Kaka didn't have a good cup? Dude was tied for assts (3). He played pretty well and certainly much better than in 2006.
Dr Wu, sir
you are treating football like a management accountant would treat contributions to the bottom line from a trading floor.
Please to cease and desist. Unless there is glory, supreme skill, panache, elan and chutzpah involved, your top players had a shit WC regardless of how many 'assists' dude made. And since when did assists start wheedling their ugly way into the soccerball vocab?
Heinous term.
Anyone who watched Brazil would have seen quite clearly that Kaka was playing very creatively in the last third. Just watch the first highlight on this reel and you'll see what I mean. Plus, brotherman was playing hurt. I think that everyone is forgetting that Brazil had handled everyone until their keeper fucked up against the Dutch.
I didn't know they were dating.
I thought this was some weird everything-is-allowed-during-the-World-Cup moment, but on second viewing I saw them making some ga-ga eyes at each other.
I wonder how she feels about this...she is working after all.
Anyway, even my cold cold heart thought this was sweet.
Dutch were on some shameful shit the entire match though ironically they had arguably the best chances to win it in normal time. So very glad to see Robben not win it. One would hope that the winning out of skill over brute force would be a good example for future teams (winning each game 1-0, not so much) but not holding out much hope.
There were more things wrong with this tournament than right. For starters, it was in South Africa. Yay for Africa, great that they should get the chance to be a stage for the focus of the world etc, but as a sporting spectacle, a serious negative that most of the locals obviously couldn't afford a ticket. Every game that wasn't sold-out should have been filled up with kids from local schools or something. Too many stadiums were not full enough. And stadiums make atmosphere, which leads on to the next thing.
The fucking vuvuzelas. I don't give a crap if they're part of South Africa's culture, they suck sweaty balls. The stadiums sounded the same before kick-off, they sounded the same when a goal was scored, they sounded the same when a player was sent-off, they sounded the same ten minutes after the final whistle had blown. Zero atmosphere.
The jabulani football. Product placement hyper-drive. It felt like this wasn't the culmination of a four-year qualification process involving a hundred odd countries so that they can meet in the sport's biggest show-piece, but simply a chance for professional sportsmen from around the globe to road-test a sodding football brand with a stupid name that took pride of place within the camera frame at every given opportunity. And surely this ball had crossed the tipping-point from making a ball that produces more goals because it's difficult for goalkeepers to accurately judge it's trajectory, to making a ball that dips and moves in the air so much that players can't even judge the trajectory of a pass over 30 yards accurately. If they're going to introduce a brand new ball, the players should get to use it for the qualification process too. They use one ball to get to the finals, and suddenly it's a brand new ball for the finals. It was too round, too slippery, and two yards over the goal line!
Oh, and from a purely footballing perspective, the Spanish victory is a turning point. I think it will lead to systems taking precedence over players* - much like the gripes about Nike/FIFA/Prem league's cult of the individual star - and more stalemates. We didn't see any team capable of depriving Spain of the ball. Only Brasil might have been able to do this, unfortunately the Dutch got through instead.
* or have they already? Any team that could organise defenders to stop the opposition did well. 4-2-3-1 seemed to be the formation of the tournament (of course England played 4-4-2 like it was still 1966), and more matches involved midfield skirmishes instead of flowing football imo.
Looking forward to Brasil, not looking forward to England failing to learn any lessons from this tournament.
"It is funny how so many hacks who criticise Wenger when he complains about van Bommel-esque stuff in the PL are so anti-Dutch tonight.
It's perfectly fine to get stuck in and not let Arsenal play, 'let them know you're there' etc. "It's the only way you can play them".
Not saying the Dutch should be defended for some of their foul play, it was awful, but the hypocrisy from cunts like Hansen is sickening."
I agree with this. I would have liked it if there was some way for neither team to win. Spain are hardly the classiest team in the world either and i'm amazed Iniesta managed to stay on his feet for the 5 seconds it took him to score.
Dutch were on some shameful shit the entire match though ironically they had arguably the best chances to win it in normal time. So very glad to see Robben not win it. One would hope that the winning out of skill over brute force would be a good example for future teams (winning each game 1-0, not so much) but not holding out much hope.
they had some terrific chances, real shame they didn't manage to capitalise on em.
agreed that this was not exactly a thrilling spectacle. still, enjoyed watching the coverage of ensuing rave scenes in spain. oh to have been in barcelona last night!
I dunno; I enjoyed the matches I watched. Didn't mind the vulvas, got the match on surround sound (FTW) and it gives it a bit of atmosphere. Although, to other ears, it might sound like the match is being played in a bee-hive. Whatever.
It would have been the worst final since 94 if Holland had won. I think both sides got there on merit, loved the work of Wesley, but it was shameful to see those tactics being employed because they couldn't out-football Spain in the midfield.
I agree with the Arsenal analogy; I remember when Uni*ed ended the "Invincibles" streak; and the smug fans were grinning about "Kicking them off the park". Schumacher F1 shunt-tactics. It's not a new tactic btw, it's what cut short Best's and Eusebio's careers and cost Pele any further progress in the '66 finals.
You'd think now, what with yellows being dished out for celebrations, it wouldn't be tolerated enough to make it viable, let alone "Pundits" condoning it in the prem. But Webb was in a difficult situation - the final would have been ruined as a contest if it was 9 v 11 after 40 minutes, even if they deserved the reds - what could he do?
The better team won in the end and dutchies must deal.
I think the biggest shame of this final was that Holland didn't have to play that way to win. They had enough striking force to win with a more open style. they played scared and paid the price for it just like Germany.
Comments
an obvious 1-0
Anyone who watched Brazil would have seen quite clearly that Kaka was playing very creatively in the last third. Just watch the first highlight on this reel and you'll see what I mean. Plus, brotherman was playing hurt. I think that everyone is forgetting that Brazil had handled everyone until their keeper fucked up against the Dutch.
i doubt we will ever see him in his AC form
CONGRATS FORLAN!
94 was a great world cup.
i remember staring in silence after watching that goal against argentina in 98. that goal is definitely part of a :goat: conversation.
i personally prefer this commentary call in his video......
wouldn't even be mad if this turned into a "best goal reaction" thread hijack...
I thought this was some weird everything-is-allowed-during-the-World-Cup moment, but on second viewing I saw them making some ga-ga eyes at each other.
I wonder how she feels about this...she is working after all.
Anyway, even my cold cold heart thought this was sweet.
Worst world cup final since 94.
Dutch were on some shameful shit the entire match though ironically they had arguably the best chances to win it in normal time. So very glad to see Robben not win it. One would hope that the winning out of skill over brute force would be a good example for future teams (winning each game 1-0, not so much) but not holding out much hope.
There were more things wrong with this tournament than right. For starters, it was in South Africa. Yay for Africa, great that they should get the chance to be a stage for the focus of the world etc, but as a sporting spectacle, a serious negative that most of the locals obviously couldn't afford a ticket. Every game that wasn't sold-out should have been filled up with kids from local schools or something. Too many stadiums were not full enough. And stadiums make atmosphere, which leads on to the next thing.
The fucking vuvuzelas. I don't give a crap if they're part of South Africa's culture, they suck sweaty balls. The stadiums sounded the same before kick-off, they sounded the same when a goal was scored, they sounded the same when a player was sent-off, they sounded the same ten minutes after the final whistle had blown. Zero atmosphere.
The jabulani football. Product placement hyper-drive. It felt like this wasn't the culmination of a four-year qualification process involving a hundred odd countries so that they can meet in the sport's biggest show-piece, but simply a chance for professional sportsmen from around the globe to road-test a sodding football brand with a stupid name that took pride of place within the camera frame at every given opportunity. And surely this ball had crossed the tipping-point from making a ball that produces more goals because it's difficult for goalkeepers to accurately judge it's trajectory, to making a ball that dips and moves in the air so much that players can't even judge the trajectory of a pass over 30 yards accurately. If they're going to introduce a brand new ball, the players should get to use it for the qualification process too. They use one ball to get to the finals, and suddenly it's a brand new ball for the finals. It was too round, too slippery, and two yards over the goal line!
Oh, and from a purely footballing perspective, the Spanish victory is a turning point. I think it will lead to systems taking precedence over players* - much like the gripes about Nike/FIFA/Prem league's cult of the individual star - and more stalemates. We didn't see any team capable of depriving Spain of the ball. Only Brasil might have been able to do this, unfortunately the Dutch got through instead.
* or have they already? Any team that could organise defenders to stop the opposition did well. 4-2-3-1 seemed to be the formation of the tournament (of course England played 4-4-2 like it was still 1966), and more matches involved midfield skirmishes instead of flowing football imo.
Looking forward to Brasil, not looking forward to England failing to learn any lessons from this tournament.
It's perfectly fine to get stuck in and not let Arsenal play, 'let them know you're there' etc. "It's the only way you can play them".
Not saying the Dutch should be defended for some of their foul play, it was awful, but the hypocrisy from cunts like Hansen is sickening."
I agree with this. I would have liked it if there was some way for neither team to win. Spain are hardly the classiest team in the world either and i'm amazed Iniesta managed to stay on his feet for the 5 seconds it took him to score.
they had some terrific chances, real shame they didn't manage to capitalise on em.
agreed that this was not exactly a thrilling spectacle. still, enjoyed watching the coverage of ensuing rave scenes in spain. oh to have been in barcelona last night!
I dunno; I enjoyed the matches I watched. Didn't mind the vulvas, got the match on surround sound (FTW) and it gives it a bit of atmosphere. Although, to other ears, it might sound like the match is being played in a bee-hive. Whatever.
It would have been the worst final since 94 if Holland had won. I think both sides got there on merit, loved the work of Wesley, but it was shameful to see those tactics being employed because they couldn't out-football Spain in the midfield.
I agree with the Arsenal analogy; I remember when Uni*ed ended the "Invincibles" streak; and the smug fans were grinning about "Kicking them off the park". Schumacher F1 shunt-tactics. It's not a new tactic btw, it's what cut short Best's and Eusebio's careers and cost Pele any further progress in the '66 finals.
You'd think now, what with yellows being dished out for celebrations, it wouldn't be tolerated enough to make it viable, let alone "Pundits" condoning it in the prem. But Webb was in a difficult situation - the final would have been ruined as a contest if it was 9 v 11 after 40 minutes, even if they deserved the reds - what could he do?
The better team won in the end and dutchies must deal.
No chance.
They won't make it past Bayern Munich.
"....and Solskj??r has won it!"
Great to see Van Bommel and Robben make two finals through shameless cheating and get what they deserve.