World Cup 2018 FIFA World Cup-Group D Thread (Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria)

[Jatz]

If they finish RU in this group they run into France most likely. So up against it

So if they somehow managed to top it, they'd be up against the runner up of that group as well?

I don't think they will of course. Even finishing second ahead of Croatia will be an ask.

 

[rippersnipper]

Nigeria are shithouse. They might scrape a goal here and there but to even qualify for the R16 they'd have to rely on the argies and croats to really screw up. They shouldn't beat either of those teams on paper.

 

[Jatz]

Luckily for them, games aren't played on paper

 

[TubbsFarquhar]

Nigeria beat the Argies 4-2 a couple of months ago. They're more than capable of progressing.

 

[Macpotata]

Nigeria beat the Argies 4-2 a couple of months ago. They're more than capable of progressing.

They might progress but that friendly win means nothing and will have no baring on the outcome what so ever. Friendlies don't. Germany lost to Austria on the weekend yet are world cup favourites and current world champions. Austria's not going to the world cup and hasn't qualified for a tournament { other than co hosting euro 2008 } for 20 years. The game was 7 months ago in any case.

Friendlies mean jack s**t.


March 2010 friendly in germany



world cup in south Africa july 2010

 

[Jatz]

I wouldn’t mind seeing the Argies crumble.

 

[TubbsFarquhar]

Croatia 23-Man Final Squad:

Goalkeepers: Danijel Subasic (Monaco), Lovre Kalinic (Gent), Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb)

Defenders: Vedran Corluka (Lokomotiv Moscow), Domagoj Vida (Besiktas), Ivan Strinic (Milan), Dejan Lovren (Liverpool), Sime Vrsaljko (Atletico Madrid), Josip Pivaric (Dynamo Kiev), Tin Jedvaj (Bayer Leverkusen), Duje Caleta-Car (Red Bull Salzburg)

Midfielders: Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona), Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid), Milan Badelj (Fiorentina), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan), Filip Bradaric (Rijeka)

Forwards: Mario Mandzukic (Juventus), Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan), Nikola Kalinic (AC Milan), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Marko Pjaca (Juventus), Ante Rebic (Fiorentina)

 

[Eddie Van Halen]

They play great football and they have great players but there's no way I want some of the corrupt pieces of s**t around that team like Mamic and Modric getting any sort of success.

You have NFI.
Mamic is a cancer and he's been a stain on the national league as well as the national team but he's finally getting his due, albeit the coward has pissed off to Bosnia to hide. I'm assuming you're not Croatian, because if you were, you'd realise how deep his corruption went. Ask Andrej Kramaric how difficult it was for him during the early stages of his career after shunning Mamic and his proposed contract. Both Lovren and Modric had very tough and difficult lives when they were young and juniors, living through a war. You'd forgive them for being blinded by the opportunity to sign a deal with the devil, which is what they did.

You'd also realise how many times the fans in Croatia attempted to sabotage the national team's path just to show their hate for Mamic. They tried to assassinate him FFS!!!!!

The Croatian national team means everything to those people over there.
It's the be all, end all.
Rant over.

 

[Eddie Van Halen]

My 0.02:
Argentina had a shitty qualifying campaign and barely made it through. Then again, they know how to win. It's ingrained in them, like Germany, Brazil.
I predict they'll go through but it won't be smooth sailing.
It depends on which Croatian teams turns up on the day. On their best day they can beat Brazil at their own game but on a bad day, they'll lose to Malta.
I'm biased because I have a Croatian background. They have the quality to go all the bloody way to be honest, but they also have the ability to lose every one of their 3 games, scoring no goals and conceding 3 in each. You just don't know. Kramaric HAS to partner up Mandzukic up front and they need to
play 4 4 2.
Nigeria are wasting their time.
Iceland could be the surprise packet.

 

[Macpotata]

My 0.02:
Argentina had a shitty qualifying campaign and barely made it through. Then again, they know how to win. It's ingrained in them, like Germany, Brazil.
I predict they'll go through but it won't be smooth sailing.
It depends on which Croatian teams turns up on the day. On their best day they can beat Brazil at their own game but on a bad day, they'll lose to Malta.
I'm biased because I have a Croatian background. They have the quality to go all the bloody way to be honest, but they also have the ability to lose every one of their 3 games, scoring no goals and conceding 3 in each. You just don't know. Kramaric HAS to partner up Mandzukic up front and they need to
play 4 4 2.
Nigeria are wasting their time.
Iceland could be the surprise packet.

I like Croatia. They've had some big scalps in their short footballing history. Beating Italy in Italy after the Italians made the world cup final. Beating them again in 2002 World cup. Germany in 98 & 2008 World cup and Euros. Spain Euro 2016. Knocking out England at Wembley for the 2008 euros.

Bloody good side on their day. As you said, their worst is horrendous.

 

[ioppolo]

You have NFI.
Mamic is a cancer and he's been a stain on the national league as well as the national team but he's finally getting his due, albeit the coward has pissed off to Bosnia to hide. I'm assuming you're not Croatian, because if you were, you'd realise how deep his corruption went. Ask Andrej Kramaric how difficult it was for him during the early stages of his career after shunning Mamic and his proposed contract. Both Lovren and Modric had very tough and difficult lives when they were young and juniors, living through a war. You'd forgive them for being blinded by the opportunity to sign a deal with the devil, which is what they did.

You'd also realise how many times the fans in Croatia attempted to sabotage the national team's path just to show their hate for Mamic. They tried to assassinate him FFS!!!!!

The Croatian national team means everything to those people over there.
It's the be all, end all.
Rant over.

I'm out of touch, what'd this Mamic do.

 

[Established1870]

Mamic is a cancer and he's been a stain on the national league as well as the national team but he's finally getting his due, albeit the coward has pissed off to Bosnia to hide. I'm assuming you're not Croatian, because if you were, you'd realise how deep his corruption went.

I'm not Croatian and I know Mamic is a piece of s**t. I also know football in the Balkans in general is corrupt. As soon as third parties get abolished, Benfica start raiding the ex Yugoslavian countries for talent. I wonder why!

Ask Andrej Kramaric how difficult it was for him during the early stages of his career after shunning Mamic and his proposed contract.

I know. Otherwise he would've been playing for Dinamo Zagreb and sold off way before he did when Leicester got him from Rijeka.

Both Lovren and Modric had very tough and difficult lives when they were young and juniors, living through a war. You'd forgive them for being blinded by the opportunity to sign a deal with the devil, which is what they did.

Considering Modric and Lovren lied in court to protect Mamic, why should I feel sorry for him? They both had tough upbringings (understatement by far) but it doesn't mean they should be forgiven for committing perjury.

You'd also realise how many times the fans in Croatia attempted to sabotage the national team's path just to show their hate for Mamic. They tried to assassinate him FFS!!!!!

I know. Lest we forget Croatia's own supporters in Euro 2016 trying to get the team kicked out of the tournament.

The Croatian national team means everything to those people over there.
It's the be all, end all.
Rant over.

I feel for Croatian supporters and players like Kramaric but people like Modric and Lovren deserve to finish last for the s**t they've pulled.

 

[Established1870]

I'm out of touch, what'd this Mamic do.

Zdravko Mamic was by far the biggest person in Croatian football. He was also caught embezzling funds from the sales of Luka Modric and Dejan Lovren out of Dinamo Zagreb to Spurs and Lyon and is in general a piece of s**t. Most people in Croatia hate the guy. Andrej Kramaric had his career set back years because he didn't want to sign a particular contract put to him by Mamic. Modric and Lovren both lied under oath in court to protect Mamic and now most Croatian fans hate those two as well. In the last installment of the Euros in France, Croatian supporters (or a fair portion of them) tried getting the team kicked out in protest. Last year Mamic was shot in the leg during an assassination attempt and this year he fled to Bosnia after he got given a 6 and a half year jail term.

Football in Croatia and Serbia (pretty sure most of the Balkans) is notoriously corrupt and a big reason why is people like Mamic being at the top of football in those countries. Pretty sure Serbia ranked last in a (very recent) FIFPro survey that measured what leagues pay their players on time and freedom of movement within leagues. Third party ownership was one of the dirtiest things about football before FIFA banned it. Once that happened, Benfica (who along with Porto were the biggest users of TPO) started farming the Balkans for young talent instead. Speaks volumes.

 

[Macpotata]

Iceland just coughed u an 87th min equaliser to Ghana. Were up 2-0. Still a few minutes to go.


Would have liked the Ghanaian's to be at the world cup.

 

[HTPunter]

Argentina and Croatia seem the obvious ones here.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

 

[Donnie Darko]

damn!!
getting such a serious injury in training is brutal. Makes you wonder what the fck is happening in their camp?
Romero got a bad injury in their camp as well .

 

[Macpotata]

Croatia 2-1 Senegal

 

[Jatz]

Gutted for Lanzini. Awful to miss out on the World Cup so close to the tournament.

 

[Macpotata]

Fun fact time.

Interesting on the Croatian's. Despite not qualifying for the knockout stages since their maiden semi final run in 98 they've been a very difficult nut to crack. Up until the last world cup in Brazil 14 they hadn't lost a world cup fixture by more than a solitary goal. During that time they've taken on the likes of Argentina, Hagi's Romania, Germany, eventual world champions France, Holland, Italy, and Brazil when they were the current world champions. Their biggest ever defeats came in 2014 losing 3-1 to Brazil with a dubious penalty awarded against them while the scores were tied at 1-1 and 3-1 against Mexico in the last group game.

Sturdy to say the least.

 

[Benj7]

Croatia will top the group book mark it they will go far in this World Cup could possibliy take it out

 

[Fabab]

The two teams that should make it through are very unpredictable and the other two well I suppose anything can happen on any given day,but Argentina and Croatia for me.

 

[Sozabarus]

Croatia will top the group book mark it they will go far in this World Cup could possibliy take it out

People have been saying this about Croatia every time since ‘98.

The hipsters favourite.

 

[Eddie Van Halen]

I wouldn’t mind seeing the Argies crumble.

Yeah me too.
They barely qualified, but have the tendency to turn it on when it matters.

 

[Roksman]

Considering Modric and Lovren lied in court to protect Mamic, why should I feel sorry for him? They both had tough upbringings (understatement by far) but it doesn't mean they should be forgiven for committing perjury.

When someone like Mamic threatens to murder (allegedly) your family, you listen and that's what they did. C'mon mate, you're out of your depth here, do you really think Modric & Lovren did this on a whim? Sounds like you don't know the half of it - Croatian football is rotten to the core and Mamic is a lot more dangerous than you think.