Another demonstration why the video ref is needed. The disallowed goal came soon after England somehow found a goal against the run of play, and were playing more urgently and Germany were a bit shaken up. Despite the large final goal difference, this was a moment where it would have become a narrow contest (England conceded the last two when they were pushing forward to score and were hit on the counter). That said, Germany were significantly better. They were more creative in attack (that kid Özil is really someone to watch out for), and could always pick a pass because they had an extra man in midfield (4-2-3-1 vs England's 4-4-2). The two English strikers barely got the ball, and I think Defoe should have been dropped for an extra man in midfield (J. Cole) to match the Germans in numbers from the start.
If this day alone doesn't press the issue of goal line/replay technology, FIFA administration is totally fucked. First Lampard's goal, then Tevez being offside by at least 6 feet, something has to change. I'm all for the "beauty of the game," but this is ridiculous. I think it's safe to say we'd be watching a completely different World Cup if replays were available.
Ok, that second Tevez goal was beyond amazing. He launched that thing. I figured Argentina would win, but I wasn't expecting them to route Mexico like this.
While I am not against the video ref in Football we at least need to recognize the downside is how to restart play. In rugby the play has often stopped but as in todays match play instantly continued after the poor call. What would have happened if it wasn't a goal and Germany were denied the right to counter?
How about this: Every team has a chance to ask for the 4th or maybe a new 5th official to check the video replay when the ball has gone out of play. If they are wrong and the original decision made by the referee was correct they lose one substitution. If Germany had scored from the counter straight after Lampards non-goal and then the English would ask for the video replay to be watched then both goals would count.
Why Gerrard (or Lampard)? Gerrard is one the very few players who played well this Cup for them, and Lampard wasn't that bad.
If so many people care about England and root for them at the World Cup, then why have they never, EVER played like they give a shit about anything? They are a fucking disgrace, and they were lucky to even make the round of 16 (they didn't deserve it). What tin men they were in this tournament. Fuck off.
The English teams have always been over hyped at every tournament especially by their own media and fans. I mean did you hear all the people on BBC saying that the English team was better man to man and they wouldn´t take any German players in to their team or at most 1 or 2. How fucking arrogant was that. The teams England has beaten in the world cup knock out stages since 1966 where they won it by cheating are Paraguay, Belgium, Cameroon, Ecuador and Denmark. They have failed to beat any of the big teams including fucking Portugal for 11 straight world cups (including the 3 they didnt even qualify for). I have no idea how they are considered favourites to win every major tournament...
It's not about their performances at this tournament - both are fine footballers, don't get me wrong (though both markedly better for club than country). But they're at the fulcrum of a team and a system that has failed once again, and has nowhere left to go. International football is about winning tournaments, and by the next World Cup G&L will be 34 and 36, respectively. What they have to offer will diminish drastically in the coming years (though I'm sure Gerrard will be around for a few), so this is the perfect time for the team to start over and begin drafting in the players who will actually be challenging in 2 and 4 years time - Adam Johnson, Jack Rodwell, Jack Wilshere etc. Ze Germans have shown exactly how it can be done.
Put your goddamn lighters in the air for Holland. First World Cup trophy just might be within their grasp... Of course, fucking Brazil is in the way. I am so sick of Brazil. It's not fun to watch them win every other tournament. If they beat Holland and go to the finals, I am praying that Maradona and Messi will smite them.
I've got Argentina and Netherlands for the finals lets just hope things hold that way. With Netherlands taking on Brasil and Argentina facing Germany its gonna be a tough road ahead for them.
I'm really hoping you're right, but I don't think my country is going to beat Brazil. You can't say anything meaningful about them by judging their form; both reached the QF with ease, and both sides didn't really dazzle and play to their abilities. Or, to be more blunt, they were fucking boring. But Holland is the least impressive of the two. They weren't really troubled by any of their opponents, no matter how insignificant those countries were. And that's not something to take for granted, just ask the English, Germans (although impressive, they still lost to Serbia), French, Spaniards and Italians. But Brazil took care of Ivory Coast with minimal effort and didn't really look troubled by Portugal in the last game. It will be a tight game, Holland will probably play their best football yet, but I'm afraid it won't be enough.
Um, Isn't this taking a step backwards? <a class="postlink" href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/id/803404/ce/uk/?cc=4716&ver=global" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/ ... ver=global</a> Terrible decision. Football needs more transparency, not less. I think FIFA is becoming a joke, especially this world cup, covering up all their mistakes without taking any time to address them.
FIFA is more of an administration body than a governing one. It isn't like the NFL, NBA or NHL, keep that in mind. FIFA manages association football (aka Soccer) worldwide at many competitive levels. FIFA is soccer is ways that NFL/NBA/NHL are NOT their respective sports. By that nature, they are highly conservative and resistant to change. It took the NHL a lockout, millions of lost revenue and a new salary structure to come back and remove hooking and clutching, don't you figure that it would take FIFA even more time, mistakes and stress until technology is implemented? Quit wasting your breaths, they don't answer to anyone and if you can't deal with one or two bad calls for every five-hundered right ones, find a new sport. That said, it sucks that the goal didn't stand but it sucks even more that Capello isn't getting drawn and quartered right now along the Thames. I'm a Germany nut and I loved the win but I knew that ESPN would focus not on the complete dominance of a supposedly weaker side but on a goal that turned out to be insignificant in the long run. Capello sucks and ESPN sucks for focusing on the crossbar non-goal instead of the other 89:50 minutes of the game. Thoughts: Rooney's been playing injured and I'm fearing for his long-term career at this point. He ruptured his ankle against Munich (my team, ha) and hasn't scored since. I think Ozil will slow down, he's been too good. Schweini will play better next game, his play usually mirrors his oppositions. Freidrich was amazing against England and will have to contain Tevez now, never an easy task. I never offer predictions but I'm anxious about this upcoming game. Holland and Brazil have been phenomenal, the problem with Holland is their lack of defensive stability. Though as we can see with Germany: if the Dutch have the ball they don't need to have the best d-line in the world, merely a competent one. Brazil is missing some flair players, other than Kaka they don't have that magic touch and it may haunt them. Holland has Robben and Sneider, Germany has Ozil and Schewini, England had Lampard/JCole, Spain with Xavi, Iniesta and Villa, Argentina with Messi, etc. Against a control-team like the Dutch, the Brazilians will surely rely on counter-attack plays. None the less, should be a tremendous match. The biggest drawback for the Argentines is the fact that their coach is a retard. Just like Capello couldn't get England to play as a team, I think Maradona won't instill any framework in the Argentine system and have their (albeit very few) footballing weaknesses exposed by a well-funded German coaching staff. Don't be surprised to see him sub on a striker when the game is getting more and more cynical toward the end of regular time, instead of a wide player or a playmaker.
He has looked shocking, and was particularly rotten in the group stage. I think he did improve slightly in the match against Deutschland, though - only 1 out of 3 passes went astray, not 3 out of 3. Schweinsteiger is an outstanding midfielder, but Muller I think is the big surprise. Both of his goals against England (sad times) were very well-taken. This kid will go far. He's fucking TWENTY and scoring goals like this? I reckon he has the potential to be as predatory as Gerd Muller... Friedrich did play well, but Mertesacker has been very average IMHO. Friedrich will have his work cut out. Khedira's also having a good tournament. Lack of defensive stability? Heitinga's been playing pretty well, and every single attack down the right hand side of the pitch gets cut off by Giovanni van Bronckhorst - who has become pretty astute defensively. Mark van Bommel has broken down countless attacks in midfield with his tireless running and tackling. De Jong, however, has looked very average - I don't know who the Dutch could put on instead. Sneijder, I think, has been pretty average this tournament, but Dirk Kuyt has played very well, and Elia has looked lively when he's come off the bench. Robben... if he can stay fit, he might be the difference between the Netherlands staying in or going out. Argentina is more than just Messi. Veron was starting to look like his old self. Higuain seems to have pretty good positional sense. Their goalie (can't think of his name now) has also been superb so far. I'm hoping Samuel can recover in time, or the goalie will be busy... As for playmaker, the aforementioned Messi, and perhaps Tevez, could be used in that role. Both have great passing skills and can hold off challenges. I don't think Palermo will get a sniff of the ball this tournament - he's too old and too single-minded. Congrats to Spain for making the QF's. I missed Cristiano Ronaldo's crying, though...
What bets do you think will be worth taking in the next round? I had everything i had won during the world cup on spain to make it more interesting for myself, living here and all that. Is there a good video clip of the sending off? When they showed it from other angle it looked like he hit with his elbow but im not sure if it even connected. The ref did good though in my opinion keeping the play going instead of slowing it down by stopping the play immediatly after a foul. He was slightly harsh towards Ronaldo though but you know "the boy who cried wolf...".
It's funny how players are differently perceived by people. I don't mean to imply that you're wrong, hell, I agree with most of what you said. And I often times said a player sucked ass, only to turn around and hear everyone else gushing about him. Different views and all that. But anyway; Van Bommel is by far our best player this tournament. Not in terms of talent (although he's certainly not bad), but he's really important and the de facto leader. But he can be so important because he has Nigel de Jong next to him. De Jong is the heir of Edgar Davids, but without the dynamic play. De Jong gives this team a much needed edge and gives Van Bommel room to impress. I don't agree with your thoughts on Sneijder. It's a matter of what you expect from him. He's not a guy like Kaka or Messi, who runs towards a defence and gives the final pass to a striker. Sneijder's more of a guy who can direct play with the ball. He doesn't need to run with it, but he deploys the ball to other players in ways that they can profit with. If you could compare him with another player, then it's Xavi. Only Sneijder has a better shot and can play better long balls (just watch his great assist on Robben against Slovakia). Sneijder didn't reach his peak yet, but he's still one of the best and most influential midfielders of this tournament. He's all grown up now. No more crying like a bitch. Spitting at a camera, that's what real men do. Meet the new and improved Ronaldo.
I know its not about the world cup but an interesting read about how american football culture is different from the dutch <a class="postlink" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/magazine/06Soccer-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine&pagewanted=all" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/magaz ... wanted=all</a>