World Cup Watch: Red Representation High in Knockouts
This edition of the World Cup has just wrapped up the group stage which means we can begin to turn our attention to the knockouts. Before we do, though, I just want to say: I’m already nostalgic for the group stage.
Yes, I’ve more or less managed to not watch any of the matches save last week’s Netherlands-Sweden match (my Liverpool fandom betrayed my integrity here). But, honestly, the group stage is my favorite part of most tournaments. A big part of it, of course, is that this part of the schedule is absolutely dense with matches. I mean, most days, we’re talking at least 4 matches. As someone that loves football and the secondary activity that comes with watching it: conversing with others about it.
And so, yes, the chaos and almost impossible task of keeping up with the narratives and moments in the group stage is kind of what I live for. In fact, this is true even beyond football: the NCAA basketball tournament is, in my opinion, at its best in the early rounds.
But, we’re here now and when it comes to Liverpool, the angle here is that quite a lot of our players are still alive in the tournament. Let’s go through the list of teams and the corresponding Reds that are moving on in the World Cup.
Argentina – Alexis Mac Allister; Brazil – Alisson; Germany – Florian Wirtz; Netherlands – Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch, and Virgil Van Dijk; Spain – Victor Munoz; Sweden – Alexander Isak
When you consider past players (Mohamed Salah) and players who would be playing but sustained an injury (Wataru Endo), you reach double-digit figures for Reds entering the knockout rounds for the World Cup.
It may seem like a relatively minor achievement, but looking at the fact that some nations with storied footballing history – Darwin Nunez’s Uruguay, for example – are already headed home, the challenge of putting together a decent run in this tournament is quite high.
So, if you’re interested in seeing the Liverpool implications in the World Cup beyond, say, Yan Diomande, you’ve still got options. Here’s hoping the lads will continue to turn in decent performances – I’m personally rooting for strong tournaments from both Isak and Wirtz, respectively – and come back to Merseyside fit and ready to go for the next season. Given that we’re only about 6 weeks away from most players reporting to the AXA training facility to prep ahead of the new season, I can only hope that the good vibes keep rolling for our Reds.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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