Well she is a brave one, the English national team are the Cubs of soccer.
Germany lost a game where the referee made up the rules for distinguishing fouls and penalties as he went along, and they played 10-man ball for 75 minutes.
Klose was a moron for getting tossed, and they deserved to lose the game because of it, but yeah. Three stars for a reason.
Don't forget they are also 3 time European Champions. Great chance they add to those six major titles in the near future as well considering Boateng, Muller, and Ozil are all 21 or younger (something to note considering the USA status report thread yesterday). Only 5 of the 23 men in their World Cup squad are older than 26. Also of interest, all but one player in the German squad play their club football in Germany rather than the self-proclaimed "best league in the world."
It's not the English players that make the EPL the top league in the world. It's the fact that they have more clubs with fat pockets than most other leagues in the world. And that allows them to buy more than their fair share of the world's top young talent.
The EPL is the easiest league to relate to for English speaking Americans and gets the most media coverage here, but the league has definitely been on the decline in the last year. They had no Champions League semi-finalists this past season (after dominating the competition for a couple of years) and they have far fewer top players than Spain at the moment.
If Wayne Rooney can be the best player in your league, then your league is not the best in the world.
Like a throw-in or a corner, you can't be offside on a goal kick. That is why nobody mentioned it. Klose's goal was good and the game is still a route even if Lampard gets credited for the wrongly disallowed goal.
Germany won that game and played better, but I do think that the refs changed the complexion of England's strategy, which allowed for Germany to have more counter striking opoortunities - which they capitalized on.
I think easily conceding two goals in the first half had more to do with the change in strategy than the one bad call.
And you honestly think that 2 legitimate England goals would not shift England strategy away from being overly aggressive where they are easily vulernable to counter attack break aways -- how Germany scored in the second half?
England didn't come out in the second half aggressively. They didn't start playing aggressive until the 3-1 goal was already in. Maybe it'd been different down 3-2, but as soon as England went aggressive, they immediately gave up the 4th goal. Everything after that was just Germany playing keep away.
I respectfully disagree, wasn't Germany's 3rd goal off of an England free kick. England had too many men up being aggressive and when the kick went into the wall and took a fortunate bounce Germany were off to the races with better numbers to score.
A free kick 28' from the goal with 3 men back, 2 of which were burned hardcore, doesn't necessarily mean they were playing aggressive. Was it a massive blunder to have the two guys burned down the sideline as they watched a ball they thought was going out of bounds get cut off? Sure. But even the announcers were discussing the lack of aggression in the first 10 minutes of play in the 2nd half.
Just watched the Germans' third again and none of the England players in the box begins to backtrack when the ball hits the wall. It bounces to an England player but still no one moves an inch back toward his own goal. He loses it and Germany is already going at full sprint. Even then, they get bodies back but are so disorganized that Muller only has to slip out slightly to the wing in order to get a free shot at goal, which James completely whiffs on.
In short, England did a ton wrong on that play that had nothing to do with being over agressive to make up a goal.
I think we're in agreement then. I might have had a detail mixed up, but yeah, I totally agree it was laziness getting back on the counter. I think I might have been thinking of one of the other scoring chances instead, just extending how lazy the English looked.
I think the third could have happened either way. They had guys up in the box for the set piece like they always would and Lampard chunked it into the wall. Then they were slow getting back. I don't think there would have been too much difference in how England played it in a tie game. The fourth was more a result of just bombing everyone forward, but at that point it would have been over either way.
Fuck Mexico!
...were some great chances for Mexico. This is shaping up to be a great match.
This game is even more exciting on Univision. Two great chances for Mexico. I've seen all their Cup games and most of their pre-tournament friendlies. It seems like every game Salcido has one or two great strikes from distance but he still hasn't scored. I keep waiting for the big one that finally goes in for him.
Univision is great, especially when the announcer yells GGGGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL for nearly 2 minutes.
... i can't understand what their saying, but on ABC i can't understand those british guys are talking about either, at least on univision it's exciting
...looks a lot better with his shaved head than the stupid bleached blonde with headband look he used to sport.
...there and Argentina go up 1-0. But that was offside.
Tevez nods in and is ridiculously offside. Mexicans are deservedly going ape-shit.
...on the sideline as the referee and assistant discuss the blown call.
offside. and the mexicans know it
Tevez was behind everybody. That is unreal that they could miss that call.
...will there be in this, FIFA's biggest stage? They're mounting and their luddite stance is getting more and more untenable.
That was just awful.
Put me in the camp for Instant Replay for the World Cup and Qualifying.
The sport is such a low scoring game that wrongly allowed/disallowed goals changes the complexion of the entire game even if scored early on. With Henry's double handball to beat the Irish, the disallowed goal for the US, England and now this Argentina goal...why not use replay in a limited sense and get the call right?
...a history of falling apart when things don't go their way. They better get themselves under control or this game will get out of hand quickly.
...proves me right. 2-0 Arg.
okay THAT goal was legit
...by Higuain after the disastrous Osorio giveaway.
GOOOOOOLLLLL MEXICO!
/not really, just taking advantage of your lack of coverage
ABC went out on over the air as well in Grosse Pointe. Stupid thunderstorms...
futbol.univision.com
i think the storms took out the local ABC station in southfield
...and Mexico is going to have a very unhappy chat in the locker room.
Gotta say I am incredibly disappointed at this world cup. So much bad officiating: they call goals when they should not be, do not call goals when they do score, phantom red cards. Plus the crappy ball and the damn vuvuzuelas.
A goal is waaayyy too significant in this game to miss calls, it changes everything, so a missed call is just too important.
Really sad to see this over and over.
Haha, loved the last TV comment: "Are these Argentinean players ever going to get up right after they fall down, rather than try to get a foul?"
And the worst part is seeing Maradona jumping up and down, I hate that guy.
What a strike from Tevez. Good night, Mexico.
...done. 3-0 Argentina after the Tevez rocket. Harkes: "That is lethal." Indeed.
this Mexican defending is a joke