The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup

[Minder]

Dunga sacked by Brazil.

[Capt Pat]

It wasn't his fault. Suspensions, injuries, own goal and a sending off made all the difference in that match, not bad management.

[ross4life]

It wasn't his fault. Suspensions, injuries, own goal and a sending off made all the difference in that match, not bad management.

Yep the Dutch had all the breaks in that game & now they take on a team that could & should have been out of this World Cup

[Billys Boots]

Ivory Coast have never played a knockout game in a World Cup, while Portugal's record in championship football makes England look like Brazil. So personally I'd consider neither as a big team or a big disappointment.

Honestly, the standard of football isn't that bad. Spain, Germany and Holland are probably the 3 best balanced sides in the World Cup, with the right mix of defensive steel, sheer athleticism, and pure class. It has stood them in good stead. Uruguay, even though they know their limits compared to the top sides, have enough flair to make it interesting.

By my figures, positive football has made its way through to the last four.

One thing you should bear in mind as well iis that when FIFA host the WC in a country where football isn't that strong, it automatically makes the seeding system weaker.

I'd agree that the form balanced sides are the ones that are left, and that Schweinsteiger has been the player of the tournament to-date, followed closely by Villa, Schneider and Mueller.  Hard to see past Germany at this point, which none of us was saying three weeks ago.

[seafoid]

Argentina were missing 2 world class defenders- Zanetti and some other buck whose name escapes me from the Inter Milan CL team.
Would they have made any difference ? 

[AZOffaly]

Always look forward to the World Cup. Even as I get more cynical about soccer as a game, the tournament itself still excites me.

Anyway can I be the first to say 'Don't write off the Germans'.

ahem

[mountainboii]

I find it strange that everyone comments on how young this German side is, yet 6 of yesterday's starting team played against Argentina in the last World Cup too. That means the majority of their team has been playing together for around 5 years, which surely must make them one of the most experienced and settled line-ups at the World Cup.

True enough, but the other 5 starting players all had less than 10 caps before the start of the World Cup. Then you have the likes of Kroos, Badstuber, Marin and Tasci who've all made appearances at this World Cup and are still in their international infancy. Its also worth noting that most of the more experienced lads (Podolski, Schweinsteiger, Mertesacker, Lahm) still have at least 3 more major championships in them.

[Hoof Hearted]

Was reading through a blog by Martin Tyler of Sky Sports, here is a clip from it (read the bit in bold)

"Even this morning (Monday), one of the main Johannesburg papers is running the headline 'You cheat' and there is complete and utter indignation from an entire continent. Personally, I think what Suarez did is something most of us would've done in the same situation and the thing to remember here, is that it was dealt with by the laws of the game. He has received his one-match ban so for people, Suarez included, to liken it to Diego Maradona (more of him later) and the Hand of God is a little over the top.

I think the Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is more guilty of cheating because he deliberately deceived the officials by gathering Frank Lampard's shot after it had crossed the line"

in the name of f**k. these english c***ts are relentless !!

[Declan]

Whilst the Germans looked good alright remember that England actually scored twice against them!!

[AZOffaly]

That's cat

[A Quinn Martin Production]

Alan Hansen still in denial:

From today's Daily Telegraph

"If you wrote down the England and Germany teams side by side, then I would still say that England's players are better than Germany's."

Let's see...Right Back:  Philip Lahm vs Glen Johnson...ooops Alan

[Capt Pat]

Muller V Milner
Klose v Rooney
Oezil v Lampard and or gerrard
Schweinsteiger v Barry
Lahm v Johnson
Mertesaaccher,Freidrich v Terry and Upson
Boateng v Cole
Neuer v James
Podolski v Heskey and or Defoe
Khedira v Gerrard and or Lampard

Look on the basis of this tournament, what match up would you be 100 per cent happy giving to the english? No English player would stand out as being head and shoulders better than his opposite number in this tournament. I would give half a dozen of the match ups to the Germans straight away.

[AZOffaly]

On the basis of this tournament then it's 11-0 to the Germans, although I'd say it's Kadira verus Barry and Schweinsteiger v Lampard, Ozil v Gerrard..

[seafoid]

Germany have very few stars but play as a team which was exactly England's downfall. Capello couldn't mould the galacticos of the premiership into a team.

I feel sorry for Argentina. If they had picked the better defenders they actually have they might have done something against Germany.

[The Real Laoislad]

Those were the days.....................

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v24UKqJIKm8&feature=player_embedded#!