The World Cup

Argentina look the best team to me. Spain are doing well, but they have such a long tradition of under-achieving that I never expect much from them. It would be nice to see a new name in the final though!

Portugal could be dark horses. They have real quality throughout the side, and they play well as a team.

Brazil are slowly getting better, but they still look like a bunch of individuals rather than a team, and their defence is a shambles. Australia showed how beatable they are.

Germany have got their confidence up, and the hosts are always hard to beat when they get on a roll. But they have'nt really been tested yet, and their tortoise-paced central defence looks brittle when put under any kind of pressure.
 
The ref made a number of poor decisions, but the main blame has to be attached to the players. There was a hell of a lot of really bad fouling and diving, and a lot of bad blood from before.
 
What the hell? A bit harsh considering he was BBC's man of the match.

Feel really sorry for Australia though. To lose in that way after they seemed to have Italy on the backfoot was just cruel.
 
I think once again we are in for a disappointment. We will beat Portugal, but lose in the semis. It really is very depressing to watch.
 
The penalty decision was nonsense, but Lucas Neill was asking for trouble going to ground like that.

I couldn't understand why Hiddink didn't bring Aloisi on earlier. They should have thrown the kitchen sink at Italy once they went down to ten men, but they seemed afraid to really go for it, which was a pity.

But Australia have made their mark on the world stage now, and given the changes to their qualification route, they should be able to make regular appearances in the finals from now on.
 
UKRAINE 3
Switzerland 0


Let the Swiss do what they are good at: CHEESE! Bloody hopeless team.
 
They looked better than Ukraine - until it came to the penalties! Both teams looked afraid to lose.

I hope Italy stuff the boring Ukrainians in the quarter finals.
 
I'd prefer the Boring Ukrainians to stuff the Cheating Italians personally.
 
Oops! How embarrasing. Sorry Switzerland for my comments. I just watched the match while working out at my gym and didn't finish watching the whole event. When I got home googled the result and came across that awful score. I thought as well they played better but never imagined the match finished that way.
 
Big improvement by France last night. Great defence, but they still don't look quite right up front to me. I think Henry is wasted as a lone striker.

I didn't like the way he pretended to have been hit in the face by Puyol. Most unlike him.

I think France will probably beat Brazil, unless Perreira (a) bites the bullet and drops one of the Fat Lads up front in favour of Robinho, and (b) quickly teaches his defence how to defend in a line.
 
France 3-1 vs Spain

Holy crap.

LOL. Anyone else see the Italian "diving school". Was hilarious, cheating bastids.
 
I was disappointed for the Aussies, its always nice to have one unexpected success story.
 
That henry incident was disgraceful.

If FIFA are going to enforce stricter interpretations of fouls, players will use it to win free kicks. That in turn will lead to more cards and more players sent off.

For example, IMHO the Russian ref the other night was only partly at fault, it's the guidelines he's told he must enforce by FIFA that cause the problem.

The only answer must be post match punishments applied through video evidence. Henry should carry a yellow card for blatant cheating.

As should the entire Dutch team.

And the Italians.

But not our boys, oh no, that's just a bit of English wit and cheek!

Mitch
 
Henry was being a bit dodgy when he held his face, but it was a foul and it did deserve a free kick. Henry just played it up a bit.
 
Played up a bit? He clutched his face as if he'd been belted!

Yes it was a foul, but attempting to con the ref into thinking he'd been deliberately elbowed in the face is not on. It was as bad as the corner incident with that ugly Brazilian (who's name escapes me) last time. He got hit with the ball on his leg and threw himself to the floor clutching his face.

It's simply lying in an attempt to get a fellow professional sent off, isn't it?

And as a side issue, for a nation of gorgeous women, how come the Brazilian men in the footy team all look like a cross between goofie and plug?

Mitch
 
You're quite right that it was a foul, and therefore a freekick, but Henry was presumably play-acting in order to get Puyol booked or sent off, and that just isn't right.

We expect that sort of thing from some players, but it's really disappointing when you see it from a player like Thierry Henry, who we see week-in-week-out playing the game in a sporting manner.
 
we wouldn't criticise Rooney, or Gerrard or Lampard for doing the same thing though, a fact that speaks volumes.
 
I would! I thought that Gerrard's blatant dive in that friendly shortly before the World Cup was a disgrace. He went down a long way in my opinion for that.

I wouldn't want to support a team full of cheats. If England started carrying on like the Dutch or the Italians then I'd probably stop watching them.
 
but 99% of England fans would sooner England won the world cup dishonestly than lose it fairly.
 
Back
Top