World Cup 2022

Asterix

Less than a week to go - may as well start a new thread for the tournament.

I'm running a tipping comp at my work - there is a good spreadsheet here if you like that sort of thing. https://www.excely.com/football/2022-fifa-world-cup-schedule.shtml#google_vignette

I'm finding it very hard to pick an overall winner this time. I don't trust the French to do well 2 tournaments in a row. France should play England in the quarters too which is tasty. The Germans and Spanish aren't at their usual level. Brazil have heaps of talent and when they do win it's outside of Europe so that bodes well for them. Argentina have great form coming in.

The way I've tipped things I have Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Croatia and Netherlands in the top half of the knockout draw, and England, France, Belgium and Spain in the bottom half, which looks slightly easier.

So that will be wrong of course.

invisibleman18

Hopefully England can do well, but can't see past a possible quarter final against France. Other than that, would like to see the rest of the Arsenal players do well.

Biggest hope is that things don't get decided by stupid VAR decisions but you can pretty much guarantee the big moments will be.

QuincyAbeyie

[Twitter]

I can just imagine him thinking he was very intelligent when he said this.

MistaT

he looks like he has a brain the size of a bird

MistaT

Argentina has an easy looking route with a nameable group, and then a first knockout vs Mexico or Poland

MistaT

Who are the Dark horses you think will do well?

Claudius

Quincy Abeyie wrote:
[Twitter]

I can just imagine him thinking he was very intelligent when he said this.

You know what, France is actually a very unwelcoming country. So credit to him. When you think about how difficult it has been for black and Arab communities integrating, the headscarf ban etc., this is what he was referring to. Just last week, they had to shut down Parliament because an MP told a black colleague to go back to Africa. So it’s easy to shine a light on intolerance elsewhere when it’s rampant at home

Claudius

Hard to call a winner though. I’m going to go with Brazil for now as unbalanced as they are. England and Argentina also looking good.
But I would really like to see Belgium win it

Clrnc

Look at Belgiums defence. It's impossible. Their golden gen is ageing badly so will be an early exit

lorddulaarsenal

MistaT wrote:
Who are the Dark horses you think will do well?

Uruguay for me

Claudius

Clrnc wrote:
Look at Belgiums defence. It's impossible. Their golden gen is ageing badly so will be an early exit

I know. Their defense is garbage. But who knows what one may do over 4 weeks. I really want KDB to win and get his balon d’or. It’s really the only way to get one post World Cup. If Argentina, Brazil, or France win it, then one of those big players will get the balon d’or for sure.

QuincyAbeyie

Claudius wrote:
Quincy Abeyie wrote:
[Twitter]

I can just imagine him thinking he was very intelligent when he said this.

You know what, France is actually a very unwelcoming country. So credit to him. When you think about how difficult it has been for black and Arab communities integrating, the headscarf ban etc., this is what he was referring to. Just last week, they had to shut down Parliament because an MP told a black colleague to go back to Africa. So it’s easy to shine a light on intolerance elsewhere when it’s rampant at home

That doesn't matter one bit. The answer is for him to be more welcoming in France, not to show respect to homophobia to compensate for France's unwelcomeness.

Claudius

Quincy Abeyie wrote:
Claudius wrote:
You know what, France is actually a very unwelcoming country. So credit to him. When you think about how difficult it has been for black and Arab communities integrating, the headscarf ban etc., this is what he was referring to. Just last week, they had to shut down Parliament because an MP told a black colleague to go back to Africa. So it’s easy to shine a light on intolerance elsewhere when it’s rampant at home

That doesn't matter one bit. The answer is for him to be more welcoming in France, not to show respect to homophobia to compensate for France's unwelcomeness.

I don't know. I think if you're sitting in the developing world listening to the Western countries being superior, it's nice to see them take action as well. That does not mean developing countries should indulge in savagery, just that it's tiresome to be lectured to be imperfect moral authorities.

Claudius

Something I don’t think any World Cup host has done before..

[Twitter][/Twitter]

QuincyAbeyie

Claudius wrote:
Quincy Abeyie wrote:
That doesn't matter one bit. The answer is for him to be more welcoming in France, not to show respect to homophobia to compensate for France's unwelcomeness.

I don't know. I think if you're sitting in the developing world listening to the Western countries being superior, it's nice to see them take action as well. That does not mean developing countries should indulge in savagery, just that it's tiresome to be lectured to be imperfect moral authorities.

Taking action by saying that when we visit Qatar we need to show respect for their homophobia..? He's just exercising whataboutism to its fullest, nothing more.

Kel Varnsen

MistaT wrote:
Who are the Dark horses you think will do well?

South Korea or Serbia?

Clrnc

Korea will do nothing under Bento. Japan is better.

If Iran didn't have their political upheaval I will tip them, but I think Denmark and whoever who qualifies with Belgium in group F

QuincyAbeyie

Not a dark horse as they're one of the bookie favorites, but most casual watchers seem to think that Argentina is only Messi (who they think is done) and don't mention them as one of the teams to do well. They're currently 35 matches undefeated or something ridiculous like that.

Sicario

My semi-final predictions:

Brazil v Argentina
France v Portugal

Brazil v France final with Brazil to win.

Btw, are we just having the one thread for all things World Cup or separate ones for the various different groups etc?

Claudius

Sicario wrote:
My semi-final predictions:

Brazil v Argentina
France v Portugal

Brazil v France final with Brazil to win.

Btw, are we just having the one thread for all things World Cup or separate ones for the various different groups etc?

This isn't 2010, Sicario. There are so few of us now. One thread will do. We can do all things world cup in one place. Groups, knockout, politics, jokes, Clrnc's photo blog.