World Cup Love and Loathe: Bielsa Rant, Oyarzabal underrated numbers, and Egypt finally wins
Spain's unsung hero delivers, Belgium's golden generation hangover is real, Egypt finally wins at a World Cup, and Marcelo Bielsa is overrated
With the World Cup underway, here’s a column of some of the most important moments of this summer’s World Cup. With inspiration from The Mismatch, my favorite basketball podcast, here are the things I’ve loved about the days’ round of matches, and things I’ve loathed watching. It will be a tournament ot remember, have this be your morning companion as well (Until the LA Galaxy is back in action).
Love: Oyarzabal Shows Up
It was quite the rebound performance for the 29-year-old Real Sociedad forward. After not recording a touch of the ball in the first 30 minutes of Spain’s first game of the season, Mikel Oyarzabal had two goals and an assist in the first 30 minutes of La Roja’s 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia.
Oyarzabal isn’t a name that is recognized worldwide, but he should be. The numbers back up that he’s one of the most productive players at the club and national team level.
He’s recorded double-digit goals in eight of his last nine seasons for Real Sociedad. That’s an impressive record considering the many changes that have happened at Sociedad over the years, but he’s been the main consistent thing about the club.
At the international level, Oyarzabal has recorded 14 goals and seven assists for Spain. He’s come up in big moments too, such as scoring the game-winning goal at Euro 2024. I hope that he continues to have a good World Cup and that his quality can be recognized globally.
Loathe: Belgium’s Worrying Future
One of my main takeaways from Belgium’s 0-0 draw with Iran is how this team will survive as a football nation. Once the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois retire, there will be no world-class footballers on the national team.
Aside from Jermey Doku, it’s hard to see who might develop into a world-class talent and be the face of the national team. The drop in quality over the years in the Belgian national team has dropped, but it’s about to fall off a cliff after this summer.
Love: Egypt Finally Shows Up
I was shocked to learn that Egypt recorded its first-ever win at the World Cup during Sunday’s 3-1 victory over New Zealand. It’s more shocking when you consider that the Egyptians have won the most Africa Cup of Nations tournaments (7).
Mo Salah scored a fantastic goal in the second half to put Egypt in front and in the driver's seat of the game. The best player in Egyptian history was part of this monumental moment to have his homeland enjoy a World Cup victory.
It’s even more important when you consider that this puts Egypt in the driver’s seat to win its group. There is still more history for Egypt to make, but today was a monumental step forward.
Loathe: Marcelo Bielsa
One of the things I’ve never understood in the soccer world is the admiration and reverence that Marcelo Bielsa gets. He’s blunt, intense, and a no-nonsense kind of coach that people gravitate to, plus his style of football keeps you on your toes. He’s a character when he gets into his passionate rants, and his quirk of sitting on a cooler is kind of funny.
But he’s not a winner.
At the end of the day, the best managers are remembered by winning. Bielsa is not in that category. His best achievement since the turn of the century has been promoting Leeds to the Premier League. Is that all it takes to be a highly revered coach? Until I see him win any significant trophy, then it might change my opinion.
Clip of the Day
Staying on the topic of Uruguay, it’s been sad to see the decline of a nation with so much history in the sport. The small South American nation has been underwhelming this World Cup. The talent pipeline also doesn’t look so promising.
Diego Godin was a solid defender during his playing days and the leader of the team in the 2010’s. He was captured on the broadcast talking to someone and basically saying that this Uruguay team has no bite.
This performance against Cape Verde solidified that idea for a lot of people. I knew once it was official that Luis Suarez retired from the national team.
Prediction of the Day
I’m really looking forward to the match between Argentina and Austria. How is the La Albiceleste going to back up its performance against Alegria versus a team that will bring high-intensity for all 90 minutes?
I don’t see Leo Messi being a goalscorer in this game, but rather a playmaker. I’m going to say he records two assists in the game. His ability to break lines with his passing has never diminished.