07-12-2022, 14:36
FINAL QUALIFYING TABLE
ZINMAN 201 pts
DEVONGONE 197 pts
LORD SNOOTY 176 pts
THEMACLAD 86 pts
Zinman won despite selecting Benzema to score for France. He was the only one to find 4 goal scorers though.
I was handicapped by Poland's dumb-looking manager leaving Milik on the bench most of the time, and Azmoun hitting the post and the crossbar.
Lord Snooty went for the wrong Terrier, selecting Mooy from Australia when it was obvious Sabiri would fancy a bite of Belgian chocolate.
Themaclad suffered from making entirely sensible selections in a world of almost inexplicable results.
My explanation is that the Nations League is to blame. European teams used to extend friendlies to countries from other continents. Now their domestic league programmes, European Cups and the pointless Nations League combine to use up the time available with apparently competitive European friendlies called the Nations League. When they come up against determined opposition from another continent who sprinkle in home-based and lower-league European-League players they go out and lose. Shocks happen anyway - Brazil travel and play almost anyone anywhere, but they still managed to lose to Cameroon - but European teams who on paper are superior in almost every position to their opponents don't expect to lose in such numbers to nations developing their football. Is it simply that those nations are improving, or is it that European teams are too often forgetting that the onion bag at each end of the pitch is the most salient feature?
ZINMAN 201 pts
DEVONGONE 197 pts
LORD SNOOTY 176 pts
THEMACLAD 86 pts
Zinman won despite selecting Benzema to score for France. He was the only one to find 4 goal scorers though.
I was handicapped by Poland's dumb-looking manager leaving Milik on the bench most of the time, and Azmoun hitting the post and the crossbar.
Lord Snooty went for the wrong Terrier, selecting Mooy from Australia when it was obvious Sabiri would fancy a bite of Belgian chocolate.
Themaclad suffered from making entirely sensible selections in a world of almost inexplicable results.
My explanation is that the Nations League is to blame. European teams used to extend friendlies to countries from other continents. Now their domestic league programmes, European Cups and the pointless Nations League combine to use up the time available with apparently competitive European friendlies called the Nations League. When they come up against determined opposition from another continent who sprinkle in home-based and lower-league European-League players they go out and lose. Shocks happen anyway - Brazil travel and play almost anyone anywhere, but they still managed to lose to Cameroon - but European teams who on paper are superior in almost every position to their opponents don't expect to lose in such numbers to nations developing their football. Is it simply that those nations are improving, or is it that European teams are too often forgetting that the onion bag at each end of the pitch is the most salient feature?