On a slightly different note - we've had a few penalty shoot outs, now and i can only remember one penalty actually being 'missed', though a few have been saved. England players take note!!!!
spent much time in front of crowds of 50000, have you? no excuse in training perhaps - but at a world cup, really? you can practice all you like, but how do you recreate that kind of atmosphere on the training ground? i'm not sure you can.
i agree gruffnuts. one thing i don't understand, however, is people who suggest players shouldn't practice because you cannot replicate the pressure. surely if you practice your penalties and know exactly where you want to place the ball beforehand you stand a better chance of dealing with the pressure? i think shearer mentioned it the other day that often, penalties in shoot outs are missed when a player is walking from the halfway to the spot - you have time to think about it - perhaps you don't so much in a regulation game. that is all about pressure. as somebody who used to be their teams regular penalty taker, albeit as a youngster at a relatively low standard, the two shootouts i played in, i missed the target both times. hit the bar with both! no idea how many penalties i took in normal time but i'd guess maybe 30 - i believe i missed just two. there's something about that walk...! its weird.
Paul Cooper still holds the record for the most penalty saves in a season 8 out of 10 saved in 79/80! Useless bit of trivia I know but I couldn't resist!
Just want Holland to do it now. A repeat of 74? All European final in South America, now that would be something.
Yep it seems like the Argies and Brazilians haven't really got going yet despite all their victories. Stuttering wins, but wins all the same. I'd be pleased to see the Dutch take the final.
I can definitely see a Germany-Netherlands final. Brazil haven't got Neymar and even with him they've needed some pretty suspect refing to get through their games. Argentina haven't even tried to pretend that Messi is all they have (Which seems strange because they have probably the most dangerous attack on paper). Germany and Holland seem more like cohesive units than the other 2 at the moment.
.. and Silva is suspended at the heart of the defence!!!! .. I mentioned the 'leniency' of some of the refereeing decisions in an earlier post - diabolical and I'm sure that had a team committed the sort of fouls that JR had to endure for Columbia against Brazil, then we would have more players booked and perhaps even sent off.
Loved this comment on the BBC website - "Stuart from Watford: Thought this match would be Klose but Brazil being Mullered and completely on Kroos control."