Socceroos / Matildas / World Cup / Asian Cup

[the_boy_jake]

Germany killed England. Ripped them to shreds.

The English rags will whinge about the disallowed goal, but the real injustice here is the ball. Germany come out from the first whistle and their passing is spot on. Their second goal featured a magnificent little lobbed pass off the outside of Ozil's foot.

It took 35 minutes for England to put some passes together and then the disallowed goal meant they were either going to fire up or fizzle out and it was the latter. Poor goalkeeper, poor defending (Terry is not world class and Upson is average).

Another thing - Capello picks his captain Gerrard out of position and he is having a shocker yet subs their most effective player Milner instead. Just shows that even if you are a big personality as a coach with a rep for being a hardass, the pressure of the papers and the public with England will be too much.

Germany flying though and a bloke like Schweinsteiger who is a very good player but not a superstar is currently looking just about the best passing midfielder in the world because he is used to the ball.

Imagine if the AFL introduced a new footy and Collingwood had practiced with it preseason but no-one else....

[mightytiges]

Not so good second half once Germany had the game won. They were awesome tonight. Just too quick and ruthless for the Poms to handle. You really saw how weak the Poms were when Germany could bring on Kiessling and Gomez off the bench. These guys would start for other nations. The EPL is really harming the English national team with all the foreigners playing for the top 3 clubs. The talent pool needed to match the top nations just isn't there anymore to put even a top 11 on the park. Worse for England is their few stars have just played in their final World Cup. Only Rooney who had a shocker of a WC will be back for Brazil 2014. The whole of English Soccer needs a revamp for England's sake. The Bundesliga is now such a superior competition and is developing and nuturing elite German players for internationals. This Deutschland squad is ahead of schedule given the age of it and will be around in 2014 as well. 

It's going to be tough to pick between Germany and Argentina (presuming they get through this morning) in the quarter final. I wouldn't be surprised if the winner of that game goes on and wins the WC.

[the_boy_jake]

MT I watch a lot of Bundesliga with it being on one HD and they really do play an expansive style of football there. I agree the second half was superb and their counterattacking game devastating.

Some big questions for English football:

Why didn't your best keeper over the last year (Hart) get the nod when James has always been iffy?
Why wasn't Upson dropped after playing poorly against Slovenia?
Why pick your captain out of position and take your best performer off instead? If you want to play one defensive central midfielder and one attacking central midfielder and Gerrard isn't your best attacking central midfielder, why try and put square pegs in round holes?
Why didn't they take Adam Johnson who is left footed and has been in good form?
Why did Heskey, who has an awful scoring record and has hardly been in good form, continually get the nod over Crouch who looks unsightly but has an excellent goalscoring record?

They have to get rid of Capello now. Who will they go for? Redknapp or Hodgson?

[mightytiges]

MT I watch a lot of Bundesliga with it being on one HD and they really do play an expansive style of football there. I agree the second half was superb and their counterattacking game devastating.

Some big questions for English football:

Why didn't your best keeper over the last year (Hart) get the nod when James has always been iffy?
Why wasn't Upson dropped after playing poorly against Slovenia?
Why pick your captain out of position and take your best performer off instead? If you want to play one defensive central midfielder and one attacking central midfielder and Gerrard isn't your best attacking central midfielder, why try and put square pegs in round holes?
Why didn't they take Adam Johnson who is left footed and has been in good form?
Why did Heskey, who has an awful scoring record and has hardly been in good form, continually get the nod over Crouch who looks unsightly but has an excellent goalscoring record?

They have to get rid of Capello now. Who will they go for? Redknapp or Hodgson?

All good questions Jake. I guess the short answer (I need to get to bed  ) is the elite talent pool isn't there and they are robbing Peter to pay Paul and playing players out of position to try and get their best 11 individuals into the same side. Problem with that is they fall apart as a team and are disjointed as we saw for most of the tournament. I also think England in the modern era has picked squads on name rather than form. Only explanation for Heskey being in the squad let alone starting in the first two matches  . Add to that the poor effort against Algeria meant they had to face Germany tonight rather than Ghana last night. Too many cracks for cover.

Who do they go for as manager? Hmmm I think like Richmond has they have to get away from hoping a messiah comes and saves them. The problem is lack of elite talent on the pitch. This squad is IMO the poorest English team I can remember and I've been watching World Cups since 1982.

[Francois Jackson]

The "world game" is well and truly dead in this country This world cup like many others have been tarnished by diving cheating blind mutha effers who cant see 2 feet ahead of them.

Personally what happened in that game was disgrace and that cheat blatter needs to be sacked. He is the biggest blight on the game for he is the one who constantly refuses to being in the 3rd umpire.

Even though my folks were born in Italy i have never enjoyed watching them and those serb lose as much as i did.

Those 2 countries have been the worst i have seen with their Ramsay Street antics. They are cheats and Homo's to boot.

i have never been to an A league match as i dont want to endure a 90 minute spectacle of a bunch of cheating pricks diving all over the place cause someone blew on their gonads.

the game is a joke


Swear filter edit

[tigersalive]

Germany flying though and a bloke like Schweinsteiger who is a very good player but not a superstar is currently looking just about the best passing midfielder in the world because he is used to the ball.

Imagine if the AFL introduced a new footy and Collingwood had practiced with it preseason but no-one else....

That's not quite right.

Didn't the North American MLS league use it this year too?  And it was used at the African Cup of Nations and in the Portugal and Argentinian leagues and a few other leagues around the world without this fuss.

I assume by you saying Schweinsteiger has an advantage means in it was used in the Bundisliga too?

And surely Adidas would have given all national teams a supply of them sometime in the lead up?

Storm in a tea cup.  I'm not much of a soccer player at all but I've kicked with it and it goes like a dream. 

Maybe it all comes down to altitude or simply Nike and other sponsored nations doing the right thing by their brands in bringing down adidas. 

[mightytiges]

Germany flying though and a bloke like Schweinsteiger who is a very good player but not a superstar is currently looking just about the best passing midfielder in the world because he is used to the ball.

Imagine if the AFL introduced a new footy and Collingwood had practiced with it preseason but no-one else....

That's not quite right.

Didn't the North American MLS league use it this year too?  And it was used at the African Cup of Nations and in the Portugal and Argentinian leagues and a few other leagues around the world without this fuss.

I assume by you saying Schweinsteiger has an advantage means in it was used in the Bundisliga too?

And surely Adidas would have given all national teams a supply of them sometime in the lead up?

Storm in a tea cup.  I'm not much of a soccer player at all but I've kicked with it and it goes like a dream. 

Maybe it all comes down to altitude or simply Nike and other sponsored nations doing the right thing by their brands in bringing down adidas. 

The ball the way its made has fewer panels so there's less friction on the surface of the ball as it moves through the air. The friction combined with spin is what creates a pressure difference on opposite sides of the ball and that pressure difference creates a force on the ball in the direction from high to low pressure which curves the ball as it moves through the air. It appears you really need to rip across the ball to get it to spin fast enough to make it curve. Even so I've hardly seen anyone get the ball to dip much. The ball skids and bounces too much when it hits the ground or when played long to a teammate or shot at goal it skews way over the bar or head without any dip.

IMHO the ball in this World Cup has favoured sides who play a keep possession and a quick short intricate passing game to break down defences. Very much a South American style. Of the Europeans it's probably no surprise that Spain, Germany and Holland are left as they are probably the most technically proficient with the ball in attack. Ghana has been just plain lucky with help from the referee  .

My tips on the Quarter Finals
Uruguay vs Ghana ....... Uruguay just the superior side

Brazil vs Holland ......... As much as Holland will hold out Brazil would need to have an off night in front of goal to lose or a la Italy in 1982 a Robben or Van Persie would need to do a Rossi against Brazil.

Argentina vs Germany ........... Should be match of the Quarter Finals. Both will attack and show off their individual and team skills. It wouldn't surprise me if this went to extra time or even penalties. I can't really split them by have gone for Argentina just as I think they have more overall options in attack and defensively they won't given the young Germans so much space as the hopeless Poms did.

Paraguay vs Spain .......... Spain just the superior side.

[tiger101]

what an upset netherlands beating brazil 2 -1. what was the brazilian player thinking stomping on the netherlands player they lost the plot clearly after they went behind.

[Ox]

what an upset netherlands beating brazil 2 -1. what was the brazilian player thinking stomping on the netherlands player they lost the plot clearly after they went behind.

Brazil are poo losers.

Pathetic in fact.

[mightytiges]

what an upset netherlands beating brazil 2 -1. what was the brazilian player thinking stomping on the netherlands player they lost the plot clearly after they went behind.

Didn't see it coming at half-time. Brazil panicked and lost the plot which is so un-Brazilian. Both Dutch goals resulted from poor defending and then Felipe Melo has a brain fade after luckily escaping what should have been a second yellow for a poor tackle 5 minutes earlier by kicking then stomping on Robben while he was lying on the ground. The Dutch on the other hand remained calm after going behind and then took the game on and it paid off  .

Robben must go close to be FIFA's player of the year. Firstly he joins Bayern Munich and they win the Bundesliga and finish runners-up in the Champions League. Today the Brazilians couldn't handle him after half-time and he turned the game's momentum totally around.

[Hellenic Tiger]

what an upset netherlands beating brazil 2 -1. what was the brazilian player thinking stomping on the netherlands player they lost the plot clearly after they went behind.

Didn't see it coming at half-time. Brazil panicked and lost the plot which is so un-Brazilian. Both Dutch goals resulted from poor defending and then Felipe Melo has a brain fade after luckily escaping what should have been a second yellow for a poor tackle 5 minutes earlier by kicking then stomping on Robben while he was lying on the ground. The Dutch on the other hand remained calm after going behind and then took the game on and it paid off  .

Robben must go close to be FIFA's player of the year. Firstly he joins Bayern Munich and they win the Bundesliga and finish runners-up in the Champions League. Today the Brazilians couldn't handle him after half-time and he turned the game's momentum totally around.

Aregentina outplayed outfought and out. Germans rack up another 4 without reply.

There goes my pick for the WC. Who would have thought that from the South American nations Uruguay would be in the semis and Brazil and Agies would be out. 

Brazil initially got cocky last night getting the early goal could have got a few more but were to flashy and lairised with backheels and pleasing to the eye touches stuff you practice on kids on the schoolyard pitch to deflate their confidence  and then conceded a stupid own goal then fell behind and by the time the final whistle came they could have conceded a few more.

Holland v Spain/ Germany

It seemed such a good tournament for the South American nations at the end of the round of 16.
European nations are doing it again and this time away from European soil for the first time.

Go the Dutch or Go the Spanish.

[mightytiges]

what an upset netherlands beating brazil 2 -1. what was the brazilian player thinking stomping on the netherlands player they lost the plot clearly after they went behind.

Didn't see it coming at half-time. Brazil panicked and lost the plot which is so un-Brazilian. Both Dutch goals resulted from poor defending and then Felipe Melo has a brain fade after luckily escaping what should have been a second yellow for a poor tackle 5 minutes earlier by kicking then stomping on Robben while he was lying on the ground. The Dutch on the other hand remained calm after going behind and then took the game on and it paid off  .

Robben must go close to be FIFA's player of the year. Firstly he joins Bayern Munich and they win the Bundesliga and finish runners-up in the Champions League. Today the Brazilians couldn't handle him after half-time and he turned the game's momentum totally around.

Aregentina outplayed outfought and out. Germans rack up another 4 without reply.

Yep so much for my Argentina have the extra firepower. I thought the Germans being young might eventually struggle against the top countries who have the experience but they were awesome. It was Argentina who were overwhelmed by the moment and the opposition. Messi mustn't have been right (rumoured he was injured) as he did nothing. In both Brazil and Argentina did nothing once the momentum swung against them. No plan B. Us losing 4-0 to Germany doesn't seem so embarrassing now lol. At least the Socceroos can say they were down to 10 men for half the game whereas the Argies weren't  .

I only got 2/4 from the quarters so I'll stay out of tipping from now on. Deutschland may be heading for their 4th World Cup though if they repeat their current form twice more.

[mightytiges]

Not so "toight"  at the back conceding 2 goals but the Dutch get through to the final 3-2 .

[mightytiges]

A Spain vs Holland final. So one of them will finally get the monkey of the back and be WC champions for the first time. Spain will be favourites. The 1-0 scoreline flattered the Germans this morning.

[the_boy_jake]

Spain will thrash Holland.

The german centrebacks are better than the Dutch and they were picked apart and clung on by a string.

The likes of Heitinga will be dragged all over the place. If they couldn't deal with the first Brazilian goal, they won't be able to deal with the Spanish.