Shadow Scholar Syndicate: WM 2018--Day Eighteen Recap

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All of the calories and none of the intoxication!

This dog don’t bite ; )

Day 18: Recap

Record—

Spread: 21-33

Straight up: 31-17-6

Hot Girl Standings

Country	Tally	Games Played
Brazil	44	4
Mexico	40	4 (finished)
Russia	38	4
Sweden	35	3
Spain	34	4 (finished)
Argentina	34	4 (finished)
Poland	32	3 (finished)
Iceland	31	3 (finished)
Germany	31	3 (finished)
Columbia	30	3
Croatia	30	4
Japan	30	4 (finished)
Portugal	29	4 (finished)
Denmark	29	4 (finished)
South Korea	28	3 (finished)
France	26	4
Belgium	26	4
Nigeria	24	3 (finished)
Senegal	23	3 (finished)
Iran	22	3 (finished)
Egypt	21	3 (finished)
Switzerland	21	3
Uruguay	20	4
Tunisia	20	3 (finished)
Australia	20	3 (finished)
Costa Rica	20	3 (finished)
Serbia	19	3 (finished)
Morocco	18	3 (finished)
Peru	18	3 (finished)
England	16	3
Panama	13	3 (finished)
Saudi Arabia	11	3 (finished)

Just a downright amazing day of football today, brothers. Beautiful stuff from the beautiful game. Today had it all. Bravo, football.

Late on this daily because I couldn’t take my eyes of the screen and couldn’t put the phone down afterward. Try as I might, I couldn’t catch up with all of you. Other obligations cut in. We’ll get more time in tomorrow with a full slate of salacious matchups.

One incident today conclusively settles the VAR Debate:

Fucking ridiculous. It was 100% fake. Disgusting stuff. Knock it off! Champions don't behave like this.

Hopefully we’ve seen the last of such simulation. Cannot watch this kid squirm around like a girl anymore.

Italians take note. The days of the “clever play” are over!

S.S.S. Tactical Breakdown

Neymar’s antics aside, members see why the bookie boldly suggested the Brazilians put together their best side since 2002. Even without their regular fullbacks they remained dominant. Don't much care for the talk of the Belgians being downgraded, either. They pretty much owned the match even before their subs stole the show.

We’ve reached the stage of the tournament where injuries and suspensions test how deep teams truly are.

Two of them to examine tonight.

Lineup—Brazil—Match Three (4-2-3-1) (6/27/2018)

Gabriel Jesus

Neymar P. Coutinho Willian

Paulinho Casemiro

Marcelo Fagner

Miranda Thiago Silva

Alisson

Lineup—Brazil—Match Four (Projected) (4-2-3-1) (7/1/2018)

Gabriel Jesus

Neymar P. Coutinho R. Firminho

Paulinho Casemiro

Fagner Fillipe Luis

Miranda Thiago Silva

Alisson

Lineup—Brazil—Match Four (Actual) (4-2-3-1) (7/2/2018)

Gabriel Jesus

Neymar P. Coutinho Willian

Paulinho Casemiro

Filipe Luis Fagner

Miranda Thiago Silva

Alisson

As you can see, Tite sticks with the exact same formula, not even bothering to alter the fullback positioning. I didn’t observe any large in-game tactical adjustments either. Casemiro and Paulinho switched fields on occasion, but nowhere near as much as one might expect given that the right flank was exposed and the Mexican eleven were finding tons of space on the left.

Your friendly bookie noted such vulnerabilities in the Lines section and built accordingly. The knowledge that Brazilians simply aren’t tactical tinkers was the only thing kept me from flipping the two defensive midfielders. Positioning instructions? They simply don’t do it. It’s almost sacrilege to the program. Brazilians pride themselves on their improvisational style. Tactics are often thought to be detrimental to the overall imagination of the players.

Tite’s hand will however be forced heading into the match against the Belgians. The defensive scheme needs reworking if Danilo and Marcelo cannot recover in time. Casemiro’s suspension necessitates probably moving Willian back and slotting in Costa, just as he did in the second match. Marqinhos can play right back if necessary. I see no reason not to give him a shot.

Serious thought should be invested in placing Firminho up front. He’s had such a fantastic club campaign and would pair well with Jesus center and Neymar left in a powerful 4-3-3. Many are starting to doubt whether Jesus deserves a starting spot at all. He does. It hasn’t been a memorable tournament for him yet, but we’re still talking about a player with all the tools to become one of the greatest ever.

They’ll still need to get their phenom involved in time for Friday’s match. He needs to make his mark.

Lineup—Belgium—Match Four (Projected) (3-2-3-2) (7/1/2018)

Eden Hazard Dries Mertens

Kevin de Bruyne Romelu Lukaku Thomas Menuier

Axel Witsel Adnan Januzaj

Jan Vertongen Toby Alderweireld

Derick Boyata

Thibault Courtois

Lineup—Belgium—Match Four (Actual) (3-6-1) (7/2/2018)

Romelu Lukaku

Eden Hazard Dries Mertens

Y. Carrasco K. De Bruyne A. Witsel T. Menuier

Jan Vertongen Toby Alderweireld

Vincent Kompany

Thibault Courtois

I actually think they played a great match. Fuck what the nit-picky Cassandras tell you. Though the finishing, timing, and aggressive challenging (especially in the air) weren’t there for large stretches, the ideas were. It was to be expected that there would be some rust to shake off after most players got a match off. Furthermore, they had to find another gear against a non-doormat opponent. This took longer than most would like, but one could see that they were always trying to get their game established.

All the talk about the Anterpians being accessible and exposed is overblown. Vertongen just fucked up plain and simple on that first goal. He’ll be careful not to do so again. With respect to Innui’s second, no team possesses a defense for that sort of creativity. He simply chipped in from outside the 18! That’s unheard of! It’s the footballing equivalent of scoring from half court with an under-handed “Granny Shot”. No way to stop that.

Should you have any doubt that this team remains the most lethal squad in the competition, just watch how De Bruyne explosively directed that last attack. They’re still the favorites in this independent oddsmakers book.

Kompany did well on the reverse triangle apex, but I still expect to see Boyata back in the next match. Martinez needs to find a spot for Chadli in midfield, just as I intimated in the Day Fifteen Recap. The 3-6-1 got ditched after the first half. It wasn’t a terrible idea to focus on lateral crosses for Lukaku. One would have thought that his height and strength advantage would have led to an early goal. When it didn’t, Martinez reverted to the 3-4-3 and it produced results before too long.

Don’t forget to call in sick on Friday as you won’t want to miss the Brazil Match. Can’t get here soon enough!

S.S.S. Salute to Fallen Comrades

Mexico—“The Aztec Warriors”

-4 games played

-3 Goals scored

-40 Hot Girls

The curse continues. Darker days ahead if they choose to part company with Osorio. I don’t think it a wise move. He’s stabilized a program that hasn’t had a consistent identity since the days of Ricardo La Volpe. The future could be really bright if they opt to proceed in a practical technocratic fashion. Practically none of the players from this incarnation will return in four years. Guardado, Layun, Moreno, Ayala, Vela, Hererra, and Chicharito will all be in their mid-thirties. Aquino and Jimenez could be done too.

A mammoth rebuilding job lies ahead. If it doesn’t belong in Osorio’s hands, then bring in a European. Miguel Herrera was a fantastically colorful mascot, but this team will need serious professional help if it wants to even survive what’s coming

Lineup—Mexico—PROJECTED (4-1-2-3) (6/5/2018)

Raul Jimenez Hirving Lozano

Chicharito

Giovanni dos Santos Jonathan dos Santos

Rafael Marquez

M. Layun H. Moreno C. Salcedo D. Reyes

Guillermo Ochoa

Lineup—Mexico—Match One (4-2-1-3) (6/17/2018)

Hirving Lozano Chicharito Miguel Layun

Carlos Vela

Andres Guardado Hector Hererra

Jesus Gallardo Carlos Salcedo

Hector Moreno Hugo Ayala

Guillermo Ochoa

Lineup—Mexico—Match Two (4-3-3) (6/23/2018)

Hirving Lozano Chicharito Carlos Vela

Andres Guardado Miguel Layun

Hector Hererra

Jesus Gallardo Edson Alvarez

Hector Moreno Carlos Salcedo

Guillermo Ochoa

Lineup—Mexico—Match Three (4-2-3-1) (6/27/2018)

Chicharito

Hirving Lozano Carlos Vela Miguel Layun

Hector Hererra Andres Guardado

Jesus Gallardo Edson Alvarez

Hector Moreno Carlos Salcedo

Guillermo Ochoa

Lineup—Mexico—Match Four (5-3-2) (7/2/2018)

Carlos Vela Chicharito Hirving Lozano

Andres Guardado Hector Herrera

Jesus Gallardo Edson Alvarez

Rafael Marquez

Carlos Salcedo Hugo Ayala

Guillermo Ochoa

Japan—“The Blue Samurai”

-4 games played

-6 Goals scored

-40 Hot Girls

Surprise performance from a team this bookie declared legally dead in the Preview Section. Loved how they lionhearted it today. That’s how football’s meant to be played! Really looking forward to seeing if Akira will stay on as the team prepares to contest for the Asian Continental Championship. They’re well poised to attain the Semi-Finals there. They’ve also been invited to the 2019 Copa America in Brazil next Summer.

The team and players aren’t going anywhere. For those interested in seeing more of this team, seven players (and counting) will feature regularly in the Bundesliga next season. We Germans continue to snatch em up ; )

Lineup—Japan—PROJECTED (4-2-3-1) (6/10/2018)

Shinji Okazaki

Genki Haraguchi Shinji Kagawa

Keisuke Honda

Masoto Hasebe Takashi Inui

Y. Nagatomo G. Shoji M. Yoshida H. Sakai

Eiji Kawashima

Lineup—Japan—Match One (4-2-3-1) (6/19/2018)

Yuya Osako

Takashi Inui Shinji Kagawa Genki Haraguchi

Gaku Shibasaki Makoto Hasebe

Yuto Nagatomo Hiroko Sakai

Maya Yoshida Gen Shoji

Eiji Kawashima

Lineup—Japan—Match Two (4-2-3-1) (6/24/2018)

Yuya Osako

Takashi Inui Shinji Kagawa Genki Haraguchi

Gaku Shibasaki Makoto Hasebe

Yuto Nagatomo Hiroko Sakai

Maya Yoshida Gen Shoji

Eiji Kawashima

Lineup—Japan—Match Three (4-4-1-1) (6/28/2018)

Yoshinuro Muto

Shinji Okazaki

T. Usami G. Shibasaki H. Yamaguchi G. Sakai

Yuto Nagatomo Hiroko Sakai

Tomoaki Makino Gen Shoji

Eiji Kawashima

Lineup—Japan—Match Four (4-2-3-1) (7/2/2018)

Yuya Osako

Takashi Inui Hotaru Hawaguchi

Shinji Kagawa

Gaku Shibasaki Makoto Hasebe

Y. Nagatomo G. Shoji M. Yoshida H. Sakai

Eiji Kawashima

“Riffs of the Day”—Day Eighteen

Reader: Enough with the fucking lineups, Vicey! You’re making me crosseyed!

Vicey: Hang in there, 11-M. We’re almost caught up. We’re building the most complete Panini Sticker Album here. Not far to go until we cover all 126!

Reader: Witsel looks like a mini-Fellaini.

Vicey: Why couldn’t I have thought of such trenchant analysis? 56-M delivers again.

Reader: What the shit is Neymar doing?

Vicey: 128-M sent in a perfect video. Wish I could post it. Starting to think he might be half-Italian.

Reader: Best Japanese keeper. Kawashima or Kawaguchi?

Vicey: An excellent question, 28-M. Tournament performances put Kawashima over the top, I’d say.

Reader: Your team drops off, you drop off.

Vicey: I’m just shocked you actually placed some wagers this year, 86-M. I only had to deck your wife and kid out in Deutschland attire for years to get your attention!

DAY NINETEEN—PREVIEW

Sweden vs. Switzerland