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We are 100 days out of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
I'm pretty excited. Even though USA is in a group of death if we can make it out we have a good shot of going beyond the first round of elimination. We've got a strong team and a good chance of doing better than any other cup.
MaineLandCollabArgentinas defense had not a problem with one of the greater attacking forces in the WC. I knew they would play a better defensive game than people expected, but damn.... Mascherano and romero, game of there lives. But there is no way that game should have went into extra time. Higuain was plenty on sides.
Yeah, Mascherano was very good, especially at anticipating plays and being in the right place at the right time to make tackles/intercept passes, but Romero has been this good throughout the tournament. He's made plenty of saves harder than any he had to make today in previous games.
acualywasdolanAbout 30 days and 30 pages ago i predicted germany vs ned in the final.
Who wants to suck my dick...
ChunterThe bracket is a cool idea; finally can make one with a sport I know a little bit about and follow.
With how crazy this tournament has been...I'm stoked on how my bracket turned out; I managed to actually get close with some of the games. I thought it was gonna be completely fucked. Hopefully dfb can get that last win to finish it off for me.
MaineLandCollabArgentinas defense had not a problem with one of the greater attacking forces in the WC. I knew they would play a better defensive game than people expected, but damn.... Mascherano and romero, game of there lives. But there is no way that game should have went into extra time. Higuain was plenty on sides.
Greater attacking forces? Well, RvP and Robben are just two players. I wouldn't call them a greater attacking force. I was more impressed with Belgiums attack than Holland to be frank. Holland punched WAY above their weight.
Lets see how they can handle Klose/Gotze, Muller, Schurrle/Ozil, Khedira, Kroos, and Schweinsteiger ;).
Ozil has not impressed nor has Gotze to warrant a spot in the starting lineup in the final IMO. I doubt Low starts Schurrle over Ozil though. Ozil and Schurrle have different games so they bring different elements to the team.
.MASSHOLE.Greater attacking forces? Well, RvP and Robben are just two players. I wouldn't call them a greater attacking force. I was more impressed with Belgiums attack than Holland to be frank. Holland punched WAY above their weight.
Lets see how they can handle Klose/Gotze, Muller, Schurrle/Ozil, Khedira, Kroos, and Schweinsteiger ;).
Ozil has not impressed nor has Gotze to warrant a spot in the starting lineup in the final IMO. I doubt Low starts Schurrle over Ozil though. Ozil and Schurrle have different games so they bring different elements to the team.
I'm no expert, but I would stick with Ozil and leave Schurrle out and available to sub. Ozil has not had a great world cup, but I think he is far from a liability. Plus, from what I've seen so far this cup, Schurrle has been proficient at taking advantage of tired defenders. In fact, Schurrle may be exactly what Germany needs going up against this tenacious Argentine defense. I am with you on Gotze though, he has not looked great.
WattsYeah, Mascherano was very good, especially at anticipating plays and being in the right place at the right time to make tackles/intercept passes, but Romero has been this good throughout the tournament. He's made plenty of saves harder than any he had to make today in previous games.
I am sorry, but you cannot be claiming "fatigue" as an excuse as if there are no other players experiencing similar feelings. Historically, this season, Messi has played fewer games than the last 3 due to injury and shorter European seasons. I could understand if he was someone like Ramos, Xabi, Kroos, Muller, Lahm, etc. who had longer European and domestic campaigns than him.
I am sorry, but you cannot be claiming "fatigue" as an excuse as if there are no other players experiencing similar feelings. Historically, this season, Messi has played fewer games than the last 3 due to injury and shorter European seasons. I could understand if he was someone like Ramos, Xabi, Kroos, Muller, Lahm, etc. who had longer European and domestic campaigns than him.
Huh? What is an excuse being made for? Argentina are in the world cup final, aren't they?
And why does Messi saying he's exhausted mean these other players aren't exhausted? Who knows, maybe fatigue is why ALL the big teams have underperformed at this World Cup.
WattsHuh? What is an excuse being made for? Argentina are in the world cup final, aren't they?
And why does Messi saying he's exhausted mean these other players aren't exhausted? Who knows, maybe fatigue is why ALL the big teams have underperformed at this World Cup.
An excuse for his poor play in the knockout stages. He has underperformed relative to the group stages and his club play. They are but who cares if they do not win right? You do not get a star on your jersey for losing.
I never implied they are not exhausted, but you do not hear others being defended for poor performances. Bradley was crucified, Ozil, Hazard, Gerrard, Rooney, Cavani, the list goes on for players who were criticized for their poor performances. If Messi is playing poorly, say so, do not make an excuse that is not given/allowed for other players. It is the World Cup.
.MASSHOLE.An excuse for his poor play in the knockout stages. He has underperformed relative to the group stages and his club play. They are but who cares if they do not win right? You do not get a star on your jersey for losing.
I never implied they are not exhausted, but you do not hear others being defended for poor performances. Bradley was crucified, Ozil, Hazard, Gerrard, Rooney, Cavani, the list goes on for players who were criticized for their poor performances. If Messi is playing poorly, say so, do not make an excuse that is not given/allowed for other players. It is the World Cup.
Has he been particularly poorly in the knockout stages? The whole team hasn't been great, and so neither has Messi, but both goals they scored were still created by him. I'm just saying, so far they've done as much as they can. Sure Argentina have underperformed, but it's hard to criticize them too much when they're in the final and 30 other teams aren't.
It's a little weak to make excuses, but it's also probably because Messi is in a position to be criticized more than other players. No matter what he does, if it's worse than Pele or Maradona, Messi is going to be criticized. The same isn't true for anyone else.
WattsHas he been particularly poorly in the knockout stages? The whole team hasn't been great, and so neither has Messi, but both goals they scored were still created by him. I'm just saying, so far they've done as much as they can. Sure Argentina have underperformed, but it's hard to criticize them too much when they're in the final and 30 other teams aren't.
It's a little weak to make excuses, but it's also probably because Messi is in a position to be criticized more than other players. No matter what he does, if it's worse than Pele or Maradona, Messi is going to be criticized. The same isn't true for anyone else.
He has not been up to his normal standards. To be honest, he did almost NOTHING against the Dutch. A player of his caliber should not disappear like that on a stage like this. I agree they have done as much as they can and are in a good position, but to use an excuse like that? It is just stupid. Every soccer player will experience fatigue at this time due to club schedules.
.MASSHOLE.He has not been up to his normal standards. To be honest, he did almost NOTHING against the Dutch. A player of his caliber should not disappear like that on a stage like this. I agree they have done as much as they can and are in a good position, but to use an excuse like that? It is just stupid. Every soccer player will experience fatigue at this time due to club schedules.
.MASSHOLE.He has not been up to his normal standards. To be honest, he did almost NOTHING against the Dutch. A player of his caliber should not disappear like that on a stage like this.
Fur sure, but the whole team played badly, not just Messi. It's one thing if all 10 Argentinian starters except Messi play well, and another if the entire team looks bad, as was the case against the Dutch. I think soccer is past the point where we an entire team can play poorly, but we can still expect one player to single handedly drag them to victory. Sure, Messi deserves criticism for his performance against the Dutch, but so does the whole Argentinian team. The performance against the Dutch wasn't a Messi failure, it was an Argentina failure.
WattsFur sure, but the whole team played badly, not just Messi. It's one thing if all 10 Argentinian starters except Messi play well, and another if the entire team looks bad, as was the case against the Dutch. I think soccer is past the point where we an entire team can play poorly, but we can still expect one player to single handedly drag them to victory. Sure, Messi deserves criticism for his performance against the Dutch, but so does the whole Argentinian team. The performance against the Dutch wasn't a Messi failure, it was an Argentina failure.
i think you are forgetting who won and is now playing in the fucking world cup final... it was a defensive game on both sides, neither team had many attacking opportunities. mascherano, romero, and rojo played pretty damn good for a team whose defense is supposedly their "weakest link." messi looked pretty poor and was standing around for most of the game no doubt. but to say he has played poor all cup is retarded. di maria goal wouldnt have happened with out his touch of magic. played some pretty great passes against belgium. and they would not have escaped the group stage without his goals. single handedly saved their ass against iran in the 91st, 2 goals against Nigeria and goal against Bosnia were deciding factors.. so you sound really fucking stupid saying hes played a shit world cup and the performance that now has the team in the FINALS was a failure.
also that article is stupid, messi's dad is always making excuses. at the beginning of the cup he was complaining on how he didnt like the teams style of play. if it were messi saying these things itd be different, but its his dad, the same guy who took the kid to barcelona at 13. the dude lives vicariously through his son.
DERS.i think you are forgetting who won and is now playing in the fucking world cup final... it was a defensive game on both sides, neither team had many attacking opportunities. mascherano, romero, and rojo played pretty damn good for a team whose defense is supposedly their "weakest link." messi looked pretty poor and was standing around for most of the game no doubt. but to say he has played poor all cup is retarded. di maria goal wouldnt have happened with out his touch of magic. played some pretty great passes against belgium. and they would not have escaped the group stage without his goals. single handedly saved their ass against iran in the 91st, 2 goals against Nigeria and goal against Bosnia were deciding factors.. so you sound really fucking stupid saying hes played a shit world cup and the performance that now has the team in the FINALS was a failure.
also that article is stupid, messi's dad is always making excuses. at the beginning of the cup he was complaining on how he didnt like the teams style of play. if it were messi saying these things itd be different, but its his dad, the same guy who took the kid to barcelona at 13. the dude lives vicariously through his son.
His point is that a team of that caliber should not disappear like that. Neither team is a defensive stalwart despite that game. It was more of an offensive failure than a defensive triumph IMO. It was a horrible game to watch as well.
We are not arguing he has been poor ALL WC, but rather that he has disappeared for periods only to reappear with moments of brilliance. This is not what he normally does for Barcelona. And I think you are smoking something if you think he has been brilliant all WC. He was invisible for most of the knockout games.
DERS.i think you are forgetting who won and is now playing in the fucking world cup final... it was a defensive game on both sides, neither team had many attacking opportunities. mascherano, romero, and rojo played pretty damn good for a team whose defense is supposedly their "weakest link." messi looked pretty poor and was standing around for most of the game no doubt. but to say he has played poor all cup is retarded. di maria goal wouldnt have happened with out his touch of magic. played some pretty great passes against belgium. and they would not have escaped the group stage without his goals. single handedly saved their ass against iran in the 91st, 2 goals against Nigeria and goal against Bosnia were deciding factors.. so you sound really fucking stupid saying hes played a shit world cup and the performance that now has the team in the FINALS was a failure.
also that article is stupid, messi's dad is always making excuses. at the beginning of the cup he was complaining on how he didnt like the teams style of play. if it were messi saying these things itd be different, but its his dad, the same guy who took the kid to barcelona at 13. the dude lives vicariously through his son.
*sigh* please re-read the thread more carefully. I was defending Messi, not attacking him.
.MASSHOLE.His point is that a team of that caliber should not disappear like that. Neither team is a defensive stalwart despite that game. It was more of an offensive failure than a defensive triumph IMO. It was a horrible game to watch as well.
We are not arguing he has been poor ALL WC, but rather that he has disappeared for periods only to reappear with moments of brilliance. This is not what he normally does for Barcelona. And I think you are smoking something if you think he has been brilliant all WC. He was invisible for most of the knockout games.
not saying hes been brilliant by any means. but all it takes is one game winning goal in a world cup final to make everybody forget about everything else. germany may be the favorite based off how argentina has played so far, but i can guarantee you argentina wants it more, which will play a big factor. the countries diplomatic and economic policies are piss poor, their national identity is based on their futbol team. they have got a lot riding on this game, and obviously i want them to win so i can celebrate my ass off, but to me this team cant afford to lose.
Watts*sigh* please re-read the thread more carefully. I was defending Messi, not attacking him.
okay...? i quoted you because it was the most recent post. and you said some pretty stupid shit about the game being a failure.. with the messi shit i was talking to MASSHOLE and the article he posted.
DERS.but i can guarantee you argentina wants it more
Not sure how you can possibly say or quantify this...the people of Argentina =/= the players on Argentina's national team. I'm sure the Germans also consider this a must win game. It is, after all, the World Cup final.
DERS.with the messi shit i was talking to MASSHOLE and the article he posted.
Well you did a pretty bad job clarifying that.
As far as Argentina goes: their game against the Dutch was a failure offensively. Yes, they won, and played well defensively, but they were unable to create many meaningful chances in the offensive third and never really looked like scoring except for one or two moments. Messi is an attacking player, and, in soccer, the objective of the attacking players is to score goals, which Argentina didn't do against the Netherlands, meaning the Argentinian attacking players failed to do what they are supposed to do. When people talk about Messi and Argentina playing poorly, they mean it in an attacking sense, not the team's performance as a whole, or the result of the game.
DERS.not saying hes been brilliant by any means. but all it takes is one game winning goal in a world cup final to make everybody forget about everything else. germany may be the favorite based off how argentina has played so far, but i can guarantee you argentina wants it more, which will play a big factor. the countries diplomatic and economic policies are piss poor, their national identity is based on their futbol team. they have got a lot riding on this game, and obviously i want them to win so i can celebrate my ass off, but to me this team cant afford to lose.
Um, well by your logic Brazil should be in the final, not Germany. Sorry, a countries desire to win a WC has no impact on the game itself. It comes down to the players and the coach. That is it.
Besides, every Brazilian will be German Sunday.
No he hasn't been brilliant and that was my point. Everyone is saying he has been. He has been rubbish compared to his Barcelona-self, but everyone seems to neglect his bad moments.
Neither team can afford to lose. If you ask me, Germany too has a lot riding on this game. Low has brought the team to 4 semi-finals in international competition but has yielded zero victories in the final. If he cannot produce here, he has a good chance of being sacked. This team will be labeled similar to that of pre-2008 Spain, chronic underachievers.
Not trying to get into some huge text battle but I took that article almost as an excuse for an expected Argentina loss...not quite the confidence you want going into a final.
My god Brazil are terrible. It's like they WANT teams to score on them so that they can be like "look! Samba futebol, we're still Brazil! Even if it's the other team doing it to us!"
.MASSHOLE.Poor PK decision but even worse decision to give Silva a yellow. This referee has been pretty poor once again.
Ref probably figured it's a third place match and there's no point ruining the game so early by giving a red. I'm sure he just wanted to gives the fans watching a decent game.
