SSBA

and just deservedly so.

Germany beat Argentina yesterday in one of the worst coached games I can remember. A team so much better like Argentina can only beat themselves and they did just that yesterday.

Argentina were completely in control of this game, the germans hardly managed to even hold the ball for a few seconds, but then something bad happened: Argentina scored. From this moment on, the handed over the playmaking to germany, went back to purely defend. Bad bad decision. Not that they were bad at it, Germany tried to attack but there wasn't a single chance to score to come from it.

Then, two more bad decisions, about 15 minutes from the end Argentina substituted Riquelme, their best player and playmaker, who OWNED the germans all night, and a few minutes later their best striker Crespo too. Guess what happened: Germany scored the equalizer on their first chance in the game, which also was the only one up to the penalty shootout to end the game (to be fair, Argentina did only have 2 or 3 chances all game themselves, but you always had the impression they only needed to shift into second gear to take over ... at least as long as their playmaker was on the field)

So germans won on penalties as they gained so much confidence with the equalizer (and props to the best german, new Chelsea's Ballack, who could hardly walk anymore in the extra time due to leg cramps but did shoot - and convert - a penalty himself. Pure strength of will).


In other games, Italy was superior to Ukraine and beat them easily, Portugal took care of a strong English team - again on penalties, England ALWAYS loses penalty shootouts, and tonight a small and a big surprise happened. First the small: France beat Brazil. The way Brazil was playing in this tournament a loss wasn't really a complete surprise.

But the big one was this: France was way way better than Brazil, throughout the game. The controlled the game in the first half, Brazil didn't have any chances to score. In the 2nd half France scored on a beautiful goal and soon after - watch this Mr. Pekerman (Argentine coach) - they brought THREE new strikers in to keept offensive firepower. Sure Brazil attacked furociously in the last 25 minutes but they hardly came near the goal and their only 3 chances came in the last few minutes. France meanwhile had 2-3 bigger chances for a 2nd goal and really deserved to win as the better TEAM.

Plus, these two games today, especially France/Brasil, did show how soccer is meant to be played. Constantly attacking the opponent and trying to score. High speed, high level, high skilled, just a beauty to watch ...


So the new champ will come from Europe, it's Germany, Italy, Portugal or France. Every team has a chance to take it, there's no clear favourite. The Germans are the weakest team on paper but they play on a big wave of confidence and have 80 mio supporters around every day. My personal favourite is France now, the way they handled the best team in the world today was just astonishing (and I love that country too, my favourite vacation place) ...
 :cheers:

Im sure it'll be France....i would love it for Zidane to say goodbye to soccer with a world cup title....i just hope italy or germany dont win.....Portugal is fine with me but France look ready, like they did in 1998 and i hope it'll be them or Portugal....but like ive said, because of Zidane, i want it to be France.

and todays loss Brazilians got from France was no suprise at all, i actually believed more in this french team then brazilian, or better....brazilians didnt play well this WC...but still, from all the teams in this WC....i only saw France capable of beating them, and they did....i had a sense they will.....too bad i didnt put some little money on them today (i was thinking as odds were pretty good for France win)......but in general, this was the worst ever WC i saw, the most borring one, without really great games so far, all the teams we're playing too reserved in this 2nd stage trying not to receive a goal....and thats why we had so many 0-0, 1-0 1-1 games that some many of them ended in OT after penalty's....i dont remember watching sooooooo many penalty's and OT's in later stage as in this World Cup.......really boring......players just seem to not have the energy anymore which is normal due to more and more games they play each season and all those new tournaments like Confederations cup and crap that FIFA obligates them to play.....i dont remember teams in 1990, or even 2002 coming too tired to World Cup...but in this World Cup almost all the teams and players seemed just too tired, maybe thats why we saw so little action and goals this world cup and all the teams focused on playing "slow ball" and taking care of defense.....anyway, this was the worst WC ever that i saw.



and Tom, you've been a bit unrealistic......except for France-Brasil matchup.....Italy did beat Ucraine easily on paper....but Ucraine missed those 3-4 120% chances as well which could turn the shit around, so it wasnt really an easy win, they had lots of luck as well not receveing 2-3 goals when it was 1-0 (2 posts hitted by Ucrainians.....etc.).........and well i do agree Argentina was playing much better then Germany...but i dont agree about Riquelme....he was the worst guy on the pitch, he was either too tired or like he does normally...doesnt know how to play against a good team.....that doesnt matter, he needed to go out long time before the 75th minute, just like today Brasil needed to put Robinho/take out Cafu and put another striker right after half time, not after France's goal....but even then, i dont know what the hell was he waiting 8 minutes to put another striker (i dunno why he played with just 1 first of all)...and then wait until 82nd minute to add Robinho......it was all wrong.......soccer really started to be booooring and stupid.A big circus....just like NBA  :D

Hey Marin, I agree that the overall quality of games is pretty bad. Too much caution, too few great plays.

But I disagree on Riquelme. He was sooo important in that game. If you'd watch it again (of course, nobody outside germany ever will) you can see that every good play from Argentina has him involved (therer weren't many, but after he was gone there were none). Of course he doesn't make any extra step, but this was more cockiness than anything. He looked like completely IN COMMAND to me (which the Argentines were until he and Crespo were substituted).

Point is, you don't take your central playmaker out when it's 1-0 only and there's always a chance for a lucky strike from the opponent.

As for Brazil, this was a coaching error more than anything too. Now you've got the best offensive team in this tournament. Sure, you weren't playing great so far ... but did you have to? Apart from the Croatia game Brazil took over whenever I decided on a short spurt. But they weren't in danger of NOT winning a game throughout the tourney.

So what you do against France? OK, start playing conservative, with Ronaldo only striker (Ronaldo !!! I mean you or ME could have played his role in Germany). At halftime you see it doesn't work, France is controlling the game and your squad didn't have a chance for a goal, but at least it's still 0-0. And what did they do? NOTHING.

This team is so much better with Adriano and Robinho giving them so much offensive power and both didn't get in until it was too late. That is bad coaching. Not saying they would have won when the played the whole 2nd half like the last 10 minutes, as the french were great, but at least they should have tried ...
 :shock:

yeah Riquelme can decide with one pass, but he was for me not clicking to well after 1st half anymore, he should get Messi or Aimar instead of him but he didnt, i was esp. sorry for Tevez who was really running all around and trying to change something, if at least 1-2 more argentinian players played with the same will he did, im sure they would score, but Tevez couldnt DIY even he could maybe if he took more shots but he was giving too many balls to creeps like Cruz who cant walk, less play the game., he pissed me off with those give aways to those creeps when he had a chance to shot, he has a fire in his legs like Lampard and is very precise, he would probably get 1 inside the net......and yeah Brazililian coach is a complete moron, he goes to play against world's two best defensive midfielders Viera and Makelele + 4 defenders with Ronaldo only...Ronaldo even in his prime in 1997 wouldnt be able to do shit against 4-6 defenders like France has, error was resting Emerson as well as Gilberto Silva is a good player but he is not Emerson....and biggest error was not changing Cafu with Cicinho after HT and not putting Robinho and/or Cicinho into the game right after France scored, why the hell he waited 8 minutes to add another striker, and then waited until 81st or 82nd minute to put Robinho ?? in 8-10 minutes remaining little could be done, but it was obvious that if he made those moves immediately, they might get a goal....like this they deserved to go home and i hope France win
this cup, only for the great Zizou as i pretty much dont like any other french player except for him....and well he's not french :P