As an emerging nation, South Africa faced a big ask in putting on a smooth, safe and entertaining show.  After the tragedy at the African Cup of Nations, skeptics abounded  as to their ability to do just that.

Will the sun set on the incessant buzz of the vuvuzela?

There were some small bumps in the road, like the dissatisfied fan who found his way into the England clubhouse after their first match and the pair of protestors who made it onto the pitch in the late rounds, one trying to lay his hands on the still undedicated World Cup Trophy.  As much as was seen, not too much was heard, thanks to the efforts of, and we hesitate to call it this, the symphony of vuvuzelas at every match in the competition.

Each nation and its fans have their own way of supporting and celebrating their side during matches and South Africa is certainly welcome to theirs.  Hopefully, though, this deafening cacophony of sound, which is unique to them, will not spread to the rest of the world, ala the Mexican Wave.

On the other hand, the spirit and unity of the South African people was a wonderful thing to behold in a country and on a continent not noted for it.  We hope that reports of the goodwill being temporary are not proven true.  The hosts put on a colourful and entertaining show from Match Day One right through to the Final and, happily, the games themselves soon followed suit.  The world owes the people of South Africa a heartfelt thank you for a job well done.

Now, that we have had a couple of days to let the finality of the Spanish victory sink in, WFC is here to reflect on the tournament as a whole.  Six of our writers will bring you their impressions of the competition, with each focusing on a different country or region.

First up is,

Geoff Edwards on Germany

Just as in ’06 and ’08, 2010 saw Germany still heavily involved at the business end of the tournament. For the 3rd consecutive major competition, the Nationalmannschaft took its fans on a magical summer adventure, going down valiantly on each occasion to the eventual champions.

Whilst there was an air of disappointment amongst Germany’s fans after their semi-final exit to Spain, there was also an acceptance that they were beaten by the better side; the overriding feeling has been one of pride. The DFB-Elf’s‘ destruction of England and then Argentina are memories that will live long and go down in German World Cup folklore.

The future is now

There is also a huge feeling of optimism surrounding the German team at the moment. The most striking aspect of Germany’s success was the amount of gifted young players in and around the squad. Mesut Özil cemented his reputation as one of Europe’s hottest young prospects and Sami Khedira has put himself in the shop window of Europe’s biggest clubs with some mature displays in midfield. The biggest success however, was Thomas Müller. The young Bayern forward was far from a guaranteed starter before the World Cup. In fact, it looked as if Piotr Trochowski would be given the nod. After picking up the Golden Boot and the award for Best Young Player, Müller has made himself a starter for the forseeable future.

Perhaps the most credit of all has to go to Löw, the manager. Many were sceptical about the chances of such a young squad.  Juergen Klinsmann’s successor had a clear vision of how he wanted his team to play, however, and picked the squad he thought would best execute his plans. The result was a skilful, direct, tactically astute and pacy team, led superbly by young captain Philipp Lahm and vice-captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, neither of whom ceased to step up and take responsibility, be it on or off the field.

There is a nucleus here, a superb young team that could potentially be together for 4-6 years. Surely, some silverware is on the horizon.

David Holden on the French Debacle

It’s been a hell of a World Cup. Maybe not in terms of spectacle, but as far as entertainment goes, I have loved it. Spain are the new world champions, an honour which they thoroughly deserve. Sadly though, Fernando Torres, one of their brightest stars, failed to shine, a serious concern to Spaniards and Liverpudlians alike.

However, despite fantastic performances from the champions and a few other notables, like Holland and Germany, there were also some teams that failed to live up to expectations. Brazil lost their cool against Holland and Italy’s aging team failed to impress.  But the chief culprits were probably the French.

The newest dartboard material in French pubs

With their campaign marred by player infighting and strikes, some would argue that it was karmic justice for the way they qualified. Yet, the real problem wasn’t the squad but rather the coach, Raymond Domenech, who reportedly chose his team based upon the signs of the Zodiac. His lack of man management and insensitivity to the spirit of his camp made him the figure-head for France’s disastrous campaign.

Still, he can’t be held solely to blame. The players themselves seemed uninterested. Yes, perhaps the way they qualified played a hand (pun intended) in their fall from grace but let’s not forget their history. In 1998, they won the World Cup, after failing to qualify in the previous two competitions. In 2002 they finished bottom of their group, losing to Senegal, but  finished runners-up in 2006, after a penalty shoot-out.  Overall, a very comme ci, comme ça series of results.

So, what does the future hold? That will be in the hands of the new coach, Laurent Blanc.

Eliot Rothwell on the Eastern Euro Nations

That’s it for another four years then. Now it’s time for the post World Cup blues, the discount memorabilia and the inevitable transfer inflation of the players that had an impressive tournament. The Emperor of the Inflation Realm seems to be Diego Forlan – the newly crowned “Golden Ball” holder. The Uruguayan was instrumental in his team’s unexpected, yet deeply enjoyed rise to 4th place and collected a greatly deserved award.

Top of the bill was the “Tikki-Takka” of the underwhelming Spanish. The smooth passing of the Spaniards was enough to overcome the destructive Dutch in an all European final.

Speaking of Europe, the task of reviewing the progress of the outer reaches of Europe at this World Cup has fallen into my hands.

Milan Jovanovic had a moment in the sun against Germany

First, the plucky but, ultimately, inadequate Slovenians. For a country with a population less than the total number of Germans working in football, the Slovenians would be right to feel a sense of achievement in merely making it to South Africa. But it could have been so much better. Surrendering a two goal lead to the USA in a match that finished in a frantic 2-2 draw and a lack of ambition in the final group game with England cost the team a place in the knockout stages. Manager Matjaž Kek set his teams out well but his lack of attacking verve when it came to substitutions made the efforts of Valter Birsa and Mille Novakovic all the more difficult.

The Serbians, everyone’s favourite dark horse, proved to be everyone’s least favourite disappointment. The mercurial talents of Milos Krasic, Dejan Stevanovic and Nemanja Vidic did little to secure that much vaunted place in the knockout stages. Raddy Antic’s men fell feebly to the Ghanaians and the Australians but did manage a rousing victory over the youthful Germans. Although their performance was largely frustrating this summer, the Serbians have enough to pose a real threat in the European Championships of 2012. With the championships located in the Ukraine and Poland, the Serbs won’t have to travel very far. Watch this space.

Robert Vittek put Italy down for the count

An extremely successful but understated tournament saw Vladimir Weiss’ Slovakians overcome in the second round by eventual finalists Holland. The Slovakians, whilst being my favourite team of the tournament, were largely overlooked due to the fact that they had the audacity to block New Zealand’s route to the knockout stage. In a polar opposite of neighbours Slovenia, the Slovaks were quite happy to “go for it.”  Their 3-2 victory over Italy raised the spirits of commentators who had bemoaned the defensive nature of the World Cup. Aside from a quite stupendous goal by Italy substitute Fabio Quagliarella, the match highlighted the uncharacteristic ruthlessness of Robert Vittek and his, ahem, comrades. Weiss’ men may also be back in two years time, slightly closer to home soil.  Successive qualifications will prove difficult, however, for the Slovaks, as the 2010 World Cup was their first as an independent nation.

So, a mixed World Cup for the Eastern Europeans but a tournament that offers much in the way of perspective and promise. The ever dividing circles of the former Yugoslav Republic offer a sense of regret to football fans. The fact that many of these independent nations are a shadow of what an enduring Yugoslavia might have become, in footballing terms, has always left me with that wonderful feeling of what if… Still, the footballing landscape looks promising for those over in Eastern Europe with Bosnia, Russia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Romania, all wanting to right some wrongs and Serbia, Slovenia and Slovakia hoping to build on this summer’s tournament.  The 2012 European Championships may well see the rise of an Eastern European force.

Fabricio Presilli on South America

A World Cup held in the winter is always a little different and presents challenges for the organizing committee.   Yet South Africa proved its many doubters wrong and we shall remember this month forever.

Diego Forlan led the last qualifiers from South America far deeper into the tournament than powers Brazil and Argentina

After a grueling CONMEBOL classification period, Brazil and Argentina were favorites to win it all, but the other three teams’, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, were accorded much lower expectations than that.

Chile soared with two victories and impressed with its uncompromisingly high flying offense.  Brazil and Spain brought them down to earth, however, with effective counter attacks.

Paraguay had their best result in a World Cup so far, reaching the quarter-finals. Unlike Chile,  the Paraguayans have historically had a strong defense, with a deficiency in the front. Even the debut of Lucas Barrios couldn’t change that.

Brazil reached the quarters without much sweat, but facing the Dutch proved a bigger test than Dunga’s boys could handle. The Seleção’s elimination paves the way for a rebuilding in the team, starting at the bench as the new coach should be named before Brazil’s first test, in New York, next August.

Argentina’s problems were forgotten after four good matches. The offense was working well, even though Lionel Messi’s goal didn’t arrive. Then, the German’ amazingly  fast counter attacks tore apart Maradona’s squad. The Argentinian might be remembered, in his managerial capacity, for having great players that couldn’t get it together as a team.

Among the biggest surprises of the World Cup was the Uruguayan rebirth, giving hope to such a small and football-loving nation. In a smart move, coach Oscar Tabaréz put Diego Forlan in the middle, feeding Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani with great balls and creating some good chances for himself, along the way. Forlan deserves his Golden Ball, the lack of options in the Uruguayan squad obligated him to do everything for them, and he found a way.

My World Cup First XI: GK, Eduardo of Portugal;  D, Philip Lahm of Germany,  Carlos Puyol of Spain, Diego Lugano of Uuruguay and Fabio Coentrão of Portugal; M, Andres Iniesta of Spain, Bastian Schweinsteiger of Germany and Wesley Sneijder of the Netherlands; F, Arjen Robben of the Netherlands, David Villa of Spain and Diego Forlan of Uruguay; Coach, Oscar Tabárez of Uruguay.

Martin Palazzotto on Most of the Rest of the World and FIFA, too

First, I have to say congratulations to Spain, the Netherlands and also the English referee for giving us a much more engaging final than the France/Italy snore-fest in the last go ’round.  There is a lot of criticism in the media for the way the Dutch conducted themselves in this contest.  Johan Cruyff especially dug into his compatriots for abandoning ‘total football’ for what Fisted Away, hilariously called “Total Bastard Football.”   However, artistic football is not the only path to victory and Bert van Marwijk and his charges believed their hope lay in getting in the faces (and chests) of the Spanish players.

Spare your sympathies for where they’re needed, though.  Vicente del Bosque’s side were not above some physicality of their own.  Five of the thirteen bookings in the match went against la Furia, as Iniesta and Puyol most notably got some of their own back.  Howard Webb, in a no-win situation handled the match just as he need to insure that the players decided the match and the audience were entertained.

Japan pulled off a memorable bait and switch on the Danes

The game was deserving of its place as a final and lived up to the challenge presented by the rest of the matches in the competition.  The performances of so many teams showed that, despite his provincial politics and boorish sentiments, Sepp Blatter is to be congratulated for bringing the furthest reaches of the planet truly into the world’s game.

Who can forget the bravado of a thoroughly outclassed North Korean side going toe to toe with mighty Brazil and getting one good shot in at the end?  What about the set piece magic of Keisuke Honda and Yasuhito Endo against the Danes?  After Honda was the first to master the Jabulani, striking from close to the byline on the quarter hour, he stood over another, more central opportunity on twenty-nine minutes.  His pose was the quintessential Cristiano Ronaldo, legs spread, hands on hips and the determinedly measuring look towards goal.  The Danes were completely sucked in by the charade and were far too late to react when Endo stepped up and struck the ball.  It was a moment I’ll remember fondly for a long time.

The Pacific Rim was well represented at this World Cup.  New Zealand, the ultimate minnows, refused to lose and, despite not getting through themselves, contributed to seeing off a sub-par Italian side.  Mexico opened the tournament with just a draw against a buoyant home side but followed that up by defeating a crumbling French team.   The youthfulness of the side was unable to cope with Uruguay and Argentina but Javier Hernandez and Giovani Dos Santos showed much promise.  The aging Cuahtemoc Blanco took his bow in international competition with flair, coming on late to cut open defences with his surgical passing.  The Americans were true to their stereo type, getting up time and again when knocked down, to persevere their way to result after result.  Tim Howard, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, whose ages raise doubt about their return in four years time, showed that America is growing into their potential as a soccer nation, whether or not the citizenry is appreciative of the fact.

Ghana were the better team but rules are rules

Most of the African sides were overmatched and unable to take advantage of familiar surroundings.  Cameroon’s backroom infighting highlights the troubles of sides from the Dark Continent.  Politics and corruption are preventing some very talented athletes from coming together as a unit.  The Ivory Coast were the fatality in the Group of Death, wounded as they were from the start, by the injury to their talisman, Didier Drogba and the unfamiliarity with caretaker manager Sven-Goran Ericksson.  Ghana overcame those issues, however, to progress to the quarter-finals where they were cruelly treated by the ‘hand’ of fate.  Luis Suarez’ deliberate handball to prevent a goal and defeat at the death of their quarterfinal match gave an unintended meaning to ESPN’s World Cup slogan, “One Goal Changes Everything.”

That incident highlighted the one shortcoming in this tournament:  FIFA’s refusal to grow with the times and patch up the shabby officiating and the holes in the rule book.  None of the officiating errors were the ultimate cause in any nation’s exit but who is to say what might have happened had correct calls been made, replacing anger and despair with joy and hope in the hearts of certain players?  The one call that did eliminate a side, the Luis Suarez handball, was a loophole in the rules, for which the referee could do nothing. Sepp Blatter has promised to reverse his former position and re-open the debate on replay technology.  Whether, the loophole in the rulebook will be closed as well is uncertain.

The remorselessness of the Uruguayans was a sad thing to see, crushing as it did the hopes of an entire continent.  Some consolation can be taken from the bitter taste of irony they suffered in the consolation match, when Suarez was hauled down at the death and Forlan sent the possible game tying ball, like Asamoah Gyan’s potential match winning  penalty, off the bar.  Uruguay, to be fair, showed a lot of quality in their deep run but their demise was just desserts, indeed.

Lastly, Matt Dalton on England

When I was a child, I was completely and utterly in love with the World Cup. The magic that was Italia 90 for all England fans held such power over me that I was hardly bothered when we didn’t even qualify for the next tournament, in America. These days, the World Cup is a little different for me.

For 14 years now I have been hearing Three Lions by the Lightning Seeds. For almost as many years we have had a “Golden Generation”. For 14 years all I have heard is, “This time, we’ll win it!”  The only problem is that England have gotten worse with each tournament; worse with every renewed promise of victory.

International tournaments are difficult for me to watch,as I pessimistically wait for the inevitable poor performance from England. This year was no different. In fact, it was possibly the worst England performance I have ever watched. When you consider the money that flows into the English game, it is difficult to understand exactly why we are so poor. Still, I was born with the curse of an Englishman and I will die with the curse of an Englishman. If there’s one thing we are good at, it’s cocking up at international tournaments!

And so…

The 2010 World Cup provided memories enough for the whole world and it’s been our pleasure to share some of them with you.  Now, though, WFC goes back to business as usual.  We will be here to bring you our take on the goings on in leagues and competitions the world over.  Plus, we’re planning a few new features to keep you entertained.  Stick with us and enjoy!

One last look

That last vuvuzela is a doozy.

The World Cup Final is, in a way, the grown up version of Christmas Day.  As a child, your focus from mid-November right up until the holiday is being good, in the hope that your parents will get you everything you want, especially the Subbuteo set with the Brazil v Italy setup.  In anticipation of the World Cup, you spend the buildup going to countless fashion boutiques, poetry recitals and antique shows with your wife/girlfriend so that she won’t complain when you park yourself on the couch to watch soccer for a whole month.  No matter how well you behave, though, you don’t get everything you want at Christmas and, by the time the final arrives, your bird has had enough of you screaming at the idiot box and is ready to fly the coop.

Finally, there’s the big letdown afterwards. You’ve played with all (and broken half) of your toys or you’ve watched sixty-four matches in thirty-two days, only to drop fifty quid on the Dutch at the end.  A strange depression sets in and it seems as though there’s nothing left to do until it all rolls around again.  At least Christmas comes once a year.  It’s going to be four years until Brazil, for crying out loud!  All you can really do is enjoy the moment, I suppose.

... The Return of the Pink Panther!

Fabio Cannavaro returns the World Cup from its stay in Italy, setting the stage for...

With two teams who have so often come up short in the past, this moment held some promise.  The desire of both sides to at last clear the final hurdle and be recognised as a World Cup champion was fueled by decades of mutual frustration.  The Dutch had been in the final twice in the Seventies, losing both times to host nations West Germany and Argentina.

From there, the talisman of the side, Johann Kruyff went on to star and manage Barcelona to a handful of Spanish and European titles.  He brought the Ajax concept of total football with him, transforming both the Catalan club and, through it, the Spanish national team.  His influence has culminated in the 2008 Euro championship and, now, a long awaited appearance in the World Cup Final for La Furia.

With both nations having evolved from the same football roots, there would be no surprises.  The champion would be decided by execution, desire and, perhaps the acting chops of certain players.  Howard Webb, the English referee was sure to be tested by the proclivities of certain players, most notably Arjen Robben, Joan Capdevilla and Sergio Busquets, to embellish the slightest contacts.  As well, both teams featured players with mean streaks.  Mark van Bommel and Carlos Puyol spring most readily to mind.

A sign of things to come.

Spain quickly took the initiative.  David Villa broke on the first attack, just a bit too soon for the linesman’s taste.  Xavi Hernandez sent a beautiful free kick into the box and Sergio Ramos’ header surprised Maarten Stekelenberg but he recovered to make a spectacular save.  David Villa suffered his second offside adjudication immediately after the Spaniards reclaimed the ball.  Dirk Kuyt pounced on a lazy Sergio Busquets pass but muffed the shot in his excitement.  Iker Casillas had no problems collecting it.  Xavi Hernandez sent a through ball too far for Villa, this time on side.  Third time, not quite the charm.

With both sides frustrated early, things became chippy and Howard Webb unhappily inserted himself into proceedings.  Robin van Persie clattered into Capdevilla to earn the first of many bookings which PC Webb would hand out on the evening.  Two minutes later, Carlos Puyol went into the back of Robben and endured the first Spanish caution.  On twenty-two minutes, van Bommel took out Iniesta to go in the book, soon to be followed by Sergio Ramos, for tripping up Dirk Kuyt.

Nigel de Jong gets a bit too frisky with Xabi Alonso.

Just before the half hour Nigel de Jong fully tested Webb’s patience.  His flying tackle caught Xabi Alonso full in the chest but, somehow, the Manchester City midfielder escaped with just the fifth yellow card of the match. The British official, throughout the match, demonstrated a sense of the moment and his own importance in it.  The two teams were fully equipped with skillful, imaginative players.  He would do everything within reason to assure that they, rather than he, were the ones to decide the match.

Five minutes later, the match almost surrendered itself to a sublimely bizarre moment.  Casillas and Puyol collided in pursuit of a loose ball.  Casillas was able to recover the ball and played it out, with Puyol laying dazed on the pitch, in need of treatment.  When he had been seen to, the Dutch sent a long clearance back to Casillas,the normal courtesy on such occasions.  Amazingly, the Spanish captain misjudged it.  The ball bounced over his head, forcing him to scramble back and tip it wide of the post, conceding a corner.  Perhaps a few stars were still twirling around his head?  The Dutch displayed true sportsmanship after the near disaster, as van Persie looped the subsequent corner directly to a now more confident Casillas.

After a bit of a wobbly, Casillas had to be sharp until the break.

L’Oranj were gifted a measure of instant karma in the wake of their generousity and enjoyed the run of play for the remainder of the first fourty-five.  Robben earned a corner, going down as he darted between two markers.  Sneijder’s free kick went to van Bommel at the edge of the box and his cross bounced to Mathijsen.  The defender demonstrated why the back is his preferred position, when he completely whiffed on what should have been an easy volley.

Sneijder was spoken to by Webb after Busquets went down in a heap.  The Inter man’s lack of stature may have saved him from being the sixth booking.  The scolding was an amusing bit of comic relief, however.  Shades of Dr. Evil and Mini-Me.

Just into additional time, Robben found himself in his happy zone, at the top right corner of the box.  He convinced his marker that he wasn’t going to his left (some people never learn), then took one step in that direction and loosed a low shot locked in to the near post.  Casillas was almost not in time to parry the shot over the touch line.  When Howard Webb blew the whistle, it was still scoreless but both sides knew they were in a match.

In the initial few minutes of the closing half, the Spaniards pressed matters.  Puyols wasn’t quite able to repeat his semi-final magic, misdirecting a header to the back post.  Capdevilla was there to clean up but he tripped over his broom and the chance went wanting.  Shortly thereafter, Robben took another of his trademark shots from the top corner of the box.  Casillas was quicker to this one and smothered it completely.  A curling Xavi Hernandez laser from twenty five metres couldn’t quite zero in on the upper ninety.  The end to end action for the first ten minutes was proof that both teams emerged from the break hungrier than ever to lift the trophy.

Iker gets a leg up on Arjen Robben.

Gio Van Brunckhorst and  John Heitenga were quickly added to the list of bookings after a pair of rough tackles.  Both teams have skill and Howard Webb was insistent that they show it.  Shortly after his booking, Heitenga broke in on goal, chasing a long entry pass from Robben.  Ramos hauled him down but the whistle blew for offsides, cancelling out any foul.   Next, it was Robben’s turn to be on the end of a route one pass.  He split the defenders and raced in on a charging Casillas.  The keeper guessed to his left and Robben chipped the other way.  Somehow, though, the Spanish captain managed to lift his trailing leg to deflect the ball wide.

Both teams ran each other ragged for the second ten minutes of the half and then Capdevilla was beaten on the flank by van Persie.  The left back reached out and hauled his man down before he could get clear.  Webb raced over and demonstrated that, like their opponents, the Spaniards were not going to escape his wrath.  Amazingly, despite having handed out eight bookings to this point, you couldn’t really argue that Webb had lost control of the match.  Quite the opposite, in fact.

On seventy minutes, a diagonal ball out to Jesus Navas was sent back in and flicked across the goal.  Heitenga became tangled in his own feet and the ball found its way to Villa.  It was a huge mistake from the Dutch defender but the new Barca man didn’t take advantage, firing directly at Stekelenberg.  Moments later, he wasted a free kick from an inviting twenty two metres.  The Golden Boot, it seemed, wasn’t made for his foot..

After Ramos was hauled down on the right flank unnecessarily, Webb again summoned Sneijder and, in no uncertain terms, indicated he’d had enough.  The miniature Dutchman could only nod vigorously, with a nervous smile on his lips.  The towering Englishman was glaring at him like a hungry polar bear.

Repeat

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A day in the life...

Ten minutes remained and the balance had once again shifted to the Spaniards.  Iniesta cut in from the left side but a perfect tackle from Heitenga snuffed out the chance.  Then, Robben caught Puyol and Piquet napping and sprinted past them, chasing a through ball.  The two desperate defenders were able to chip at him just enough to allow Casillas to capture the ball but not so severely that Webb was inspired to intervene.  An incensed Robben pushed the matter too far and drew Webb’s ire instead, along with the ninth yellow card of the match.

With overtime looming, Cesc Fabregas came on for Xabi Alonso.  Only for Spain would the number ten be a bench warmer.  The Dutch worked a beautiful sequence from the by line to find van Persie but he was offside.  Sneijder unleashed from near the half line to test Casillas at the death but it was no trouble and the match went to an extra thirty.

Iniesta, as in the Champions League, is clutch late.

Spain open the added period in the ascendance.  Fabregas and Xavi went down in the box and the Spanish were screaming for a penalty.  Fabregas had run into a defender after losing the ball and the contact on Xavi was incidental.  Webb was not duped into making it easy for the Spaniards.  Fabregas was fed a through ball soon after but Stekelenberg made himself large, as if the two metre tall keeper wasn’t already, to kept the Dutch hopes alive.  Immediately upon the heels of that save, Iniesta popped up free in the box, for a moment, but van Brunckhorst rode him off the ball beautifully.  Navas came open on the right but fired into the side netting.  The first half of overtime was spent almost entirely in the Dutch end of the pitch.  The experienced options on the deeper Spanish bench, with Torres, Fabregas, Silva, Llorente, et al, versus only van der Vaart and Huntelaar for the Dutch, were telling in the late going.

Three minutes into the restart, Iniesta chased a through pass from Xavi and Heitenga put a hand on his back, in order not to lose him.  At first glance, it looked as though the Barca midfielder went down easily but Howard Webb felt obliged to pull the yellow card out.  As it was Heitenga’s second, the red followed.  The Dutch, being a man down, were suddenly in dire straits.  Heitenga’s reaction was more disappointment than outrage and he left the pitch directly, without any real protest.  His meek exit may have been sufficient indication that the Englishman had made the right judgment.

... and picks up the only soft yellow card of the night by paying tribute to a fallen teammate.

Spain immediately applied pressure.  the free kick was just over the bar and likewise two more quick attacks.  The Netherlands didn’t pack it in easily, however, even with van der Wiel drawing yet another card for tripping Iniesta.  Eljero was brought down in front of goal and the Dutch had a free kick from thirty metres.  Sneijder’s cannon deflected off the side of the wall.  The Dutch looked to hold possession as long as possible but Eljero failed to split two defenders, a poor choice with time and support to hand, and Spain were off to the races.  Working a diagonal break to spread the defense, while the Dutch hurried to get numbers back, the Spaniards smartly reversed their tack and found Iniesta open to the right.  His shot to the far post beat Stekelenberg to give la Roja the lead with less than five minutes remaining.

The bookings piled up after the goal.  The Dutch felt, wrongly, that Iniesta was offside.  Mathijsen’s dissent sent Webb’s hand into his pocket and the goalscorer was added to the list after he stripped off his shirt in mad celebration.

The Netherlands threw everything they had left into a last desperate attack.  A half dozen passes and throw-ins to the box came to naught as Puyol and the rest of the back line stood their ground and cleared every dangerous ball.  Xavi Hernandez forced Webb to hand out one last caution, when he tried to milk the clock, kicking away a ball awarded to the Dutch. Then, Fernando Torres pulled up lame, clutching his hamstring, while needlessly chasing a long clearance (not a happy sight for the Kopp).  Judiciously, Howard Webb added an extra minute to the deuce he had already granted the Dutch.  It was to no avail, though, and Iniesta collapsed to his knees in the middle of the pitch, fists joyfully thrust to the heavens, when the final whistle at last sounded.

The match played out as expected.  Both teams showed some skill, some physicality and the frequent willingness to ham it up for a possible advantage.  There wasn’t the barrage of goals we were treated to yesterday but the match was just as compelling.

After the Dutch and then the Spaniards claimed their medals and the latter hoisted the World Cup, the individual awards were announced.  Diego Forlan was honoured with the Golden Ball as the competition’s most valuable player.  He certainly carried the Uruguayans through this tournament, especially in the semi-final against the Netherlands, when he was without his favourite target, Luis Suarez.  The Atletico Madrid forward also shared one-third of the Golden Boot award, as his five strikes were equal to the totals of Wesley Sneijder and David Villa.

Your Golden Ball winner.

Iker Casillas, despite his near gaffe this evening, was handed the Golden Glove for his goalkeeping.  Thomas Müller, of Germany, was the best young player of the tournament and Spain were gifted the FIFA Fair Play award.  Apparently, only the infrequency of fouls and bookings factor into that accolade, with simulation not considered.

That is not to take away from Spain’s glory as champions, however.  It is well deserved; they improved as the matches progressed and had the better, by a hair, of the Dutch on this day.  The World Cup Trophy certainly didn’t come gift-wrapped.  We have an eighth champion at last and sadly, the Netherlands are still the best side never to have won it all.

No, thank you South Africa, from the rest of us.

In sport here, it’s win or go home.  When you capture a championship, there’s a big parade and every little thing each player does is on SportsCenter for weeks afterwards.

To come in second, however, is complete failure.  For all that anyone remembers of your season, you may as well have finished last.  Never mind a consolation game between two losers.  If someone went dancing through the streets of New York or LA screaming, “We’re number three!  We’re number three!,” people would think the happy fool was off his nut and, like as not, call social services.

Thankfully, soccer fans in other parts of the globe treat the World Cup more like the Olympics than the Super Bowl.  And rightly so.  Where is the glory in winning a championship if the teams you overcame were not worth remembering?  Thus, coming into their match today,  Germany and Uruguay carried the banners of thirty teams who struggled in admirable but vain pursuit of the World Cup Trophy.

The linesman refuses to help Joachim Low discover who stole his 'lucky' sweater.

A young German squad, led by a maverick coach, came to South America to find not much was expected of them, compared to past sides led by such legends as Lothar Mattheus, Gerd Mueller and Franz Beckenbauer.  Although, after scoring four goals in each of three matches, including startlingly dominant elimination round dismantlings of both England and Argentina, those expectations quickly rose.

Before defeating Germany, Spain had looked very sluggish in most of their encounters and were thought to be lucky to have reached the last four.  In controlling the daunting young Germans, the Spanish reminded everyone of just how strong they were, even when not at their best.  Thanks to die Mannschaft’s performance in the matches leading up to the semi-final, no one can claim that the European champions had an easy route to the title match.

The mercurial Uruguayans and their youthful striker, Luis Suarez, had a tournament which will not soon be forgotten, for reasons both good and bad.  The handball at the end of the quarter-final with Ghana, along with the brazen pride shown in its aftermath will spark debate for a year and a day at least.  Still, as the fifth and last qualifier from South America, their spot only secured after a two legged tie with Costa Rica, Uruguay traveled a long, hard road to South Africa.

The Suarez incident likely will but shouldn’t be the defining moment of their competition.  This squad also deserve to be remembered for having the courage and confidence to open up against a strong Mexican side, going for the win to champion the group, when a pedestrian draw would have seen both sides safely through.  They should also be celebrated for pushing the Dutch to the death, after the game with Ghana, doing so without the potent fourty-nine goal threat of the precocious Suarez.

FIFA, for its part, is happy to provide a relatively meaningless game at this point in the tournament.  After overdosing soccer fans with fifty-six matches in just nineteen days, to start the competition, the weaning process then began in the winding down to the final.  Consisting of far fewer contests with ever longer intervals between, the sudden lack of supply has left severely addicted fans with an epic case of the football jones.  This match is the methadone, administered by Herr Dr. Blatter, to see us through to tomorrow’s (hopefully) exciting finish.

Historically, too, the consolation matches have been very entertaining affairs.  Neither side has anything at stake, beyond their pride, and are thus free to open up, express themselves and show everything of which they are capable.

Today’s game certainly began in that tradition.  The early play was up and down the pitch.  Dennis Aogo, one of several reserve players handed a World cup start by Joachim Löw, was a little over-enthusiastic.  He narrowly escaped a straight red card, coming in hard, studs up on Diego Perez.  Happily, the referee chose not to get too involved in the match.  On four minutes, Thomas Mueller found the net for Germany but was ruled offside.  Two proper calls in a row.  How refreshing.

On their first sustained attack, Uruguay earned a free kick from about twenty-five metres, directly in front of goal.  Diego Forlan’s first effort went off the elbow of Cacau, earning him a yellow card and Forlan a second unsuccessful try from ten metres closer.  Germany would then garner a series of corners in the Uruaguayan end.  Mesut Ozil sent one of them deep, to the far post, where Arne Friedrich would connect on a fade-away header that rebounded off the crossbar.

Müller steals the first kiss, as Germany goes in front early.

Certainly a busy opening 10 minutes.

Germany’s strategy was to attack down the left wing.  At eighteen minutes, they broke on a counter, with Bastien Schweinsteiger finding Marcel Jansen on the flank.  After penetrating almost to the touchline, Lukas Podolski’s understudy sent the ball back out to Schweini, beyond the box, mid-pitch.  The Bayern midfielder hit a low swerving shot which confused Fernando Muslera.  The keeper managed to get in front of  the missile but allowed it to carom straight out into the penalty area.  Thomas Müller, back from his harsh suspension, pounced onto the rebound and deposited it into the twine.  Germany one, Uruguay nil.

The Germans, emboldened by the gaffe, quickly tested the shaken netminder twice more but Muslera gave no further ground.  Uruguay regrouped, probing the German back line for weakness.  On twenty five minutes, a cross into Forlan for a half volley, was deflected away by Per Mertesacker and the ensuing corner cleared off the line by Friedrich.  Hans-Jörg Butt, in goal for Manuel Neuer, hadn’t yet had much to do.

Cavani is king of the world as Uruguay quickly level.

Uruguay, as always, refused to let up and, a moment later, broke on a counter.  Suarez, coming down the middle, found Edinson Cavani racing down the left.  Cavani outpaced the lanky Mertesacker and drilled a shot passed an onrushing Butt, into the far side netting.  Germany one, Uruguay one, with less than a half hour gone.  If only the final is played at this pace!

After Cavani’s strike, the skies over Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium opened up and the rain came down as heavily as the attacks on goal.  Both sides continued to be aggressive.  The linesmen were well exercised, raising their flags for offsides several times.  Then with less than five minutes to the break, Forlan put Suarez through on a diagonal run to the right.  Suarez curled back towards goal and released a laser that beat Butt (hehe, he said beat butt) but was just wide of the outside post.

At the other end, Schweinsteiger blasted an inviting free kick off the wall after Diego Lugano was booked for at first unintentionally and then intentionally handling the ball.  Soon after, Uruguay were able to launch one more raid into German territory but the score remained knotted at one at the half time whistle.

Forlan cuts into Germany, scissoring the ball into goal.

Early after the restart, the Germans dominated possession but had no joy.  Suddenly, the Uruguayans broke on a counterattack.  Edigio Arevalo sent a waist high ball into the top of the box towards a waiting Forlan.  The Atletico striker executed a perfect scissor kick to put the ball past a screened Hans-Jörg Butt.  The lead was short lived, though.  Minutes later, at the opposite end, Jerome Boateng crossed into the box and Marcel Jansen put his header past an awkward looking Muslera.

Jansen's kung fu is strong, though, and the goalward ball pulls Germany even.

Forlan’s goal, by the way, was his fifth of the tournament, drawing him level with Golden Boot contenders Wesley Sneijder and David Villa.  Ten minutes into the second half, the goal output had doubled.  Nor did it look like that would be the end of the deluge.

Shortly after the equaliser, Germany stormed up the pitch again, led by Boateng.  The Ghanian born defender fed the ball to Mesut Ozil on the left but the German of Turkish descent tried to dribble past two defenders rather than return the favour.  The attack fizzled and Uruguay went on the offensive.  Suarez unleashed a cannon to the far post, parried well by Butt.  Forlan couldn’t get everything behind another opportunity and Butt was up to the challenge, again.

Several more chances for both sides went either wide or over the bar.  Then Stephan Kiebling, on for Cacau, split a pair of defenders on the left side of the box, moved in and forced a tough save from Muslera with fifteen minutes remaining.

Khedira follows the bouncing ball...

Ozil continued to try to beat multiple defenders on the dribble.  He did it late against Spain, too.  His skill is a great thing to see and frightening on a German side.  Still, he must learn to use his teammates.

On eighty minutes, Ozil found himself in a situation wherein he had to pass the ball.  He took the corner kick and sent it into the box.  Uruguay was unable to clear and the ball pinballed to Sami Khedira, whose cross-net header sailed over an outstretched Muslera and nestled in the far upper ninety.  Germany three, Uruguay two was the score, with closing time fast approaching.

... and Muslera sings a sad tune.

As Ozil came off for the previously unused Serdar Tasci, the camera cut to a shot of Miroslav Klose.  The Bayern striker, tepid for club but talismanic for country, was declared fit before the match, after a back injury cast his chase of Ronaldo’s World Cup goal scoring record in doubt.  He did not play today, because the Germans, as is their wont, took the team route and granted several reserves the opportunity to shine, if only for a moment, on the world’s greatest stage.  Klose is thirty-two and, so, unlikely to be a canditate for Brazil in four years.  He has had a great World Cup career and, hopefully, will be content with having matched the great Gerd Müller’s tally before bowing out.

Uruguay became desperate in their assault on the German goal.  They rushed their efforts and Germany were able to handle matters easily.  With even more space opening up in the Uruguay rearguard, Kiebling blasted another chance, a very good one, which he wasted over the bar.

Next time, Basti may have to wait an extra day to collect his medal.

Then, at the death, Arne Friedrich served up a helping of karma to the Uruguayans.  As Suarez ran under an enticing long ball, the centre back wrestled him to the ground.  It wasn’t as severe an infraction as Suarez’ handball but Friedrich was booked by the official as Forlan stood over Uruguay’s last chance of the match.  His effort was heroic.  It curled over the wall and the outstretched right hand of Butt, before dipping towards goal.  Unfortunately, it struck the bar and bounded harmlessly away.  Ironically similar to the conclusion of the match versus Ghana, only with Uruguay this time on the short end of the stick, Forlan’s miss, like Asamoah Gyan’s spot kick, also off the crossbar, was the last act of a very dramatic contest.

The Uruguayans scrambled to set up a corner but the referee felt that it was time to get out of the rain and his shrill whistle, rather than the deeper peals of a bell, tolled the end of the South American’s surprising and event-filled World Cup run.

The final score was three to two for Germany and, despite an uncharacteristic lack of attention to defense, on the day, the Germans were once again the number three team at the world’s greatest tournament.  There will be people celebrating in the streets and good on ‘em, I say.

Both teams opened up from the start and went after the match throughout.  With much more at stake, that is not likely to be the case tomorrow.  Hopefully, though, Spain and the Netherlands will be bold enough to take some chances and treat us to a memorable final.  If that happens, today’s match will serve as a consolation for the players only and not for World Cup fans.

Has a more deserving man ever held the World Cup?

The World Cup is almost at an end. On Monday, football fans all over the world will once again get on with their lives and, having recovered from their mysterious ‘illnesses,’ drag themselves back into work and reintroduce themselves to loved ones and partners who had long since given up any hope of seeing them again. Sunday, however, they will allow themselves one last hurrah in the form of the World Cup final. It will be a final that makes history, as Spain and the Netherlands, arguably two of football’s world superpowers, go head to head in an attempt to win their first ever World Cup, and be the first ever European side to lift the trophy outside their own continent.

After some truly shocking pre-tournament predictions, yours truly, Geoff ‘Kaiser’ Edwards, Martin ‘the Professor’ Palazzotto, ‘Fearless’ Fab Presilli and Matt ‘Doolin’ Dalton are confident we now have the measure of the flight and trajectory of our special, World Cup Edition Crystal Jabulanis. They’re joined by our new writers, Corey “I Wanna See a Goal Now” Pollnow, David “Mighty B” Holden and Eliot “Old Money” Rothwell in predicting the outcome of Sunday’s epic tournament climax.

Eliot “Old Money” Rothwell

Sunday marks a sad day for football fans as the World Cup, the spectacle that has captured our attentions for the past few months, comes to its climax. Sunday, however, will mark a disastrous day for one of the two sides. Holland v Spain. Total football v Tika-Taka.

Nobody knows who will come out on top but predictions are always useful, whether to gain kudos, if the right result is chosen, or to lambaste colleagues about their lack of knowledge. So here it is. It may not be a popular choice but I’m backing the pragmatic Dutch to overcome the fluid Spanish and for one reason. Mark van Bommel.

It’s been a largely successful year for Bayern Munich’s destructive midfield player. He’s won a domestic league and cup double as well as the innocuous prize of a Champion’s League silver medal. With Bayern Munich and Holland both rampant, van Bommel has been mostly overshadowed by the mercurial yet frustrating talents of Arjen Robben. The World’s biggest match, however, will be decided by the midfield battle and how Mr. van Bommel copes with Xavi and Co.

Van Bommel - key man for the Dutch

If the Dutch are to stifle the flow of the Spanish passing, then manager’s son-in-law van Bommel is going to be the key man. His ferocious tackling and accurate, yet sensible distribution will be crucial to van Marwijk’s side. We have already seen the Spanish struggle against a duopoly of holding players (Switzerland) and MvB (as he’s called on the underground scene of Bavaria) will be seeking to limit the space and time afforded to both Xavi and Iniesta in a ploy to stop the Spanish.

Whatever happens, it’s going to be close.  The entertainment factor may be at a low but the tactical display of each team will be fascinating. Still, my prediction is that we will see van Bommel and Holland lifting the famous trophy for the first time.

David “Mighty B” Holden

The World Cup final is traditionally supposed to feature the two best teams in the world and I truly believe that is the case here. While Spain have been hogging the headlines, as pre-tournament favourites, the Netherlands have been quietly going about their business.  I am in no way surprised that these two nations are gracing the biggest stage in world football.

Don't mess with the hair!

Both sides have very similar styles, which may make for an intriguing encounter. Each are happy to keep possession, biding their time before seeking gaps in defences and trying to exploit them. Unfortunately, that could also be bad news for viewers, because even though both sides have expert passers in their squads, watching this game could be similar to tuning in to a chess match.

However, all is not lost.  Spain are also very good at counter-attacking football and I think that will be the opening they need. David Villa will undoubtedly be their outlet for directly attacking on the break, while the Dutch tend to prefer breaking down the wing and crossing into the box. There is no question that the Netherlands are deadly from this position but against the experienced Carlos Puyol, I fear that they will struggle to get the break they need.

I’ll be supporting the Netherlands for the final, but I think that Arjen Robben will have to be on top form to help the Dutch to victory.  Although it pains me to say it, I expect Spain will win 2-0.

Corey “I Wanna Goal Now!” Pollnow

The expectations are extremely high for Spain. The Netherlands comes into this game having enjoyed an arguably easy road to the Finals but they’re running with that momentum, basking in the role of the underdog.

The Dutch have received heavy criticism for their dull style of play, but is it possible that the disapproval has fueled this team and could play into their favor? Spain is well known for their exceptional one-touch passing and control of the ball, but the l’Oranj have made their opponents struggle to gain control of the ball.  They like to hang back, in possession, for long stretches, then strike when the opponent begins to think there is no danger.  So, expect Spain to be surprised by the Dutch chemistry. Through 6 games thus far in the World Cup,  the Netherlands have won the possession battle in all but 1 game (v. Cameroon).

Will the orange hoards party at the final whistle?

Goals have not been a problem,either.  They have many players that can score. Sneijder and Robben have shown that they’re forces with which to be reckoned. The duo has showcased their skills and will prove that this run wasn’t a fluke.  Yet Spain can’t overlook van Persie, Kuyt, van der Vaart and, coming off the bench, Huntelaar.   Call me crazy but the Dutch will control the game via possession.   The Spaniards will be lulled to sleep and the train the Netherlands is riding will not come to a halt.  It will be the Dutch who party through the night!

Netherlands 2 — Spain 1

“Fearless” Fab Pressilli

So I am not a fortuneteller (or some psychic Octopus). However, I was able to predict some things correctly.

Starting with the hosting nation: they were eliminated in the first round. OK, they had a chance beating France and all, but to me they never seemed like a real contender.

Spain and the Netherlands are in the final. If Brazil had beaten the Dutch, then the Selecao would be in the final with Spain. That quarter-final match was more of an early semi-final.

Potty mouth!

Fernando Torres didn’t really show his true skills in South Africa.  I always get my hopes up with some players who doesn’t deliver. In the last World Cup I chose Luca Toni as the top scorer.  Another, Nicolas Lodeiro started the World Cup in the news,sent off in amazing 14 minutes. Angel di Maria and Lucas Barrios also failed to live up to the hype they were creating before the tournament.  Kaká was not having the best of times, either. Injuries and a temper, never seen before, led some Brazilians to create the “Kaká Bad Boy Facts”(translation required) online.

The surprise of the tournament was not the USA, as I had thought, but Uruguay. An easy bracket that looked like a fast track to the semis was on their way after conquering Group A, but that is the sort of luck which only winners have.

Spain, on the other hand, seems to have a solid group, with Andrés Iniesta and David Villa shining a little bit more than the rest of the pack.  The Netherlands will win the final game, though, that is just my feeling. The Dutch are having a great season, some of them have been key to their clubs. It is their most balanced team, the right mixture of young reckless players with  experience from older ones.

Martin “the Professor” Palazzotto

The only things about which I was right, before the tournament, were why my picks would fail.  Fail they all did, though, many of them spectacularly.

I can console myself that I was spot on about the French, yet with the same breath, I did give the Italians a little too much credit.

Because the draw didn’t shake out exactly according to my specifications , Maradona’s Argentina lasted longer than I anticipated.  Given the way Uruguay played, however, I’d like to think that they’d have put paid to the Argentines, had they indeed crossed paths, as I’d hoped.

As for the US, I called that one.  Sort of.  The opportunity was there for them to make the semi-finals but coach Bob Bradley didn’t heed my advice to put more trust in Edson Buddle and Hercules Gomez.  As well, it was unfortunate that Oguchi Onweyu didn’t have the legs to give the back line the lift it needed.

Finally, before you ask, I don’t even want to talk about Wayne Rooney.

Oh, sorry.  After my previous dismal performance you still want to know who I think is going to lift the If-he-ever-does-the-world-a-favour-and-retires-it-will-someday-be-named-the-Sepp-Blatter Trophy?   Well, there’s only two teams, so why not?  There’s just enough margin for error.

Robben lands in the tuck position, scoring high with judges.

If they hadn’t drawn the Brazilians in my so called bracket, I would have taken the Dutch then.  I felt very good about the potential chemistry between the two Real Madrid castoffs and eventual Champions League finalists, Arjen ‘Greg Louganis’ Robben and Wesley ‘Off The’ Sneijder.  At the time, I was concerned about the health of Robben and again, who’d have thought they’d bitch slap (can I say that on the internet?) the Brazilians like it was Leonard v Duran?

Don’t forget, either, that the Afrikaaner community has made the Dutch feel very much at home in South Africa.  I am aware that this is Spain we’re talking about but I’m thinking that’s just more fuel por los fuegos burning in the Madrid memories of Robben and Sneijder.  Call it 3-2 for the Dutch but they’ll need 120 minutes.

Matt “Doolin” Dalton

With the World Cup final almost upon us, I am pleased to say that my tip for the winners, Spain, are still on course. Their hopes are intrinsically linked to the form of a certain David Villa, well on his way to snatching the Golden Shoe award, also forecast by yours truly. Other than that, though, I have done rather badly in anticipating some other things.

My picks to contest the semi finals were Spain, Argentina, France and Brazil. Only 1 out of 4 there!  I did have 5 out of 8 of the quarter finalists, with France Italy and England being incorrectly selected and Uruguay, Ghana and Paraguay all missing. In the Round of 16, I managed to get 12 correct predictions, with Italy, Cameroon, France and Nigeria wrongly selected in place of Uruguay, South Korea, Paraguay and Japan.

One match from the Golden Ball?

All in all, I am pretty happy with my picks.  But for a few strange results in the proceedings, I don’t think I was too far away. I tipped Ivory Coast and Steven Gerrard to disappoint and I think it’s fair to say they both did. South Africa fared a little better than I had expected, pushing France into 4th spot in their group. Vlad Weiss was the player I tipped to be the shock of the tournament, but he didn’t quite to live up to that.  Although, he was solid throughout.

Lionel Messi was undoubtedly a driving force for Argentina, as I, and probably everybody else on the planet, had said. Unfortunately for little Leo, I think Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder might just pip him to the World Cup’s award for the best player. He has been in excellent form throughout, scoring 5 goals to propel Holland into the World Cup final.

I still believe that Spain will go on to win this year’s tournament as they simply bring more to the table than any other team. They have been quietly efficient throughout the tournament and even managed to play a game of pass and move against the dynamic Germans. Holland have been excellent and their solidity is sure to give the Spaniards some trouble. Sneijder and Villa are the key men in this game.

Geoff ‘Kaiser’ Edwards

Who in their right mind would predict Argentina and France to get to the semi-finals? As it turns out, I did. That has to be the worst pre-tournament prediction I made, as Maradona’s ‘Albiceleste’ were outfoxed by Germany and ‘Les Bleus’ were outfoxed by just about everyone, not least their own coach. I placed too much faith in Kaka and Luis Fabiano to get the ‘Selecao’ to the final and in Cameroon and Nigeria to get out of their groups.

On a more positive note, I tipped Paraguay and Slovakia to eliminate Italy from Group F and for Paraguay to go on to the quarter-final.  I’ll be dining out on that for months.  Mesut Özil and Sami Khedira also did me proud.

Another tip I got right was for Spain to get to the final, and I’ll stick with my prediction that they will lift the trophy in Johannesburg. ‘La Furia’ haven’t been entirely convincing on the way to the final but against Germany, in the last 4, they showed that they may well be peaking just at the right time. If Spain play in the final as they did in that game, I just can’t see them coming away as losers.

David Villa will hope to get some joy against Holland's defence.

The ‘Oranje’ have a good defensive record in this World Cup and showed their quality against Brazil in the quarter-final, but I think Heitinga, Mathijsen and co will struggle to cope with the movement of Villa, Pedro and Iniesta. Van Bommel and de Jong will also have problems with Spain’s ball circulation in midfield.

One thing that could, surprisingly, work in Holland’s favour is the selection of Fernando Torres. There have been rumours in the media that some of the Spanish squad have been unhappy with the Liverpool forward being picked in the starting eleven. The rumour may be far-fetched, but it’s been interesting to note how Spain awoke from their early-tournament slumber against Portugal when he was withdrawn, and recorded their best performance to date (against Germany) with him out of the side. On the other hand, in Robben, Sneijder and van Persie, the Dutch have players capable of winning any match, so they can’t be discounted.

There you have it, WFC’s brave writers have once again stuck their necks out, safe in the knowledge that there is a 50% chance we will be proved correct. What do you think?  You have the same odds. Vote on your pick as World Cup Champion below and enjoy the match!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

PS.  For those of you, who may be curious, look for a translation of the Kaka Bad Boy link in the comments section, coming soon.

This year’s sweets started out with the England/USA tilt, which, although England started out well on Gerrard’s goal from Heskey, was unfortunately highlighted by Robert Green’s gaffe.  Effectively, the West Ham keeper put his finger in the frosting and ruined a perfectly good cake.  Portugal and Brazil then decided that their juicy looking encounter would be a stale, dry formality which would put both through to the elimination rounds.

An entry to the Final for one nation and the exit from the tournament for the other.

The dessert cart did come around after the group stages, when teams found themselves in do or die situations and had to go for it.  The aforementioned English turned out to be the first course in a German feast that continued against Argentina.  With four goals in each match, die Mannschaft set the World Cup kitchen afire.

The Dutch gave themselves a special treat, as well, upsetting the Brazilians before downing the sour-as-lemons Uruguayans.  Having reserved their seat at the final table, Bert van Marwijk’s side are prepared to sit back and enjoy a Heineken while Spain and Germany fight over the last chair.

Fans, whether partial to one nation or simply neutral, had sized up today’s  rematch of the Euro ’08 finalists as an epic battle between the best team in the tournament, the young Germans, and, perhaps the best side in the world, the Spaniards.  The latter had played their way through the competition thus far, more in the fashion of a classic Italian side, doing just enough to get the job done.  Meanwhile, this kinder, gentler version of a German football side, as evidenced by the ethnic diversity of the squad and the tragically hip fashion sense of the manager, were rampaging through South Africa like a Panzer division set loose on a daycare nursery.

For most, this was the match that would produce the champion, as the waiting Nederlanders are not rated as highly as these two sides.  If that was to be the case, then maybe the cherry would be eaten a little early this year.  The question was, by whom?

It’s long been acknowledged and now reconfirmed, in South Africa, that one of the greatest strengths of German football is their match preparation.  Despite their hiccup against Serbia, largely aided by an overly protective Spanish referee, they have come into each match with a clear, executable plan to dispatch their opponent.  The pre-match scuttlebutt today was that Joachim Low would look to take advantage of the forays of rearguardsmen Gerard Pique, who at least has the sense to race back quickly when an attack fails, and Sergio Ramos, who doesn’t.

Much has been said about Low but del Bosque is subtle and likes to operate quietly, in the background

Low’s opposite number, Vicente del Bosque, while not at home in the spotlight, is possessed of a little tactical guile himself.  The proof is in his sudden change in policy with regard to Fernando Torres.  With the Liverpool striker still recovering from a knee operation, he only used him as a substitute in the opening defeat to Switzerland.  Since then, however, he has started Torres, insisting that, regardless of his struggles, he was of great value to the side and his place was assured.

Until the Germans loomed on the horizon, that is.  Suddenly, del Bosque became more cagey on the matter, stating publicly that he would have to consider all his options, of which he has many.  That, of course is the beauty in his abrupt shift of policy.

The Basque, Fernando Llorente could replace Torres, giving the Spaniards some unusual height in the box, where they are sorely overmatched by the German defenders.  The Barca youngster, Pedro might come in and strike with the speed and venom of a cobra.  Or the manager could elect to play with five midfielders and David Villa as the lone striker.

Should del Bosque go that route, there would be further choices to consider.  Cesc Fabregas, despite an injured shoulder would be available to sit in the hole behind Villa, leaving Spain’s regular corps of midfielders, Xavi Hernandez, Xabi Alonso, Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta intact.  Conversely, Iniesta might be utilised in the hole and either David Silva or Jesus Navas, both well rested, could wreak havoc on the wing.

Don’t forget, the Spanish boss had one further option.  He could still start Torres.  A simple statement in the media had thrown a wrench in the German brain trust’s plans and left them with a myriad of possibilities to consider.  Del Bosque’s sly gambit showed the value of a good manager deep in a major tournament such as this.  Of course, when the match finally got under way, it became up to the players to execute their gameplans and successfully adapt to the tactics of their opponents.

To begin, del Bosque opted for the Pedro plan, sitting down the ineffective Torres and looking to expose the lumbering giants, Arne Friedrich and Per Mertesacker, in the German central defence and Jerome Boateng at left back.   In place of the unfairly suspended Thomas Mueller, Low, meanwhile, penciled in Piotr Trochowski, smaller, quicker but also potentially lethal from distance.

Terms of battle were set very early as Germany were content to work the ball around at the back and an aggressive Sergio Ramos won it away for Spain, who immediately settled into their game of kick about.  Six minutes in, Pedro made his first contribution, slotting a ball into David Villa, who shot the ball into the chest of an onrushing Manuel Neuer.

Carlos Puyol's defence was as super powered as his offence would later prove to be.

Spain earned their first corner and displayed their future intent in that area, working it short to change the angle of entry.   Iniesta put in a low, hard driven ball, which Puyol headed over the bar.  First cut to Spain.

Germany redoubled their defensive efforts and became more effective at keeping the Spaniards to the outside.  La Furia began to look to Xabi Alonso for long balls into the box and Ramos and Joan Capdevilla crossing in on the flanks.  Mertesacker was solid in the centre of the box, heading clear attempt after attempt.

Midway through the half, Germany began to send out sorties on the  counterattack, looking to capitalise on the forward position of the Spanish fullbacks.  Lukas Podolski and Trochowski both streaked down the outside looking to work balls inside but Mesut Ozil,  in the middle, was struggling with his touch and Iker Casillas wasn’t really tested.  Piquet was not venturing forward, as is his usual wont and Busquets and Alonso were hastening back in support with every German push.  Perhaps it was del Bosque, who had done his homework and come to the match more prepared.

Just past the half hour, Trochowski displayed his long range arsenal, drilling a low shot towards the near post, which Casillas scrambled to knock wide for a corner.

Schweinsteiger and Germany couldn't find their feet against Spain.

In the final 5 minutes, Ozil had a pair of chances, mishandling both and feeling the second, well into extra time, should have drawn a penalty.  While he was knocked down, he had already overrun the ball and wasted the chance, something the referee was well positioned to see.

At half time, with neither side breaking through, the expected fireworks were absent but the match was definitely on a slow boil.  Spain took most of their corners short, respecting the height and discipline of the German defenders.  Pique continued to spend the half very conservatively, rarely venturing forward and always in position to deal with the potent counterattack of the white and black.

Early in the second stanza, a rejuvenated Pedro began to go to work on Jerome Boateng, crossing and dribbling in towards the box.  Nothing came of his work as the cross was too long and Xabi Alonso shot wide on the pass at the end of the younger man’s run.  Joachim Low had seen enough, though, and Marcell Jansen was hurried onto the pitch for the overmatched left back.

David Villa can't connect with Iniesta's beautiful delivery

Alonso continued to try long shots and passes inside until, with a change of pace, he worked it to Iniesta darting in from the left, the latter sending a quick ball across the goal mouth that Villa couldn’t quite poke, lunging in too late.

It’s never advisable to waste chances against Germany and Jansen almost made the Spanish pay.  His cross ricocheted off Ramos, to Podolski, who thundered it over the bar.  Tony Kroos came on for Trochowski, as Low looked for more offensive pressure against the Spaniards.  Kroos trying to oblige, nearly put the Germans ahead with a hard shot from the right that Casillas was equal to.  Soon after, he sent a tantalising cross into the box, from the other side, but Piquet’s head found it first.

The two substitutions to this point were telling about the direction of the match.  Obviously, Low was uncomfortable with his side’s lack of ability to get behind the Spanish.  Del Bosque, on the other hand, was patient with his strategy, feeling a goal would surely come as long as his central players held their ground and defended well, off the ball.   That is something that goes unnoticed about Spain, since they are rarely without possession or feel the need to respect the other sides attackers.  When it is necessary, though, they are up to the task, as they have shown today.

Puyol's header is...

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, as they say, and, as with Germany,  it isn’t wise to forego opportunities when playing against Spain, either.  After the European champions had earned a corner, Xavi sent in a perfect delivery which Puyol, this time, put paid to, giving Spain the lead on seventy minutes.

It was a rare corner into the box and the Germans were asleep at the switch.  The curly haired Barcelona captain had a free run at the ball from ten yards away and punished, severely, the one German mistake of the match.

Germany, down and forced to press, began to harry the Spanish box.  Two times however, Ozil cut short the passing and lost the ball trying to beat multiple defenders.

... goalbound and...

With ten minutes remaining, Low used his last substitution to send on Mario Gomez for Sami Khedira and del Bosque immediately countered with his first change, bringing on Torres for Villa.

Then, twice in succession, the Germans fell victim to quick counters but Friedrich did yeoman work to keep his side alive.  The second effort was greatly assisted by Pedro’s reluctance to pass across to a wide open Villa.  The Barca youngster soon rued that selfish choice, as he was sat down in favour of the new Man City man, Silva.  The quiet old fox, del Bosque, had his lead and wasn’t going to let the inexperience of youth throw it away.

With no options but to attack, Germany sustained the pressure for several minutes with no joy.  It almost made you wonder what would have happened, had they opened up sooner?  With less than five minutes remaining, the Spaniards relocated their short passing game and the Germans struggled to win back the ball, which effectively answered that question.

In extra time, Germany’s desperation betrayed them as Gomez had a chance to send in Ozil freely but thundered what should have been a lightly touched pass.  With so little time and so much at stake, patience and calm were easily forgotten.

... the Spaniards are bound for the Final.

Spain ably kept Germany away for the final moments and showed tremendous class by not celebrating wildly upon reaching their first World Cup Final.  Instead, every Spaniard found a German counterpart and, in a great show of respect, offered a sympathetic hand.

So, la Roja are through to meet the Dutch, meaning that there will, at last, be an eighth World Cup champion.

This match didn’t turn out to be the icing on the cake many had thought it would be but it was still entertaining and, happily, controversy free.   With creativity abounding on both sides in Sunday’s final, we’ll have to hope against hope that both sides choose to play an open game and decide a champion through skill and showmanship.

In a crucial match, players need to remain cool...

Of the two semi-finals on tap today and tomorrow, this encounter was seen by many as being the battle between the Christians.  The winner would enter the arena in Johannesburg on Sunday to face whomever proved to be the fiercer of the pair of lions playing in Durban tomorrow, be that either Germany or Spain.

The Dutch, pointing to their federation’s crest, might feel they have reason to object to their place in the metaphor.  Yet, despite a perfect run through their UEFA group stage and on into the competition in South Africa, they are not held in the same esteem as their two remaining European counterparts.  Regard for Uruguay, the lone South American side still in the tournament, was close to non-existent thanks to the manner in which they progressed past Ghana and the lack of manners they showed afterward.  To be proud and unapologetic of taking advantage of a loophole in the rules showed none of the sportsmanship which FIFA likes to claim is a cornerstone of the World Cup.

... but fans on both sides were wigging out.

Bert van Marwijk’s charges were heavily favoured in the build up.  Not only had they beaten the number one qualifier from South America, Brazil, in their previous match, making the fifth best nation from that continent seem somewhat insignificant in comparison, but they were healthy again.  Gregory van der Wiel and Nigel de Jong were unavailable, after each totted up their second yellow card, against Brazil, but Joris Mathisjen, much quicker than the aging Andre Ooijer, was back to solidify the central defence, while the depth of the Netherlands’ bench meant that there were plug ‘n play replacements ready to stand in for the two suspended players.

How, on the other hand, do you replace the 49 club and 3 World Cup goals missing from the Uruguayan side with Luis Suarez sitting on his hands up in the cheap seats?  For that matter, there were the absences, through injury, of captain and defensive anchor, Diego Lugano, and the young firebrand in midfield, Nicolas Lodeiro, as well as the suspended left back, Jorge Fucile.  When you are the second smallest nation in the competition, population 3 million, you just don’t have as many alternatives.

It was expected that Uruguayan manager, Oscar Tabarez, would park seven men behind the ball, much as he did against France in their first match, and rely on Diego Forlan to provide some magic on the counter or from a dead ball situation.  Nil-nil for 120 minutes and penalty kicks would suit la Celeste just fine.

In the early going, the Dutch looked for cracks in the Uruguayan wall and found one or two evident.  Dirk Kuyt fired over the goal after getting on the end of a perfect Wesley Sneijder cross and then fed a tasty offering into the box himself, a few minutes later, only to see Arjen Robben softly lob it for Fernando Muslera to gobble up.

After the opening barrage from l’Oranje, the Uruguayans settled and began to ask questions of their own.  Forlan and Edinson Cavani looked to hook up on two occasions but the linesman raised his flag offsides for each.  Replays showed that one definitely, if not both, were poor decisions.

Defensively, however, the South Americans were giving their opponents headaches all over the pitch.  The Dutch were not being given time on the ball and, as a result, their passing was extremely erratic.

The captain saved his best for last.

Then, the Uruguayans efforts to deny the box to the skillful Europeans blew up in their faces.  A weak clearance found its way out to Giovanni van Brunckhorst,  thirty-five metres from goal on the left flank.  With no blue shirt in closing range, he was free to step into his shot with all the power he could muster.  The ball flew off his foot, low and hard, past the outstretched hand of Muslera, bouncing tightly into the goal off both the upright and  the bar.

It was definitely one of the most well taken strikes in the tournament, thus far.  For the Dutch captain, it was just his sixth goal in, possibly, the final of his one hundred and five appearances for his country.

As they say, the best laid plans…  The early deficit would force Uruguay to press matters at the other end.

Like the fella once said, "Ain't that a kick in the head?"

The Netherlands did their best to keep the tetchy Uruguayans at bay and tensions came to a head quickly.  Just before the half hour mark, Martin Caceres attempted a bicycle kick outside the Dutch box.  Unfortunately, Demy deZeuww was also on hand, looking to head the ball clear.  Caceres’ boot caught the flying Dutchman full in the face and earned the offender a yellow card.  Another was also handed out to an enraged Wesley Sneijder, who, in retaliation, angrily shoved Caceres to the ground.

In the aftermath, the midfield was contested hotly by both sides and the pace of the match became ragged at best.  Play in the box was further hampered by two or three more very tight offside calls.

With just under 5 minutes remaining in the half, the Uruguayans pegged the Dutch back with a strike from who else but Diego Forlan.  The Atletico Madrid striker created some space for himself, selling a wide dummy to his marker and cutting inside.  His slightly swerving shot fooled Maarten Stekelenberg enough that all he could do was palm it into the roof of the goal.

Never give this man time and space.

The commentators and analysts at the half all thought the keeper should have done better with it.  I’m of the opinion they should be a little more forgiving.  While there wasn’t that much movement on the Jabulani, Forlan had been going to his left and some how managed to place his shot, against the grain, through a small opening between the heads of two defenders.  With his support crowding the middle, Stekelenberg was naturally moving to cover a wider shot.  Forlan’s somewhat fortunate aim not only caught the keeper by surprise but his successful use of the involuntary screen gave the Dutch backstop less time to react.

The determination and luck of the South Americans was still in force and at halftime it was all square at one goal apiece.  Unexpectedly, it was Bert van Marwijck who felt obligated to make an adjustment during the intermission, bringing on Rafael van der Vaart for the slightly addled deZeuww.

Tactically, it was a sound change.  The Uruguayan midfield was filled with holding players and lacked any real creativity.  By combining the Real Madrid man’s artistry with that of Kuyt, Sneijder, Robben and van Persie, the Netherlands hoped to force the compacted sky blue wall to spread itself a little thinner.

The restart began much as the match had.  The Netherlands had the better of the possession but couldn’t get near goal.  Then after a failed counterattack, Dutch right back, Khalid Boulharouz, replacing van der Wiel for the day, was slow to react to a ball over his head.  Stekelenberg was forced to come out and desperately clear.  His effort went to Alvaro Pereira and, reminiscent of David Villa’s first goal against Chile, he drilled it goalward with the keeper too far from home to get safely back.  Giovanni van Brunckhorst was there to hold the fort, however, thus providing his side with a two goal cushion, first scoring at one end and then saving a second at the other.

That moment of high drama was followed by a handful of wasted chances in front of both goals before the match again settled into a midfield slugfest.  Finally, in the seventieth minute, the stars aligned and the Dutch quality would at last come to the fore, while luck finally deserted the Uruguayans.

The Dutch nickel and dime the Uruguayans

Having set up a siege of the South American box, l’Oranje were moving the ball back and forth between their creative players, when it settled for Sneijder, slightly to the left of center, to attempt a shot.  It pinballed off the legs of one defender and the boot of another before skipping towards the far corner.  A slightly off side Robin van Persie jumped to avoid contact with the ball.  No defender clatteered into him vainly trying to reach it.  Muslera, on his line was not screened but may have hesitated in his reaction, thinking the Arsenal man might play the ball.  The flag stayed down, though, and the ball found its target.  It was Sneijder’s fifth goal of the tournament, drawing him even with Spain’s David Villa.

My first impression was that van Persie was offside and the replay showed that he was.  The assertion, by the commentators, that he was in the line of sight of the keeper was inaccurate.  Nor, as I said, did he appear to be impeding any defenders.  Furthermore, without a visible reaction from the keeper it is completely up to the interpretation of the official as to whether he was interfering in play.  Obviously, they did not.  Perhaps, at the break, they had been informed that they had been a bit quick on the trigger in the first half, and therefore had become more reluctant.  Who can say?  Whatever influenced their ruling, it was two-one to the Netherlands.

For the most part, Robben used his head and stayed on his feet.

The stunning turnaround in fortunes buoyed the Dutch spirit and seemed to daze the Uruguayans, leaving them, for the moment, more cautious.  Having more time on the ball, the skilled orange attack made excellent use of it.  Dirk Kuyt, operating on the left, recovered a rejected effort into the box and sent back a much better cross. The vertically challenged Arjen Robben found some space and leapt to head it into the side netting.  In the space of three minutes, the deadlock had been broken and the Netherlands were seemingly in complete control of the match.

Ten minutes later, Diego Forlan came off for the little used Sebastien Fernandez.  Even down two goals, it was difficult to believe the talisman would want to leave the pitch or that his proud manager would concede the match with time on the clock.  Sure enough, after the match, Tabarez claimed he had no choice.  Forlan had actually begun the tilt with an aggravated thigh muscle, that had become too sore for him to continue.

Diego Forlan alone wasn't enough for Uruguay

Uruguay pressed on but were unable to get even a sniff at goal in regulation.  On ninety minutes, that would change.  Young Eljero Elia would come on to allow Robben to take a bow.  The youngster quickly got himself into trouble over-pursuing Maxi Pereira to the outside.  The midfielder took advantage of the newcomer’s naivete and cut back inside to curl a shot past Stekelenberg.  The ball first past within reach of three Dutch defenders, all of whom inexplicably let it through.

With just a minute or two of stoppage time remaining, Uruguay had been given a lifeline.  Surging forward desperately, they threw everything they had left at the Dutch goal.  A reawakened defense, though, did everything they had to in order to clear ball after ball, until the referee at last blew the final whistle.

In the end, it was a bad hair day for Uruguay.

.

.

An undermanned Uruguay side had certainly given the Netherlands all they could handle.  Obviously outclassed, they fought doggedly and admirably to the end.  Given their previous encounter with Ghana, many may feel they deserved to fall victim to a disputed goal but, in the interests of the game, no one does.  On this night, despite a minor skirmish at the whistle, Tabarez and his players were as gracious in defeat as they were incorrigible in victory.  They had no complaints, taking the van Persie decision as the price of doing business and gracefully acknowledging the class of the Dutch side.

And so, the Christians have crossed swords and a victor has emerged.  Tomorrow, Germany and Spain will fight it out, tooth and claw, for a chance to feast on Sunday in Johannesburg.  See you in twenty four hours!

Since England were knocked out of the World Cup, the pundits and the media have been circling, offering up various reasons why we failed. Some are calling Capello incompetent which, frankly, is ridiculous, whilst others are blaming the players, who must surely bear a large portion of the responsibility. There are theories that the style of play didn’t suit the England players but, strangely, they were playing the same system that saw them pick up 9 wins out of 10 in qualification. Many experts are declaring that our mentality is wrong, right up from grass roots football, whilst others believe that captain, Steven Gerrard, got himself into a bit of personal bother a while ago and this caused deep rifts in the squad.

With all of these theories being thrown about, it is hard to see the wood from the trees. Who, exactly, is to blame? Is it the players? Is it the coach? Is it the Premier League clubs who bring in foreigners, rather than give the youngsters the chance to prove themselves? Is it the players who, if you listen to the majority, simply “don’t care”? This, to me, is a fundamental problem for the England national team. The media build them up to be on a footing with the likes of Spain, Brazil, Holland and Germany, yet their record against these teams in recent times is anything but World Cup winning.

Whilst the fans of England continue to hold these false beliefs, championed by the tabloids, England will always fail. The pressure on the players is at such a level that even a misplaced pass draws groans from the crowd. Every single thing that they do is under such microscopic analysis that they no longer feel free enough to simply enjoy their football. Nobody wants to be the one that fails; nobody wants to be the one that gets England knocked out. This presents its own problem, though. If nobody is prepared to fail, then how exactly can they be prepared to succeed? As the old saying goes, he who dares wins, Rodney.

Do the fans expect too much?

The key thing to remember when assessing England and their international tournament record, of recent times, is that there are many things wrong with the way things are set up. I believe that most of the reasons, or excuses as some like to put it, outlined above, do, in fact, hold a certain weight. Most, if not all, of these issues need to be addressed if England is ever going to be in a position to win a major tournament again.

There are so many problems, though, where do we start? Should we look to address things in the short term or should we simply  accept that we will be poor for a few years and try to alter the set up all the way from the bottom to the top, in the hope that things will improve?

The biggest problem that anyone who tries to tackle England’s problems faces is the weight of public expectation. Football fans can, at times, be very short-sighted; they want immediate success and rarely think of the future. It is this impatient attitude which has helped create the situation in which England currently find themselve. Everybody in England is an expert; every pundit knows better than Capello. Quite simply, the nation is deluded. Whoever takes on the task of reinventing English football will have one hell of a fight on his hands.

I can't even remember when Ferdinand was last fully fit

When I wrote Form and Fitness, eh?, just over a month ago, I was quite frustrated at Capello’s choices. I counted as many as 8 players in that squad that I felt, by Capello’s alleged selection criteria, shouldn’t be there. King, Ferdinand, Terry and Carragher were all players I considered lucky to be at the World Cup. All of them had either suffered through much publicized injury problems or been way out of form. Not surprisingly, King and Ferdinand suffered injuries,whilst Terry and Carragher looked devoid of both form and confidence. The result was a defence that was slow and cumbersome, with a startling lack of ability to play a simple pass. Every attack was met with an “if in doubt, boot it out” response. Dawson, who was probably the best English centre half in the Premier League in the final months, didn’t even spend a minute on the pitch! Perhaps the confidence that he had could have made a difference to the setup at the back for England. I guess we will never know.

Gerrard looked out of form, frustrated and lacking in confidence

Carrick, Wright Phillips and Gerrard were also subject to my criticism and, by the looks of it, that criticism has been justified. Gerrard looked out of sorts, as he has done for much of the season for Liverpool, Carrick had injury problems that kept him well away from the first team sheet and Wright Phillips looked like a lost schoolboy every time he stepped on the pitch. Adam Johnson, team mate to Wright Phillips, had been in great form for Manchester City and had, in fact, taken Wright Phillips’ place. How ironic that Wright Phillips got the nod over him.

Lampard, having scored 22 league goals last season, should have been the focal point of England's midfield

Midfield is a big, big problem area for England. In Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, England undoubtedly have two of the best midfielders in club football. The problem is that both of them play “in the hole” for their clubs, yet England’s set up didn’t even have an “in the hole” role. Gerrard was shunted out left, whilst Lampard was required to play more as a central midfielder. I can’t understand why Lampard wasn’t given a more advanced role, with Gerrard being dropped to the subs bench to provide a very handy option and an actual left winger being used on the left.

The last player who was the focus of my bewilderment at his inclusion was Heskey. Okay, he creates chances, he holds the ball up well and he helps to give England an extra option. The problem is, he doesn’t play club football regularly enough to be in form and has always had confidence issues. I like the guy, but he should not have been in the squad. I don’t care that he doesn’t score goals as long as he adds to the squad, which he does, but you can’t expect a player who has had sporadic football at best to find the groove to help his country win the World Cup.

I have a lot of issues with the squad that Capello chose and I think he made a lot of poor choices. I have my own ideas about what should have happened, but I am not deluded enough to think that I am right – see Andy Townsend. Some of the things I have highlighted, although good in theory, simply might not work. Would dropping Ferdinand, King, Terry and Carragher for four centre backs who had been in form actually succeed, or  simply create confusion at the back? I don’t know. The problem as I see it is that the same players are religiously selected, regardless of form and fitness. If the in-form players aren’t tried before the tournaments, then it is simply impossible to change completely for a World Cup.

Should players' places be guaranteed as Rooney's is? There is no doubting his passion but, sometimes, he just needs a break

I would like to see the general selection policy changed. I know that John Terry and Rio Ferdinand are our best centre backs just as I know that Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are our best midfielders and Wayne Rooney is our best striker. I cannot accept, however, that their places should be guaranteed just because of this. When you select a squad full of players that is out of form, low on confidence or recovering from injury is it any wonder that the performances they put together look disjointed and fall far below par?

There are many things that need to change in the English game to make the national team successful. I would like to see a manager who is strong enough to make the unpopular decisions. In Capello, I thought we had that.

And so it was today in Germany’s quarter final clash with Diego Maradona’s Argentina. With just 3 minutes gone, the 20 year-old from the small town of Pähl in Bavaria rose to glance Bastian Schweinsteiger’s free-kick beyond the haplessly stranded Sergio Romero to send his country into raptures.

Mueller heads past Romero

Before the match, many (German fans included) believed Germany’s big moment in this World Cup had come with their thrashing of England. Maradona’s Albiceleste wouldn’t be so easy. Messi, Tevez and co would bring Joachim Löw’s young team down to earth they thought. Mueller set Germany on the way to proving that theory wrong with Germany’s fastest ever World Cup goal.

Throughout the remaining 42 minutes of the 1^st half Argentina rarely looked like getting back into the match. Whilst they controlled the majority of possession, Germany worked tirelessly off the ball to deny space to their attacking players. Schweinsteiger and Khedira did an especially good job picking up Messi and denying him the chance to operate between Germany’s midfield and defence. That, coupled with Argentina’s lack of natural width, meant there was no way through. A tame shot at Neuer by Higuaín and a rightly disallowed offside goal (again from Higuain), were the best the Albiceleste could muster.

Messi - frustrated

As well as being well-organised defensively, Germany were also a threat going forward. Mid-way through the 1^st half it was Müller again who pounced on an error by Gabriel Heinze to burst into the box and lay it off to Miroslav Klose, who should have sent the Germans in 2-0 at the break, but he wastefully fired it over.

With the score still at 1-0 at the start of the 2^nd half, Argentina fancied their chances and dominated the opening 20 minutes. A powerful Carlos Tevez shot was blocked on 54 minutes by the face of Per Mertesacker. From the resulting corner, Manuel Neuer had to parry a Di Maria cross to safety. Argentina had further chances through Messi and Higuaín in the 63^rd minute but, as they began to throw more men forward, Germany looked more and more dangerous on the counter.

Just as in their previous match, Germany grabbed the killer goal just when their opponents looked most like scoring. Again, Müller was involved. Having been brought down by Otamendi 25 yards away from the Argentina goal, Müller admirably stayed alert to swivel on the ground and stab the ball into the path of the onrushing Lukas Podolski. The Pole was left with little to do but roll the ball across to his ‘countryman’ Klose to tap into the back of the net. Cue delirium on the streets of Germany, a country today bathed in 37 degree heat. It would be interesting to know how many cases of heatstroke this goal, alone, caused among the many outdoor fan parks across the land. It was the strike that gave the Germans the genuine belief that victory was theirs.

The party didn’t end there however. With Argentina desperately throwing men forward in their increasingly hopeless attempts to salvage the match, Germany broke forward twice more to pick at the gaping holes in the South Americans’ defence. Both goals were similar to Germany’s 2nd, as they took advantage of slack defending on Argentina’s right side. First, man of the match Schweinsteiger slalomed brilliantly toward the byline to cut the ball back for Arne Friedrich to tap home. Then, as if not to be outdone, Mesut Özil rounded off proceedings with a touch of genius, expertly standing the ball up at the far post for Klose to volley home his 2nd goal of the match. A more sublime, perfectly weighted pass you couldn’t wish to see, Klose didn’t have to break stride, he barely even had to move, before stroking it past Romero.

Klose - World Cup legend

The final goal capped a stunning team performance by Germany. Once more, Joachim Löw came up with the perfect tactical plan to foil his opposition. Once again they were strong in defence and devastating on the counter attack. Schweinsteiger, in particular, marshalled his team expertly, keeping the shackles on Messi for much of the game but also getting forward to support in attack. The goal also brought Klose’s World Cup goal tally to 14, level with Gerd Müller and 1 short of Ronaldo’s all time record. All eyes will be on him in Germany’s semi-final against Vicente del Bosque’s (so far) unimpressive and beatable-looking Spain outfit. Unfortunately, they won’t be on Thomas Müller, who was harshly yellow-carded for an accidental handball in the 1st half and will be suspended.

Whether they win or lose against the Spaniards, one thing is certain: just like in 2006, Germany’s young team has made their countrymen, from the Chancellor to the salt of the earth fan, immensely proud, and given them at least one more big party to look forward to.

England fans should feel a bit better also – at least Capello’s men mustered one goal!

That says it all, really

On Thursday, pundits the world over were marveling at how this had turned into a South American World Cup.  With the way the Round of 16 had shaken out, there was a chance that all four semi-finalists would be from that continent.  Added to that was the sudden belief in the abilities of Diego Maradona as a football manager.  Excuse me, while I laugh at that thought one more time.

I will admit that I’m surprised at how easily the Germans handled the kamikaze minded Argentines.  With Per Mertesacke’s nervous efforts so far in the competition and the quickness of Tevez, Messi, et al, I had thought the contest would be fought tooth and claw and that the lack of a cohesive back line and strong goal keeping would ultimately do in the Albiceleste. I wasn’t expecting the Germans to toy with their opponents like a well fed cat with a helpless mouse.

Still, it certainly was an enjoyable experience to see the original Hand of God dealt some comeuppance less than 24 hours after a pathetic clone was undesirably foisted upon the world.  Equally, it gives me opportunity to see Rob Hughes, the NY Times author of this piece, choke down his words, one syllable at a time.

The major reason we can do without the Luis Suarez' of the world

Have I mentioned that I have a particular dislike for Diego Maradona?  Or that I’m supposed to be telling you about the Spain/Paraguay match to decide the last semi-finalist?

Sorry about that.  It’s just that it’s been a wild fourty-eight hours in South Africa.  Brazil has turned out to have a glass jaw, with the Dutch knocking them silly with one punch, Ghana, and Africa, have been unceremoniously dumped out by an unapologetic and less than humble Urugayan side and, finally,  Germany have taken the tournament and Argentina buy the throat and shaken very, very vigorously.  With all that happening in the other quarter final matches, and the one-sidedness (can you say defense?) of the Paraguayan outfit, I hope you’ll forgive me for not expecting the remaining game to add to the insanity.

The opening exchange almost proved me wrong.  Oscar Cardozo flicked on for Jonathan Santana to break in free on Iker Casillas.  Unfortunately, he struck the ball directly into the arms of the Spanish captain.  The shaky start for the Iberians was revisited on eight minutes when Casillas dawdled over a clearance.  Nelson Valdez rushed in and blocked it but the ball bounded wide of the goal.

Sgt. Bilko was raving on the touch line for Paraguay, as usual

From this point, the match settled into a predictable pattern.  Spain began to dominate possession, working their short passing game.  Paraguay settled back, concentrating on defence, while looking for opportunities to counter.  Those chances came and Gerrardo Martino had coached his charges well to take full advantage of Sergio Ramos’ laziness in getting back.

Spain didn’t have much success penetrating the Paraguayan 18.  Fernando Torres was still very unsettled over the ball and David Villa hadn’t been able to find his range in the early going.  Andres Iniesta had some effect, working inside more in this match than in previous ones.

Five minutes before the half, the South Americans came down the right side, for a change, on the break.  A cross into the box found Valdez, both offside and off balance.  His first touch bounced up and hit his outstretched left arm.  The deflection fell to his feet and he buried the ball in the twine.  Sanity was maintained for the moment, though, the shrill scream of Guatemalan referee, Carlos Batres’, whistle quelling the momentary hopes of Larissa Riquelme and her compatriots.

Sorry, the Luis Suarez School of Handball is temporarily closed

Soon after, Valdez streaked in one more time, from the left, as Sergio Ramos watched from mid-field.  His shot was well over the bar, however.  The half remained unblemished by goals.  Paraguay had their opportunities but their finishing was abysmal.  During the break, Vicente del Bosque, would have done well to break out the DVD and show his troops some highlights of the German back line.  They seem to have forgotten the concept of defending, altogether.

As the old rhyme goes, second verse, same as the first.  When play resumed, Paraguay continued to hold the Spaniards at bay, with Torres struggling, Villa erratic and Ramos out of position.  At least la Furia were looking stronger at the back.  Perhaps del Bosque knows how to use a remote.

Ten minutes in El Gaffer made an interesting change.  The ineffective Torres (sorry kid) was replaced by Cesc Fabregas.  Villa switched to operate inside and the Arsenal man was stationed in front of him.

Just one minute later, the insanity returned, despite my misgivings, and at full bore.  First, Gerard Pique was caught redhanded, pulling on Oscar Cardozo’s arm, as though the pair were in a tug of war.  The card handed out was of the less severe shade, however.  Cardozo took his own penalty, blasting it towards the lower 90 on Casillas’ left.  The Spanish keeper was psychic on this chance and quickly there to absorb the shot.

Not so fast, amigos

At the other end, Villa raced through, seemingly clear but was tripped by Antonin Alcaraz.  Somehow, it was again deemed to be merely a yellow card.  For Spain, it was Xabi Alonso stepping in to handle the spot duty.  His shot made it hard and low into the low corner, sparking jubilation, but the momentary enthusiasm was abruptly curtailed by the official.  One of the Spaniards had encroached on the penalty area and Batres ordered a do-over, as we used to say in the school yard.

Alonso stepped in again and, operating on the theory that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, fired for the same target.  Justo Villar’s mindreading powers were suddenly equal to his opposite number’s and, amazingly, we were all still watching a scoreless tie.

The Spaniards, emboldened now,  began to pin back the ears of Justo Villar.  Iniesta attacked the box from the left and forced a point blank save from the Paraguayan keeper.  In the  sixty-seventh minute, the referee apparently decided penalties had become passe.  Fabregas was hauled down at the end line but play continued. Roque Santa Cruz came into the match for the impotent Valdez but Martino’s side needed help at the back before they could dream of moving the ball into Spain’s end of the pitch.

This 2nd verse not as good as the 1st

The Spanish onslaught strengthened.  Iniesta worked in from the left on a short corner and earned another.  The result of that was an eventual Alonso cannonade over the bar after some sustained pressure.Paraguay’s frustration became evident in their play.  Cardozo, desperate for the ball, leaned into Puyol from behind.  If it wasn’t before, the match was definitely getting chippy.

Pedro came on at this juncture, as del Bosque did not want to prolong this match into overtime, much less penalty kicks.  Spare us that, por favor. With the attack redoubled again, Joan Capdevilla overlapped and put a splendid cross into the box but Alcazar wass first to find it and headed the ball back, over the touchline.  With that, it was down to the final ten minutes of regular time.

Cesc's first serious playing time produces a less than clinical finish from the lucky and good Villa

Finally, in the dying moments, we found out why Spain is Spain.  Fabregas began an attack from the centre circle, his pass forward backheeled by Xavi Hernandez to Iniesta.  The little wizard would turn two defenders into stone with his enchanting weaves and dribble towards goal.  Entering the box, he slid it over to Pedro, who drove it off the post.  The rebound was gathered and settled by David Villa, who showed up Pedro by pinballing it off both uprights and into goal! One-nil Spain and Villa, finally  if barely, finds his range and at just the right time.  In Ellis Park, tonight, it was simple math.  Three posts equal one goal.

Desperate, the Paraguayans threw everyone forward.  Roque Santa Cruz, invisible since coming on, tried his first chance and proved no more useful than Valdez.  Jonathan Santana gifted Sergio Busquets an elbow in the face and sees yellow for his effort.  An enraged Spanish side attacked the other end in numbers.  A cross from the right is let through for Villa whose careful shot must evade a defender.  The pace sacrificed for accuracy allowed Villar to recover and save the cross grain shot.

Following that, Paraguay again raised the intensity of their guerilla tactics.  Sergio Ramos was forced to don a head wrap after being bloodied by the boot of Santana.  No punishment was forthcoming as Ramos was attempting a rather low header.  Despite two penalties and a handful of bookings, Referee Bastes can only be described as having been remarkably tolerant.  Four minutes of extra time expired with no further threat from Paraguay and Spain,ragged around the edges are through to the semis.

Paraguay were game but simply didn’t have the firepower up front to hang with the Spaniards.  It occurs to me that if you combined the attacking players of Argentina with the defensive corps and keeper of their continental cousins, such a team might go far.  As both South American teams found out today, you must have balance to succeed in the World Cup.

So, on Tuesday we will see the Dutch take on the Uruguayans, for the right to play for the World Cup on the Sunday following.  Without Luis Suarez to harry their flanks, Bert van Marwijk’s aging centre backs can focus more on the whereabouts of Diego Forlan.  Missing their 49 goal man, look for la Celeste to return to the condensed backline they featured against France, although the injury to captain Diego Lugano may prove critical.  They will hope to wear down the Dutch attack and perhaps strike through the set piece magic of Forlan.  Meanwhile, l’Oranje will keep milking the partnership of Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder, as well as the latter’s own prodigious store of dead ball sorcery.

Wednesday, the other finalist will be determined in a dream confrontation between the calmly efficient young Germans and the fiery Spaniards.  As well as getting a chance to hoist the trophy, Miro Klose will be looking to leave behind Gerd Mueller and join Ronaldo I as the leading goal scorer in World Cup history.  David Villa, with 5 in this tournament will be looking to consolidate his claim for this tournament’s Golden Boot.

If you have any vacation days, it’s time to use them.  See you in mid-week.

Gyan and Mensah should never have had to try, let alone fail.

Having grown up in the age of the television remote and ever faster internet connection speeds, I’m fully aware that I have a short attention span.  With that in mind, I find it impressive that I’ve just spent 90+ minutes, or one regulation football match attempting a single Google search.

For what, you may ask?  Actually, I was hoping to discover the last time that FIFA made a fundamental change in the rules of the game.  Some of the more knowledgeable readers of WFC, I’m sure, will be happy to tell me that the answer to that is never.  FIFA, it turns out, is merely part of another body, IFAB, which decides those changes.

Comprised of the original football associations in the United Kingdom, the FA (England), SFA (Scotland), FAW (Wales) and the IFA (Northern Ireland), along with FIFA, the International Football Association Board deliberates over any changes to the rules of the game.  I say deliberates, because it appears that, beyond trivial matters such as which undergarments players may wear (same colour as their kit, no endorsements of any kind) and what to do about advertisers who try to horn in on FIFA’s gold mine (arrest any group of sexy blondes in plain orange dresses you see, making sure to interrogate them thoroughly and sieze their passports), IFAB just gets together, has a few drinks and laughs at the Republic of Ireland.

What about on the field issues?  Well, they’ve been debating whether to change the last man standing red card to yellow for almost 2 years, now.  Instant replay technology was unanimously swept off the table in just a few hours.  Given the partners which make up this august institution, you might expect that political infighting is keeping anything from getting done.  It’s happened, here and there, but for the most part these fellows are a conservative lot and they seem to agree on one all-encompassing principle.  Change is bad.

Which leads me to one conclusion.  If it makes sense to alter or create a new rule, or improve the game in any way, IFAB isn’t interested.

Which rule do I want to change?  I don’t believe a team should benefit, in the manner that Uruguay has, by advancing through intentional cheating to deny a goal.  Yes, Asamoah Gyan missed the awarded pk but a penalty should not be given in that situation.  What should be given is the goal that would have been scored otherwise.

If a defending position player, located on or near the goal line, deliberately uses his hand to stop what would otherwise be a certain goal, the offender should be shown a straight red card and the goal should be allowed.  Notice that I have worded that carefully, using the word certain.  There can be no question that Ghana would have scored at the death were it not for Luis Suarez’ 2 handed intervention.

Why, then, should a penalty be awarded?  Penalty kicks are not guaranteed to score.  They can be saved or, as in this instance, missed.  Therefore, the offending team is actually being rewarded for cheating and the victim kicked while he is down.

The players don't write the rules but they should have more class than to celebrate a robbery in front of 80,000 victims.

If I offered you $100 in exchange for $83.10, would you take my money?  I’m betting you would every time and happily.   If the shoe were on the other foot, I’m thinking you wouldn’t be so eager.  Given that, according to research, penalty kicks are converted 83.1% of the time, on average, that’s the exchange Ghana was forced to accept by the rules of the game.

Luis Suarez illegally prevented a sure defeat for his side in exchange for a roughly 1 in 6 chance to stay alive in the World Cup.  The desperate gamble paid off.  After the match, he was laughing and joking with his teammates. He won’t play in the semi-final but I’m reasonably sure he won’t be complaining.  Anyone who loves the game should be, however.

So far in this competition, we’ve had refereeing mistakes affect 4 different goal scoring opportunities and now a loophole in the rules has been exposed in a 5th.  Knee jerk reaction to infrequent occurrences is not always the best way to handle matters.  On the other hand, 5 separate blunders in the space of 3 weeks doesn’t seem all that rare to me.

This evening in Soccer City, the better team lost.  Uruguay celebrates, Africa mourns.  Uruguay plays in the semi-final, Ghana goes home.  Uruguay gets a bigger piece of the revenue pie for its ‘victory,’  the development of football in Africa suffers.  Luis Suarez is a hero and likely receives a big payday by moving to a major club.  Asamoah Gyan and John Mensah are branded failures for not being able to win the same match twice in one night.

Sepp Blatter shrugs his shoulders and says he’s sorry.  FIFA will take the matter up after the tournament (transl., sweep it under the rug when no one is watching).

The powers that be in football have adopted the philosophy that life is sometimes unfair, in dealing with these issues.  Life, of course, isn’t fair but the whole point of sport is the level playing field that allows the better team to win.  I think it’s time that IFAB realized that the beautiful game is slightly askew and it’s their duty to do something about it.