Your “Syndicate
Hangover” is proudly presented by “Heineken 0.0”
All of the calories
and none of the intoxication!
This dog don’t bite ;
)
Day 21: Recap
Record—
Spread: 24-36
Straight up: 34-20-6
Hot
Girl Standings
Country
|
Tally
|
Games Played
|
Russia
|
76
|
5 (finished)
|
Brazil
|
64
|
5 (finished)
|
Sweden
|
51
|
5 (finished)
|
Croatia
|
44
|
5
|
Colombia
|
41
|
4 (finished)
|
Mexico
|
40
|
4 (finished)
|
France
|
38
|
5
|
Belgium
|
36
|
5
|
Spain
|
34
|
4 (finished)
|
Argentina
|
34
|
4 (finished)
|
Poland
|
32
|
3 (finished)
|
Iceland
|
31
|
3 (finished)
|
Germany
|
31
|
3 (finished)
|
Switzerland
|
30
|
4 (finished)
|
Japan
|
30
|
4 (finished)
|
England
|
29
|
5
|
Portugal
|
29
|
4 (finished)
|
Denmark
|
29
|
4 (finished)
|
South Korea
|
28
|
3 (finished)
|
Uruguay
|
27
|
5 (finished)
|
Nigeria
|
24
|
3 (finished)
|
Senegal
|
23
|
3 (finished)
|
Iran
|
22
|
3 (finished)
|
Egypt
|
21
|
3 (finished)
|
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)
|
Panama
|
13
|
3 (finished)
|
Saudi Arabia
|
11
|
3 (finished)
|
….and I thought we wouldn’t get a better match! Quite the
thrill-ride from the hosts today as they fought tooth and nail for that
Semi-Finals place. They came agonizingly close to making your friendly bookie
look like the perfect prognosticator. Twasn’t to be.
Suppose Prez Putin knew they would lose. Say what you will
about him, the man knows how to delegate.
S.S.S.
Tactical Breakdown 
The Lions hit their stride at precisely the right time. The
Blazers face some serious rehabilitation work as injuries and exhaustion shall
exacerbate their current issues.
Modern sports medicine can work wonders. The bookie cannot
set an accurate line until status reports emerge from the Croat Camp. We’ll
examine the personnel and tactics anyway ahead of a highly intriguing midweek
Semi-Final.
Lineup—England—Match
Five (Projected) (3-1-4-2) (7/5/2018)
Harry Kane Raheem Sterling
|
Ashley Young Kieran Trippier
|
Jesse
Lingard Deli Alli
|
Eric Dier
|
Fabian Delph John
Stones Harry Maguire
|
Jordan Pickford
|
Lineup—England—Match
Five (Actual) (3-1-4-2) (7/7/2018)
Harry Kane Raheem Sterling
|
Ashley Young Kieran Trippier
|
Jesse
Lingard Deli Alli
|
Jordan Henderson
|
Kyle Walker John
Stones Harry Maguire
|
Jordan Pickford
|
Walker looked set to begin the match on the rights, but
switched to his natural position almost immediately. Southgate has his eleven
and his formation. One cannot emphasize enough how reliant this squad is on set
pieces. We’ve said all along that they’re not an improvisational team
possessing a great deal of raw talent.
It’s clear now why Ashley Young and Kieran Trippier were
tapped as free kick takers. Many of us scoffed at the assignments initially,
but it turns out it was a clever tactic. Both players are natural defenders who
don't receive much media attention on their club teams. They’ve been carefully
groomed out of the spotlight to provide excellent service in roles one wouldn’t
expect them to fill. A series of intricate set-piece plays throughout the
tournament shows just how much design work has gone into these crucial plays.
Raheem Sterling’s shaky confidence becomes an issue. Though
he’s improving, vision, distribution, intuition have been very poor. On several
occasions today he took dumb touches, missed wide open colleagues, and timidly
shied away from good chances on the ball. It’s not an exaggerated to say he
cost them valuable opportunities to put the game to bed. The Swedes could have
crept back in had they been a better squad.
It appears there’s no alternative to him personnel-wise.
Rashford and Vardy haven’t looked good in relief, Wellbeck is ice-cold, and
dropping him further back interferes too much with the wingback chemistry. He
has three days to get out of his own way,
Lineup—Croatia—Match
Five (Projected) (4-2-3-1) (7/5/2018)
Mario Mandzukic
|
I. Perisic A. Kramaric I. Rakitic
|
L. Modric M.
Brozovic
|
Ivan Strinic Sime Vrsalijko
|
Dejan Lovren Verdan Corluka
|
Daniel Subsasic
|
Lineup—Croatia—Match
Five (Actual) (4-2-3-1) (7/7/2018)
Mario Mandzukic
|
I. Perisic A. Kramaric I. Rebic
|
L. Modric I.
Rakitic
|
Ivan Strinic Sime Vrsalijko
|
Dejan Lovren Somagoj Vida
|
Daniel Subsasic
|
This may have sunk them. One can’t argue with the selection
of Vida given today’s result, but Dalic’s inconsistent use of Corluka may come
back to haunt him as he seeks to rebuild his defense. Vrsalijko, Strinic, and
Subsasic are now all on injury watch. They’re first-string defense absolutely fell
apart at times in the match, particularly on that much discussed left side we
covered in the Lines section. Corluka now has to be fit in somehow and he hasn’t
had time to regain his touch after an injury-riddled season.
More inconsistent
play from Rebic. He couldn’t hit Mandzukic or Kramaric at all. The two strikers
were left to invent their own link ups. I still maintain that he’s not the
right selection for that position.
Major formational changes later in the match yielded
nothing. After Brozovic’s insertion in the 63rd, it looked like they
tried a 4-4-2. With Kramaric and Mandzukic pouring forward they should have
been capable of punching through against an exhausted and inferior opponent.
Again the wing just had no pace. By the 95th they had Rebic,
Rakitic, and Perisic up top in a makeshift 4-3-3. Hopeful to say the least. Unsurprising
that they couldn’t click.
The bookie needs to deliver major props to Modric for his
amazing performance today. Heroic game from the captain. I surely thought he
was dead. Such rumors were greatly exaggerated. The heart of a champion. The
will of a warrior. How he kept his legs is beyond me.
S.S.S.
Salute to Fallen Comrades
Sweden—“The
Blaugults”
-5
games played
-6
Goals scored
-51
Hot Girls
Didn’t understand the misty eyes from Swedish fans. It’s a
major accomplishment that they got this far with this team. Even if they
advanced a title would have been completely out of the question. The Blaugults
finally dance with the Macabre, eons after this bookie’s initially projected
they would.
This should be it for Toivonen, Berg, Larsson, Lindelöf,
Granqvist. Andersson reportedly likes the job and will enjoy rebuilding with a
younger generation. It’s far too early to discern whether he’s an effective
manager or just got lucky with a team on a tear. We’ll find out soon enough in
the Nations League.
Lineup—Sweden—Match
Five (Projected) (5-4-1) (7/5/2018)
Ola Toivonen
|
Emil
Forsberg Sebastian Larsson
|
Isaac Kiese
Thelin Viktor Claesson
|
L. Augustinsson Mikael Lustig
|
A.
Granqvist V. Linelöf
|
Robin Olsen
|
Lineup—Sweden—Match
Five (Actual) (4-3-1-2) (7/7/2018)
Ola Toivonen Marcus Berg
|
Sebastian Larsson
|
Emil Forsberg Albin Ekdal Viktor Claesson
|
L. Augustinsson Emil Krafth
|
A.
Granqvist V. Lindelöf
|
Robin Olsen
|
Somehow I missed the Lustig suspension. It wasn’t listed on
any of the sites I checked. Perhaps it was because I wrote their match section
first. At any rate it was irresponsible bookkeeping and I apologize.
This strategy never stood a chance of working. Berg should
have been pulled. He did get a great chance in on Pickford, but it just wasn’t
his tournament. Forsberg wasn’t effective on the flanks. Ekdal had very little
left. Larasson couldn’t be expected to perform miracles.
I don’t think Andersson makes it to Euro 2020. Bookie makes
another bold prediction, despite being wrong about so much else.
Russia—“Sbornaya”
-5
games played
-11
Goals scored
-76
Hot Girls
So close. They very nearly pulled it off. Thought they were
headed to the Semis just like co-hosts South Korea did in 2002. It all came
down to Smolov’s insipid attempt to get fancy at the beginning of the
shooutout. That put too much pressure on the rest of the lads, especially
Fernandez.
Such a shame. The Semis would have been just as good as a
championship for the hosts. Six matches could have given the country and
football in general a huge boost. Don’t hesitate to feel sorry for the Golden
Eagles. They played with enough heart to win.
Lineup—Russia—Match
Five (Projected) (4-2-3-1) (7/5/2018)
Artem Dzyuba
|
A. Golovin A.
Dzagoev A. Miranchuk
|
D.
Cheryshev R. Zobnin
|
Igor Smolnikov
Mario Fernandez
|
I.
Kutepov F. Kudryashov
|
Igor Akinfeev
|
Lineup—Russia—Match
Five (Actual) (4-2-3-1) (7/7/2018)
Artem Dzyuba
|
D. Cheryshev A.
Golovin A. Samedov
|
D. Kuzyayev R. Zobnin
|
Fyodor Kudryashov Mario Fernandez
|
S.Ignashevich F. Kudryashov
|
Igor Akinfeev
|
Cherchesov simply played it too safe. If Miranchuk was too
risky a selection, why not Yerokhin or Gazinsky? Your friendly bookie stands by
the lineup he built. I think Dzagoev back in his original role would have been
a brilliant masterstroke. He could have altered the dynamic of this one
significantly. No one would have expected it.
Next to his CSKA Moscow teammate Golovin, he could of at the
very least left Cheryshev with still more space. We all witnessed what he did
with no space. We’re left to ponder the hypothetical. Ach.
S.S.S.
Half-Assed Culture Minute
Another FIFA Films presentation. We’ll broach this one not
to explicitly recommend watching it. It’s little more than a standard promotional
piece featuring interviews with a few volunteers, members of the organizing committee,
national team members, and others with a stake in the tournament’s success.
Little profound to report here. The only person of real interest therein is the
girl who designed this year’s mascot. She’s kinda cool. Everything else
resembles guff.
It does, however, bring up a couple of important points. To
begin with, all those who labored hard to complete the stadiums, organize fan
fests, provide security, and add color to this Summer’s Global Unity Festival
did a fantastic job. For years they toiled to deliver a safe and fan-friendly
WM that captured everyone’s imagination, inspiration and intrigue. Contrary to
the expectations of many this wasn’t a holiday spoiled by hooliganism.
Well-managed entertainment from the hosts. Bravo, Rußland.
We all ride high on the fruits of their labor. The moment
when the World Cup kicks off truly is the moment the World stands still and
watches a game together. Members of the Russian National Team supplied us with
a cracking start, ensuring that it all got off on the right foot. It went
smoothly thereafter.
Secondly, returning back to the beginning and a
pre-tournament piece reminds one that our time together draws to a close. Soon
we’ll all return to our separate camps and stations. Memories of this uplifting
gala generally fade rather rapidly. Try as we might to carry over the carnival’s
cache, we simply can’t help the fact that we’re a petty and divisive race with
a strong proclivity towards cheap scorn and self-serving partisanship.
Cooperation in any form isn’t the norm. Self-aggrandizement
is our default operational intuition and it’s worse now than ever. When one
ventures out on a normal day one finds the streets festooned with hostile
self-entitled individuals concerned mostly with managing their own ego and
fiercely protective of anything that might obstruct it. If they could spit in
your face, kick you in the shins, and stand in line to fuck you over they
would.
Only a few matches left to watch together, brothers. Make it
count ; )
Thanks for all the fun, Ruskies!
“Riffs
of the Day”—Day Twenty-One
Reader:
Kylian Mbappe and Deli Alli are well on their way to becoming the next Michael
Owen!
Vicey:
Bwahahahaha. Beautiful riff from 56-M. Could have inserted a whole plethora of
options here: Freddy Adu, Kerlon, Adrien Mutu, Fabio Paim, Charlie Davies, John
Bostock, Marc Overmars, Sebastian Deisler, Denilison, Guiseppe Rossi, Francis
Jeffers, Vladislav Smuda, Sonny Pike, or Mario Balotelli.
That
list could be twenty fucking pages long. Careful with these young guns, media
peeps.
Reader:
The Swedes hung around the tournament almost long enough for me to finish
assembling my Flardfüll.
Vicey:
Any Ikea reference earns an automatic mailbag place. Nice play from 35-M.
Reader:
Dear South America: So long and thanks for all the flopping like a fish.
Vicey:
Any Douglas Adams reference earns an automatic mailbag place. Good work from
128-M.
Reader:
Your blog is so amateurishly adorable!
Vicey:
Any heinous attacks on your friendly bookie earns an…look you get the idea.
19-M keeps me in check.
Reader:
Glad the Swedes finally lost. I was feeling neutral about Switzerland, but
their flag is a plus.
Vicey:
(Grinning widely).
Reader:
Zlatan and David Beckham are going back and forth on twitter this whole match.
Vicey:
Ah..nice that to see the old guys having some fun in the retirement home. This
piece of news is about as exciting as hearing about what flavor of Jello is
being served today at “Sunset Manor”.
Reader:
In the mood for fish, chips, and a pint?
Vicey:
Always. That’s my retirement plan. Fuck Jello.
We all get a couple of days off gentlemen. The WM builds up
to a magnificent finish. I could make
millions simply taking pictures of gorgeous women making sad faces at the end
of these matches.
This blog could be huge if I only took pictures of all the
pretty girls and posted them in this space. It would take all of five minutes to
transfer the photos from my phone. Definitely could have done better than what
most other websites used.
Meh…it’s too easy. This
blog’s for my homies.
Viral Sad Swedish girl bids you an irresistibly forlorn
adieu until the next Round of Lines.
