World Cup 2014

[AnthonyG]

They had the most ball possession, but didn's score with it.

I feel the Netherlands underperformed if you look at their players. Argentina fought valantly, keeping the ranks closed long after they got tired.

Euh well, The Netherlands really aren't that good, they made it quite far with that bunch. Van Persi played crappy the last two matches, Sneyder is hardly a top midfielder at the world cup, and imo only Robben and their defence did a solid job.

I believe Belgium played much better against Argentina. At least they created opportunities, but that early goal cost them. Argentina made proper use of their early goal to play calm, take they time every time the ball was out and delayed the entire game, making it a misery to watch, similar to ARG-NED.

As one journalist said here this morning, now let's all cheer for Germany, as it would be terrible to see a team that is focused on defence win a world cup. It would put us back into the age of Italian Cattenaccio.

It would be no shame for Belgium to have lost to a later world champion.

[turbof1]

It's no shame now either. Argentina might have played anti-football, they proved it worked and that they are a very hard nut to crack.

Of course, offensive-wise Argentina can be considered one of the weakest teams to start on this championship, but they compensate it with heart and organization.

[CBeck113]

Turbo, that was Ghana & Costa Rica...

NL didn't challenge the ARG defence enough to say they deserved to win imo. Both Teams were sloppy, and NL had no Solutions for the greek-style play of ARG. Germany should be able to take care of this Situation, though...4-1 Germany is my call.

Edit: It'll be an early 2-0, and tehn ARG has no choice but to open up, and at teh end Germany will let in one token Goal.

[Waywardism]

NL didn't challenge the ARG defence enough to say they deserved to win imo.

Spot on. To say you really deserved to win the game then the opposition keeper has to at least be contender for man of the match. Romero didn't have nearly enough to do for that.

I hoped Argentina would win because I think they'll give Germany a challenge, Holland would've been swept aside by them. It may sound odd but I think Germany's biggest weakness will be their confidence and overall strength, if they think they can afford to not throw 2-3 guys at Messi every time he starts running with the ball they could get punished for it.

[George-Jung]

I hoped Argentina would win because I think they'll give Germany a challenge, Holland would've been swept aside by them

We will never know, but I don't think the Dutch would have been swept away by se Germans..

[Andres125sx]

Of course, offensive-wise Argentina can be considered one of the weakest teams to start on this championship, but they compensate it with heart and organization.

This statement cant be denied after watching the matches, but I still can´t understand it....

Messi
Aguero
DiMaria
Higuain

Not enough?

[Andres125sx]

They had the most ball possession, but didn's score with it.

Why are you talking about Spain


Seriously, here in Spain there´s a lot of debate about possession and how useful it is. IMO it´s only useful if you use it to move the rival and look for spaces.

To me Spain mastered it with Luis Aragones on Euro 08. After that, with Del Bosque we´ve been speculating too much. We make the most of the team Aragones made and won next World Cup and Euro, but we´ve been going down since then, playing a bit worse each championship, until this disaster

Now Germany made another master class, possesion but also verticality. Almost perfection.

But if you have possesion but don´t use it to reach your rival area because you´re afraid of loosing the ball.... that booooooring. And I´m including Spain here, tons of boring matches on the last seassons.

[turbof1]

They had the most ball possession, but didn's score with it.

Why are you talking about Spain


Seriously, here in Spain there´s a lot of debate about possession and how useful it is. IMO it´s only useful if you use it to move the rival and look for spaces.

To me Spain mastered it with Luis Aragones on Euro 08. After that, with Del Bosque we´ve been speculating too much. We make the most of the team Aragones made and won next World Cup and Euro, but we´ve been going down since then, playing a bit worse each championship, until this disaster

Now Germany made another master class, possesion but also verticality. Almost perfection.

But if you have possesion but don´t use it to reach your rival area because you´re afraid of loosing the ball.... that booooooring. And I´m including Spain here, tons of boring matches on the last seassons.

I followed the Spanish competition a bit (mostly because of Courtois). Real Madrid kept the anti-football of Mourinho, and Athletico Madrid basicilly plays from its organisation. Even Barcelona reduced their typical "tikkie takka" play.

[Belatti]

Of course, offensive-wise Argentina can be considered one of the weakest teams to start on this championship, but they compensate it with heart and organization.

This statement cant be denied after watching the matches, but I still can´t understand it....

Messi
Aguero
DiMaria
Higuain

Not enough?

Somehow they are not in their peak, both footballistically and physically speaking.

[Belatti]

Edit: probably Dimaria is the only of them 4 that is at 100%

[strad]

Brazil got just what they deserved in my opinion

No, they never deserved to reach semi-final

HAHAHAHA got that right!

[WaikeCU]

You just know that eventually when Argentina wins the World Cup, all the praise will go to Messi. Everyone will be sucking his balls yet again and saying thinks like he's greatest in the history of football or he's the Messiah or he brought Argentina to victory and of course take a direct jibe towards the Ronaldo fans, when actually Di Maria and Mascherano were for me the players that kept the team alive. The team certainly didn't wow me. Playing against teams like Bosnia, Iran, Nigeria and Switzerland, they certainly had one of the easiest group, if not THE easiest. But they barely scraped by them with the quality the squad has.

[George-Jung]

Seriously, here in Spain there´s a lot of debate about possession and how useful it is.

Johan Cruyff once said: "If you have possession, they can't score"

[Andres125sx]

Real Madrid kept the anti-football of Mourinho

So a team who broke the points record of la liga (100/114 points, only lost 14 points in 38 matches), and also broke the maximum goals record (121 if my memory serves me well, more than 3 per match), is anti-footbal....


Anti-football is the Argentina-Netherlands match, where you could almost say nobody even shot on target. I almost fall asleep... Football is goals or at least attempts, that´s what provide some excitement. How can you say a team who broke the scoring records and always had around 10 clear chances per match to score is anti-football?


And this seasson Real Madrid has changed completely his game, day and night. We´ve loose a lot of speed, but we have more possesion. Kedhira is strugling this seasson because of this, he was the perfect midfielder with Mourinho, but he lacks passing quality for current Real Madrid

Barcelona reduced their tipical tiki taka because of the same the spanish team did it. Xavi Hernandez is finished and he was the brain of both. Xabi Alonso isn´t at their best either. I still don´t understand why Arbeloa didn´t go, Villa should have been substituded, Torres is still living of his goal at 2008 final against Germany.... I knew way before the spain-netherlands match we would never do anything important this World Cup, because the team needed a renovation, but Del Bosque is not a man to do these things... He think more about what their players reached and how gratefull everybody must be with them than about their current condition

[George-Jung]

Anti-football is the Argentina-Netherlands match, where you could almost say nobody even shot on target.

Because Argentina decided to 'park' their bus in front of their goal...