The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup

[Main Street]

well the Argies keep on going, my bet still alive

will they beat Germany? tough game but well within their capability. Argentina's defence is grand. stupid commentators jumping on the bandwagon with the same sound bite

I gave up supporting Argentina after they lost the battle to regain the Malvinas.

[gallsman]

Some strike much like Diego's goal v Greece in 1994 

Nothing like Diego's strike in 1994. Maradona's goal was the culmination of intricate passes within a tiny space and then a shift out to his left and hammered it straight into the top corner from right on the edge of the box. Tevez took advantage of a lucky ricochet and hit a right foot curler from further out.

[AZOffaly]

well the Argies keep on going, my bet still alive

will they beat Germany? tough game but well within their capability. Argentina's defence is grand. stupid commentators jumping on the bandwagon with the same sound bite

I think DeMichelis is an accident waiting to happen (again). Germany have pace, so if Argentina cough up the ball wellying forward, you could see quite a few 4 on 3 or 4 on 4 breaks. I think I fancy the Germans, even though I'd love to see Argentina win.


As for England, the day Capello started playing to the media and stripped Terry of his captaincy is the day he started to lose his own core values. Terry is not my favourite player, but as I said at the time, if what he did was so heinous, and such a negative in the group, then he should have been kicked out altogether, back then.

Capello didn't have the cajones to do that, or more likely felt that was OTT, but had to throw a bone to the media. It's not the fact that Terry was or wasn't captain, but the fact that Capello would throw him to the media hounds couldn't have been inspirational to his team.

To me England looked like a team without clear direction, hopelessly lop sided with Gerrard 'on the left' (which Mueller gloried in all day), with a half fit Barry who looked like he was running in concrete boots for the last 2 German goals, and with a sulking, half hearted Rooney up front. I couldn't believe how naive England were for the third goal as well. You've got it back to 2-1, should be 2-2. You've hit the crossbar, Germany are wobbling, and instead of keeping calm and pressing sensibly, you get a free kick and put 9 people around the box for a free kick you are shooting from. 9 people? You wouldnt see that in the phoenix Park.

[Billys Boots]

And Glen Johnson jogging back until he realised (too late) that they were hopelessly outnumbered.  And if that was bad, the fourth was worse.  Coaching my arse.

[AZOffaly]

Only once before have I seen the left side of a team exposed so badly throughout a game, and it was in the San Siro when AC Milan beat United 1-0 in the second leg of the 2005 last 16. Cafu had the entire right side to himself with Ronaldo being given a 'free role' to attack. Ferguson never changed it and sure enough Cafu laid on the goal for Crespo.

Yesterday I thought Gerrard tried, but he completely abdicates responsibility on the left side, and that is Capello's fault because he's obviously told Gerrard to get himself inside and playing off the front men when England have the ball. That sounds grand in theory, but unfortunately for England a) Mueller never bothered following him and b) England give the ball away like it's plague infested.

End result Mueller and Lahm running free down the right at an out numbered Ashley Cole, and Meuller cutting in to the space where Barry was supposed to be, but wasn't. The second German goal is this problem epitomised.

[Norf Tyrone]

Spot on there alaysis there AZ (You could take the Pool job).

As I said before Capello played a system and then picked players. Not once did he pick players for the system he had, nor a system that suited his players. It appeared like two different decisions he was making.

Individually this was a very good England team. Lampard, Gerard, Rooney, Ashley Cole, and Terry are among the best players in the world, no matter what anyone says, when they are on form.

However take a look at those players, Lampard and Ashley Cole suffered because Gerard was out of position, and Rooney was clearly not fully fit. So immediately has negated 4 of his 5 world class players.

Couple that with the fact that he brought players that were never going to be fully fit, King, Ferdinand, Barry, he played Milner in game one with a virus (!!!). Then there was the other balls up, when he refused to name his team until two hours before kick off which showed a lack of faith and trust in his players. Rob Green especially suffered because of this.

A terrible WC for Fabio.

[Doogie Browser]

Delighed that the brits have been exposed yet again, the press really do have us all thinking they are a great side.  There is no doubt whatsoever that the foreigners in the English game make Lampard, Gerard et al the players they are and that seems to be the theory getting most exposure now.  As a unit they are awful, I have never seen a team so bereft of pace all over the pitch, leg weary and almost unfit?? 
A few weeks ago Souness opined on RTE (before he raped someone) that England's training was all wrong, he said he could not say how he knows this but was adamant that their training was all wrong and contributing to their poor displays, altitude was having an affect etc.
For me it is quite simple, they are just not good enough.  Mexico although beaten last night technically are far superior than the English as are Chile for that matter and Uruguay.
Delighted to see the 'golden generation' exposed for the very poor team that they are.

Could not believe they committed 9 men forward for a free kick at 2-1 (and as pointed out already it was quite obvious Lampard was going to strike for goal anyway), that has to be the coaches fault, he decides the teams shape at set plays. 

[Aerlik]

And to think that Martin O'Neill was allegedly approached to coach that bunch of shite.  Little wonder he didn't do it.

Pleased with Diego's men.  Didn't see the game though.

[AZOffaly]

I know England are a long way from being as good as the Media, Irish and English by the way, make them out to be, but they are a long way better than they've shown in this World Cup as well.

Gerrard, Lampard, Cole, Rooney etc *are* good players. You can't play well in the Champions League if you are not a good player, and while Gerrard has been poor all season, the rest have been good in England and Europe.

But it's as Norf says, you either pick a system to suit the players you have (which probably would have been a variation of 4-5-1 or 4-4-1-1, or else you pick the players that suit your system, which would have been a straight call between Gerrard and LAmpard, or maybe Gerrard and Defoe.

In the end Capello picked a system which he wanted, and picked players that suited a completely different system.

Hard to fathom really, but as bad as England looked in the 4 games, they are not that bad as individuals and that is something the manager has to take a real look at himself about. It's a managers job to make the players he has perform to the best of their ability, and to come up with a game plan that suits them. Either that, or change the players he has to play to a plan he is comfortable with. End result is the same, a group of players playing to their maximum in a system that suits them.

Then if you are good enough you win, and if you're not, you don't. The frustrating thing for England is they had a group of decent players not playing anywhere near their maximum in a system designed to accomodate the players rather than to have a real pattern.

[thebigfella]

Who gives a fcuk about England going out of the world cup, I'm devastated that Ossie Ardiles is not gonna be on RTE coverage any more. Gonna have to listen to the rest of those gobshites now.

[Main Street]

Spot on there alaysis there AZ (You could take the Pool job).

As I said before Capello played a system and then picked players. Not once did he pick players for the system he had, nor a system that suited his players. It appeared like two different decisions he was making.

Individually this was a very good England team. Lampard, Gerard, Rooney, Ashley Cole, and Terry are among the best players in the world, no matter what anyone says, when they are on form.

However take a look at those players, Lampard and Ashley Cole suffered because Gerard was out of position, and Rooney was clearly not fully fit. So immediately has negated 4 of his 5 world class players.

Couple that with the fact that he brought players that were never going to be fully fit, King, Ferdinand, Barry, he played Milner in game one with a virus (!!!). Then there was the other balls up, when he refused to name his team until two hours before kick off which showed a lack of faith and trust in his players. Rob Green especially suffered because of this.

A terrible WC for Fabio.

Good players will look poor in a poor system with no shape.
If anybody wants a lesson on a team system and midfield shape, they should watch that first half and compare England's CM to Germanys.
The back four of England on the ball in the 1st half passing it about across the line. Who can they pass to?  What England did not have was even one midfield  player coming back to get the ball or  one midfielder make a bit of space to receive the ball.  It took Rooney to come right back up to the midfield, as soon as he appeared he received the ball and got things moving for another pass - which usually west astray because there no shape or system.
The back 4, for the most part, ended up lumping the ball forward in hope.

No wonder Jamie O'Hara thought he was good enough to be picked for the England team, that lad knew that the England team needed him.

[AZOffaly]

Why is Ossie gone? He'd be a great pundit if only he could find his false teeth. I think Didi Hamann is good. Who is the panel for the remainder of the tournament?

[A Quinn Martin Production]

Where do you start with that??  England have been badly exposed at this World Cup.  Overhyped overrated overpaid players.  Capello needs to take his share of the blame.  You need three goals in 20 mins and you bring on Heskey .  There seemed to be no game plan.  He took injured players to the tournament.  The wheels started to wobble when he gave into tabloid pressure and took the captaincy off Terry.  They were completely off after the Algeria game.  How he (and the English media) thinks he can win a World Cup with Barry, Upson, Milner, Johnson and Defoe etc in the team is a mystery.  Rooney was half fit and in my opinion played out of position.  The media dictates that Lampard and Gerrard should be in the team (though I'm a Chelsea fan I woud drop Lampard).  Terry, Lampard, Gerrard and Barry are too slow (as Liam Brady would say "at this level Bill").  But first and foremost they cannot keep the ball long enough to be successful.  When they have the ball they cannot wait to give it away.  It's the same old England, they lose when they eventually have to play a decent team.

[A Quinn Martin Production]

Re tabloid headlines the Mirror has opted for

FABIGO!

[Main Street]

I have to say,  yet again, that Dayo Richardson is excellent as the co-commentator on RTE. He was upgraded to the big match last night

He does his homework before a game, he prepares meticulously, watches the game like a hawk and offers top quality analysis of what we can see and what we cant see on the screen. I hope RTE do the sensible thing and make him the main co-commentator.

It is one of the disturbing factors among  co-commentators that they do feck all preparation before a game and offer lazy predictable descriptions of stuff we can see for ourselves.
Richardson is miles ahead of anybody else bar Trevor Steven, who is only half a street behind.