OT World Cup 2010 South Africa

[chesmart]

Deutschland über alles

[tocaff]

Tough loss for little Paraguay giving Spain the spot everyone thought they'd be in.

I've followed Uruguay since WC Qualifiers and they are good. Now they'll need luck too.

Netherlands and Germany for the finals?

[moonraker65]

Yes looks like a repeat of the 1974 final. But Spain will be tougher opponents for the Germans and that will hopefully see them beaten at last.

[Historiker]

Don't you want to have your team in good company? [:D]

[TulliusDetritus]

[:D]

[Cribtop]

To me, it's impossible NOT to pull for the Germans in this thing. Exciting, young, no egos. They are a machine, but not a boring, mechanical machine. You sense a system at work. Personally, I think Spain needs to admit that Torres isn't 100%. Still, even though Spain has looked suspect, don't forget they have been forced to play against sides in full defensive lockdown mode. That won't be true against Germany.

[TulliusDetritus]

Cribtop, even if Torres is not 100%, he can be useful. The defenders cannot pretend that he will be harmless. He could show up and do what he is supposed to do: terrorising defenders. In the last Euro Cup final vs Germany he was not great but scored the winning goal. So you never know [8D]

Germans will be losing Müller. And that is a very important loss. The current German squad is better than the one on 2008. Ozil and Müller are the main reason. Kudos to Low for bringing fresh blood: two excellent young players who have really improved the German game!

[Cribtop]

True enough re Torres, but he just doesn't look right. The Muller yellow was absurd. Such a shame to knock out a key player for what promises to be a classic match.

[Saburo Kurusu]

Go Germany, go!!!!!!!!!!!   

If someone would have told me before, that we could win that easily against England and Argentina, I would have declared him crazy/insane/lunatic/debile/mentally ill/disturbed/retarded/struck with mad cow disease/hit on the head by a pot of flowers falling down from a 20th floor balcony etc.......

[vinnie71]

And everyone forgets that Germany is missing Ballack...
 
 
THANK GOD!
 
Which is why I think they're doing fine. No prima donna expecting everyone to play for them. Isn't it funny that all the teams with big names are failing miserably??? Some would say the Dutch have big names too, but they are a cohesive team where even big names serve the team, not vice versa (applies to Uruguay too). If there is a lesson to learn from this WC it is that teamwork is the primary ingredient in football rather than reliance on self serving individuals.  
 

[warspite1]

ORIGINAL: Offworlder

........if there is a lesson to learn from this WC it is that teamwork is the primary ingredient in football rather than reliance on self serving individuals.  

Warspite1

Offworlder, if you bump into him, perhaps you can please remind Fabio Capello of that before the Euro qualifiers start?

[Terminus]

ORIGINAL: Offworlder

And everyone forgets that Germany is missing Ballack...


THANK GOD!
 
Which is why I think they're doing fine. No prima donna expecting everyone to play for them. Isn't it funny that all the teams with big names are failing miserably??? Some would say the Dutch have big names too, but they are a cohesive team where even big names serve the team, not vice versa (applies to Uruguay too). If there is a lesson to learn from this WC it is that teamwork is the primary ingredient in football rather than reliance on self serving individuals.  
 

Too bad that lesson won't be learned.

[TulliusDetritus]

I didn't know Ballack was a prima donna. But I know the guy is quite unlucky. Or should I say he is a jinx? [:D]

Check his statistics. When he has played a final (Champions League, Euro Cup, etc.) his team has ALWAYS lost... Guess why Germany does not want him [:)]

[vinnie71]

Warspite - I should be in London next week, guess I can find him there? [;)]
Terminus - True enough. Prima donnas tend to attract undue attention and adulation. Pity that very few stand up the test of time and circumstances and tend to blame everyone else for a debacle (Cannavaro anyone????)
Tullius - actually he's both a prima donna and a jinx![:D] With the national squad he tends to have the media attention. Many seem to equate him with a Matthaus which in my humble opinion, is really a bad comparison. The latter was a very good player, an excellent leader even if on a personal basis, many said that he was a jerk (strong personality maybe?). Ballak is none of the above, just a decent player with a powerful shot. Its not that Germany is lacking in that department anyhow (never did really).
 

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

OMG! [X(][X(][X(]

Paul the octopus choose the Spain as winner... he never choose wrongly before (in all 5 games that Germany played Paul the octopus predicted 4 German wins and 1 defeat so far = 100% accurate)... [8D]


Leo "Apollo11"

[TulliusDetritus]

If the sucker could only predict the Euromillions winning numbers [:@] I have a nice aquarium (well, I am lying, but I would buy one) so I could kidnap him...

Apollo, are you sure you haven't seen the photoshoped version? It was the Serbia vs Germany photo (but with a photoshoped Spanish flag).

[BShaftoe]

One question: are the "new" german midfielders good, defensively speaking?

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus

If the sucker could only predict the Euromillions winning numbers [:@] I have a nice aquarium (well, I am lying, but I would buy one) so I could kidnap him...

Apollo, are you sure you haven't seen the photoshoped version? It was the Serbia vs Germany photo (but with a photoshoped Spanish flag).

So it was a hoax (i.e. Paul the octopus didn't decide yet)? [:)]


Leo "Apollo11"

[TulliusDetritus]

I think it is a hoax, Apollo [:)]

A lot of people on the interweb are saying that this was the Serbia vs Germany photo (only German defeat). I haven't found the original though.

ORIGINAL: BShaftoe
One question: are the "new" german midfielders good, defensively speaking?

I guess that's a rhetoric question, since you have to know that these "new" players are not destroyers à la Mascherano, Makelele, etc. They are creative (and thus offensive) players.

EDITED: I found the original =>

[TulliusDetritus]

[:D]