World Cup 2018 Round Up (Days 4-6)

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Day 4 saw Serbia get off to a winning start as Kolorov’s superb free kick saw off Costa Rica. They were worthy winners and if that Mitrovic loon could finish they’d have won much more comfortably. Serbia looked decent. They’ve got some good players, particularly that Milinkovic-Savic lad from Lazio who the Mancs are meant to be after.
 
He looks a class act and I’m sure Jose just can’t wait to drain all of that flair out of him. He’s got his first name on his shirt but in this case I’ll allow it as he’d either need to have a shirt the size of Tranmere defender Ste McNulty’s to be able to fit his surname across the back of it, or they'd have to use font so small you'd need to be a hawk to be able to see it. 
 
Hopefully Serbia will win their next game too so we might see the rare lesser spotted Marko Grujic get a run out. He’s a really good player I reckon but he probably shouldn’t have come here as he was never going to play. The last two years of his career have been wasted. This happens to so many promising foreign youngsters that a move to a top six club in England should come with a government health warning. 
 
Next up on Sunday, Germany got turned over in the afternoon game. Cracking fun this one and Mexico were really good. It was mad just how open Germany were to counter attacks though and if Mexico were actually any good at them they’d have won by more. They kept making a mess of them until they finally got one right and scored. Brilliant move it was and it was well finished by the lively Lozano. Everton want him, apparently. Yeah, good luck with that. 
 
They had other chances but eventually Germany figured it out and shut the back door. The longer it went the more the Germans came into it but they never really clicked and Mexico’s work rate was impressive throughout, not least my boy Hector Herrera in midfield. He was one of my favourite players at the last tournament and he’s started this one with a bang. Great performance from him. My boy. 
 
I didn’t see this result coming at all but it doesn’t really shake my belief that Germany will win the tournament. This might even give them the kick up the arse they need, as the way they started this game reeked of complacency. No room for that now, they're in win or go home territory already. 
 
I’m sounding like my arl fella now, as when I was a kid every time the World Cup or Euros came around I’d hear the same shit from him. “You can never count out the Germans” or “My money is on the Germans, they always find a way to get to the final”. It used to piss me off, because this was happening even when they were clearly shite. 
 
The thing that really annoyed me though was that even when they were shite they usually did somehow end up in the final and then I’d have to hear “you see, I told you, never write off the Germans”. A lot of English people hated the Germans because of the wars and the fact they nearly always knock England out of major tournaments. Me? I hated them because they kept proving my Dad right. 
 
I’ve seen a lot of people writing them off this year, even before this game, and I’ve found myself spouting some of those same tired old clichés I heard throughout my younger years. They weren’t good against Mexico but I expect they’ll figure it out as they go. They usually do. "Don't back against the Germans". 
 
I like Mexico though. They were lively, positive and their fans are great. Along with Peru they’ve generated the best atmosphere so far. 
 
Rafael Marquez came off the bench and the commentators were waxing lyrical about how this is his fifth World Cup. Jogi Low was like, hold my beer, here’s Mario Gomez playing in his ninth. 
 
I’m not sure how many years I’ve been doing these round ups for the big tournaments, but I do know that in every one I’ve been staggered when I discovered that Gomez was still in the Germany squad. Feels like he’s been in their set up since Euro 96. Miroslav Klose must be pissed off at being left out in favour on someone even older than he is. 
 
*googles* Mario Gomez is 32?? FUCK OFF! Not having that, he’s clearly edited his own wiki page. 
 
He's as bad as my arl fella. Honestly, I only found out my Dad's exact age when I was in my mid twenties. Up until then any time anyone asked him he used to just say "29". He was 29 for the first 25 years of my life. Not even kidding. It drove me mad not knowing, and what's worse is my Mum never ratted him out either. He even carried it on after I found his birth certificate and presented him with it. "That's not mine. You've forged that".  
 
The only reason he dropped the pretence was because he realised I was actually getting close to 'his age' so he then added ten years to it and started afresh from there, only this time he would actually add a year to his age with every birthday rather than trying to maintain the ludicrous Peter Pan act.

Speaking of boys who never grow up (fucking seamless segue there, even if I say so myself), I see Javier Hernandez has finally ditched ‘Chicarito’ from his shirt. Either he’s finally realised he’s a 30 year old man, or FIFA just wouldn’t allow it. Either way, it’s a good thing for football. Now if we can just stop Jonathon Pearce and Phil Neville from calling him ‘Cheechareeto” that would be sound. Better yet, just get rid of the pair of them, the annoying fucks. 
 
Mats Hummels had a moan afterwards about his midfield and forwards not tracking back. He was right but it made him look a right twat, not least because of the way he was jogging back on the counter attack from which Mexico scored. 
 
Controversial, unpopular opinion alert: Mats Hummels is massively over-rated and Dejan Lovren is better. Come at me, I don't care. 
 

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[Trumo]

Neymar has the lowest pain tolerance of any footballer I’ve ever seen.

 

Sturridge: "Hold my beer..."

[Anubis]

Negged for use of the phrase 'in fairness' in relation to England.

[alles ist gut]

Fucking seamless.

[Hades]

Made me laugh a few times. High praise.

[Duff Man]

Couldn't agree more about Aluko. She's excellent.

[Captain Turdseye]

Just wondering Dave, is this bit...

 

It’s all well and good showing these examples of him not tracking back, but perhaps he isn’t supposed to? We aren’t privy to what his coach tells him to do so all this stick he’s getting seems harsh to me.

... influenced by that Lovren interview? Can we make excuses for any mistake now by saying that maybe the player was just doing what the manager wants?

[dave u]

Just wondering Dave, is this bit...

 

 

... influenced by that Lovren interview? Can we make excuses for any mistake now by saying that maybe the player was just doing what the manager wants?

 

To a degree yeah, I had what Lovren said in mind when I was writing it.

 

It doesn't apply to everyone no, but in Shaqiri's case I think it's relevant. It's all well and good Neville saying "If I was playing full back I'd be screaming at him to get back" but the Swiss right back is Lichtsteiner, who is as experienced as they come and also the team captain.

 

If it was Shaqiris job to track Marcelo then why wasn't his captain letting him have it? Why wasn't the coach letting him have it? No-one seemed to have a problem with Shaqiri so that leads me to believe it wasn't his job to go chasing back.

 

The only thing 'lazy' about all this was Neville's analysis of it.

[Jarvinja Ilnow]

Repped for having a brilliant dad.

[dave u]

Repped for having a brilliant dad.

 

Yeah he's boss, especially now that I've caught up and we're the same age.

[StevieMax]

Never had Dave down as a secret Guardian reporter:

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/shortcuts/2018/jun/18/eni-aluko-alex-scott-stars-world-cup-commentary

[Captain Turdseye]

Never had Dave down as a secret Guardian reporter:

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/shortcuts/2018/jun/18/eni-aluko-alex-scott-stars-world-cup-commentary

A bird wrote that article. It’s basically meaningless.

[dockers_strike]

I do not have a problem with the woman commentators and pundits talking about football and think it is a refreshing change from some of the inane crap some of the men spout. That Alex Scott comes across as very erudite in her analysis. But Eni Aluko just seems to have been picked by ITV to be a pundit because of that argie bargie she had over the womens England team manager.

[moof]

I do not have a problem with the woman commentators and pundits talking about football and think it is a refreshing change from some of the inane crap some of the men spout. That Alex Scott comes across as very erudite in her analysis. But Eni Aluko just seems to have been picked by ITV to be a pundit because of that argie bargie she had over the womens England team manager.

Argie bargie? You mean, she was a victim of racism? You do know she has over 100 international caps and is also a qualified lawyer? She’s worthy of far more air time than she’s been given, an infinitely more interesting person than the likes of Patrice Evra and Phil Neville

[rb14]

Fab stuff Dave.

 

I can't wait till England are knocked out. I turned on for the last few minutes of their first game and saw the ball go out for a corner. I knew they'd score as a direct result of me switching on the TV. That's easily resolved for today's game. Anyway it'll be far more enjoyable wrenching out my teeth with a pair of rusty pliers.