Brazil vs Chile
This was supposed to be a clash of offensive titans, the two top scoring teams from CONMEBOL, a game over-flowing with goals and attacking talent and what-not. Only, when I looked at the qualification results, I had a premonition. Brazil beat Chile 4-2 at home, and 3-0 away. High-scoring games, and not in Chile's favor, at all.
Once again, they met their match it seems. Every England fan quivers with the thought of playing Deutschland, and so it must be for the Chileans, burning voodoo dolls of Fabiano, Kaka et al., using canary yellow toilet paper, and anything else they can think of to shake the curse.
Zonal Marking made a great mention of the Chilean back, Javar, who was supposed to handle Robinho, how he got forward too far one time, and presto, a 3-on-3 with Fabiano, Kaka and Robinho breaks through. I feel like I need to schedule an online webinar with ZM because I'm learning stuff some cool stuff about these games.
Holland vs Slovakia
The Dutch welcome back Arjen Robben with open arms, and, his ambidextrous feet. I mentioned on a previous post how its useful to cut in and cross and shoot, but of course ZM beat me to it with the term "inverted wingers", and Robben, once again, showed why. It was a beauty too, threaded very nicely just inside the post.
My hero of this game was Dirk Kuyt, not least because he plays for the Reds, and not least because the man is a machine, he must have titanium thigh-bones attached to a perpetual-machine-type set of cogs in his knees, because he just goes on and on and on to a ball from a fast free kick, but, I like him really, because he personifies team play. He had every chance to score in that moment, to cut back in around the keeper, to keep the ball and chip someone, but no, he took the easy option and set up Sneidjer. I say it's easy, but for someone with star-power, it's hard not to be the scorer, and Kuyt seems to have gotten that football is a team sport.
Paraguay vs Japan
As lack of excitement this game might have been, I found myself enjoying it because I knew anything, and absolutely anything would change the game. Both sides were able to find the ball in the opposing box, through set-pieces, bad passes or sheer luck, and, though there were very little chances on goal, it kept giving me this thrill that something might happen.
It's one of those games when you appreciate how a nation is behind each team passionately willing them on. Seeing those clips of the fans sets the tone, and you can feel the respective economies of the two countries teetering on some invisible cliff. I know I was depressed on Sunday, but somehow, being the first team to be in the quarter-finals, ever, for a country, and having a great chance to do so, would mean a greater depression if the chance was missed.
It wasn't even a miss too, smacking into the bar like that, just inches, mere inches. Unfortunately for Japan, they were the only ones hoping for that extra inch, and Paraguay become the last CONMEBOL team to go through.
Spain vs Portugal
I was hoping for another battle not unlike the one we saw between the Portugese and the Dutch in the last World cup. I was kind of expecting there to be some serious tackles and some trans-iberian bitterness pouring out, but, I have to admit, the Spanish and the Portugese don't really have much of a footballing rivalry, and in any case, there wasn't much of a game to watch too, thanks to the Spanish midfield.
I loved how Spain came out of the starting blocks firing away, all of their shots seemed like they could be saved, but still. Even though Portugal settled and took the game to the Spanish on occaison, they never seriously threatened, least of all through their star, the center-piece of the so called Nike advert. Nike has got to be firing people left and right now Villa and Messi, at the heart of the Adidas ad, are progressing through the tournament at will, and most of the Nike stars are out (even Federer, now that I think of it, Ha!).
It was disappointing see Torres come off, and the chance that his replacement had mere minutes later, Torres would have put that away, I'm sure of it. But he did seem like he couldn't do much. I'm not getting a good grip on the tactics, but more and more, it seems like that the people who go wide, and come in late, become the more likely goal-scorers, like Ramos and Villa, and the ones who are expected to play centrally need some serious imagination behind them. Unfortunately for Torres, it seems like that he didn't get the chance in 60 minutes.
Coming up
Epics:
Brazil vs Holland - a re-match of the semi-final of 1998!
Argentina vs Germany - a re-match of 2006, 1990, and 1986 ( can anyone guess which plump coke-sniffer played in the latter two games?)
First-Timers:
Ghana vs Uruguay - no CAF nation has made it to the semi-finals of the World Cup
One-sided goal fest:
Spain vs Paraguay - Anyone wants to bet against Villa scoring?
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Halfway to the quarter-finals: weeding out the suspect defences
Uruguay vs S. Korea
The Koreans had a better game, and by better, I mean they enjoyed more possession in the opponent's box, and created more and better chances. It's not that the Uruguayans sat back after their first goal, it's that, despite sitting back, they still were not good at dispossessing the Koreans. Fortunately for the Uruguayans, they were gifted their first goal, and Suarez, the opportunist-extraordinaire, curled in a rare chance.
S. Korea joins Japan as the Asian nations that show off their mastery of the Jabulani free-kick.
USA vs Ghana
This was a game that seems to swing back and forth on a pendulum, but the US was undone, it seems by a combination of Ghanian tenacity, and a lack of energy from their main forwards, even after their preferred XI started the second half.
Prince-Boateng hoodwinked Howard and the US defenders into thinking that he was going to pass the ball, before switching directions and taking a one-time shot. Howard had bitten, and didn't have time to adjust.
I must admit, I was impressed that several of the Ghanians chose to stay on their feet throughout the game, despite being given the opportunity to flop by Americans kicking their heels. Several have noted their antics towards the end of the game, but they were the equivalent of a time-out, the referee does stop his watch, and the defence takes the chance to reset. The Americans who don't like it should see what happens when you take time-outs away from their favourite sports.
The US dominated the second half, and were unfortunate not to get more chances, but cometh the hour, cometh the man, and it wasn't Donovan this time. Gyan stayed on his feet when he could have flopped, and, splitting the defence, hammered the ball home.
England vs Germany
Zonal Marking, perhaps my favourite read after every game, highlights England's problem with Ozil, and, sadly, their own formation. Watching the games, I was never convinced that England would struggle this much defensively, even against a wild card like Ozil, and I'm still convinced that the Germans would never have broken like that in the second half if England didn't push so for the equalizer. Truly, I don't think anyone in the England camp anticipated how fast the Germans could be, and how good their outlet passes could be. It's almost as if England, seeing themselves as World-Beaters, believed that other teams would have the same problems. As it happens, England is England, and they failed to see Germany for who they are in their current form.
People have addressed the short-comings of the England team as the players not being good enough, or simply not being "World class", which is utter bollocks for anyone who has followed the Premier League over the last decade. Many of the players on the team have a crucial role to play for the club team who employ them, and many clubs in Europe would fall over themselves to buy one of them if they had the money. The problem is that we cannot translate domestic success into international success, especially if they all come from different playing systems, and to me, it truly seemed like they could not adjust to the system Capello had in place, as a group of individuals, and so their movement and their passing suffered, and they failed to form a team.
What now? The "Golden Generation" was supposed to win Germany 2006, and as we look forward to Brazil 2014, many of the midfielders and defenders from this tournament will not be on that team. We have two years to rebuild and re-adjust for Euro 2012, and I can only hope that Capello changes his system in time.
Argentina vs Mexico
It seems like the Argentinians outclassed Mexico, but I'm disappointed, like in the England game, the first half score line was defined by a defensive mistake, and an erroneous call. Mexico chased the score admirably, and Hernandez's goal made me fear the Rooney-Hernandez partnership we'll see in the Premier League next year, woo, I think he's going to be my latest source of hatred. But, foreign players are hit and miss when it comes to the speed of the Premier League so we'll see.
Tevez's goal was hit so hard, I think that if we were to look at the frames 1/32 second by 1/32 second, there would actually be some frames where you couldn't see the ball.
Blatter
Are you watching?
The Koreans had a better game, and by better, I mean they enjoyed more possession in the opponent's box, and created more and better chances. It's not that the Uruguayans sat back after their first goal, it's that, despite sitting back, they still were not good at dispossessing the Koreans. Fortunately for the Uruguayans, they were gifted their first goal, and Suarez, the opportunist-extraordinaire, curled in a rare chance.
S. Korea joins Japan as the Asian nations that show off their mastery of the Jabulani free-kick.
USA vs Ghana
This was a game that seems to swing back and forth on a pendulum, but the US was undone, it seems by a combination of Ghanian tenacity, and a lack of energy from their main forwards, even after their preferred XI started the second half.
Prince-Boateng hoodwinked Howard and the US defenders into thinking that he was going to pass the ball, before switching directions and taking a one-time shot. Howard had bitten, and didn't have time to adjust.
I must admit, I was impressed that several of the Ghanians chose to stay on their feet throughout the game, despite being given the opportunity to flop by Americans kicking their heels. Several have noted their antics towards the end of the game, but they were the equivalent of a time-out, the referee does stop his watch, and the defence takes the chance to reset. The Americans who don't like it should see what happens when you take time-outs away from their favourite sports.
The US dominated the second half, and were unfortunate not to get more chances, but cometh the hour, cometh the man, and it wasn't Donovan this time. Gyan stayed on his feet when he could have flopped, and, splitting the defence, hammered the ball home.
England vs Germany
Zonal Marking, perhaps my favourite read after every game, highlights England's problem with Ozil, and, sadly, their own formation. Watching the games, I was never convinced that England would struggle this much defensively, even against a wild card like Ozil, and I'm still convinced that the Germans would never have broken like that in the second half if England didn't push so for the equalizer. Truly, I don't think anyone in the England camp anticipated how fast the Germans could be, and how good their outlet passes could be. It's almost as if England, seeing themselves as World-Beaters, believed that other teams would have the same problems. As it happens, England is England, and they failed to see Germany for who they are in their current form.
People have addressed the short-comings of the England team as the players not being good enough, or simply not being "World class", which is utter bollocks for anyone who has followed the Premier League over the last decade. Many of the players on the team have a crucial role to play for the club team who employ them, and many clubs in Europe would fall over themselves to buy one of them if they had the money. The problem is that we cannot translate domestic success into international success, especially if they all come from different playing systems, and to me, it truly seemed like they could not adjust to the system Capello had in place, as a group of individuals, and so their movement and their passing suffered, and they failed to form a team.
What now? The "Golden Generation" was supposed to win Germany 2006, and as we look forward to Brazil 2014, many of the midfielders and defenders from this tournament will not be on that team. We have two years to rebuild and re-adjust for Euro 2012, and I can only hope that Capello changes his system in time.
Argentina vs Mexico
It seems like the Argentinians outclassed Mexico, but I'm disappointed, like in the England game, the first half score line was defined by a defensive mistake, and an erroneous call. Mexico chased the score admirably, and Hernandez's goal made me fear the Rooney-Hernandez partnership we'll see in the Premier League next year, woo, I think he's going to be my latest source of hatred. But, foreign players are hit and miss when it comes to the speed of the Premier League so we'll see.
Tevez's goal was hit so hard, I think that if we were to look at the frames 1/32 second by 1/32 second, there would actually be some frames where you couldn't see the ball.
Blatter
Are you watching?
Friday, June 25, 2010
Prediction for Round of 16 and thereafter
Uruguay vs Korea Republic
Uruguay surprised me with their defense, they didn't concede a goal. The Koreans played better than I thought they would, but probably should have lost to Nigeria.
Prediction: Uruguay 2 Korea Republic 1
USA vs Ghana
Donovan's exploits were not unexpected given his drive and maturity, just a little late, just not too late. It's exciting to be in the US for this. Ghana barely scraped through, two gifts from Serbia in the form of a penalty and a loss, coupled with a 1-1 draw against 10 Aussies. Won't be a recap of 2006.
Prediction: USA 2 Ghana 0
Germany vs England
England seemed to control all three games in their group, but only managed to get their offensive act together for the last game. Germany struggled to score against Serbia. Wild card: Ozil
Prediction: England 1 Germany 0
Argentina vs Mexico
For all of La Celeste's firepower, they were vulnerable at the back, Nigeria and Korea Republic had the best of chances before succumbing. Mexico underperformed in my opinion, especially since they decided their 1-0 loss to Uruguay wasn't going to affect their chance of promotion.
Prediction: Argentina 2 Mexico 2
Argentina wins penalty shoot-out.
Netherlands vs Slovakia
Dutch got a little luck, assisted by the post, and then Robben came back. Slovakia hung their heads after NZ and Paraguay took chances, and then displayed some intuitive team-work, technical skill and some balls against Italy.
Prediction: Netherlands 2 Slovakia 1
Brazil vs Chile
The two best CONMEBOL teams with the most offense went into their third games almost assured of going through, Chile less so. The Chileans were undone by a red card, so we never got to see how they could have attacked the Spanish. Brazil were allowed to pass by Portugal, but struggled to find any rhythm in the second half. Dunga needs to sit Dani Alves down and explain the concept of striking the ball underneath at whilst taking corners, and not whilst taking shots.
Prediction: Brazil 2 Chile 2
Brazil wins penalty shootout.
Paraguay vs Japan
Japan were one of my favorite teams on the ball, literally, they seemed like they figured the Jabulani with a sweet cross assisting the goal against Nigeria, and two fine free kicks that beat Sorenson, a seasoned Premier League goalie. Paraguay beat the Slovaks, but didn't seem to do much of note.
Prediction Japan 1 Paraguay 0
Spain vs Portugal
Spain seems to be on the up after losing to Switzerland, Torres still has to find form given his recent injury, but you can't fault their passing and movement with Cesc and Xavi at the heart. Portugal has one big result and two no-score draws, and you can fault Ronaldo with his dirt-kissing and long range field goal attempts.
Prediction: Spain 1 Portugal 0
Quarter-Finals
USA 2 Uruguay 1
Brazil 2 Netherlands 1
England 1 Argentina 0
Spain 4 Japan 0
Semi-Finals
England 1 Spain 0
Brazil 2 USA 0
Final
England 2 Brazil 1
Now you know me, I can't be trusted to make predictions objectively.
Uruguay surprised me with their defense, they didn't concede a goal. The Koreans played better than I thought they would, but probably should have lost to Nigeria.
Prediction: Uruguay 2 Korea Republic 1
USA vs Ghana
Donovan's exploits were not unexpected given his drive and maturity, just a little late, just not too late. It's exciting to be in the US for this. Ghana barely scraped through, two gifts from Serbia in the form of a penalty and a loss, coupled with a 1-1 draw against 10 Aussies. Won't be a recap of 2006.
Prediction: USA 2 Ghana 0
Germany vs England
England seemed to control all three games in their group, but only managed to get their offensive act together for the last game. Germany struggled to score against Serbia. Wild card: Ozil
Prediction: England 1 Germany 0
Argentina vs Mexico
For all of La Celeste's firepower, they were vulnerable at the back, Nigeria and Korea Republic had the best of chances before succumbing. Mexico underperformed in my opinion, especially since they decided their 1-0 loss to Uruguay wasn't going to affect their chance of promotion.
Prediction: Argentina 2 Mexico 2
Argentina wins penalty shoot-out.
Netherlands vs Slovakia
Dutch got a little luck, assisted by the post, and then Robben came back. Slovakia hung their heads after NZ and Paraguay took chances, and then displayed some intuitive team-work, technical skill and some balls against Italy.
Prediction: Netherlands 2 Slovakia 1
Brazil vs Chile
The two best CONMEBOL teams with the most offense went into their third games almost assured of going through, Chile less so. The Chileans were undone by a red card, so we never got to see how they could have attacked the Spanish. Brazil were allowed to pass by Portugal, but struggled to find any rhythm in the second half. Dunga needs to sit Dani Alves down and explain the concept of striking the ball underneath at whilst taking corners, and not whilst taking shots.
Prediction: Brazil 2 Chile 2
Brazil wins penalty shootout.
Paraguay vs Japan
Japan were one of my favorite teams on the ball, literally, they seemed like they figured the Jabulani with a sweet cross assisting the goal against Nigeria, and two fine free kicks that beat Sorenson, a seasoned Premier League goalie. Paraguay beat the Slovaks, but didn't seem to do much of note.
Prediction Japan 1 Paraguay 0
Spain vs Portugal
Spain seems to be on the up after losing to Switzerland, Torres still has to find form given his recent injury, but you can't fault their passing and movement with Cesc and Xavi at the heart. Portugal has one big result and two no-score draws, and you can fault Ronaldo with his dirt-kissing and long range field goal attempts.
Prediction: Spain 1 Portugal 0
Quarter-Finals
USA 2 Uruguay 1
Brazil 2 Netherlands 1
England 1 Argentina 0
Spain 4 Japan 0
Semi-Finals
England 1 Spain 0
Brazil 2 USA 0
Final
England 2 Brazil 1
Now you know me, I can't be trusted to make predictions objectively.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Review of Days 5-11
So I'm a bit late in reviewing my take on all the action so far, as it happens I started traveling on Day 5 (I was watching NZ vs Slovakia on the Chicago 'L') and since then, haven't been able to watch a full game without some form of distraction until I got home last night. Regardless, thanks to ESPN Mobile TV and ESPN3.com, I calculate that I caught about 80% of the action.
I'm going to keep this short and sweet, if I can, as I'm already behind. I plan to review the action every day once we get to the round of 16.
Comparison of Regions
As it stands, UEFA and CONMEBOL dominate the list of teams that have either qualified or have a good chance of advancing, along with perhaps one or two Asian and CONCACAF teams. CAF is the singular biggest disappointment in this tournament, though, I would have given Ivory Coast a chance if Portugal didn't just go and hammer the North Koreans. This actually may have an impact on the number of delegates FIFA may allow to compete in the next few World Cups, and I wouldn't be surprised if perhaps CAF's fifth team will have to go to a playoff next time, whilst CONMEBOL's fifth may be spared.
Crosses and Free-kicks
My favorite two crosses that I've seen so far in this tournament, were the one that led to Japan's goal against Cameroon, and the one that led to New Zealand's equalizer against Slovakia. Both of them could only be defended if the target was closely marked. What I mean by that is that they were the type of cross that neither goalie or defender could react to. The New Zealand cross in particular is a big reason for being ambidextrous when it comes to crossing as well as dribbling and shooting.
As for free-kicks, I think today, S. Korea scored the only intentionally direct free kick so far this tournament, which says a lot about how hard it is to keep the ball down. In fact, the Korean kept it deliberately so far down it bounced before it went in, which, in retrospect, is the best thing you could do considering.
Go wide
It's no secret that playing wide can reap benefits, finding space for your team, but nothing beat Rommedahl on how to create simple goals coming in from the outside. Johan Cruyff said that "Simple football is the most beautiful" and the Danes showed the world what that can be, though it wasn't the "Total football" Cruyff was referring to.
On that note, probably the most beautiful no-goal, if it actually went in, was a passing movement by the Swiss against Chile, right before the death. I can't find the video, especially as it didn't result in a goal. The Swiss also had a player who, against Spain, walked his way through the entire defence, it seemed, only to hit the post. Dammit, that would have been my best no-goal, if it wasn't for Chris Wood.
Chris Wood
Waiting on the sidelines, he looked like a rabbit in the headlights. Playing, he didn't seem to have a big impact, he was, after all, playing for NZ against Italy. But he had a chance that went wide of the post, a chance, that, if it went in, would have permanently engraved his name in every history book and every encyclopedia in New Zealand. For, like Michael at the time, he is only a teenager.
I'll put my money on Wood starting the next game, as NZ has to beat Paraguay to advance. Will they be 2010's Australia?
Speaking of which, it hasn't really worked for Australia to have so few strikers on the squad, especially when two front men got sent off in two games in succession. They'll probably field a more attacking formation for their last chance, which won't include, at their loss, Harry.
Harry
Harry Kewell actually represents two times in my life, in the late 1990's, when Leeds United were the reincarnation of the 'crazy gang', a young but daring team taking on all comers, and even shocking some giants in the Champions League. I hated and loved them, and was sorry to see them fall apart like that (financial reasons) and to be scattered. For some reason, I always remember that Howard Wilkinson called Lee Bowyer an animal. The second time was when he played for Liverpool of course.
Have you noticed how I have a lot to say about former colonies? Oh well.
Referees
The Malian has to go, enough said. There's been a few other ridiculous decisions, but none that beat US's disallowed goal, which is a damn shame seeing it would have been a helluva comeback. Did the ref have an agenda? We can only speculate.
Let's Go!
And so we come to the start of the knockouts, as the third round is literally that, you win, you might not go home...though, in the case of England and the US, its certain: En-Ger-Laaand!!!
I'm going to keep this short and sweet, if I can, as I'm already behind. I plan to review the action every day once we get to the round of 16.
Comparison of Regions
As it stands, UEFA and CONMEBOL dominate the list of teams that have either qualified or have a good chance of advancing, along with perhaps one or two Asian and CONCACAF teams. CAF is the singular biggest disappointment in this tournament, though, I would have given Ivory Coast a chance if Portugal didn't just go and hammer the North Koreans. This actually may have an impact on the number of delegates FIFA may allow to compete in the next few World Cups, and I wouldn't be surprised if perhaps CAF's fifth team will have to go to a playoff next time, whilst CONMEBOL's fifth may be spared.
Crosses and Free-kicks
My favorite two crosses that I've seen so far in this tournament, were the one that led to Japan's goal against Cameroon, and the one that led to New Zealand's equalizer against Slovakia. Both of them could only be defended if the target was closely marked. What I mean by that is that they were the type of cross that neither goalie or defender could react to. The New Zealand cross in particular is a big reason for being ambidextrous when it comes to crossing as well as dribbling and shooting.
As for free-kicks, I think today, S. Korea scored the only intentionally direct free kick so far this tournament, which says a lot about how hard it is to keep the ball down. In fact, the Korean kept it deliberately so far down it bounced before it went in, which, in retrospect, is the best thing you could do considering.
Go wide
It's no secret that playing wide can reap benefits, finding space for your team, but nothing beat Rommedahl on how to create simple goals coming in from the outside. Johan Cruyff said that "Simple football is the most beautiful" and the Danes showed the world what that can be, though it wasn't the "Total football" Cruyff was referring to.
On that note, probably the most beautiful no-goal, if it actually went in, was a passing movement by the Swiss against Chile, right before the death. I can't find the video, especially as it didn't result in a goal. The Swiss also had a player who, against Spain, walked his way through the entire defence, it seemed, only to hit the post. Dammit, that would have been my best no-goal, if it wasn't for Chris Wood.
Chris Wood
Waiting on the sidelines, he looked like a rabbit in the headlights. Playing, he didn't seem to have a big impact, he was, after all, playing for NZ against Italy. But he had a chance that went wide of the post, a chance, that, if it went in, would have permanently engraved his name in every history book and every encyclopedia in New Zealand. For, like Michael at the time, he is only a teenager.
I'll put my money on Wood starting the next game, as NZ has to beat Paraguay to advance. Will they be 2010's Australia?
Speaking of which, it hasn't really worked for Australia to have so few strikers on the squad, especially when two front men got sent off in two games in succession. They'll probably field a more attacking formation for their last chance, which won't include, at their loss, Harry.
Harry
Harry Kewell actually represents two times in my life, in the late 1990's, when Leeds United were the reincarnation of the 'crazy gang', a young but daring team taking on all comers, and even shocking some giants in the Champions League. I hated and loved them, and was sorry to see them fall apart like that (financial reasons) and to be scattered. For some reason, I always remember that Howard Wilkinson called Lee Bowyer an animal. The second time was when he played for Liverpool of course.
Have you noticed how I have a lot to say about former colonies? Oh well.
Referees
The Malian has to go, enough said. There's been a few other ridiculous decisions, but none that beat US's disallowed goal, which is a damn shame seeing it would have been a helluva comeback. Did the ref have an agenda? We can only speculate.
Let's Go!
And so we come to the start of the knockouts, as the third round is literally that, you win, you might not go home...though, in the case of England and the US, its certain: En-Ger-Laaand!!!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Days 1-4 in Review
Jabulani
If you hadn't already noticed by now, that ball moves and bounces beyond the expectations of the players. It has some comical results, seeing it bounce over some players, and also past some goalkeepers. The downside to it is that there seemed to have been less shots on target, especially from free kicks (has anyone seen a free kick on target yet?). But admist all the discussion of the ball's flight, the Japanese showed us how to cross it in their goal against Cameroon. Maybe being more light-weight as a person would give you an edge in ball control?
The goalkeeping has been up and down, Nigeria and Denmark seem to have produced the most consistent displays, Sorenson even actually held onto a shot swinging away from him, see people, they wear gloves for a reason! He was equally unfortunate that his same gloves gave the ball the spin that led to the second goal.
Referees
There has been little debate about the referees, I've only seen a few mistakes, and probably the undeserved red card against Cahill was the one bad decision that affected a group than any other. But let me congratulate the Uzbek referees, goodness, I thought they would screw up the first game, and I thought they got every offside call wrong in the first game, and every time the replay showed me they got it right. The linesmen must have been intent on being in the right place, because they got the close calls right too.
But on another level, I thought some games might be a bit of a flopalooza, particularly with the Mexicans, but the referees seem to be on top of any simulation, more so than before, there was a good example where a German was yellow-carded for his flop yesterday, and he went on to stay on his feet for the rest of the game.
Predictions
I've been trying to make predictions for the games, and I've gotten very few results right, but there's been considerably less goals than I originally thought, to be fair, there seems to be quite a few missed chances, and maybe as the group stage progresses, and people get to grips with their environment and the ball (right, Green?!) we'll see more goals.
Surprises for me so far are:
South Africa (for their passing and movement)
Japan (for winning outside their home country, and their ball control)
Ghana (in general, I didn't think they had much else other than Essein, I was wrong)
Denmark (Their well-organized defence against the Dutch was good news for them, the goals were flukes)
Non-surprises:
South Korea (seriously, Greece had it coming)
Nigeria (or rather, the holes in the Argentinian defence, Nigeria was wasteful)
England vs USA
There was some noise about two particular things, the lack of a holding midfielder in Barry's absence, and the US counter-attack. Neither were issues. People seem to forget that Gerrard covers the entire field, and tackles like a demon, he was first a holding midfielder noted for his tackles rather than his passing and his goals early on his career. Secondly, the one time I think the US genuinely tried to counter, Donovan didn't have the support. To counter, you need to do so as a team, and the only player I know who could run and pass with Donovan whilst progressing down the field at high speed was Charlie Davis.
If you hadn't already noticed by now, that ball moves and bounces beyond the expectations of the players. It has some comical results, seeing it bounce over some players, and also past some goalkeepers. The downside to it is that there seemed to have been less shots on target, especially from free kicks (has anyone seen a free kick on target yet?). But admist all the discussion of the ball's flight, the Japanese showed us how to cross it in their goal against Cameroon. Maybe being more light-weight as a person would give you an edge in ball control?
The goalkeeping has been up and down, Nigeria and Denmark seem to have produced the most consistent displays, Sorenson even actually held onto a shot swinging away from him, see people, they wear gloves for a reason! He was equally unfortunate that his same gloves gave the ball the spin that led to the second goal.
Referees
There has been little debate about the referees, I've only seen a few mistakes, and probably the undeserved red card against Cahill was the one bad decision that affected a group than any other. But let me congratulate the Uzbek referees, goodness, I thought they would screw up the first game, and I thought they got every offside call wrong in the first game, and every time the replay showed me they got it right. The linesmen must have been intent on being in the right place, because they got the close calls right too.
But on another level, I thought some games might be a bit of a flopalooza, particularly with the Mexicans, but the referees seem to be on top of any simulation, more so than before, there was a good example where a German was yellow-carded for his flop yesterday, and he went on to stay on his feet for the rest of the game.
Predictions
I've been trying to make predictions for the games, and I've gotten very few results right, but there's been considerably less goals than I originally thought, to be fair, there seems to be quite a few missed chances, and maybe as the group stage progresses, and people get to grips with their environment and the ball (right, Green?!) we'll see more goals.
Surprises for me so far are:
South Africa (for their passing and movement)
Japan (for winning outside their home country, and their ball control)
Ghana (in general, I didn't think they had much else other than Essein, I was wrong)
Denmark (Their well-organized defence against the Dutch was good news for them, the goals were flukes)
Non-surprises:
South Korea (seriously, Greece had it coming)
Nigeria (or rather, the holes in the Argentinian defence, Nigeria was wasteful)
England vs USA
There was some noise about two particular things, the lack of a holding midfielder in Barry's absence, and the US counter-attack. Neither were issues. People seem to forget that Gerrard covers the entire field, and tackles like a demon, he was first a holding midfielder noted for his tackles rather than his passing and his goals early on his career. Secondly, the one time I think the US genuinely tried to counter, Donovan didn't have the support. To counter, you need to do so as a team, and the only player I know who could run and pass with Donovan whilst progressing down the field at high speed was Charlie Davis.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
49 Hours and Counting!
I can't stand it, I was talking with a friend about the low that I'm going to get after games, I'm so excited about this damn tournament I'm already thinking about how deflated I'm going to be when all is said and done, boo!!
Anyway, I won't be doing match previews until after the group stages, but I'll be writing reviews of the matches I see. Yes, work and family won't stop for the WC (I should consider moving to Brazil in time for the next World Cup), though I'll do my damnedest best, I'll be trying to get to Newark two hours earlier than needed just so that I can catch the England-Algeria game in an airport bar next Friday.
However, I'll try and make predictions of the score for every game on twitter, and may even comment in real-time if I remember: http://www.twitter.com/samseaver
I linked this on twitter, but this has got to be the best WC calendar!
Anyway, I won't be doing match previews until after the group stages, but I'll be writing reviews of the matches I see. Yes, work and family won't stop for the WC (I should consider moving to Brazil in time for the next World Cup), though I'll do my damnedest best, I'll be trying to get to Newark two hours earlier than needed just so that I can catch the England-Algeria game in an airport bar next Friday.
However, I'll try and make predictions of the score for every game on twitter, and may even comment in real-time if I remember: http://www.twitter.com/samseaver
I linked this on twitter, but this has got to be the best WC calendar!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Groups Review: E-H
As a reminder, I'm merely predicting a team's chances of getting beyond the group stages.
Group E:
The Netherlands, no doubt.
Denmark has a strong squad, when I look at it, I'm surprised to recognize so many Scandinavian names from the Premiership and elsewhere, Rommedahl is getting on a bit, but Bendtner must be raring to go, I see them having decisive victories over Cameroon and Japan.
I picked Cameroon to finish above Japan on the basis that they have a few defenders who play at the top level, as well as Eto'o, but I don't know much else about the team, they had a relatively easy group in qualifying, so we'll see.
I don't think we'll see much of Japan this time round, but to be honest, I don't know the team at all.
Prediction:
Netherlands
Denmark
Cameroon
Japan
Group F:
The Italians have a lot of established names, and even more established hairstyles, Camoranesi's ponytail and Gattuso's beard to name a few, they're the defending champions who only conceded two goals in the last World Cup, but "last" is the key here. Americans might be interested in Daniele De Rossi, who was born in the US, and even scored against them in the Confederations Cup last year.
Paraguay and Slovakia are stalemates for me, both doing good in their respective regions, and I might be more inclined towards Slovakia, but the Paraguayans have Santa-Cruz. I predict their match-up will be a no-score draw, and their chances of going through depends on how many goals they unload unto New Zealand.
New Zealand do have a bright spot for this tournament, they have their own Golden Boy who they're hoping will cause some upsets, 18 year old Chris Wood. It doesn't look as if he'll be starting games, but neither did Michael in 1998.
Prediction:
Italy
Paraguay*
Slovakia*
New Zealand
Group G:
Brazil, easy peasy lemon squeezy. I don't expect any high-scoring games, but they've got the defense that won Inter three trophies this year, which makes Brazil very scary in my book.
Portugal will lose against the Ivory Coast in the deciding match of the group. I don't like them, and I don't see Ronaldo making a difference except against DPR.
I see the Ivory Coast as being one of the more physical African teams, and thats saying something. Even Brazil might have a job whilst being manhandled. If Brazil's defense stays well positioned, they shouldn't have to worry about it. Portugal on the other hand.
Korea DPR: Oh Dear.
Prediction:
Brazil
Ivory Coast
Portugal
Korea DPR
Group H:
Spain will proceed at a gentle trot.
I'm having trouble with the rest of this group, I could put an asterix against all three of the other teams, and be OK with it. I'm naturally inclined towards a European defence, especially one that features Senderos who did well enough at Euro 2006 to get picked up by Arsenal, so I would think maybe Switzerland scrapes through here. I honestly do not know enough about Chile and Honduras, though I give the Chileans better credit in being a CONMEBOL team.
Prediction:
Spain
Switzerland
Chile
Honduras
If my predictions hold, we'll see these match-ups:
The Netherlands vs Paraguay
Italy vs Denmark
Spain vs Ivory Coast
Brazil vs Switzerland
Group E:
The Netherlands, no doubt.
Denmark has a strong squad, when I look at it, I'm surprised to recognize so many Scandinavian names from the Premiership and elsewhere, Rommedahl is getting on a bit, but Bendtner must be raring to go, I see them having decisive victories over Cameroon and Japan.
I picked Cameroon to finish above Japan on the basis that they have a few defenders who play at the top level, as well as Eto'o, but I don't know much else about the team, they had a relatively easy group in qualifying, so we'll see.
I don't think we'll see much of Japan this time round, but to be honest, I don't know the team at all.
Prediction:
Netherlands
Denmark
Cameroon
Japan
Group F:
The Italians have a lot of established names, and even more established hairstyles, Camoranesi's ponytail and Gattuso's beard to name a few, they're the defending champions who only conceded two goals in the last World Cup, but "last" is the key here. Americans might be interested in Daniele De Rossi, who was born in the US, and even scored against them in the Confederations Cup last year.
Paraguay and Slovakia are stalemates for me, both doing good in their respective regions, and I might be more inclined towards Slovakia, but the Paraguayans have Santa-Cruz. I predict their match-up will be a no-score draw, and their chances of going through depends on how many goals they unload unto New Zealand.
New Zealand do have a bright spot for this tournament, they have their own Golden Boy who they're hoping will cause some upsets, 18 year old Chris Wood. It doesn't look as if he'll be starting games, but neither did Michael in 1998.
Prediction:
Italy
Paraguay*
Slovakia*
New Zealand
Group G:
Brazil, easy peasy lemon squeezy. I don't expect any high-scoring games, but they've got the defense that won Inter three trophies this year, which makes Brazil very scary in my book.
Portugal will lose against the Ivory Coast in the deciding match of the group. I don't like them, and I don't see Ronaldo making a difference except against DPR.
I see the Ivory Coast as being one of the more physical African teams, and thats saying something. Even Brazil might have a job whilst being manhandled. If Brazil's defense stays well positioned, they shouldn't have to worry about it. Portugal on the other hand.
Korea DPR: Oh Dear.
Prediction:
Brazil
Ivory Coast
Portugal
Korea DPR
Group H:
Spain will proceed at a gentle trot.
I'm having trouble with the rest of this group, I could put an asterix against all three of the other teams, and be OK with it. I'm naturally inclined towards a European defence, especially one that features Senderos who did well enough at Euro 2006 to get picked up by Arsenal, so I would think maybe Switzerland scrapes through here. I honestly do not know enough about Chile and Honduras, though I give the Chileans better credit in being a CONMEBOL team.
Prediction:
Spain
Switzerland
Chile
Honduras
If my predictions hold, we'll see these match-ups:
The Netherlands vs Paraguay
Italy vs Denmark
Spain vs Ivory Coast
Brazil vs Switzerland
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Celebrations
A couple more memories that came back to me in all this World Cup fever were: Robert Earle's Salute, when he tied for Jamaica in their first game against Croatia. Robert Earle was the last of the 'Crazy Gang' who terrorized the Premier League, another famous member being Vinnie Jones. Earle had a chance to play for England, but he never did and ended up playing for the "Reggaez Boyz".
He was one of the veterans on the team, and their chances didn't look so good being in the same group as Croatia and Argentina, but there was a growing sense of support in England, given colonial connection, and I remember Earle's goal, because it came out of nowhere, and being the first group game, all of a sudden there was this sense of potential. Earle's celebratory salute sticks in my mind (4:50, the video isn't really worth watching in its entirety)
The second celebration that sticks to my mind was actually in a lot of the early ESPN WC adverts. If I were a defender for my country, in a locked semi-final against the host country, and I happened to receive the pass at the end of extra-time, that would lead to my scoring the game-winning goal, I most certainly would run down the sidelines shaking my head like Fabio Grosso:
I'm positive if any sound was coming out of his mouth, all he could manage was a breathless squeal as if Timberlake walked into a sweet 16 party.
He was one of the veterans on the team, and their chances didn't look so good being in the same group as Croatia and Argentina, but there was a growing sense of support in England, given colonial connection, and I remember Earle's goal, because it came out of nowhere, and being the first group game, all of a sudden there was this sense of potential. Earle's celebratory salute sticks in my mind (4:50, the video isn't really worth watching in its entirety)
The second celebration that sticks to my mind was actually in a lot of the early ESPN WC adverts. If I were a defender for my country, in a locked semi-final against the host country, and I happened to receive the pass at the end of extra-time, that would lead to my scoring the game-winning goal, I most certainly would run down the sidelines shaking my head like Fabio Grosso:
I'm positive if any sound was coming out of his mouth, all he could manage was a breathless squeal as if Timberlake walked into a sweet 16 party.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Groups Review: A-D
I'm going spend some of my last posts before the actual event reviewing the groups, and making my predictions about who will make it to the next round. I'm not brave enough to predict who will win it all, especially as many of the top teams are strong contenders to make it all the way. I'll leave an asterix next to second and third place teams to say I think it could go either way (you might think I'm being chicken about the predictions, but I don't think you could say that to my face). Also, I will not be considering the recent friendlies, they are experimental.
A:
Many would think that France are an automatic choice, but looking over their roster, they don't seem to have the midfield, especially without Nasri. They also struggled to qualify, needing a last minute handball from Thierry Henry in the playoffs. Their best two strikers are now getting on a bit too.
Uruguay finished fifth in CONMEBOL and also had to win a playoff against Costa Rica, which in itself is not an easy feat. They are dangerous because of Forlan's form, he scored the game-winning goals of both the semi-final against Liverpool and the final against Fulham in the Europa cup, but I don't know much about the rest of the team.
I'd say that Mexico is the most likely to win the group, as they had the best form towards the end of the qualifiers, winning 5 of their last 6 games, after replacing Eriksson as their coach. Dos Santos was a player who started playing better under the new coach and is one to watch. Javier Hernandez was signed by Man Utd, and so will probably be my new foci of hatred, especially if Mexico ends up meeting England in the quarters.
Finally, South Africa are the host nation, and though I suspect they would finish last in their group, I wouldn't be surprised to see them pull off a win, especially against France (shades of '02 anyone?) Every host country in the World Cup has made it out of the first round, even USA in '94.
Prediction:
Mexico
Uruguay*
France*
South Africa
B:
When I see Argentina, I think group winners, and then I think, wait, they barely made it, and then I was watching the Champions League Final thinking "Gosh, Milito!" and then I was reminding myself who the coach is. I think Argentina will make it to the next round, but they'll struggle to do so, particularly against Korea.
I don't know many of the names on the Korea team, apart from the ones who play in England, but I understand that they have a work ethic that would frustrate teams more inclined to be spontaneous (see above).
Nigeria probably wouldn't be here, if it wasn't for a remarkable result between Tunisia and Mozambique. Nigeria actually succeeded in tying Tunisia in both group games, and I believe that's a good indicator of what's going to happen here, a lot of score draws.
Greece is not the team it was, one of the oldest in the field, still holding onto the fading glory of Euro 2004, but they boast the top scorer in the UEFA region (who'da thunk it?!) Theofanis Gekas, so things may be interesting.
Prediction:
Argentina
Korea*
Nigeria*
Greece
C:
England is the number one choice to win this group. I'm being objective too.
USA won the CONCACAF region, and had a fantastic run in the Confederations Cup last year, but between the first two games, and the rest of the cup, they were like Jekyll and Hyde, and Charlie Davis was the reason. His running opened up space and created goals, he was involved in almost all the goals the US scored, even Altidore's goal against Spain. I became a big fan of his after that cup, and was sorry to see him go down like that. The USA will not be the same team without him, and despite the attention they're giving to the England-USA match up, they should be focused on the game against Slovenia.
Algeria are the least likely to qualify, but cannot be discounted for the fact that they beat Egypt to get here. Egypt is the two-times defending CAF champion, and the highest ranked African team not in the World Cup, and so Algeria deserve some respect. How much, I cannot tell.
Slovenia pulled off a bigger upset than anyone might consider, seeing they beat Guus Hiddink, holding at home in the second leg-off of the playoff against Russia. If they can keep their defence organized like that, they can do well. However, they finished second to Slovakia in a rather underwhelming group, so I don't know if they'll perform at the next level.
Prediction:
England
USA
Slovenia
Algeria
D:
Germany is the de facto choice here, even without Ballack, and any of the other injuries they've been having.
Australia is a favourite of mine, as you might have garnered from my review of Germany '06, but I think it's going to be really close between three teams, and I read that Australia only have three true forwards, of which one is fully fit, so they may be expecting to force a few no-score draws, and consequently, would miss out.
Ghana would have given Germany a run for their money, but they're missing Essein now, a game-changer, and will be hoping to get at least one win over Australia or Serbia, which is likely, but may not be enough.
Serbia won their group, which included France, Romania and Austria, by a game to spare, with an impressive strike rate of 22 goals in 10 games, unexpected from a small nation, and this makes them the wild card here, they seem capable of beating everyone in this group.
Prediction:
Serbia
Germany
Ghana
Australia
If my predictions hold, then the next round would have these match-ups:
Mexico vs Korea
Uruguay vs Argentina
England vs Germany
Serbia vs USA
A:
Many would think that France are an automatic choice, but looking over their roster, they don't seem to have the midfield, especially without Nasri. They also struggled to qualify, needing a last minute handball from Thierry Henry in the playoffs. Their best two strikers are now getting on a bit too.
Uruguay finished fifth in CONMEBOL and also had to win a playoff against Costa Rica, which in itself is not an easy feat. They are dangerous because of Forlan's form, he scored the game-winning goals of both the semi-final against Liverpool and the final against Fulham in the Europa cup, but I don't know much about the rest of the team.
I'd say that Mexico is the most likely to win the group, as they had the best form towards the end of the qualifiers, winning 5 of their last 6 games, after replacing Eriksson as their coach. Dos Santos was a player who started playing better under the new coach and is one to watch. Javier Hernandez was signed by Man Utd, and so will probably be my new foci of hatred, especially if Mexico ends up meeting England in the quarters.
Finally, South Africa are the host nation, and though I suspect they would finish last in their group, I wouldn't be surprised to see them pull off a win, especially against France (shades of '02 anyone?) Every host country in the World Cup has made it out of the first round, even USA in '94.
Prediction:
Mexico
Uruguay*
France*
South Africa
B:
When I see Argentina, I think group winners, and then I think, wait, they barely made it, and then I was watching the Champions League Final thinking "Gosh, Milito!" and then I was reminding myself who the coach is. I think Argentina will make it to the next round, but they'll struggle to do so, particularly against Korea.
I don't know many of the names on the Korea team, apart from the ones who play in England, but I understand that they have a work ethic that would frustrate teams more inclined to be spontaneous (see above).
Nigeria probably wouldn't be here, if it wasn't for a remarkable result between Tunisia and Mozambique. Nigeria actually succeeded in tying Tunisia in both group games, and I believe that's a good indicator of what's going to happen here, a lot of score draws.
Greece is not the team it was, one of the oldest in the field, still holding onto the fading glory of Euro 2004, but they boast the top scorer in the UEFA region (who'da thunk it?!) Theofanis Gekas, so things may be interesting.
Prediction:
Argentina
Korea*
Nigeria*
Greece
C:
England is the number one choice to win this group. I'm being objective too.
USA won the CONCACAF region, and had a fantastic run in the Confederations Cup last year, but between the first two games, and the rest of the cup, they were like Jekyll and Hyde, and Charlie Davis was the reason. His running opened up space and created goals, he was involved in almost all the goals the US scored, even Altidore's goal against Spain. I became a big fan of his after that cup, and was sorry to see him go down like that. The USA will not be the same team without him, and despite the attention they're giving to the England-USA match up, they should be focused on the game against Slovenia.
Algeria are the least likely to qualify, but cannot be discounted for the fact that they beat Egypt to get here. Egypt is the two-times defending CAF champion, and the highest ranked African team not in the World Cup, and so Algeria deserve some respect. How much, I cannot tell.
Slovenia pulled off a bigger upset than anyone might consider, seeing they beat Guus Hiddink, holding at home in the second leg-off of the playoff against Russia. If they can keep their defence organized like that, they can do well. However, they finished second to Slovakia in a rather underwhelming group, so I don't know if they'll perform at the next level.
Prediction:
England
USA
Slovenia
Algeria
D:
Germany is the de facto choice here, even without Ballack, and any of the other injuries they've been having.
Australia is a favourite of mine, as you might have garnered from my review of Germany '06, but I think it's going to be really close between three teams, and I read that Australia only have three true forwards, of which one is fully fit, so they may be expecting to force a few no-score draws, and consequently, would miss out.
Ghana would have given Germany a run for their money, but they're missing Essein now, a game-changer, and will be hoping to get at least one win over Australia or Serbia, which is likely, but may not be enough.
Serbia won their group, which included France, Romania and Austria, by a game to spare, with an impressive strike rate of 22 goals in 10 games, unexpected from a small nation, and this makes them the wild card here, they seem capable of beating everyone in this group.
Prediction:
Serbia
Germany
Ghana
Australia
If my predictions hold, then the next round would have these match-ups:
Mexico vs Korea
Uruguay vs Argentina
England vs Germany
Serbia vs USA
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