The World Cup: North American Edition continued apace on Saturday as the Round of 16 kicked off with two match-ups: Canada vs Morocco and Paraguay vs France. There’s a Liverpool angle here, I promise, but before we get there, let’s set up the stakes and results, with the winners of each match poised to meet each other in the quarterfinals.
In the opening match of the day, Morocco set up in a decidedly more cagey manner, hoping to draw Canada out and hit them on the counter. Given that, most of the match looked
like it belonged to Canada, who did not hesitate to try and bring the attack to their opponent. Unfortunately, the gulf in quality between the two sides – remember that Morocco made it to the last World Cup’s semifinals – eventually took over as the Atlas Lions finished all three of the chances they created, leaving Canada to rue their missed opportunities. A thing Liverpool fans will likely find relatable to our friends in the Land of Maple Syrup.
In France vs. Paraguay, it was a more typical expression of the same dynamic with the underdogs from South America eager to play spoiler and, ultimately, the villain in an attempt to unsettle one of the tournament’s favorites. To their credit, Les Bleus played with the kind of composure and freedom that one might associate with a club that clearly understands they are among the, if not the outright, best team in the world. They were not drawn into the theatrics nor unsettled by what increasingly felt was a lopsidedly officiated match. Instead, they dug in and worked to force the initiative, finding the result they wanted in the end.
For Liverpool fans looking for any connection, one could be found in that France match as Bradley Barcola again started on the left for Didier Deschamps’ squad. For his part, he looked quite capable as he displayed pace, technique, and strength on the wings. I am, though, quite partial to Barcola’s teammate and countryman, Desire Doue, who ended up coming in for him with a little less than 30 min left in the match. Doue immediately found himself involved in the action by beating his marker with tricky footwork. A mere few minutes later, Doue did it again and drew the foul that led to the penalty kick.
I have no idea about the pecking order at Paris St. Germaine, but based on the very limited footage I’ve seen of Doue in comparison to Barcola, what I saw today is essentially the gap: Barcola looks reliable and capable but Doue contains a hint of magic. And, for me, that last bit is a bit tantalizing.
Of course, building a team – and system – that looks balanced is important. I found myself marveling at how Deschamps has managed to make a front three of Barcola, Mbappe, and Dembele work in terms of spacing. Not only because they may want to occupy similar spaces (Mbappe loves to pick up the ball wide left and go at defenders; Dembele likes to cut inside from the right and end up central), but because of potential egos involved.
For Liverpool, we saw some of those same issues last season – the center of the pitch sometimes looked a bit muddled with Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, and Mohamed Salah sometimes converging in similar places. Perhaps Doue, who likes to carry the ball, makes less sense when someone more workman-like and able to recycle possession would be more useful given we’ve got some magicians in the team now.
We’ll have to wait and see what the Liverpool brain trust eventually cook up now that the transfer window is officially open and it’s rather plain just what the Reds need in order to improve upon their finish last season.
