FIFA World Cup 2010 Thread - 2010

[Super Hans]

Well im really looking forward to the repeat of the Euro 2008 final and i feel Spain will edge it again.While i admit that the Germans have looked more impressive,i just feel that Spain are due a big performance and this is the 1st game where they will not be playing a team that wont sit deep on them and who will actually play some football back.

Holland should comfortably come through the other semi with key injuries and suspensions mounting up for Uruguay.

Before the tournament the final i wanted to see was Holland vs Spain and we are only 2 games to go for this to possibly happen.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

Well, Things Look Interesting as we head for the Semi-Finals:

Netherlands vs. Brazil:
There can be no doubt that this was a game of two halves. Brazil looked the much better team in the first half, being more creative and overwhelming the Dutch but they failed to take their chances after Robinho scored. And in the second half, the Dutch got lucky and that restored their belief and they fired on all cylinders. A combination of the Dutch outplaying them, poor defending and several of their players getting hot-headed led to Brazil's downfall. The Dutch simply responded better than Brazil and now they have a great chance at winning their first ever World Cup.

Uruguay vs. Ghana:
This was a tense game as they went back and forth and even 120 minutes couldn't determine the winner. Ghana were poor for the first 20 minutes but with the Uruguayan captain's injury it began to turn around for them and they began to play a bit better and Muntari's goal was richly deserved. Forlan's free-kick was good and got Uruguay back into the game. Gyan was a powerhouse all night and kept going. Then came a major incident in the 120th minute. Suarez did what was necessary. He saved his team after the goal mouth scramble and got sent off for it. Gyan's miss will haunt him for the rest of his life and Uruguay were always going to win from that point onwards.

Argentina vs. Germany:
Well, who saw this coming? Argentina were asked questions at the back for the first time in this tournament and much like Brazil, failed to pass the test. The German’s are simply a superb team. A well oiled machine if you like and it shows. They all play for one another and not for themselves. The defending by Germany was top notch and they kept the players like Tevez, Messi & Higuain out. I will say that Heinze got on my nerves towards the end of the first half (he was acting like a child as was Robinho in the second half of the Brazil game) but they came out second half and looked the better team for about 10 minutes. The Klose scored and that was it, Argentina were screwed from that point onwards. 4-0 was a hammering and it reflected the merits of the German attack & defence.

Paraguay vs. Spain:
If Paraguay were fitter, they could've won. Spain were very poor for long periods of this game and Paraguay really were tactically the much better team. The first half was a tad dull but the second was bright and interesting. Spain began to play a little more openly and they looked better. Paraguay kept chugging away and after a mad 3 minutes (which saw Paraguay miss a penalty, Spain score one only to have to retake it and miss) were still in with a shout. But it was the fitness of the Spaniards that shone through and Villa is proving why he's that good. Barcelona got him on the cheap if you ask me.

 

[Барбоса]

Argentina vs. Germany:
Well, who saw this coming? Argentina were asked questions at the back for the first time in this tournament and much like Brazil, failed to pass the test.

I hate to blown my own horn (especially as I have gotten so much wrong so far in my World Cup predictions) but I certainly did. Argentina were very lucky to qualify for the World Cup and were fortunate to get passed South Korea in the group stage (4-1 was immensely flattering), who for 20 mins made Argentina look the average side they truly are.

If Maradona was going to play so many dynamic attacking players then he needed a solid defence but once you saw that he was sticking a left winger at right back when he had a right back on the bench, the writing was on the wall.

I told my best mate that if they came up against a side that could defend such as Italy or Germany, they would be in serious trouble. Sure, Italy turned out to be shit but German efficiency prevailed over the Argies again in a cake walk.

 

[Барбоса]

So after 62 matches we finally have our World Cup final. Refreshingly, it is between two teams who have never won it before - The Netherlands and Spain, neither of whom have reached a sustained level of performance.

The Dutch have gone with a far more pragmatic approach rather than the Total Football they have been known for in the past, relying on the hard tackling and rule-bending of Van Bommel in the midfield, the hard work of Kujt and the occasional spark of ingenuity from Sneijder and Robben. So far it has worked without being spectacular. Although they have had their fair share of luck. Not only did Brazil fall apart but in their semi final against Uruguay, two of their goals should not have counted. I'm not taking anything away from Gio's unsaveable strike in the first half but moments before Van Bommel got away with an horrific tackle that can only be described as a potential leg-breaker. The Dutch second goal not only took two deflections but Van Persie was offside and interfering with play so that should have been ruled out too. The third goal was well worked with a fine headed finish from Robben but without the first two we probably would not have seen the flowing football that came with the Dutch 2-1 up.

Nothing should be taken away from Uruguay's performance. They were the underdogs but look every inch the equal of Holland for long periods of the game and had their second goal gone in a little earlier I am almost certain they would have gotten an equaliser as for the final 5 mins the Dutch had gone to pieces at the back. The success of such a small country shows how far a good work ethic, high fitness levels together with a potent strikeforce can go. France, Italy and England should take note.

The Spanish have also yet to reach the heights that they reached in winning Euro 2008. There certainly have been glimpses such as their defeat of Portugal where they completely starved Ronaldo and co. of possession throughout the entire game. Last night was another step forward and a good advertisement that a good football match does no need a multitude of goals. The tactical battle between the two was enthralling. Admittedly, the last 20 mins of the first half threatened to become very turgid but that was because the Germans needed to find a way to shut down Spain, who were excellent for the first 25 mins. Few would have bet against the Germans after their demolitions of Argentina and England but by keeping the ball, staying patient, the added movement of the excellent Pedro and the willingness to shoot from outside the box in the second half (Del Bosque must have said something at halftime) Xavi, Iniesta and the superb Xabi Alonso snuffed out any threat the Germans had and went about making them look very ordinary. In all honesty, 1-0 did not express how dominant Spain were but as you would expect, the Germans never gave in and it took a decidedly un-Spanish goal to decide it with Puyol rounding of a good personal display with a powerful, flying header.

Should the Spanish continue on their upward curve then I think they will waltz to victory in the final but as own-goals, deflections, fouls and offsides not given have shown, the luck is with the Dutch so far. Perhaps it is their year?

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

FunnyKay's Preview of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final:

So it's come and it's nearly gone, 30 nations are done and only two are left to fight for the grand prize. The Netherlands take on Spain. Holland got here after a string of victories carried on from qualification, Spain lost their opener and had to find a different tactic. They scraped and clawed and are now at the final. The Dutch have been tactically superior to most (if not all) teams in this competition while Spain have had go the route of Germany in 2002 and change plans in hopes of a grander glory.

Personally, I'm looking forward to the final. The team I picked at the start of the tournament are in the final (Holland) and there facing off against Spain, the most overrated team in recent footballing memory. While they were great to watch in 2008, even that element of their play is gone because Del Bosque has had to change his tactics. It was obvious in their opener against Switzerland what was going to happen, teams have figured out how they play. They lost.

However, Del Bosque has changed his tactics. They're no longer the fluid footballing team of Austria/Switzerland 08', but a team who remind me of the 02' Germany finalists. They have a strong defence, no argument. Cassilas has improved as the tournament's progressed (He looked dreadful against Switzerland). Villa has taken a wider role which suits him better and Iniesta & Xavi's partnership has never looked stronger. A string of 1-0 wins has essentially shown off exactly how Spain play now.

My verdict for the final, I'm no Paul the Psychic Octopus but I'm going to go with a Netherlands victory. They'll be on top come the end. Of course an element of this is bias but I'm going to stick with my pick.

 

[pink_182]

Put money on both these two to win at the start of the tournament and the return is only $10 difference so I'm not too bothered who wins. I thought Spain would win right from the start though so I'm backing them. Just hope Villa walks away with the Golden Boot so I win a bit more money.

Should be an interesting game as neither side has really played the type of football they are known for, I think Spain will just be better defensively and that will be enough to edge it 2-1 or 1-0.

 

[Барбоса]

The World Cup has come and gone and we have a new name on the trophy, which we were guaranteed come the final, as Spain fulfilled their potential in beating the Netherlands, who have now lost in the final on three separate occasions ('74, '78 and '10).

The final failed to live up to the expectations but that was nothing to do with the Spanish. The 'great' footballing nation of the Netherlands, for the first 45 mins at least, played like an outclassed Sunday league side. Now I am all for a well-organised, defensive side that is willing to get stuck in but not to that extent. They were very lucky to reach half time with 11 men on the pitch. I am sure that Van Bommel means "hatchet man" in Dutch. How he failed to be sent off at any stage in the last three games is beyond me. They also relied far to much on Robben to give them any attacking force. Van Persie has had a very poor tournament and, starved of the ball, Sneijder had no impact on the final.

All the credit though should go to Spain for trying to play the same brand of football that had won them Euro 2008 and defeated the Germans in the semi final. Xavi and Iniesta continued to be patient in the face of the ridiculous tackling of the Dutch midfield. As the game went on, I felt sure that their want/need to walk the ball into the net was going to cost them as Iniesta in particular would not shoot when he had good chances too. It was no surprise that the Spanish looked far more threatening when Fabregas came on to add another dimension to their attack by being more direct and willing to shoot from farther out. This gave the Dutch defence something else to think about and by closing down Fabregas, gaps for Iniesta and Xavi began to appear, as evidenced by the winning goal.

I'm not sure if the Spanish reached the heights of 2008 or recent Barcelona displays but for their overall performances in the semis and the final as well as their solid defence throughout, they probably deserved to win the competition. Indeed, losing their first game was probably the best thing to happen to Spain as it removed the "favourites" tag as well as much of the concurrent pressure.

As a whole, the tournament has been a success, especially for South Africa. Aside from some early travel problems from the stadiums, there have been no complaints (vuvuzelas aside). Most if not all the teams that turned up were defensively proficient and for much of the first round it did not make for entertaining spectacles (I did not really mind as I am fond of watching defensive chess games).

However, there were some glimpses of great attacking football such as Maradona's Argentina, Brazil's first 45 mins against Holland, Japan against the Danes and the Danes themselves against Cameroon. Germany and Spain were probably the most consistent teams with the former's ruthlessness in punishing mistakes from England and Argentina one of the highlights of the tournament for me.

As for player of the tournament, I would agree with Diego Forlan receiving the Golden Ball as all his competition for the title came from players in good sides like the Dutch and Spaniards. Forlan, with his hard work and injection of some class into an energetic, hard-working but ultimately average Uruguay side, got his country of only 3.5million into a semi final.

See you all in Brazil

 

[Барбоса]

After having time to digest the goings-on in the final, my opinions have changed a little but not much. The Dutch were perhaps not as dirty as many think but they were a step late in almost every tackle. This may have had more to do with the skill and speed of Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro, Villa and Navas. Against players who are so confident on the ball and armed crafty and probing passing, any team could be made to look silly.

However, there was easily enough poor challenges that if De Jong AND Van Bommel had been sent off there could have been few complaints from any level-headed Dutch fan. The referee, Howard Webb, had a very difficult job; a no win situation in many respects and I think he dealt with it well. For those so-called football fans who think he ruined the final, just think what a stickler for the rules would have done to the game. Holland would have been down to nine men by half time with De Jong and Van Bommel sent off with Robben (kicking the ball away) and Heitinga joining them later. The final would have ended with one team perhaps down to seven men... Webb may have gotten decisions like not sending off De Jong for his karate kick and Van Bommel's persistent poor challenges and complaining wrong, but in the end I think he made a conscious decision to err on the side of leniecy; a decision that saved the game.

A game that got better and better as it went on. The Dutch relied too much on Robben to be their threat up front and Spain began to dominate more and more. I thought the second half was an enthralling contest between possession and counterattack while extra time was truly excellent with both sides, up until Heitinga's sending off, looking to win.

 

[harrythem]

That final really summed up the whole world cup. Lots of promise but, in the end, no real "bang" like we thought there would be. The dutch complaining about the build up to the goal was a joke, considering they should've been down to 9 men before the first half had finished. The right team won the match. The whole thing makes me look forward to Euro 2012 though, Germans looking strong, Spain'll be there, France, Italy and England regrouping and trying to put a better showing then this tournament, along with a middling Portugal team. Should be a great tournament!

And if any bugger takes a Vuvuzela to The Emirates or Roots Hall this season I'm going to shove it up their ass!