[Tapper]

 amphibian, on 19 June 2014 - 05:30 AM, said:

Chile played 60% of a great game. Excellent attacking with fresh, fast midfielders, then they slid into time wasting and rhythm distorting fouls.

Netherlands have to be worried about looking vulnerable on the right. They've proven they can score a crapload of goals if given time on the ball, but what happens against teams that won't give them that?

It comes with the 5-3-2. Australia played aggressively against the wing backs while dropping deep, and since De Jong and De Guzman play in line with the wing backs, we had 7 men behind the ball most of time and no opportunity to go over the top.
While De Guzman is a more creative player than given credit for, he's not a deep playmaker à la Pirlo. His instruction ion this team will be ball safety more than playmaking anyway. That leaves Sneijder further up the pitch all on his own with only two outlets in front of him (Van Persie looking for space and the one-two, Robben on the shoulder of the defender, but once passed to, left with no option but a return), creating a game bereft of creativity.

Memphis Depay was an excellent substitute, not only because it allowed the Dutch to go to 4-3-3 with way more outlets for the wing backs, but also because he consistently challenged his man to a duel of skill, switching the numbers game into our advantage.

Chile was great. So much pace, physicality and movement, plus a midfield triangle that keeps its shape all over the pitch, they're the favorites to win the group. The only issue I see is that they're picking up too many cards and don't have enough depth in the squad.

[Mentalist]

The Dutch without RVP against a Chile hungry after beating Spain and probably not too eager to play Brazil in the round of 16 will be a difficult game. Who's going to replace him, Lens?

Best of luck to the English against Uruguay. I heard Suarez will play in this one. Hope you guys bench Rooney.

[amphibian]

 Tapper, on 19 June 2014 - 08:09 AM, said:

It comes with the 5-3-2. Australia played aggressively against the wing backs while dropping deep, and since De Jong and De Guzman play in line with the wing backs, we had 7 men behind the ball most of time and no opportunity to go over the top.
While De Guzman is a more creative player than given credit for, he's not a deep playmaker à la Pirlo. His instruction ion this team will be ball safety more than playmaking anyway. That leaves Sneijder further up the pitch all on his own with only two outlets in front of him (Van Persie looking for space and the one-two, Robben on the shoulder of the defender, but once passed to, left with no option but a return), creating a game bereft of creativity.

Memphis Depay was an excellent substitute, not only because it allowed the Dutch to go to 4-3-3 with way more outlets for the wing backs, but also because he consistently challenged his man to a duel of skill, switching the numbers game into our advantage.

The vulnerabilities didn't disappear with the 4-3-3 switch. The whole reasoning behind the 5-3-2 was that the Netherlands wants to improve team defensive play for playing vs. Italy, Argentina, Brazil and/or Germany. And they're getting rocked doing that - on the right side specifically. Australia had some serious chances to make it 3-1 even, especially the opportunity right before Van Persie scored first.

So it's not so much that the centerbacks-turned-wingbacks have no forward or diagonal outlets, it's that when they give possession away, there's a tendency of the whole squad to drift centerward and/or forget the right side. Australia took advantage of that in full to get both their goals. Spain took advantage of that to get their goal and a few other chances were made by both teams, primarily on that side. The left side seems to be better. I don't know if that's because Blind is over there or the link-ups are just better, but that's how it's developing.

[polishgenius]

 HoosierDaddy, on 19 June 2014 - 05:45 AM, said:

Aren't too many teams that are going to be able to dictate to Netherlands. Spain was one of them. Maybe Brazil and Argentina. The Dutch are going to have 50+ percent of the possession in any game they aren't confidently holding a lead in.

Brazil? No chance. If anything they're one of the weaker possession teams in the tournament. Don't really see Argentina having the midfield for it either, all their strength is in attack.
Chile will probably dominate possession vs the Netherlands though. Belgium and France also both well capable of doing it, but being in the wrong side of the draw, chances are slim they'll ever meet.

 Morgoth, on 19 June 2014 - 06:17 AM, said:

though Italy will also be a strong contender.

Can't see that. Can never write them off because of their strong tournament mentality, but they don't really look physically up to stopping the more dynamic sides of the world cup. France do essentially the same thing they do, but, for me, a fair bit better.

[Tiste Simeon]

Man if England just score a goal I'll be happy! Uruguay are a dirty team and their skipper should have been sent off for that foul on Sturridge (2nd Yellow) Rooney actually looks quite hungry for it today so hopefully that will convert into goals!

[Tiste Simeon]

AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRHGJGKVKGNRBEGDGDYDHDHSBZJCJCIJGBGBD SNDJXJXKDJFUCUFURBFHDJSKSJSJSBDJCUVUFHFBTVTHTIFFJFJDJZKZKS

[Tiste Simeon]

FLIPPING FINALLY!
*weeps*

[Tiste Simeon]

...and it's gone...
*weeps harder*

[Illuyankas]

"Oh crap, I forgot England are playing! Someone's shouting about Rooney scoring, I should see if we look like we won't squander yet another World C-"
*opens live feed, Uruguay immediately score, 2-1 up*
"Welp."

[Tiste Simeon]

Well I can settle back and enjoy the World Cup now the intense pressure of being an England fan is over.

I despise Uruguay and hope they falter very quickly.

This post has been edited by Tisteon Simeonus: 19 June 2014 - 08:53 PM

[Mentalist]

jesus.

I was hoping for an English Win, but had 1:1 in our pool. I check the scores, 1:1 with 9 mins to go.

So i sit down to watch the ending...

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED, ENGLISH DEFENCE??????????


also, if Hart didn't go down quite as fast, that shot would've been right at him. but WHAT THE HELL, ENGLISH DEFENCE??????

And it was Gerrard that fed Suarez the ball, too.... ugh. what a way to go.

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 19 June 2014 - 08:55 PM

[amphibian]

 Tisteon Simeonus, on 19 June 2014 - 08:52 PM, said:

Well I can settle back and enjoy the World Cup now the intense pressure of being an England fan is over.

This is a serious question and I'm not meaning to diminish you or England, but honestly, why would anyone expect great things from England?

The okay results for England have mostly come about from luck in draws (no monsters in their group or the knockout stage opponent). They don't score much, they defend alright and they haven't had a golden generation actually get together yet. And Bale gave up 20 to 30 million in ad money to play for Wales.

Better to lower expectations, hope for knockout stage qualification and see them as a tough out for a genuinely good team to get through.

I will say that England is much closer to developing the golden generation than the United States will be for the next thirty years. Having a tactical base and thousands of ex-players who were taught actual tactics around to coach and impart upon the kids is important. The youngsters, Welbeck, Sturridge, Sterling and so on, look good for their clubs. If Bale had decided to go for England instead of Wales, it'd be a different dynamic. Baines and Bale on the same side is a bit attack-y, but it'd be very tough to defend for anyone. Having Sturridge and Sterling around would make it a world class attack.

[Tiste Simeon]

 amphibian, on 19 June 2014 - 09:12 PM, said:

 Tisteon Simeonus, on 19 June 2014 - 08:52 PM, said:

Well I can settle back and enjoy the World Cup now the intense pressure of being an England fan is over.

This is a serious question and I'm not meaning to diminish you or England, but honestly, why would anyone expect great things from England?

The okay results for England have mostly come about from luck in draws (no monsters in their group or the knockout stage opponent). They don't score much, they defend alright and they haven't had a golden generation actually get together yet. And Bale gave up 20 to 30 million in ad money to play for Wales.

Better to lower expectations, hope for knockout stage qualification and see them as a tough out for a genuinely good team to get through.

I will say that England is much closer to developing the golden generation than the United States will be for the next thirty years. Having a tactical base and thousands of ex-players who were taught actual tactics around to coach and impart upon the kids is important. The youngsters, Welbeck, Sturridge, Sterling and so on, look good for their clubs. If Bale had decided to go for England instead of Wales, it'd be a different dynamic. Baines and Bale on the same side is a bit attack-y, but it'd be very tough to defend for anyone. Having Sturridge and Sterling around would make it a world class attack.

Amph it is hard to explain to someone not English but there is something about our culture of "football=life" and the passion for the game that makes stupid optimists out of us every tournament. We see these people playing in arguably the greatest league in the world being payed silly money to play a game and there is almost an reverence to it. Yes even the most rabid England fan would probably admit that deep deeeeeeep in his heart he knows that we just can't compete with the bigger teams and that a lot of their sporting heroes aren't English (heck PL top goalscorer last year was the man that England currently hates the most right now!) But we have this silly niggling voice in our heads saying "yeah but what if..."

The huge media hype here certainly doesn't help either.

So no, I didn't really expect to win the World Cup but watching England play is a hugely frustrating, agonising and heart wrenching experience yet I know that in the Euros in 2 years I will be screaming and hoping against hope that maybe this time...

[amphibian]

But... the EPL isn't the best league in the world. Hasn't been for years. It's been the Spanish league at the top and the success of even the top 8 Spanish teams again and again in international competition shows this. Bayern Munich and Dortmund have been welcome breaths of fresh air, while Chelsea went super-conservative to get their win.

Edit: Sorry. I get the spirit of your post and the media machine-induced optimism. I suppose I'm more used to blocking out that being someone who lives in the US and occasionally follows Nepali sports as well. Nepal will win anything team-based in oh... about the eleventy-first of never, yet people get so excited about minor cricket tourney showings and so on.

This post has been edited by amphibian: 19 June 2014 - 10:21 PM

[Jakovasaurus]

The US Team intro added some pizzazz.

[amphibian]

That was stupid.

[Tiste Simeon]

 amphibian, on 19 June 2014 - 09:44 PM, said:

But... the EPL isn't the best league in the world. Hasn't been for years. It's been the Spanish league at the top and the success of even the top 8 Spanish teams again and again in international competition shows this. Bayern Munich and Dortmund have been welcome breaths of fresh air, while Chelsea went super-conservative to get their win.

Edit: Sorry. I get the spirit of your post and the media machine-induced optimism. I suppose I'm more used to blocking out that being someone who lives in the US and occasionally follows Nepali sports as well. Nepal will win anything team-based in oh... about the eleventy-first of never, yet people get so excited about minor cricket tourney showings and so on.

I did say "arguably"

Also I wasn't necessarily meaning best as in who produces the better teams because obviously Spain would top that in recent years and possibly Germany could claim otherwise too. However as far as worldwide coverage, foreign fans and teams that people know about from all sorts of places, the EPL tops the lot. So many foreign players dream of making it to the EPL and you speak to someone in say America where football isn't massive, they would probably know who Liverpool, United and probably others are.

Heck EPL games are available on standard TV in places like India, but not here in the UK!

[amphibian]

Manchester United is pathologically popular in Nepal. The whole EPL is very popular there, but weirdly enough, the Italian league is second. They like those games better than the short passing Spanish or the strange language barrier the Bundesliga presents.

[Gothos]

 amphibian, on 20 June 2014 - 05:39 AM, said:

Manchester United is pathologically popular in Nepal. The whole EPL is very popular there, but weirdly enough, the Italian league is second. They like those games better than the short passing Spanish or the strange language barrier the Bundesliga presents.

ManU is generally pretty popular abroad I'd say, one of the more popular PL teams. Here most people follow either Real Madrid or Barca, quite a few for Borussia or Bayern, then there's ManU and Liverpool, Ajax, Juve... don't see people wearing other teams' t-shirts much, just these.

I see Greece - Japan was probably the most boring game in the history of ever... what the hell happened to Japan?

[D'iversify]

 Gothos, on 20 June 2014 - 05:50 AM, said:

I see Greece - Japan was probably the most boring game in the history of ever... what the hell happened to Japan?

You obviously didn't watch Nigeria-Iran - how was this the same Nigeria that won the African Cup of Nations? Seriously though, Greece-Japan had four or five good goal opportunities; there was one in the Nigeria-Iran game (for Iran).

I think with Japan they're going through a transition phase - recall that before 2002, when they got to the second round playing at home, they had only played one World Cup before (1998) and were the one of the worst performing teams in the tournament (OK, they had Argentina and Croatia in their group, so fair enough, but they also lost their last game to lowly Jamaica). The team from about 2000 to 2011 can be regarded something of a 'Golden Generation' (this is also the period when they have won three of their four Asia Cups). But quite a few of their 2010 stars have retired or have lost form and the team is a mix of the remainder of the older generation and upcoming stars (half of them are mid twenties and have 25 caps or less the rest are generally older and have 40+ caps: http://en.wikipedia....m#Current_squad ). Compare with the 2010 squad, where the team was generally a bit older and had more experience overall: http://news.bbc.co.u...eams/team/japan