"The Biggest World Cup Lie!" 🇧🇷❌ + USA Elite & Scotland Heartbreak! | World Cup Daily #19
FUT IN REVIEWJune 20, 202600:32:2129.63 MB

"The Biggest World Cup Lie!" 🇧🇷❌ + USA Elite & Scotland Heartbreak! | World Cup Daily #19

The USA is flying, Morocco shows semi-final grit against a creative-less Scotland, and Paraguay pulls off a massive tournament shocker. Plus, we call out the absolute biggest lie of the World Cup so far!

Welcome back to FUT IN REVIEW | World Cup Daily #19. Today, GPM (Chris) and John team up for a brutal, straight-talking breakdown of Day 9 at the World Cup 2026, while previewing a massive, tactical European showdown between the Netherlands and Sweden.

We break down all the matches, rants, and tactical talking points unfiltered:

  • The USA Hype Check: Pochettino’s USMNT looks comfortable under host-nation pressure after a tactical battle with Australia. But are they genuine tournament contenders or just benefiting from a massive home advantage? John gives his honest take on Ricardo Pepi’s poor match and limits the US ceiling.

  • The Scotland Meltdown: Punished early by a 55 million Euro lightning bolt from Ismael Saibari (now officially signed by Bayern Munich!), Scotland struggled to break down Morocco’s defensive wall. We debate Steve Clarke’s bizarre late substitutions, the ongoing Scott McTominay positioning crisis, and Morocco's tournament ambition.

  • The "Biggest Lie" of 2026: Brazil answered critics with a 3-0 win over Haiti, featuring Vinicius Jr. and Matheus Cunha. But with a hamstring injury to Raphinha and shaky fullbacks, John explains why "Brazil are back" is the absolute biggest lie of the tournament.

  • The Dark Horse is Dead: Paraguay pulls off a vintage tournament smash-and-grab, beating Turkey 1-0 after scoring in the second minute. Turkey had all the possession but zero punishment, proving mentality beats talent on the big stage.

  • Mega Preview: Netherlands vs. Sweden: John wears his beautiful orange kit to break down tonight’s tactical nightmare. Can Ronald Koeman break down Graham Potter’s expected 10-man defensive block? We debate starting Brian Brobbey as a battering ram over Donyell Malen, and why Frenkie de Jong needs space to survive.

Staying up all night to watch and record every single game takes its toll on our health! If you want to support the crew one-time only without a subscription, buy the boys a coffee lifeline here: 👉 buymeacoffee.com/futinreview

Don't get buried by social media algorithms. Your ultimate shortcut to executive podcast summaries, behind-the-scenes studio footage, and live FUT market upgrades: 👉 futinreview.com

Unlock every single daily tournament episode the exact second we finish recording, plus full access to our active Discord, Predictor Leagues, and Sweepstakes: 👉 patreon.com/futinreview

📱 Follow the socials: Instagram: @futinreview | TikTok: @futinreviewpodcast

Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to keep the night shift alive! Shoutout to Harry Maguire selling trading cards in New York—join the pod, mate! Catcha!

⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:03 - Day Nine Intros: Are the USA Bullying Weak Teams?
01:05 - USA 2 - 1 Australia: Poch’s Tactics vs. Ricardo Pepi’s Poor Form
03:41 - Quarter-Final Cap? Why the MLS Pace Isn't World Elite Yet
04:42 - Scotland 0 - 1 Morocco: Ismael Saibari’s Bayern-Bound Rocket
07:36 - The Steve Clarke Substitution Rant: Disrupted Grooves & Lyndon Dykes
11:19 - The McTominay Problem: Midfield Gaps & Lack of Speed
12:42 - Brazil 3 - 0 Haiti: The Cool Blue Kit & Matheus Cunha’s Runs
15:04 - Raphinha’s Injury & Why Brazil’s Old Midfield is Bound to Fail
17:46 - Turkey 0 - 1 Paraguay: The Shocking Death of a Dark Horse
20:02 - Straight Talking: "Brazil Are Back" is the Biggest Lie of 2026
22:21 - Mega Preview: Netherlands vs. Sweden (The Tactical Nightmare)
25:00 - Brian Brobbey vs. Donyell Malen: Battering Rams vs. Central Speed
28:20 - Frenkie de Jong’s Space Crisis & The Missing Quinten Timber
31:31 - Outro: Shouting Out Harry Maguire & Drop Us 5-Stars!

☕ SUPPORT THE NIGHT SHIFT!📬 THE FUT IN REVIEW NEWSLETTER IS LIVE!👑 JOIN OUR PATREON COMMUNITY

The USA is flying, Morocco shows semi-final grit against a creative-less Scotland, and Paraguay pulls off a massive tournament shocker. Plus, we call out the absolute biggest lie of the World Cup so far!

Welcome back to FUT IN REVIEW | World Cup Daily #19. Today, GPM (Chris) and John team up for a brutal, straight-talking breakdown of Day 9 at the World Cup 2026, while previewing a massive, tactical European showdown between the Netherlands and Sweden.

We break down all the matches, rants, and tactical talking points unfiltered:

  • The USA Hype Check: Pochettino’s USMNT looks comfortable under host-nation pressure after a tactical battle with Australia. But are they genuine tournament contenders or just benefiting from a massive home advantage? John gives his honest take on Ricardo Pepi’s poor match and limits the US ceiling.

  • The Scotland Meltdown: Punished early by a 55 million Euro lightning bolt from Ismael Saibari (now officially signed by Bayern Munich!), Scotland struggled to break down Morocco’s defensive wall. We debate Steve Clarke’s bizarre late substitutions, the ongoing Scott McTominay positioning crisis, and Morocco's tournament ambition.

  • The "Biggest Lie" of 2026: Brazil answered critics with a 3-0 win over Haiti, featuring Vinicius Jr. and Matheus Cunha. But with a hamstring injury to Raphinha and shaky fullbacks, John explains why "Brazil are back" is the absolute biggest lie of the tournament.

  • The Dark Horse is Dead: Paraguay pulls off a vintage tournament smash-and-grab, beating Turkey 1-0 after scoring in the second minute. Turkey had all the possession but zero punishment, proving mentality beats talent on the big stage.

  • Mega Preview: Netherlands vs. Sweden: John wears his beautiful orange kit to break down tonight’s tactical nightmare. Can Ronald Koeman break down Graham Potter’s expected 10-man defensive block? We debate starting Brian Brobbey as a battering ram over Donyell Malen, and why Frenkie de Jong needs space to survive.

Staying up all night to watch and record every single game takes its toll on our health! If you want to support the crew one-time only without a subscription, buy the boys a coffee lifeline here: 👉 buymeacoffee.com/futinreview

Don't get buried by social media algorithms. Your ultimate shortcut to executive podcast summaries, behind-the-scenes studio footage, and live FUT market upgrades: 👉 futinreview.com

Unlock every single daily tournament episode the exact second we finish recording, plus full access to our active Discord, Predictor Leagues, and Sweepstakes: 👉 patreon.com/futinreview

📱 Follow the socials: Instagram: @futinreview | TikTok: @futinreviewpodcast

Leave a 5-star review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to keep the night shift alive! Shoutout to Harry Maguire selling trading cards in New York—join the pod, mate! Catcha!

⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:03 - Day Nine Intros: Are the USA Bullying Weak Teams?
01:05 - USA 2 - 1 Australia: Poch’s Tactics vs. Ricardo Pepi’s Poor Form
03:41 - Quarter-Final Cap? Why the MLS Pace Isn't World Elite Yet
04:42 - Scotland 0 - 1 Morocco: Ismael Saibari’s Bayern-Bound Rocket
07:36 - The Steve Clarke Substitution Rant: Disrupted Grooves & Lyndon Dykes
11:19 - The McTominay Problem: Midfield Gaps & Lack of Speed
12:42 - Brazil 3 - 0 Haiti: The Cool Blue Kit & Matheus Cunha’s Runs
15:04 - Raphinha’s Injury & Why Brazil’s Old Midfield is Bound to Fail
17:46 - Turkey 0 - 1 Paraguay: The Shocking Death of a Dark Horse
20:02 - Straight Talking: "Brazil Are Back" is the Biggest Lie of 2026
22:21 - Mega Preview: Netherlands vs. Sweden (The Tactical Nightmare)
25:00 - Brian Brobbey vs. Donyell Malen: Battering Rams vs. Central Speed
28:20 - Frenkie de Jong’s Space Crisis & The Missing Quinten Timber
31:31 - Outro: Shouting Out Harry Maguire & Drop Us 5-Stars!

☕ SUPPORT THE NIGHT SHIFT!📬 THE FUT IN REVIEW NEWSLETTER IS LIVE!👑 JOIN OUR PATREON COMMUNITY

[00:00:00] The USA are flying but are they genuinely elite or just bullying weaker opposition? Scotland talked about making history. Did they actually freeze on the biggest stage? Morocco, are they genuine tournament contenders or do they lack ambition? Brazil, finally turned up but does beating Haiti prove anything at all? And also we will get to the debacle that is Turkey.

[00:00:30] Hello my friends and welcome to this awesome FUT IN REVIEW, World Cup Daily number 19. What day at the World Cup, night or evening, no matter where you are in the world, it's been absolutely amazing. But who better to have on than the man himself, the myth, the legend, the genius that he is, wearing that beautiful orange kit is my very good friend John. Well that's some introduction, good morning to you.

[00:00:58] Mate, I think you're the only person that's smiling. Shaq was meant to be on but he is a bit held up so you are the one person who's smiling and we won't spoil our preview but do you think you'll be smiling tomorrow morning? Of course. Amazing. Let's get to it then. Let's get to the first game. USA vs Australia. USA looked like a team comfortable with the pressure of being the host nation.

[00:01:23] Australia arrived with that usual Aussie confidence after previous strong performances but struggled to create enough. The question is John, has the USA gone from being the tournament's hype team to a serious threat or have we not seen them tested? I think it was also something to do with the Australian tactic here. Australia definitely went in, not trying to concede a goal and go from there.

[00:01:51] Which didn't end up very well since they scored up really early as well. Then they changed tactics in the second half right and then I think we got a proper football fight. I think USA actually looked really good tactical. Potch has it all figured out I think. I was a little bit disappointed by Pepe. When Pepe, I heard that Pepe would start, I expected more from him. I've seen him play a lot this year. That was a little bit disappointing. I think he actually had a poor match.

[00:02:21] Unfortunately for him. In the end, I think this could be ended in draw, right? I definitely fought for it. Good end in draw. And I did expect it to be a little bit harsher, this one. Like I said, I've seen a friendly happen, like go out of the rails last year, right? And there was a lot of pressure and a lot of fight between Australia and the US. There were a lot of US pundits that said it would be a walkover

[00:02:50] and Australia has nothing to do on this World Cup, etc, etc. So there was a lot of fire going on. But at the first half, the US didn't even allow Australia to make like a good fall or actually get that heat going. I think it's a mismatch from tactics, unfortunately. I think in the end, Australia deserved more. But it was already too late when they started football. And they're a little bit unlucky. They could have scored and then we could have had like a good match.

[00:03:19] But hats off to the US. Started well, qualified as well now. Probably tested. Probably not because when the second half turned around, they were on a lot of pressure and... I don't know. So if the USA reach the quarterfinals, John, do we have to stop calling them a future football nation and admit that they've finally arrived? When the World Cup would have had 32 player teams in it, yes.

[00:03:47] But when you have a home advantage and you play for 90,000 of your home fans in a stadium that is yours with not the... Not the worst group to be in. I'm going to say quarterfinals. Yeah. Yeah. It's that. And they'll be all... I'm trying not to be this genuine about the chances because they did actually play really good football. But it goes a little bit...

[00:04:16] Like when I see the MLS, there's still a lot of matches that are like third division, Dutch team we see play, right? Like in pace and in tactics. There's a lot of good football as well. There's good footballers coming in and I'm pretty sure there's a lot of talent coming in. But I also don't think they're there yet. I see people saying they'll be World Cup contenders. I wouldn't go that far.

[00:04:43] Greg, unfortunately John, we need to move on to Scotland versus Morocco. And thank you so much for talking about it. Let's go to the next game. No. To say it's a disappointment. Let's start first of all. Scotland punished early. You know, you've got Hanley looking like he's from Easter Island and running like one of the statues. You know, Sabari is the icon. I know you've probably got his proper name playing for PSV. 55 million I believe going to Bayern Munich. Absolutely lashing the ball into the net.

[00:05:12] So Scotland punished early and then struggled to break down Morocco's organisation. Morocco showed the same tournament toughness that have made them a semi-final force previously. And Scotland's fight was admiral, but you know, questions must remain about our creativity. So the question to you, John, is did Scotland lose because Morocco were brilliant? Or because Scotland played not to lose? I think the second part is more fair.

[00:05:43] I think Scotland started off with, if you get a draw here, we'll be fine. It's all good. I think Morocco started off with, let's just go full out and win this match because we need to. Right? And I think that's a little bit naive from the Scottish side. Because, you know, this team can play football. I think Sabari was definitely underestimated. He has a couple of good chances as well. Second half Scotland was much better though.

[00:06:10] But in the end, I do think Scotland lacks creativity against the team that will lean back. Unfortunately. Basically what the Dutch squad has, but I think the Scots have even more. There's no speed in the team either, if that makes sense. No, you're absolutely right. There's stability, they got technique, they got tactics. It's a pretty strong team. They're strong players. Physically strong. But it's going to be hard to create much chances.

[00:06:40] So if you get a chance, you got to make it count. And that's definitely what Morocco did at the start, right? I mean, Sabari is a force to be reckoned with. I've seen them play it finer to score some insane goals this year. Where I'm like, how can you actually stop this? He's growing out of this level. Bayern Munich saw that as well. They signed him, I think two days ago. And he definitely crowned, showed the world why Bayern was good at signing him early on in the tournament. So, well done.

[00:07:08] I do think Morocco, defensively, not too strong though, if I'm honest. I think there were chances for Scotland in the end as well. So I'm not too sure. I think if Morocco plays the football, plays a fighting football, like use Hakimi to go over the wing and play that game. I think they are a really cool team. If they lean back though, I don't think that's their strength, if I'm honest.

[00:07:37] I mean, one thing I was going to ask you, John, and I know you watched the game because we were chatting through last night here in Europe. Scotland are on top. Scotland are dominating the last 10-15 minutes and they've got Morocco penned back. And then Clark makes some strange substitutions from a Scottish point of view. So I know you won't know all the players, but let me just explain where I'm coming from. Lyndon Dites comes on, which is a strange one for us. He's not a huge goal scorer, but he gives us that focal point and that physical presence. And then Scotland are on top.

[00:08:07] So you can see Morocco are starting to struggle a little bit. McTominay's starting to dominate the game. And then he makes a strange substitution. He brings on Stewart, which is an extra striker, and Ralf's in it right back. Scotland are on top at that point. At that point, you've got two new players coming into the game and it seems to disrupt the flow. Because if I be honest with you, the last seven or eight minutes, Scotland were nowhere near where they were before. So should, from a manager's point of view, should Clark have just said, you know what, we're on top, I'm going to leave it.

[00:08:34] The players look tired, but they're in their groove and they're playing well, and we could potentially get a chance. Or was he right to gamble? I don't know if it's, there's often much more to substitution than what we see from the sidelines. It could very much be that they already agreed with one player that he's not fit enough to complete the match, for example, and we wouldn't even know it, right? Yeah.

[00:09:01] I've heard that before this year, where I'm like, why do we stop like this at Feyenoord, for example? And then it's like, yeah, we already agreed with the medical staff, we can't play more than 17 minutes. Like, oh, yeah, oh, that doesn't make sense and there's no other options. So I didn't hear Clark's explanation after the match, though. Did he say something about it? I mean, to be fair, the press in Scotland have been relatively calm about it. They've, you know, praised Scotland's... Almost felt like they were watching a slightly different game to us.

[00:09:30] And of course, me as a fan, you know, it's easy to be disappointed and upset with the, you know, but we have to be sort of go, do you know what, Morocco are a better team than Scotland. You have to hold your hands up with that. But at that point, as I say, the last 10-15 minutes, if Scotland get a goal and we get four points, we get the draw, you don't have to play them again in the third match. The third match is a dead rubber, you know, you're pretty much guaranteed to qualify at that point. So I just found it very strange.

[00:09:57] And everyone was complaining that Dykes came on, but as I say, he gave you that physical presence. You and I have talked about using Broby and Veghorst, you know, in the Netherlands, if they need to, you know, be a battering ram sort of thing. And that's why he came on. And he was starting to bully the defence, which then allowed McTominay to come in to the game, I think, more. Because there's been a problem of where we play him this tournament. Yeah, but I think this is where exactly what the Dutch faced last week.

[00:10:23] You play against a team that starts leaning back, so speed won't do much of a difference anymore from that point on. And it's what we'll see, we'll talk about Sweden in a moment. But that means you've got to have like a big guy up front. And you saw Scotland just tossing the ball in, right? Keep crossing and keep crossing. And if this is the guy for Scotland that has the best chance of holding the ball, or getting the ball fumbled in there, I kind of get the substitution, if I'm honest.

[00:10:52] Get the idea behind it, let's put it like that. Yeah, I mean, look, to be fair, we're focusing on Scotland. I'm a Scot, so I'm focused on Scotland. I have to say how good Morocco were. You know, there's no two ways about it. But just one last question on it, and we'll move on to the next game, John. Don't bore our listeners too much for Scotland. The McTominay problem. He's had a great couple of seasons at Napoli. He's revitalized himself. The way that Scotland play him, would you push him further forward?

[00:11:20] Well, I don't know if you have a team to push him much more forward without leaving huge gaps, right? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So I got what you're saying, but at his current team, there's backup for him when he's out of position. I don't think Scotland has that. So he can't really do much with him. And the thing is though, it looks like currently you feel like he's not getting the chances on goal that he normally would get. Mm-hmm.

[00:11:47] The problem is though, if he plays out of position too much in this current Scotland team, I think, for what I can see from the sidelines, I'm afraid your midfield will just get dominated and he will get no balls at all to even get a single chance in. Especially like great midfield teams like this Morocco or the Brazilian team, right? So I get what you're saying. I think it's a little bit naive looking at the rest of the team to say he should be pushing forward. But we'll move on. We're still there.

[00:12:17] Do you know what I mean? We're still there. We moved to Miami. I mean, to be fair, 1-0 loss here doesn't mean a thing. Mm-hmm. I just wish you guys would have beaten Haiti with a little bit more goals. But then again, we'll talk about that in a moment. I think three points still got a pretty good chance to go on. Brazil, eh, if you get a draw, you're solid. If you lose 1-0, you're probably still solid. So, okay. Let's talk about them. Let's talk about the mighty Brazil versus Haiti.

[00:12:48] You know, Brazil answered their criticism of a comfortable one. Vinny Jr. central to their attacking threat. Haiti leave with loads and loads of credit for competing, but Brazil's quality eventually showed. John, the question for you are, are Brazil back? Or are we just falling for the Brazil shot and expecting magic every time? One thing I should say before we start this conversation is that that away kit from Brazil is a pretty cool away kit. Just putting it on.

[00:13:18] Yeah. Well, shouldn't it? Yeah. But if they play blue, this one is actually a pretty cool variant of that. So, gotta applaud them that. Like, okay, Brazil versus Haiti. You expect Brazil to win. I think putting, I think he switched Cunha in this match. I think that was a good check. I mean, I've said it before as well, but I think that showed the getting behind skills of Cunha is actually really cool.

[00:13:48] I've seen him giving a lot of chances from just passing from midfield. Also some of these passes from, I think it's Bruno, right? Yeah. And one pass from Paqueta to Cunha was amazing and he missed the chance. But, like, that shows some skill. I, Haiti didn't play all that defensive though. Like, they had all the fullback, all the midfield on the midfield when they were building up. Lots of space to go in behind against a fast attacking Brazilian squad.

[00:14:17] So, I found it pretty naive how Haiti's played this match. Does that make sense? 3-0, I think a fine result. But I don't think Brazil's back if you say, I sound like you're a real Mr. Negative today. But Alisson made some couple good chase though in this match against a Haiti team that hasn't got any, like, super standout players.

[00:14:45] And they gave a couple of chances away against Brazil. I don't know if this Brazil team is that good, if I'm honest. I think... Well, let me ask you this then, John. So, this is the last question I was going to ask you. So, is this a Brazil team that can win their tournament? Or do they still rely too much on moments from their superstars? I don't... I could see them being knocked out in the quarterfinals, if I'm honest. Like I said, I think the wingbacks are just poor.

[00:15:13] Like, really not good enough for this level. And that comes from one of the biggest Alexandro fans in the world. But I don't think he has it anymore. I think midfields with Casemiro. Yes, he's strong. Yes, he's got some passes. But he's old man. Like, this old man saying it, but I don't think that's it. I feel like if you lean back against Brazil, which...

[00:15:41] Well, we've shown that first match with Morocco a little bit, right? It's not too hard to defend. Yes, Vinicius can have these moments where he's just undefendable by everyone. Right? Did Rafinha get injured by the way? Is he...? I didn't see that. Yeah, I didn't see that. It looked like a particularly good game, I must admit. But I don't think if I... If not for those wingers, Rafinha and Vinicius, there's not too much in this team.

[00:16:09] And if you get away from the true balls, like if you put a good five back in, for example, or you just don't step out too much, I don't see how they will create too many chances. So I think if this Brazil plays Japan, for example, right? I see Japan just overrunning them on the counter. It says it is apparent right hamstring injury. Yeah, I didn't look too good. Oh, that's why...

[00:16:37] Yeah, so potentially that could be an issue. But I suppose, John, look, the World Cup's in the USA. Okay? American football was based on moments. So, you know, can you win the World Cup with moments from Vinny Jr. and Endric Jr., or someone who just, you know, you win one out all the way to the end of the tournament? Is that possible? Or are you thinking eventually you're going to lose out? They don't have...

[00:17:06] Like, France was such a standout team so far for me, that I don't see anyone beating them for this tournament at all. I think the way USA plays against... If USA would play this Brazil team, they would have a big... That would have a big issue with them, I think. And we saw Morocco actually almost winning this match as well, right? They could have just...

[00:17:35] No, let me just make this a clear point. I don't think this Brazil team is strong enough. They are experienced. But if you take out Vinny, probably it's a done deal. Yeah. I understand that. Okay, so let's move on to potentially one of the biggest shocks of the tournament so far. You know, we have Turkey versus Paraguay. The late game or early game, no matter how you want to pull it. So, Paraguay pulls off one of the shocks of the group stage with a 1-0 win,

[00:18:05] surviving huge pressure from Turkey. Turkey had plenty of the ball and chances but couldn't dominate into goals. A familiar World Cup problem. Possession without punishment. Paraguay showed the ugly side of tournament football. Defend, suffer, take your moment. So, John, is Turkey the latest example of a team with more talent than mentality? Because having better players means nothing if you can't handle a World Cup moment.

[00:18:33] I think they subdued to their own pressure, right? They were the dark horses coming in for many people, including themselves. And they did definitely let the world know that they were coming to get this World Cup. Which, well, there's something to believe in winning it and there's something to be... Well, kind of flat on your nose on saying it. The first match was already a sort of similar story. Unfortunately, this one as well.

[00:19:02] I mean, considering a goal in the second minute, it's just lack of focus, no matter how you call it. Like, we saw it with Scotland. They just weren't prepared for it yet. We saw it with Turkey. Not good enough yet. You're not turned on. You're not switched on before you start a match. If you concede that early, that easy. And Paraguay, I said before, they didn't lose eight matches in a row or something. Or didn't lose anything.

[00:19:30] Mostly draws, one-ones or zero-zeros, zero-one wins. They concede hardly any goals as a fighter team. If you're behind against Paraguay, it's going to be a tough nut to crack. I didn't expect them to take so many shots in and still didn't crack though. But, yeah. What can I say? Dark Horse is out of the tournament now. Yeah. It happens now. No, I understand that.

[00:19:57] So, John, the Dutch are famous not just for football, for straight talking. So, I'm going to ask you this question. Oh, yeah. Let all those online haters come to me again. It's fine. So, which statement is the biggest lie? We're looking for the biggest lie. USA are title contenders. Morocco can beat anyone or Brazil are back. Oof. And I have to choose. You have to choose.

[00:20:24] I do think Morocco could beat anyone at a good day. So, I mean, it's a tough nut to crack. So, you could potentially lose a match. Although, I don't think they'll stand against France, for example. But, if you play France 10 times, they could have win one. So, it could happen. So, let's take that out of the equation here, right? Well, USA or Brazil then? Who are we upsetting today?

[00:20:51] Well, I've seen the numbers in the USA listeners to us. I think USA will win the World Cup then. So, what you're saying, John, is the biggest lie is Brazil are back then. Yeah, I think... I don't see that happening, to be fair, though. I think the thing is, though, I don't see USA win the World Cup, to be fair. I think it's a pretty cool team.

[00:21:20] It is tactically very sound, but it definitely has weak spots. And there's too many good teams to take advantage of those weak spots, right? If they face Germany, if they face Spain, if they face France, it will probably end up horribly. If they face Japan, they could walk into that counterattack. If they face the Netherlands, it could have the same effect. So, I think there's that. But they do have home advantage. They do have the momentum.

[00:21:48] So, it could potentially be a dark horse. Well, I just don't see this Brazil throwing... Like, they didn't swing yesterday either, right? Brazil 1-3-0. But it's not like they got 10 chances in. And it's not that if Alisson don't save him, it could easily be 2-0 in the end. So, no, I think Brazil's back is probably the biggest lie. Although I don't like the word lie in this sense. So, there you are, folks. Foot in review, I've said it to you.

[00:22:17] The biggest lie in the World Cup so far is Brazil are back. John, let's quickly move on. So, I know you think I like to dig you out about the Dutch, but they are one of my favourite teams, let's be honest. That beautiful orange kit that you're wearing there. The fans are going to be amazing. It's just so disappointing because if you look at the current situation, the Netherlands and Scotland could play each other in the next round, which imagine those fans. That is a fan off that one. There will be not enough beer in whatever city that they go with.

[00:22:45] The bagpipes, the left, right, that would be absolutely amazing. But we've got Netherlands versus Sweden. I think, as I said to you earlier, I think the Netherlands have got two jackpot games. It's probably the hardest of the big seven teams, I would say, start. But what we've got is two European sides with different identities. The Netherlands bring technical quality and attacking variety. Sweden have shown that they can be dangerous in transition and physical, difficult to break down. Do you know what I mean?

[00:23:13] So we've got Netherlands possession versus Sweden's defensive structure. Who better to break that down than the coach himself, John? Please break it down for me. Yeah. So I've been boasting the Dutch chances this week for the game versus Sweden. I don't rate this Sweden team too high, if I'm quite honest. I said that before. I think it's a pretty decent team, but they... It's Graham Potter, right? Coaching that. Yes.

[00:23:39] So basically it's going to be five to back, lean back over a counter with Isak and Kiyorkas. Which is probably the best tactic and the only tactic that's viable for this team. And that sounds really harsh. The biggest issue is that the Dutch have trouble with teams like barricading themselves. And that's why if the Dutch come a little bit further, I'm not too worried about it.

[00:24:05] Because if they play in Spain, if they play in Brazil or any team that also needs to play, wants to play football, I'm pretty happy with how the Dutch team stands. The problem is if you bury yourself like Japan did in the first match, all your fast strikers are pretty much chance, like they won't make a difference. And we've got speed. That's for those top three are speedy attackers, right?

[00:24:32] But if I were Koeman tonight, I'd probably start Broby over Mahler. And I think Mahler is definitely the better striker. But just, I don't think you'll get a run in behind the team tonight against Sweden. You get that run in once you're 2-0 up, for example, but you will not get it. I think that's the biggest concern, who you play as striker tonight, what tactic you go.

[00:24:59] I expect the Dutch to be like, before the first hydration break, have 75% possession. I expect them to get near to no shots in, because they just barricade themselves. The only good thing is we've got Van der Van, we've got Dumfries. So there's speed to get those counters out as well. It's going to be a tactical game again, first off for sure, with I think little excitement, unless there's an early goal from the Dutch.

[00:25:29] Then the Swedes have to come and then we'll get some counter to counter to counter. So it's hoping for an early goal. My tactical mind says it's going to be a slow match with heavy possession for the Dutch. If you have a couple of shots in, be wary of the counter, which means you'll probably get a Dutch for Netherlands versus Japan. Retake on it. And the thing is, will you start your slow striker, but the big guy to get balls in and hope for getting a goal in?

[00:25:58] Or do you, and then later on, stop your fast striker in? The problem is if you concede a goal early on, when you do that, you have to bring your fast striker in, but that doesn't mean much. So it's a gamble, I think. And I'm expecting Kumon to start with the fast strikers, hope for an early goal, and have your backup plan ready. But it could backfire. I don't think Sweden is any better, but yeah, you've got those counters. If the Swedes score is from a counter. Yeah.

[00:26:27] I mean, sure, that's the Dutch nightmare, isn't it? I mean, I'm sure Swedish listeners are saying we should be talking about Sweden as well. You know, they've got some great strikers, Jocker, Azizak. You know, those are big names, big players in the Premiership as well. But the problem would be, I think, for the Dutch is if Sweden score first, then you've definitely got the part of the bus, you know what I mean? And another bus behind that as well at the same time. And then you're looking at... So I think, I agree with you. I think you play Broby.

[00:26:54] To rough up and batter, you know, the centre-backs to allow the likes of Hapko or Norville or is it in Malin to come on and run then when people get tired and the conditions may play a factor as well. You can start Hapko for sure, right? That's fine. You can start, I think, Somerville as well. But you can start with Hapko and not have the speed to the centre. Let Domfries overlap, let Van der Vanden overlap and toss the ball in.

[00:27:24] It's just going to be an issue with the... Like, I'm excited for this game because the thing is if they scored, if the Dutch score early, it could also easily be a 4-0 victory. Yeah. If you don't score early, it's going to be a tactical game and a low-scoring game in the first half or you don't see any chance at the first half. And if the Swiss score early, which I can't really see happening too much, except it's for mistake somewhere.

[00:27:52] If they score early, then it's going to be a nightmare of a game to watch, I'm afraid. One-on-one, I don't think there's any... I think Girikas and Isak are better strikers than Dutch have, right? Although I don't think Isak is that much better than Hapko, honestly, if you compare them. Oof. The only thing is I saw that De Jong has a light concussion, mild concussion. If you miss Frankie De Jong, that's an issue though.

[00:28:21] Yeah, definitely, 100%. Look, as I say to John, I know you think I did get a little bit of a time about Dutch. I want the Dutch to do well. I 100% want them to do really well. Scottish fans have a real... Yeah. If they go... If they progress, they will do well. Because if they play teams that want to play football, it's not going to be an issue at all. It's just for you, it's a hard group to be in. And I think the biggest, the most fun game will be the last game, Sweden against Japan.

[00:28:50] Because you get two teams that really don't want to play up front. So that's going to be a weird game to watch. It might be two teams that might have to go all out. So it could be interesting. I don't see any concerns versus Tunisia, for example, right? Yeah, no, I think to be fair, you're pretty much through. I think, Ian, if you were to suffer a defeat tonight, which would be difficult, but I think even to suffer a defeat, you'll still go through. You'll have enough, you know, you'll have four points.

[00:29:19] It might make the route a little bit more difficult, but you know, that's... Yeah, but that's the thing I like. I wouldn't mind the Dutch having good opposition next on. Like, just give them Brazil. Or let them play a very attacking France team. I don't mind that too much. Because then you either go out and you're like, okay, well, they were just too good. Or you go through because then suddenly those players are having the space to move around.

[00:29:45] If you give Frank and Young space to move, he's one of the best, if not maybe the best, number six in the world. But if he has to play against 10 people just standing around the box, it's like, yeah, now what? So, no, it's just unfortunately a big kick. And that's what I said with Brazil versus Haiti. Haiti just played up front. They went all out pretty much and didn't hold back. And then a Brazil team can play. They're the same with the Dutch. Then you can suddenly play football.

[00:30:15] You can get him behind and you're solid. But, yeah. If Graham Poulter wasn't the coach of Sweden, I wouldn't have hesitated here. But I think I'm afraid we're just going to play 10 men in the box in the first half. It's going to be a great game. I'm so looking forward to it, John. And thank you so much for joining me on Saturday. Hopefully, we've managed to whet the appetite for tonight's game and then go over the bones of yesterday's games, which are exciting to a point, let's just say. That disappointing for Shaq and I. Our team's not doing well.

[00:30:42] But, you know, this World Cup is starting to look less like it. Who has the biggest names? But more about who can stay calm when everything gets messy. And one thing about this podcast, we stay calm as best we can. So, please follow us on Instagram at Foot and Review or at TikTok Foot and Review Podcast. The five-star reviews are rolling in. Thank you so much. But we love them. So, please keep them coming. It literally takes a few seconds to do. So, please do that. If you know someone who's at the World Cup who wants to know about it

[00:31:11] or is into the World Cup and hasn't heard about us, please share this episode. We really would appreciate it. And for our Patreon supporters, thank you, thank you, thank you for all your support. And our Prediction League is going well. The Sweep's doing well. And we love the fact that you support us so well. But the show will be with you almost immediately. John, do you have any final words for our listeners out there? Yeah. So, I saw Henry McGuire selling those trading cards in New York. Don't know if you saw that just in the past and those trading cards.

[00:31:40] I just wanted to give a shout out to Henry McGuire. If he just wants to join a casual podcast about the World Cup, he's more than willing to come on. It's fine. I'll even buy some trading cards from him. Amazing. Thank you, mate. Have an amazing Saturday. Enjoy the game tonight. And maybe it's not coming home. See you. Bye-bye. Bye-bye.