Argentina vs. Germany

[Flying_Monkey]

Quite amazing. What with Brazil out too and Spain not really firing on all cylinders, I have no idea what will happen now. Netherlands-Germany in the final?

 

[potsy]

Quite amazing. What with Brazil out too and Spain not really firing on all cylinders, I have no idea what will happen now. Netherlands-Germany in the final?

Got to say I didn't fancy Germany at all before it started,but now they look by far the best team left.
who'd have predicted they would score 8 goals against Argentina and England

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I don't know. I think the Netherlands look very good too, but in a very different way. And I am certainly not counting Spain out yet.

 

[dellzeqq]

predictions are vain. Not one of us would have predicted this, and few of us would have predicted Brazil's exit. And that is what is making this a great World Cup. The football has been variable, but it's wonderful to have no idea what's going to happen next.

 

[hackbike 666]

Not true...we knew England would cock it up.

 

[dellzeqq]

Not true...we knew England would cock it up.

a fair point

 

[mangaman]

predictions are vain. Not one of us would have predicted this, and few of us would have predicted Brazil's exit. And that is what is making this a great World Cup. The football has been variable, but it's wonderful to have no idea what's going to happen next.

Spot on - it's cracking stuff.

The Gemans have played the best but Spain especially have plently in the "locker". The Dutch are also very good.

I've gone off the Uruguyuans' since their shenanigans against the Ghanians.

I hope the Germans win as they have been positive/ attacking and creative from the start and looked to score whether it's Australia, England or Argentina - they just keep going for it.

Spain and Holand have been a bit boring and pragmatic for me, and Spain wouldn't be here without Villa (I don't think Torres could hit a barn door with a beachball at the moment) and Holland similarly without Robben whereas Germany are a team.

 

[hackbike 666]

a fair point

Does anyone here get the impression that the England players couldn't give a t055?...perhaps it's been a long season and they all just wanted to go on holiday.

 

[mangaman]

Does anyone here get the impression that the England players couldn't give a t055?...perhaps it's been a long season and they all just wanted to go on holiday.

Hopefully not!

I can't remember which post, but I did some research and most of the Bayern players got to the Champions League final and played a lot more club football than anyone in our squad. (ie most of the German squad).

As did guys like Messi and non English Prem players like Tevez,who didn't seem remotely tired.

Having said that, you're probably right

 

[dellzeqq]

Does anyone here get the impression that the England players couldn't give a t055?...perhaps it's been a long season and they all just wanted to go on holiday.

I think that's unfair on some of them. The standout memory of the World Cup is Terry diving to try and block a shot with his head. He cares. How foolish the decision to strip him of the captaincy looks now.

 

[dellzeqq]

I'm watching the second showing of the game, and the Germans seem to have the ref on a string. Argentina are getting frustrated, and I'm with them - every time a German player bends down to adjust his shoelaces they get a free kick.

Having said that........the Argentinian defending is pretty horrible at times, and the goalie is a second rate.

 

[mangaman]

I'm watching the second showing of the game, and the Germans seem to have the ref on a string. Argentina are getting frustrated, and I'm with them - every time a German player bends down to adjust his shoelaces they get a free kick.

Having said that........the Argentinian defending is pretty horrible at times, and the goalie is a second rate.

That's a tough call Dell. I agree about the lack of physical contact being allowed by refs - but I felt, for example, the Spanish were tumbling over when a puff of wind came their way against Portugal and Paraguay.

They always got a free kick.

It doesn't happen to the plucky North Koreans' - who wouldn't go to ground anyway unless heavy artillary were deployed - but the refs have definitely stiffled any sort of defending.

It must be hard to plan how to defend, when you know your opponent will fall over if you get within a few feet of him and you will probably be booked.

The refereering/linesekeeping has been the worst thing about this world cup I believe. (I'm not just moaning about Lampard's "goal" but Kaka's "sending off" and loads of more minor errors.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Does anyone here get the impression that the England players couldn't give a t055?...perhaps it's been a long season and they all just wanted to go on holiday.

They are as desperate to do well as any nation, but it isn't just about passion, even teams on Hackney Marshes have plenty of that. The technique isn't there, watching English players trying to string a series of passes together is like watching a snooker player trying to build a break when he is off form. Each pass in the sequence less accurate than the last and eventually the ball becomes uncontrollable and is given away.

The state of our football is being masked by the foreign players in the Premiership. Without them the English teams who have dominated the latter stages of the Champions League in recent years would be little more than first round makeweights.

 

[hackbike 666]

Yeah they looked desperate.

 

[snorri]

Just reporting an observation made in Hamburg last weeken following the game that Germany won.
There was a complete breakdown of civil obedience in the streets, some German peds were walking across the roads when the red man was glowing.