The Rondo - Early World Cup

All eyes will be on the World Cup in 2026, but what can we expect this early on

Today, we're going to be making some crazy early hot takes. Let's get into it

All right, guys, we got three categories for each of us. Okay

Who will be your player to watch in 2026? Can I point something out first

Yeah. I am dreading the World Cup. Why? I'm dreading the World Cup because England should win it

This is like the one World Cup that England, like, well, I say this every year, but like, I feel like England should win this

and I just know I'm not going to have fun. I think the most important player for their team

might be Julian Alvarez for Argentina. Because I think there is a very good chance

that Lionel Messi either gets injured or is unable to play every 90

and Argentina are going to need a second guy to score goals. And Lautaro Martinez conveniently forgets how to play football

whenever he laces up his boots for Argentina. Other than Copa America. Other than Copa America

He did move in Copa America. I got to give him his respect for that. True. But it will have to be Juliano Albrecht for me. Okay

What are you going with? I was juggling with a couple of players. But I personally think it's a toss-up between, I was thinking Pedri

I think Pedri's going to be a player that we really need to keep an eye out. Because everybody's been talking about Lamin-Yaman and all this stuff

But I think Pedri's going to go crazy this World Cup for some reason. I don't know why. I like that. I think Pedri's honestly, Pedri's an incredible midfielder, bro

He is. Barcelona's scouting for that one is insane. They scouted him from Las Palmas

and he looks like literally like he's a part of La Masia. That's like the football

what is it? The Mandela effect? Yeah. Where it's like where everyone believes that

like Pedri was in the Barca Academy. And he wasn't. He just literally is

so Barca coded. Yeah. It was just like a dude in Mallorca and they were like we'll have him

Yeah bro. It honestly feels like Pedri was there his whole entire life. Yeah

I think Pedri is look Pedri gets his flowers. Don't get me wrong. But everybody's everybody's eyes is

going to be on somebody like Lemire and Maul and I think Pedri's going to kind of be like sort of like behind in that sense in terms of pecking order but don't get it twisted pedri's gonna i think

have a sensational tournament for me i gotta go with michael olise my boy yes sir yes sir i feel

like he's gonna add another dynamic whoa whoa whoa he's not getting in that team he is he already

has he's getting in that team he's been starting on the right what so what dembele's he's gonna

start over dembele no no dembele be starting on the left sometimes then where's mbappe play

strike down the middle you think mbappe is gonna play striker for france he already does i'm just

just saying i'm just saying i don't know if they're gonna be a player to watch if you can't go get into the squad for sure bro he starts for them yeah 100 i think michael elise because he

plays in the bundesliga now we don't really get to see it because not all of us are watching you

know barmuenich destroy freiburg every week five nil but elise is an incredible footballer he scored

a right-footed goal against leipzig the other like this past weekend that was insane and to just

see his development playing with harry kane taking on the scrum of the neck of one of the biggest

clubs in europe and do his thing bro okay fine you say man your opinion who do you guys think

will be the flop team of the tournament england oh my goodness you gonna sleep on your own nation yes yes we gonna screw it up why is that because we here it not coming home no it not coming home of course it not coming home it could bro don say that it could verbalize it it could honestly i

think right i think i think england fans are the harshest fans ever when it comes to international

so here's the thing i don't feel that patriotic to be british until it comes to a world cup and

And then I'm like, this is the greatest country on earth. Yeah. But we'll just find a way to screw it up

Like, all the pieces are in place. Hire a great manager, really great generation of players

No super obvious holes in the squad. Like, all the pieces are in place for what should be a perfect tournament

It's England. We'll screw it up. We will. So, I'm going to say the flop is England

Okay. Who you got, Jon? This is so tough. I thought about this. I hate that I have to say this, but I think it might be Argentina

and I'm sorry Argentina fans I love y'all but I just feel like it's gonna be tough one for

some reason why do you say that look Messi this Messi that it might be his last one nobody knows

the whole point is is that I just feel like a lot of that that pressure that comes with either the

post Messi lifting the World Cup I think that's gonna carry a lot of weight to this squad and

I don't know Messi should have retired after the 2022 World Cup from international duty I feel like

him going to another one is a little bit doing too much i feel like he doesn't have to i think

there is conversation about like is he gonna is he gonna go is he not i think there is that

discussion i think he has to go though now because his pride will not let him not go i think that's

the thing we don't give messy enough credit for because he's just like a tiny dude and like kind

of awkward but like dude he's a savage of a competitor oh absolutely i think he'll i think

he'll go and if he goes he has to play like it just seems like it might be one step too many

I knew Messi was nothing to f*** with when he went to Guardiola and said, I'm playing number nine, and they just bought Zlatan

That's when I knew Messi had it, bro. Because if even Zlatan, you're making Pep Guardiola be like, man, we signed this guy for 40 million plus Eto'o first season

He's the number nine that I brought in for the season, and you're going to make him go on the bench instead

Bro, that's when I knew Messi was one of them ones, bro. But I think my flop team in the tournament will be Brazil, and I think Brazil is going to get eliminated potentially in the group stage

that's my hot take i just don't know from these games where the direction that brazil is heading

into i know they have enchiladi now neymar clearly will never be fit enough for international duty i

think it's quite obvious a future with neymar is not going to be happening but i think for brazil

as well what is going on with the system what are they going to play who will be the number nine

is vinny going to have help to finally accommodate him on that left wing to finally be that player

that brazil is looking at to lead them to victory and i don't know if brazil's in the spot right now

where they have the players to give, you know, Vinny the support that he needs to be the star

that he could be on Brazil. I just don't know if they have it. Do you know what's insane? I would have agreed with you like a month ago

but now I'm going the other way. I think Ancelotti and tournament football I think Brazil could just like bollocks their way to it You think they could do well I think they could I think they could because it Ancelotti and it tournament football It just what he does

We'll see. We'll see. I think for Brazil, we're not going to know until that game. Like, they don't really have that much games looking forward to the World Cup

The qualifiers end, I think, next camp. So we're going to see what Brazil comes with

But from what I've seen from Copa America last year to the World Cup before to now

I'm just not seeing it, bro. I'm not seeing the Joga Benito, the Seleção, the squad that made me watch football

The players and the talent that they had from 06, 2002 World Cup, Ronaldinho, R9

These players that Brazil have developed in years to come ahead. I just don't see it from Vinicius Jr

But that's part of the problem, isn't it? It's like there's so much like focus and pressure put on like this is how we're supposed to play

It's international football. Just win, right? Oh, of course. Like England hired a German

Like, do you know how serious? England hired a German. Brazil hired their first non-Brazilian coach ever or in a long, long time

They're just trying to win. That's fine. You don't have to play beautiful football

I think the problem is, though, is that England has world-class players. That's what I'm trying to say

I don't think Brazil has world-class players in the midfield. They don't, but I mean, we were talking

Look, when I was thinking about Argentina, I was also thinking about Brazil. And I do kind of understand where you're coming from

But I just, I think the Carlo Ancelotti effect is just going to. Ancelotti chilling in Copacabana Beach

He's going to get that superpower. He's going to get that level up. You know what I'm saying? The sun's going to hit him with a nice little tan

He's going to have a great time and he's going to cook with Brazil. The power of friendship. We're going to see

All right, guys. Who's your winner of the tournament? England. No. Spain

Spain. It's going to be Spain. Because I feel like that generation of players is still getting started

And it's only going to get better. It's only getting better. It's only getting better. i mean can you really look at that spain team and name like one position that they're weak at

maybe left back alejandro balde no line the only but he's unfit a lot okay so okay like remove

remove the caveats of injuries and everything i think the one issue they might have is up front

then again every time alvaro alvaro puts on a spain kit he turns into aren't i yeah so i think

I think it'll be Spain. It's hard to see anyone getting passing. I'm going to go with the three lines

I think England... Don't say it! Don't say it! It's coming home

It's coming home! It's coming home! It's coming home! No, no, for real, though

I just feel like... Well, my track record is pretty good. I predicted the last..

I put... Since 20... I can't remember. I've been predicting winners. So I have a feeling that England are going to do very well

You did? I'm coming home baby. Look, the England in the past Euros have disappointed me

Don't get me wrong. I was extremely disappointed that they lost in the final the same they capitulated the same way twice against Italy It was just how you know there so much talent so much cohesion i mean tom was talking about before in the past england they might have

world-class talent but the team just segmented kind of doing their own thing this team looks

united they look they look like they're part of a family and you need that that's that's part of

the concoction that's what gives you the recipe for success the talent of course has to be there

but the chemistry the cohesion and this england side has that the past few defeats especially in

the finals like the way they lost, it's gonna hurt them. And now with a German manager

imagine the story's already said, England with a German manager coming to America

lifting the World Cup in New York at MetLife, it's gonna be crazy

On America's head top? On America's head top after 1776? The story's gonna go crazy

Yo, chill. What you mean? 1776, no. Do you know what's crazy

England could play on the 250th anniversary. That's crazy, though. It's not nuts

That's insane. If they win it on that day. It could be like a final or a semifinal. Bro, I'm telling you, bro

If England wins on US soil, that's massive for the nation. Wait, did Togger say chill from the 1770s

My man's going to... If England wins, he's going to pull up the carries

He's going to be like, Paul Revere. Take that. What the hell? Yo, that's crazy, bro

For me, my winner of the tournament will be... You guys already know

Mbappe, Mbappe, dog. Killy, killy. I think France got it this time, bro. I think France got it this time

Listen, when Mbappe goes to a World Cup, some type of aura just changes about him

I don't know what it is, but when you see Mbappe in a World Cup in the group stages, he's bagging three, four on head tops, scoring against Austria

building up the confidence for those group stage matches, ready to destroy. I feel like you cannot count France out, especially considering the fact that if Mbappe's not going to work

they could go to Dembele. Dembele not working, you go to Elise. Elise not working, go to Due

No, they got Due as well. Bro, come on, dawg. Like, what are we really talking about

Also, Saliba at the back, Upamecano. You already know Upamecano in tournaments, man

When it's time to come clutch, he is clutch. Saliba's a strong defender. They even have backups in Ibu Kunate to come off the bench or start

Bro, France, when it comes to World Cups, they're on it. They're at least making the semifinals

So the one thing with France that concerns me is the midfield

Because not having Griezmann anymore to play that 10, it seems like they have a bit less of a connection

I'm not going to lie. There has been a little bit of adjustment issues with Griezmann leaving

So Chouameni is definitely an excellent defensive midfielder. That's not going to be a problem outside of that

Would you put Ryan Cherokee in that 10-roll, maybe? Yeah, I mean, and Kevra and Turam can link play

For some reason, they still like Rabiot. Yeah, they still love Rabiot

I don't know what it is, man. Can we move past this guy? Can we please move past it? I don't know what it is with the French manager

You saw what happened on Marseille, bro. Yeah, they're all fighting each other. They're all fighting each other, bro. Rabiot turned into a two-time world champ in that locker room, my boy

He was out here throwing haymakers on Jonathan Rose. Oh, my goodness

But that's the fighting spirit you need in a World Cup