If you can't give a team credit for being their when an opportunity has arisen, and scoring, then you miss the whole point of sports as a whole.
Sounds like 50% of every world class strikers goals. Bottom line is he put himself in that position to score that goal against Algeria. He trailed and positioned the play beautifully.
Who are the front runners to win FIFA player of the year and France Football's EUROPEAN player of the year this year? These come out towards the end of the year, but if I was picking my list would be like this: 1) Wesley Sneijder - Treble with Inter (and could potentially win 3 more) - Finals of WC with Holland And he was the best player for both of those highly achieving teams 2) Lionel Messi - La Liga Title (his team shattered all types of records and was clearly the player of the team) - Probably Argentina's best player in this WC 3) Xavi Hernandez - THE MOST underrated player of this generation - The heart of Spain and Barcelona's attack. I like to refer to him as the man behind the curtain. 4) Diego Milito - Inter's main goalscorer (scored in every big match you could think of with plenty of timely assists to add) - Treble winner with Inter (with 3 more trophies to play for) 5) Arjen Robben - Bayern Munich's main guy that got them to the final with huge goals throughout the tourney - Helped carry Holland to the final of the WC - German league title 6) Didier Drogba - Chelsea's main goalscorer in a very memorable season to overtake MU for the EPL title. - European Golden Boot winner. These lists are usually different, and France Football's list is usually more accurate and as it should be because FIFA, especially on WC years, vote mainly on how the players perform in the WC (The coaches of the NTs vote). France Football bases mostly on the UEFA CL and domestic leagues taking a larger body of work into account. That's why this list is usually a better indicator of reality. But I'm sure France Football takes the WC heavily into account too. So that was my list for both. Anyone else?
" APIDI: Why do you tend to like blacks? WENGER: I look at quality, not colour." http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/spor...000013371&cid=38&story=One-On-One with Wenger Also, interesting stuff. APIDI: What is your take on the teams still surviving in the tournament and who do you think will win the World Cup? WENGER: All the remaining teams have been carried by their midfield, not strikers. Germany have a very good midfield of (Mesut) Ozil, Bastian (Schwensteiger) and (Sami) Khedira. Spain have Inniesta (Andreas), Xavi (Alonso) and Cesc Fabregas. Holland have Arjen Robben and (Wesley) Sneidjer, (Mark) van Bomel. The best midfield will win the World Cup. APIDI: Any good players you have seen in the tournament? WENGER: Yes, Ozil (Germany) and Giovanni Dos Santos of Mexico.
Haha. I think he's underrated. Xavi is so damn good and he sets the pace of the game. I also think his completed passes rate has to be absolutely outstanding. He's one of those guys that I can't think of a time in which he gave the ball away cheaply. He rarely does it.
Well, I'm ecstatic for Spain defeating Germany. I waited all day to get home from work so I could watch the match in its entirety. Stayed off all the sports news sites to avoid seeing the score. Made it all the way till two hours before I was getting off work... and my boss, who doesn't even like soccer comes out and says, Yay Spain won!... Good thing I wanted Spain to win or I would have hit her... Now then, after watching I fail to see just what the hell Germany was trying to accomplish in this match. They didn't challenge the ball at all in the midfield. Giving Spain way too much respect. Germans should have just let it play out the way they played the last two games especially. They did look tired... and slow. Not their usual self at all. Spain is good, but they aren't the clearcut best team in the world. They do have weaknesses, hell the Swiss beat them way back when. Having said that, Spain were the better team today clearly... they'll be the big favorites on Sunday. I'm just hoping to see more than one goal scored. My second team has always been Holland although I do have a level of respect for Spain and all the current and former Liverpool players. So, I'm a bit torn. I think I want Holland to win but if they come out and play defensive (lets not get beaten too badly) style, I will have no choice but to support Spain in the end. I'm on the fence although my scrotum is on the Dutch side.
NASA piles on the Jabulani hate not sure if anybody saw this: NASA piles on the Jabulani hate [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFX7laMy3q4&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube- The Adidas Jabulani, The Worst Soccer Ball in World Cup History[/ame] Now it turns out there is a very real scientific basis for all the moaning. NASA's aerodynamics people at the Ames Investigation Centre managed to get some MLS players to kick a very dusty Jabulani around to what sounds like a soundtrack from a 1970s instructional video. The tests confirm what everyone has been saying: Jabulani's scanty 440-gram weight, coupled with the high-altitude conditions in South Africa, means when at speeds of 44 mph or more the ball becomes susceptible to something called the "knuckle effect." That's aerodynamic shorthand for "it swerves all around like crazy at high speeds because of the air flow on the seams and stuff," which isn't so bad when you get goals like this.
i dont get this constant trashing of the US. The trashing now seems to be that we arent yet Germany or Brazil. We are in the World Cup every time now and get into the final 16 half the times. We are in that second tier of teams now that make up the majority of the World Cup. There are maybe five or six nations that dominate soccer. We are in the group right below them with about ten to fifteen other countries
i dont get it either. US fans arent delusional and the expectations are mild. it seems to me that there is a desire to see the team fail by some thing is, the day is coming when the US will field teams in the top tier. theres not a whole lot that can stop it, imo
still pissed about the loss, but we didn´t deserve to win, loew saves the worst tactical game for the semi final, thomas muellers loss was to hard to overcome, but for that german scary corners, we havent scored on a corner in 2 years, actually the 1st goal against argentina was our first goal on a free kick in 2 years, but the corner drought is still counting
Its a shame Holland doesn't play total football anymore. I will have to root for Spain because they play a more beautiful form of soccer. Its a shame that Brazil abandoned beautiful soccer for hopeful wins this world cup. As I predicted, they lost and next world cup they will be back to playing the style that is so pleasing to watch. Soccer is a weird sport. Winning is secondary to how you win. If you cant play with flair and style noone cares if you win. I hope the U.S tries to develop a beautiful form of their own rather than settle for defense first and long passes into the box hoping for a lucky bounce. If we ever can develop a total football or a beautiful football then that will do more to sell the sport to Americans then any other plan out there. Be the Dutch of the 70s, the Brazil of Pele, the Spain of today, that is what we should strive for....but with an American twist whatever that may be
There is a good reason we're not playing the total football anymore. History prove us wrong. The concept of total football (totaalvoetbal as we call it) is great to watch, but we didn't win a single cup with it. In modern football you just can't become champion with only good attackers. In our own competition my favourite team PSV Eindhoven also played boring but 'Italian-like' football but with it we won 7 out of 10 national cups. The days that total football en the whole Ajax-theory was succesfull are over. In modern football you have the play focussed and you should not only have attractive players, you also need boring but hard working players (like Van Bommel and Kuyt). I have to admit that Spain played great football against Germany, but remember that the most of it was played on midfield. Great to watch, but just not effective. Spain already had big troubles with Switzerland, Chile, Honduras and Paraguay so I just don't see why we can't beat them. Like I already said before the start of the World Cup, it finally is OUR time. The Netherlands will finally be world champions. I think Spain will have the most possesion but we'll win the final with 1-0 or 2-0. In the next weeks my country will go absolutely crazy... almost everyone will be drunk for weeks After the World Cup finally a well deserved holiday and after that: PRESEASON!
well you guys deserve a cup more than any country i can think of so i dont blame you guys for moving away from total football but i do not agree that you cant win without style. Barcelona and its offshoot the current Spain team have displayed flair and stifling defense even while they have been unlucky in finishing with scoring this world cup. there is still a place for playing soccer with style
I'd disagree with that to an extent, as in 1988 the Dutch were still playing a brand of total football, considering they had the same coach (Rinus Michels) as they did in 1974. They may not have had the likes of Cruyff, Neeskens, Jansen, etc in 88, but that team that won the Euro Championship in 1988 was still playing a style of total football, not the same as in the 70's, but not too far off it either.
klinsmann wrote a great article in one of the UK papers of how he changed german soccer to what we see now. it was a top down organizational change at all levels, but he focused on molding the young players and their style to fit what he was trying to do. thats why the team is so young. these kids were molded to play a certain way klinsmann is just dying to do this in the US, imo. its a matter of whether or not the whole system is willing to change funny thing is that when he moved to LA, nobody knew who he was. he used a fake name and walked on to an LA team and played with them. nobody knew who he was lol
I think that teams will want to win. Germany will be more disappointed going in but will want to win and I agree that it will be meaningful to Uruguay. Thought on Spain-Netherlands. I agree with Lalas, Spain made a mistake putting Villa in the middle against Germany. If Spain puts Villa on the left wing and Iniesta just inside of him, letting Pedro take the middle, I think they'll be better and will win. If Villa plays in the middle - I think it will be an even game. The middle hurts his ability to create with the ball - which is his specialty. Main thing I don't want to see - Robben diving. He's a great player but he has been the worst at diving and faking injuries. I cannot wait for this game tomorrow. Have a nervous feeling already.
Today's the big game. Lets go Oranje! Hopefully Hollandia won't sit back like Germany and let the Spain midfield win the game. I know one thing for sure, Van Bommel won't sit back. He's madman.
still depressed that its not germany that plays today, but at least we won yesterday, still think spain will win, its tough to interrupt that short passing game from them
Both squads need to slow it down a little IMO. The tempo is very fast paced right now. Heitinga always makes me nervous lol.
Jesus, Van Bommel plows through Iniesta. He's done that more than a couple times in previous games and got no card.
