Hello everyone, and welcome to Early Doors Football. Now that the World Cup has come to a conclusion, I am going to give my thoughts on the final, key moments, and overall complexion of the tournament. This was undoubtedly one of the most incredible finals I have ever seen, and I am sure it will go down as one of the best of all time, so I feel privileged to have watched it live. I won’t waste any more time; let’s jump in.
Rollercoaster: Best Final Ever?
I try to refrain from hyperbolic statements, but that France vs Argentina match may have been the best game I have ever seen. So many twists and turns, so many moments of sheer quality, and a poetic ending to an outrageous tournament. One would be enthralled by such a match at any level, but for this to take place at the pinnacle of football was something truly special. This is the sort of game that the younger generation will tell their children about, so I feel blessed to have witnessed it.
There really is no one place to start; there were storylines all over the pitch, so perhaps a chronological approach is most applicable. France were abysmal for the first 80 minutes of the game, but that should not take away from Argentina’s performance during this period. Not only did they simply have more desire and passion than France, the manager set them up brilliantly to exploit France’s system. They dominated the midfield and made Rabiot and Tchouameni (who have been brilliant this tournament may I add) look like schoolboys. Looking to exploit the weak “press” of Mbappe and Giroud, Argentina built up through the middle, which enabled their midfield trio of Mac-Allister, Enzo, and De Paul to run riot. They all had the performance of their lives and were able to connect superbly with Di Maria, Alvarez, and Messi. I feel like Di Maria deserves a special mention as well, given he came back after missing multiple games through injury. You cannot understate the impact he had in this game, as he was involved in both of the first half goals and continually terrorized the French defense. It was a bold move from Scaloni to reintroduce Di Maria, and one I admittedly did not think he had in his locker, but he bossed Deschamps, and his inclusion of Di Maria went a long way in enabling this outcome.
From the French perspective, there are a lot of questions to ask, particularly about the first 80 minutes. You can lament Deschamps for his set-up, and for good reason, but the players themselves have to shoulder a lot of the blame in my opinion. The French were second to every ball and seemed to completely lack desire, which is simply unacceptable considering the gravity of the match. It all changed in the 80th minute when Mbappe slammed home a penalty won by Kolo Muani. I understand 2 of Mbappe’s hattrick goals were from the spot, but I genuinely cannot remember an individual performance quite like his. To be a passenger for 80 minutes, then to kick on and be dangerous every time you touch the ball in the following 40 minutes was something special, almost disorienting, to watch. He reminded us that he has one of the brightest futures in world football, and given he scored a hattrick in a World Cup final (the first since 1966) and lost, you can’t help but feel for him.
Now, into the closing minutes and the penalty shootout. There is only one man to discuss at this point: Emi Martinez. In the final moments, Kolo Muani found himself in on goal. It looked like a certain goal, in fact I was already in shock that France were about to win the World Cup in the final seconds. Against all odds, Martinez pulled out one of the most ridiculous saves you will see, both because of its skill, but also its importance. He flung a leg out to prevent Kolo Muani from wheeling away in celebration, which inevitably sent the match to extra time. We already know Martinez’s expertise when it comes to penalty shootouts, thanks to his brilliant performances in the Copa America against Colombia and more recently against Netherlands in the quarterfinals. Yet again, his antics proved invaluable, as Tchouameni sent his penalty wide, and he took matters into his own hands as he saved Coman’s. Martinez simply thrives in the chaos, he loves wreaking havoc, and the shootout gives him the perfect opportunity to do so. I cannot describe facing Martinez better than a fan did on Twitter; “When you go into a penalty shootout with Emi Martinez, you’re no longer in a stadium, you’re in a box and it’s just you and him and every second that goes by, that box closes in, getting smaller and smaller as he laughs like a madman”. Many players will get plaudits for their performances in the final, and rightly so, but Martinez has to be near the top of the list for me. How can I have gone this long without speaking about Lionel Messi? I feel so blessed to have lived in a time where I have been able to watch him play consistently, no superlatives can be used to describe him. I do not like saying “X player deserves to win Y trophy” as I do not think the game owes any player anything, but if anyone were to ever deserve a trophy, it would be Messi and the World Cup. The beauty of this tournament though is that he EARNED the right to win; this trophy was not given to him, it was taken. He was absolutely everywhere, dropping masterclass after masterclass. Easily the best creator at the tournament, he is something to behold, even at the age of 35. It is as if he moves on a different time table than the opponents; he shifts and accelerates and inexplicable moments and leaves defenders scrambling. We have seen a different Messi at these past two international tournaments, a grit and drive has been placed in him that makes him unstoppable. This passion being paired with his cool head puts him on a different level, as epitomized by his penalty in the final shootout. I am a guy who loves when a player waits for the keeper to move prior to shooting, so he can roll it to the other side, and this was the best example of that I have ever seen. To have the composure to look Lloris in the eyes, before rolling it agonizingly slow, in the biggest match of his career; truly something to behold. It was as if he knew already that the win was guaranteed. This attitude clearly impacted the following Argentine takers, as they all held their nerve brilliantly. Seeing Messi fall to his knees with joy etched across his face as Molina won them the title was beautiful to watch, as he was quickly surrounded by his teammates (and recently-retired Aguero, who appeared out of thin air) who he clearly means so much to. For me, he was already the best of all time, but now there is no doubt he belongs in the upper echelon of players; not only from this generation, but for all time. Lastly, a quick word on Lionel Scaloni. The way he has taken the reins of this team has been nothing short of incredible. Having been put in place as the caretaker manager in 2018, with a modest coaching resume, he has blown every expectation out of the water. He is also a manager who will not hide his emotions, which is something interesting to see. After Molina clinched the victory, he stood stoic for a while, before sitting on the bench, equally indifferent. Finally, it hits him, and he bursts into tears. Being Argentine, this is the pinnacle of his career, if not life, so he simply could not contain the feelings of joy and disbelief. He played a huge role in this victory; he was not dragged to glory by individual performances, but was able to set his team up astutely and in ways that stifled opponents. I did not think he had that tactical ineptness in his locker prior to the tournament, but he has absolutely proved me wrong.
Tournament as a Whole
I have seen some people calling this the best World Cup ever, and while I thoroughly enjoyed it, we should not let recency bias cloud our judgment. There were certainly some lovely moments and lots of drama, but there were a multitude of stale matches and a lack of real tactical battles in many matches. In fairness, many of the “weaker” sides were very organized, which led to tighter games and multiple upsets, but we also saw a lot of rather dull 0-0s and close affairs. A lot of the juggernauts crashed out early, so you cannot help but feel slightly underwhelmed on some of the potential matchups that we missed out on. Do not take the above statements as any disrespect to certain sides, as they absolutely earned their places in the respective rounds that they reached. Japan stood strong against Germany and Spain and fought till the end against Croatia, so they certainly brought excitement to the tournament. And of course, Morocco provided one of the best stories we have seen at any recent World Cup, as they were the first African side to make it into the semifinals. They provided some of the more interesting tactical performances, as they played with a low block, but were extremely aggressive once they got hold of the ball. For all of the excitement on the field, off the field issues still overshadowed the football.
“Death is a part of life”: Sportswashing in Qatar
Look, we all know what happened in the lead up to this tournament, we know what this tournament was built on and why it was held in this country. I do not need to rehash all of that; many people are more intelligent than I have given their thoughts, and my thoughts align closely. It is a travesty that this tournament was bought and thousands had to die to build these venues. The purpose of hosting the tournament was clear from the start, and I suppose you can say it was successful. While we now remember all of the absurdities that went on in the lead up to the tournament, in a decade all we may remember is the great final we witnessed and the brilliant football. The hosts will hope that this will lead to us looking fondly on their country as a whole, despite their many human rights abuses and corrupt bid committee. There are just two things I want to mention directly, as they took place during the tournament. Firstly, there was a Filipino worker who died mid-tournament, which led to a journalist questioning the World Cup Chief Nasser al-Khater about the passing. To be fair, his response was better than most previous occurrences, as he actually acknowledged the death even happened, so well done there. His response still belongs in the gutter, along with just about every other word that has come out of his mouth. He leads with “We have a successful World Cup. And this is something you want to talk about right now? A worker died, our condolences to his family but it is strange that is something you want to focus on as your first question.” That is bad enough, but then he feels the need to add “death is a part of life - whether it is at work or whether it is in your sleep” (The Guardian). Unfortunately, we live in a world where people can say absurd things like that and have it largely ignored. Obviously, such a callous response does not come as a surprise, but it is yet another example of how unfit the bid leaders are to host such an event.
Perhaps this next issue is not as big (or small) as some are making it, and I am happy to accept that this is more open to interpretation. During the trophy presentation, prior to Messi lifting the hardware, a bisht was placed around him by the Emir of Qatar. Given the bisht is a sign of prestige or status, one could say it was fitting for “footballing royalty” such as Messi, a statement which I would find difficult to disagree with. From a more cynical point of view, which is the stance I will take, is that this was FIFA’s and Qatar’s last attempt at a bit of sportswashing. Now, the iconic trophy lift image will have a reminder of who hosted the tournament, and who’s shadow lurked throughout every match that was played. Perhaps I could accept this as a kind gesture by a country’s leader, but alas, thousands have died in the lead up, workers went unpaid and lived in horrible conditions, and the corrupt individuals even having the chance to ruin said workers lives is likely thanks to an inexplicable amount of corruption. So no, I do not think I can assume the more positive of the two motives.
Prior to this, as the individual awards were being handed out, we got one of the most confusing, hilarious, and borderline startling moments of the entire tournament. As Emiliano Martinez was awarded the Golden Glove, thanks to his heroic goalkeeping performances, he chose to do something rather odd with the trophy, something that needn’t be described by words, as only the image will do it justice.
An interesting way to celebrate being the best goalkeeper at the tournament, especially in front of numerous foreign dignitaries. While I certainly would not have done this myself, I find it utterly hilarious. Despite all of the efforts of FIFA and Qatar to put on a spotless event, in an effort to make us ignore the atrocities they have committed, they still had a mockery made of their presentation, thanks to a childish player. One of the players they used in one of the most expensive ploys of sportswashing we have ever seen, threw one last insignificant wrench into their plan.
Well, that concludes my thoughts on the 2022 World Cup. While off the field issues cannot be forgotten, the football was enjoyable. I certainly do not have the final say on all of this, both in terms of on the field and off the field thoughts, so feel free to reach out and share your thoughts or feedback as well. It is always great to enjoy the international tournaments, but now we will be back with club football soon. I know articles have been a bit sporadic in the past few months, but in the new year you all can expect more consistent uploads, on a roughly bi-monthly basis. Thank you all for reading, happy holidays, and have a wonderful day.
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