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Post by cadno on Dec 5, 2022 18:16:21 GMT
Away from home vs Croatia let’s set up not to lose first and foremost!
If everyone’s available…
Hennessey
Rodon Mepham Lockyer Davies
Ramsey Ampadu Allen
Johnson Harris Brooks
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Post by iot on Dec 5, 2022 18:46:45 GMT
Our best chance is to go at them with youth and energy like the Japanese did. But I'm not sure we have it in us, even if we were perfectly well-drilled (which we all now have some reservations about). Dan James is the only player that excels at that sort of game, but even he has looked strangely lacking in energy recently. It's definitely not what Brennan Johnson is about. Ramsey's always been an energetic player, but he's no spring chicken! So I'm just not sure we have the players that can make things difficult for them
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Post by cadno on Dec 5, 2022 19:00:27 GMT
Croatia will be clear favourites, but it’s depressing if we don’t think we can get a point out there at least, just get organised and don’t leave daft goals in… don’t start someone like Vaulks or James Lawrence, it’s not rocket science.
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Post by CrackityJones on Dec 5, 2022 19:10:35 GMT
...or Rodon at right back
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Post by cadno on Dec 5, 2022 19:20:12 GMT
You see it often if a player struggles at CB they get moved out to full back, he’s quick, big, good one on one, you’re telling me you’re worried about his defending capabilities at RB but happy for him to start in the centre of our defence?
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Post by CrackityJones on Dec 5, 2022 19:28:54 GMT
Im worried you're really Mick McCarthy
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Post by rushy on Dec 5, 2022 19:55:22 GMT
One of their assets is their physicality, something that we shall have to deal with too.
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Post by cadno on Dec 5, 2022 20:15:15 GMT
Im worried you're really Mick McCarthy Thanks for the tidy response 👍 |
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Post by scarfer on Dec 5, 2022 21:14:40 GMT
I think Rodon has been a brilliant player for us at CB. ok occasionally (especially in the WC) his ball-playing skills have been shaky at times but defensively he puts his heart on the line - very much like Ben Davies.
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Post by cogancoronation31 on Dec 8, 2022 11:13:59 GMT
Anyone have any info on when the Croatia ticket allocation will be made available, come the New Year?
Can we secure 2,500 or is that too hopeful?
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Post by eppingblue1 on Dec 8, 2022 11:36:53 GMT
5% would be 1700 so probably there or thereabouts, maybe a bit more. Probably be enough. Went there in August and its a fantastic city but absolutely crap to get to out of holiday season. Not sure I'd be allowed more than a couple of days following on from Qatar so not hopeful of making it.
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Post by CrackityJones on Dec 8, 2022 11:39:56 GMT
Yeah it wont be that popular with it being tricky to get to and soon after Qatar, many will hold on for Turkey in the summer.
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Post by jbt95 on Dec 8, 2022 11:46:39 GMT
Or alternatively one for those who didn’t go to Qatar having been holding out for.
We will sell out no doubt, being a Saturday helps.
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Post by CrackityJones on Dec 8, 2022 11:56:09 GMT
True should be close to a sell out regardless but hopefully everyone will be able to get tickets
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Post by baloowxm on Dec 9, 2022 11:32:32 GMT
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Post by Y Fenni on Dec 9, 2022 17:23:16 GMT
Really interesting to see how little Croatia offer in terms of goal threat in this world cup, they basically don't have a striker. Surely our plan in March has to be to keep it VERY tight then hit it long for a pacey counter attack. I think they'd struggle to break down an organised defence with no space.
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Post by dai on Dec 9, 2022 17:36:42 GMT
What did I say about Croatia……
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Post by marsvolta on Dec 9, 2022 17:48:22 GMT
There’ll still be people saying that we should top the group
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Post by hooky on Dec 9, 2022 17:57:18 GMT
Every single one of their players look far, far better than their Welsh equivalent.
This shows there is no space for an excuse for an entire team (bar Ampadu) playing as dreadfully as they did. Croatia less than 4 million people and while far better than us, they played to their maximum potential
Happy for them but its a sobering reminder of how pathetic and disorganised we were in this tournament
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Post by jackanapes on Dec 9, 2022 18:10:01 GMT
People can look the other way and stick their fingers in their ears, but if we want sustained success we need to look at what Uruguay and Croatia do at grassroots level. The quality and quantity of players, with superb technical ability, is no fluke. ‘Realism’ is very often an alibi for fatalism and inertia. ‘Ambition is critical’ and all that.
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Post by jackanapes on Dec 9, 2022 18:15:49 GMT
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Post by jimexotic on Dec 9, 2022 18:23:46 GMT
What did I say about Croatia…… I know and I've made it very clear that I'm terrified of them. Now a decent set up on an doff the pitch sees us grab a point or crafty win, post World Cup hangover. It requires us to be set up a certain way but you can guarantee we'll go there all open and they'll walk a 3-0 win. I have no faith in us at the moment, we looked a disorganised and unfit mess in Qatar and anyone who has a go at us will feel that they'll have success. With all this in mind I'm going against everything I've just said and for a 1-1 draw, Dan James grabbing a goal and Ward pulling off a couple of great saves, it would be typical of us to do something like that, we have it in us. |
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Post by marsvolta on Dec 9, 2022 19:35:27 GMT
Every single one of their players look far, far better than their Welsh equivalent. This shows there is no space for an excuse for an entire team (bar Ampadu) playing as dreadfully as they did. Croatia less than 4 million people and while far better than us, they played to their maximum potential Happy for them but its a sobering reminder of how pathetic and disorganised we were in this tournament People can look the other way and stick their fingers in their ears, but if we want sustained success we need to look at what Uruguay and Croatia do at grassroots level. The quality and quantity of players, with superb technical ability, is no fluke. ‘Realism’ is very often an alibi for fatalism and inertia. ‘Ambition is critical’ and all that. Have you anything to suggest that we haven’t been looking at what Uruguay and Croatia do at grassroots level? None of us know what goes on behind the scenes and I wouldn’t be surprised if this is what we are doing, especially as they are of similar size to us (well slightly bigger by 25% but the point still stands) I can also guarantee that many countries would have been looking at us after 2016, they wouldn’t necessarily make a public announcement about the fact though. |
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Post by dragons on Dec 10, 2022 9:29:09 GMT
This is interesting
Croatia - Population 3.9 Million
98 Football Clubs
Wales - Population 3.1 Million
1,500 Clubs
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Post by cadno on Dec 10, 2022 9:39:22 GMT
What kind of level are we talking about? We have 1500 over many pyramids, Croatia surely the same?
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Post by dragons on Dec 10, 2022 9:52:12 GMT
That's how many clubs are registered in Croatia far as I am aware.
Belgium - 79 Clubs
34 of those are full-time.
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Post by bale-droed on Dec 10, 2022 10:09:14 GMT
This is interesting Croatia - Population 3.9 Million 98 Football Clubs Wales - Population 3.1 Million 1,500 Clubs You’ve misunderstood that. They’ll have 98 in their top 3/4/5 tiers and then the tier will be a closed shop but there will be more clubs after that playing in a different structure. However, I would agree and I have said on this forums wales needs 20 pro teams. 2 divisions of 10. |
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Post by talyfan on Dec 10, 2022 10:11:36 GMT
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatian_football_league_system?wprov=sfla1Here's what I found on the Croatian pyramid system. Slightly more than 98 definitely probably on par with Wales or there abouts. Difference is they've got Three national leagues and doesn't regionalise till the fourth tier. They've only just restructured the league.
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Post by allezlesrouges on Dec 10, 2022 11:19:06 GMT
The set up needs shaking up. New coaches, fresh ideas, new players young and experienced. That's not fair to say. If Page makes a mess of this qualification then yes, but you can't make that claim on the back of a Nations League promotion, Euros knockouts, World Cup qualification. These are historic achievements for us. Coaches can change their mind and come up with new solutions, for it's the playing pool that needs the biggest shake up, and even then I don't think it needs to be a monumental shake up, just introducing a new 4-5 players |
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Post by gwernybwch on Dec 10, 2022 11:56:25 GMT
People can look the other way and stick their fingers in their ears, but if we want sustained success we need to look at what Uruguay and Croatia do at grassroots level. The quality and quantity of players, with superb technical ability, is no fluke. ‘Realism’ is very often an alibi for fatalism and inertia. ‘Ambition is critical’ and all that. Have you anything to suggest that we haven’t been looking at what Uruguay and Croatia do at grassroots level? None of us know what goes on behind the scenes and I wouldn’t be surprised if this is what we are doing, especially as they are of similar size to us (well slightly bigger by 25% but the point still stands) I can also guarantee that many countries would have been looking at us after 2016, they wouldn’t necessarily make a public announcement about the fact though. If I recall an interview with Mooney correctly he said that they were using Belgium as a template or a benchmark. I'm no great expert on Croatian football, but as I understand it the Dinamo Zagreb academy acts as the de facto Croatian academy. So the vast majority of the talented youngsters are all brought through together in just one (maybe two) academy in their formative / development years. With the expectation that once they have been schooled in the Croatian way, they are then able to go to clubs in other leagues to play as professionals. If that is the case, it would be hard to recreate that in Wales. |
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