I was listening to a pod and people were saying what a surprise Saudi was. Then after their performance they admitted it was because they had only followed their pre-cup friendlies.
Saudi Arabia were good in qualifying. And this is the closest they’ve had to home conditions and support in a World Cup.
Japan usually has a very composed team, with a few star players the team is built around. But they’ve lost a lot of senior talent since the last cup. I don’t think they really know their top team. It certainly wasn’t the team that started against Costa Rica, which was disrespectful to the Costa Rican’s, but also should have been less of a gamble than it was.
If they start their top talent against Spain I think they could win, because football. Not a likely outcome, but the game will be more open with more space for them to find. And they will have a heck of a point to prove.
Saudi Arabia were good in qualifying. And this is the closest they’ve had to home conditions and support in a World Cup.
Japan usually has a very composed team, with a few star players the team is built around. But they’ve lost a lot of senior talent since the last cup. I don’t think they really know their top team. It certainly wasn’t the team that started against Costa Rica, which was disrespectful to the Costa Rican’s, but also should have been less of a gamble than it was.
If they start their top talent against Spain I think they could win, because football. Not a likely outcome, but the game will be more open with more space for them to find. And they will have a heck of a point to prove.