EPTFootball (Soccer) Thread - Page 145
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Liquid`Drone
Norway28896 Posts
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sharkie
Austria18752 Posts
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gTank
Austria2667 Posts
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KobraKay
Portugal4386 Posts
On June 29 2026 19:42 sharkie wrote: How far does Colombia have to go in this WC for you to apologise for saying that my 50-50 is lack of knowledge? That is irrelevant to the point. Portugal won in 2016 being a terrible side on the pitch despite overall strenght, and we dont even need to go back to Greece right? It was not meant to be offensive or anything like that, but Colombia is not the same as Portugal so that a 50/50 becomes an acceptable take. And to the below poster, France is for sure more than 70% favoured against colombia. Again, colombia is a very good side like i said earlier, but its not just slightly below top teams to be given those odds. I wouldnt see France losing to Colombia ever, bar one of those freak of nature games, let alone 3 or 4 out of 10. Btw claiming i have bias for Portugal is funny if you actually knew me or spent a little bit of time with me :D but given the context we are in this thread and my claim, I fully understand where you are coming from, its not the case at all, but i respect the notion. Just wanted to share that to keep us in good spirits  No point in bickering about this...Portugal will likely tie or fail against Croatia, we will get rid of Martinez, Neto and Cronaldo and life will go on. | ||
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Liquid`Drone
Norway28896 Posts
I'll be shocked if Cape Verde knocks out Argentina. I think every single other match-up is less than 80-20, because at this level, every team can do a pretty good job at defending for 90 minutes and possibly pulling off a good counter attack or dead ball. | ||
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mAKiTO
Colombia4177 Posts
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Liquid`Drone
Norway28896 Posts
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mAKiTO
Colombia4177 Posts
Because in the end, history and the weight of the jersey do matter. Colombia, after all, only claimed one relatively modest Copa América back in 2001, and that was without Argentina in the mix. We only recently finished as runners-up in the last Copa América. When it comes to World Cups, Brazil 2014 was arguably our finest squad. Honestly, I had no concrete expectations for this year’s team, because you never know—James underperforms at club level but excels for Colombia. Historically, our defenders haven’t been top-tier either, yet in this tournament, Lucumí and Dávinson Sánchez have delivered world-class performances. So, for us Colombians, this team’s level has been a very welcome surprise. But I strongly believe france would crush us 9 out of 10 times | ||
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Jockmcplop
United Kingdom9999 Posts
On June 30 2026 08:51 mAKiTO wrote: What I’ve observed in this World Cup is either a misplaced preconception or a shift in performance dynamics. Conventionally, you’d expect sides like Portugal or Germany to stand head and shoulders above most South American or African teams. Yet, the reality is that gap isn’t holding. Is it that European teams are genuinely underperforming, or have we simply overestimated them? The gap has clearly narrowed. As a Colombian, I’d normally assume Portugal should outperform us more often than not, but we comprehensively outplayed them in the last match. The question is: is the skill level converging, or have we just been overvaluing certain teams? Because in the end, history and the weight of the jersey do matter. Colombia, after all, only claimed one relatively modest Copa América back in 2001, and that was without Argentina in the mix. We only recently finished as runners-up in the last Copa América. When it comes to World Cups, Brazil 2014 was arguably our finest squad. Honestly, I had no concrete expectations for this year’s team, because you never know—James underperforms at club level but excels for Colombia. Historically, our defenders haven’t been top-tier either, yet in this tournament, Lucumí and Dávinson Sánchez have delivered world-class performances. So, for us Colombians, this team’s level has been a very welcome surprise. But I strongly believe france would crush us 9 out of 10 times For me, we've seen it also in the last couple of years of the Premier League. The effectiveness to which 'lesser' teams can employ the low block against a range of modern day tactical setups is absolutely absurd. It has equalized the game significantly at the top level. I'm sure the big teams will figure out a way around it eventually. | ||
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sharkie
Austria18752 Posts
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Liquid`Drone
Norway28896 Posts
Basically, what we see is a combination of two different factors - one, that a lot of teams are good enough defensively to get a draw against a superior side. In a bo1 knockout tournament, this is enough to pose a danger to most sides. Secondly, the format means a lot more of those teams advanced - and it gives us one more round of bo1 knockout, meaning we get more chances for upsets. With only top 2 advancing, we'd have five African teams in this stage, not 9,and no Ecuador or Paraguay. Only Egypt, Morocco and Ivory Coast would have say real shot at going far. I've posted this before but - winning teams are almost always lucky. I've watched every wc since 1990 and I think Brazil in 2002 was clearly the best team in the tournament. France in 2018 managed to win without needing extra time or penalties (a rare occurrence), but easily could've lost in the ro16 against Argentina. Other than these two, there's always a game or two that could easily have flipped the other way. However, this means that the best teams need to win a sequence of weighted flips, where they have between 75% and 50% chance to win each flip, while the 'bad' teams need to win several 25%s in a row. It's entirely possible for Colombia to reach the semi (they also have a very beneficial draw), but they aren't going to face Paraguay when they get there. Maybe we're looking at a change in the sense that mid-tier teams have increased their win chance from 15-20% to 25-30%, but I'm still fairly confident our final top 4 will have at least three from the 'traditional contenders' - France, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, England, Portugal. Morocco (or nld, typing this right as penalties are about to start), Colombia or even US, or Norway (  ) have a fighter's chance. But most likely we're not getting a debutant finalist this year either. | ||
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Liquid`Drone
Norway28896 Posts
Feels like players are extra nervous this tournament. | ||
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RvB
Netherlands6322 Posts
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r00ty
Germany1087 Posts
Nagelsmann already said he's not going to resign. The right answer would have been "we have to question everything". He basically had promised the title after the Euros exit. I didn't expect much and got exacly that. | ||
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Slydie
2007 Posts
I think the main reason is that the difference between top- and mid- level pro players and coaches is just not that big. Add to that that European teams have to travel far and play in an unfamiliar country. The grass has caused trouble for most of the teams. One weak pass where the grass stops the ball quicker than expected, and you get punished. I love that all teams and players have to prove themselves! A team with 10x the club salaries can easily lose! | ||
GTR
51693 Posts
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Harris1st
Germany7410 Posts
Best WC result since 2014 while playing like absolut dogshit. No emotions, no plan, no mentality. And we can even blame the ref which is great so we don't have to change anything for the next tournament... Nagelsmann shoting himself in the foot every chance he gets. A shame really. He started out so strong but now he needs to admit defeat and GTFO. Maybe bring Sandro Wagner back as headcoach. He has that Zlatan mentality at least | ||
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gTank
Austria2667 Posts
Was he always that delulu (at bayern e.g.) or is this new? Also he blamed Undav after the game in the interviews?!?!?! XD | ||
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WombaT
Northern Ireland27405 Posts
Additionally he doesn’t seem the best man manager around morale wise, so not a great combo for international football Surely it would make sense for all concerned if he departs for a decent club gig, and someone like Klopp comes in? | ||
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gTank
Austria2667 Posts
On June 30 2026 18:58 WombaT wrote: I don’t think Nagelsman is a bad coach but he seems one much better suited to the club game where you’ve more time to drill things. Additionally he doesn’t seem the best man manager around morale wise, so not a great combo for international football Surely it would make sense for all concerned if he departs for a decent club gig, and someone like Klopp comes in? Yeah, I doubt that Nagelsmann can get a huge job in a top club after this performance. Klopp could bring the team to a new era if he had enough of his super paid fantasy job at RB. | ||
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