Servus Syndicate Members,
Welcome to Part Two of the tournament’s Blitz Phase. If you’ve missed out
on the last couple of days, you missed some pretty topsy-turvy football, not to
mention a plethora of speculative permutations.
All the fun continues as the
Knockouts take shape. You’ll see below that the next four groups will just
tickle you arithmetically.
Messi’s response to adversity deserves plaudits. Whilst your friendly
bookie remains skeptical he’ll progress much further, I unreservedly admit I
was wrong about his resolve. They’ve avoided the predicted collapse. Hunches your
friendly bookie happened to be right about include the still unexciting French,
the humbled Russians, and Spanish/Portuguese Squads that barely escaped highly
skilled opponents in their competitive groups.
Onwards we press with more prognostications to be tested. The Brazilians
and my Germans still aren’t out of the woods yet. Keep an eye on those Serbs.
They sport enough talent to claim a major scalp.
The Tournament’s Cinderella can soon emerge from Group H. Japan and Senegal
remain in contention. One of them will get through. England and Belgium will
field radically different teams, but won’t relent in the Battle of the
tournament’s two high-octane squads. They both look like excellent candidates
for the final.
Shadow remains our guest for the Second Act of our Whirlwind Stage…..and
this time we’re not leaving him behind!
After pontificating on our annual “Soul of the Completionist” Section, Syndicate
Member 5-M checked in with one of the best visual riffs in the history of our
Sportsbook.
Wednesday, June 26th
Group
F Final Kickoff @ 17:00 (UTC +3)
Prediction for this group? Pressure. Geologically crushing
pressure. Time and space-distorting pressure. No team has officially been
eliminated yet. From what we’ve witnessed in the initial group games, no squad
can expect to dominate or secure a comfortable victory. A bad bounce or a
player on a tear might ultimately shape the final standings. The seemingly
insurmountable lead the Mexicans have built following their fiery start can all
be rendered moot if they suffer defeat and the Germans execute. Would you
believe it? Wildly oscillating emotions in the span of a few seconds. That’s
football. That’s the World Cup.
Footballers invest insane amounts of time on the training
pitch for extreme pressure moments just like these. Consider how many times
Toni Kroos practiced firing in that last-minute laser. With nary a second to
spare he had to be inch perfect from that specific angle. The gargantuan weight
of his entire team and country rested up his shoulders. An infinitely large
spotlight shone on him from all corners of the globe. Somehow he stilled the
heart palpitations that would have derailed most of us and dent it in with ice
in his veins. One conjectures he wouldn’t have been able to accomplish such an
impossible feat had he not put in thousands of hours practicing that kick.
Preparation remains the only true antidote to pressure. A tournament
like the WM complicates even such a simple axiomatic platitude. Players and
coaches only have a month to prepare with their finalized teams, drill their
set pieces, and scout the real identity of their opponents. Broadcasters and
bookies alike have even less time to research players, tactics, and possible outcomes.
Something that matters so much flies by in a ridiculously ephemeral instant
leaving only trite history to judge whether you prepared sufficiently or not.
It’s crunch time, gentlemen. Pressure and tension
everywhere. Who will survive over 90 minutes of physical pain and emotional
strain? Keep the Rolaids at the ready as we all find out together.
Deutschland vs. South Korea
vs.
It’s been sixteen long years since these that muggy night in
Seoul when Michael Ballack scored the decisive goal in the 75th.
These two countries have only met once since that bitterly-contested Semi-Final
in which Oliver Kahn bailed out the Nationalelf with one of his finest tournament
performances ever. Ah the memories. New ones await here, very possibly some unpleasant
ones for this Kraut.
Shin Tae-Yong’s Taeguk Warriors have the attackers to take
advantage of Germany’s vulnerability on the counter. Little attention has been
paid to Heung Min-Son’s hellfire missile late in the match against the Aztecs.
It holds more significance for this amateur scout. The Tottenham star can
easily sparkle against our porous defense, especially with the more
fleet-footed and physical Boateng out on suspension.
Captain Ki Sung-Yueng, now angling for a new club contract after
negotiations with relegated Swansea fell through, has every reason to leave it
all on the field. He’ll break on every counter, supported by strikers Hwan
Hee-Chan and Kim-Shin Wook; both of whom look an in-form threat to your
friendly bookie’s eyes.
Overall, however, I believe Tae-Yong’s system to be too
confused and his preparation inadequate. The Tigers of Asia can’t decide where
to place Son as he’s had shifting roles in a 4-3-3, 4-4-2, and 4-2-3-1 in the
two preceding matches. Moreover, the Koreans have accomplished practically
zilch on set-pieces in a tournament that’s come to be defined by them.
I’m confident my boys will win even without our star
centerback, and I’ll even give you a generous spread.
THE
LINE: Deutschland +2 Goals
Mexico vs. Sweden
vs.
Many of this Sportsbook’s pages have been devoted to the
whimsical selections of Juan Carlos Osorio; aptly christened the “Tinkerer” by
many a football analyst. It thus came as something of a surprise that he rolled
with essentially the same eleven as he did in the initial match. It’s actually
less surprising when one takes the tantamount importance of momentum waves in
tournament football into account. It also should be noted that he made drastic
tactical changes to the formation and positioning. His reputation for tweaking
unequivocally stands
Some see Osorio’s proclivity towards endless adjustments
costing him a point here. Such a case isn’t without merit, but your friendly
bookie sees too many factors working against the Blaugults. We covered travel
time in the Round Three Lines. Food-borne illness and fatigue have cropped up
since then.
Toiuvonen, Berg, Ekdal and Larsson must all surely be spent
by now based on their level of hustle. Granqvist and Linelhöf racked up way too
much sweat managing the German assault. I’ll tip Lozano to take advantage of
these tired legs and get his name in the race for the Golden Boot.
THE
LINE: Mexico +1 Goal
Initial
Group Projection (6/5/2018)
1)
Deutschland 2)
Mexico 3)
South Korea 4)
Sweden
Final
Group Projection (6/24/2018)
(2
to 1 Odds for Bookie)
1)
Mexico 2)
Deutschland 3)
Sweden 4)
South Korea
Group
E Final Kickoff @ 21:00 (UTC +3)
Intrigue everywhere. The Serbs possess enough structural
talent to pitch the Brazilians out of the tournament in spectacular fashion.
The mighty Selecao have to beat a very solid team in order to advance, as
Switzerland are in little danger of dropping points. The Brazilian press once
again does its own team no favors by focusing on Neymar’s emotional display
following the Costa Rican match. They question his tears of joy flowing so
early in the tournament. He’s been labeled a “pyscho”, “wimp”, and “baby”.
As harsh as such hyperbolic headlines seem, a professional
footballer of his caliber should probably answer for taking what amounts to a
victory lap when his job is far from finished. Moreover, it’s part of the job
description attached to his exorbitant salary. He’s responsible for remaining
steely nerved in the face of all the tabloid sensationalism. Anyone getting
paid close to a million dollars—per week—can’t get rattled by negative
attention.
Draws in both matches will see the group fall as originally
predicted. A Serbian win likely leads to the early ejection of the best
Brazilian side since 2002. If the already eliminated Ticos pull off something
superhuman, the possibilities include final standings settled by goal
differential or even the drawing of lots.
Germany’s next opponent comes out of the group. Let’s play.
Serbia vs. Brazil
vs.
The slim-built Neymar needs thick skin to get past Tosic,
Milivojevic, Milenkovic, and Matic. They’ll strangle his movement and foul him
all afternoon long. Krstajic’s stellar defense isn’t the only danger the
canaries must face. A pre-tournament offensive explosion in the friendlies
showed how capable the White Eagles are at finding the back of the net.
Most of Serbian chances are generated courtesy of a
centralized attack that begins with Matic and ends with well-timed runs from
either Mitrovic or Milinkovic-Savic. They don’t play the wide game often. Tadic
and Kostic spend most of their time with the 18 in their sights. Tite must thus
forfeit the forward impetus of his fullbacks and sacrifice Casemiro and
Coutinho the midfield in tighter.
I’ll predict that they’ll get the job done but it’ll be no
cakewalk.
THE
LINE: Brazil +1 Goal
Switzerland vs. Costa Rica
vs.
Petkovic has to employ some changes after most of his
preferred eleven have logged close to 180 minutes. He must nevertheless remain
vigilant in the face of a Tico side expected to line up in a go-for-broke 4-3-3
with Campbell, Ruiz, and Venegas up top.
Bookie projects Petkovic to re-organize into a 4-4-2 with
Embolo and either Zakaria or Drmic at the helm. Those two match up best against
Duarte and Oviedo. Xhaka moves up to join Shaqiri on the wing whilst Seferovic,
Behrami, and Zuber get the day off. He’ll play for the effective victory rather
than the lopsided one.
Could be wrong about this as first place in the group might
be decided by goal differential. Since first place probably earns one the
Germans I somehow doubt it’s a much sought-after prize.
THE
LINE: Switzerland +1 Goal
Initial
Group Projection (6/3/2018)
1)
Brazil 2)
Switzerland 3)
Serbia 4)
Costa Rica
Final
Group Projection (6/24/2018)
(2
to 1 Odds for Bookie)
1)
Brazil 2)
Switzerland 3)
Serbia 4)
Costa Rica
Thursday, June 26th
Group
H Final Kickoff @ 17:00 (UTC +3)
Your friendly bookie took zero joy in once again lambasting
the Poles in the Day Eleven Recap. Though I knew that Nawalka was too
predictable and the “Golden Generation” had already passed its prime, an
elimination for the group favorites this early was totally unforeseen. With
more rue out of the way, we can surely all agree that the startling results led
to perhaps the most interesting group constellation any of us have ever seen!
Everyone’s projections have been completely turned on their
heads. At the moment both Japan and Senegal sit tied for first not only in
points but on the first SIX of the FIFA regulation tiebreakers. They drew in
the head-to-head, have equal goal differential, and have both scored the same
amount of goals. If the group were hypothetically complete, Japan would be
awarded first place only narrowly based on the SEVENTH tiebreaker: The
Senegalese players have been shown five yellow cards to Japan’s four.
Should both of them draw with the same score-line on the final
day while the Japanese pick up one additional yellow card, we will determine
the winner of the group by drawing straws.
Yikes! Has your head exploded yet? About the only thing your
friendly bookie can correctly predict here is that a Japanese play-play-play
announcer’s head will explode at some point during their match. Keep an eye on
YouTube for the instant classic. It’s coming.
Japan vs. Poland
vs.
Extremely hard to pick a winner here as we have a complete
mismatch on paper. I do see Nawalka deploying some Polish second stringers as
Cionek, Pazdan, Glik, and and Piszczek have already gotten their farewell to
the grand stage. An entirely new defensive unit gives the Blue Samurai a chance
to score early and often. Unfortunately, the ability to find the back of the
net might be hindered by the fact that Fabianski—who probably should have been
number one in the first place—will start between the pipes. Jedrzejczyk can
also be expected to play well in what might be his final tournament game. In terms of the back, it’s a push.
The Polish manager may also sit Milik and Lewandowski. Those
two will have other tournaments to shine. Blaszczykowski still gets the nod as
he surely won’t be back again ever. I see him pairing with Peszko and maybe
Linetty behind either Teodorczyk or Kownacki. Inui, Haraguchi, and Kagawa win the
battle of the midfield axis and will be able to push deeper than their striking
coutnerparts.
Late game substitutions might tip the scales. Akira Nishino
has been using Shinji Okazaki as his late game “joker”. Thus far it hasn’t
really affected the outcome of the match. It can here as everyone will be
brutally exhausted toward the end of this one. The Leicester City Forward could
supply us with the above mentioned brain splattering.
As great a story as that would be, I sense the Poles have
enough talent off the corners and on the flanks to salvage some pride on their
final day. Do however note that I’ve already tipped them wrongly twice.
THE
LINE: Poland +1 Goal
Columbia vs. Senegal
vs.
Even with a somewhat depleted squad, Pekerman will begin the
match with a tactical advantage. James has settled in well on the wing.
Cuardado and Quintero are red hot. El Tigre found his touch too. He should be
able to plug Sanchez or Lerma back into that defensive midfield without much disarray.
Los Cafeteros are actually playing the elegant coordinated football I predicted
we wouldn’t see from them.
At the other end of the pitch, Cisse’s Power-Play Lions didn’t
exactly live up to your friendly bookie’s expectations in their second match.
The coach I heaped mammoth amounts of praise upon made some curious selections
against Japan. Switching Sarr and moving him up in a 4-3-3 cluttered
everything. Sané looked lost even in his natural position. Turnovers and
defensive lapses from Badou N’Diaye (not Alfred N’Diaye) cost them their best
chance at guaranteed advancement.
I still mostly liked what I saw from this Terangan side and
maintain my opinion that their attacking corps is good enough to punch through
to the Quarter-finals. They may still do so as they can still place second even
should they lose this match.
Bookie tips a Columbian win, but Senegal still sneaks
through on the Seventh tiebreaker.
THE
LINE: Columbia +1 Goal
Initial
Group Projection (6/10/2018)
1)
Poland 2)
Columbia 3)
Senegal 4)
Japan
Final
Group Projection (6/24/2018)
(3
to 1 Odds for Bookie)
1)
Columbia 2)
Senegal 3)
Japan 4)
Poland
Group
G Final Kickoff @ 21:00 (UTC +3)
Somewhat of an anti-climactic end to this exciting phase of
the tournament. Belgium and England are already through and have no real
motivation to fight over first place. They’ll get a weakened team regardless.
Roberto Martinez’s men have three stars injured. It’s possible he’ll rest
Lukaku, Mertens, and Eden Hazard. Southgate will likely want to give Harry Kane
a break. He’s also shown far too many of his intricate set-piece designs to the
opposing coaching staffs. No reason to take any risks here.
There will nevertheless be drama as emerging stars like
Rashford and Batshuayi will want to leave their mark. We’ll probably see Jaime
Vardy and Thorgan Hazard too.
Like the previous group, the two top teams are even all the
way up to the seventh tiebreaker. England currently leads based on their two
yellow cards to Belgium’s three. Here we have another case where it could
conceivably come to lots if the teams can’t separate themselves.
England vs. Belgium
vs.
Had a lot of fun toying with the lineups here. Taking my above
assumptions as a given, I see Vardy anchoring for Rashford and Wellbeck, Dier
pairing with Ashley Young and Fabian Delph, and Trent Alexander-Arnold taking the
place of Stones in the three-man defensive front. It’s a good looking
formation, well-suited to exploit a more conservative Belgian 4-4-2.
Martinez starts Batshuayi at striker alongside Thorgen.
Fellaini captains the midfield joined by Chadli, Januzaj, and Moussa Dembele.
Menuier moves back into defense with Vertonghen and Kompnay.
Who has the advantage in this completely random simulation?
Lions. They get the win here based on better lateral depth and top the group.
My selected favorites get their adversity out of the way here en-route to the
final.
THE
LINE: England +1 Goal
Panama vs. Tunisia
vs.
Your friendly bookie would never overtly recommend that you
miss a match. I nevertheless seem to be remiss finding reasons you should tune
into this one. Khazri might put on a show in his more relaxed midfield
position. Khalifa and Sliti possess enough talent to produce some memorable
tallies. There’s also the matter of watching Panama play what will probably be
their final game on this stage. Avila and Jose Luis Rodriguez remain
interesting players to scout.
Reason enough for football fans, but I’ll understand if you
don’t set the DVR : )
THE
LINE: Tunisia +2 Goals
Initial
Group Projection (6/9/2018)
1)
Belgium 2)
England 3)
Tunisia 4)
Panama
Final
Group Projection (6/24/2018)
(Straight
Up Odds for Bookie)
1)
England 2)
Belgium 3)
Tunisia 4)
Panama
GENTLEMEN, ENTER YOUR WAGERS
