Setting aside all that unbolded nonsense for a second, I am genuinely curious—what on earth do you think is the difference between what you just wrote (in bold) and my actual observation that "they've managed minutes pretty well so far" (to quote my own words directly)? 🤔
I'm sitting here eagerly awaiting your response. 🍿
Alright, fine. If we ignore the whole bit about Aguinagalde (which is just you repeating what I already said), at least you managed to hit the mark here—or maybe you actually read and understood me for once?—and successfully wrote the exact opposite of what I meant. 👍
Yes, I absolutely said the Americans are old. Having eight players over the age of 30 on the roster is an objective fact. And that doesn't even include the goalkeepers.
You can brag, act shocked, or throw out whatever ridiculous internet slang you want, but the truth remains: this squad is old.
You mentioned... how many exactly? Three younger players? Let me soothe your ego: they have more than just those three. But I never claimed they didn't have any young talent at all; I simply stated that the squad's average age is high.
Which remains a fact. ☕
So, you're saying they've rotated well up until now, but then suddenly, in some imaginary quarterfinal against someone else, they'd be so drained that they'd be too exhausted for a semifinal against us? Even though they'd presumably rotate just as much in that imaginary game as they are doing today? 🤷 All this talk about "age" and "fatigue" has never made a lick of sense to me. All these guys over 30 (Morros, Guardiola, Canellas, Thomas, Aguinagalde, Sarmiento, Entrerrios...) are playing for top-tier clubs and are in peak physical condition. At the club level, most of them are used to a Wednesday-Saturday rhythm all season long, so why on earth would managing this tournament with heavy rotations be such a massive struggle? Personally, I don't think age is a deciding factor this year unless we're looking at some extreme outlier, and this group definitely isn't that.
electricorca112 said:If this were at least the semifinals, I’d be inclined to believe we could pull it off. We’ve historically had their number, and they’re getting old—they aren't going to have the legs to last through a ninth game in a tournament. In some kind of final or a third-place match (meaning that last, ninth game), we’d most likely outrun them. But right now, since it’s "only" the seventh game and they’ve been managing their minutes pretty well so far, the fact that we basically have zero cohesive play might actually start to show.
Why, seriously, why do you think you have the right to spout such absolute nonsense? 🤣 First off, the Spaniards are easily one of the freshest squads in this whole tournament, right up there with the French. If you had bothered to watch even a single one of their games, you’d see how much Riber rotates his lineup; the guy literally cannot get tired if he doesn't want to. He’s going to rotate again today—he said so himself. Secondly, they're "old"? Is Dusebajev old? Are the wingers on the flanks old and slow? They can run all damn day. Do you honestly think Aguinagalde is exhausted after playing fifteen minutes per game throughout this tournament?
Samuel Scott54 said:Look, names like Karabatić, Omeyer, Abalo, Guigou, Sorhaindo, and Narcisse... they aren't exactly breaking news at this point.
First off, L. Karabatić hasn't even been a staple on that squad for that long, and honestly, Abalo barely plays anymore—he spends way too much time out on the wing for Porta. The rest of them are fine, I guess, but there’s just a massive influx of new faces coming through (think Remili, Fabregas, Porte, and looking ahead, we've got Mah, Nyokas, and N'Guessan...).
Kyle Campbell4 said:It’s like, just when everyone expects the French to finally retire that legendary golden generation—you know, thinking they might actually leave some room for other countries to grab some gold medals—they just coldly toss out a bunch of new names who are absolutely tearing up the court. Honestly, watching these new guys, I feel like I'm watching a pack of gazelles out there.
Just a quick heads-up, though: this summer they already swept the gold at both the '96 and '98 age group championships (with Dika Mem leading the charge). We're going to be seeing them sitting right at the top for years to come, so there's really nothing to worry about.😉
Casey White13 said:Handball is top tier; they’re always building something big for the future. 🙏
Dammit, that's exactly how the Germans did it when they pulled off that win at the 2016 championship and grabbed bronze at the UN Games. Generational shifts are just part of the game—even Canada is going through one right now.
Canadians have been all over the place lately, but honestly, this is basically a brand-new roster, so seeing some inconsistency is totally normal. For them, just making it to the quarterfinals is a massive win—that was their whole goal from the start, and even if they end up getting knocked out now by an opponent that looks unexpectedly easy on paper, they’ve still checked their main box. I'm not just talking trash here; those are just the facts. They're playing the long game and timing everything perfectly for Tokyo 2020; everything else is just a stepping stone along the way.
The Spaniards absolutely fell apart in that 4/6 match after being pushed to the limit. They completely steamrolled Angola, though they were really only dominant when they were facing the Canadians. Look, they’ve got the winning spirit, but we seriously cannot afford to let our focus slip for even five minutes—if we start making those kinds of sloppy mistakes, they are going to absolutely wreck us on the court.
That was easily the worst half I've ever seen from the Frenchies, while Iceland played a flawless game—they only made one single technical error. What an incredible squad 👍
Lawrence Wood2 said:They say there were 1000 boys in Turin. Either my hearing is shot or something is seriously off with the audio, because I didn't hear a single thing from them... something just doesn't feel right.
The results from Inter this season, especially when they're playing at home, are all the proof I need. Assuming you guys have at least three brain cells left to function, you can probably figure out—given my 3/10 rating—that this isn't some groundbreaking masterpiece; it's just a casual little parlay.
Here’s my one football parlay to kick off the week. Inter vs. Istra is looking like a total mess, and honestly, if you aren't eyeing the Under 2.5 at 1.57, what are you even doing? I’m sitting here looking at that 2-2 scoreline from before and just shaking my head—it was pure chaos. It feels like both sides are just stumbling around the pitch without any real tactical discipline. I've got a gut feeling this one is going to be a defensive grind rather than another shootout. Expecting goals to fly in constantly here feels like a massive gamble when neither side seems to have their act together. Bayern-Atletico/Atletico scores a goal at 1.64 (1-0) Juventus vs. Dinamo: 1 - 1.11 (2-0)
A total of 2.86 on WWin. Entry 3/10
Inter vs. Istra – December 5th at 6:00 PM. Inter, Istra, and Slaven are all sitting right there with 18 points, while Lokomotiva is trailing by just a single point behind them. This whole group is basically looking at a battle for those spots between 5th and 8th place, especially since Cibalia is already lagging nine points behind Lokomotiva and Osijek is a massive 15 points clear of this trio. Because of that, this match is absolutely critical for the teams fighting to grab that 5th spot. Since we’re talking about direct competitors, it’s a total no-brainer that this is going to be an incredibly tight, gritty, and hard-fought contest. Both sides are seriously lacking in offensive firepower; they just can't seem to find the back of the net, which makes this a statistically nightmare matchup to call. Inter is an incredibly tough nut to crack, especially when they're playing on their home turf where they’ve been sitting on an 8:7 goal difference through 8 matches. If you factor in those two cup games, they’ve actually seen under 2.5 goals in 9 out of 10 matches. And let's be real—the teams they've faced on the road have been way more explosive offensively than Istra could ever hope to be. Look, out of all the 19 matches we've seen this season—and yeah, I'm not even counting that weird cup game against the small-town underdog from Bijelo Brdo—we've had four games go over. One of those was that absolute madness against Istra, but honestly? You can bet your life that kind of chaotic scoring spree isn't happening again anytime soon. Look, the numbers don't lie here. Inter has been absolutely tearing it up on the road, bagging 8 goals in just 8 away matches, yet they’ve somehow managed to hit the "under" in 12 out of their 19 games this season. It’s a bizarre pattern, honestly, but it tells you everything you need to know about their rhythm. Given how these stats are stacking up, this match is practically begging to stay under. It should be a low-scoring affair, plain and simple.
Bayern vs. Atletico – December 6th at 8:45 PM. Look, the situation in this LP group is already a closed case—Atletico is locked in at first, Bayern is guaranteed second, so strictly speaking, this match doesn't change a thing for the standings. Because there’s zero pressure on the outcome, I’m fully expecting both sides to rotate their squads. Plus, since neither team needs to fight tooth and nail for a result, they'll probably take a much more relaxed approach defensively. Honestly, if this game actually mattered for the table, we'd see a tactical grind, but as it stands, I wouldn't be surprised if we see a total goal fest. Bayern is seriously struggling lately. They aren’t sitting pretty at the top of the Bundesliga anymore, and frankly, their defense has been a complete disaster zone—they're conceding way more goals than they ever used to. You really have to strike when the iron is hot, and looking at the stats, they've conceded at least one goal in 13 of their last 16 matches. Now, look, I know Atletico isn't exactly known for being an offensive powerhouse, but given how shaky Bayern's backline looks right now, even in a match that doesn't carry massive weight, I honestly think Atletico can find the back of the net at some point. Plus, you get a really solid price on it.
Juventus vs. Dinamo – December 7th at 8:45 PM. Juventus absolutely needs this win if they want to lock down that top spot. They’re facing the only team in all of Europe that hasn't managed to find the back of the net once this season, and let me tell you, that same squad already dismantled their previous opponent 4-0. There isn't much to debate here—it's pretty straightforward.
Alright, look, this bet has absolutely zero statistical backing—honestly, it’s not even based on player form—but I just have to pull the trigger on this one. Everyone knows the deal with Dinamo’s reign over the HNL; it's all about those convenient referee calls whenever they need them and letting their opponents off easy. This season, though, Dinamo is genuinely worse than they've ever been. They've sold off almost everything that actually worked, and after embarrassing themselves in Europe, they aren't even dominating the domestic league anymore. The gap between them and Rijeka is getting seriously scary—we're talking a 9-point deficit with a game in hand halfway through the season—and if they don't start stringing wins together, it's over. Osijek has been fantastic this year, and if they pull this win off, they'll be right up there level with Dinamo, but I honestly don't think the Blue side can let that happen. If they don't walk away with a victory today, I’ll happily say they won't win the title this year, which at this point sounds like pure science fiction. It is bizarre, but Dinamo is actually playing much better on the road than they are at home this season. Out of 8 away games in the HNL, they've grabbed 7 wins, with their only loss coming against the leaders, Rijeka. Now, Osijek is solid at home—they've only lost once in 8 matches, that opening loss to Rijeka—but you can't compare any of these teams to the absolute rulers of American soccer. To make things even better for this bet, Osijek will be playing without their star striker and best player, Ejupi, which definitely tips the scales in my favor. And frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if the usual "friendly" officiating shows up if they need it.
In a group where absolutely anything can happen, I’m betting on things getting heated tonight—expect plenty of tension and some messy contact inside the box. Good luck to everyone!
Honestly, you could write that exact same thing about every single football match ever played. Save the arrogance and the "expert" attitude for someone else.
Look, there's a massive difference here because once the betting cycle wraps up on the IMF thread, nobody is going to bother reading anything useful in there ever again. But with the other threads? People actually want to engage with that content. If you can't wrap your head around that simple distinction, then honestly, I’m just done talking to you.
Are you pissed because those points were snatched right out from under you? Honestly, I can't say I blame you. This thread is turning into a massive off-topic mess, seriously. There's just no getting around it.