Olav Sigmundstad

Lawyer from Oslo; history at Cambridge. PhD candidate @CamHistory. Political thought, law and early modern England. Creator of thehistoryoftheworld on YouTube

[Olav Sigmundstad @OSigmundstad]

@justsoccershow ‘That wasn’t a lot of fun to watch’ is a very revealing statement. The best performance of the tournament, the best play with the ball a national team has displayed in a major tournament, against world class opposition, in years. If you can’t enjoy that, football is not for you.

[Olav Sigmundstad @OSigmundstad]

@TobiasSD Føler jeg har sett denne kampen femti ganger før. Barca-Real på Camp Nou (og noen ganger til og med på Bernabeu). Når grunnspillet til Spania/Barca virkelig sitter, spiller det ingen rolle hva slags stjerner motstanderen stiller opp med.

[Olav Sigmundstad @OSigmundstad]

@visegrad24 Rather strange for a political commentator hosting a podcast called The Young Turks not to have a clue about the geography of Balkan. Almost the entire peninsula (including Bosnia & Herzegovina) was conquered and colonized by the Ottomans.

[Olav Sigmundstad @OSigmundstad]

@gideonrachman ‘Dull Spain’ is such a simplistic take. Yes, some of their matches become uneventful due to a terrified opposition sitting deep. Against teams that tries to press and attack (like Austria), Spain consistently deliver some of the most exciting attacking football on the planet.

[Olav Sigmundstad @OSigmundstad]

@MagnusBarstad Ingen av de to overgår Brasils angrepsrekke fra 1970 (det gjør ingen) - Pele, Jairzinho, Rivellino og Tostao. https://t.co/S1bvYmLO8V

[Olav Sigmundstad @OSigmundstad]

@ademir2z Strangely subdued performance from what has been such a high-intensity team. Norway’s B-team put up more of a fight against France than this, at least going forward.

[Olav Sigmundstad @OSigmundstad]

@therealwildcur By what metric are you claiming it is a popular sport in Norway, let alone a ‘worshiped’ one?

[Olav Sigmundstad @OSigmundstad]

@erikkain Completely agree. Colorblind casting in the 2004 Troy movie would have been distracting, since they were trying to ground the myth in actual Bronze Age warfare and society. Colorblind casting in a fantastic version of The Odyssey is completely unproblematic, imo.

[Olav Sigmundstad @OSigmundstad]

@andrewglynch @victor8k @mbeisen You wouldn’t dispute that the Romans colonized Britain or that the Norman colonized England? Hell, the Norman Conquest was more violent than any colonizing endeavor of the 18th, 19th or 20th century.

[Olav Sigmundstad @OSigmundstad]

@eirikaase Tror det har mye å gjøre med at de fleste ikke begynner å spille amerikansk fotball før high school (et tegn på at det ikke er en seriøs teknisk ballsport, spør du meg). Ti år for sent dersom man ønsker å bli *ordentlig* fotballspiller.

[Olav Sigmundstad @OSigmundstad]

@Zonal_Marking @SantiSignals Sure, there were defensive blunders. But did the US create even one big chance from open play when chasing Belgium’s lead (which they did pretty much all the game)? Really looked like they had no clue how to break down a low block which did not allow themselves to be countered.

[Olav Sigmundstad @OSigmundstad]

@tomhfh @schitcoin The crown prince of Norway was rowing outside the royal palace after the win over Brazil Sunday night.

[Olav Sigmundstad @OSigmundstad]

@nonregemesse Yeah, but then our Norse descendants in Normandy colonized England and have governed it since.

[Olav Sigmundstad @OSigmundstad]

@RobertoRojas97 I would think the ‘dirty’ label has more to do with the Paraguay players hitting their opponents in the face whilst the ball is on the other end of the pitch than with them defending in a low block.

[Olav Sigmundstad @OSigmundstad]

@Alonso_GD I wouldn’t call it ‘a style of play’ (at least not a legitimate one) to hit your opponents in the face when the ball is on the other end of the pitch.

[Olav Sigmundstad @OSigmundstad]

@NealGardner_ That’s the thing, Argentina needs a wide left midfielder who is threatening in behind, whilst also excelling in the intricate passing game more centrally. Di Maria was perfect for that profile.

[Olav Sigmundstad @OSigmundstad]

@ExVGSvea @Tjaernas Ryker England mot Kongo snakker vi Baldrick fra Blackadder nivå eller?

[Olav Sigmundstad @OSigmundstad]

@MagnusBarstad Sammen med Maradonas sinnssvake utelatelse av treble-vinnerne Cambiasso og Zanetti i 2010, fremstår Tuchel’s uttak (og unnlatelser) som ett av de mest uforståelige i nyere tid.

[Olav Sigmundstad @OSigmundstad]

@TobiasSD Tror også at en del av situasjonene skyldes rot og feil. Men som du sier, er det en del av en strategi der man heller avgir rom bredt enn sentralt. Ikke nødvendigvis feil - har jo funket til nå! Men tror ikke jeg har sett noen andre lag som er så distinkt i den prioriteringen.