PUTY’S WORLD CUP REVIEW & PREVIEW – June 19/20
Sam’s Safe Space for Soccer Stoolies
Hi haters™,
This is your daily rundown of what happened yesterday and what to expect today. For those interested, I’m told that the latest episode of Puty’s World Cup Podcast will be dropping a little later THIS MORNING are in fact true, and the rumors of a special guest are in fact true, so please keep your head on a swivel (link to subscribe/download will be included at the bottom)…
Now let’s get to it…
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Recap – June 19
Three more games were played, meaning that we have now gotten a look at all 32 teams, plus two looks at a pair of them (Russia and Egypt). Scores for the day were:
After crunching the numbers and parsing the advanced statistics, a world class panel of experts debated for many hours and eventually arrived at this interim Power Rankings among the teams that have played so far:
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COLOMBIA (1) – (2) JAPAN
CONCLUSION: Some people have determined that Japan is good and Colombia is not based on this game. That is nonsense. This is one of those games that you pretty much have to write off when trying to figure out what each team is capable of. Japan went up a goal and Colombia went down a man just three minutes into the game after a couple of bonehead defensive maneuvers eventually led to Colombia’s Carlos Sanchez committing an intentional handball in the box (Japan converted the resulting penalty).
Colombia fought back level the game and held its own for the rest of the game but it was Japan that found a winner in the second half… and wouldn’t you know it both goals came on set pieces.
What did we learn about Colombia?
Basically nothing other than they are not good enough to beat another team playing down the entire match… but the team is now in trouble as their margin for error is exceedingly thin, which is particularly problematic because both Senegal and Poland looked relatively good in the other game, meaning Colombia has its work cut out for it if it is going to find a way to advance.
What did we learn about Japan?
Same thing, not a ton. Japan isn’t terrible, stringing some passes together here and there, and deserves credit for putting the pressure on Colombia right off the bat and causing the handball… but hard to draw many conclusions about where they go from here after playing up a man for almost the entire match. It certainly does NOT tell us that they are the best team in the group, though it does give them some flexibility as far as how the group could play out.
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POLAND (1) – (2) SENEGAL
CONCLUSION: Entertaining game that Senegal probably deserved to win as they were the better team for most of the game, however, it will ultimately go down as a controversial result given the nature of Senegal’s second goal, where the referee waved a player (who had gone off injured) back onto the field at the same time as Poland made a dumb and poor back pass meant for the keeper… which the Senegalese striker ended up getting on the end of and scoring.
Total fluke play and one I’ve never seen before (refs usually wait until play is stopped to wave someone back on) but at the same time one that Poland could have easily avoided by not making a dumb back pass (and leaving it 20 yards short) or if the defender in the vicinity had shielded the Senegalese striker. It’s soccer, weird things happen sometimes.
What did we learn about Poland?
They are the flawed, heavily dependent (on Robert Lewandowski) team that we expected coming in.
Trouble in paradise?
What did we learn about Senegal?
That they are – as predicted – a better team than a look of bookies thought coming in. Solid performance from front to bad (aside from a couple of squeaky bum moments where they seemed to disappear in the face of a late charge by Poland)
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RUSSIA (3) – (1) EGYPT
CONCLUSION: Egypt never seemed to get out of first gear this tournament, and I’m not blaming Sergio Ramos exclusively, but Mo Salah’s injury hanging over the team (and causing him to be left out of the Uruguay game) clearly had a big impact on the team. The only question that matters now though, and one we may not get an answer to for a little while, is whether Egypt shit the bed against Russia or, conversely, is this Russia team actually not terrible??? Couldn’t help but notice a few “close” calls go Russia’s way, which I would normally say is mere coincidence but then again this is Puty we are talking about – a man that would stop at literally nothing to win.
What did we learn about Russia?
They looked quite good. How they were from extremely poor in the run-up to the World Cup to suddenly decent is a huge mystery. Definitely doesn’t have anything to do with steroids or back-room bribes/arm-twisting… no sir!
What did we learn about Egypt?
That the key to the team is Mo Salah, and with him out of sorts the team is pretty poor. In other words, nothing… though it was either strange how solid their defense looked against Uruguay and weak against Russia – and could be an even bigger question mark for Uruguay.
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PREVIEW – June 20
Today’s games are all rather imbalanced on paper… but you just know that at least one of the favorites is going to shit the bed – Because It’s The Cup – just a matter of trying to figure out which it is going to be!
Reminder: if you want more detailed explanations for my thinking behind the picks, check out the group previews that were the past week – links at the bottom. But here is a quick and dirty run-through and some shot-in-the dark predictions…
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Portugal (-200)
Morocco (+550)
Draw (+285)
There is literally not one good reason to think that Morocco can hang with Portugal in this game – apart from praying for either an early red card (what up Pepe!) or an injury to Ronny (anyone who does this is an asshole). I am not hoping for either of those things but because I put my ass in the jackpot by predicting that Iran is going to get out of Group B, and because there is no way Morocco can play as poorly as they did against Iran again, I’m going with a shock 1-1 draw.
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Uruguay (-650)
Saudi Arabia (+1500)
Draw (+210)
Is it possible that Russia is simply better than everybody predicted, thus making Saudi Arabia look a little less but for the ass-whupping they received last week? It is possible, and Uruguay looked pretty bunk against Egypt, but I can’t help thinking that Suarez is going to bounce back and eat the Kingdom’s defense alive. Hopefully just metaphorically. Uruguay to win 4-1.
Time to totally redeem yourself, Bitey
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Iran (+1350)
Spain (-525)
Draw (+575)
Spain looked very good in their opening match against Portugal, probably better than most people seem to be giving them credit for since a superhuman performance from Ronny was the only thing standing between them and being the clear tournament favorites right now. Iran, on the other hand, was… decidedly poor. Perhaps Spain will come out and lay an egg now that I have actually given them some compliments, but anybody predicting that has bigger balls than me. Spain to win 2-0.
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So there we have it. I wish the World Cup would last forever. Alas, it won’t. So drink it in while you can.
Reminder: next PUTY’S WORLD CUP PODCAST episode drops later this morning with a special guest who stops by to share some learned thoughts on things… unfortunately the only way I will ever be able to put food on the table for my children/dog is for each and every one of you to subscribe/download/review since the Powers That Be will inevitably use the cold hard data as the ultimate barometer of the level of interest in more soccer content around here!
Podcasts links:
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Holler,
Samuel Army