FIFA World Cup 2018

[FLiam]

I never even realised how stacked the French team is. 

They leave behind Lacazette and Martial whilst England leave Livermore and Cook.

[Arjen Robben]

Most of their stand-by guys would walk in to an England squad.

I wonder if Laporte might end up switching to Spain. Not that this is some shock exclusion or anything but I'd have expected him to be capped by now and I think he's been interested in turning to Spain before.

[Lineker]

Good lord, Sissoko still managed to make their standby list??!

[TCO]

Dear lord that team is stacked. Martial should be on the phone to his agent now, he's about to do a KDB and Salah!

Also If I were Aymeric Laporte, I'd be declaring for Spain ASAP. Madness that he didn't even make the standby list and this will likely be Pique and Ramos' last World Cup

[Colly]

Utterly embarrassing how badly we handled Thauvin. Jon Dahl Tomasson all over again. 

[Gazz]

He wasn't what we needed at the time, we were a shit team playing shit football at the wrong end of the table, a 'luxury' creative number 10 who doesn't do much defensively who never gets the ball is just a bloke in a shirt.

[Colly]

He was playing right wing, we had Perez as our luxury number 10. 

Regardless, he got signed, got player of the month immediately (albeit a shit month in which he bossed Northampton) then barely played again because Alan Shearer decided his tuxedo was silly. Sissoko then "played" right wing for the rest of the season. The fact that it was Rafa who moved him on really irritates me, though perhaps at the time he didn't realise the peanuts he'd get to replace him. That said he's about to do the same with Mitro. 

[MDK]

Just to add to the England World Cup theme tunes:

At least this is an absolute belter of a song. It should be the current anthem.

[Gazz]

Spain's squad is somewhat good...

Quote

 

Goalkeepers: David de Gea (Manchester United), Kepa Arrizabalaga (Athletic Bilbao), Pepe Reina (SSC Napoli).

Defenders: Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Álvaro Odriozola (Real Sociedad), Gerard Piqué (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Nacho (Real Madrid), César Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Nacho Monreal (Arsenal).

Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Saúl Ñíguez (Atlético Madrid), Andrés Iniesta (Barcelona), Thiago Alcántara (Bayern München), Koke (Atlético Madrid), Isco (Real Madrid).

Forwards: David Silva (Manchester City), Marco Asensio (Real Madrid), Lucas Vázquez (Real Madrid), Diego Costa (Atlético Madrid), Rodrigo (Valencia), Iago Aspas (Celta Vigo).

 

 

[Lineker]

So no Fabregas, Morata, Marcos Alonso or Bellerin.

[Baddar]

Bobby Martinez has left out Nainggolan from his preliminary 28 man squad. Januzaj and Carrasco are both in it.

Nainggolan announced his international retirement soon after.

[stokeriño]

15 minutes ago, Lineker said:

So no Fabregas, Morata, Marcos Alonso or ...

TBH of those three, Alonso is the only one who should feel a little hard done by.

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

Yeah Alonso should have got in. Morata definitely shouldn't have.

Dave's there, that's all that matters.

[Noah]

The only world cup song that ever mattered.

 

[Baddar]

Mo Salah is taking the Liverpool physio with him to the World Cup.

[FLiam]

Speaking of other national sides leaving top players behind.

Argentina have left out Mauro Icardi from their squad, because they can. 29 goals in 36 games Mauro Icardi.

[The Lusophone]

Assorted stats about various squads, excluding Serbia, who are yet to announce their squad:

England's most capped player going to the World Cup, Gary Cahill, has the joint second least caps of any of the 32 squads most capped players, level on 58 caps with Senegal's Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye. Only Moroccan attacking midfielder Mbark Boussoufa - formerly of Chelsea's academy - has less, on 56.

England is the only nation with every player in their squad playing their football in the same nation - the next closest nations are Russia and Saudi Arabia, with 25 out of 28 players in their preliminary squad plying their trade in their home nations.

England's squad also has the least amount of caps on average out of the confirmed 23 man squads, with 20, Costa Rica has the most, on 50 with Spain in second with 41 caps per player.

On the opposite end of the scale, both Senegal and Sweden feature zero players playing in their home nation. Belgium and Iceland only have 1, Croatia and Uruguay 2 whilst Argentina and Brazil are amongst a number of team to only feature 3 home based players.

Argentina does provide the highest number of coaches to the World Cup, with four: Héctor Cúper (Egypt), Ricardo Gareca (Peru), Jorge Sampaoli, José Pékerman (Colombia). Spain is second with three.

[Lineker]

Quote

Will Smith is making a return to music, recording the official 2018 World Cup anthem with Colombia-based reggaeton star Nicky Jam, and Kosovar pop singer Era Istrefi.

According to reports in Billboard and other publications, the track is to be released on 25 May, and is being produced by Diplo, the US producer behind hits with his group Major Lazer including Lean On and Cold Water.

Alongside his burgeoning acting career in the late 1980s and 90s, Smith was a successful pop-rapper, first with DJ Jazzy Jeff and then as a solo artist. He had nine UK Top Five hits in all, including No 1s with Boom! Shake the Room and Men in Black. He hasn’t released an album since 2005’s Lost and Found, and a new track with Jazzy Jeff in 2017, Get Lit, was a flop.

Nicky Jam, meanwhile, is one of Latin America’s biggest stars – his most recent single, X, has been streamed almost 800m times on YouTube, while previous hits like El Amante and El Perdón have over a billion each. Istrefi is a rising star whose track BonBon was a dance hit across Europe in 2016, and who has worked with rapper French Montana.

The official World Cup song is usually performed at either the opening or closing ceremony. Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez performed We Are One (Ole Ola) at the 2014 opening ceremony, while Shakira’s Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) closed out the 2010 competition.

As well as the official song each year, there is also an “anthem”, which have been performed in the past by the likes of Wyclef Jean, R Kelly and Vangelis. Unofficial tracks and promotional tie-ins include ones from Coca-Cola, who have had its own anthem for the last two competitions. This year it will be Colors by Jason Derulo and Maluma.

Earlier this month, an FA spokesperson confirmed there would be no official song for the England team. Previous official songs include World in Motion by New Order in 1990, World at Your Feet by Embrace in 2006 and a rerecorded version of Take That’s Greatest Day in 2014. The most popular year for World Cup anthems in the UK remains 1998, with the official track – On Top of the World, performed by Ian McCulloch, the Spice Girls and others – reaching the Top 10, but getting overshadowed by unofficial tracks Vindaloo by Fat Les, which reached No 2, and Three Lions by Baddiel and Skinner, which topped the chart.

[Gazz]

'World in Motion' it is then.

[MDK]

37 minutes ago, The Gazz said:

'World in Motion' it is then.

Woah, hold up, I just heard about this absolute banger from '94 from the Germans and The Village People. Yes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDEfaonoQvg