# World Cup 2022 - discussion, predictions, and thoughts **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-soccer-fifa\ **Created:** [November 6, 2022, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476 "2022-11-06T20:37:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 66
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1301 "2022-12-08T08:16:31Z")
18 months till the European championships. Probably the right call. One thing I have noticed is that the top coaches never seem to get the national job in Germany. Not Heynckes, or Hitzfeld, multiple Champions League winners and while yes Hansi Flick got the job off his 2020 UCL win he had only been a Head Coach for two years. I suspect Klopp and Tuchel will follow the first two rather than Flick. Aragones, Del Bosque and now Enrique for Spain and Lippi and Saachi for Italy, but the Germans seem to look elsewhere. Hitzfeld was Swiss coach for donkey’s years, but the German national team never came. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1302 "2022-12-08T12:51:30Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > One thing I have noticed is that the top coaches never seem to get the national job in Germany. Not Heynckes, or Hitzfeld, Hitzfeld was offered the job, but turned it down. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1303 "2022-12-08T13:00:03Z")
Really? When and why? The Swiss job shows that he wasn’t averse to taking on international management. (Which is the excuse Lippi gave until he finally agreed to it). ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1304 "2022-12-08T13:12:45Z")
1. He said he was tired and that it was the wrong time, but that could have been a partial excuse given the disarray of the national team. > **[German Team Still Without a Coach – DW – 07/02/2004](https://www.dw.com/en/german-team-still-without-a-coach/a-1253608)** > > Germany's national soccer team remains coach-less after the top candidate surprisingly turned down the job. The decision left the German soccer world in turmoil just two years before the World Cup. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1305 "2022-12-08T23:42:08Z")
🙂 If only they gave the cup to best fans! Sorry for not replying but we’ve all come down with Covid in my house, we had avoided it thus far but no longer, it seems. All in all this has been a really shitty shitty year (this last problem being the least of the bad things that happened in 2022), seeing Lio raise the cup would not compensate the bad, but it surely would salvage a diamond of happiness in the middle of all the misery. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1306 "2022-12-08T23:47:58Z")
I’m sorry @Frodo for your and your family’s situation, please all get well soon. I still don’t know who to root for in the Argentina-Holland game, but if Argentina wins this whole thing, I’d be glad for you. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2022, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1307 "2022-12-08T23:56:09Z")
Thanks!, anyway we are all doing well now, thanks to our 3 vaccine doses I believe. At this point we are worrying more about tomorrow’s match, even my wife who used to say she didn’t care about futbol is having trouble controlling her nerves. As usual a prayer to D10s… “El Diego is my shepherd. He leads me in paths of dribblings. I will not fear in the quarterfinals, I will play 7 games forever.” ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1308 "2022-12-09T00:08:04Z")
So I finally watched a game, and what did I get? sPAIN vs. Morroco… I had an appointment, so I did not even watch the penalties, I was late already. And I sensed what was coming. My wife texted me what I expected on the way to the U-Bahn. Well, no, I lie: I did not expect them not to score a single goal even on penalties. I only expected them to lose on penalties. Ach! Never mind… @Frodo get well soon, you and all your family! There are still things to celebrate in style, I am sure. Con la ayuda de D10s y del MESSIas. 🙏 ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1309 "2022-12-09T00:30:24Z")
Thanks!. ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1310 "2022-12-09T03:42:17Z")
Get well soon, we will be drinking some Quilmes\* for you tomorrow. - blame my Brother in law he insists it’s the appropriate thing to drink ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1311 "2022-12-09T04:04:12Z")
Hehehe, thanks! In fact I was born in Quilmes and lived for many years less than a kilometer from the brewery. However I’ve never liked beer. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1312 "2022-12-09T14:42:49Z")
This game against Croatia will tell us a lot about how good this Brazilian team really is. The answer I suspect will be “very good”. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1313 "2022-12-09T15:47:34Z")
There a few nice chances, but overall this match is snooze-fest. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1314 "2022-12-09T16:29:21Z")
I think it’s fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1315 "2022-12-09T16:32:02Z")
Croatia is doing a great job of keeping possession and frustrating Brazil. They are waiting for Brazil to become impatient, and it just may work. It helps when you have a goalkeeper who is standing on his head to clean up any errors. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1316 "2022-12-09T16:35:21Z")
Man, give the yellow for simulation. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1317 "2022-12-09T16:39:03Z")
Where’s Modric rank in midfielders this century? Lets call Zidane a 20th century guy. Top 5, right? ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1318 "2022-12-09T17:14:57Z")
Wow. Neymar! ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1319 "2022-12-09T17:15:29Z")
Maybe goal of the tournament? Wonderful goal. Eh, on second view I think Richarlison’s is still better. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2022, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476/1320 "2022-12-09T17:16:25Z")
Certainly his signature World Cup moment…as long as they don’t give one up in the last 15. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476.md?page=65) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-cup-2022-discussion-predictions-and-thoughts/974476.md?page=67)