2022 FIFA World Cup

**Stuttgart88** · 29/11/2022, 11:51 AM

I'd always tend to agree with Dale and he supported this argument later on with a slide from IFAB.

I thought it was a nonsense of a decision myself but the only justification I can think of is that although his hand was breaking his fall, by virtue of it being between his legs he decreased the space available for the ball to get through. The same justification as "making your body bigger".

**joey B** · 29/11/2022, 2:45 PM

Is it a rule in this World Cup that every goal needs the bench emptied by every sub!?!?

**NeverFeltBetter** · 29/11/2022, 3:27 PM

There were lads booked for that, seemingly at random, yesterday. Don't see the harm myself, especially with the new additional time guidelines. I've read there's a worry it could result in confrontations on the field between teams, but that doesn't really cut it for me.

**Crosby87** · 29/11/2022, 5:18 PM

Young USA team....

**joey B** · 29/11/2022, 5:59 PM

Antonio Mateu Lahoz in charge of Iran/USA,a normal one ahead I’m sure!!!

**Crosby87** · 29/11/2022, 7:06 PM

Iran are absolutely terrible

**NeverFeltBetter** · 30/11/2022, 2:04 PM

They couldn't handle the US' speed at all, anytime they were on the ball they had no time to anything with it. I'd say the Americans will really put it up the Dutch, who wilted against a similar side in Ecuador.

How good do we think England are? They thumped two poor teams and barely put in an effort against a better one. Can Senegal beat them?

**NeverFeltBetter** · 30/11/2022, 3:33 PM

Denmark have to be biggest underperformer of the World Cup. I know Belgium are ranked higher, but a lot of people thought they would struggle a bit, Denmark seemed like they could go far based on last summer and the Nations League. What happened? No obvious goalscorer upfront, but that's nothing new.

**joey B** · 30/11/2022, 3:57 PM

Hopeless from Denmark but fair play to the Aussies though,they’re not great but deserved to go through in the end…..

**NeverFeltBetter** · 30/11/2022, 4:03 PM

Denmark could have had another 90 and they wouldn't have scored. Huge moment for Aussies and big validation for their manager Graham Arnold, who half of their football watching public seem to despise with a passion. They were apparently close to sacking him ahead of the inter-confederation playoffs earlier this year.

**Stuttgart88** · 30/11/2022, 5:23 PM

Man for man, how many Aussies are better than our best 11 or so?

**Stuttgart88** · 30/11/2022, 5:27 PM

Originally Posted by NeverFeltBetter

They couldn't handle the US' speed at all, anytime they were on the ball they had no time to anything with it. I'd say the Americans will really put it up the Dutch, who wilted against a similar side in Ecuador.

How good do we think England are? They thumped two poor teams and barely put in an effort against a better one. Can Senegal beat them?

They could but I don't see it. I'm worrying about England as usual because even in the France vs Poland / Argentina / Mexico / KSA last 16 tie there's more than a bit of vulnerability. Even this poor Danish side were very close to going 2-1 up against France. And I haven't been impressed by how France and Senegal have defended set pieces, a strength of England.

**joey B** · 30/11/2022, 6:46 PM

Great save from Wojciech Szcz?sny after a very soft penalty given to Argentina…

**Stuttgart88** · 01/12/2022, 8:03 AM

He made a super partial block too in the second half, allowing the centre back to clear off the line.

That was great drama all round last night. Argentina looking good again. Poland were awful.

**ifk101** · 01/12/2022, 8:25 AM

Denmark aren’t a poor side (although they could do with a good 9 in the team), rather they just had a poor World Cup for whatever reason. Feels the European teams, in a more generalised sense, are underperforming.

**osarusan** · 01/12/2022, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by ifk101

Denmark aren’t a poor side (although they could do with a good 9 in the team), rather they just had a poor World Cup for whatever reason. Feels the European teams, in a more generalised sense, are underperforming.

I think the sides we'd see as traditionally weaker are a lot more organised these days.

In the past, a mis-firing French team would still have found a way over the line against Tunisia, or a malfunctioning Argentinean team would still get past the Saudis, but the gap has been closed a lot these days.

It makes you realise just how much Ireland has stood still in comparison. Intuitively, you think of 'Ireland v Saudi Arabia' or 'Ireland v Canada' and assume it should be an easy victory for us, but that's not the case any more, even if it remains that way in the mind of the casual fan.

**pineapple stu** · 01/12/2022, 2:21 PM

Canada go 1-0 down to Morocco through a good old-fashioned calamity of errors. Means Morocco are going through as it stands, and either Belgium or Croatia are going out.

Then Croatia get a penalty a minute later but with the ball on the spot, VAR intervenes, the ref has to zoom in on the picture to see better - and yep, an attacker had an inch of his shirt sleeve offside, so free out instead. What a daft decision, and I don't care if it was correct at a microscopic level.

**NeverFeltBetter** · 01/12/2022, 2:33 PM

That pitch is a state. Only one more game, Argentina/Australia on it at least. I'm sure the Australians are happier.

I'll save some longer thoughts on VAR in 2022 for maybe after the tournament, but for me this emphasis on the on-pitch ref being the ultimate arbiter for everything is not combatable with efforts to have tech and a good viewing/playing experience. If that is an offside call, and I know it's complicated by "interfering with play" considerations so they need some time to look at it, there's no reason why the VAR official can't just say "It's offside, give a free kick", and the ref having enough trust in his fellow officials to just do that without having to jog off the field to confirm.