Day -193 WorldCup2018
On the 16th of June, next year, at 9am, Toronto time, I hope to be watching what I think will be one of the most fascinating matches at the World Cup, Argentina vs Iceland.
I've come back to this match, with a mention for a 3rd consecutive day, after reading Cathal Kelly's column in yesterday's Globe and Mail. Mr. Kelly covers a wide range of sports, from baseball to ice hockey, but is the Globe's voice of football and is always an entertaining, interesting read. But then he throws in a few head shaking sentences, as he did yesterday, and it gets my Euro snobbishness tail up. Unashamedly.
After a quick read through the often-mentioned potential issues with Russia hosting the World Cup, from the incredible expenditure, to mounting accusations and proven cases of doping to racism; and the predictable description of the laughable glitz and glamour of the draw and the collection of ex-footballers and bad jokes.
Then he switches his argument to the lack of any 'Groups of Death' emerging from the draw. And this is a bad thing, presumably because for part-time football fans there is a need for the likes of Germany, Brazil, France and Spain to be all drawn in the same group to ensure titanic clashes right from the get go. Mr. Kelly also mourned the missing "behemoths" Italy, Netherlands and the USA, and how their spots have been taken by lesser teams, resulting in less "pizzazz" in the first round.
According to him the first round has the feel of "filler until the knockout rounds." And this from somebody who writes about Olympic ice hockey where nobody is eliminated after the first round group phase. As we say in Maltese-English, "I'll give you filler."
Substitute groups of death with groups of so much equality that if I was in a fantasy pool it would be very, very hard to pick the top two teams in each group. (I went through a lot of them on Friday). Yes, Peru vs Denmark may not sound very interesting but it could determine who finishes second in that group. And when else would you see these two teams play, other then in some meaningless friendly.
Mr. Kelly then really got me going with this:
"Group D, featuring Argentina, Croatia, Iceland and Nigeria, looks the most challenging on paper. Does that excite you? Probably not."
Who are you asking, Mr Kelly. Hopefully, not me. What a group. Apart from Argentina-Iceland, have you ever watched Nigeria play? Have you ever noticed how terribly, frustratingly exciting they can be to watch. For your homework: Argentina-Nigeria, World Cup 2014. And Croatia? What a joy to watch when they are in full flow. Croatia-Nigeria could be a roller-coaster classic. And then there's Argentina-Iceland.
Say it again, as I have many times since Friday. Argentina, Iceland. Argentina play Iceland in the World Cup. Yes, Iceland may be the hipster's dream team but consider the football and where they've come from.
(On reflection, Argentina are also one of those retro-hipster favourites so that adds another dimension to this clash. Hipster heaven).
In 1982, the World Cup Champions, Argentina, were defending their title at the World Cup in Spain. Football fans were looking forward to seeing the much-hyped, new star of world football, Diego Maradona. Ultimately, it all ended with a red card and a defeat by Brazil.
A week before Argentina, World Champions, begun the defence of their crown, Iceland played a match against Malta. It was not a friendly. It was the first qualifying match for the European Championships of 1984. It was a match between two teams who would battle to not finish bottom of their qualifying group, again. Malta won 2-1 and nobody outside of Malta or Iceland really noticed. A meaningless match between minnows.
Iceland's status as minnows did not change for many years. In 1986 as Maradona led Argentina to their second World Cup. Iceland were still not a country of any football significance. Netherlands, the behemoth, were also not at that World Cup, just as they had not qualified in 1982.
Iceland got a few mentions when Eidur Gudjohnsen was banging in the goals for Chelsea and Barcelona from 2000-2009. Iceland were making progress now but they weren't really on anybody's radar until they made it the 2014 World Cup qualifying play-offs. That amazing progression from minnow to second place in a qualifying group could have been luck. But what happened after that, Euro 2016 and making it to Russia, is not only, of course, history but maybe the start of something bigger.
So consider that Mr Kelly, the story behind how Argentina and Iceland came to be playing each other at a World Cup when you are watching on June 16th. And add this to it as well: on one side Messi, Aguero, Higuain, Di Maria against Sigurdsson (famous only because he is their current biggest name) and ten other players who's names most of us will never remember. One of them, Birkir Bjarnason, can't even get into Aston Villa's team in the English second division. You have to be a football fan to get excited by the prospect of what could happen when these two, so very different, teams meet.
More homework for you, Mr Kelly. Or do you remember the famous Norwegian commentary after Norway beat England in 1981? "Margaret Thatcher, your boys have taken one hell of a beating", and all that. Aren't you excited by the possibility of an Icelandic version of it. "Diego, God will not lend you his hand anymore. Now it is ours!"
Roll on June 16th. Where will you be, Mr Kelly?
(I have to save Benevento and Alberto Brignoli for tomorrow. They deserve their own day).
On the 16th of June, next year, at 9am, Toronto time, I hope to be watching what I think will be one of the most fascinating matches at the World Cup, Argentina vs Iceland.
I've come back to this match, with a mention for a 3rd consecutive day, after reading Cathal Kelly's column in yesterday's Globe and Mail. Mr. Kelly covers a wide range of sports, from baseball to ice hockey, but is the Globe's voice of football and is always an entertaining, interesting read. But then he throws in a few head shaking sentences, as he did yesterday, and it gets my Euro snobbishness tail up. Unashamedly.
After a quick read through the often-mentioned potential issues with Russia hosting the World Cup, from the incredible expenditure, to mounting accusations and proven cases of doping to racism; and the predictable description of the laughable glitz and glamour of the draw and the collection of ex-footballers and bad jokes.
Then he switches his argument to the lack of any 'Groups of Death' emerging from the draw. And this is a bad thing, presumably because for part-time football fans there is a need for the likes of Germany, Brazil, France and Spain to be all drawn in the same group to ensure titanic clashes right from the get go. Mr. Kelly also mourned the missing "behemoths" Italy, Netherlands and the USA, and how their spots have been taken by lesser teams, resulting in less "pizzazz" in the first round.
According to him the first round has the feel of "filler until the knockout rounds." And this from somebody who writes about Olympic ice hockey where nobody is eliminated after the first round group phase. As we say in Maltese-English, "I'll give you filler."
Substitute groups of death with groups of so much equality that if I was in a fantasy pool it would be very, very hard to pick the top two teams in each group. (I went through a lot of them on Friday). Yes, Peru vs Denmark may not sound very interesting but it could determine who finishes second in that group. And when else would you see these two teams play, other then in some meaningless friendly.
Mr. Kelly then really got me going with this:
"Group D, featuring Argentina, Croatia, Iceland and Nigeria, looks the most challenging on paper. Does that excite you? Probably not."
Who are you asking, Mr Kelly. Hopefully, not me. What a group. Apart from Argentina-Iceland, have you ever watched Nigeria play? Have you ever noticed how terribly, frustratingly exciting they can be to watch. For your homework: Argentina-Nigeria, World Cup 2014. And Croatia? What a joy to watch when they are in full flow. Croatia-Nigeria could be a roller-coaster classic. And then there's Argentina-Iceland.
Say it again, as I have many times since Friday. Argentina, Iceland. Argentina play Iceland in the World Cup. Yes, Iceland may be the hipster's dream team but consider the football and where they've come from.
(On reflection, Argentina are also one of those retro-hipster favourites so that adds another dimension to this clash. Hipster heaven).
In 1982, the World Cup Champions, Argentina, were defending their title at the World Cup in Spain. Football fans were looking forward to seeing the much-hyped, new star of world football, Diego Maradona. Ultimately, it all ended with a red card and a defeat by Brazil.
A week before Argentina, World Champions, begun the defence of their crown, Iceland played a match against Malta. It was not a friendly. It was the first qualifying match for the European Championships of 1984. It was a match between two teams who would battle to not finish bottom of their qualifying group, again. Malta won 2-1 and nobody outside of Malta or Iceland really noticed. A meaningless match between minnows.
Iceland's status as minnows did not change for many years. In 1986 as Maradona led Argentina to their second World Cup. Iceland were still not a country of any football significance. Netherlands, the behemoth, were also not at that World Cup, just as they had not qualified in 1982.
Iceland got a few mentions when Eidur Gudjohnsen was banging in the goals for Chelsea and Barcelona from 2000-2009. Iceland were making progress now but they weren't really on anybody's radar until they made it the 2014 World Cup qualifying play-offs. That amazing progression from minnow to second place in a qualifying group could have been luck. But what happened after that, Euro 2016 and making it to Russia, is not only, of course, history but maybe the start of something bigger.
So consider that Mr Kelly, the story behind how Argentina and Iceland came to be playing each other at a World Cup when you are watching on June 16th. And add this to it as well: on one side Messi, Aguero, Higuain, Di Maria against Sigurdsson (famous only because he is their current biggest name) and ten other players who's names most of us will never remember. One of them, Birkir Bjarnason, can't even get into Aston Villa's team in the English second division. You have to be a football fan to get excited by the prospect of what could happen when these two, so very different, teams meet.
More homework for you, Mr Kelly. Or do you remember the famous Norwegian commentary after Norway beat England in 1981? "Margaret Thatcher, your boys have taken one hell of a beating", and all that. Aren't you excited by the possibility of an Icelandic version of it. "Diego, God will not lend you his hand anymore. Now it is ours!"
Roll on June 16th. Where will you be, Mr Kelly?
(I have to save Benevento and Alberto Brignoli for tomorrow. They deserve their own day).
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