Shadow Scholar Syndicate: FWM/CA/N 2019--Day Twenty-Four Recap

Your “Syndicate Hangover” is proudly presented by “Perrier”

Your friendly bookie remains more of a San Pellegrino man, but we’ll accord the hosts some respect for their second-rate club soda. Along with La Croix, it’s an acceptable option when the only other alternative happens to be Seltzer Water.

Day 24: Recap

Bookie’s Stats—

Spread: 41-55

Straight up: 56-26-14

Holy shit. Is there even any question as to who gets awarded the day? It’s those feisty islanders no one ever heard of.

The Barea of Madagascar top the group in their AFCON debut! Yes, this is real. The squad that recently slipped to 140^thin the Global Elo rankings is undefeated heading into the knockouts. That’s Africa for you. Believe in the power of the "Barea Horns"

S.S.S. Tactical Breakdown

Having devoted last night’s daily exclusively to my “Sour-Kraut Musings”, let’s catch up with the Dutch and these pesky Swedes.

Lineup—The Netherlands—Match Four (4-4-2) (6/25/2019)

Lieke Martens Shanice van de Sanden

Vivianne Miedema Jackie Groenen

Danielle van de Donk Sherida Spitse

Merel van Dongen Desiree van Lunteren

Stephanie van der Gragt Dominique Bloodworth

Sari van Veenendaal

So it was that Sarina Wiegman finally got her formation moving in the Round-of-16 against the Japanese. By dropping Miedema back, flipping Groenen, moving Spitse back to pair with van de Donk, and inserting Stephanie van der Gragt back at centerback she turned two of her defenders into “release valves”

Merel van Dongen and Dominique Blooodworth moved forward more often, clearing more real estate for Mertens and van de Sanden. The method did lead to some defensive issues. The Japanese were able to take advantage of the Dutch break on several occasions, and might have scored had it not been for some weak finishes and some brave keeping from van Veenendaal.

Bookie anticipated an adjustment or two heading into the quarterfinal match against the Italians, but he didn’t quite expect this:

Lineup—The Netherlands—Match Five (4-3-3) (6/29/2019)

Lieke Martens Vivianne Miedema Shanice van de Sanden

Jackie Groenen Sherida Spitse

Danielle van de Donk

Merel van Dongen Desiree van Lunteren

Stephanie van der Gragt Dominique Bloodworth

Sari van Veenendaal

What?! Why revert back to the same system? Commentators blamed their totally flat, languorous, and unimaginative play on the heat. Bookie doesn’t deny it must of have been a bitch to play a sixth tournament match in such sweltering conditions, but I thought it had been well-established that this 4-3-3 wasn’t working.

If they couldn’t get it going against the least rotated squad in the tournament, I sincerely doubt they’ll find a way in the semis. Van de Sanden is beginning to crumble. She’s totally out of ideas. Beerensteyn should probably get the start. Martens again couldn’t find any space. Van de Donk got stopped in her tracks way too many times. Van Dongen and Bloodworth didn’t really serve any purpose at all.

Bookie prepares to handicap the semis and he’s quite unsure about whether he can back the Dutch in this state. That leaves us with….grrr…this team

Lineup—Sweden—Match Five (4-3-3) (6/29/2019)

Fridolina Rolfö Stina Blackstenius Sofia Jakobsson

Caroline Seger Elin Rubensson

Kosovare Asllani

M. Eriksson H. Glas

Linda Sembrandt Nilla Fischer

Hedvig Lindahl

Ballsy, these Swedes. They still play narrow as all hell. At times it’s a 4-4-2 with Jakobsson on the second axis. At other times they spring the 29-year-old forward right alongside the strikers. Rolfö and Blackstenius also make room for 34-year-old Seger on the left too. Asllani still doesn’t have much of a knack for lateral play, but she directs traffic well.

While Swedish advancement owes much to German tactical errors, this constellation is actually quite dangerous. Eriksson and Glas don’t really swing out wide like actual fullbacks, but one could make the case that they don’t really need to. Much as I hate to admit it, a sort of inverted pyramid shape like this might actually make it past the Dutch. They’ve got good options off the bench too.

Bookie still needs to calm down a bit after yesterday and think it over with a clearer head.

“Riffs of the Day”—Day Twenty-Four

Reader: What the shit is Leon Balongun doing?

Vicey: Playing centerback for some reason…for the last time.

Reader: You just make life too difficult for yourself Vicey. Oghenekaro Etebo goes by the name “Peter”.

Vicey: He’s going by the name “oh-shit-I-just-got-burned-o” after this one. Thanks for the first sentence though. I needed that.

Reader: You have one day to start answering the phone again, Vicey.

Vicey: A leftover from yesterday. 5-M has learned his lesson.

Reader: Magull can’t go on crying like that.

Vicey: Another leftover from yesterday. Evidently 55-M hasn’t.

Reader: I have a feeling a bunch of pissed off Germans are about to be released onto the streets of Paris. Historically this works well, right?

Vicey: A final leftover from yesterday. 13-M remains the same as he’s always been.

Reader: Watching the USMNT tonight?

Vicey: C’mon, 23-M. They’re playing Curacao. The answer to your question is yes, by the way. I definitely wanna scout those Dutch third-leaders; the ones that didn’t already leave the national team to go back to training camp.

DAY TWENTY-FIVE—PREVIEW

Morocco vs. South Africa

vs.

Thanks to 92-M for pointing out that the Group D winners actually avoid the Egyptian side of the bracket. I made the same mistake when discussing Group E in the FWM. Pardon the bookie’s error. Somehow I’ve made this obvious mistake when buried far too deep in the third placed team’s permutative bracket placement.

I tell you, gentlemen. That’s some seriously advanced hyper-math. It’s a chart even more optically maddening than this blog.

Line isn’t affected.

THE LINE: Morocco +1 Goal (holding)

Cote d’Ivoire vs. Namibia