World cup matches

Anyway, NSIS, forget about that now.

Have you seen the German WAGs?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/wo...rld-Cup-final-against-Argentina-Maracana.html

 

Das Totty is very nice. Amazing what a few million a year and a World Cup winners medal can get you!...

 

Messi doesn't win many headers

They did play on the counter but they still committed men forward in their attacks, Rojo and Zabeleta were looking to get forward a lot. I think the reason it stayed 0-0 for so long was that both sides had too many players supporting attacks from outside the area and not enough getting into the box. With Argentina it was because they were attacking quickly and the attacking players were getting pulled wide so there was always 1 or 2 less in the box than there should have been and with Germany they simply didn't have enough players attacking the area, as they each preferred to get onto the ball. Both sets of centrebacks were dominant all game but really they weren't given enough problems. 2 different styles with the same outcome for me.

I know everyone's praising Schweinstiger but Mascherano and Neuer were the 2 most influentinal in stopping the opposition. Neuer must have stopped half a dozen one on ones by coming out quickly, which in turn forced Argentina to attack wider(pulling the attackers away from where they're best. The Germans looked to play their way through the middle a lot too but Mascherano slowed the move down everytime, allowing his side to reform their defence. Personally I think we'd have been calling the game one of the great matches had the finishing been better from the few chances they both created, simply because it was such an evenly matched clash of styles.

 

Argentina where playing the long ball, not just in the air but across the floor, they solely set up to contain in defence and just release the ball at any given opportunity. I'm not arguing against the reasoning behind their tactics yet throughout the world cup their football has been horrendously boring to watch, not to mention they should have lost to Iran of all teams so they have been riding their luck.

I favoured Germany but it was a good game, a pulsating game, Argentina played their part and should have scored, yet Germany should have scored from a corner and when they had a brilliant chance it fell again to Höwedes, who was seeing a lot of the ball, too much of the ball from left back as he was atrocious with his crossing and If Germany had a decent left back you could say they would have punished Argentina.

Schweinstiger made some brilliant tackles, as did Jerome Boateng who I would put ahead of both Schweinstiger and Neuer in terms of overall performance, especially with his sliding tackles to stop Argentina as he was constantly timing them to perfection and we know that isn't easy with the way players dive.

But I'm just pleased Argentina never won for two reasons

1. They are boring and generally use cheap tactics

2. Messi won the player of the tournament award (which wasn't deserved) and if Argentina had won, people would have placed him on par with Maradona, which again would have been undeserved.

 

I was only kidding about the long ball thing, I knew what you meant

I thought Rojo did well, to be honest. There were some bad crosses but some good ones too and his ball to Palacio in extra time was exceptional. Howedes did have a good chance but he made it very difficult by mistiming his run and ending up having to lean back to get any decent contact on it. Had he not attacked it so quickly he would have been running onto the header rather than finding it was behind him. The ball almost came off the back of his head so I think it would have been lucky if it went in.

Messi certainly didn't deserve the award and he still hasn't arrived fully in a major international tournament but at club level he simply blows anyone else out of the water in terms of performances and achievements. He'll retire well worthy of a place amongst Maradonna and Pele as one of the greatest ever, I'm sure.

 

Mate you should know me well enough by now to know (when I know), that you're kidding! But apologies for not using smileys!

But you are right it was a great game and I remember thinking during the match that this is a good contrast of styles, just for some reason Argentina I find annoying! They just irritate me when I used to be a fan of theirs. Messi's face annoys me and even though I should hate the Germans, I can't help but admire their general attitude and winning mentality. But you gave a fair analysis of the game

 

Yv, just on this

You honestly believe he deserves to be placed (now or in the future) alongside Maradona? Messi has been the focal part of a Barca team which will go down as one of the great club sides and while he is a modern day legend and the best striker any of us have seen in recent times, he has had the luxury of playing alongside countless world class players in a league where Barca dominated. Not that I'm saying you could put any striker in his role and they would produce to the same standard but Maradona never had the luxury Messi has had.

Ronaldo doesn't seem to be mentioned much yet he has tested himself in the English League and then La Liga and I would say Ronaldo as at times been unlucky to be overlooked when being placed below Messi.

 

So he's on the same level as Cruyff then?

 

More Raul Gonzale

 

I think these comparisons are pointless nonsense. Suffice to say in any experts opinion, Messi is one of the all time greats.

I could just as easily argue that George Best was better than both Messi and Maradona. After all, he was out there week after week, produced some unbelievable skill on pitches that were little better than mud baths, plus he had to contend with the likes of Harris, Hunter, Stiles, Storey, etc all trying to kick him into row Z at the every opportunity. Which, for those of you too young to remember, was pretty much semi legal back then.

 

I agree with you on Ronaldo. I've always been a big fan of his and thought he should have won the Balloon D'Or more than he has but ultimately Messi has just made it impossible for him to get that award on many occassions. You say that his role makes it easier for him but I think it makes it harder for him. There haven't been many top strikers that are as small as him and none that have scored as many whilst being so instrumental to the whole team. If you were to build a forward he'd be just like Ronaldo, quick feet, powerful, tall and fast. Messi certainly has quick feet and is fast but the power doesn't come so naturally to him and the height certainly doesn't, it's his sublime control over the ball and quick thinking that means he's got to be up there with the greatest footballers of all time, in my opinion.

 

For me the difference between the two (apart from the purely physical differences, they're obvious) is that everything Ronaldo does, while it is of the highest standard, are things you almost expect him to do. Its just that he's so good that nobody can stop him from belting one in from 30 yards, or burning defenders with his pace and power, or leaping above everyone else to power in a header. Watching him is like watching someone playing FIFA on the easy settings. Whereas for me Messi does the unexpected, and that, along with his immense technical ability, pace and quick feet, is what makes him so good.

Both are sublime to watch though, and its great to see them going toe-to-toe every year in La Liga and the CL.

 

i actually prefer watching Ronaldo (and Bale) to Messi

 

I used to enjoy watching Bale

 

Spot on in your analysis of them.

On balance, I'd have Ronaldo over Messi. He has more weapons in his armoury. When you look at the WC Final, there were chances Ronaldo probably would have taken. His power in the air and speed over the ground, especially on the counter, gives a manager more options. Look what he did to Sweden singlehandedly in the play-off game when they tired.

 

Ronaldo's physical prowess gives him more natural weapons than Messi thats for sure. I think Ronaldo can make the difference in any team playing any way, whereas Messi can make the same difference but only within certain systems and setups of play. He can pull Barca through a game even if the tiki-taka isn't quite working but no so much the Argies, at least not as regularly or to the same effect. My opinion is that Messi JUST shades it technically and in terms of footballing intelligence, but there's hardly anything to choose between the two in that regard. I'd love to see if Messi could adapt his game to a different play style and league given the time (and I think he could adapt given time) but I don't think we'll ever get to see if he can. Whereas Ronaldo has done it in the contrasting styles of the PL and La Liga, and he has the physical frame to allow him a bit more versatility. I'd love to see Messi's brain in Ronaldo's body.

 

I also thought it was an excellent game, and very much a contrast to the 2010 final, when the Dutch simply did nothing, as they did in the semis in 2014. Argentina played on the counter, but they did it well and would have scored if not for poor finishing. It was very interesting to see Germany try to get through Argentina's strong defending, and Argentina fence with Germany's press. There was a lot of end-to-end action, and even if two or three goals more would have made it even better the actual ending to the game was dramatic and appropriate.

Funny thing is, Germany and Argentina are the two national teams I always root against...

 

So what's everyone's team of the tournament then? And who would you have given the Golden Ball too?

Team:
Neuer
Lahm, Hummels, de Vrij, Blind
Mascherano, Schweinsteiger
Robben, Rodriguez, Neymar
Muller

Subs: Navas, Gonzales, Vlaar, Cuadrado, Messi, Sanchez, Benzema

Golden Ball - Rodriguez

 

Howard; Lahm, Marquez, Hummels, Rojo; Mascherano, Schweinsteiger; Neymar, Rodriguez, Messi; Muller
Subs: Neuer, Vlaar, Medel, Pjanic, Robben, Cuadrado, Klose

 

Good shout with all of those.

Marquez (Mexico) possibly as a centre half, Kroos was perpetual motion in midfield and RvP in spells impressed