de Guzman on the FIFA World Cup, the semifinal matches and England looking to make a statement
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
All right, let's talk soccer now. Julian de Guzman is here, TSN soccer analyst, head of sport for the New York Red Bulls. Julian, welcome in. How are you?
Great, great. Thanks for having me.
Our pleasure. So let's go through these semis. France, Spain tomorrow, England, Argentina on Wednesday. How do you see this playing out?
Oof.
How does Julian de Guzman predict the France vs Spain semifinal will play out?
Exciting. I think this is a dream semi-final round, given that you got the big guns. I sense France would be the favorites to get themselves in the finals against a team like Spain. Spain, in my eyes, is the only team out of the four that could challenge and possibly beat France. They bring a different style of football. play a style that's super unique. Only they have mastered that. The other team that would probably play a similar style is Croatia in their prime, but Spain's a team that will definitely challenge them in the semi-final round, so it is almost like a final. On the other side, England and Argentina I think when you look at England, they are moving on upwards based on their performance, especially against Mexico.
That match in Azteca was the biggest hurdle they faced in a long time at this level and at this competition. And they were able to perform. They were able to play with a lot of intelligence. And Thomas Tuchel definitely has really shown a different style of English football. And given that they... You know, did make it to the next round, you know, against a team like Norway. He wasn't pleased with the performance. Mostly, you know, teams that make it that far, they would celebrate it. Thomas Tuchel, very disciplined in outlining that the performance wasn't good enough. But the mentality was there.
Why does de Guzman consider Spain the only semifinal team that can challenge France?
The determination was certainly there. So he's going to want more from the guys. And England have not even hit their high spot yet. So I think they could do that against a team like Argentina. And then Argentina is going to be all about Messi, right? If Messi is on and Messi is ready to step up with the matches he's played and the performance he's had, you know, there's a really good chance that he could challenge England. But I would say right now Argentina is the favorites only because it's a team that 70% of the guys have been around under Leo Scaloni for the last World Cup. they clearly play a special style of football with, uh, Perez in the midfield, uh, DePaul. Um, you know, these are the guys that, uh, really are the anchor of the team, but then the difference maker and the star of the team, I see himself if he steps up and, uh, he's typically, typically does in these types of matches.
I'm pretty sure that he'll get into the next round. So I'm seeing a France and Argentina final. Um, my wish is Spain. I'm, I'm, I enjoy their football, but I do see France and Argentina making the finals. And then, um, I think France are the favorites to take it all.
Well, let's go back to that Thomas Tuchel situation, Julian, because obviously the British press has been all over the fact that at a moment where England is two wins away from clinching its first World Cup since the famous 1966, there's been some tension there. Kind of an unexpected tension where the coach is saying, we didn't do our best. You've got the best player, the star of the English squad in this tournament. In a lot of ways, Jude Bellingham pushing back and saying, this coach doesn't understand how hard it is out there when you're playing against a team of that quality. And it doesn't feel like there should be tension at a moment like this, and yet there is. What do you make of it?
So Thomas Tuchel, you look at his history and his background, spending a lot of his time learning his trade, playing the game as well in Germany. That culture comes with a different type of expectation and approach. I lived in Germany and played in the Bundesliga for almost six years. So I really have a good understanding of where he's coming from. When a team does well, great. He doesn't want to over-celebrate it. He knows they could be better. And that's essentially what he's trying to show his group, Harry Kane, and his comments and what he said based on what Tuchel said, accepted that.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:21
2
How does Julian de Guzman predict the France vs Spain semifinal will play out?
0:21–1:45
3
Why does de Guzman consider Spain the only semifinal team that can challenge France?
1:45–4:13
4
What improvements has Thomas Tuchel brought to England’s tournament performance?
4:13–13:44
5
How does the Tuchel–Bellingham tension reflect on England’s mindset going into Argentina?
13:44–15:25
Speakers
4 identifiedMore from OverDrive
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