World Cup 2010 - discussions & random thoughts

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South America just got pounded yesterday and today. Germany 4-0, amazing.

Yesterday I discovered how much anguish of '94 and '98 was still left in me. Today I am Freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Viva Hollandia!

Netherlands - Germany Final. Although I am scared after that german performance.

 

It was a bit bigger than I thought but I don't think Germany's win was a massive shock. Argentina looked great going forward but you always felt they were a shambles just waiting to be set upon once they met someone who could actually stand up to them. They got what they deserved for appointing Maradona as manager.

 

I'll take that German win. It's not the 1-1 draw I picked, but I do get 10 bonus points if Germany wins the whole thing, so I'm feeling better about that pick now (and I'm pretty sure nobody else in the office would have picked 4-0 to Germany so nobody would have caught me on that one).

 

Crazy... I really can not stand the German football team! Does my head in! Got to respect them, though.

 

I am drunk. I am amazed. I am very content with the German team's performance. 4:0? Against Argentina? That's not some push-over. Awesome! I never expected that decisive a result.

The 1986 match Germany vs. Argentina is iirc the first football match I consciously remember. Germany played in green.

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I remember the 1990 1:0 vs Argentina.

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I haven't forgotten the 2006 clash either.

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Good riddance, gauchos! Better even than that we are in the semi-finals now, was that devastated expression in that otherwise so smug Diego Maradona.

I have seen him in his prime. Great player. Smug player. Now, as a trainer, he stood out with remarks along the line: My players are animals, they will devour the German team - who are they anyway? That sounded a lot like Chemical Ali, except that because it was the legendary Maradona saying it, who was the coach of the crack Argentinian team, greatly hyped in the media, it was sort of credible. I'm all glee.

The Argentinians are not used to losing. They get nasty when they notice they're about to lose. It was hard to not notice their theatralics and their visible annoyance in their bickering towards the referee. Considering their well deserved bad rep as rough players they sort of showed restraint today. But no greatness. You saw very few Argentinian players exchanging trikots after the match for instance. Arrogant SOBs.

Well, that 4:0 will, if not teach them humility, at least piss them off. Good!

 

Down to 50% and the success level of coin-flipping…

Wow, high drama! Some comments:

Brazil - Netherlands. I thought I was on the money for the entire first half. Netherlands looked slow and ponderous; Brazil looked like they were playing for fun. Then Netherlands got a bit lucky with the goal and then... Brazil imploded. What the hell happened? A game of two halves, to borrow and old cliché.

Uruguay - Ghana. Heartbreaking for Ghana and Montresor was quite right - cynicism ruled the day! Red Card and penalty turns out to be an acceptable risk... However, not to take anything from Uruguay or Forlan's amazing goal. Muntari's wasn't bad either

Argentina - Germany. Wow. Just wow.

Paraguay - Spain. Paraguay were bad, Spain arguably worse and the ref was horrible. Dramatic game, but with the exception of Villa and Fabregas, nothing much in the way of quality football.

Predictions for the semis?

Uruguay – Netherlands. Netherlands are the favourites, but I continue to support the only South Americans left (and what were the odds it would be Uruguay??). I feel both were somewhat lucky to go through the quarter-finals against arguably better teams. That said, I think Uruguay have played the best football they could, whereas Netherlands should have plenty left in reserve. Therefore, I will go for a Netherlands win and hope for a Uruguay one.

Germany – Spain. It is foolish to write Spain off completely (especially as Villa seems to be hitting top form), but based on the evidence of today’s matches, Germany should rip Spain apart. I still think Germany showed vulnerabilities against Serbia and Ghana but I’m not betting on Spain being the team to exploit them.

 

@Ragusa

You know where this going right? '74 replay except the roles seem to be entirely reversed. Germany plays as did the Dutch back than and the other way around. You demolished Argentina 4-0 as did the Dutch back then.

Who was it who won back then? Right it was Germany.

That would mean that this time..........

 

To the Germans.. I bow down in respect.


To the Dutch... my brothers! If I was no English, I would be Dutch, with all jokes and such set aside... PLEASE do it for me now!

 

Go Germany! Get me those 10 points I need to win that $140!

 

Apeman,
so you wish No way that's going to happen if I had my way or Loew has his, for that matter.

Personally I feel it is somewhat of a 'get even' championship. The German team got even with the English, they kicked the smug asses of those obnoxious Argentinians ... as for Spain: We still owe them for the Euro 2008 finale.

Oh the excitement!

Somewhat more seriously: The way it looks, Netherlands (I wonder, 'nether' as in 'nether world'?) vs. Germany would be a very tactical match - which means it could be an utterly atrocious grind. We'll see. Just in case, I hope the Dutch have banned all Lamas from their teams, or if there are any, that they'll relieve themselves in Uruguay vs. Netherlands

As for Germany vs. Spain ... we'll see. I will certainly watch it After this performance I'm optimistic. Sadly, the German team will play without Müller, who is an important player, but then, the German team is a great team.

Barmy, we Germans, the Dutch and you Brits all drink beer and like football. Even our languages are related. Get over it, and have a pint

 

Hehe, I know, it's a jealousy thing mate. Germany never seem to have a good team, individually, but they are always an incredible team collectively. England are the total opposite! On paper, I wouldn't swap many German players for ours, but the Germans play so well for each other and never put a foot wrong. I wish England were more like Germany in that respect!

 

It's probably the difference between an all star team that promotes players based on seniority and popularity, and a real, grown team of young, hungry players that match each other and play good tactically. It appears Loew has figured out how to create and train the latter.

Loew pointedly refused to nominate some top players because 'they didn't fit the concept' and was greatly criticised for that (consider the feasibility of that in England: The British press is far worse ...). And then, Arne Friedrich for instance was relegated with his team to the second league this year, and he was nominated anyway. Just look at him: He is the bulwark of the German defence and scored against Argentina. Very important player.

I have to see Netherlands vs. Uruguay on Tuesday. I haven't seen the Dutch play in these championships. I lament I didn't see them maul Brazil.

Thinking of it, since the Dutch were able to tame an individually brilliant hothead team like Brazil, they are perfectly able to do the same to Uruguay. Germany was able to tame individually good hotheads England and Argentina. Germany lost against Serbia, a continental European team playing well organised and tactically astute football. They would face a similar opponent in the Netherlands. In that sense, it may be better for Germany if the Netherlands lost.

 

To put your mind at ease a bit there Ragusa, The Dutch have not been playing their best football. Kind of a scary thought really considering they managed to defeat Brazil.

There's discipline though and superior focus and a willingness to go the distance for the team. It's a different Netherlands this time around and maybe, just maybe that will be key this WC.

 

Apeman,
trust me, I would look forward to a Germany vs. Netherlands final, since that would mean we'll beat Spain. Of which I am sort of confident - mind you, not for any rational reason, just because of 2008, and because considering the previous opponents it appears to be well possible. As for the Dutch, the German team is certainly capable of beating them as well. We'll see.

 

It seems most of the Dutch are hoping for a German - Netherlands final, since they are confident the Dutch team can reach the finals and win the championship after the win against Brazil, and they want the title in the most epic way imaginable: against ze Germans. I guess the 1974 final match left quite a scar on the Dutch people, since even people not even remotely born by 1974 are talking about finally getting revenge

As for me, I think the Dutch team can beat Uruguay since the last match probably gave them a huge confidence boost. And I'm hoping Spain will win the other semi final, since the party is going to be huge should we win the final either way, but the downer will be much bigger if we lost against Germany than against Spain.

 

What scar? Odds are you weren't even born then, whelp

 

The Dutch are massive favourites against Uruguay. Uruguay without Suarez is a much weaker team than normally, he means almost as much as Forlan.

 

A bit, maybe. I was not even fluid in '74, but I feel we owe something to Rinus Michels (our most successful coach ever, in the 70s and in '88). True, he won the EC in '88 and he was happy. But I feel most Dutchies want a World Cup trophy to get even with two times we were the runner ups at a World Cup. When we hear foreign people say that the inventors of Total Football should at least once win the world cup, we are more than willing to prove we can.
Preferably winning the final against "Unseren Oster-Nachbarn", a topsport country who's always in the thick of major sport events and, more importantly, our biggest rivals. If it's gonna be a fair and sporty match, losing to Germany would be hard to swallow, but not a shame. Well... that's MY opinion.

Fisrt, we would have to beat Uruguay and Germany has to beat Spain. So we're not there yet. It's football. Anything can happen.

I remember that in '88 there was a text written on a viaduct which people from Germany could read when they crossed the Dutch border saying: "Und jetzt fahren Sie in das Land des Europameisters." (And now you travel in the land of the EC Champions)
That was about the first German I learned and now I want to change that to "Und jetzt fahren Sie in das Land des Weltmeisters." That's true: Including the grammatical errors.

 

What MoN said. And you're correct, I'm part of the group of people who weren't even remotely born by 1974. But since the Brazil game was won and Germany also progressed to the semi finals, everybody has been talking about the possibility of a Netherlands - Germany match. Germany is the big one and beating Germany is more important than beating any other country, even Brazil. For most it doesn't seem enough to beat Germany in any match, they want to take the title from Germany and dance around a beaten down Germany and see crying Germans and slap them in the face with the title.

Like I said, I wasn't born in 1974, but this is the match my father has been talking about for 36 years. From what I heard from it, Germany stole our title. So, there is a scar that's been passed on to the next generation and it probably won't go away until we beat our arch nemesis in a world cup final. But both of our countries reaching the final comes with a risk; getting beaten by Germany (again) in a world cup final would be a much bigger smackdown for us than loosing from Spain.

But if The Netherlands would loose from Uruguay, all this football madness would be over, I wouldn't be forced to celebrate our world cup title for a few days and I can spend next Sunday watching Top Gear instead. I guess there is something to say for both situations