Mexico are really setting themselves well for the counter. Their passing out after the Croatia attack breaks down has been very measured.
Mexico denied a clear handball, not in the box though. The Croat deserved a yellow for it, though. Croatia sitting back, even though they need a win. They seem to think, as do I, that they don't have enough quality to win an open game, and will do better turning up the pressure late.
Mexico have got the tactics spot on. Their counter is so fast that Croatia cannot build any periods of sustained possession without committing more to MF. You can see it in Modric being anonymous.
Mexico's a good team, and Croatia haven't impressed me. So it would just figure for Croatia to grab a late winner. If things remain as they are now, Chile gets to play Brazil, and have the chance to be eliminated by Brazil three world cups in a row, I think. So FIFA have cleared Mexico over the "puto" chant. Puto amounts to calling a guy a t**t, I would say, so FIFA has that one that right. The idea that it's like calling someone gay is inaccurate. There are other words you would use if your intent was to call someone gay in a pejorative way. The fact that puto could mean "male prostitute" besides meaning "t**t" still doesn't make it like calling someone a pejorative word for gay.
Not sure a team with Ron Vlaar in defence can win the WC, but Holland look hard to contain. Mexico have looked very solid, but if it's Holland for them next, I see only one winner.
I'm wondering if we can tell who's coming to Spurs based on whether they play in the world cup. Wilmots subbing Lukaku, whose replacement scored, makes me think he might be coming to Spurs after all. On the other hand, I see Lovren still out there for Croatia, so I can't see us getting him. And now Croatia have a blatant handball in the box which isn't called. Goal #4 in 3 games Mexico was robbed of. And do I hear the chant of "Puto!"? Of course, when you chant it at an official, you may mean his virtue has been bought.
Have to say this has been the best tactically played game at this stage. Will be interesting to see if Holland are more like the Poool in defence.
Alas. It'll be the Netherlands Mexico. Certainly the Netherlands will be favored, but Mexico winning wouldn't be a shock. Their tally should be 7 goals scored, one allowed. Not a great looking team, but certainly a good one. On the other hand, Chile have looked better than Brazil, no question, but Brazil is their bogey team. Still, Brazil will have to come up with something better than they've shown.
This WC has gone goal crazy. Where are all the crabby 1-0 wins? Where are all the Baresi type centre halves?
Just think, if the officiating for Mexico/Cameroon was halfway competent, then it would've been Mexico/Chile for a place in the quarter finals. Actually it's "Puta" - Mexico fans were chanting it in 2006 and 2010 as well.
I thought Puto was the masculine version of puta--that you were calling a man a twat or prostitute. But I didn't hear it, and know that many words like poeta can refer to someone of either sex.
Puto in Spanish can have several meanings. ***got is one common use. It's also used in variations of **** off/ you, etc. it's basically a multi purpose insult, that's the best way I can describe it.
Thanks. I've learned something. What I'd like to know is whether the football federations of Chile (2 straight world cups with Spain in their group and Brazil in the next round) or Mexico (robbed of four goals and counting) gave the thinnest envelope to FIFA last year.
I was going to say the same thing. Can't be overstated how much ref decisions impact on the whole tournament. This doesn't even consider the first match of the competition that Brazil only won because of dire officiating. Also not saying that England would have progressed, but don't forget that the Uruguay player should have been sent off for a second yellow early on. Also the amount of players simply falling over and saying 'I'll have the foul now, ref'... and getting it. I really don't think anything is going to change until a disastrous decision goes against Brazil, or maybe France in the Euros.
Possibly but I don't think there's much difference between Chile and Netherlands, or Brazil and Mexico based on what we've seen so far. That lino should've been shot for costing me money on Dos Santos to score first though
Two wrongs don't make a right but the first yellow card the Uruguay player got for handball was very harsh. The refs have too hard a job because the laws of the game hinder them rather than help them, because they encourage cheating by not punishing it sufficiently. The white spray paint thing is just another example of misguided thinking: the real problem is players preventing free kicks being taken quickly by standing close to the ball: the white paint just institutionalises that. The change that is really needed is to the Rugby rule that delaying the free kick or playing the ball within the 10 yard zone means another free kick 10 yards nearer the goal. Leave the 10 yards to the ref's judgement but tell him to enforce it.
