Let's talk about Russia versus Saudi Arabia
Was it really that bad? Or did the 5-0 score flatter the Russian hussars instead of flattening the Arabs from Saudi?
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| Limpeh dunno, dun ask limpeh. |
To be honest, the first half was a back-and-forth in the middle 3rd with the occasional action in the final third. The Saudis were defensively good in the sense that they're fast enough to close down on any Russian having the ball. Effectively, the Saudis were sticking 2-3 men against a Russian. The plan went quite well. That's until the first goal came.
The goal might have been a result of a set piece corner, but it's not the direct route one stuff people were used to seeing. Rather, it was a crisp passing sequence on the left flank which contributed to the goal.
Was it a defensive screw-up?
No. This was a team goal involving fast short passes.
When the Arabs from Saudi conceded the first goal, you couldn't fault your neighbour for saying, "I think the second goal will be coming". The first goal rattled the Arabs from Saudi. And it took them like... more than 15 mins to regain their composure. By John's guess. 15 mins too late in a game of football. If your team needs this long of a time to recover from the shock, it means your team is most likely dead.
Then came the second goal.
Was it a defensive screw-up?
Didn't look so. Denis "not Law" Cheryshev didn't have the most ideal first half. His two most dangerous moments apart from the goal involved 2 Arabs closing him down without breaking a sweat. His goal, however, revealed composure and a great touch.
The second half proved to be an absolute nightmare. It's like Iran losing to Israel 3-0. Okay, maybe it's not that bad. After all, Israel never qualified. Anyway, the Russians seemed to have gotten more than just a whiff of blood. Before the 3rd goal, the Russians were bossing possession in front of the Saudi backline without doing much. That's until Artyom "no, he doesn't do the Zumba" Dzyuba headed in the 3rd goal.
Was it a defensive screw-up?
The marker got caught operating in auto-Tesla mode. Give how efficient the Arabs from Saudi were in terms of closing down any Russian with the ball 2 on 1, this was a disaster. Yes, it's a 1 on 1. But you could see the auto-Tesla moment nevertheless.
The 4th goal never came till the 90+1 minute. After the 3rd goal, only one person could light up the match.
It could have been this Russian Tesla girl. That's until Denis "every striker's law" Law struck again. Oops, sorry wrong channel. Scotland never qualified. It's Cheryshev.
Was it a defensive screw-up?
This was even worse than seeing Dzyuba doing a Zumba in open play BEFORE scoring. Cheryshev displayed great touch and a deft scoring foot. John won't be surprised if he's going to do that more than just twice in the tourney. But seriously, you got two defenders having their auto-Tesla moment. Let this sink in: Two, NOT one! To quote Wani who used to work in the retail pharmacy@SGH... WHAT KIND OF NONSENSE IS THIS??????
Then you got the 5th goal.
Was it a defensive screw-up?
Stalin didn't have to blow up the wall. Less said, the better.
Key takeaways
1. It's proven beyond doubt that while the Arabs from Saudi were efficient man-markers, their focus wasn't first class. While they're never guilty of throwing it for 2/3 of the match, the fact remained that they couldn't maintain what worked for them defensively.
2. John gotta admit that their reaction time in clearing loose balls was very good. However, only a moron would believe this is good enough for any team to keep a clean sheet.
3. Cheryshev proved that he can easily play in the hole 9 position. While he was used as a winger in the match, his touch and composure done twice in a row may mean something more than just sheer class. Give him a wee bit of time and a single touch can make things happen. The lad looked every bit the part of a Russian false 9.
4. Russia wasn't exactly the most adventurous team. While the team did display moments of fast passing down the flank, it seemed that Russia's Stan the Man was all about staging sudden fast attacks via the width less than half the time. This was effectively an ambush strategy employed in football.
5. Saudi Arabia may boast of having the most powerful Mohammad in the world right now. But at this rate, these birds of prey in green are going to be roasted and eaten like 11 yummy partridges. The reason why is neither the defence nor the midfield. In a team where only 2 strikers make the cut, a lack of firepower is going to roast them. Even a moron could see a fatal lack in quality up front. Ask John and he'd just say, "Prepare the fire, salt, and partridges".
People of the Match
Less than 3 hrs later (from the time John starts writing this part)
La Furia Roja will be facing A Seleção das Quinas later tonight (in Singapore time). Fernando "he's gonna be hero or zero" Hierro might have done a screw-up thrice the comedy value than whatever stunt Don T pulled off all the while. Of course, it must be noted that the lineup recorded in Livescore.com showed a different story. Knowing that Livescore.com can, at times, yank the chain of those interested in the lineup prior to kick-off. nothing is absolute until five minutes prior to kick-off.
Nevertheless, Hero-Zero Hierro will have to deal with Santo Fernando's midfield. Will it be a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3? The former means Hero-Zero Hierro will have a difficult time trying to break through the Portuguese rearguard. Santo Fernando is someone who would have no qualms in winning it ugly.
Be it 3-man midfield or 4, Hero-Zero Hierro can only afford to do one thing: To park the attacking players against the central midfield. If Diego "El Bestia" Costa starts the game, it means this strategy is doable. If Isco starts the game, it means this match is still winnable. Ultimately, expanding the reach of the attack would be the dumbest thing Hero-Zero Hierro can ever afford to do. If the Spanish are isolated and bereft of cover in the final 3rd, the Portuguese would just bludgeon their Iberian rivals in the same way every Scot would like to do so against the English. La Furia Roja doesn't have enough fire in the belly to pin back the opponent's fullbacks and centre mids. Nothing less than a frontal assault would do if Hero-Zero Hierro wants to avoid the fate of his fellow Spaniard. Pizzi-man should understand what El Furia Funesto stands for.
P.S: John can only do up till here. John's dad is an elderly otter with idiosyncrasies capable of driving him up the wall. At this point in time, no one understands John. Let alone his dad. The noise coming from the gadgets is really a nightmare to deal with.
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