[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

My only issue is that Colombia had to make a change after the goal. They had to strengthen up top or they'd have gone out. It wasn't so much a Plan B as the only option available to them. That's why I initially agreed with the Dier change. I thought we'd absorb their inevitable attacks and then kill them with our pace (and their defence, weakened by finally having to come out) on the counter-attack, but we started passing back instead, trying to keep possession, which we've never been any good at it.

yes of course it was their only option at that point, but it had been an option from the beginning— except not.

colombia had always been capable of playing a more offensive game but instead sat back afraid of counters.

and indeed it was probably the right thing to do, because as you said, you could kill them with your pace.

but your pace was much faster earlier in the game. by the end the speed wasn’t there anymore.

so late in the game was the only time when colombia was free to push forward, because earlier they would have been surprised at the back.

as much as it didn’t work out for them in the penalties, pékerman’s plan was not a bad one.

i know you said that england look rattled after the goal, but both me and cox agree (lmao, that sounded douchy, but dont know how else to say it) that colombia was on top BEFORE the goal, so nerves or whatever were not the cause. you had the game in the bag. but it was colombia’s tactics that changed things.

but colombia was only free to switch when you couldn’t run that fast anymore.

Originally Posted by demonrail666

MC called it Colombia's Plan B, but that's like saying that a boxer, behind on points going into the final round has a Plan B when they go for a last minute knockout.

but that was precisely ali’s rope-a-dope vs. george foreman!!!

ali could not beat foreman on power early in the fight

colombia could not outpace england early in the game

q.e.d.

Originally Posted by demonrail666

But the most interesting part for me was about Pekerman's switch to a 4-4-2 in the 2nd half of extra time, when England came back into it. I'd noticed Colombia had lost a lot of their momentum then but couldn't work out why, so his analysis made a lot of sense.

yeah