I rate Popa. I think he's an excellent manager. Not perfect, but very good. We can go at least as well as the last WC, if not better, if we have luck with injuries, cards, suspensions and decisions with especially the crowd bias influence on the referee something to watch in the U.S. match.
I'm not bothered by the omissions of Robertson and Balard, unless O'Neill doesn't recover from his injury. Nisbet is the one I would have liked to see in midfield with Scicluna one to watch. At his best, Nisbet's ideal in Popa's system. I watched him a bit in his last season at CCM and his recovery from attack to defence was outstanding. Nisbet would also have provided good cover at RWB. Unfortunately, he's made a couple of poor transfers which have hammered nails into his coffin regarding WC selection. I am concerned about Irankunda. He could be a match-winner or a match-loser. Don't be surprised if he is targeted for niggle. He could become more disciplined because it's the WC finals or more volatile under the pressure of WC finals. If he cops a red, particularly in the first 30 minutes of a match, it could be enough to derail our campaign. I get the impression the squad is being hammered at training. If so, once they taper hopefully we will see improved performances.
