While there have been some very good matches, the controversial moments are making the bigger headlines and that is not a good thing.
FIFA made a decision to reprieve the United States striker of a suspension, which has broken all protocols, and it was clearly a decision that was made to appease the President. This comes in the same tournament where a FIFA appointed official was not allowed into the United States and where Iran were forced to travel in and out of the country, which ultimately affected the levels of performances they could produce.
And just when the Round of 16 may have been concluding without too many more moments of negativity, the Argentina-Egypt game was filled with some strange officiating that will only fuel conspiracy theories.
The only hope is that the Quarter Final matches are won by the quality on the field and not the lack of quality in the officiating, which has been a real feature of this tournament.
For the first time, FIFA decided to 'Seed' the top four Ranked teams in the Rankings and that meant they would avoid one another until the Semi Final as long as they won their Groups and then three Knock Out Rounds.
France, Spain, England and Argentina have all done their part in different ways and they are all going to be favourites to Qualify from the Quarter Final matches against Morocco, Belgium, Norway and Switzerland respectively.
You have to anticipate some resistance, but the top four teams should be favoured and that could potentially set up some huge football matches next week as the 2026 Finals come to a conclusion.
World Cup- Quarter Final Picks
Thursday 9th July
France vs Morocco Pick: These nations met at the 2022 World Cup in a Semi Final that was won by France, but Morocco had come through some very tough matches prior to that and perhaps ran out of steam.
The squad has changed significantly since that World Cup Semi Final and Morocco arrived in North America with a lot more belief and expectation of themselves.
Morocco have played well, but there is still a feeling that this team has lacked the kind of bite in the final third that could see them potentially become the first African team to win the World Cup. They showed a clinical touch to beat Canada 3-0 in the Last 16, but late goals put a gloss on the final scoreline and the underdog had given as good as they got for much of the fixture before Morocco took over.
They were the better team against the Netherlands, but it should be noted that Morocco have scored more than one goal against the two CONCACAF opponents faced, but not against Brazil, Scotland or Netherlands.
Ismael Saibari scored in those two Group matches against Brazil and Scotland, but picked up an injury in the Last 16 and is set to miss out, which is a huge blow for Morocco. It is likely going to mean the approach is to be organised and try and make things very difficult for the favourite and Morocco may lean on the blueprint set out by Paraguay in the last Round, albeit without the kind of challenges and dark arts that Paraguay were able to get away with.
France will take great confidence from the fact they were able to overcome Paraguay, despite all of the issues they had to deal with on the day, and they are a team that will always feel they have a difference maker in the final third to edge matches in their favour. The defence has not really been tested in the last couple of matches, but France will expect this match to be played in a very similar way as the the last Round with Morocco looking to close spaces and make things as difficult as possible.
The defensive numbers have been strong enough in this tournament to believe Morocco can make things tough, but France have shown there is a depth to the attacking talent that may ultimately give them the edge.
The expectation is that this could be another tight fixture with Morocco trying to find the right balance between attack and defence and it would not be a great surprise if one of the teams fail to find the back of the net. An early goal could change everything, but this feels like it could be competitive for a long time and that may see risks lessened the longer it is closely contested.
Friday 10th July
Spain vs Belgium Pick: A motivated Belgium team came out with a point to prove against the United States in the Last 16 and the 4-1 victory over the co-hosts will have given this squad a lot of enjoyment.
Off the field decisions made by FIFA infuriated the Belgians and they used that to fuel them as they came out with plenty of attacking intent.
The United States were a big disappointment in the Last 16, but Belgium cannot expect the same generosity from a Spanish team that have reached the World Cup Quarter Final for the first time since winning this title in 2010.
The European Champions have maintained the run of clean sheets and continue to create enough in the final third to do what is needed to earn progression. There still feels like there is more to come from Spain, but the absence of Nico Williams is a blow and that has perhaps meant Spain have lacked the kind of quality that took them to the European Championship title two years ago.
In saying that, Spain are still a threat going forward and they should find spaces to exploit against this Belgium defence that were put under the cosh by Senegal.
Belgium's Rudi Garcia has to be credited for some of the big decisions he has made to help the team reach the Quarter Final, but he will have to make more in this one. His team can create problems for Spain, but it is all about finding the balance between attack and defence and losing Amadou Onana is a big blow.
Spain do look the team most likely to have possession and the best chances and they can win this game, while also looking for Mikel Oyarzabal to have another shot on target.
Saturday 11th July
Norway vs England Pick: You can expect to hear the famous commentary out of Norway when beating England in 1981 and the statement of 'your boys took a hell of a beating' to be played over and over again in the build up to this World Cup Quarter Final.
The players will only be focusing on the task at hand and both Norway and England have to feel this is a massive opportunity to reach a World Cup Semi Final in front of them.
England have the greater expectation to burden on their shoulders and that can be a factor, but the 2-3 win over Mexico in the Azteca Stadium will have given the players a huge lift in confidence. It was arguably the best performance the national team have produced in a World Cup Finals tournament since the 1966 World Cup Final, and clearly the best under Thomas Tuchel, and that should give the squad some real momentum to take into this match.
Moving from the altitude of Mexico City to the heat and humidity of Miami is going to be a big test, but England have the qualities to beat this Norway team.
Erling Haaland is the threat that everyone will know about and his goals have been crucial in helping Norway beat Iraq, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Brazil in this famous run. He knows how to score against English opponents and Norway will take a huge amount of encouragement from some of the defending produced by the opponent.
At the same time, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane have to be confident they can create some opportunities against a Norway team that have yet to keep a clean sheet and who conceded at least twice against Senegal and France. The chances that Brazil fashioned will be a concern for Norwegian fans, even if Haaland has shown he can get this team out of a difficult situation, and England have the capabilities of winning this match and beating another Scandinavian opponent in a World Cup Quarter Final as they did when seeing off Sweden in 2018.
Argentina vs Switzerland Pick: When the Knock Out Bracket was finalised, Argentina looked like they could not have asked for a better way to really build from the Group Stage successes.
However, the World Champions have made heavy weather of Cape Verde and Egypt and the latter of those opponents have been furious with some of the decisions made by the officials that turned the match against them.
Egypt were leading 0-2, but Argentina showed some real grit and character to score three times in the final eleven minutes and move through without the need for another fixture involving Extra Time. That should mean having some energy kept in reserve and Argentina will take encouragement from the way Colombia performed against Switzerland in the last Round.
The Swiss still got through on Penalties and they are a team that will look to make things difficult, but a more consistent threat on the other side of the pitch is important. There are vulnerabilities in this Argentina defence, which has been exploited by the last two opponents, but Switzerland have to find a balance with the way they approach this fixture.
It could be easy to sit in and look to counter, but Argentina have shown there is enough quality in the final third to create chances, even when not at their very best.
If they get into the same kind of positions as Colombia, Argentina have shown they can provide the clinical touch and they also have players who will display plenty of composure in that final third.
This should be the difference and Argentina can win this game, while scoring at least twice in the process of reaching a third World Cup Semi Final in four runnings of the tournament.
MY PICKS: France-Morocco Both Teams to Score- NO @ 1.83 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Spain to Win & Mikel Oyarzabal Over 0.5 Shots on Target @ 2.05 Bet365 (1 Unit)
England to Win @ 1.85 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Argentina to Win & Over 1 Total Goals @ 2.20 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Quarter Final:
Last 16: 6-2, + 2.52 Units (8 Units Staked, + 31.5o% Yield)
Last 32: 10-6, + 4.38 Units (16 Units Staked, + 27.38% Yield)
Group Stage MD 3: 11-11-1, - 1.29 Units (23 Units Staked, - 5.61% Yield)
Group Stage MD 2: 16-8, + 7.44 Units (24 Units Staked, + 31% Yield)
Group Stage MD 1: 12-12, - 0.30 Units (24 Units Staked, - 1.25% Yield)
No comments:
Post a Comment