The Algerian team was eliminated in the round of 16 by Germany. They waged a brave campaign and definitely did not lay down to their difficult opposition. Reading a portuguese football newspaper I came across this story which provides photos and videos of the reception they received back in Algeria. A heroes parade, streets lined with adoring fans, horns, police escorts, fireworks, the whole nine yards.
This is the greatness of the game. This is the global penetration and significance of the World Cup. A team exits in the final 16 and its a national historic event, The national warriors are lauded as heroes and the mood festive. Such is the grandeur, scale and scope of the event. By comparison, a little known sport called ice hockey is played at another little know event called the winter olympics. Team Canada (may be the only country on earth who claims the sport of ice hockey as its favourite sport despite its abysmal television ratings even in that country) won the gold medal and the extent of the celebration was 500 fans in a downtown square waving a few flags for a couple of hours.
Anyways here is the link:
http://www.abola.pt/nnh/ver.aspx?id=487055
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Wednesday, 2 July 2014
No Games - ohhh how it hurts !
What a World Cup we have had so far. The group stage and round of 16 provided lots of excitement, heroics and demonstrations of human courage and suffering. Such is the beauty of this game. Now this brief pause before the quarter finals will hurt. I'm already feeing the absence of a game to look forward to in a could of hours.
We do however have a great lineup of matches coming up. I will give you my picks below and tomorrow will do a more in depth analysis of each game:
1. BRAZIL vs COLUMBIA - winner : columbia
2. HOLLAND vs COSTA RICA - winner: holland
3. ARGENTINA vs BELGIUM - winner: belgium
4. GERMANY vs FRANCE - winner: germany
If there is one game I am on the fence about its game 4. I think France could take it just as easily as Germany could. However, despite both teams missing their best players (france missing Ribery and germany missing Reus) I think the Germans will have the upper hand in imposing their game on the french then vice versa. And in the moments where it can't, it has the edge at Keeper with Neuer who can keep them in the game when the going gets tough.
That will set up semi finals as such:
GERMANY vs COLOMBIA
BELGIUM vs HOLLAND
We have to see what injuries and card situations present themselves but at this point I would be inclined to say that will set up a Germany vs Holland final with Germany taking it.
We do however have a great lineup of matches coming up. I will give you my picks below and tomorrow will do a more in depth analysis of each game:
1. BRAZIL vs COLUMBIA - winner : columbia
2. HOLLAND vs COSTA RICA - winner: holland
3. ARGENTINA vs BELGIUM - winner: belgium
4. GERMANY vs FRANCE - winner: germany
If there is one game I am on the fence about its game 4. I think France could take it just as easily as Germany could. However, despite both teams missing their best players (france missing Ribery and germany missing Reus) I think the Germans will have the upper hand in imposing their game on the french then vice versa. And in the moments where it can't, it has the edge at Keeper with Neuer who can keep them in the game when the going gets tough.
That will set up semi finals as such:
GERMANY vs COLOMBIA
BELGIUM vs HOLLAND
We have to see what injuries and card situations present themselves but at this point I would be inclined to say that will set up a Germany vs Holland final with Germany taking it.
Tuesday, 1 July 2014
Matchday: July 1
Today we have some very interesting match ups. It should come as no surprise that right off the bat we see some FIFA controlled advantage built in for Argentina (the favourite team of FIFA President Sepp Blatter) as they get to play in Sao Paulo where its not hot or humid. Argentina being a cold weather country will love this. It won't be to the disadvantage of the Swiss weather wise. But Sao Paulo is also much closer to Argentina than most of the stadia are and thus it will be easier to pack it with Argentinian fans. In the Belgium vs USA match, the game will be played in Salvador where it will be hot and muggy. These are conditions the USA are used to and that should help them some.
In Argentina vs Switzerland we see two pretty even teams. Argentina has a strong lineup and lots of talent on the bench. It features an overrated Lionel Messi. If you watch him you will realize that this man loses countless balls in midfield and the final third of the pitch. He does almost no running and never helps his team defend. For him to get a goal he needs about 40 passes to him in attacking situations before he gets one. He essentially walks around the final third of the pitch, cherry picking waiting for a pass. Out of 40 passes that he gets in the attacking part of the pitch he may score one. As such he is very inefficient. He is though, surrounded by a very talented supporting cast and players which are much better than him, like Di Maria. Di Maria, runs, defends, rarely loses the ball, crosses a lot and creates a lot of havoc for the opponents. Argentina's main weakness is a very poor coaching staff. Strategically, Sabella reveals in every game why he is not a good enough coach to succeed in the european leagues. He just doesn't understand how to use his players to the maximum benefit of the team. He has so much talent on the team that he has been able to win a couple of games by chance. That is, Argentina won despite him being the coach, not because of him.
The Swiss, by contrast have an exceptionally wise and excellent coach. Expect him to present a masterminded game plan and give Argentina many problems. The Swiss win because of their coach. They don't have anywhere near the same quality in the group of 23 players as Argentina does. But they can present a starting 11 that is pretty close. They have some speed up front which will disrupt Argentina regularly. Their defence can play compact and effectively. Their result against a powerful France was poor. But they were demoralized and mentally out of the game after the second goal and thats why the score was run up. They are not as bad the 5-0 result would suggest.
So while Argentina is the favourite and should win here I would be surprised if the Swiss pull an upset. Argentina will have favourable cool, dry weather, a virtual home game with all the fans making the drive to Sao Paulo and momentum from a good bunch of results in the first round. The Swiss will be better than anyone they faced in the first round. Argentina will also realize how Messi has difficulty handling the pressure of big decisive games. If the Swiss bring their lines up and pressure the defensive midfield of Argentina in the zone of construction ( defensive third of the pitch) expect Argentina to have many problems. This Argentina is good but with a well executed game plan they can be beat by the Swiss side which is definitely no pushover.
USA vs Belgium - While Belgium is a very strong team on paper, they haven't yet shown their full potential this tournament. Their lineup is star studded. They have some of the bet players from all european clubs in their lineup. They seem to have a tendency to lay down to their opponents and don't decide on imposing their game consistently. The USA has the following advantages to combat Belgiums superiority: better coach, perhaps the best athletes in the Cup (bigger, stronger, faster), weather, fan support at the stadium, a notable strength of their group of players. While on paper Belgium's starting 11 is capable of beating the best of teams on a good day, they should not take a lackadaisical attitude against this US team. My feeling though is that they will. And that may cost them the game. If I had to pick an upset I would say this will be it and that the USA can and will pull it off. It will be a great day for the continued growth of the sport in America if this upset occurs. But I think there is a constellation of factors today that makes an American upset possible and likely. That said, bear in mind Belgium is one of the best teams in football and I warned all readers to watch for them to do serious damage so if they pass the USA they WILL eliminate argentina
In Argentina vs Switzerland we see two pretty even teams. Argentina has a strong lineup and lots of talent on the bench. It features an overrated Lionel Messi. If you watch him you will realize that this man loses countless balls in midfield and the final third of the pitch. He does almost no running and never helps his team defend. For him to get a goal he needs about 40 passes to him in attacking situations before he gets one. He essentially walks around the final third of the pitch, cherry picking waiting for a pass. Out of 40 passes that he gets in the attacking part of the pitch he may score one. As such he is very inefficient. He is though, surrounded by a very talented supporting cast and players which are much better than him, like Di Maria. Di Maria, runs, defends, rarely loses the ball, crosses a lot and creates a lot of havoc for the opponents. Argentina's main weakness is a very poor coaching staff. Strategically, Sabella reveals in every game why he is not a good enough coach to succeed in the european leagues. He just doesn't understand how to use his players to the maximum benefit of the team. He has so much talent on the team that he has been able to win a couple of games by chance. That is, Argentina won despite him being the coach, not because of him.
The Swiss, by contrast have an exceptionally wise and excellent coach. Expect him to present a masterminded game plan and give Argentina many problems. The Swiss win because of their coach. They don't have anywhere near the same quality in the group of 23 players as Argentina does. But they can present a starting 11 that is pretty close. They have some speed up front which will disrupt Argentina regularly. Their defence can play compact and effectively. Their result against a powerful France was poor. But they were demoralized and mentally out of the game after the second goal and thats why the score was run up. They are not as bad the 5-0 result would suggest.
So while Argentina is the favourite and should win here I would be surprised if the Swiss pull an upset. Argentina will have favourable cool, dry weather, a virtual home game with all the fans making the drive to Sao Paulo and momentum from a good bunch of results in the first round. The Swiss will be better than anyone they faced in the first round. Argentina will also realize how Messi has difficulty handling the pressure of big decisive games. If the Swiss bring their lines up and pressure the defensive midfield of Argentina in the zone of construction ( defensive third of the pitch) expect Argentina to have many problems. This Argentina is good but with a well executed game plan they can be beat by the Swiss side which is definitely no pushover.
USA vs Belgium - While Belgium is a very strong team on paper, they haven't yet shown their full potential this tournament. Their lineup is star studded. They have some of the bet players from all european clubs in their lineup. They seem to have a tendency to lay down to their opponents and don't decide on imposing their game consistently. The USA has the following advantages to combat Belgiums superiority: better coach, perhaps the best athletes in the Cup (bigger, stronger, faster), weather, fan support at the stadium, a notable strength of their group of players. While on paper Belgium's starting 11 is capable of beating the best of teams on a good day, they should not take a lackadaisical attitude against this US team. My feeling though is that they will. And that may cost them the game. If I had to pick an upset I would say this will be it and that the USA can and will pull it off. It will be a great day for the continued growth of the sport in America if this upset occurs. But I think there is a constellation of factors today that makes an American upset possible and likely. That said, bear in mind Belgium is one of the best teams in football and I warned all readers to watch for them to do serious damage so if they pass the USA they WILL eliminate argentina
Monday, 30 June 2014
Brazil is definitively not making the final
The most unbelievable luck in human history combined with match fixing by FIFA referees have combined to result in Brazil still being alive. This is the weakest Brazil team in living memory and they probably would not even have qualified if they were not the hosts. Any team that has a complete useless player like Oscar in their starting lineup does not in the quarter finals belong.
But alas, the wizard of football justice has aligned the stars so that this farce of all sporting farces of Brazil being alive in the tournament will end before the miserable men in yellow set foot on the pitch for the final at the wonderful Maracana Stadium in sunny Rio de Janeiro. You see they would have to get by Colombia and the winner of France vs Germany. Now I don't care how much luck and referees cheating Brazil has going for them, it will not be sufficient to propel such a fragile side above those road blocks.
I predict Colombia will thoroughly thrash them 3-0. Its not that I think Colombia is very good. I consider them to be very overrated. They have a terrible defence, a nobody coach and a couple of difference makers in James and Jackson who have been able to get them some positive results against mostly average or below average opposition. Nonetheless, they are a lot stronger than Brazil and will have a very strong fan presence nullifying any tangible home advantage Brazil was used to counting on. They will also nullify any climate advantage Brazil was used to counting on.
After dashing Brazil's hopes, Colombia will be rightly dispatched home by the winner of France and Germany as both of those opponents would present the following problem to Colombia (or Brazil):
1. better starting lineup
2. better at every single position on the field
3. better bench
4. better coach
Accordingly, The France vs Germany winner should make minced meat of either of the two yellow jersey donning overrated south american sides. Given the path Brazil has, I can't see them getting past Colombia for the reasons listed above. They were assisted last game by the officials with David Luiz's offside goal not being called offside. But even with that free illegal goal they had to go to penalties. Now they will face a Colombia that is not as strong as Mexico (which Brazil drew with) but has better offensive weapons individually in Jackson and James then Mexico presented in any single player. The Colombians also promise to match the number of Brazilian fans in the stands - something mexico or Chile could not do. Colombia is also far more tailored to the hot muggy northeast climate of Fortaleza where the game will be played then Chile was.
The principal factor above all that should determine the Brazilian elimination on friday is this: they suck. Their strikers are a joke. They have no midfield. Neymar is the only top flight player they have. David Luiz is a foul machine who is subject to be red carded several times a game. They have a weak bench and a weak coach. Please, oh gods of football, get this awful squad out of our beloved tournament.
But alas, the wizard of football justice has aligned the stars so that this farce of all sporting farces of Brazil being alive in the tournament will end before the miserable men in yellow set foot on the pitch for the final at the wonderful Maracana Stadium in sunny Rio de Janeiro. You see they would have to get by Colombia and the winner of France vs Germany. Now I don't care how much luck and referees cheating Brazil has going for them, it will not be sufficient to propel such a fragile side above those road blocks.
I predict Colombia will thoroughly thrash them 3-0. Its not that I think Colombia is very good. I consider them to be very overrated. They have a terrible defence, a nobody coach and a couple of difference makers in James and Jackson who have been able to get them some positive results against mostly average or below average opposition. Nonetheless, they are a lot stronger than Brazil and will have a very strong fan presence nullifying any tangible home advantage Brazil was used to counting on. They will also nullify any climate advantage Brazil was used to counting on.
After dashing Brazil's hopes, Colombia will be rightly dispatched home by the winner of France and Germany as both of those opponents would present the following problem to Colombia (or Brazil):
1. better starting lineup
2. better at every single position on the field
3. better bench
4. better coach
Accordingly, The France vs Germany winner should make minced meat of either of the two yellow jersey donning overrated south american sides. Given the path Brazil has, I can't see them getting past Colombia for the reasons listed above. They were assisted last game by the officials with David Luiz's offside goal not being called offside. But even with that free illegal goal they had to go to penalties. Now they will face a Colombia that is not as strong as Mexico (which Brazil drew with) but has better offensive weapons individually in Jackson and James then Mexico presented in any single player. The Colombians also promise to match the number of Brazilian fans in the stands - something mexico or Chile could not do. Colombia is also far more tailored to the hot muggy northeast climate of Fortaleza where the game will be played then Chile was.
The principal factor above all that should determine the Brazilian elimination on friday is this: they suck. Their strikers are a joke. They have no midfield. Neymar is the only top flight player they have. David Luiz is a foul machine who is subject to be red carded several times a game. They have a weak bench and a weak coach. Please, oh gods of football, get this awful squad out of our beloved tournament.
If you thought Algeria had a chance, watch the game replay.
Some may think that because this game went to extra time it was somehow close. It was not. Algeria never once had a chance to win this game. They created no danger to the German net. At the end of 90 minutes they had one measly shot on goal. It was not a difficult one to save either. Germany had the ball 70 percent of the time and passed it around looking for openings in Algeria's 11 man behind the ball wall. Algeria looked much like Greece in 2004 in this regard. Germany played it down to that pace and patiently held the ball until a crack showed up -- and it did.
At the end of 90 minutes: Germany had 16 shots compared with 6 for Algeria. On target shots were led by Germany 8 to 1. And almost all of those 8 saves were spectacular work by the Algerian Keeper. Germany ed in possession 70 percent to 30. Corner kicks were again led by Germany 9 to 3.
It was utter domination.
After the 30 minutes of extra time the final stats looked like this: Germany outshout Algeria 13 to 2. The rest were about the same. Germany was winning 2-0. With a few seconds left Germany stopped trying and Algeria got a goal.
The German dominance was untested. This will set up a quarter final vs France. The winner of that game should take the Cup. They are the best two teams.
At the end of 90 minutes: Germany had 16 shots compared with 6 for Algeria. On target shots were led by Germany 8 to 1. And almost all of those 8 saves were spectacular work by the Algerian Keeper. Germany ed in possession 70 percent to 30. Corner kicks were again led by Germany 9 to 3.
It was utter domination.
After the 30 minutes of extra time the final stats looked like this: Germany outshout Algeria 13 to 2. The rest were about the same. Germany was winning 2-0. With a few seconds left Germany stopped trying and Algeria got a goal.
The German dominance was untested. This will set up a quarter final vs France. The winner of that game should take the Cup. They are the best two teams.
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