How come nobody's said a word about the World Cup?

originally posted by Yixin:
I would ask alonso to really, really hit van Bommel with his first kick of the game.
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I can't wait to see what Pedro does when de Jong/van Bommel plants his poncy ass in the dirt. I bet he capitulates. For some reason, I have a visceral dislike for him that I cannot explain.

That doesn't work on Xavi/Alonso/Villa. They're all tough and bad ass. I hope no one does it to Ineista. I adore him as a player, but he is fragile. I dislike Busquets in the extreme for some terrible diving in the Champions League this year.

This Spain team remind me in many ways of Arsenal. At some point, they lack the a decisive cutting edge. The ability to force the match the way that more physical Mourihno teams seem to be able to do. In terms of pure footballing, Spain should win and deserves to. They've been the worlds best side for several years now and as I've said before, Xavi is a joy to behold. A once a generation talent.

Anyway, I hope it's a good match with lots of pace and a stretched field. We'll see.
 
originally posted by Yixin:
I would ask alonso to really, really hit van Bommel with his first kick of the game.
Click to expand...

As suspected, this boy skipped the lecture on elastic collision, while visiting some vineyard in the Rheinhessen, most likely
 
originally posted by .sasha:
Spain, on the other hand, is displaying what's become a bit of a lost art in these tournaments - a national identity on the field, with a commitment to a clearly identifiable style. This is why I've always loved the WC like no other sports event - when the players put on that national shirt, it was down to a battle of contrasting styles, and deviation from those styles would be just as disappointing as an underperformance. Granted, Spain's style is largely due to Barca, but they are not the first to succeed in building a side around one club, and they have stuck to the plan. So this is worth something as well.
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I totally agree, though what gives this a fun twist is the fact that Spain's style is in many ways a result of the influence Cruyff had on Barca. They're the real inheritors of Total Football IMHO.

It will be interesting to see if and when van Bommel gets a yellow card ... or two. Also whether Robben continues his flailing and diving.

Hopefully, it will be comparable to Spain-Germany in the quality of play, though I expect the Dutch to put up a much tougher fight.
 
I am not sure I follow. Only one team showed up to the semi-final, and as well as they had done, that does not constitute high quality of play for me.
 
originally posted by VLM:
I can't wait to see what Pedro does when de Jong/van Bommel plants his poncy ass in the dirt. I bet he capitulates. For some reason, I have a visceral dislike for him that I cannot explain.
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That's indeed a reasoned, sportsmanlike attitude. What's he done to you?

To give a sense of balance to this discussion, I'd mention that Pedro Rodrguez is the unlikeliest member of Barcelona and of Spain's national team, always overlooked while other more publicized youngsters like Bojan Krkic came up from the La Masa training facilities. He is only 5-foot-5, 150 pounds, and everyone said he couldn't make it in today's cutthroat soccer. Yet Pep Guardiola kept him on the roster and by the middle of this past season he was a fixture. Vicente del Bosque surprised quite a few when, in turn, he called him up to the national squad and he wound up playing on it in the World Cup despite his total lack of prior experience under the cap. And he just turned 23 two weeks ago.

So he's become a fans' favorite in Spain - and not just among Barcelona fans. (I'm a Real Madrid fan - basketball, BTW.)

He's a pretty devilish dribbler, extremely fast, and from what's transpired from the Spanish side after practice sessions in South Africa, in better shape currently than such other, better known wingers as David Silva, Jess Navas or Juan Mata.

A trivia thing: Pedro is the only player in the history of European soccer who's scored at least one goal in six official club competitions in a single season. This past season he scored in the Spanish League, King's Cup, Spanish Supercup, UEFA Champions League, European Supercup and World Clubs Cup.
 
originally posted by VS:
originally posted by VLM:
I can't wait to see what Pedro does when de Jong/van Bommel plants his poncy ass in the dirt. I bet he capitulates. For some reason, I have a visceral dislike for him that I cannot explain.
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That's indeed a reasoned, sportsmanlike attitude. What's he done to you?
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I didn't say it was rational or reasonable. Must remind me of someone I played with or against. Maybe because my position was as a deep-lying midfielder in the Xabi Alonso mold so players like Pedro that are luxurious or wasteful bother me. I know his story and don't have issue with anything you've said. Like I wrote above, I DON'T KNOW WHY HE BOTHERS ME, I just know that I'd put him on his ass early and see what happens.

I'm curious about what you make of Mourihno coming to your beloved Madrid. Are you OK with his ruthless tactics? Will you mind a more athletic, rugged game? He's the only one who has shown he can consistently beat the Xavi/Messi/Iniesta axis.

We went to Barca to play and got destroyed. Why would anyone else even bother?
 
Mourinho is a good coach. He wins strongman-style or artistically, depending on his team's strengths and weaknesses - remember his days at Porto. He has the only roster in Europe that may aspire to beat Bara with something more than a bus parked in front of the goal - but he won't hesitate to park the bus if need be.

That said, the one Real Madrid coach that I'm really interested in is a guy named Ettore Messina. I suppose it doesn't ring much of a bell overseas.
 
originally posted by .sasha:
So who deserves it more, personal preferences aside?

Joining the elite seven is a big, big deal. Or is it the elite six and a half? Italy went on to validate their questionable victories of '34 and '38, and Argentina showed enough in '86 to alleviate concerns over the circus of '78. But what about England? While they've only managed to win at home, the field was exceptionally strong that year. I'll leave that bit of judgement to the historians among you.

Historically, Holland deserves the cup, if one considers what had transpired in '74 and '78, and the vast pool of talent they've been producing and exporting since. At this point, they've probably earned it more than the Hungarians in the 50s.

But Spain, on the other hand, is displaying what's become a bit of a lost art in these tournaments - a national identity on the field, with a commitment to a clearly identifiable style. This is why I've always loved the WC like no other sports event - when the players put on that national shirt, it was down to a battle of contrasting styles, and deviation from those styles would be just as disappointing as an underperformance. Granted, Spain's style is largely due to Barca, but they are not the first to succeed in building a side around one club, and they have stuck to the plan. So this is worth something as well.

Or maybe "deserves" has got nothing to do with it.
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Victor,

What is the reaction in Madrid to Spain winning in "Barca style"? Or is it not seen that way?
 
Of course it's seen that way. The impression, though, is that it's a little better than Bara because Spain has something - Alonso's long-ball passing - which Bara doesn't. That's an important plus: this is why it's harder to play the 'bus-in-front-of-goal', Mourinho-style defense against Spain than against Barcelona. Being able to swing the ball to the weak side or to make the deep 40-yard pass is crucial at this level. That's what should carry Spain over the Netherlands... if the Dutch have exhausted their supply of amazing goals.

Casillas (313 scoreless minutes and counting) is another plus, as is the least turnover-prone Sergio Ramos ever. And you know where these guys play...

There are basically only Barcelona and Real Madrid players on this team. But they are all dressed in red (or, tomorrow, blue), and that's what counts in Seville, Valencia or Las Palmas.
 
Are you guys trying to imply there will be no headbutting incidents in this year's final ?
 
originally posted by Yixin:
I would ask alonso to really, really hit van Bommel with his first kick of the game.
Click to expand...

Busquets would kick harder, surely. Or Puyol, if he's ever that far up the pitch.
 
i've finally figured out what all those pictures of maradona were subliminally reminding me of. . .it's tatoo announcing to mr. roarke "da plane, da plane!"
 
Not bad. And it would have been a shame to see the orange band of thugs proclaimed as world champs...

Two pieces of trivia I'm particularly proud of:

1. No country had ever won both the soccer and basketball world titles. Not to mention the fact that we're the champs of both simultaneously.

2. Andrs Iniesta is from Fuentealbilla in Manchuela, 10 miles from my vineyards. He likes purple wine.
 
Congratulations to Spain, clearly the best team of the tournament. But my reaction to this match is, wow, I couldda had a V-8! Similar to Lakers and Celts, where only if you were really a Lakers fan was that series satisfying. I'll still take rugby as the most exciting sport.
 
originally posted by VS:


1. No country had ever won both the soccer and basketball world titles. Not to mention the fact that we're the champs of both simultaneously.
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I am not that familiar with FIBA but unless I misread the Wikipedia article (or heaven forbid there is an error) Brazil and Argentina both won the FIBA and Brazil won in 59 when they were reigning FIFA champs.
 
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