World Cup 2010

[Slothrop]

So what are the scores going to be in today's matches? I don't know whether it's poor tactics, lack of motivation or just a lack of talent, but I'm still doing pretty badly in the office predictor league...

Also, is there an interesting comparison to be drawn between England and France and Italy at this world cup? Or were their performances just freak accidents given eg their better showing four years ago. France in particular seemed to have a similar problem to England - a bunch of top rank club players failing to make any impact at all against comparatively lowly opposition...

Oh, and watching italy - slovakia in a backstreet italian bar in Barcelona was quite fun - turns out that italian men really are quite passionate about their team's performance...

 

[baboon2004]

Difference with France - at least they can admit it, and their exit was down to pure old-fashioned Dutch-type dissent. Anyway, they've a good record - I'd take being World Cup finalists in two of the last four World Cups, with two first round exits.

Italy always seem to start slowly, so were always at risk of something like this happening. Plus their coach left several key players at home, by all acounts. And there's a reason Inter don't have any Italian players in their first team maybe...

Predictions: Holland 2-1 Slovakia, Brazil 3-0 Chile (sadly)

 

[mixed_biscuits]

The fifth and sixth officials will almost certainly be stood at each end of the pitch, behind the goal-line, rather than sat in a room watching the telly.

As regards England's performance, it shows improvement - we didn't even qualify for the Euros two years ago. Well done, England!

 

[baboon2004]

Hopefully England's hubris has finally been pricked enough for the FA to realise that the nation will never win anything so long as it is in a state of denial about just how much technically superior a team like Germany is.

Some chance! Then again,Greece won the Euros, so lumpen teams can do it...

 

[grizzleb]

I think the Chilean suspensions won't have that much impact really, maybe Ponce, who looks a solid player, but apparently the team is commonly switched about and flexible enough so that individuals can play in different positions with reasonable comfort. I think if Chile take the game to Brazil (which they will) then Brazil could be put under pressure and easily concede some goals. Brazil look cagey and keen to sit back and go on the break which probably wouldn't suit Chile, who haven't beat them in qualifiers, but I think they can do it. They beat everyone else in their qualifying group (Paraguay, Argentina).
It's probably the worst draw they could get though...

 

[don_quixote]

chile will miss medels tenaciousness. i would love to see them destroy brazil. totally pulverise them.

 

[baboon2004]

Would put yr money on the Netherlands to beat Brazil - they seem to be progressing extremely comfortably without ever needing to hit the highest gear. Otherwise I can't see Brazil not reaching the final (where hopefully Argentina will give them a good thrashing)

 

[IdleRich]

"as one of the pundits refreshingly and truthfully said at half time, Germany could have been 4 or 5 up by then - the disallowed goal (which obv was a goal) is neither here nor there when you lose by three and should've lost by more."

That's nonsense, you know that goals change games and that if England had gone in at two all instead of still being behind there is no guarantee at all it would have ended the same - the momentum would certainly have been with England. It's simplistic and plain wrong to say that a given team losing by more than one goal means that a disallowed goal at an important juncture is insignificant.
In general I think people are being a little hard on them with this match. Admittedly the defence looked as though they had never met before - and possibly never even played the game - but for once they actually seemed to have some cutting edge; in the period between the second and third German goals they scored twice, hit the bar twice and asked a couple of decent saves of the keeper - probably more chances than they managed in the group games. Not even that surprising that they conceded some weak goals when they were chasing the game, there's always a risk of leaving the backdoor unlocked when you need an equaliser in the next twenty minutes. There is no excuse for the first goal though, that was absolutely shocking.
I can see why people are frustrated (I am too) but for me it was the crushingly dull performances against the US and, especially, Algeria that sapped my will to live. I don't think there is too much shame in being beaten by a few goals in the circumstances.

 

[grizzleb]

Cheap:

England recipe for a major tournament:

500ml of arrogance

2 tablespoons of unfounded hype

A tablespoon of foreign manager

A heaped teaspoon of poor team selection

A knob of poor substitutions

Poor performances from all the big names for 270 minutes at 20 degrees until golden generation is taken out.

Hahah.

 

[don_quixote]

this golden generation stuff is absolute rubbish. i don't see what's so bloody golden about them.

 

[IdleRich]

"Predictions: Holland 2-1 Slovakia, Brazil 3-0 Chile (sadly)"

So far so good.

 

[grizzleb]

this golden generation stuff is absolute rubbish. i don't see what's so bloody golden about them.

It's all that bling innit.

 

[hucks]

That's nonsense, you know that goals change games and that if England had gone in at two all instead of still being behind there is no guarantee at all it would have ended the same - the momentum would certainly have been with England. It's simplistic and plain wrong to say that a given team losing by more than one goal means that a disallowed goal at an important juncture is insignificant.
In general I think people are being a little hard on them with this match. Admittedly the defence looked as though they had never met before - and possibly never even played the game - but for once they actually seemed to have some cutting edge; in the period between the second and third German goals they scored twice, hit the bar twice and asked a couple of decent saves of the keeper - probably more chances than they managed in the group games. Not even that surprising that they conceded some weak goals when they were chasing the game, there's always a risk of leaving the backdoor unlocked when you need an equaliser in the next twenty minutes. There is no excuse for the first goal though, that was absolutely shocking.
I can see why people are frustrated (I am too) but for me it was the crushingly dull performances against the US and, especially, Algeria that sapped my will to live. I don't think there is too much shame in being beaten by a few goals in the circumstances.

I increasingly agree with this, particualrly the bit at the end.

However, getting caught on the break at only 2-1 down with 20 minutes to go is so phenomenally brainless that it may well have happened at 2-2. Upson and Terry went up to get headers on a free kick from which Lampard took a shot. That's so dumb it's untrue. Then -THEN! - Barry, the defensive midfileder, tried to run the ball into the box, got tackled and all of a sudden it's 3-1. You can't legislate for that kind of stupidity.

 

[IdleRich]

It's like the Keegan era again - "there's only one team that's going to score now .... oh".

 

[don_quixote]

that was under hoddle tho!!

i'm still handwringing but i never believed in this england side.

 

[BareBones]

bringing on heskey with 10 minutes to go was as good as waving a white flag. I mean we weren't gonna win by that point anyway, but jesus fucking christ, emile heskey, seriously? and SWP? Any team that relies on heskey and SWP to come on and change things is doomed to failure.

 

[BareBones]

hoddle was a nutter and kind of an idiot but at least we played some nice football under him, on occasion.

 

[don_quixote]

who would you rather come on in the last 20 mins of a game with fresh legs? theo walcott or shaun wright-phillips? decision for me is a no brainer.

old posts where you look like a genius are great

 

[don_quixote]

nah upson's not shit.

Are you sure?

I'm gonna hold you to that.

lol

 

[baboon2004]

I disagree, as Germany would still clearly have won the game, due to being superior in every department. I don't think sheer momentum would have made up for the glaring deficiencies in the England team - they were simply outplayed by a better team, and that would have shown up later in the game whether that goal had stood or not. As soon as everyone can admit that as the major fact of yesterday's game, then England can finally think about winning something. I see denial as stopping England getting any better - Lampard's post-match interview was embarrassing - 20 minutes where England bossed the game??? Three minutes, perhaps.

I agree that being embarrassed by a better team, and showing minor hints of a cutting edge, was better than the first two group games.

That's nonsense, you know that goals change games and that if England had gone in at two all instead of still being behind there is no guarantee at all it would have ended the same - the momentum would certainly have been with England. It's simplistic and plain wrong to say that a given team losing by more than one goal means that a disallowed goal at an important juncture is insignificant.
In general I think people are being a little hard on them with this match. Admittedly the defence looked as though they had never met before - and possibly never even played the game - but for once they actually seemed to have some cutting edge; in the period between the second and third German goals they scored twice, hit the bar twice and asked a couple of decent saves of the keeper - probably more chances than they managed in the group games. Not even that surprising that they conceded some weak goals when they were chasing the game, there's always a risk of leaving the backdoor unlocked when you need an equaliser in the next twenty minutes. There is no excuse for the first goal though, that was absolutely shocking.
I can see why people are frustrated (I am too) but for me it was the crushingly dull performances against the US and, especially, Algeria that sapped my will to live. I don't think there is too much shame in being beaten by a few goals in the circumstances.