Big FIVE LEAGUE MY Foot!!!!!

[Enugu II]

Watching this World Cup I hope it has to be apparent to all that the crap and claim that all the best players are in the BIG 5 league is absolute crap. Yes, the Big 5 has most of the best players. Bold that word best because it has a different meaning from all. Any given day, a good team can take on a team full of best players on paper. Morocco and others have shown it. The fact, however, is that Morocco has done nothing shocking. These things have been done in the past and will be done in the future. That is why football results are not determined by merely number counting how many players you have in some "Big 5" crap or the other.

[Scipio Africanus]

Watching this World Cup I hope it has to be apparent to all that the crap and claim that all the best players are in the BIG 5 league is absolute crap. Yes, the Big 5 has most of the best players. Bold that word best because it has a different meaning from all. Any given day, a good team can take on a team full of best players on paper. Morocco and others have shown it. The fact, however, is that Morocco has done nothing shocking. These things have been done in the past and will be done in the future. That is why football results are not determined by merely number counting how many players you have in some "Big 5" crap or the other.

Did you check where the Moroccan players play before making this post?

[airwolex]

Bros...a lot of the Moroccans play in top leagues na

[Bigpokey24]

the big 5 leagues are good oo, we can use them to develop our players , so when we meet them in the WC, we are used to them... playing in top leagues do matter.. we need our goalies and defenders in the big 5 leagues oooo

[Enugu II]

Watching this World Cup I hope it has to be apparent to all that the crap and claim that all the best players are in the BIG 5 league is absolute crap. Yes, the Big 5 has most of the best players. Bold that word best because it has a different meaning from all. Any given day, a good team can take on a team full of best players on paper. Morocco and others have shown it. The fact, however, is that Morocco has done nothing shocking. These things have been done in the past and will be done in the future. That is why football results are not determined by merely number counting how many players you have in some "Big 5" crap or the other.

Did you check where the Moroccan players play before making this post?

Yes, I did. I wouldn't be writing this if they had more players in the Big 5 than the teams that they have overcome. Let's stop the bean counting.... that is the point and focus on what actually is produced on the field.

[mate]

This is an important discussion that would take many pages to flesh out.

My quick thoughts:

1) Yes, big European club football sometimes doesn't offer the environment for some players to succeed, a lot of it cultural.

2) That said, yes, having a presence on big European usually indicates individual player quality...but not having this doesn't mean you don't have the said quality.

I apologize in advance for bringing up Croatia, but I follow them through this prism. We have a lot of players in Europe. But for those who can't cut it for whatever reason, they play for Dinamo or Hajduk or Rijeka...Petkovic, Livaja, Orsic all scored or assisted in big games this WC...and our goalie who stopped Japan and Brazil plays for Dinamo.

It is a good blend. I don't think Croatia would do so well if we didn't have to big club guys. But also if we didn't have the domestic league non-glamorous players give depth...and we dream big that maybe our clubs in time will be even stronger.

Morocco has a lot of players in Europe. Some indeed play on big clubs. And there are some domestic players, although I know NOTHING about this, just scraping it from google.

My conclusion: at least for Croatia, our consistent success is tied to having enough big role players at big leagues as well as a domestic pool.

[mate]

BTW: England for me illustrates this. Concentrated in 1 major league, not well distributed across the others. That is why I think they are not tier 1, don't have enough of that continental flair culture.

But, the margins are thin, so I might end up eating my words in 3 hours...although I doubt it.

[packerland]

Watching this World Cup I hope it has to be apparent to all that the crap and claim that all the best players are in the BIG 5 league is absolute crap. Yes, the Big 5 has most of the best players. Bold that word best because it has a different meaning from all. Any given day, a good team can take on a team full of best players on paper. Morocco and others have shown it. The fact, however, is that Morocco has done nothing shocking. These things have been done in the past and will be done in the future. That is why football results are not determined by merely number counting how many players you have in some "Big 5" crap or the other.

Did you check where the Moroccan players play before making this post?

Yes, I did. I wouldn't be writing this if they had more players in the Big 5 than the teams that they have overcome. Let's stop the bean counting.... that is the point and focus on what actually is produced on the field.

No one said all their starting 11 has to be in the Big 5. That Morrocan team have players playing in top clubs. Don’t forget they fired their Foreign Coach because he refused to bring back Ziyech.

[cchinukw]

Their goalie alone na Sevilla's stopper.

[Enugu II]

BTW, I have not even located those who are starters in those teams. Bottom line this is about TEAM and not about individual players and their clubs.

Morocco World Cup 2022 squad: The final 26-man team
GK: Yassine Bounou (Sevilla)
GK: Munir El Kajoui (Al Wehda)
GK: Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti (Wydad Casablanca)
DF: Nayef Aguerd (West Ham United)
DF: Yahia Attiat Allah (Wydad Casablanca)
DF: Badr Benoun (Qatar SC)
DF: Achraf Dari (Stade Brest)
DF: Jawad El Yamiq (Real Valladolid)
DF: Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain)
DF: Noussair Mazraoui (Bayern Munich)
DF: Romain Saiss (Besiktas)
MF: Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina)
MF: Selim Amallah (Standard Liege)
MF: Bilal El Khannouss (Racing Genk)
MF: Yahya Jabrane (Wydad Casablanca)
MF: Azzedine Ounahi (Angers)
MF: Abdelhamid Sabiri (Sampdoria)
FW: Zakaria Aboukhlal (Toulouse)
FW: Soufiane Boufal (Angers)
FW: Ilias Chair (Queens Park Rangers)
FW: Walid Cheddira (Bari)
FW: Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla)
FW: Abde Ezzalzouli (Osasuna)
FW: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al Ittihad)
FW: Amine Harit (Olympique Marseille)
FW: Hakim Ziyech (Chelsea)

[EMIR KONGI JAFFI JOFFA]

Conversely, countries without a functioning league are nowhere near the WC. Even Costa Rica has a well organized league.

[txj]

Conversely, countries without a functioning league are nowhere near the WC. Even Costa Rica has a well organized league.

Thank you for pointing that out.

Half education is very dangerous!

That is what this garbage thread exemplifies...

We have aleague that is dysfunctional in almost every aspect.
Player welfare
training
nutrition
pitches
referee
attendance
record keeping
marketing

And someone wants to compare the clubs in it to Wydad Casablanca...

Its not only ignorant but downright disrespectful to those countries that actually are working hard

[marko]

having big players and having a team are 2 different things! Greece won the Euros in 2004 with a disciplined defensive team

[mate]

having big players and having a team are 2 different things! Greece won the Euros in 2004 with a disciplined defensive team

I keep thinking about this comparison.

Greece couldn't sustain it. They actually did get fortunate in that Euro win. Not taking anything away, but Greece have since been terrible.

We will see where Morocco goes from here. I get the sense they can build upon this WC if they cement the success: maintain the NT program with continued blending of foreign and domestic players...and upgrade the leagues and academies.

[marko]

having big players and having a team are 2 different things! Greece won the Euros in 2004 with a disciplined defensive team

I keep thinking about this comparison.

Greece couldn't sustain it. They actually did get fortunate in that Euro win. Not taking anything away, but Greece have since been terrible.

We will see where Morocco goes from here. I get the sense they can build upon this WC if they cement the success: maintain the NT program with continued blending of foreign and domestic players...and upgrade the leagues and academies.

the difference being, Morocco have skilful footballers, natural talent is in abundance! it will inspire more teenagers to pursue a career in football, they should continue recruiting foreign based players and mix them with the home based, their players will be in huge demand now, thats what success does

[ohsee]

Conversely, countries without a functioning league are nowhere near the WC. Even Costa Rica has a well organized league.

Thank you for pointing that out.

Half education is very dangerous!

That is what this garbage thread exemplifies...

We have aleague that is dysfunctional in almost every aspect.
Player welfare
training
nutrition
pitches
referee
attendance
record keeping
marketing

And someone wants to compare the clubs in it to Wydad Casablanca...

Its not only ignorant but downright disrespectful to those countries that actually are working hard

Useless man, do you have to insult your elders and betters to make your point?

[Otitokoro]

Your argument is totally flawed, Prof.
Good teams are made up of good players. Good players play in the best leagues - that is the reality of modern day football.
Had Morocco not deployed its best players, they would have been back home in Rabat right now.

Watching this World Cup I hope it has to be apparent to all that the crap and claim that all the best players are in the BIG 5 league is absolute crap. Yes, the Big 5 has most of the best players. Bold that word best because it has a different meaning from all. Any given day, a good team can take on a team full of best players on paper. Morocco and others have shown it. The fact, however, is that Morocco has done nothing shocking. These things have been done in the past and will be done in the future. That is why football results are not determined by merely number counting how many players you have in some "Big 5" crap or the other.

[Damunk]

Teams actually can win on huge doses of good fortune.
Essentially, the business end of the World Cup is a knockout competition, not a league.
We will always have the upsets - that’s the allure of the knockout competitions across the world.
Sustaining it is another matter.

Don’t talk about Greece or even about Denmark as if they’re typical cases.
Theirs were extreme examples. Good for them but it’s not happening again for them any time soon.

Morocco we are celebrating today would never be stupid enough to ignore quality players available to them for sentimental quota system rubbish. You earn your place on quality.
No substitute.

[Scipio Africanus]

Conversely, countries without a functioning league are nowhere near the WC. Even Costa Rica has a well organized league.

Thank you for pointing that out.

Half education is very dangerous!

That is what this garbage thread exemplifies...

We have aleague that is dysfunctional in almost every aspect.
Player welfare
training
nutrition
pitches
referee
attendance
record keeping
marketing

And someone wants to compare the clubs in it to Wydad Casablanca...

Its not only ignorant but downright disrespectful to those countries that actually are working hard

Useless man, do you have to insult your elders and betters to make your point?

That's the MO of the stupid c-word. My goodness what a gutter rat txj is. Now he'll be along to tell you how there is something very wrong with you . Projection.

[Damunk]

Your argument is totally flawed, Prof.
Good teams are made up of good players. Good players play in the best leagues - that is the reality of modern day football.
Had Morocco not deployed its best players, they would have been back home in Rabat right now.

Watching this World Cup I hope it has to be apparent to all that the crap and claim that all the best players are in the BIG 5 league is absolute crap. Yes, the Big 5 has most of the best players. Bold that word best because it has a different meaning from all. Any given day, a good team can take on a team full of best players on paper. Morocco and others have shown it. The fact, however, is that Morocco has done nothing shocking. These things have been done in the past and will be done in the future. That is why football results are not determined by merely number counting how many players you have in some "Big 5" crap or the other.

Nigeria would probably have told Ziyeck to go to hell for turning down an invitation by the (former) coach.
Now nobody remembers all that.
Nobody remembers the number of Moroccan players born and/or playing outside Morocco. Or whose mama is a foreigner.
They are Moroccans. Finish.

[YUJAM]

Well their starting LB plays for Wydad.

[txj]

Conversely, countries without a functioning league are nowhere near the WC. Even Costa Rica has a well organized league.

Thank you for pointing that out.

Half education is very dangerous!

That is what this garbage thread exemplifies...

We have aleague that is dysfunctional in almost every aspect.
Player welfare
training
nutrition
pitches
referee
attendance
record keeping
marketing

And someone wants to compare the clubs in it to Wydad Casablanca...

Its not only ignorant but downright disrespectful to those countries that actually are working hard

Useless man, do you have to insult your elders and betters to make your point?

I would counter that the thread itself is an insult on our collective intelligence and therefore worse...

The point he makes though, which I agree with, is that its ultimately about the quality of the team you produce, not the profile of individual players. which is not saying anything new...

But there's little doubt that the threshold and the platform is the quality of the players. And that's what gives you the foundation to build quality teams...

[Damunk]

Well their starting LB plays for Wydad.

Great, But why only him?
There’s a reason and I don’t think it’s sentiment.