Your “Syndicate
Hangover” is proudly presented by “Renegade: Hammer & Sickle Imperial Stout”
Meh. It’s still
probably better than your local “Hipster IPA”
Record—
Spread: 2-6
Straight up: 4-1-3
Hot
Girl Standings
Country
|
Tally
|
Games Played
|
Russia
|
19
|
2
|
Mexico
|
14
|
2
|
Chile
|
12
|
2
|
Cameroon
|
9
|
2
|
Germany
|
5
|
2
|
Portugal
|
3
|
2
|
Australia
|
1
|
2
|
New Zealand
|
0
|
2
|
Wholly disappointed with Day Five’s Football. For all the
hype, “Chile vs. Germany” turned out to mostly a defensive stalemate. The
Indomitable Lions fought hard to achieve an egregiously unfair draw, and your
friendly bookie didn’t witness anything as immeasurably cool as an infant’s
“Chicharito Onesie”. Typical “Round Two” Letdown. The initial excitement of an
international football tournament’s opening round can be hard to top, but Jögi
Löw dealt a “C-Span 3 Level” hand of plebian cards. Timo Werner remained on the
bench. A three-man-defensive front provided no fast break opportunities off the
counter. No substitutions? Really? Are you really that afraid of giving Chile a
glimpse into your thought process?
Oh well. At least we’ve still got plenty of good football to
look forward to. The Mexican Lineup, the Russian Resurgence, and Hugo Broos’s
“Hail Mary” supply us with plenty of Story Lines.
LINEUP—Deutschland—Match
One (4-5-1)
Sandro
Wagner
|
Julian Draxler Julian Brandt
|
Lars Stindl
|
Leon Goretzka Sebastian Rudy
|
J. Hector S. Mustafi
A. Rüdiger J. Kimmich
|
Bernd
Leno
|
LINEUP—Deutschland—Match
Two (3-4-2-1)
Lars Stindl
|
Julian Draxler Leon Goretzka
|
Jonas Hector
Joshua Kimmich
|
Emré Can Sebastian Rudy
|
Niklas Süle S. Mustafi M. Ginter
|
Marc André ter Stegen
|
Timo Werner looks to be Löw’s “Ace in the Hole”. He won’t
deploy him until it’s absolutely necessary. Kimmich and Hector can generate
useful balls upfield, or play further back if necessary. They’re true German
Fullbacks in the “Phillip Lahm Tradition”. Goretzka proves he can switch fields
with ease.
GRADES—Deutschland
(Match One)
Joshua Kimmich
|
A+
|
Timo Werner
|
A+
|
Julian Draxler
|
A
|
Leon Goretzka
|
A
|
Sebastian Rudy
|
A
|
Lars Stindl
|
A
|
Julian Brandt
|
A-
|
Antonio Rüdiger
|
B+
|
Niklas Süle
|
B
|
Jonas Hector
|
B
|
Bernd Leno
|
B
|
Sandro Wagner
|
B-
|
Shkodran Mustafi
|
C
|
Emre Can
|
D
|
GRADES—Deutschland
(Match Two)
Marc Andre ter Stegen
|
A+
|
Joshua Kimmich
|
A
|
Emré Can
|
A
|
Sebastian Rudy
|
A
|
Leon Goretzka
|
A
|
Lars Stindl
|
A-
|
Matthias Ginter
|
B+
|
Emre Can
|
B+
|
Julian Draxler
|
B
|
Jonas Hector
|
B
|
Niklas Süle
|
C+
|
Shkodran Mustafi
|
F
|
Mustafi’s poor performance in the 2014 WM remains fresh in
this bookie’s mind. His awful giveaway in the 6th minute didn’t help
matters. Maybe it’s time to give up on him. A Modern German National Football
Team is nothing without a “Turkish Hero”….but Ilkay Gündogan is finally healthy
and successful again ; )
LINEUP—Cameroon—Match
One (4-3-3)
Vincent Aboubakar
|
Benjamin Moukandjo Christian Bassogog
|
Arnaud Djoum Sebastian Siani
|
Andre-Frank
Zambo Anguissa
|
C. Fai A. Teikeu
M. Ngadeu-Ngadjui E. Mabouka
|
Fabrice Ondoa
|
LINEUP—Cameroon—Match
Two (4-3-3)
Vincent
Aboubakar
|
Benjamin Moukandjo Christian Bassogog
|
Arnaud Djoum Sebastian Siani
|
Andre-Frank
Zambo Anguissa
|
C. Fai A. Teikeu
M. Ngadeu-Ngadjui E. Mabouka
|
Fabrice Ondoa
|
No changes as Hugo Broos may as well be labeled the
diametric opposite of Mexico’s Juan Carlos Osorio. I understand Broos’s fierce
loyalty to the players who actually accepted his call-up and won the African
Cup of Nations. What’s infinitely more difficult to comprehend concerns the
rollout of the exact same eleven in a short tournament where fatigue will serve
as an issue. Bassogog is already having difficulty maintaining his First Touch.
Aboubakar, for all of his consistent hustle, can’t find the finish.
It’s quite a lot to ask, even of the fittest of players. The
notoriously bad conditions of Russian Pitches mean that the outfielders must
work twice as hard to spike and balance. Very disappointed that the Lions
couldn’t claim all three points. They certainly deserved to win after that
brave effort down the stretch. As impressed as I was with Andre-Frank Zambo
Anguissa, he really should have finished off Aboubakar’s millimeter-wide whack
in the 56th.
Instead of topping the group, the Lions now bring a tired
eleven into the final match. Löw & Co won’t need to exercise much mental
agility in the Film Session to arrive at the conclusion that zonal boxed
marking can easily shut down their attack.
Had hoped for more. Forgive your friendly bookie if he’s a
mite sullen ; (
LINEUP—Australia—Match
One (3-4-3)
Tom Rogic Tommy Juric Massimo Luongo
|
Aziz Behich Matthew
Leckie
|
Aaron Mooy Mark Milligan
|
Milos Degenek Bailey Wright
|
Trent
Sainsbury
|
Matthew Ryan
|
LINEUP—Australia—Match
Two (3-4-3)
Tom Rogic Tommy Juric Robbie Kruse
|
Alex Gersbach Matthew
Leckie
|
Mark Milligan Aaron
Mooy
|
Milos Degenek Bailey Wright
|
Trent
Sainsbury
|
Matthew Ryan
|
Two changes. Gersbach’s insertion was certainly the more
notable one. He did well on the left, supported solidly by Milligan’s switch. The
20-year-old most certainly has a bright future with a top European club. The
same might be said about late-sub Jackson Irvine, who showed plenty of fight.
LINEUP—Chile—Match
One (4-1-2-3)
Eduardo
Vargas
|
Edson Puch Jose Fuenzalida
|
Charles Aranguiz Arturo Vidal
|
Marcelo
Diaz
|
J. Beausejour G. Jara G. Medel M. Isla
|
Johnny Herrera
|
LINEUP—Chile—Match
Two (4-1-3-2)
Eduardo Vargas Alexis Sanchez
|
Arturo
Vidal
|
Pablo Hernandez Charles Aranguiz
|
Marcelo
Diaz
|
J. Beausejour G. Jara G. Medel M. Isla
|
Johnny Herrera
|
Here we see Chile’s Top Eleven. Vidal in central support of
Sanchez. Vargas up front. Diaz directly in front of the centerbacks. There’s no
denying that this Kader possesses enough talent to win next Summer’s World
Championship. We’ve not seen the best that Aranguiz and Hernandez have to
offer. Claudio Bravo would have likely saved Stindl’s effort too. ; )
VAMO CHILEO!
CHI-CHI-CHI
Le-Le-Le!!
GRADES—Cameroon
(Match One)
Benjamin Moukandjo
|
A+
|
Vincent Aboubakar
|
A
|
Christian Bassogog
|
A
|
Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui
|
A
|
Fabrice Ondoa
|
A
|
Sebastien Siani
|
B+
|
Ernest Mabouka
|
B
|
Adolphe Teikeu
|
B
|
Collins Fai
|
B-
|
A.F. Zambo Anguissa
|
C+
|
Arnaud Djoum
|
D
|
GRADES—Cameroon
(Match Two)
Christian Bassogog
|
A+
|
Karl Toko Ekampi
|
A+
|
A.F. Zambo Anguissa
|
A
|
Vincent Aboubakar
|
A
|
Adolphe Teikeu
|
A
|
Fabrice Ondoa
|
A-
|
Collins Fai
|
A-
|
Arnaud Djoum
|
B
|
Benjamin Moukandjo
|
B-
|
Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui
|
C+
|
Ernest Mabouka
|
C
|
Sebastien Siani
|
C-
|
GRADES—Australia
(Match One)
Tom Rogic
|
A
|
Trent Sainsbury
|
A
|
Matthew Ryan
|
A
|
Tomi Juric
|
A
|
Timmy Cahill
|
A
|
Matthew Leckie
|
A-
|
Aziz Behich
|
A-
|
Aaron Mooy
|
B+
|
Robbie Kruse
|
B
|
Massimo Luongo
|
B-
|
Milos Degenek
|
B-
|
Robbie Kruse
|
B-
|
Bailey Wright
|
C+
|
James Troisi
|
D
|
GRADES—Australia
(Match Two)
Mark Milligan
|
A
|
Matthew Leckie
|
A
|
Trent Sainsbury
|
A
|
Alex Gersbach
|
A
|
Bailey Wright
|
A-
|
Milos Degenek
|
B+
|
Aaron Mooy
|
B
|
Jackson Irvine
|
B
|
Tom Rogic
|
B-
|
Robbie Kruse
|
B-
|
Tomi Juric
|
C+
|
Timmy Cahill
|
C-
|
Mathew Ryan
|
C-
|
James Troisi
|
D
|
GRADES—Chile
(Match One)
Arturo Vidal
|
A+
|
Alexis Sanchez
|
A+
|
Eduardo Vargas
|
A+
|
Edson Puch
|
A
|
Marcelo Diaz
|
A
|
Johnny Herrera
|
A
|
Charles Aranguiz
|
A
|
Gonzalo Jara
|
A
|
Jose Pedro Fuenzalida
|
B+
|
Gary Medel
|
B
|
Mauricio Isla
|
B-
|
Jean Beausejour
|
B-
|
Leonardo Valencia
|
C
|
Francisco Silva
|
C
|
GRADES—Chile
(Match Two)
Johnny Herrera
|
A
|
Mauricio Isla
|
A
|
Charles Aranguiz
|
A
|
Arturo Vidal
|
A
|
Jean Beausejour
|
A
|
Alexis Sanchez
|
A
|
Johnny Herrera
|
A
|
Gonzala Jara
|
B+
|
Eduardo Vargas
|
B
|
Pablo Hernandez
|
B
|
Eduardo Vargas
|
B
|
Marcelo Diaz
|
B
|
Gary Medel
|
B-
|
Paulo Diaz
|
C+
|
Martin Rodriguez
|
C
|
“Riffs
of the Day”—Day Five
Reader:
“Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa” is just too many vowels.
Vicey:
Er… “Marc-Andre ter Stegen” is equally as annoying :)
Reader:
Why can’t FOX afford to send on-site commentators to these matches?
Vicey:
That’s actually a good question. It would much behoove the network,
particularly in the age of VAR, to afford their broadcasters FULL sightlines
when debating whether or not the linesman flagged for offside or the ref
pointed to the spot. I suspect it has something to do with the Social Capital
they accrue from having match commentators also appearing on their “In-Studio”
post-game pieces. Ally Wagner delivers sharp color commentary during the match…then
we get to see her legs on “Confed Cup Tonight” ; ) 
