Rank the most talented WC squads of all time

sportsczy wrote:Thurman decides he's a goalscorer of all things in the semis in that WC semi against Croatia...  The guy scored 2 goals total from 1996 to 2008 for club in 490 games.  And those were his only 2 goals in 142 caps for France.

it was miraculous tbh.

One of them was an outside the box shot too. Never seen him attempt that shot ever again in his career.

rincon wrote:Disagree. For me this team is more talented than the 98 one, Suker aside. That team (and the jerseys) got me to like Croatia, but the current squad is too deep and too high profile. The only real weakness are the CBs and even then we are talking of Liverpool and Besiktas, solid for Croatia's standards.

Had a lil more than just Suker. Stanic, Boban & Prosinecki, Robert Jarni, Soldo, Simic, Bilic and Tudor. This current one has similarities to their 98 counterparts though minus Suker. No one compares to him currently on their team.

Completely disagree with Rincon tbh, they have a strong midfield. That aside they are a bang average football team.

Messi had 8 goals with club 2 with country in 2005-2006... there's absolutely no way he should have played over guys like Crespo, Tevez, Milito, etc.

It's similar to R9 making the 1994 Brazil NT squad... he was 18 and considered a phenom in Brazil. They put him on the squad to get WC experience without playing. He didn't a single second's playing time either.

With the elite teams, there's literally no way that an unproven player, however talented, is going to play over proven players... WC ones at that.

Never get tired of reading Sports nonsense about WC 1982. Catenaccio "score 1 and put 10 men behind the ball" Brazil 82 best ever. We put 4 past Brazil, 3 past Germany, 2 past Poland and 2 past Argentina. Beautiful sweet catenaccio.

Kaka was scrubbing bench in 2002 as well. Did not see a single minute of any match.

Also, it was just 3 Italy put past Brasil though it really is just being technical at this point.

Brazil 2006 biggest circus ever

Antognoni put the 4th past Brazil. The rest is on the ref screwing up. Still, if the argument is that it was "only" 3 goals my point still stands

Beat Brasil 3-2
"Damn Italians always parking the bus"

Yeah, your point definitely still stands though I don't see why you put a disallowed goal there. I probably should actually find a way to see that match in its entirety but from all accounts, Italy were actually pretty good that day. Attacked and defended well and not the "score 1; defend with 10" stuff. Also from accounts, they good rough up Zico too.

Doc wrote:Yeah, your point definitely still stands though I don't see why you put a disallowed goal there. I probably should actually find a way to see that match in its entirety but from all accounts, Italy were actually pretty good that day. Attacked and defended well and not the "score 1; defend with 10" stuff. Also from accounts, they good rough up Zico too.

Because the argument was about the nature of the play. Not about the final result. Regardless of it being disallowed, it was still scored (legitimately too). So Italy played in a "score 1 and put 10 men behind the goal" way that led to taking the lead 3 times and scoring 4 goals. This against a Brazil that even qualified with a draw, we had to win, went for it and did it.

rincon wrote:Never get tired of reading Sports nonsense about WC 1982. Catenaccio "score 1 and put 10 men behind the ball" Brazil 82 best ever. We put 4 past Brazil, 3 past Germany, 2 past Poland and 2 past Argentina. Beautiful sweet catenaccio.

Yeah... sit back and counter.  Doesn't mean you can't score.  Means you thug it until you can create some chances.  Rossi basically scored on every chance he got so Italy didn't need many in that WC. Italy did play well in the semis and finals though... Poland and a depleted Germany. Germany was the biggest fraud of that WC unfortunately so I'm glad they lost even if it was Italy. Fate had it that the two biggest thug teams of the competition frauded their way through. Since they won with that style, it paved a way for more thug football in 1986 and, finally, the biggest thug WC (and the worst competition I have ever seen) of 1990. The beautiful game stopped being so beautiful as a result of the WC 1982 and 1986.

Love reading your nonsense too Rincon since all you have is youtube highlights since you never saw any of it.  Italy was the shittiest team out of that second pool that included Argentina and Brazil...  but thugs have a way of winning if the other teams are trying to win with style.  Gentile should have gone to jail for what he did against a young Maradonna in that game.  But that was a bit of justice considering how Argentina won WC 1978...  they deserved some payback.

I have seen the matches. Luckily my family has all the matches of 82 and 06 recorded.

Keep hating though, I guess you got lucky France never played that Italy seeing as how we went 5-1 against the two teams that beat you.

And the reason you put 3 past Brazil is that Brazil was going full board... attack attack attack. That was their style. They had no inclination or plan to defend at all. So they played right into Catenaccio and counter style of Italy with a red hot Paolo Rossi on the attack... if you must know.

Italy and Germany ruined what was otherwise a beautiful WC. Incredible games where teams attacked each other.

And btw, USSR (or Soviet Union) was a much better team than Poland. They were actually a beautiful team to watch too. But Poland went through on goal differential. Blokhin was a great striker.

rincon wrote:I have seen the matches. Luckily my family has all the matches of 82 and 06 recorded.

Keep hating though, I guess you got lucky France never played that Italy seeing as how we went 5-1 against the two teams that beat you.

I'm sure your family does  in VHS or betamax I'm sure.

The matches are available to download.  Not saying Brazil v Italy wasn't a great game because it was.  However, doesn't take away that Italy say back, defended to death and then scored because Rossi was in god mode.  Tbh, i don't blame them against that Brazil team... they were unplayable.  Too bad they had no desire to defend ever.

We do . You don't have to believe me though. Because it doesn't actually matter, you are just rambling. But I'm sure you were in your prime football analyzing years during a tournament that happened 36 years ago, how old were you again? mid 50s?

@rincon must be sitting on a fortune for how @sports perceives full matches from the 1982 world cup to be. I think I found the new cryptocurrency

Don't tell anyone:

And btw, France did play Italy. We kicked your ass when friendlies mattered in 1982 and again in WC 1986 in the quarter finals I believe.

In fact, Italy couldn't beat France fro 1978 until 2006... and we played 6 times including the WC quarters in 1986 and the Euro final in 2000. Do you have tape of those?

I don't can barely be arsed to watch friendlies now, let alone 36 years ago even though they mattered more than world cup wins. I should get on that. Like I said though, I actually do have 06 so yeah, I should watch us beat France again and lift the trophy.

WC 1986 dude... France sodomized your beloved Italy.

And btw, Catenaccio is a system.  It means you're set up to defend.  Italy would set up with 4 defenders and 2 DMs (Tardelli and Oriali).  Doesn't mean you couldn't attack...  but your emphasis was to defend.  

Tardelli, Cabrini, Zoff, Scirea Antognoni and Rossi deserve entire respect.  Tremendous players.  I liked Bruno Conti too tbh. Gentile was a complete thug though... as was Collovati and Oriali.

You say emphasis to defend as a completely negative trait. Like, “yeah, you won.... but you defended a lot”.

If anything, I'm finally getting to see where Sport's disdain for physical (thug-like) football stemmed from: Italy and possibly a lifelong hate for Claudio Gentile.

sportsczy wrote:And the reason you put 3 past Brazil is that Brazil was going full board... attack attack attack.  That was their style.  They had no inclination or plan to defend at all.  So they played right into Catenaccio and counter style of Italy with a red hot Paolo Rossi on the attack... if you must know.  

Italy and Germany ruined what was otherwise a beautiful WC.  Incredible games where teams attacked each other.

Wow, Italy and Germany "ruined" a WC by being better than their opponents. Contender for worst post of the year.

You know what's beautiful? Winning. Not losing.

sportsczy wrote:Messi had 8 goals with club 2 with country in 2005-2006... there's absolutely no way he should have played over guys like Crespo, Tevez, Milito, etc.

It's similar to R9 making the 1994 Brazil NT squad... he was 18 and considered a phenom in Brazil. They put him on the squad to get WC experience without playing. He didn't a single second's playing time either.

With the elite teams, there's literally no way that an unproven player, however talented, is going to play over proven players... WC ones at that.

Except Messi actually played and was one of their best players in the group stage and it was obvious even then.

R9 didn't even play in 94 and was just there for the experience, it's not the same thing at all.

Messi only started in 1 group game Mole, it was against the Netherlands. He didn't make an appearance in any other group game. I think you're confusing this with the Copa America where they ended up losing against Dunga's Brasil.