We are finished with another round of World Cup matches and this round did not disappoint at all. Drama, intense finishes, delicious goals, you name it, we had it.
However, there were some quite unserious behaviors as well. Before we get into it, thank you for everyone who was in round 1, you did well not to feature. With that said, this is not bullying, this is encouragement, please do better in round 3.
Here are the players.
Goalkeeper
Wayne Hennessey- It was so difficult to restrain from making a Hennessey joke (please drink responsibly), however Wayne came off of his line and clattered into the Iranian attacker and cost his team dearly. Wales did not play well at all but going down to 10 men made it that much easier for the Iranians. They ended up winning 2-0 and Wales are all but effectively out of the World Cup… unless they pull one out of the hat against England?
Right back
Jurrien Timber- One of the bright talents in Dutch football, he was heavily linked to Man Utd but against Ecuador? YIKES. The Dutch defender had a torrid time and was constantly looking shaky. If the Netherlands wants to stun the world, their bright prospects cannot make costly mistakes like Jurrien did. Netherlands faced Qatar to kick off the third round, and he started again because defenders need to have short memories.
Center back
Virgil van Dijk- You had to see this one coming right? No, I am not Marco van Basten (who had words for Virgil), I just love the beautiful game and hate to see one of the best players in the world make terrible mistakes. Watch the goal that Ecuador scored against Netherlands, watch Virgil and you understand why he is on this list. Fix up buddy, you are much better than that.
Nikola Milenkovic- This one hurts because he did so well against Brazil and he does well in Serie A but Nikola Milenkovic you did not keep the high line and Cameroon got their groove back through Vincent Aboubakar's ridiculous chip. Serbia came into this tournament as dark horses, if they defend the way they did against Cameroon against Switzerland, Belgrade will be welcoming back their sons on Saturday morning.
Left back
Yuto Nagatomo- It feels like elder abuse. He is 36 and has had a solid career but Yuto Nagatomo made Joel Campbell look like the Joel Campbell that signed for Arsenal (that is not a good thing). A lot of Japanese players could have made this list but the older gentlemen did not do well.
Center midfield
Kevin De Bruyne- According to reports, KDB got into it with his teammates and had to be stopped by Romelu Lukaku. That is strike one. Strike two, he has not played well at all in this tournament. The Morocco match was shocking. And strike three, the interview he did where he basically said, we are old and not winning a thing. You would want one of your leaders to lead but he just wants to go back to Manchester. Pep must give great speeches. and hugs.
Mason Mount- Before the tournament, I said that the midfield three of the United States is one of the more underrated units in the whole tournament. I feel good to be vindicated, however, what is shocking is that Mason Mount played a full 90 minutes. The Chelsea man has talent but has gone off the rails a bit. He has not been in the form that a player of his talent possesses and if his full 90 against U.S.A. is any indication of what is to come… football's not coming home.
Rodrigo De Paul- He was seen as a key cog for Argenitna but these performances have been anything but. He is also wearing number 7, that alone should have him on this list. Why is your brute force man wearing number 7, Argentina?! It is back to back bad matches for the Argentine and Argentina are tournament favorites but will not do much if they continue to start this man in the form he is in. Rodrigo needs to take some time.
Right wing
Raphinha- A mercurial talent, he has not shown his brilliance like his Leeds days at Barcelona but it is early days. He is meant to be a key catalyst for the Brazil team (who have an embarrassment of attacking talent) but he has played two poor matches and with Brazil qualified for the Round of 16, Tite needs to find a solution and fast. Raphinha's play is 2014 Brazil esque and we know he is better than that.
Center forward
Harry Kane- I am harsh. So what?! Harry Kane might be carrying an injury but he sure isn't carrying goals. It was said he was tired before coming into this tournament and I am tired of seeing him trot around. Against the USA, he could not sniff a chance, create a chance or do anything we have come to expect from him. Maybe he can pick himself up against Wales or maybe he gets dropped, the choice is yours Gareth Southgate.
Left wing
Heung-Min Son- LeBron James, Richard Hamilton, Rey Mysterio, Kane, Victor Osimhen, Antonio Rüdiger, Diego Costa. Why is Heung-Min Son not on this list? Because unlike these gentlemen, he cannot play well in a mask. Son is South Korea's hero but in these last two World Cup matches, where has he been? Hiding. He could've shown out against Ghana but he did not and it feels harsh, but please show out, especially when the lights are the brightest.
Coach
Hajime Moriyasu- There were some choices to be made here. Gareth Southgate, Rob Page, you are safe. Step up, Hajime Moriyasu. Costa Rica lost 7-0. They were there for the taking. Sealing your place in the knockout stage was right there but what did you do? Left your best players on the bench and now face a steep hill to climb, that's what. Spain are playing out of their skin and you need a result while Germany plays Costa Rica. Tt looks like you played yourself and if you get knocked out, you have no one to blame but yourself.
