Day -249 WorldCup2018
What a wonderful surprise today to be able to watch Malta play on TV today. That was about it for excitement, though, just knowing that I could watch them play Slovakia from far, far away. Despite all my searches for reasons, and blaming the coach, it was obvious to see that the reason Malta are where they are is that they are nowhere near the technical level needed to compete with bigger teams.
The tactics are there. They tried to play today but when you don't have the technique to string a few passes together what's the use of playing with an out an out striker and another forward just behind him. If you can't get the ball to them quickly you might as well play with 5 defenders and 5 midfielders and hope to move forward in numbers. Also, playing the ball out of defence, rather than the old fashioned boot it upfield, is an admirable intention. But, again, you have to have the skill to do that.
That's it for Pietro Ghedin, Malta's coach. Let's see what a new guy can do. It'll be quite the wait for the next competitive match in September of 2018. At least, that's when I think Euro 2020 qualifying will start but I'm still waiting for the instruction manual to come out, explaining Michel Platini's new format.
Scotland were oh so close to a playoff spot today, but with Slovakia's win and their 2-2 draw with Slovenia their fans will have to happy with supporting any team that plays England next summer. Those same fans should also remember that they are not going into the playoffs because they couldn't find a late winner in Slovenia but because they could not beat Lithuania at home.
Thanks to Scotland's draw, Northern Ireland were guaranteed a playoff spot before their 1-0 loss in Norway. The battle for the 8, out of 9, runner-up spots is a bit mathematical, enough so that I rely on somebody else doing the counting. I do know that Slovakia's win today, and them finishing second in the group, could mean nothing because results against the bottom placed teams in the group are not counted.
Two more teams qualified today: Poland and Egypt. And I missed adding Costa Rica to the list yesterday. Egypt are back for the first time since 1990. They're one country who I always thought too good not to qualify more often. But that's how tough the competition is in Africa.
Tomorrow Iceland will be in with a win against Kosovo and Croatia could be out with a loss in Ukraine. That clash in Ukraine will be rivalled for intensity by the match in Wales between the Welsh and the Republic of Ireland. Both of them could still qualify outright if Serbia don't beat Georgia. Otherwise it's a battle for a playoff spot, which they may or may not get depending on what Croatia do. If I have this figured out correctly, what Slovakia want is for either Croatia to lose or Wales and the Republic to draw. But if one of the latter wins and Croatia win, then Slovakia are out. If Serbia lose and finish second then I may need to just wait for somebody else to figure it out.
What a wonderful surprise today to be able to watch Malta play on TV today. That was about it for excitement, though, just knowing that I could watch them play Slovakia from far, far away. Despite all my searches for reasons, and blaming the coach, it was obvious to see that the reason Malta are where they are is that they are nowhere near the technical level needed to compete with bigger teams.
The tactics are there. They tried to play today but when you don't have the technique to string a few passes together what's the use of playing with an out an out striker and another forward just behind him. If you can't get the ball to them quickly you might as well play with 5 defenders and 5 midfielders and hope to move forward in numbers. Also, playing the ball out of defence, rather than the old fashioned boot it upfield, is an admirable intention. But, again, you have to have the skill to do that.
That's it for Pietro Ghedin, Malta's coach. Let's see what a new guy can do. It'll be quite the wait for the next competitive match in September of 2018. At least, that's when I think Euro 2020 qualifying will start but I'm still waiting for the instruction manual to come out, explaining Michel Platini's new format.
Scotland were oh so close to a playoff spot today, but with Slovakia's win and their 2-2 draw with Slovenia their fans will have to happy with supporting any team that plays England next summer. Those same fans should also remember that they are not going into the playoffs because they couldn't find a late winner in Slovenia but because they could not beat Lithuania at home.
Thanks to Scotland's draw, Northern Ireland were guaranteed a playoff spot before their 1-0 loss in Norway. The battle for the 8, out of 9, runner-up spots is a bit mathematical, enough so that I rely on somebody else doing the counting. I do know that Slovakia's win today, and them finishing second in the group, could mean nothing because results against the bottom placed teams in the group are not counted.
Two more teams qualified today: Poland and Egypt. And I missed adding Costa Rica to the list yesterday. Egypt are back for the first time since 1990. They're one country who I always thought too good not to qualify more often. But that's how tough the competition is in Africa.
Tomorrow Iceland will be in with a win against Kosovo and Croatia could be out with a loss in Ukraine. That clash in Ukraine will be rivalled for intensity by the match in Wales between the Welsh and the Republic of Ireland. Both of them could still qualify outright if Serbia don't beat Georgia. Otherwise it's a battle for a playoff spot, which they may or may not get depending on what Croatia do. If I have this figured out correctly, what Slovakia want is for either Croatia to lose or Wales and the Republic to draw. But if one of the latter wins and Croatia win, then Slovakia are out. If Serbia lose and finish second then I may need to just wait for somebody else to figure it out.
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