Five Talking Points from the International Break
We saw a lot of football over the last two weeks. Just how will they affect teams in their preparation for the World Cup?
Normally, international breaks are boring, but let me be the first to say that this was a monumental international break. Not only was it the last break of its sort until World Cup squads are decided, but it also offered a chance for fringe players to make a statement to their head coaches on why they should be on the plane to Russia. Without further ado, here are five takeaways from the last international break.
Jorge Sampaoli needs to find his best team, quickly
Argentina have a stellar attack, no doubt. They boast the likes of Sergio Agüero, Paulo Dybala, Mauro Icardi, Angel di Maria and some guy named Messi. Notice who I didn’t include? Gonzalo Higuain. Sure, he’s one of the better strikers in the world but he is absolutely pathetic on the international level. His missed chances during the 2014 World Cup final as well as the 2015 and 16 editions of the Copa America are the reason some fans of La Albiceleste lose sleep at night. Sampaoli’s continous selection of this man is a disgrace to the talent of this team and, if past history is to be believed, he is set to start over the likes of Sergio Aguero and/or Mauro Icardi at the tournament proper in June. Additionally, Sampaoli decided to start Tuesday’s friendly with a double pivot of Javier Mascherano and Lucas Biglia, two players who are well past their prime and are in need of replacing by the manager. Their defence was absolutely shambolic and Sampaoli’s decision to leave Federico Fazio on the bench was questionable, to say the least. If Sampaoli cannot find a suitable 11 for Russia, they just might be heading home earlier than expected.
Racism could be an issue at the World Cup
During France’s friendly vs. Russia in St. Petersburg’s Krestovsky Stadium (a venue at the World Cup), French midfielder Paul Pogba and attacker Ousmane Dembele were reportedly the subject of racist chants by the home Russian support. If I’m quite honest, why did we allow ourselves to expect anything else? Russian club Zenit has a fanbase that is well known for its racism, with fans throwing bananas at former player Axel Witsel due to his Afro-Belgian heritage. Additionally, Russia’s… low priority of human rights isn’t exactly a boost to FIFA’s goal to eradicate racism at the World Cup. In October, FARE (Footall Against Racism in Europe) brought 80 counts of racism forward from the Russian League last season. That is quite simply unacceptable and all efforts must be made to prevent occurrences such as the ones from Tuesday from ever happening at the largest tournament on earth. However, FIFA and other governing bodies don’t seem to be too harsh on issues such as racism, take Michi Batshuayi’s abuse at the hands of Atalanta fans, for example:
To which Batshuayi responded:
Racism has no place in the modern game, and fan blockages as well as potential stadium closure should be imposed by FIFA for infractions of this rule. It feels as if FIFA/UEFA/other governing bodies don’t take this seriously and that cannot be allowed to happen. There must be a zero tolerance policy on racism bar none.
The Jury is still out on VAR
We saw during Tottenham vs. Rochdale earlier this season where VAR not only got three calls wrong, but added on an extra eight minutes to a match that was played in truly dreadful conditions. Adding on to that, the technology required that the lines be repainted to blue prematch due to the snow which added on to the hassle created by the technology. This hassle was seen when England played Italy and in the 87th minute, James Tarkowski was adjudged to have trod on the foot of Chiesa in the box. VAR gave Italy the penalty and Insigne scored to equalize. Some argue that the penalty was fair while others argue that the player was on his way down when his foot was trod on, while a third group argue that the trod was incidental contact and no foul should have been given. Either way, VAR simply causes too much controversy.
I’ve talked about VAR before and its possibility to help the sport by eradicating poor refereeing decisions, a potential that would be great for World Cups (see Lampard 2010 or Brazil v. Croatia 2014). However, the truth remains that VAR remains a time-consuming, not to mention controversial, solution to the problem of refereeing decisions. It is very possible that a World Cup Final or another big match could completely be ruined by VAR reviews of players falling in the box. What makes this game beautiful is the free flowing progression of football, and VAR harms that unless teams are given a certain amount of challenges, such as in tennis or American football.
No one saw this coming, but Germany have a goalkeeping issue
Now, Germany have the best goalkeeper in the world (when fit) in Manuel Neuer, but with the Bayern shotstopper having only returned to training this week following a severe calf injury, ter Stegen might be called upon in Russia. Neuer, assuming he returns at the end of April, can only play a maximum of eight club games (assuming progression in both the Champions League and DFB Pokal). It’s up to Joachim Löw to determine if this much game time is enough for a World Cup or if ter Stegen will take the starting role come June. I feel that Löw will go with Neuer regardless, as there are two friendlies prior to the World Cup that the German #1 can test himself in. If Neuer is not ready to go, expect ter Stegen to start with Neuer playing in the last group stage game.
Spain are the team to beat in Russia
Spain thoroughly dismantled a Messi-less Argentina 6–1 on Tuesday as Real Madrid star Isco scored a hat trick in a truly dominating performance by Julien Lopetegui’s men. They were solid defensively, clinical with their finishing and efficient in possession. Their earlier friendly was a 1–1 draw against defending world champions Germany, a match which featured two (nearly) full strength sides with Spain creating plenty of chances and utilizing their possession advantage very well. They look much sharper than they did four years ago, and this team will be immense in Russia.
