mistakes of beginners and the one that everyone prays to and asks for a lot could not do anything, Messi was not on the field, the desperation and anxiety annihilated him and that infected his teammates and this was not in the plans, this match was the process but I repeat, they underestimated the opponent and they were left with zero. They have to row uphill now if they do not want this World Cup, given the expectations they had, to end up being one of their biggest failures.
We got to the game that in theory was going to be another highlight of this first day and ended up being a bucket of cold water, not cold, but frozen. A boring game, with no attractive approach, no good goal scoring chances, a midfield deadlock and never able to show the true potential of these two teams, if they have it. I have always said that if Mexico were in CONMEBOL they would qualify to half of the World Cups because for me they are not a bad team but they always lack that extra, they have grit and heart like few others but when it comes to playing soccer for me they fall a little short. Yesterday they could have beaten Poland comfortably because the Europeans don't have much but the road was more difficult for them and they had to settle for a draw.
The hero, once again, of the Mexicans was Memo Ochoa, the best goalkeeper Mexico has ever had, in my humble opinion. And he put on his cape to save a penalty that, just like the one against Argentina, was not a penalty, the action that was called was a simple struggle that always happens in the penalty area as a result of the contact that will always exist. Poland is one of those teams that you see and you may get the impression that they are a great team, because they have the names for it, but their performances are almost always half way. Yesterday Mexico had more possession, more shots on goal and therefore more scoring chances, not all of them with real danger, but there was much more intention and desire to win the game.
Poland's next opponent will be Arabia and if they play like they played against Argentina, watch out for a double surprise and after what Poland saw yesterday, it is very difficult to think that they can do something more attractive. This team has Lewandowoski and Szczęsny under the three posts, otherwise it is a pretty average group if you ask me. Undoubtedly this group has a special color, something for me from the beginning I considered it the group of death because I felt it was going to be incredibly even, not to the degree it is now but close until the end. Mexico will go out with everything they have because a loss on Saturday would put either of them in a very critical situation, it would be practically saying goodbye to the World Cup.
And to finish yesterday was also the debut of the current world champions, a France that is no longer a team but a hospital with so many injured players, add the injury of Lucas Hernandez who is already known to miss the World Cup and the rest of the season. In addition to this absence, there are Benzema, Kanté, Pogba and Kimpembe, but even so, the performance they gave yesterday against Australia was great. They started with an early goal by the Oceanians that turned the world of soccer upside down since we were coming from the great surprise of Arabia because all the alarms went off but after what we saw everything was the result of an oversight and in that same play of the goal is when Hernandez was injured which forced him to leave the mark that produced the cross.
In the absence of Benzema, Oliver Giroud, who is a net nine of area and who will not hesitate to take this opportunity to be noticed and score goals and the difference for this France who, after yesterday's performance, is not being weighed down by the casualties. I find incredible the offensive power that this team has, with a Mbappé in a state of grace, a Dembele who yesterday went from less to more, Griezmann who for me what he lacks is confidence because he still has the quality in his boots and well, a young midfield that is certainly an important generational leap, Tchouameni, Camavinga, Coman and Fofana himself. This France is for great things, also the rival was a very modest and weak one but the collective performance could be seen and it is crazy, we will see how far the Gauls go.
¡Un abrazo a todos, nos leemos en la próxima!
Well friends that's all for today, I hope you liked it.
¡A hug to all, see you next time!
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Sin duda impresionante lo de la selección de Arabia Saudita, esta, era la única posibilidad que tenían de doblegar al elenco Argentino y la aprovecharon como Dios manda, con contundencia, con dos grandes goles y con una defensa inmensamente displicinada.
México, mereció mucho más ante Polonia y Ochoa nuevamente se agigantó en una cita mundialista con su país, nunca entenderé el odio descontrolado de los mexicanos hacia su arquero.
Yo tampoco amigo, como dije para mi es el mejor portero que ha tenido esa selección a pesar de que alguna vez tuvieron a Jorge Campos que era muralla a pesar de medir como 1.6 más o menos.
Esa jornada del sábado va a estar muy apretada.
Saludos hermano!
Scaloni lo dijo en rueda de prensa, "estas cosas pueden suceder en estas competiciones solo podemos pensar en seguir nuestro plan para ganar los próximos dos juegos que tendrían que ganar en cualquier escenario" pero vaya sorpresa nos dieron los Árabes y que señores golazos que donde los hubiese hecho Argentina se estaría cayendo el mundo en estupor y estallido de redes sociales por semejantes golazos, así son las cosas se vienen dos finales para la albiceleste!
Y vaya contra quien, México y Polonia.
El tema es que Scaloni tuvo que haber preparado ese partido mejor, Arabia juega así desde hace rato, desprevenido no pudo haberlos agarrado. Veremos que hacen porque nada fácil la tendrán.