FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa

[fukarming]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

Speaking of media, it's interesting how The New York Times covered the Germany v Australia game, showing again that uniquely American love for statistics, statistics and even more statistics. That's an aspect of American sport I never could quite understand, and perhaps explains why certain sports that are so popular elsewhere around the world never quite make it in the United States — they just don't generate enough numbers for pundits to gush over.

Well, looking ahead for the rest of the day, there's The Netherlands v Denmark. That ought to be an interesting match.

More importantly, there's Japan v Cameroon. My heart goes out to the Blue Samurai, but they'll be playing against Cameroon in what will be as good as home ground for the Africans. If Cameroon don't shine, you can bet the vuvuzelas would still suffice to smother Japan with the sound of "dying geese".

And lastly, Italy v Paraguay. After two consecutive late nights, I'm skipping this match. I can endure for only so long at my age.

I think it is interesting that the NYtimes put in plenty of useless stat (touches and passes, which don't really tell you how well the team/ player plays) but left out important ones, like individual player shots/ shot on target, distance ran by individuals. They should at least put pass/tackle attempted along side pass/tackle completed in order to give a better picture.

[yoropa]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Why don't they just stop the clock when play is stopped? Soccer tradition?

That would just be problematic, too many breaks in action is a bad thing to be honest. Best to have the game keep going with the only stop being between the halves.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by Last Sinner

That Mexican referee has a known track record for being a severe referee. Apparently in a match between Ivory Coast and Serbia in 2006, he handed out 2 red cards and 9 yellows. This guy seems to reach for the card like wildfire. What did he give in the end - 1 red and 5 yellows in this one?!

Now we know why mexicans calls him The Little Dracula, it's not just the haircut, it's also about being severe and ruthless like the Impaler.

[risingstar3110]

On a positive look, Australia's two future games are not really that bad. If the Socceroo can't get pass Ghana due to lack of one player (Cahill), then there's not so much to expect for even if we can get into knock-out round.

At least there would be a real change this time. It would even be worse than a red card if we see the same set-up in next game

[Daniel E.]

Originally Posted by Sheba

Now we know why mexicans calls him The Little Dracula, it's not just the haircut, it's also about being severe and ruthless like the Impaler.

Yep, lots of soccer fans hate the dude around here. >_<

[Azuma Denton]

Looking forward to tonight's match.
Netherland vs Denmark
Japan vs Cameroon

I'll skip Italy and Paraguay.
I'm also at my limit after watching 3 matches yesterday...

[boggart]

Originally Posted by Last Sinner

Spoiler for Lots of text:

Well, I decided to go to bed early so I could watch Germany vs Australia live.

After it is finished, the only reason I'm glad I saw it live was to see a top quality team in action - Germany.

I never held out any delusion that Australia could win. I had a slim hope of a draw. Before I switched on the TV, that is. Once I saw that starting lineup, my heart sunk...

That has got to be one of the worst lineup choices I have seen in a long time. That combo of players and positions has never been tried before. Such a risk in a World Cup match?!

1. Cahill as a lone striker?! HE"S A MIDFIELDER! Christ, I've seen that mistake made with Kewell in the past! Don't make a relatively small midfielder play as a lone striker! You can't expect Cahill to outjump those German giants! He excels in the midfield and capitalising at ground level.

2. Three defensive midfielders. Er, why don't you just raise the white flag already...That just said to me from the get-go that Pim Verbeek was never going to try to get anything out of this match. Damage control is one thing, but admitting defeat before you even step onto the pitch is just wrong. It's un-Australian. And what good did it do? They were stretched on both sides anyway!

4. We looked very weak on the left defensive flank. Oezil was loving sending it out there, setting up Muller or Lahm to get the crosses in to Podolski and Klose time after time. Chipperfield looked way out of his league.

5. The leaders lost their cool early. Moore yelled at a linesman and got yellow for it. Neill was ranting about offside a lot when it almost always wasn't. There was the odd shifty decision but nothing that glaring - the leaders had to maintain their cool under fire and they didn't. That didn't help our cause one bit.

6. Why on earth were we dicing with death so much by trying to spring the offside trap all the time?! It wasn't working! Get some numbers behind the ball and start manning up! Oezil and Muller were loving that free space and gave so many good chances to Podolski and Klose.

7. The non-playing of Kennedy, Kewell and Bresciano was very bemusing to me and the majority of Australians are in uproar over this. Kennedy is the one guy who could've threatened in the air and matched the tall timber Germany had in defense. Kewell is a spark full stop - we always went right when going forward because we had no one credible to go with on the left. If he wasn't 100%, then fine, but there seemed to be more doubt about Cahill than Kewell in the last few days. Bresciano is a good crosser from anywhere - his presence was missed. Seeing crosses from only deep down the right flank was too easy for Germany to intercept.

8. Australia had a gem of a chance to score in the 3rd minute and it was squandered. Cahill sent a good header in but Garcia was napping and had his back turned, deflecting it back out instead...If we nailed that one, things could have been so different.

9. There was a complete lack of the Australian spirit that defined 2006. That campaign, everyone fought for each other and they never, ever gave up. Tonight they never looked like they were playing for each other or had that belief. This was humiliating. Most players didn't hassle or press on - they were usually lagging behind and they paid the price.

10. The red card on Cahill was an absolute disgrace. Cahill tried to pull out of that tackle and he never tried to hurt Schwarzsteiger. That Mexican referee has a known track record for being a severe referee. Apparently in a match between Ivory Coast and Serbia in 2006, he handed out 2 red cards and 9 yellows. This guy seems to reach for the card like wildfire. What did he give in the end - 1 red and 5 yellows in this one?!


It's a hard road for Australia now - they have to beat both Ghana and Serbia just to make it to the second round. And with Cahill supsended for the Ghana match, that is leaving us on the back foot already. It's not impossible, but some things have to change fast. Get the lineup and positions right. Play with some spirit and team ethos. Play some tight defense and don't rely on the offside trap. Then maybe Australia stands a chance.

All credit to Germany and to Joachim Low for picking a great side. Podolski was always threatening, Klose was always in the right positions and nailed another trademark header - regardless of his domestic form, he is brilliant when he is in a World Cup. That guy could end up with the record for goals scored in a World Cup. Oezil and Mueller were just supreme in the midfield. Their defense was always alert and allowed little. Heuer was alert for the few times he needed to be in goal. Germany are still very dangerous without Ballack. Whether they can overcome Spain or Brazil is something that will be determined later on. For now, they are the real deal.

Cheers for posting all that, because those points are the ones I had pointed out to my mates when we were watching as well.

Deep down I had known we didn't stand much of a chance either, but a well drilled German outfit put that to rest early. I'm just very disappointed with so many things at the moment. Devastated.

[MindSaberV2]

Cheers to Aussie fans, they had that great chance at 3rd minute and didn't execute that well. the Germans had to punish them for that. Their attacking midfielder had WAAAAAAAY too many rooms at the flanks.

well, that's today game, now, whose gonna say NIPPON, BANZAI!! tomorrow??

[Proto]

Originally Posted by Sheba

Now we know why mexicans calls him The Little Dracula, it's not just the haircut, it's also about being severe and ruthless like the Impaler.

I'm pretty sure it was just because of the haircut.

[Lord of Fire]

Originally Posted by silencer.001

Ok, time to chime in as someone who lives here in SA

I was in my local bar for the opening ceremony and the first game, and my word, the atmosphere here is electric. The vuvuzelas going off, you could barely hear yourself let alone the other people. It is gonna be a good 4 weeks here.

As for the vuvuzela's, all I can say, get used to them, they are a part of the African soccer, even the FIFA president didn't call for a ban on them after participating countries were calling for a ban on them, simply because they are part of the culture. So as I said, get used to them for the 4 weeks

Well, FIFA wanted to ban them at first, because they believed it could be used as a weapon, but the SAFA convinced them to allow them, claiming they're part of a South African experience (which is disputable): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vuvuzel...ederations_Cup.

However, with all the complaints coming in worldwide, and networks tuning down the stadium sound to make the humming less annoying, I don't see these things lasting that much longer. And that would be a good thing, as the noise of those things is loud enough to wake the dead.


As for the WC itself, Germany had the best performance so far, and if they keep this up, they'll go far.

The Dutch team will probably make it to the quarters or even the semis and be kicked out due to sleeping on the job, as they always do – and that's assuming they'll get past the Danish team.

[Kusa-San]

The I-Phone's Application :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3xDW...eature=related


They are everywhere ......

[Mentar]

Originally Posted by Kiva128

Wasn't Germany's first goal offside? Maybe I missed something.

No, because the striker standing offside (in the center) did not actively intervene in the game. The striker running down the line, who then played the deadly pass back was _not_ offside at the moment when the ball was passed to him. This is called the "passive offside" rule. Expect it to become very important in the later games. This is THE key technique to outplay the offside trap.

Overall, a very very pleasant evening ^_^

[boggart]

Awesome! Just downloaded the vuvuzela app for iphone. Fun times ahead!

[Westlo]

Originally Posted by risingstar3110

On a positive look, Australia's two future games are not really that bad. If the Socceroo can't get pass Ghana due to lack of one player (Cahill), then there's not so much to expect for even if we can get into knock-out round.

Ghana's a much better team than Australia, it never ceases to amaze me that the media and people here actually expect them to match (and even better) their exploits of the last world cup. Even that world cup team which is much better than the current squad got humbled and embarrassed at the Asian Cup afterwards and still people don't learn.

Still a horrible line up that was put out though, same with that red card.

[Kusa-San]

Originally Posted by boggart

Awesome! Just downloaded the vuvuzela app for iphone. Fun times ahead!

how...how dare you to do that How dare you to use this evil application

What I have done, What I have done with my link

[Last Sinner]

Originally Posted by Westlo

Ghana's a much better team than Australia, it never ceases to amaze me that the media and people here actually expect them to match (and even better) their exploits of the last world cup. Even that world cup team which is much better than the current squad got humbled and embarrassed at the Asian Cup afterwards and still people don't learn.

Still a horrible line up that was put out though, same with that red card.

Agreed. Their lead up has been awful. They were behind New Zealand for most of the match a month ago and were flattered by a last-play win. They somehow beat Denmark then were snapped by the USA. They qualified with relative ease, but aside from that it's been insipid. There's nothing like that fiery draw against the Netherlands before the '06 World Cup, the amazing comeback vs Japan, their guts vs Brazil, Kewell's moment of magic vs Croatia or the persistence vs Italy. There's players that are well out of their league and ones past their prime. Hopefully this will be the shake-up that causes the national team's stock to rise, because if they want to host a World Cup in 2022, they'd better shape up or the USA will snatch it with ease.

It's not impossible - most of that squad can play much better. But whether they have the spirit, belief or dynamic to is another question. Guus Hiddink had a knack of inspiring players to be their best with South Korea and then with Australia. Pim Verbeek - he seemed more interested in socialising with Germany coach Joachim Low than thinking about his next move. Probably asking if he can get a job after this campaign, because he sure won't be in charge after this campaign for picking a lineup like he did. Sure, the players were well sub-par, but Verbeek has to wear it too.

Tonight's match of interest for me is the Netherlands vs Denmark. I expect the Netherlands to win easily. Van Persie should dominate - he is in brilliant form. Japan will be out to undo their campaign of misery in '06 but Cameroon is also in need of am ego boost after years of underperforming. If Eto'o can get some consistent support, maybe they can advance deeper than people expect. Italy should beat Paraguay, but there's major questions about their attack.

[Sety]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Why don't they just stop the clock when play is stopped? Soccer tradition?

Because in football history there've been too many times where the game stopped right on the very second someone scored or a team had a near open goal. So they allow for stoppage time to give them a last few minutes of play and the referee has to use their own discretion to end the game when they think the ball is isolated and not really going anywhere.

Really if they played down to the clock then you would be able to finish the game in the middle of a 90th minute penalty or freekick or when the opposing team are sitting inside a box with the ball fully in control. The fans and teams would be absolutely livid.

[Azuma Denton]

Waiting for the kick off Netherland vs Denmark...

[Haak]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Why don't they just stop the clock when play is stopped? Soccer tradition?

It essentially amounts to the same thing, really. And this way the spectators are given an indication of how much time will be added on beforehand.

[Sety]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

More importantly, there's Japan v Cameroon. My heart goes out to the Blue Samurai

I heard Samurai Blue, did you hear Samurai Blue?