General World Cup and in-game discussion

[Greg Bernhardt]

After seeing what Germany did to Brazil, Argentina plan for today is a result that will let them avoid Germany in the next match.

Brazil vs Argentina would be a great 3rd place game!

 

[DennisN]

Brazil - Germany (8 July)
My thoughts: Ought to be a good game. Both teams have got good offence and good defense.
Brazil may strive to play more free and "improvised", while Germany may strive to play more organized. But Brazil must beware of Germany's ability to suddenly and quickly speed up their game - when the Germans do so they have a tendency to get very dangerous and hard to stop.

Update 9th July:
My thoughts: [STRIKE]Ought to be a good game[/STRIKE]. The game was a true disaster. [STRIKE]Both teams have got good offence and good defense[/STRIKE]. Germany had excellent offense and defence. Brazil had a feeble offense, a confused midfield and a comatose defense.
[STRIKE]Brazil may strive to play more free and "improvised", while Germany may strive to play more organized.[/STRIKE] Brazil strived to play soccer, while Germany was playing schoolbook soccer. [STRIKE]But Brazil must beware of[/STRIKE] Brazil did not understand Germany's ability to suddenly and quickly speed up their game - when the Germans do so they have a tendency to get very dangerous and hard to stop.

 

[DennisN]

After seeing what Germany did to Brazil, Argentina plan for today is a result that will let them avoid Germany in the next match.

 

[Ken Natton]

1-7: (yeah, really great, this goal matters so much... or not)

Hmmm. Not sure I agree with that. I found great significance in it, and not just in how much it annoyed the Germans to concede it. Until last night, all the pundits had been talking about how anonymous Oscar had been throughout the tournament. Last night Neymar wasn’t playing and suddenly Oscar was far more prominent, and his goal was a piece of real quality. I understand that the match was a disaster for Brazil, but I still think that is one of the messages for the coach who replaces Scolari. I think most of the players in that team last night will not play for Brazil again, but Oscar will and obviously Neymar will. Future Brazil line ups will have to include either Oscar or Neymar, or, the new coach will have to find a formula that allows both of them to contribute.

 

[AlephZero]

Brazil vs Argentina would be a great 3rd place game!

I doubt Brazil vs anybody wlll be a good game within a timescale of a few months from now.

Watching the crowd riot when Brazil get wiped out out twice in a week might be fun though.

 

[Fredrik]

Hmmm. Not sure I agree with that. I found great significance in it, and not just in how much it annoyed the Germans to concede it. Until last night, all the pundits had been talking about how anonymous Oscar had been throughout the tournament. Last night Neymar wasn’t playing and suddenly Oscar was far more prominent, and his goal was a piece of real quality. I understand that the match was a disaster for Brazil, but I still think that is one of the messages for the coach who replaces Scolari. I think most of the players in that team last night will not play for Brazil again, but Oscar will and obviously Neymar will. Future Brazil line ups will have to include either Oscar or Neymar, or, the new coach will have to find a formula that allows both of them to contribute.

Haven't they both been playing and doing pretty well earlier? I haven't been watching much of Brazil's games, but I watched parts of the first one (the one where Fred took that incredibly ridiculous dive), and Oscar was very good, maybe the best player of the match.

 

[Borek]

So far it looks like one of these matches that should start with penalties.

 

[WWGD]

The mistery of the gigantic new yellow mountain with billowing smoke in the city dump solved: a million+ Brazilian futbol team t-shirts.

 

[Reshma]

Aww...such a nice gesture!

Perhaps Off-topic, but thumbs up to the Japanese fans for their outstanding gesture of cleaning up the stadium after their loss to Ivory Coast:
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...er-losing-21-against-ivory-coast-9539793.html

 

[Ken Natton]

Haven't they both been playing and doing pretty well earlier? I haven't been watching much of Brazil's games, but I watched parts of the first one (the one where Fred took that incredibly ridiculous dive), and Oscar was very good, maybe the best player of the match.

Okay Fredrik, maybe you are right. I have to say that my general feeling about Oscar, when I have seen him playing for Chelsea, has been that he isn’t really all that good. He seemed to me to be more hype than genuine quality. There were some of the earlier matches in the World Cup where he barely seemed to be mentioned – you could almost have forgotten that he was on the pitch. As I said, it was an impression that seemed to me to be supported by some of the comments on earlier matches from the pundits on British television. But my feeling on Tuesday, even before he scored, was that he had been one of the few Brazilians to actually show some belief and some fight, and it just seemed that Neymar’s absence might not have been entirely irrelevant.

 

[Fredrik]

Okay Fredrik, maybe you are right. I have to say that my general feeling about Oscar, when I have seen him playing for Chelsea, has been that he isn’t really all that good. He seemed to me to be more hype than genuine quality. There were some of the earlier matches in the World Cup where he barely seemed to be mentioned – you could almost have forgotten that he was on the pitch. As I said, it was an impression that seemed to me to be supported by some of the comments on earlier matches from the pundits on British television. But my feeling on Tuesday, even before he scored, was that he had been one of the few Brazilians to actually show some belief and some fight, and it just seemed that Neymar’s absence might not have been entirely irrelevant.

During that first game against Croatia, the commentators on Swedish TV also said that he had been quite bad recently. They seemed surprised to see him that good. Maybe he was only good in that game. I don't know.

 

[Monique]

Everyday soccer fouls

http://mashable.com/2014/07/09/everyday-soccer-fouls/#:eyJzIjoiZiIsImkiOiJfejNjOXFhaHUzdWNkcGppbyJ9

Edit by Borek (just the YT video):

 

[Borek]

Beware: final tomorrow starts an hour earlier than the match today!

 

[Borek]

Anyone hoping for a goal that can't be attributed to referee?

 

[WannabeNewton]

I can't wait for the riots in Brazil to ensue.

 

[Borek]

Sad game if you ask me. Even if I preferred Holland.

 

[Fredrik]

Ridiculous game. I've waited the whole tournament for a referee that hands out yellow cards for dives, and when we finally got one, he missed all the actual dives, and handed out two yellow cards to people who weren't diving at the time. It was pretty funny that one of them was Robben.

Oscar looked like he was trying to break some sort of diving record. Some of his team mates were almost as awful. It's a messed up game when Arjen Robben isn't the biggest cheater on the pitch.

Brazil was pretty bad again. They only produced one really good chance. David Luiz would almost certainly have scored if it hadn't been for the guy holding his shirt. If that's not a penalty, there's something wrong with the rules.

 

[lisab]

I tried to change my password to BrazilDefence, but the program said it was too weak.

---shamelessly stolen from somewhere on the innerwebs

 

[Monique]

Third of the world, not bad for a team who we thought wouldn't pass the group phase The first game against Spain was the best of the tournament, somehow this World Cup wasn't as exciting as the previous ones.

 

[StatGuy2000]

Ridiculous game. I've waited the whole tournament for a referee that hands out yellow cards for dives, and when we finally got one, he missed all the actual dives, and handed out two yellow cards to people who weren't diving at the time. It was pretty funny that one of them was Robben.

Oscar looked like he was trying to break some sort of diving record. Some of his team mates were almost as awful. It's a messed up game when Arjen Robben isn't the biggest cheater on the pitch.

Brazil was pretty bad again. They only produced one really good chance. David Luiz would almost certainly have scored if it hadn't been for the guy holding his shirt. If that's not a penalty, there's something wrong with the rules.

One question I have is this -- how does one become a referee for a World Cup tournament game? Are referees paid by FIFA for their work (as umpires for baseball do, I believe)? Do they receive training on how to referee for a World Cup game?

 

[Travis_King]

One question I have is this -- how does one become a referee for a World Cup tournament game? Are referees paid by FIFA for their work (as umpires for baseball do, I believe)? Do they receive training on how to referee for a World Cup game?

You referee in the various leagues and do it well, then FIFA names you to a candidate list of which they select the referees that do each game.

I assume their organization goes through various training sessions / meetings to agree upon a refereeing philosophy for the world cup tournament.

 

[Borek]

Where are the goals?

 

[Intrastellar]

Where are the goals?

They are off at the other side.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

This is looking like PKs. Both teams looking tired.

 

[Monique]

Argentina has had many chances, I'm rooting for them.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Pretty good final considering how it's low score.

 

[Monique]

And Germany does it again, decides the game in the last few minutes. I'm glad they didn't have to shoot penalties, that would've been an anticlimax.

 

[fluidistic]

Thank you Götzilla!

I just wonder one thing, since I don't know much about the rules of football. At minute 57 Neuer clattered Higuain in the goal keeper zone, did that deserve a penalty like the Argentinian people are claiming?
I doubt it because Neuer played the ball (and removed it) while Higuain didn't even touch the ball.

 

[Borek]

Naming Messi the best player didn't make much sense to me.

 

[cristo]

Naming Messi the best player didn't make much sense to me.

Without Messi Argentina wouldn't have got out of the group stages, although I agree he didn't do too much later on.

 

[JorisL]

I think it was a foul. Although he got the ball, he clearly leapt into Higuain - if Neuer was an outfield player it would certainly have been given against him, but goalies get too much protection.

Every goalie comes out like that. And considering they can't use their arms for minor stability changes I believe it is necessary.
I'll give that it was borderline here but Higuain should've avoided that collision since he couldn't get the ball before Neuer did. Ball was too high to reach with the head.

 

[fluidistic]

I think it was a foul. Although he got the ball, he clearly leapt into Higuain - if Neuer was an outfield player it would certainly have been given against him, but goalies get too much protection.

Since Higuain didn't touch the ball before (nor after) Neuer got it, isn't it Higuain who should have got the fool? I mean the goal keeper did his job of throwing out the ball and then a player who didn't even had the ball ran into him.

 

[BobG]

I think it was a foul. Although he got the ball, he clearly leapt into Higuain - if Neuer was an outfield player it would certainly have been given against him, but goalies get too much protection.

Thanks for running the competition, micro. I shall come back fighting in two years ;)

Yes, I agree. Only a goalkeeper could have gotten away with a play like that. It's really no different than an outfield player jumping over the back of another player to head the ball.

But at least it followed custom. No one is going to be awarded a PK for that play, which means it pretty much has to be ignored.

The worse call was the PK in the Netherlands-Brazil game. What in the world was that?! It was clearly outside the penalty area and it was clearly the last defender denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity. Should have been a red card and a free kick outside the penalty area.

And a striker finally got carded for diving! Except Oscar actually was fouled and he should have been awarded a PK. Classic!

 

[Fredrik]

The worse call was the PK in the Netherlands-Brazil game. What in the world was that?! It was clearly outside the penalty area and it was clearly the last defender denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity. Should have been a red card and a free kick outside the penalty area.

The commentators on Swedish TV said this too, but after the half-time break, they said that according to FIFA's rules, it's where the foul ends that's relevant, not where it starts. So the call appears to have been correct, since Thiago Silva held on to Robben as he ran into the penalty area.

And a striker finally got carded for diving! Except Oscar actually was fouled and he should have been awarded a PK. Classic!

It looked like Robben got a yellow card for diving too, at a time when he wasn't faking it. Two guys were pulling his shirt at the same time. One of them was pulling down pretty hard.

It's funny that they got their cards at times when they weren't faking it, but it couldn't have happened to two more deserving people. They should probably have had at least five yellow cards each for diving during this tournament.

 

[WWGD]

Anyone else psyched about Russia 2018 (kidding)?