2010:Worst World Cup Trend than ever
Just read this again, and boy do I sound pessimistic! I really hope I am wrong and the rest of the tournament is a big success … What do you think?
OK, so we have only the first week of the World Cup, but let’s face it, with the exception of Germany game, most games were rather disappointing. In fact, some of them – especially Algeria vs Slovenia – were shockingly bad.
Is this just a blip? Get used to a slower start to the tournament as a player in the air? Or something more endemic wrong with the best sporting tournament in the world (and yes, the Olympics are not, nothing will be with him in badminton always pale in comparison to the World Cup)?
I’m worried about the latter be the case – although I really hope I am wrong! Here’s why:
The Hype Machine
The number of columns for the weeks devoted to the World Cup really inflate our expectations. Then add each brand and supermarket jump jumped on the train, and from early May can not move without seeing Fenando Torres’ smile to grin at each corner.
Oh, and then there’s the politicians try to look out for them as Blurting some bombastic line every two seconds. Even David “I must admit, I do not like football,” Cameron came up with some bilge about it is like England’s World Cup bid just like his “we are all in this together” mantra.
With this amount of hot air, it is inevitable that we are by what the World Cup provides really disappointed. Does that mean it’s a bad World Cup? Maybe not real, but in terms of how much we really enjoy it, the answer is “yes” is.
Worse, the media attention inevitably loads most football players with an exceptional degree of pressure. I think this is certainly the case with the English national team. Let’s hope that Rob Green has contributed to the squad from the system!
Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiix!
France and Portugal are probably only at this tournament because FIFA conveniently AFTER the playoffs seeded, it was clear those big guns were in them! Whose fault is it? Probably us, the fans – at least in public.
Although we say we want to see the underdogs do well as long as it was not at the expense of the great teams. We want to see the best players and the largest nations on the biggest stage, but we are also guilty of complaining that it predictable – with the ‘old team. “
To feel the FIFA how to protect them, what we want, and make decisions accordingly. Worryingly, everything goes quite a bit Superbowl.
Club vs Country
The old chestnut. But maybe I have a new spin on them. It’s not as if players were saved for club football … I think they really care (even Jamie Carragher). The problem is that the standard of club football is so high that we are always disappointed that remind a team of players who no longer than a few weeks spent together not to play as a team – that’s what a difference it made in South Korea when Hiddink had the team together for months before the World Cup?
Football Club is now too great a physical strain for the modern player. So many players are injured or conducting beats going to the World Cup, there will inevitably be benefits. I strongly suspect that more and more players are under a leaf out of Paul Scholes’ book and retirement from international football.
Finally, I would argue that large players like Messi and Rooney have a tendency of disappointing at the international level because they do not hang around the same quality of players around them. No disrespect to Veron and co. But they just can not offer the same service as Xavi and Iniesta. Caps are simply not “a layer” from the Champions League in those days. Maybe the format should be changed? Brings me nicely on to my next point …
Slovenia? Really?
OK, I might get some stick for this, but although I think we should work harder at the teams that should be present at the World Cup (not only those who best to cheeky hand balls and eat make sure cheese), also I think that there are too many garbage teams in the World Cup.
The worst case was that on display this weekend with Algeria vs Slovenia. I never want a game like this be exposed again. Ever.
Maybe a smaller, shorter World Cup would give all the teams (relatively!) More chance to qualify prepared for the benefit of the tournament?
And even if Aaron Mokoena men remain to France 1-0 for the third place, they will have fired the fewest goals in a World Cup tournament. They managed three in 1998 and five in 2002.
So far in the 2010 edition, where South Africa are automatic qualifiers for their host status, they have amassed a goal and a single point from a draw and one loss.
That is, they’ll at least score two goals against France, the ninth team in the world. Uruguay and Mexico 16 17
Bafana, currently are ranked 83, 27 in 1998 and 34 in 2002.
Mokoena and co, but can still progress to the last 16, but they will have to find out three scenarios, perfect. First, Bafana beat France, and secondly, Uruguay and Mexico win the other match (a draw in this match will automatically knock out Bafana and France).
But the biggest hurdle is overcoming the massive goal difference – Bafana are five behind Mexico and six behind Uruguay. And because both sides have scored more goals than Bafana, it is not good enough to simply denounce the goal difference – the South Africans still have a drauflegen.
That is, if Mexico loses 1-0, Bafana must beat France 5-0, when Mexico won 1-0, Bafana must win 6-0.
This is a difficult question, but who says World Cups were easy?
Honk honk.
Finally, for the benefit of all the entertainment and the organizers have reason to prohibit the Vuvuzelas. They drown out all the songs, make your TV sounds like it is broken and they were originally invented to scare off baboons!
Just read this again, and boy do I sound pessimistic! I really hope I am wrong and the rest of the tournament is a big success … What do you think?