World Football Thread XVI - The demise of one Ronaldo and the rise of another

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by MikeH
a massively overperforming home nation.

Which was pwnd by Italy in the next game

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by MikeH

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Popularsports.PNG

Great picture. Especially as 2 of the largest non football blobs outside N.America - India/Pakistan and Australia - are for Cricket. Another sport born in the country Drake loves to hate.

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by LordShiva
lol italy pwns you all LOL

Glory hunting plastics don't pwn anyone. FACT

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by Cort Haus


Glory hunting plastics don't pwn anyone. FACT

lol except you!!1

[Drake Tungsten]

Another sport born in the country Drake loves to hate.

God, I'm good...

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten
God, I'm good...

A legend in your own lunch hour.

[Drake Tungsten]

I'm a hopeless Anglophile IRL, so I must be pretty good if I've convinced you I hate England with every fiber of my being.

[Maquiladora]

Originally posted by MikeH

Brazil shouldn't be #1 based on their recent performances. They sucked in the world cup and against Portugal the other day. Argentina are a brilliant team who were very unlucky to go out of the WC on penalties against a massively overperforming home nation.

Friendlies mean nothing to Brazil but getting together with the squad. Australia beat them in a nothing confederations cup match before the 2002 WC, which Brazil obviously went on to win.

In the last WC Argentina were poor against Ivory Coast (who couldnt finish), and lucky (dodgy referee didnt send off Heinze) against a good Mexico team that also couldnt finish the many chances they created.

Wowow they played their best football against Serbia & Mont, scoring the goal with lots of passes, big deal, it was still Serbia, who at the time of the goal had stopped pressing for the ball and given in. Of course it didnt stop the pundits blubbering on how good they were after that, despite never repeating it after that game.

Their QF against Germany was boring and defensive, neither deserved it but they decided to sit back and chance Germany on penalties. Oh dear. Then after the game Argentina start a fight, yep brilliant team. Not to mention we beat them and put 3 past them in a WC warm-up.

Brazil didnt suck in the WC, they were walking it more than any other team until they met France in the QF, who scored via a set-piece and were solid defensively.

When Brazil dont win it everyone says they were awful. They were still superb up to the final in '98, but everyone remembers them being awful in the final, for whatever off the pitch reasons. It didnt help all the world class French players were peaking at that time, and they were playing at home.

Its obvious Brazil still have far more individual quality than anyone else. When they dont play as a team theyre hard to beat, when they do play as a team theyre unstoppable.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Claiming Brazil didn't suck in the WC because they were just taking it easy is pretty weak. They sucked and the attitude that they just had to show up and they'd win was a big factor in that.

[Drake Tungsten]

good Mexico team

[Maquiladora]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Claiming Brazil didn't suck in the WC because they were just taking it easy is pretty weak. They sucked and the attitude that they just had to show up and they'd win was a big factor in that.

"Walking it" doesnt mean taking it easy.

It means it was easy for them to do, or easier than other "good" teams, to kill off games they were expected to win. Its what Brazil have done best in recent years.

Argentina struggled against Ivory Coast and Mexico for example. Thats not the sign of a team deserving to win the WC, or a "brilliant" team.

Granted Brazil didnt give 100% either, but they showed far more class and ability than Argentina, who had one good game.

[Maquiladora]

Originally posted by Drake Tungsten

good Mexico team

What happened to the US?

[Drake Tungsten]

We were the only team that tied the mighty Italians. And we've been humiliating Mexico for years now. They're ****.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Nah... they aren't ****. They are just our *****es.

[Maquiladora]

In recent years they have been. They need to learn to play against physical teams.

Mexico definitely play better against teams that prefer s/low passing like Brazil and Argentina (plus all the other S/C. American sides).