TFT Issue 124!
FreeHowdy guys and girls!
Toulon Tournament Reviews
Unfortunately, Hungary vs China was a game I wasn’t able to watch so I apologise that I can’t give you a review as to what happened first-hand. From what I’ve been told, it was a dour first-half as both sides got to grips with one another and Hungary eventually came out of the traps second-half, prod
France vs Mexico
This game went exactly as I imagined. Two sides attacking with little care for defend and the 4-1 scoreline in favour of France reflected their superiority in the game. They played very well indeed, constantly attacking incisively although it has to be said that Mexico were lax at the back. However, the French were asleep themselves for the Mexican goal and the talented Mexican side took advantage of it. I can see plenty of overs in games involving these two sides with the above in mind but make no mistake here – France are very much contenders in this tournament and Mexico need to be better if they’re to do as well as I expect them to.
Featured game
Croatia vs Georgia – under 2.5 goals at 9/10.
Today’s featured game is the UEFA European Championship Qualifier between Croatia and Georgia.
First of all, Croatia are horribly short for this game and should not be backed at such ridiculous odds. Georgia boss Ketsbaia has set his side out magnificently ever since he took over and no side has had an easy game against them, especially when it comes to breaking them down. Don’t get me wrong – it’s not pretty to watch at all but it’s effective.
I watched the reversal of this fixture in Georgia and it should have ended 0-0. A blip in the Croatian backline allowed a wild shot to find the back of the net in the dying embers of the game but there was too few chances in that game to merit a goal. Croatia had a lot of the possession but failed to do much with it as Georgia were extremely well-organised and very compact. Ultimately, I expect the same type of game here and although Croatia might edge it, the odds don’t interest me in the slightest for the 1×2 market.
So – who’s out for this game? That’s another important factor to consider. For Croatia, the losses are hefty, in my view. They miss the workrate of Olic in attack but most importantly of all, they miss the creativity of Kranjcar and Rakitic in midfield. Those absentees are huge for Croatia as it effectively leaves Croatia with Modric pulling the strings or going wide and going wide really suits Georgia’s strong centre-backs. Ketsbaia will stick two men on Modric and if he does that then he’s got a damn good chance of taking a point from this game, in my view. All in all, Croatia’s midfield looks very inexperienced and that’s going to be a big factor here, I feel.
Georgia – I’ve not heard much about their squad, unfortunately. I’m not too concerned about that, however, as Ketsbaia sets up his sides very well indeed. As long as Kaladze is holding things together at the back and Kobiashvili is in midfield then I can have no complaints here.
For me, this game is going under 2.5 goals, one way or another, and don’t rule out a surprise result!
Verdict: Under 2.5 goals at 9/10.
Toulon Tournament
Ok guys, today is a well and truly “abandon ship” day, in my view.
Colombia vs Ivory Coast – everyone will be jumping on a Colombian win but I’m not sure. Ivory Coast lost against Italy because they were utterly horrendous; I doubt very much that we’ll see that side again today. Italy took their chances fairly well and created a lot but again, a lot of them were down to poor Ivorian defending. I think they’ll improve for this game and although I rate Colombia highly, they didn’t take their chances well enough against Portugal to convince me that they’ll score more than Ivory Coast here. Unlike Portugal, Ivory Coast can match the Colombians for strength and given that their physical advantage really helped the South Americans against the Portuguese, I think we may see an interesting game here. I think it’ll be a 1-1 draw but it’s a “no bet” for me.
Similarly, Italy vs Portugal is another “no bet”. Italy did quite well against Ivory Coast but the African side made it very easy for them. Italy should have scored a lot more but wasted their chances. What Portugal did very well against Colombia was keep their main men out of the game, especially with Nuno at the heart of their defence. I think Portugal can keep Italy out here, at least for the majority of the game. Italy have much better strikers than Portugal and they may find a way through at somepoint to edge the game but I envision a tight game with few goals as Portugal have no firepower in attack unless Balde plays and Italy’s defence looks pretty solid as it is. My only interest is under 2.5 goals after the first goal is scored, if there is actually a goal.