Olympics 2020 (U23)

[Andresito]

Dates: 22 July - 7 August 2021

 

[Andresito]

Checking the squads, Spain are easily the most stacked. France are surprisingly underwhelming in comparison.
Brazil and Germany look like Spain's biggest competitors.

 

[Bobo32]

Checking the squads, Spain are easily the most stacked. France are surprisingly underwhelming in comparison.
Brazil and Germany look like Spain's biggest competitors.

Why Germany?
I only know of a few of their players like Heinrichs and Max Arnold, so it's tough for me to say...

Odds@bet365:
Spain 3.00
Brazil 3.75
France 6.00
Argentina 9.00
Japan 9.00
Germany 10.00

Spains team is pretty stacked. Merino, Ceballos and Asensio are the overaged ones and should therefore play I guess. They could line up like this:

Simon
Mingueza-Garcia-Pau-Cucurella
Merino
Ceballos-Pedri
Asensio-Oyarzabal-Olmo

But I have no clue if that's close to how it will look. Miranda, Soler, Gil, Vallejo are some other well known names in the squad...

 

[Porque]

Crazy that Spain can and probably will start with 6 players who feature in the Euro semi-final.

 

[Bobo32]

Crazy that Spain can and probably will start with 6 players who feature in the Euro semi-final.

Yeah, they should be in a league of their own based on the names that Bobo32 recognises...

In Argentina, there is only Ezequiel Ponce and Thiago Almada I recognise by name, and their only overaged player is the goalkeeper from Cadiz; Ledesma. They also have Claudio Bravo in the squad, but this one plays as a defender for Portland Timbers...

It will be VERY fun to watch Dani Alves in Brazil. They also have Diego Carlos and a goalie named Santos as overaged players. Richarlison is the big name that stands out otherwise.

France brings Thauvin, Gignac and a guy named Savanier as their elderly three, otherwise it's mostly young domestic players that I don't know anything about.

Japan brings Kubo and what looks like three strong overaged players in Sakai, Yoshida and Endo.

 

[Porque]

Japan should of taken Kazuyoshi Miura.

The media for a Pedri vs. Miura final would write itself.

 

[khaled_a_d]

Crazy that Spain can and probably will start with 6 players who feature in the Euro semi-final.

Too bad they didn't take F.Torres. Could have been lucky number 7 for them.
But seriously, why he wasn't selected?

 

[Porque]

Too bad they didn't take F.Torres. Could have been lucky number 7 for them.
But seriously, why he wasn't selected?

Now Guardiola has explained why City prevented their players from going to Toyko, citing the short turnaround between the end of the Euros and the start of the new season. The Olympic football tournament runs until August 7, when City take on Leicester in the Community Shield.

Speaking to TV3 (via Mundo Deportivo ), Guardiola said: “I think that a competition in the summer is enough. Messi went to the Olympics (in 2008) because he had neither the World Cup nor the Copa America.

"Ferran Torres and Rodri could have gone to the Games and they are not going, but they have already gone to the Eurocup. It's too much. They must reject it. We pay them very well and they serve the club.

"And who pays the players are the clubs, which must protect their assets. If Ferran and Rodri hadn't gone to the European Championship, they would have gone to the Games.”

---

City managed to do what we could not.

 

[soul24rage]

Yeah, they should be in a league of their own based on the names that Bobo32 recognises...

In Argentina, there is only Ezequiel Ponce and Thiago Almada I recognise by name, and their only overaged player is the goalkeeper from Cadiz; Ledesma. They also have Claudio Bravo in the squad, but this one plays as a defender for Portland Timbers...

It will be VERY fun to watch Dani Alves in Brazil. They also have Diego Carlos and a goalie named Santos as overaged players. Richarlison is the big name that stands out otherwise.

France brings Thauvin, Gignac and a guy named Savanier as their elderly three, otherwise it's mostly young domestic players that I don't know anything about.

Japan brings Kubo and what looks like three strong overaged players in Sakai, Yoshida and Endo.

Argentina has a CB combo of Nehuen Perez (highly rated, went to loan to Granada from ATM and played vs Barca in that infamous 2-1 home defeat) and Facundo Medina (who Scaloni is keeping tracks of)

There's also names like MacAllister and Gaich, but I don't rate them that much.

I'm keeping an eye out for Ledesma, Perez, Medina and T. Almada, but I don't expect them to make the WC 22 squad unless of course one of them have an insane season.

 

[Blaugrana Bull]

Germany only has 15 outfield players and 18 players in total because most clubs did not want to let their players go. Would be a huge upset if they manage to achieve something.

 

[Bobo32]

Argentina has a CB combo of Nehuen Perez (highly rated, went to loan to Granada from ATM and played vs Barca in that infamous 2-1 home defeat) and Facundo Medina (who Scaloni is keeping tracks of)

There's also names like MacAllister and Gaich, but I don't rate them that much.

I'm keeping an eye out for Ledesma, Perez, Medina and T. Almada, but I don't expect them to make the WC 22 squad unless of course one of them have an insane season.

Thanks for the input. Nehuen Perez I have a vague view of too, could he be said to be a bit Otamendi-like?
Would've been fun to see Lisandro too tbh, had Argentina been Spain I guess he'd be in (or if it's Ajax saying no)

Argentina had very nice olympics teams previously - I remember in particular 2004 with Tevez, D'Alessandro, Coloccini etc, and Bielsa as the manager. Then they won gold with Messi and Riquelme in 2008 of course. 2016 was a failure and it doesn't look like they are crazy for the revenge here...

 

[Andresito]

Most NT's are reasonable not to pick players that already played this summer. Spain the only ones that seem to go all in.

 

[soul24rage]

Thanks for the input. Nehuen Perez I have a vague view of too, could he be said to be a bit Otamendi-like?
Would've been fun to see Lisandro too tbh, had Argentina been Spain I guess he'd be in (or if it's Ajax saying no)

Argentina had very nice olympics teams previously - I remember in particular 2004 with Tevez, D'Alessandro, Coloccini etc, and Bielsa as the manager. Then they won gold with Messi and Riquelme in 2008 of course. 2016 was a failure and it doesn't look like they are crazy for the revenge here...

From the very little that I've seen of him and heard of him, Perez is a bit Otamendi like. He's also going to be captain for the Arg. Olympics team even though he is on the young side.

Ironically, L. Martinez was rumoured to be selected for the Olympics alongside Cristian Romero, and I am so glad that Scaloni took them to the Copa America instead.

The future of CBs for Argentina is bright indeed.

 

[Andresito]

No surprises in Spain's XI. Miranda gets the nod over Cucurella otherwise it's as expected.

Starts in about 40 minutes.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

Mingueza injured. Hamstring.

Hopefully not long-term.