imo those 3 types require more skill in the sense of player technique!

Yes, but it's like comparing FFA to 4on4!

Gonna watch Spain-Paraguay on saturday at Ellis Park btw, one of our last European hopes :| Iniesta 4 prez!

You cant write Spain without writing pain and thats what i feel when watching their games... imo the most boring team left alive in this tournament

Argentina, Germany, Brasil, Ghana, Holland and Uruguay are all much more fun to watch... Paraguay lost a lot of their attraction when chilavert quit

I know nothing about football but i'd like my team to win. They did great in Eurocup so why not? Spain FTW

Agreed! I just dont like too much passing around, I like straight to the goal style football!

And you know what? That is the whole truth. Well, the drama part at least is. The ratings are nice when the same invalid goal is replayed over and over on TV during and after the actual game. And it is also good way to steer matches the way would lead to even more ratings or whatever. Or do you really think Brazil got luck and end up on the (arguably) weakest group?

Have you ever met any football manager? I did (in fact, I closely related to one), and that is why I know they think like that. At least here in Brazil they do.

And thanks to that, Argentina has won a world cup 30 years ago by scoring using the hands, Brazil has also won some key matches on 1994 and 2002 because of errors that could have been caught on video. The whole Argentina vs Mexico and Germany vs England matches could go all the other way around if both winners had not scored that very first invalid goal, which forced the other teams to open up and then eat some more goals. Luis Fabiono scored a very nice goal, but used the hands twice during the play. Not even in Volley Ball that would be valid.

Heck, Elano, an Brazillian player was hurt so badly that he might be out of the whole cup. And yet I watch Rugby matches where everybody ends the game OK. Which one was the violent sport again? (By the way, Rugby rules and they should put it on the Olympics - the real one, not that thing they are calling rugby)

Summing up, wake me up when football finally evolves and starts using video for dubious plays, place more referees around the field, punish intentional fouls (any) with red cards, etc. It is so easy. Just take a look at NFL. It uses video, it has 147 referees around the field and even then the coaches are allowed to "challenge" whatever decision made. It is like... a real sport.

End of a disappointed brazillian rant.

Today You Go Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaown Hup Holland Hup!

Bleh, bored at work. Just looking forward to watch the second half of NL - BRA in the sun when I get home :-)

HOLLAND !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The bad rules, luck factor and inadequate refereeing and sure enhance the drama aspect. But it's so damn AGGRAVATING to see over and over again. So many goals come from stupid mistakes, ugly fouls or lucky bounces.

It would be somehow more satisfying to see the better team win with beautiful plays. But maybe it would get boring... :/

I'm glad the world cup is only every 4 years. If I "had to" see this nonsense every year I would explode.

That is why I am totally in favor of a complete rewrite of the rules where, besides what I have already mentioned before, they would make you "pay" for fouls. Perhaps something like NBA does, where after a certain number of fall you got penalty shots.

What I really would like to see is a total ban of all kinds of contact. It is way hard to stop a great player when you are not allowed to grab/punch/kick him. If I wanna see a contact sport I can always watch rugby or american football. C'mon, there are at least 45 non flagged fouls on each corner kick.

I vote against contact and in favor of more dribble. Then those guys who are good at it would give us a show. Mostly because they would not have to worry about having their legs broken just because they "humiliated" the other player. If you did not like what he just did to you, steal the ball (using only your feet) and do it on him (if you are able to).

By the way, just like the attacking player would not have to worry about fouls, the defending player would also not have to worry about those stupid fouls (given by the majority of the referees) that happen whenever an attacking player completely disregards a very basic physics law and try to move through the defending player. It should be just like NBA: if the defending player is stopped, you are supposed to move around him. He is not supposed to move to the side just so you can pass through.

Bump.

SCHLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND

haha totally as expected, germany raped argintina like I hoped. Bye bye maradonna what a retard.

hahah lol.. that's pretty much what all my friends are saying now. got a sms from a friend with olo's exact same 'words'.
so i'll be eating my words for now. "deutschland fuck yeah!!1 ze germans are back! etc." if you don't love us at least fear us.

ps: maradona still the single most talented player of the last 50 years. i love the guy.
pps: honest, non-biased (this time) guess for the game against spain: de 0 - 2 sp

they are all losers for playing football, the game with idiotic rules and retarded officials

:-D

At least for an unbiased watcher (living in a country with a too sucky team to even qualify), watching Argentina go was a pretty sad moment. The biggest star of the tournament is knocked out, which was Maradona imo and not Messi. The only coach of the big teams with some charm, compared to the stone faced, boogey-eating coaches of the other big guns. Kinda lost interest now, but I guess I'm hoping for a final between NL and Ger now, and for NL to take home their first WC trophy.

You have no idea what happens in NL if NL wins the WC. I expect comlete anarchy and 80% of people not showing at work on monday.
Still it feels really good dreaming about NL winning the title. In reality I just can't see it happen. So far 'we' have been pretty lucky and at some point it stops. Best part is that the team should be able to play better then they do now, but the same can be said about most teams except for Germany maybe who are just great.

Germany will take it home I'm afraid, but let's get into the finals first! Uruguay might not be the best, but they'll be difficult enough.

Watch out for cheaters when playing Uruguay (more like uruk-hai amirite) though

Please, leave the predictions up to experts

Germany is playing really good, but I am really looking forward to see them play vs Spain. This will be their first test (yes, as I said: Argentina is very weak defensively and England is just weak at the moment) and I expect them to have a lot of trouble on the midfield. This will be the first time that they don't have a lot of space, so it will be a lot harder for Schweini and co. I truly think it will be 50/50.

Other semi is easy. Holland is going to play against a team that will try to defend as much as possible and wait for their moments. Especially when Holland loses ball possession during an attack they will try to find Forlan very quickly and counter. If we can succeed in stopping Forlan, they will have no chance and Holland will win playing the same boring games as they have done up until now. I also expect a low score: 1-0 or 2-0 maybe.

Too bad, for the match, that Suarez won't play that game. With "only" Forlan their attack might suck too much, i.e. being too one dimensional. Suarez has really been involved in many of the goals.

Suarez is just a victim of the dumb rules. Any player would have done the same in that situation.

But maybe it's not pent-cruzial loss for the semi, if they choose a very defensive strategy. The other 'guay made lot of lineup changes and shut down Spain quite well.

In the other match I predict the overrated David Villa quad-bores the chances Spain gets and Germany win 1-0. \o/

go NL!

omg omg the final is getting near. Please god let us win this final!
Losing for the 3rd time in WC finals without ever winning it will hurt

Yay winners!!!

And not so fair play from NL :<

Would never have thought Spain were gonna win this after the group stages, but damn, well deserved in the end. Grats Spain. Feeling abit sorry for NL as well though. Still the best team that haven't won a WCUP yet :-)

Don't think anyone in the final game deserved to be the goal scorer more than Andres Iniesta (well, perhaps Robben, but he had like open goal for 20m but still blew it...) \o/

At least the bronze game was really really good.

Most yellows were deserved cards, but the disastrous 5 minutes of Webb created the goal, Spain was better then The Netherland in the final, so it's 'ok' they won.