SPAIN’S DE GEA ‘WORKING LIKE AN ANIMAL’, SAYS ALCANTARA
Spain goalkeeper David de Gea is “working like a bloody animal” and has the full backing of his teammates in the face of stinging criticism from the national media for his World Cup displays, midfielder Thiago Alcantara said on Friday.
De Gea made a high-profile blunder in Spain’s 3-3 draw with Portugal by allowing a shot from Cristiano Ronaldo through his hands, which led to his status as the world’s No 1 keeper being called into question.
The Manchester United goalkeeper made his first save in the tournament in the 2-2 draw with Morocco in Spain’s final group game and although he has not made any more costly errors since the Portugal game, criticism has persisted. “It’s the most unfortunate position on the pitch but if you’ve seen David’s games for Manchester United and Spain you’ll be able to tell he is an outstanding goalkeeper,” Thiago told a news conference.
“The media also need to take a look at themselves and realise what a great player he is. Look how many times he has been named best goalkeeper in the Premier League. He works like a bloody animal and the confidence we have in him is gigantic.”
Spain meet hosts Russia in the round of 16 on Sunday after scraping to top spot in Group B with some underwhelming displays and some haphazard defending, highlighting how the sacking of coach Julen Lopetegui and replacing him with Fernando Hierro right before the World Cup began has unsettled the team.
The Bauman Street in Kazan is one of the busiest areas in the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. Dotted with restaurants serving Tatar delicacies, it also houses some of the city’s most popular pubs. Not surprisingly, it is one of the most popular tourist spots.
Two days before the first prequarterfinal of the World Cup between Argentina and France, only a handful of fans in white and blue were seen. By Saturday though, the landscape will change drastically. Argentine fans have been omnipresent this World Cup. Come Saturday 5pm, they will be expected to once again outnumber their rival fans.
On the pitch though, Argentina enter the fray as underdogs — an unusual situation for the last World Cup runners-up. After an unconvincing group stage, meeting France is one of the last things Jorge Sampaoli’s side would have wished for.
A win here though will surely erase Argentina’s initial struggle and reestablish their title claims. It’s easier said than done though. The 3-0 loss to Croatia in Nizhny Novgorod had exposed Argentina’s midfield for its lack of strength, forcing Sampaoli to bring back Ever Banega to his starting eleven in the 2-1 win against Nigeria.
With France possessing one of the best midfields, Sampaoli is expected to again start with a three-man central midfield. Against Nigeria, Argentina had started with a four-man backline but resorted to a three-man defence after conceding a secondhalf equaliser.
This is the conundrum that Sampaoli has to solve while strategising against France. A fourman defence could provide him with a stable three-man midfield with Messi at his favoured position of a free-floating role to its right.
Statistics can be of some inspiration for Argentina, having gone on to reach the final — in 1930 and 1978 —the last two occasions they beat France in the World Cup. At ground zero though, the situation looks difficult.
As opposed to Argentina’s struggles, France had a pretty smooth ride to the group top despite being far from their best. Resting a number of first-choice players in their last match
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