World Cup 2022 Qualifiers

[Ric]

[Jim McLean's Ghost]

12 minutes ago, jagfox BLM said:

 

Danes are shitting it I think...

og from McSauce? Sounds about right.

[Ian38018]

56 minutes ago, DA Baracus said:

 

Pish. If we are professional about it they should be straightforward wins.

I'd argue that trembling like wee bitches lost us the games noted. Take Kazakhstan for example. There was a list of excuses repeated multiple times that clearly got in the player's heads and the team looked terrified and were roundly pumped. For the game in Macedonia there were tears for ages about the heat and the team put in a timid, shitebag performance.

We were beat well before the games even began in most of those cases. The team was mentally weak and poor management allowed it to happen.

If the team approach the games in a professional manner and go in with confidence, they should be straightforward victories. A bit of belief goes a long way. 

Or they could be scared of a pot 6 team and play like shitebags and deservedly get nothing, a sterling tactic that has seen us qualify for every tournament since France 98...

So - to translate - we need to approach the matches against the teams seeded below us, with a balanced degrees of respect and confidence.  Too often we have leatt too far in either direction.  I have a lot more confidence in SC's approach to getting this right, than that of one or two of his predecessors.

[KirkieRR]

Israel are the new Lithuania.

Basic thing - 12 points v Moldova and the Faroes. We've no right to expect this but it's essential to qualify. I'd much rather fluke actually topping the group - and we'd need a lot of luck - than go through the Hades of play-offs against teams much better than Israel and Serbia.

Need to beat Austria and Israel at home (and we've struggled to do that to Israel lately - the fourth best team, alegedly, in our group). Hopefully pick up a jammy point or two away. If we can squeeze a boring 0-0 at home v Denmark then who knows, if other teams take points of them we might have done enough.

As for that other lot - Albania AND San Mariono AND Andorra?

[HibeeJibee]

Faroe Islands can't play home in March or November... which means their 5 home games must be in September + October... which means we're slightly likelier to have homes in Mar + Nov.


We'll have played Israel some 7 times in (at most) 3 years 1 month come November of next year.

That is unprecedented against anyone - even Home Nations - unless you include war internationals (9 times v England in 3 years 0 months from 1941 to 1944 or 1942 to 1945).

[Dunning1874]

About as good as could be hoped for from 1 & 2, but unless we get over our horrible record v Israel we can forget it. We have to be taking 18 points from teams seeded 4, 5 & 6, none of this 'a draw away is a decent result' bollocks that has cost us qualification in the past.

[Binos]

9 minutes ago, Dunning1874 said:

About as good as could be hoped for from 1 & 2, but unless we get over our horrible record v Israel we can forget it. We have to be taking 18 points from teams seeded 4, 5 & 6, none of this 'a draw away is a decent result' bollocks that has cost us qualification in the past.

Our horrible record which included putting them out, twice

[Bully Wee Villa]

I bet loads of teams qualify without beating all of the bottom three home and away. If we take 16 points from those six games, we will have done well. Eighteen points would be brilliant.

[John Lambies Doos]

About as good as could be hoped for from 1 & 2, but unless we get over our horrible record v Israel we can forget it. We have to be taking 18 points from teams seeded 4, 5 & 6, none of this 'a draw away is a decent result' bollocks that has cost us qualification in the past.

Israel will take points off other teams too. Could be a blessing we have them, we certainly won't take them lightly

[Dunning1874]

4 minutes ago, Binos said:

Our horrible record which included putting them out, twice

One win, two draws and two defeats against a team we need to be beating twice. Yes, horrible.

[Binos]

Just now, Dunning1874 said:

One win, two draws and two defeats against a team we need to be beating twice. Yes, horrible.

You know we won twice

[HuttonDressedAsLahm]

7 minutes ago, Binos said:

Our horrible record which included putting them out, twice

Our horrible record which is one win in the last five games.

And no, penalties don't count as a win.

[craigkillie]

3 minutes ago, John Lambies Doos said:

17 minutes ago, Dunning1874 said:

About as good as could be hoped for from 1 & 2, but unless we get over our horrible record v Israel we can forget it. We have to be taking 18 points from teams seeded 4, 5 & 6, none of this 'a draw away is a decent result' bollocks that has cost us qualification in the past.

Israel will take points off other teams too. Could be a blessing we have them, we certainly won't take them lightly

There is no guarantee Israel will take points of Denmark or Austria. They aren't a very good team.

[Alert Mongoose]

Cracking draw.  Dykes’ late winner greeted with;

 

[git-intae-thum]

Actually think it is a good draw for us. The pot 1 and 2 teams could have been much worse and are eminently beatable...certainly at home. Playing well and with the run of the grain we could even sneak results against them away.

Israel (again) in pot 4 is a bit of a shitter. Think they are a lot better than their lowly ranking. Hopefully though they can take points off Denmark and Austria though.

[Insert Amusing Pseudonym]

Win all your home games, beat the bottom 3 away and you're guaranteed a playoff at worst.

 

Easier said than done, but as winnable groups go this is as good as it will ever get

[HuttonDressedAsLahm]

1 minute ago, craigkillie said:

There is no guarantee Israel will take points of Denmark or Austria. They aren't a very good team.

No, you're right, they aren't.

They still beat Austria in ECQ qualifying 4-2 in 2019.

[Insert Amusing Pseudonym]

2 minutes ago, craigkillie said:

There is no guarantee Israel will take points of Denmark or Austria. They aren't a very good team.

They pumped Austria in the euro qualifying

[Hendricks]

It really is as good a draw as we could have hoped for. Looking at Denmark and Austria's Euro qualifying campaigns (they both made it automatically finishing 2nd to Switzerland and Poland in their groups) but both dropped points to teams who aren't as good as us. Denmark drew with Rep. Ireland twice and drew in Georgia and Austria lost 3 times including, ironically, to Israel (4-2) and in Latvia!  Obviously we know all about Israel but the fact remains we should be beating them and when you look at the Faroes and Moldova's records they lost 18 games out of 20 with a win each against the mighty Malta and Andorra. Great opportunity.

Just having a look at when these are played and it's very condensed qualification and very much during the season, no games in June 2021 for obvious reasons. The games in March could easily still see Covid issues and having everyone available and getting off to a good start, pre the Euros is going to be huge. I'd take a couple of 'easy' fixtures to get points on the board this season and preferably if there is a big game, one of Denmark or Austria is at home. Lets leave Israel until later next year after the recent fixtures against them. 

The World Cup 2022 qualifiers are played:

3 in March 2021
3 in September 2021
2 in October 2021
2 in November 2021 

[Hendricks]

Another interesting thing to note is that Austria have a safety net for a play off place. They sit in 6th place in the Nations League failure to finish in the top 2 in your qualifying group, lets ensure all the big teams are there scam!!!

France 
Belgium
Italy 
Spain
Wales
Austria

There seems next to a 0% chance that those first 4 aren't 1st or 2nd in their respective groups which means that Austria will have a play off place whatever. Obviously their target will still be to win the group for automatic qualification but they may not be that motivated late in the campaign with a play off locked up already if automatic has gone. Therefore Austria at Hampden late next year might be what we want.