PORTUGAL
SPAIN
MOROCCO
IRAN
Not a group I would have liked to face. NONE of these teams.
But ce la vie. That's the luck of the draw (speaking of which, how lucky are Saudis ... in Asia AND Int'lly!?!??)
Work starts today and I seriously hope CQ started the negotiations with other teams to rack up some useful test games. I'm sure groups where teams like Saudi, egypt, australia, ... play will be very receptive to a test game versus Iran.
So straight off, teams like Russia, Uruguay, France, Peru and Denmark should be easy targets for CQ to convince and vice versa.
(With an outside chance of Japan's and Korea's group mates ... although I never understood why. Coz technically speaking we have very little in common with Japanese and Korean football. But somehow being in the same continent seems to be the prevalent mindset among football coaches!! Hey, I wouldnt be complaining if we get Germany, Mexico, Poland, ... to ask for games with us)
Then we have Tunsia who could be similar to Iran, so I wouldnt be surprised if we get more than a second look from England and Belgium.
MOROCCO
1st game is very important for team who have aspirations. So the game vs. Morocco is our do or die game, right from the kick off.
I dont have much idea about their style of game. But I'm thinking it wouldnt be very different from us, except a higher level of composure and familiarity to top level football given their imports to Europe.
SPAIN
2nd game also is very interesting, even if we ignore the pedigree of the opponents for a second.
IF a team gets a good result from its 1st game, it needs a solid performance to cement its hopes of advance, even if it can be a single point.
This gets interesting as I actually think we do have a chance at a single point versus Spaniards.
They are a short statured team with insistence on long possession periods. Against our more physical, taller team who doesnt mind giving up possession and looks for short counters. Actually Spain's game should suit us just fine. The only problem is the HUGE difference in technical abilities that is a cause for concern.
Another key issue and in our favor is the short distance we need to travel for this game, it seems (according to Navad program), to Kazan, Azmoun's apparent prison where he's held captive.
PORTUGAL
Finally, our 3rd game is against the European champs, who have the speed, incisive attack but may be a bit slow in defense. They arent exactly Brazil or Germany for us to be scared of. But they are far more potent than Russia or Poland. I hope neither we nor Portugal would need a point from this game. Because if they need it, they have the capability to get it and if WE need it, then it is an uphill task ... given it's also our THIRD game within 10-11 days!
SPAIN
MOROCCO
IRAN
Not a group I would have liked to face. NONE of these teams.
But ce la vie. That's the luck of the draw (speaking of which, how lucky are Saudis ... in Asia AND Int'lly!?!??)
Work starts today and I seriously hope CQ started the negotiations with other teams to rack up some useful test games. I'm sure groups where teams like Saudi, egypt, australia, ... play will be very receptive to a test game versus Iran.
So straight off, teams like Russia, Uruguay, France, Peru and Denmark should be easy targets for CQ to convince and vice versa.
(With an outside chance of Japan's and Korea's group mates ... although I never understood why. Coz technically speaking we have very little in common with Japanese and Korean football. But somehow being in the same continent seems to be the prevalent mindset among football coaches!! Hey, I wouldnt be complaining if we get Germany, Mexico, Poland, ... to ask for games with us)
Then we have Tunsia who could be similar to Iran, so I wouldnt be surprised if we get more than a second look from England and Belgium.
MOROCCO
1st game is very important for team who have aspirations. So the game vs. Morocco is our do or die game, right from the kick off.
I dont have much idea about their style of game. But I'm thinking it wouldnt be very different from us, except a higher level of composure and familiarity to top level football given their imports to Europe.
SPAIN
2nd game also is very interesting, even if we ignore the pedigree of the opponents for a second.
IF a team gets a good result from its 1st game, it needs a solid performance to cement its hopes of advance, even if it can be a single point.
This gets interesting as I actually think we do have a chance at a single point versus Spaniards.
They are a short statured team with insistence on long possession periods. Against our more physical, taller team who doesnt mind giving up possession and looks for short counters. Actually Spain's game should suit us just fine. The only problem is the HUGE difference in technical abilities that is a cause for concern.
Another key issue and in our favor is the short distance we need to travel for this game, it seems (according to Navad program), to Kazan, Azmoun's apparent prison where he's held captive.
PORTUGAL
Finally, our 3rd game is against the European champs, who have the speed, incisive attack but may be a bit slow in defense. They arent exactly Brazil or Germany for us to be scared of. But they are far more potent than Russia or Poland. I hope neither we nor Portugal would need a point from this game. Because if they need it, they have the capability to get it and if WE need it, then it is an uphill task ... given it's also our THIRD game within 10-11 days!
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