2014 World Cup Finals - Part Two

[Matra2]

Its funny seeing Americans praising Tim Howard and talking about soccer, yet none of them actually know Thibaut Courtois is the best goalkeeper in the world.

Howard had to make dozens of saves, not all of them difficult of course, but quite a few of them were. Courtois didn't need to be great yesterday because the Americans lacked firepower up front. The better team won. A Netherlands v Argentina semi-final on that side of the draw. The other side is less predictable.

 

[Matra2]

and germany is superior to france,

After their matches against Ghana and Algeria I'm not so sure any more

 

[frederic38]

it's still incredible that a goalkeeper is praised so much after a match where 2 goals were scored against him and his team lost when you think about it

 

[Arend]

netherlands is a lot better than costa rica

The Netherlands defeats Costa Rica

In the normal course of events it would have been a piece of cake for the Elftal, but after the seeing how well Costa Rica did against England and Italy and after the first 60 minutes of the Mexico match, I am not so sure about the whole thing anymore. At least De Jong is injured so nobody will get killed.

and germany is superior to france, hopefully they won't do the same as against algeria

On what planet? With any decent coach I would say that this match is 50/50, with a good German coach maybe even 60/40 for Germany, but with that useless slob Löw there is no way that Germany can actually win this. [FONT=&quot][/FONT]Let’s recapitulate:

- He continues to play with Center Backs, even though after the second game it was pretty clear that this does not actually work.
- He continues to ignore his obvious mistakes (like he did before), sticking to faulty tactics and formation while being totally aware of his mistakes.
- He continues to let Lahm play in DM, which means that he values Lahms wishes higher than the teams success-
- He continues to ignore Großkreutz and Durm as alternatives
- He fields Mustafi over Ginter......to let him play as full back
- He fields Khedira even though he contributes nothing to the offense and only wins 30-40% of his tackles.
- He fields Özil even though he has been an useless plug so far
- He relegates Klose to the bench, despite the obvious poor finishing
- He doesn’t think that it’s necessary to have more than ONE real striker in the team.

And probably some more points that I missed

 

[ThePhilosopher]

it's still incredible that a goalkeeper is praised so much after a match where 2 goals were scored against him and his team lost when you think about it

Well,the goalie is black,so he has to get some credit,if only for being black.


Many saves were indeed straightforward,as the black strikers were rather poor,only shooting straight at Howard:

 

[ThePhilosopher]

On what planet? With any decent coach I would say that this match is 50/50, with a good German coach maybe even 60/40 for Germany, but with that useless slob Löw there is no way that Germany can actually win this. Let’s recapitulate:

- He continues to play with Center Backs, even though after the second game it was pretty clear that this does not actually work.
- He continues to ignore his obvious mistakes (like he did before), sticking to faulty tactics and formation while being totally aware of his mistakes.
- He continues to let Lahm play in DM, which means that he values Lahms wishes higher than the teams success-
- He continues to ignore Großkreutz and Durm as alternatives
- He fields Mustafi over Ginter......to let him play as full back
- He fields Khedira even though he contributes nothing to the offense and only wins 30-40% of his tackles.
- He fields Özil even though he has been an useless plug so far
- He relegates Klose to the bench, despite the obvious poor finishing
- He doesn’t think that it’s necessary to have more than ONE real striker in the team.

And probably some more points that I missed

Great list!:rockon:

 

[frederic38]

In the normal course of events it would have been a piece of cake for the Elftal, but after the seeing how well Costa Rica did against England and Italy and after the first 60 minutes of the Mexico match, I am not so sure about the whole thing anymore. At least De Jong is injured so nobody will get killed.

On what planet? With any decent coach I would say that this match is 50/50, with a good German coach maybe even 60/40 for Germany, but with that useless slob Löw there is no way that Germany can actually win this. Let’s recapitulate:

- He continues to play with Center Backs, even though after the second game it was pretty clear that this does not actually work.
- He continues to ignore his obvious mistakes (like he did before), sticking to faulty tactics and formation while being totally aware of his mistakes.
- He continues to let Lahm play in DM, which means that he values Lahms wishes higher than the teams success-
- He continues to ignore Großkreutz and Durm as alternatives
- He fields Mustafi over Ginter......to let him play as full back
- He fields Khedira even though he contributes nothing to the offense and only wins 30-40% of his tackles.
- He fields Özil even though he has been an useless plug so far
- He relegates Klose to the bench, despite the obvious poor finishing
- He doesn’t think that it’s necessary to have more than ONE real striker in the team.

And probably some more points that I missed

i have only seen costa rica play against greece
they haven't done much in that game

about germany-france, sakho will be able to play
if he does, he is a disaster waiting to happen
you talk about minor problems in the german team, things like "this guy should play here" etc
and it's probably true
but france is a mix a world class players and absolute clowns
evra can't defend, everybody can cross or shoot from his part of the field
sakho is a clown
benzema can spend hours without scoring
pogba is a red card waiting to happen

so it's going to be a very interesting and unpredictable match, but germany is superior to france in quality

 

[ThePhilosopher]

evra can't defend, everybody can cross or shoot from his part of the field
sakho is a clown
benzema can spend hours without scoring
pogba is a red card waiting to happen

Lol,they're better,Sissoko can't even run in a straight line! :beer:

 

[Thrashen]

On what planet? With any decent coach I would say that this match is 50/50, with a good German coach maybe even 60/40 for Germany, but with that useless slob Löw there is no way that Germany can actually win this. Let’s recapitulate:

- He continues to play with Center Backs, even though after the second game it was pretty clear that this does not actually work.
- He continues to ignore his obvious mistakes (like he did before), sticking to faulty tactics and formation while being totally aware of his mistakes.
- He continues to let Lahm play in DM, which means that he values Lahms wishes higher than the teams success-
- He continues to ignore Großkreutz and Durm as alternatives
- He fields Mustafi over Ginter......to let him play as full back
- He fields Khedira even though he contributes nothing to the offense and only wins 30-40% of his tackles.
- He fields Özil even though he has been an useless plug so far
- He relegates Klose to the bench, despite the obvious poor finishing
- He doesn’t think that it’s necessary to have more than ONE real striker in the team.

And probably some more points that I missed

Great points.

Of course, Lahm should return to his right back position. Aside from a blistering shot against Algeria and some emergency defensive play at times, “Der Kapitän” has been invisible at these WC Finals.

Defensively, Hummels is their most athletic/speedy player, and his absence was quite perceptible. Let’s hope he’s over his illness by Friday. Both Boateng and Mertesacker have looked terrible in space, but at least Mertesacker is tall and long, allowing him to clear opponents’ corner kicks with his great heading ability and extend his legs to clear dangerous balls as opponents dribble past him. Boateng is not only slow, but lacks athleticism and vertical leaping ability. Durm or Großkreutz have yet to play in these WC Finals, but what do they have to lose?

In midfield, Toni Kroos has set up some nice chances/goals, especially from corner kicks, but he's committed plenty of giveaways. Schweinsteiger has been better than Khedira, but he’s made some mistakes passing the ball and exhibited poor body language/leadership against Algeria. During the American broadcast of Monday’s game against Algeria, Negro-aficionado commentator, Ian Darke, stated something like: “Word has it that there are two factions growing amongst the German team during training sessions. One supports Khedira starting in the midfield, the other supports Schweinsteiger. Perhaps that is the reason they’ve struggled to play as a team today?” Who on the German team supports Khedira, besides his metrosexual twin, Ozil?

Offensively, Klose, Müller, and Schürrle should be their wingers/forwards, with Götze, Podolski, and Ozil as reserves. In the last major tournament, Euro Cup 2012, Ozil was surely one of the best midfielders in the world. Since then, his play has greatly regressed, both at Arsenal and in the black, red, and yellow jersey. The Algeria game was one of the worst I’ve ever seen him play.

All in all, I don’t trust this team. Their “big win” against Portugal (who turned out to be very average) was tainted by a soft penalty kick awarded early in the game and a red card by Portugal. The draw against Ghana (who ended up not winning a single game in the tournament) was a defensive disaster, but at least they fought their way back after being down 1-2. The 1-0 victory over the U.S.Gay was a decent showing, but the rainy weather inhibited offensive chances for both teams.

I don’t know if they’ll beat the felenously-unsightly Arabs/Negroes masqueraing as “France,” at squad that seems to be more lucky than good and haven’t lost a game (three wins, one draw), but have looked pitiful in the process. Aside from Colombia, all of the 8 remaining teams have looked vulnerable. Brazil against Mexico/Chile. France against Ecuador/Switzerland/Nigeria. Germany against Ghana/Algeria. The Netherlands against Mexico. Costa Rica against Greece/England. Argentina against Iran/Nigeria. Belgium against the U.S.

 

[Xman]

i have only seen costa rica play against greece
they haven't done much in that game

about germany-france, sakho will be able to play
if he does, he is a disaster waiting to happen
you talk about minor problems in the german team, things like "this guy should play here" etc
and it's probably true
but france is a mix a world class players and absolute clowns
evra can't defend, everybody can cross or shoot from his part of the field
sakho is a clown
benzema can spend hours without scoring
pogba is a red card waiting to happen

so it's going to be a very interesting and unpredictable match, but germany is superior to france in quality

This article explains why Sakho is preferred to Koscielny: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...phasises-key-role-of-mamadou-sakho-for-france

If France are as bad as you claim they would have been eliminated a long time ago a la Spain. France defeated the African champions, Nigeria, in regulation. Germany needed extra time to get past Algeria, and previously drew with Ghana after being a goal down against them. Neuer saved Germany in the last game against Algeria by his frequent runs out of the penalty area. If he has to do that again against a technically superior French team then Germany will definitely lose.

 

[foobar75]

Two of our favorites, Germany and Argentina need to play a lot better in order to advance, that's the reality. The opposition is formidable, and this WC has shown us how close the competition is and anything can happen.

Our other favorites, the Dutch, have an easier road against the over-achieving Costa Rica team, easily the weakest of the 8 teams left.

 

[frederic38]

This article explains why Sakho is preferred to Koscielny: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...phasises-key-role-of-mamadou-sakho-for-france

If France are as bad as you claim they would have been eliminated a long time ago a la Spain. France defeated the African champions, Nigeria, in regulation. Germany needed extra time to get past Algeria, and previously drew with Ghana after being a goal down against them. Neuer saved Germany in the last game against Algeria by his frequent runs out of the penalty area. If he has to do that again against a technically superior French team then Germany will definitely lose.

thank you for the good laugh
that article about sakho was hilarious

spain was eliminated against chile and holland
2 very good teams from europe and south america
put france in the same group as those 2 and they wouldn't make it either, ofcourse

about germany's game against algeria, i said the same as you
if they play like they did against algeria france will beat them

 

[frederic38]

by the way if france doesn't start giroud and koscielny against germany, they will have no player good at heading the ball
they have to start either giroud or koscielny
sakho and varane can't head the ball

 

[ThePhilosopher]

about germany's game against algeria, i said the same as you
if they play like they did against algeria france will beat them

You're overestimating France...they had to rely on the Nigerian goalie messing things up to score themsleves.....

and Algeria >>>> Nigeria.

 

[frederic38]

You're overestimating France...they had to rely on the Nigerian goalie messing things up to score themsleves.....

and Algeria >>>> Nigeria.

the german team in the first 30 minutes, re-watch the game, they missed everything lol
i never saw anything close to that

 

[frederic38]

but this article about sakho is really hilarious
they talk about litterally nothing, and god, do they talk a lot!
the article is very long
they talk about how sakho and varane are a better partnership than when koscielny plays, yet sakho and varane have only played 3-4 matches together


the title is:
"Hard-Fought Win vs. Nigeria Emphasises Mamadou Sakho's Key Role for France"


so france wins, no goals are scored against them, koscielny plays, and for them it means that sakho has a key role? without even playing? lol


another part of the article:

Another reason why his influence was missed against Nigeria is the balance that he gives to the back four as well. Sakho is left-footed and plays on the left side of the defence, often helping left-back Evra keep that side of the back line locked up. When Sakho is not there, Evra is more exposed because Koscielny does not have the same tendencies as his younger teammate.

everyone knows that in the nigeria game evra was exposed because benzema didn't help defensively at all
he should help him as a left winger

 

[ThePhilosopher]

the title is:
"Hard-Fought Win vs. Nigeria Emphasises Mamadou Sakho's Key Role for France"



so france wins, no goals are scored against them, koscielny plays, and for them it means that sakho has a key role? without even playing? lol

Haha,great post! :tea:

 

[frederic38]

Haha,great post! :tea:

i'm not even going to mention his role in liverpool's almighty defence last year

 

[frederic38]

and ofcourse i'm not going to mention how he made PSG lose the league title, that was 3 years ago already!

 

[Jack Lambert]

Great points.

Of course, Lahm should return to his right back position. Aside from a blistering shot against Algeria and some emergency defensive play at times, “Der Kapitän†has been invisible at these WC Finals.

Defensively, Hummels is their most athletic/speedy player, and his absence was quite perceptible. Let’s hope he’s over his illness by Friday. Both Boateng and Mertesacker have looked terrible in space, but at least Mertesacker is tall and long, allowing him to clear opponents’ corner kicks with his great heading ability and extend his legs to clear dangerous balls as opponents dribble past him. Boateng is not only slow, but lacks athleticism and vertical leaping ability. Durm or Großkreutz have yet to play in these WC Finals, but what do they have to lose?

In midfield, Toni Kroos has set up some nice chances/goals, especially from corner kicks, but he's committed plenty of giveaways. Schweinsteiger has been better than Khedira, but he’s made some mistakes passing the ball and exhibited poor body language/leadership against Algeria. During the American broadcast of Monday’s game against Algeria, Negro-aficionado commentator, Ian Darke, stated something like: “Word has it that there are two factions growing amongst the German team during training sessions. One supports Khedira starting in the midfield, the other supports Schweinsteiger. Perhaps that is the reason they’ve struggled to play as a team today?†Who on the German team supports Khedira, besides his metrosexual twin, Ozil?

Offensively, Klose, Müller, and Schürrle should be their wingers/forwards, with Götze, Podolski, and Ozil as reserves. In the last major tournament, Euro Cup 2012, Ozil was surely one of the best midfielders in the world. Since then, his play has greatly regressed, both at Arsenal and in the black, red, and yellow jersey. The Algeria game was one of the worst I’ve ever seen him play.

All in all, I don’t trust this team. Their “big win†against Portugal (who turned out to be very average) was tainted by a soft penalty kick awarded early in the game and a red card by Portugal. The draw against Ghana (who ended up not winning a single game in the tournament) was a defensive disaster, but at least they fought their way back after being down 1-2. The 1-0 victory over the U.S.Gay was a decent showing, but the rainy weather inhibited offensive chances for both teams.

I don’t know if they’ll beat the felenously-unsightly Arabs/Negroes masqueraing as “France,†at squad that seems to be more lucky than good and haven’t lost a game (three wins, one draw), but have looked pitiful in the process. Aside from Colombia, all of the 8 remaining teams have looked vulnerable. Brazil against Mexico/Chile. France against Ecuador/Switzerland/Nigeria. Germany against Ghana/Algeria. The Netherlands against Mexico. Costa Rica against Greece/England. Argentina against Iran/Nigeria. Belgium against the U.S.

Good post Thrashen. I heard that comment about the factions as well. I was going to post something quick about it, but decided against it. I would have to agree with you; if anything, I'd almost think it's the two other non-whites supporting Khedira. Any person with a brain can see Schweinsteiger's on a completely different level than Khedira is. Even the posters at BigSoccer recognize that Khedira and Ozil haven't been very good at this WC.

I was befuddled why Klose wasn't sent on for Ozil earlier, and eventually not at all... it's obvious he's one of the best finishers on the team.

I'm hoping they'd start at least Durm or Grosskruetz and see what they can do; the German back line has looked pretty slow at times. As Arend said, the 4 CB back line isn't the best.

 

[BoxingSpecialist2]

My thoughts on the Belgium/USA match:

Kevin De Bruyne of Belgium was great! He scored the first goal and attacked with vigor throughout. The black sub Romelu Lukaku also played well, scoring the winner. Jan Vertonghen, the Belgian LB was also quality.

For USA, their mixed race keeper was solid and kept them in the game. Landon Donovan would have been extremely useful in the match, and he was the type of guy who came up big in big matches like this. USA needed someone to step up. Also, the American CB Besler had a bad game and was unable to contain Lukaku when he came on, thats why US conceeded the 2 goals. Besler plays in the MLS and quite frankly in the MLS he would have never encountered a genuine attacking threat like you see with forwards like Lukaku who play in the English Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga.

Overall, decent showing from USA and they seem to always be improving their football. I think they were a bit lucky as well though. Their league, MLS is always improving. But they still have some ways to go.

 

[Freethinker]

I think the solution to Germany's defensive woes is relatively simple. Start Hummels and Mertesacker in the middle. Move Lahm back to his natural position of RB. Who cares where the Bayern coach played him. He's one of the best fullbacks in the world. On the other wing start either Kevin Großkreutz or Erik Durm. Simple.

They'll have much more speed with that clownish, oaf Boateng moved to the bench. Then they can play Schweinsteiger at defensive midfield. That would be a solid 5 supporting the defense and Neuer. I would guarantee a clean sheet against France.

 

[ThePhilosopher]

I think the solution to Germany's defensive woes is relatively simple. Start Hummels and Mertesacker in the middle. Move Lahm back to his natural position of RB. Who cares where the Bayern coach played him. He's one of the best fullbacks in the world. On the other wing start either Kevin Großkreutz or Erik Durm. Simple.

They'll have much more speed with that clownish, oaf Boateng moved to the bench. Then they can play Schweinsteiger at defensive midfield. That would be a solid 5 supporting the defense and Neuer. I would guarantee a clean sheet against France.

[h=1]Low resists calls for change[/h]

But Low told Die Zeit: "I have made up my mind already on Philipp Lahm's role. And I am sticking by it to the very end.

"Philipp Lahm has been a leading figure for us in recent years and he's been playing at the highest level for a decade, but he will only move back into defence if we have a problem on the right, at which point I might say 'okay, now it's up to Philipp who can push forwards down the right.'



"But that would only be an emergency scenario, and we need to prevent there being an emergency."



Arsenal forward Mesut Ozil has also attracted criticism from Germany's fans after some underwhelming performances in Brazil, but Low was quick to defend the former Real Madrid man.

"Mesut is extremely important to us," :yell: he said. "The criticism of him is just as incomprehensible as that for Lahm.

 

[ThePhilosopher]

I'm shocked that no one has mentioned this horrid miss by Origi yet:

 

[ThePhilosopher]

about courtois, to tell you how impressive this guy is, he has played 21 times for belgium and hasn't lost a single game

Very impressive indeed!