World Cup 2014

[CBeck113]

Everyone loves flashy Soccer (OK, I gave my nationality away ) aka the German style at the moment, but I think Jose Mourino's success has proven a simple fact: the team with the most goals at the end of the match wins. How you get there is your problem, and the fans don't have to like how you win, but they very much care if you win. And since Argentina is in the final, I'd say it worked...

[Godius]

The Netherlands didn't create much either because their system relied on those sparse decisive counter attacks of Robben and Van Persie. But that danger was terrifically neutralized by the Argentinian defense.

The Netherlands was a bit too scared in that game, they kept playing with Van Gaal's 5-3-2 system but I'm sure that they would have won the match with a classic dutch school 4-3-3 system.

[turbof1]

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

I'm sensing I'm talking to a Real Madrid supporter. My apologies, I didn't intend on offending. Things did got a bit better since Mourinho left, but you have to agree Real tends to play on sharp counter attacks.

I don't buy that Barcelona is moving away from their tikkie takka play just because of Hernandez. Guardiola moved to Bayern and changed the way they played in one year. One year. Guardiola was the driving force behind this sort of play; since he left Barca it gradually lessened.

[Belatti]

What you are naming "anti-football" has historically worked out several times.
The Italy champion in 1982 and 2006, the Argentina of 1986 and 1990 (dont get confused by Maradona playing there) and several others. Sabella said there should be a balance between defence and attack and I think that the matches Argentina is playing are a consequence of the actual situation of their players

[turbof1]

What you are naming "anti-football" has historically worked out several times.
The Italy champion in 1982 and 2006, the Argentina of 1986 and 1990 (dont get confused by Maradona playing there) and several others. Sabella said there should be a balance between defence and attack and I think that the matches Argentina is playing are a consequence of the actual situation of their players

I never claimed it didn't brought results. And I agree that Argentina is forced into this situation because offense-wise they are nowhere.

But it is horrible to look at. The 1982 Italy champion you are referring to has been widely targetted as one of the darkest point in football's history. As a neutral fan it simply isn't enjoyable.

[No Lotus]

I think there's a solution to anti-football in general, but when I tell my friends about it they always think I'm nuts. Simply make the goals a bit bigger. Probably a couple of meters wider and half a meter taller. With that, a team is not going to get away with parking a bus in front of their goal and defense will have to open up. There'd be more scoring which would lead to more scoring. Simple, but people are conservative and seem to think current goal size was ordained by God.

[Waywardism]

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"

[Waywardism]

I think there's a solution to anti-football in general, but when I tell my friends about it they always think I'm nuts. Simply make the goals a bit bigger. Probably a couple of meters wider and half a meter taller. With that, a team is not going to get away with parking a bus in front of their goal and defense will have to open up. There'd be more scoring which would lead to more scoring. Simple, but people are conservative and seem to think current goal size was ordained by God.

Are you MrE by any chance?

Football isn't a show, it doesn't need tweaking or spicing up in any way. There always has and always will be boring matches, and teams that play a boring style. We don't love the game any less for it.

[Andres125sx]

I'm sensing I'm talking to a Real Madrid supporter. My apologies, I didn't intend on offending.

No offense turbo, it´s just that as a Real Madrid supporter I´ve heard that argument too many times, both from Mourinho haters and Barca supporters

To me footbal is goals, that´s what provide excitement, so if you score enough, that´s nice. Even if you don´t score but there was some chances it´s ok. You can do it with 80% possesion (like Barsa some seasson back) or with sharp counter attacks like you said (like Mourinho), both are nice

To me anti-football is when one or worse both teams park the bus and the ball does not even reach the areas, like we saw at Netherlands-Argentina semi-final. That was boring, so to me that´s anti-football. Football is an entertainment, if you get bored, what´s the point?

And I never got bored with Mourinho, you knew even without the ball, if they recovered it we could score in less than 10 seconds, so you could never relax. Excitement.

I don't buy that Barcelona is moving away from their tikkie takka play just because of Hernandez. Guardiola moved to Bayern and changed the way they played in one year. One year. Guardiola was the driving force behind this sort of play; since he left Barca it gradually lessened.

I don´t think they changed in one year. With Villanova they still played that way. But agree Guardiola was really important there. But not sure if more than Hernandez.... and Iniesta.

If you remind 2008 Euro Cup, there Spain played even better than best Guardiola´s Barsa ever, IMO of course. And Guardiola signed for Barsa next seasson (08-09), so I think the players played a bigger role on that. Hernadez, Iniesta, Alonso (with Spain), Busquets... They were the key factor IMHO.

[Kingshark]

Congrats Germany.

[CBeck113]

Winning makes me thirsty...today I wish I had vacation!!!

[Kiril Varbanov]

Absolutely deserved title, well done, Germany. This brings back sweet memories of 1994 WC at USA where we won against both teams on the final yesterday:

[Andres125sx]

Congratulations Germany, well deserved victory =D>


Not like the golden ball. Messi?? Are they serious??

Neuer didn´t deserve that. His face said it all... "what a joke of a trophy if this is considered the best of the tournament"

Robben, James Rodriguez, Mascherano, Neymar, Thiago Silva, Muller.... all of them played MUCH better than Messi, who was just a good player at the tournament as much.


We complain about FIA, but I´m not sure who´s more of a joke, if FIA or FIFA....

[WaikeCU]

Congratulations Germany, well deserved victory =D>


Not like the golden ball. Messi?? Are they serious??

Neuer didn´t deserve that. His face said it all... "what a joke of a trophy if this is considered the best of the tournament"

Robben, James Rodriguez, Mascherano, Neymar, Thiago Silva, Muller.... all of them played MUCH better than Messi, who was just a good player at the tournament as much.


We complain about FIA, but I´m not sure who´s more of a joke, if FIA or FIFA....

Both, Knowledge is Power and Power corrupts. So study hard and be evil.

[Steven]

I agree with Robben, Mascherano and James Rodriguez. Neymar maybe.
But really, Thiago Silva... he was on the field against Holland, screwed that one nicely.
And Muller, well, he does score a lot, but other than that he's not on par with any other starplayer.

Messi did have opportunities to become an absolute legend, but his dip in form this season cost him. Argentina might have been unbeatable if Messi was on top of his game like in 2012-2013.

Now that the tournament is over, here's what I think would be one of the best possible teams with players from this worldcup
Goal: Enyeama
Def: Vertongen, Kompany, Van Buyten, Lahm
Midf: James Rodrigues, Pirlo, Coadrado, Mertens
Forward: Robben, Messi

And please, FIFA, kick off some proper judgement training and push referees to draw red cards when necessary. The lack of punishment against dirty fouls was terrible throughout all matches. Offside judgement on the other hand was impeccable!