Marahaba Syndicate Members,
Plenty of excitement ahead as we prepare to whittle down to the final four. Three upsets in the previous round put Vietnam, Japan, and Qatar through to the last eight. Bookie hopes no one missed the U.A.E. vs. Kyrgyzstan thriller that nearly saw a fourth.
It’s safe to assume we’ll see something unexpected next in a tournament that continues to belie all the oddsmakers. This one took a shellacking last round.
Thus far none of the Asian Giants, with the notable exception of South Korea, have looked consistently robust. One wonders if this may be a year in which a Cinderella takes it all. The feel of the competition reminds the bookie of Iraq’s 2007 run. Vietnamese fans flood all the online forums with determinate hopes. It’s actually not unforeseeable that they can advance here. The Qataris can also punch through with some luck.
As it stands, I haven’t selected any surprise picks for the Quarters. That isn’t to say that I don’t fully expect to be proven wrong. The Golden Dragons remain the best candidates to defy the bookie’s projections, though the Maroon Vinyls tingle my nerves ever so slightly.
I maintain that an Iran-South Korea final would likely deliver the best football. We’ll know shortly whether or not it can still happen.
My Updated Stats:
Spread: 19-25
Straight Up: 26-12-6
The latest correspondence:
Reader: When will we be rid of all the “stans”?
Vicey: As it so happens, right about now 28-M. You needn’t ‘stan’ it anymore
Reader: Can we get some shorter names for these Iran players?
Vicey: They ARE shortened, 68-M. Shall I bring back those “Public Service Announcements” from Euro 2012.
Alireza Jahanbakshsh = Alirezajahanbakhshjirandeh
Milad Mohammadi = Miladmohammadikeshmarzi
Ramin Rezaeian = Raminrezaeiansemeskandi
Masoud Shojaei = Masoudsoleimanishojaei
Alireza Beiranvand = Alirezasafarbeiranvand
We do our best with the Persian. Even Hossein Kanaanizadegan only fits into a lineup projection after the bookie drops his Mohammad.
Reader: Many of the highlight links are already dead.
Vicey: Sadly, that is the case. Users have to shut down channels once they get popular enough to alert copyright holders. I myself found a great HD one that brought together calls from announcers all over the world. So global it was spiritual. Alas, it got axed before I could share. Still have a few to post.
Not the greatest quality, but you won’t want to miss the Vietnamese announcers. Before getting to the goals, check out Nguyen Trong Hoang’s screaming effort just before the stroke of halftime. More seizure-inducing calls for Van Hao in the 57th, Phan Van Duc’s chance in the 59th, and Van Lam’s save in the third shootout round, and (of course) the clinch at the very end.
This channel survives, allowing me to once again pimp these awesome Korean Highlights. In HD and full of crazy. Bookie’s now one of 28,000 ecstatic subscribers:
“JTBC3 Fox Sports.”
This guy can make the dullest of games exciting. If anyone’s interested in playing a drinking game, hit a shot every time this guy says his trademark phrase:
"Ooh--la--la"
Reader: Alright Knockouts! Only three minutes of scroll to get to the Lines.
Vicey: Bwahahahahaha. Zesty zing from 33-M. It awakens the blessed “Inner-Python”. You’ve inspired this post’s picture…but you still have to scroll. ; )
Yes, Sir!
Time to rank the departing countries. Some will be missed.
Goodbyes Section
16th Place—Oman
The often-times brutally exhausting nature of tournament football claims its first victim. Watching this completely drained collection of players hobbling around on enervated legs served to accentuate the bookie’s own fatigue. As predicted, a scant 48 hours of rest proved a paltry sum for the Muscats. Mental errors and flagging form all around.
Verbeek obviously didn’t have time to administer a fitness-test. Al-Yamadi, R.I. Saleh, and Al-Yashyaei all looked too tired to keep up. Weariness likely played a role in Kano’s early penalty miss as well, though it always difficult to beat Beiranvand from the spot. A nightmare day for the entire back four. Al-Braiki and Al-Busaidi were dreadful. Al-Musalami’s mental lapse on the first goal remains inexplicable. He clearly caught Jahanbakhsh lurking out of the corner of his, yet played the ball straight into his path anyway.
Al-Mukhaini’s abhorrent challenge on Taremi in the 40th reeked of exasperation. Muhsen’s 50-yard diamond cutter shortly before the stroke of halftime was certainly pretty, but it stood as the only real highlight these beat-up boys could muster all afternoon.
15th Place—Bahrain
Though they went toe-to-toe with the mighty Taeguks, about all many of us will recall from this squad will be Sayed Shubbar’s shameless milking of the clock with his injury time-outs during the first period of extra time. One never likes to witness such unsportsmanlike behavior. The spectacle dampens what was otherwise a worthy effort on the part of the Reds. Time and again they defied the bookie’s predictions. More quality football from the likes of Marhoon, Rashid, and Al-Romaihi.
Soukoup offered a potential tactical blueprint for neutralizing Son Heung-Min. He deployed a fascinating 3-5-2 that sacrificed Juma and placed Resa Isa as the top-key-centerback. Marhoon, Resa Isa, and Rashid remained on the same vertical axis to form a triplicate obstruction up the middle. It’s a testament to just how difficult it can be to contain the Tottenham forward that Madan and Al-Safi often had to crash in from the right in order to provide additional coverage.
The Czech manager’s aptitude for inventive tactics were frequently made evident throughout this competition. He also made sharp substitutions. Al-Husaini and Al-Humaidan completely altered the tenor of the match. The Bahrainis poured it on in the final twenty minutes of normal time thanks to them. For a moment there it looked as if they could claim a scalp. Alas, it all fell apart after the equalizer. Nothing of note from them thereafter.
14th Place—Thailand
One mistake can cost a superior team the match. By all accounts the War Elephants did everything right. They stood tall to best the Chinese in the majority of duels. Possession, passing, set-pieces and defensive cohesion were all solid. Wunderkind Supachai Jaided supplied the offensive fireworks. Bunmathan and Tristan Do did excellent work as modified wingers higher up. Pansa and Punagchan kept it tight at the back.
It all came down to that imbecilic penalty from Kerdkaew in the 70th. No, it’s not debatable. Even if that damned idiot got a tiny touch on the ball, that was a daftly rash challenge. According Team Dragon the chance to capture the lead less than five minutes after they leveled the score proved a fatal blow. With the wind knocked out of their sails, the whole team went missing for the final quarter of the match. Pansa’s last-gasp effort was all we saw from them thereafter.
Chunonsee’s defensive errors and Chaided’s crazy foul merit a brief mention. Aside from those additional incidents, bookie firmly believes the Thais played more than well enough to book passage to the next round. Bloody Chalermpong Kerdkaew. Yodyardthai selected the right formation, but the wrong players. Bookie’s 5-3-2 featured neither Chunuonsee nor Kerdkaew; the two players who unequivocally blew it on both goals. Sigh. What might have been.
13th Place—Kyrgyzstan
Man, did they ever put on a show. That’s why we love football! Bookie felt moved watching the eleven coalescence in a spirited huddle before the second-half whistle. A lionhearted performance ensued afterward. Kichin’s curled effort was magnificent. Thought I was watching an EPL team during the blazing stretch between the 53rd and 60th. They simply refused to lie down even after falling behind in extra time. Dushobekov and Rustamov came within millimeters of tying it back up.
Krestinin’s 4-5-1 mostly mirrored that of the projection. Israilov came forward on the right. Bernhardt and Uulu dropped back in the protective shell. The coach’s selection only differed from that of the bookie’s in two respects. The first was positive. Murzaev got the nod over Sydykov. An incredible goal from him in the first half. Simply marvelous control capped off with an ice-cold finish.
Conversely, Iusopov over Tagoe in defense might have cost them the game. He really screwed up with that giveaway in the 64th. As if that error wasn’t enough, he lazily bumbled about and failed to get back to his line. This kept Mabkhout onside for the all-too-easy tap-in. Bookie could scarcely believe his eyes. What the hell was he doing?
I’ll assesses the penalty awarded in the 102ndas fair. Mabkhout may have gone to ground a mite quick, but Sagynbaev had him all wrapped up rugby-tackle-style. Unfortunate that a couple of lapses in focus ended up killing these guys off. Truly a fantastic tournament debut for the White Falcons.
12th Place—Saudi Arabia
Bookie won’t disguise his delight in writing this team’s obituary. Every complimentary passage written about the Falcons thus far came paired with an obligatory gripe. Having begrudgingly picked them to prevail over the Samurai, I’m actually rather pleased to have been proven wrong. Your friendly bookie seethes when covering this corrupt country’s football team.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that they were by far the better team on the pitch in this round’s tie. Pizzi’s men maintained close to seventy percent possession against the Japanese. Bahebri, Al-Dawsari, Al-Bulaihi, Al-Fatil, Al-Mogahwi and Al-Muwallad all spurned optimal chances in front of goal. So much gorgeous legwork and passing went to waste when it came time to apply the finishing touch. Bookie set the correct line. They just couldn’t execute. One golden opportunity after the another went begging.
To Pizzi’s credit, he did amazing work building such a competent side without a natural striker. When writing the introductory segment for this team in the primer section, I contended that we would witness virtually no attacking prowess from this squad and labeled many plug-in players as unreliable options. While predictions that the Qataris would overtake them came true, most all of the offensive-minded actors mentioned had strong tournaments.
In the final analysis, however, inconsistency at the back did end up sinking this team. The now former coach bluffed up bad in his selecting Al-Briek and moving moving Al-Bulaihi center. Al-Fatil’s inability to contest Tomiyasu in the air cost them the match today. The gaps produced by the confused centerbacks were obscene. They may have missed a catalogued total of NINE quality chances in the danger area, but a team more lethal than the Japanese would have put them away easily.
11th Place—Iraq
Mohanad Ali loses the battle with history. Early chances afforded him bright enough prospects, but it’s not yet his turn to be entry into the annals. His time will eventually come. Bookie now possesses no doubt that he is indeed 18-years-of-age. A veteran player wouldn’t have let nerves interfere with his first touch as much. One must keep one’s composure at this level. That cumbrous boot in the 23rdsimply wasn’t good enough.
From a tactical perspective, everything looked a hot mess following the Humam Tariq injury. Katanec began the fixture with the lads lined up in another 4-1-4-1, much like in the second match. Resan reprised his role as the anchoring midfielder after Attwan took a turn against Iran. Tariq appeared vertically aligned with Ali Adnan on the right wing. It might have worked. Once Katanec had to replace Tariq with Husan, Adnan switched over to the left back position whilst Mhawi, Resan, and Hadi took turns covering the right.
Bookie gave up attempting to figure it out after Husni himself succumbed to injury. The Lions seemed totally discombobulated for much of the second half. Unable to mount much of anything coherent attack-wise, they just started playing dirty. Hadi, Attwan, Ibrahim, and Mhawi were all awful. Resan, Dawood, and Hussein Ali disappeared. Sulaka and Adnan appeared the only two players still trying. Bookie definitely backed the wrong side.
10th Place—Jordan
Difficult to lay the blame for this upset on anything or anyone in particular. Borkelmans selected a strong lineup. The entire starting eleven turned in an above average performance. Al-Bakhit and Al-Taamari missed some clear-cut chances, but otherwise played elegant and attractive football. The defense wasn’t lax either as the Vietnamese rarely penetrated the 18. It just wasn’t their day.
Bookie obviously has to mention Baha’ Abdel-Rahman’s set-piece stunner in the 39th. The play perfectly mimicked Toni Kroos’s last minute winner against the Swedes this Summer, right down to the manner in which Yousef Al-Rawashdeh lightly stepped on the ball to restart the action. Tingles down the spine as I recalled the most glorious ultimately useless goal that sent me to stratospheric heights.
Over the course of the tournament, I found the in-game positional rotations of this team to be fascinating. This final fixture was no exception. This time four separate players took turns on the prime axis. Al-Taamari, Al-Murjan, Al-Bakhit, and Al-Rawashded each had a legitimate go up top. As tempting as it may be to blame Borkelmans for starting Al-Ajalin or subbing in two players who missed penalties, the magic of his tactics overrides any really harsh criticism. Shootouts are unforeseeable crapshoots. The plan might have prevailed on any other day.
9th Place—Uzbekistan
Tough luck for the promising young team that your friendly bookie tapped as potential sleepers. One feels for the tenacious White Wolves as they surely deserved better. Another monster match from Shomurodov and Masharipov. Loved how the former wriggled his way in past the Aussie backline with dancing dribbling. It often took triple marking from the Socceroos just to contain him. The latter is simply superhuman on that left flank. Gorgeous set-up from him for Sidikov’s flamethrower in the 28th.
As much of a genius as Hector Cuper is, he can be fairly accused on mismanaging some of the veterans on this team. Ahmedov had an off day uncomfortably tucked away in the back-right third-axis. Ismailov and Zoteev did serviceable jobs in their return to the ranks, but simply had to switch too often to help out the listless Tuktakhodjaev. Krimits should have gotten the nod. Bikmaev shouldn’t have been subbed on at all. His penalty miss cost them their place in the Quarters.
Bookie bids a solemn farewell to a team he genuinely wishes he could watch more often. A brilliant core group of young players are set to enter their prime over the next four years. Unfortunately, they won’t be given a competitive venue in which to showcase their talents. That’s the damn problem with this blasted Asian Confederation! There isn’t another tournament for them to enter. Can we at least get a “S.S.R. Steppe Soccer-stan Showdown” or something?
Bookie thinks they should be able to join UEFA. Why not? We’ve already got Russia, Azerbaijan, and the Kazaks. European football has this country surrounded. Come on over to us, Uzbeks! Europe desires your presence. We’ll even give you some of Platini’s seized assets. ; )
Onto the lines. Passage to the last four up for grabs.
Thursday, January 24th
Japan vs. Vietnam
vs. 
The Samurai continue to look less than credible after sweating out a slender victory over the Saudis. Moriyasu’s men spent loads of time pinned back in a scraggly defensive ad-hoc. What little forward momentum we witnessed didn’t resemble anything organized. Minamino and Muto couldn’t establish a communicative set up. Haraguchi and Doan were largely anonymous on the flanks. Nagatomo and Sakai barely came forward at all.
With respect to this perpetually shifting lineup, we’ve long since crossed the “randonkulous” threshold. Osako, Minamino, Kitagawa, Ito, Doan and Muto have all failed to inspire up top. It doesn’t any more coherent as we move back. Haraguchi, Shibasaki, Aoyama, and even old-man Takashi Inui got mostly disappointing trials. Defenders Waturu Endo, Tomoaki Makino, and Tsukasa Shiotani have been deployed there as well. After the day both fullbacks had, all bets are off as to who will start there.
Bookie’s been concerned about this latest Japanese incarnation from the onset. Halhodzic got fired shortly before last year’s World Cup for trying to rush into the inevitable rebuilding phase. Since then Akira Nishino and now Hajime Moriyasu have tried to softly postpone it. At some point the JFA must contend with reality. A huge Jap Fanboy like your friendly bookie could never consciously root for his beloved spiritual brothers to lose, but a part of him wishes they could simply get to work on building this next generation.
Having continually abased and assailed the Japanese performance thus far, I will say that they face fair odds here. The East Asian surprises with thoughts of Cinderella Status remain an overachieving side. Their fans are also beginning to really piss the bookie off with this insistence on being called the “Golden Star Warriors”. Enough. I get it. Western journalists are the enemy. What’s so terribly wrong with “Golden Dragons”? It’s a cool crest.
I digress. Tactically speaking, Park Hang-Seo hit it perfectly in the last fixture. In a structure much like the one the bookie built, Do Duy Manh returned to the defensive midfield just ahead of set-centerbacks Bien Tien Dung and Que Ngoc Hai. This Nguyen T. Hoang served as the flexible “third centerback”, though he also came forward to whip in that beautiful cross for the goal. Doan Van Hao, much to my surprise, returned as the forward fullback and had a great match.
Nguyen Cong Phong was a beast. Phan Van Duc didn’t have as great an outing as the midfield flight director, but was still very strong. Do Hung Dung and Nguyen Quang Hai impressed again. Hung Dung in particular possesses amazing range and exhibits great creative flair in his area. Newcomer Nguyen Huy Hung displayed some strong runs. Luon Xuan Trong, Nguyen Van Toan, and Tran Minh Vuong demonstrate that this side has depth. They all did well in relief.
The underdogs aren’t one of those teams teeming with exploitable holes. Nevertheless, I don’t think they’ll be able the shark the favorites here. One dry drawback of Hang-Seo’s nicely-refined defensive system is that it’s likely been well scouted by now. The Korean coach has depth at his disposal, but it’s simply too risky to tinker with the offensive construction at this stage. Fatigation may come into play too following a grueling 120-minute-affair.
Yoshinori Muto’s suspension counts as a blessing in disguise. He always was a dirty player. Now Mortiyasu can build a better lineup…or at least I can.
Samurai attain the Semis, but it will be close.
Projected Lineups:
“Samurai Blue” (4-3-2-1)
Yuya Osako
|
T. Minamino Junya Ito
|
G. Haraguchi T. Shiotani R. Doan
|
Yuto Nagatomo Sei Muroya
|
Maya Yoshida Hiroki Sakai
|
Shuichi Gonda
|
“The Golden Dragons” (5-4-1)
Nguyen Cong Phuong
|
Do Hung Dung Phan Van Duc Nguyen Quang Hai
|
Do D. Manh Luon X. Troang
|
Doan Van Hao Nguyen T. Hoang
|
Bui Tien Dung Que Ngoc Hai
|
Dang Van Lam
|
Prop Bets (as always, feel free to offer your own)
Over/Under—2 Goals
120 Minutes—Straight Up
Penalty Shootout—Straight Up
Kitagawa start—Straight Up
Shiotani goal—3 to 1
Van Toan start—Straight Up
Van Lam howler—2 to 1
THE LINE: Japan +1 Goal
China PR vs. Iran
vs. 
Speculation over Carlos Queiroz’s future threatens to serve as a distraction for the tournament’s best team as they head into what should be an easy fixture. It’s frankly disconcerting how often this happens. For some reasons National Football Associations can’t accept the fact that their managers have professional plans beyond the tournament. We just witnessed some of this puerile possessive girlfriend nonsense from the Spanish FA last Summer.
Now the Iranian Football Federation wishes to sabotage itself. Faced with the fact that their legendary long-term coach might wish to explore other career avenues after eight successful years in a job few would want to take, they jeopardize their best chance of ending their 48-year-long title drought by issuing questionable statements at precisely the wrong time. Why must this be so? Let him go to Columbia after he leads you to the title!
Bookie ultimately doesn’t think it will matter. The Chinese FA happens to be even more batty. Ever wonder why Team Dragon is invariably always the oldest team in the tournament? It’s because players under the age of 25 are obliged to serve on active duty military service. The bureaucrats running the show never fight for exemptions.
I also assume the higher-ups had something to do with that unbelievable decision to force Wu Lei to play with a freshly broken collarbone. What the zhenhuaing-fuck was up with that? His terrified ass had no business being on that pitch. Of course he shirked away from his forward runs and couldn’t concentrate his efforts on target. The man was playing with a swollen hunchback for chrissake. Painful to watch!
No oddsmaker can reasonably assume he’ll feature in the next arrangement. This poses serious problems for Lippi as his latest 4-3-3 packed only paperweight-level punch. The age-defying Zeng Zhi finally showed signs of slowing late on the last round. Moreover, Wu Xi, Hao Junmin, and Yu Dabao got completely flattened by their opposite members. They were rarely seen forward.
Commentators accord Lippi far too much credit for his in-game substitutions. Bookie remains convinced he doesn’t really have a plan. Xiao Zhi may have scored the equalizer moments after coming on, but all the hard work on that goal came from Zeng. Jin Jingdao, who the bookie would have placed in the starting eleven, played only an incidental role in the improved play.
Bookie builds as best a lineup as he can below. After some thought, it doesn’t appear that there exist much better options in replacing the ineffective Yu Dabao, and Feng Xiaoting. Yiming comes in to replace the suspended Zhang Linpeng. Xiao Zhi and Zhao Zuri take over for Liu Yang on the rearward flanks. Nothing much to trouble Team Melli provided they remain focused. Don’t bet on them getting even one past Alireza Beiranvand with his confidence soaring so high.
Slight concern is in order for Sardar Azmoun’s form following s second consecutive poor showing. He continues to tank, blowing two absurdly easy scoring chances in the last match. So much for entering “The form of his life”. Taremi ought to be shot for failing to convert as many times as he did in the previous draw. It’s almost as if he tried to miss that chip-in in the 45th. Both players will need to recapture their former swagger if they hope to adequately compensate for Amiri’s suspension.
Bookie liked the look of Jahanbakhsh on the left. Amiri’s absence shouldn’t matter that much as Ebrahimi has already proven that he can step up into the central midfield role. Ansarifard gets his day back in midfield at last. Torrabi can replace Taremi if he continues to falter. Hosseini’s dip shouldn’t matter as Hajsafi works well on the left flank. Ghoddos appears best served to come off the bench.
Congratulations, Persian Princes. Little stands in the way of your first semi-final since 2004. Team Dragon halted your progress back then, but it’s almost inconceivable that they can here.
Projected Lineups:
“Team Dragon” (3-5-2)
Gao Lin Yu Dabao
|
Jin Jingdao Wu Xi
|
Xiao Zhi Zheng Zhi Zhao Xuri
|
Shi Ke Liu Yiming
|
Feng Xiaoting
|
Yan Junming
|
“Team Melli” (4-5-1)
Sardar Azmoun
|
A. Jahanbakhsh Omid Ebrahimi Mehdi Torabi
|
Karim Ansarifard Ashkan Dejagah
|
Ehsan Hajsafi Ramin Rezaeian
|
M. Pouraliganji M. Mohammadi
|
Alireza Beiranvand
|
Prop Bets (as always, feel free to offer your own)
Over/Under—3 Goals
120 Minutes—2 to 1
Penalty Shootout—3 to 1
Azmoun brace—2 to 1
Dejagah set-piece goal—Straight Up
Wei Shihao start—Straight Up
Wu Xi goal—Straight Up
THE LINE: Iran +1 Goal
Friday, January 25th
South Korea vs. Qatar
vs. 
Tempting to tip an upset special here after the Asian Red Devils made unnecessarily hard work out of their initial elimination tie. Bahrain exposed some deficiencies in Bento’s side. One comes to the conclusion that they can be beaten. Swarming Son Heung-Min isn’t a waste of resources. Suddenly Ki Sung-Yeung’s absence in the midfield becomes relevant. Lee Chung-Yong and Jung Woo-Young, having lost some steam, might be unable to make up the difference.
Bookie observed some concerning decline in form for centerbacks Kim Min-Jae and Kim Young-Gwon. The latter seems better suited to the left back position, where Hong Chul did a fair to middling job of marshalling the area. Hwang Ui-Jo is also down a tick. He had trouble breaking through in his usual manner and really screwed up on that late miss that could have sealed the game.
Bento must tread carefully in his next selection as Ju Se-Jong, Ji-Dong-Won, and Lee Seung-Woo all made strong cases for a place in the starting eleven. Kim Jin-Su further complicates matters at the left rearward axis. Young-Gwon and Moon-Hwan crowd the defensive field. Sometimes having an embarrassment of riches presents a problem in itself.
In actuality the bookie remains confident that these issues will be quickly forgotten after a persuasive Taeguk victory. It almost seems academic to bring them up at all considering how strong this side is. In-Beom and Hee-Chan continue to tear it up. For the most part the above mentioned players all earned high grades for their most recent performance.
If his latest work on the flanks is any indication of things to come, Lee Yong looks set to completely destroy a Qatari right side that I still find highly suspicious. Almoez Abdullah Ali and Akram Afif return to mortal form. Khouki and Hatem, though both talented ball-winners, don’t look as if they match up well against the Korean midfield. Salman and Bassem Al-Rawi haven’t proven themselves against top-flight competition yet.
Building a Qatari lineup isn’t easy after suspensions to Abdelkarim Hassan and Assim Madibo. Those two were perhaps the liveliest of the eleven on the pitch in the previous match. Hassan in particular woke up in a big way, influencing the entire team with electric pace just as he did in the first match. Madibo’s departure leaves a tricky gap up front.
Replacing Hassan at left back isn’t easy considering a three-man-defensive front won’t fly. Abdulkarim Al-Ali, who didn’t do much against Lebanon, is the best I can do. Hassan Al-Haydos scoots over to feed Almoez Ali just as he did in my original projection. We’ll see how that works. Eighteen-year-old Spanish league prospect Khaled Mohammed makes his international debut on the right. Perhaps he shocks the world.
Bookie doesn’t see it adding up, but note that he’s been consistently proven wrong with respect to this side multiple times. Huge match. It can’t get here soon enough.
Projected Lineups:
“The Taeguk Warriors” (4-2-3-1)
Hwang Ui-Jo
|
Lee Chung-Yong Son Heung-Min Hwang Hee-Chan
|
Hwang In-Beom Jung Woo-Young
|
Kim Jin-Su Lee Yong
|
Kim Min-Jae Kim Young-Gwon
|
Kim Seung-Gyu
|
“The Maroon Vinyls” (4-2-3-1)
Almoez Abdullah
|
Akram Afif Hassan Al-Haydos K. Mohammed
|
Abdulaziz Hatem Boualem Khouki
|
Abdulkarim Al-Ali Pedro Miguel
|
Tarek Salman Bassem Al-Rawi
|
Saad Al-Sheeb
|
Prop Bets (as always, feel free to offer your own)
Over/Under—4 Goals
120 Minutes—2 to 1
Penalty Shootout—3 to 1
Hong Chul start—Straight Up
Heung-Min brace—Straight Up
K. Mohammed start—2 to 1
Almoez Ali brace—2 to 1
THE LINE: South Korea +1 Goal
Australia vs. U.A.E.
vs. 
A rematch of the Semi-Final four years ago! Bookie tipped it flawlessly back in 2015 with a perfectly set line. No one could have predicted the actual outcome of the match. Centerbacks Trent Sainsbury and Jason Davidson netted goals inside the first fifteen minutes. Neither one of them had opened their international account yet. It was a weird one indeed. Two quick unexpected strikes from a couple of defenders, and then mostly quiet for the duration. How weird will this fixture be?
Well, to make matters even more interesting, it was the Socceroos who prevailed on home turf in the last match. They went on to win the tournament as hosts. The roles have been reversed here. A host nation off to a sluggish side now faces a very stern test in spite of the fact that many have them favored.
Many commentators haven’t hesitated to dismiss any hopes of an Aussie repeat following that languid performance against the Uzbecks and the Tom Rogic suspension. Bookie agrees that this side quite as talented as the 2015 incarnation and they likely won’t repeat. Track back through the posts and you’ll find no shortage of rants about how empty and unexciting their play has been. I have, however, warmed to their potential and now think they might peak at precisely the right time.
Say what one will about Jaime Maclaren, he can’t be faulted for not working hard enough. He runs hard, keeps his line, and often initiates quality pass moves. One has to believe that these efforts will pay off at some point. Mabil and Ikonomidas picked a good match to have an “off day” creatively. Rarely can players sustain their head for ideas over the course of a long tournament. Better they traversed that adversity early. I expect an offensive outburst in the next round.
The Rogic suspension supplies one with a solution to both Milligan’s inconsistent deployment and the sputtering attack. Simply reformat to a 4-3-2-1 and instruct him to serve as the fifth centerback as often as possible. Luongo and Irvine haven’t been exactly dazzling, but they’ve steadily improved throughout the competition and can easily run the midfield engine.
Other recommend moves include moving Grant inward to central defense after his shitty day on the flank, moving Milos Degenek out wide, and recalling Josh Risdon to take over for Behich. Yes, your friendly bookie is aware that he just declared the fullback issue settled in the previous post, but some rethinks are needed after what we just saw.
As for Zayed’s Boys, bookie remains flattered that Zaccheroni so closely mirrored his lineup projection, but it looks like their journey ends here. The injury to Khalifa Ghanim throws the defensive corps out of whack precisely when they can least afford it. Ismail Ahmed played like a broken turnstile. Bandar may have to move in to compensate. Fares Juma and Mohammed Ahmed don’t appear to be reliable options to fill the vacant right back role.
The Kyrgyzs seem to have cracked whatever code Khalfan and Amer were operating under. Both were total busts in the last match. Esmaeel’s suspension allows me to slot Al-Hammadi back in on the right wing, but I’m not so confident in either Matar or Hassan on the left. Khalil still doesn’t look healthy. A start for him would prove the bookie dead wrong and seriously bulk up this flagging lineup.
In case you missed it, Ali Mabkhout fluffs two chances your dog could have scored in the 92nd and 98th respectively. He found it humorous. This bookie didn’t, especially after he went down far too easily to draw that penalty a couple of minutes later. That’s not how one atones for such mistakes! The Al-Jazira man isn’t playing like a champion. Though he’s scored thrice in this competition, he was lucky to tally in the last match after Iusopov basically sat down to keep him onside.
Roos win. A good day for the Aussie Contingent.
Projected Lineups:
“The Socceroos” (4-3-2-1)
Jaime Maclaren
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C. Ikonomidas Awer Mabil
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Massimo Luongo M. Milligan Jackson Irvine
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Josh Risdon Milos Degenek
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Trent Sainsbury Rhyan Grant
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Matthew Ryan
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“Zayed’s Sons” (4-2-3-1)
Ali Mabkhout
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I. Matar Khalfan Mubarak I. Al-Hammadi
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Ali Salmeen A. Abdulrahman
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A. H. Saleh B.M. Al-Ahbabi
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Fares Juma Mohammed Ahmed
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Khalid Eisa
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Prop Bets (as always, feel free to offer your own)
Over/Under—4 Goals
120 Minutes—Straight Up
Penalty Shootout—2 to 1
Leckie start—Straight Up
Mabil brace—2 to 1
Saif Rashid start—2 to 1
Mabkhout brace—2 to 1
THE LINE: Australia +1 Goal
GENTLEMEN, ENTER YOUR WAGERS
