(ESP-ENG) Intensidad de una fecha FIFA - [Opinión]
Hello friends, good vibes to all.
Between Thursday and yesterday, many World Cup preparation and playoff matches took place. It's impossible to discuss every single game, but I'd like to highlight some of the most significant ones. Obviously, I'll start with the playoffs. In Europe, the multiple-time world champions, Italy, secured their qualification against Northern Ireland, winning 2-0. Now, Gattuso's men will face a tough Bosnia and Herzegovina away from home. The Azzurri have missed two World Cups, and it's worth noting that they were eliminated in the group stage in both South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014. After winning the World Cup in 2006, they seemed to disappear from the competition. Personally, I believe a World Cup isn't the same without Italy, so we must support this team on Tuesday so they can finally break the curse.
The crisis in Italian football is running quite deep, so they shouldn't afford to be eliminated when they're so close. Poland vs. Sweden and Turkey vs. the surprising Kosovo are some of the other playoff matches. Choosing between Lewandowski and Gyökeres is a tough decision, although it's true that the Poles always disappoint at World Cups. But I have no doubts about the Turks; I'd like to see them back in a World Cup, since they finished third in Korea/Japan 2002. They're certainly not the same as they were 20 years ago, but that fighting spirit always needs to be present at the World Cup. But it's not just in Europe that there are playoffs; the CONMEBOL representative, Bolivia, faced Suriname.
As a Venezuelan, I feel a great sense of helplessness thinking that this spot could have been ours, but thanks to the national team's disastrous performance in the qualifiers, we were left out, quite deservedly. I watched the highlights, and honestly, the level of play was very low. Bolivia had to come from behind to secure the victory. Now, the Bolivians will face Iraq to determine which team will ultimately go to the World Cup. I've heard that we should support Bolivia because of its proximity, but honestly, I don't know. I think I don't really care whether they qualify or not. May the best team win, that's all. Moving on to the friendlies, one of the most noteworthy was France vs. Brazil, which ended 2-1 in favor of the Europeans. Watching this Brazil play is painful, especially after seeing those powerhouses of '94 and 2002. This team is a mere shadow of what the Seleção once was.
There's no cohesive style of play, no big names, Ancelotti refuses to call up Neymar—in short, there's very little quality. After many years, this Brazil team isn't a favorite in my opinion. Argentina played against Mauritania and barely won 2-1. It's unbelievable that the world champions conceded a goal to a virtually nonexistent team, and not only that, but they also played terribly; the second half was a nightmare. Argentina is another team that needs to improve significantly before the World Cup. Their friendlies weren't exactly their best, but they should have been thrashed, and I don't see that happening. I also want to mention Venezuela, who played Trinidad and Tobago and won 4-1. Regardless of what happened, we have to support this new project, even though it was Salomón Rondón who somewhat salvaged the situation.
Spain, England, Germany, and the Netherlands are some of the big teams that played. I think Spain's level is very high these days; that Barcelona core is very solid. Germany is an unknown quantity; they struggled to beat Switzerland, and their current form isn't great either. The same thing is happening with the Bavarians as with Italy: they were eliminated in the group stage in both Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022. Something is happening in football; the powerhouses ceased to be so a long time ago. The English are the same; they never quite make their mark at the World Cup. Yesterday, they couldn't beat Uruguay. Clearly, the level is much lower than in previous years, and that's evident in how difficult it is for these big teams to put on a decent performance. These matches continue on Tuesday with what will be the closing of a thrilling and very important FIFA window.
¡Un abrazo a todos, nos leemos en la próxima!
Well folks, that's all for today. I hope you enjoyed it.
¡Hugs to everyone, see you next time!
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No creo que Salí haya "salvado" nada...ya la vinotinto ganaba 2-1 cuando el hizo los otros dos...sin embargo...no deja de ser preocupante que no haya reemplazo para Salo.
Saludos
Me refería a eso precisamente, que sigamos dependiendo de Rondón no creo que haya sido una buena noticia. No sabemos si Trinidad nos iba a empatar pero ciertamente esos dos goles fueron un alivio.
Saludos!