How good is this World Cup?

[Paddy O'Hammer]

The 2026 expansion to 48 teams will renders some of the first few weeks hard to watch.

Yaaayyyyy 1 in 4 chance in making it then....with Rice as captain

[Samba]

Yaaayyyyy 1 in 4 chance in making it then....with Rice as captain

He's English.
dg.

[westham,eggyandchips]

I'm enjoying it, but I really miss Italy. They need to be in there.

I really miss their national anthem.

[e17]

Italy would have just been one of the randoms involved in tons of 1-0 wins/defeats anyway

Just pretend the French players all cost a few quid less and are even more stroppy and that can be Italy

[Puff Daddy]

What I have noticed about the South American nations, with the exception of Uruguay and probably Brazil too, is they all have crap managers. None has ever managed a top club team in Europe and they have pretty uninspiring CV's.too.Colombia's, manager, Jose Pekerman, last managed at this level at the 2006 World Cup, but was summarily sacked upon his return to Buenos Aires. Since then, he has managed a few club sides in Colombia and that is about it. No wonder he looked on cluelessly as his side slid towars ignominious defeat to Japan. Peru's manager too. tried his best, but was out of his depth at this level. That leaves the best till last....... Jorge Sampaoli. The mighty Jorge Sampaoli. Read his CV on ' Wicki', Geezer had only ever managed in South America, no experience at all of managing any top team and his tactics, team formation and game plan, if ever there was one at all against Croatia, was just awful. I hope for his sake, the airport security at Buenos Aires airport is up to speed when his Argentina side touch down there next week

[sendô]

You know Sampaoli is going to be useless just by looking at him - the bloke was wearing a skin tight black tshirt with a suit jacket ffs. He looked more like a bouncer at a gay bar than a football manager.

[Clacton-ammer]

I'm still really enjoying it, even the niggly fouling & play acting is not spoiling it for me (yet).

I am a bit anal when it comes to watching formations, tactics etc (sometimes the lack of it), will often be watching the shape of the team and not looking at the ball (bar England games), some good stuff going on, the smaller sides (majority) are so well drilled now, thus the lack of goals (and some lack of creativity/poor finishing to boot in fairness).

Cracking WC for me so far.

[rare as rockinghorse shat]

I'm calling it now.

So far, worse that South Africa 2010

[James P]

I think this could be a bit of an Italia 90

Objectively a pretty poor quality tournament but thought back on kindly in England due to our progress to the semis

[sendô]

I'm calling it now.

So far, worse that South Africa 2010

Blimey you're a right cup of half empty aint you RARS.

It's been alright so far, a couple of upsets, some decent games and crucially no vuvuzelas. VAR seems to be threatening to derail it though.

[EastBrisHammer]

I think this could be a bit of an Italia 90

Objectively a pretty poor quality tournament but thought back on kindly in England due to our progress to the semis

I hope you are right. I loved Italia '90. And hopefully a hot summer to go along with it just like 1990.

[Puff Daddy]

I hope you are right. I loved Italia '90. And hopefully a hot summer to go along with it just like 1990.

That was a rubbish tournament, remembered only because of England's relatively easy route to the semi's and had Cameroon not been so naive, they wouldn't even had made the semi's at all and the tournament would have been remembered for very different reasons. That final between a really, quite poor, but functional, Germany team and an utterly ***** Argentina team who did manage to lose to Cameroon, was just about the right finale this tournament deserved

[EastBrisHammer]

I can't remember many good World Cup finals tbh. Yeah it wasn't a classic tournament, but the semi between England and Germany was a good match. And teams going through but not deserving it...Portugal did a whole tournament like that. We are always very hard on England. We beat Cameroon and that's that. We don't often get the rub of the green.

[sendô]

USA 94 was about the best tournament I remember, and two of the best and most attacking teams got to the final - and subsequently produced the most turgid, boring and forgettable final in living memory.

[Puff Daddy]

I can't remember many good World Cup finals tbh. Yeah it wasn't a classic tournament, but the semi between England and Germany was a good match. And teams going through but not deserving it...Portugal did a whole tournament like that. We are always very hard on England. We beat Cameroon and that's that. We don't often get the rub of the green.

That was a ***** match too, low on quality, but it is remembered and reveered only in England for Gazza's tears and our penalty misses

[EastBrisHammer]

Don't agree with that at all. The England group games were hardly inspiring but we weren't a bad side. We managed to get past the dutch who were European Champions at the time. As I said it wasn't a classic tournament but I thought we played well against Germany and deserved just as much as them to get to the final.

[Samba]

The final is almost, always utter s****. I sometimes don't even bother to watch it live, if at all.
Far too much at stake to be an open or entertaining game.
At least one of the knockout games is always better.

[The Old Man of Storr]

Germany have been poor , France don't look as if they're taking it seriously , Ronaldo - one minute beautiful the next downright ugly , the Argentina / Croatia match was pretty nasty at times - I've loved Mexico , their football have been a joy to watch otherwise hmmmmm .

[Rocketron]

That there have been no 0-0 results so far indicates a good tournament to me.

[rare as rockinghorse shat]

That there have been no 0-0 results so far indicates a good tournament to me.

Well, that's silly.

If every game was dull 1-0 (64 goals in the entire tournament when around 160 were forecast) you'd consider that a good tournament.

It indicates absolutely nothing.