World Cup 2010

Congrats to Barcelona, I bet he has the greatest hangover ever…it wasn't a good game, but throughout the tournament they were the most consistent team, even with the low scoring…i wonder how does it feel to be a world champion, unfortunatelly, it's likely I'll never know (though Chile was the last team to score a goal against Spain, a golazo by el chino millar)…

before the final i was didnt know who i was going to root for. i dont really care for or against either side all that much, but as a fan of entertaining soccer i figured a dutch victory would be more exciting than a 1 nil spanish passfest. that lasted for about 10 minutes. for fans of positive soccer, spain were the only side to root for and the dutch were embarrassing

What was the deal with that one corner kick where the Dutch didn't even play offense and the Dutch guy just gently passed it to the Spanish goalie?

ggw wrote:
What was the deal with that one corner kick where the Dutch didn't even play offense and the Dutch guy just gently passed it to the Spanish goalie?

That was sportmanship.  The ball that went out of bounds was a result of the Dutch giving the ball back to the spanish (who had possession before an inury whistle), but the kick was so far down the pitch that it bounced too high and the goalie had to touch it for fear that it would go in the net.  The Dutch were simply making making amends and also making sure he caught it this time.

Begs the question though:  Had it gone it, would the dutch have ceded a goal to the Spanish?  Would have been awesome to find out.

Mobius wrote:
Pretty unfair.  Spain plays an elegant style which embodies the Dutch tradition passed onto Barcelona and now, finally, the national team whose DNA was rooted in Barca (who are rooted in Total Football).

What games have you been watching?  That was not elegant in the slightest.  All 7 of Spain's matches in this World Cup have been some of the most boring affairs not being played by a team throwing matches (yes, I'm talking about you, Nigeria).

Before I begin, yes Spain deserved to win yesterday.  Fine.  But let's really look at this:

There's a free kick to the Spanish in a dangerous position. Here's a quick quiz:
Q1: Do Spain
(a) cross the ball into the box
(b) pass the ball to someone near the box
© attempt a complicated series of quick passes, the last of which disappears up a Spanish fundament?
ANSWER: You know the answer.

That's not elegant.  Not trying to score is simply not elegant.  Possession is fine, but not attacking when you have the chance is simply not elegant.

Here's what I will remember from yesterday:

Howard Webb issued twice as many yellow cards as he should have and twice as few red cards as he should have.  By issuing so many yellows, the entire second half was dedicated to both teams, but mostly the Spainsh, trying to get someone sent off. ZZzzzz.

Heitinga was the LAST Dutch player who should have been sent off.  Both of his yellows were soft, where as de Jong and Robben were both lucky to be out there and van Bommell obviously sold his sold to the devil all tournament.

de Jong should have been sent off in the 28th minute.  That kick was worse that Zidane's headbutt.  At the time I thought "Good for Webb for not ruining the rest fo the game" but in hindsight, if had made the proper call, I wouldn't have sat through that drivel.

As much as I disapproved of Webb's performance, Robben cost the Dutch more than anybody.  Kuyt I expect to miss that goal, but not Robben.  He deserved to be sent off for his second "dissent" and, for some strange reason didn't fall over on the break when Puyols clipped him, which would have earned him a penalty.  I guarantee you Villa, Iniesta, Torres…all would have fallen over.  Lot's of questions should be asked of Robben on Monday morning.

The Dutch made the same mistake with Sneidjer as the Germans did with Schweinstager.  He was rarely seen in the final, and the one time he did go forward, Robben failed to finish.  Too much respect for Spain resulted in the opposing teams playmakers being nuetered.

For all of their "elegance," lets talk about Spains last two goals. One on a set piece (Germany) and one on the run of play, against a 10 man squad on a possession they shouldn't even have had because that was a clear corner off the free kick.  Just an awful decision by both Howard Webb and the lines man.  That free kick clearly hit a Spanish shoulder squarely, wasn't even a glance.  What should have been a Dutch corner resulted in a Spanish goal.  That's elegance? Sounds pretty damn lucky to me.

That was one of the worst finals I've ever seen and I think the wrong team is taking the blame.  Go back and look at all 7 of Spain's games and tell me they didn't play the exact same boring game in all seven of them.

i can see not being entertained by the short passing game. heck, i agree on that point

but i'll take watching spain over watching the dutch (seriously, the dutch) try and pretend they're mourinho's chelsea with rvp instead of drogba. they saw howard webb and realized they could get away with not playing football. terrible

godsshoeshine wrote:
i can see not being entertained by the short passing game. heck, i agree on that point

but i'll take watching spain over watching the dutch (seriously, the dutch) try and pretend they're mourinho's chelsea with rvp instead of drogba. they saw howard webb and realized they could get away with not playing football. terrible

Spain are essentially Barcelona without Messi, so we're on the same wave lengths…

thats funny, the final kind of reminded me of a barca/real match i watched a couple of years back where real's entire approach was "foul messi. hard."

except without goals

on national television,  casillas was put on the spot and embarrassed by his reporter girlfriend after spain's defeat to switzerland. 

casillas gets her back: Iker Casillas kisses Sara Carbonero on live tv after the game… that red on her cheeks wasn't just the spanish flag.  (version with captions and an annoying background song)

teh awwz.

Elegant may be a weak word . . .how about dynamic.  The passing style is dynamic and fun to watch when they get into a rhythm . . .but once the team rounded into form it played Paraguay and the Dutch who each played a style focused on preventing Spain from finding any rhythm.  In Netherlands' case at least it was by dubious means.  I thought they were great fun to watch against Germany, even if they only found the net once (if Torres were 100% they would surely have scored more goals during the tournament. . .as is finishing was predictably a weakness).

Watching the game yesterday, I kept thinking about the Pat Riley era Knicks that killed the NBA in the mid-90's.  Nobody looked good against them and every game they played was brutal to watch.  Spain could not get into a rhythm and it was not really because of good defense . . . it was because of consciously dirty play.  Each slow motion replay of Spanish 'dives' also showed a Dutch player at least attempting a foul. It was pass, pass foul.  Any attempt to create was met with a foul.  The ref was in an impossible position since he can't call a foul on every play.  I thought the red card was absolutely justified not based on the severity of the particular foul but based on a body of work accumulated over the course of the game and the circumstances of Iniesta appearing to break towards goal.  I thought the ref did a good job of being consistent - he didn't call a foul on every play by Netherlands while allowing Spain to make the same types of plays on the other end. . .and seemed to find some kind of balance.  The result was an ugly, boring game which Spain adjusted to but certainly is not their preferred style.

The dutch yesterday were a bunch of thugs… glad they got their comeuppance. De Jong should have been red carded and that would have been 11 against 10 early in the match



I thought Spain was not a beautiful team to watch.. not as effective as they should have been but I can watch Xavi and Iniesta all day even if they don't score. the way they run the offense, work together, etc is plenty fun to watch at least for me..

I also have to add that Forlan had an unbelievable tournament.. just really stepped up. Messi needs to call him up and learn how he took those free kicks. Heck he nearly even got a corner in…

I haven't been that disappointed in a big sports final since….I'm going to have to go back to the last two Steelers Super Bowls. I felt DIRTY after watching that match.

The third place match (Germany-Uruguay) was a million times better on every level. My dad thought so, too. It was everything the final was not.

Spain-Holland was a three-bagger. A bag for you, a bag for her, and a bag for anyone, God forbid, that's peeking in the window.

Brian

like the Super Bowl, the WC final is often the one full game that the non-fan will sit through.  sunday's final didn't do much to increase casual interest in the sport (with the possible exception of those who think that soccer is too dainty, that flying-cleats-to-the-chest was cooler/more brutal than most body-blows delivered in the NFL).

Now I almost wish they had won….

Storm over 'bunch of gays' in Germany's World Cup team

Agent of injured captain Michael Ballack alleged to have sneered at 'bunch of gays' in national team

….n an essay entitled New German Men, Aleksander Osang recounts an interview he had with Becker prior to the World Cup in which the agent allegedly told him which of the players in the team were gay. He later said that a former national player was ready to reveal the "bunch of gays" in the German team, according to Osang. Asked about the sexuality of one of the newer players, Becker, who is a lawyer by profession, referred to him as being "half gay".

Osang went on to say that Becker put the new adroit, lighter and elegant style of play that has become a trademark of trainer Joachim Löw's players down to their homosexuality, in contrast to the typically more aggressive and offensive German style of past years, but suggested they played too delicately to assure themselves a place in the final.

Clearly a foul.

Agent of injured captain Michael Ballack alleged to have sneered at 'bunch of gays' in national team . . . while dressed like Hitler, but in drag, and being peed on by famous dominatrix 'Ms Helga'. . .probably.

Friggin Germans.