Who will win the World Cup?

[admin]

Well, the Belgiums scraped by a victory, but they're still not a team playing with a clear leitmotiv, despite all that talent..

Fellaini might be the laughing stock in Manchester (called the "lamppost", but here he shows that he can actually play

[admin]

Ochoa does a perfect Gordon Banks on Neymar's Pelé header..

[admin]

While we're waiting for a real cracker tomorrow, in which Spain not only has to beat Chili, but do it with at least a couple of goals (something they're not very good at), here an impression from the Guardian of this cracking Worldcup, at least so far:

As of Wednesday afternoon Brazil 2014 will be seven days old, a tournament that has so far unspooled relentlessly into a real-time montage of goals, attacking play and moments of grace and villainy ever since that thrillingly anxious opening night in São Paulo.

It is tempting, for the slightly hackneyed footballing romantic, to sense the hand of Brazil itself here. This is an oddly infectious country, a place where no matter how many layers of double glazing, no matter how air conditioned your interior, Brazil still seeps in at the edges.

World Cup 2014: Goals, thrills and villainy – a tournament to savour | Barney Ronay | Football | The Guardian

[admin]

A pesky little stat for the match which is about to start: Holland has NEVER beat Australia..

But then again, these are just stats and there is little, if any, serial correlation..

[admin]

If you don't believe us:

History is on Australia’s side on Wednesday – Holland have failed to beat them in their three previous meetings – and they are also not short of inside knowledge on a nation that has influenced the Socceroos’ footballing philosophy for the best part of a decade, ever since Guus Hiddink was appointed manager in 2005. A year later, Hiddink, who will replace Louis van Gaal as the Holland manager after the finals in Brazil, took Australia to the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time in their history. Alongside Hiddink in the dugout was Johan Neeskens, the former Ajax and Barcelona midfielder. Hiddink departed after the World Cup finals in Germany but his legacy lives on in Australia. Robert Baan, another Dutchman, was appointed technical director at the end of 2006. Pim Verbeek, also from the Netherlands, later replaced Hiddink and took Australia to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. In between times, Jan Versleijen, who also heralds from the Netherlands, was put in charge of the federation’s national youth programme, and Han Berger, the former Holland under-21 coach, was named the new technical director. Australia, in short, know a fair bit about the way the Dutch operate.

World Cup 2014: Australia must try to hurt Holland, says Ange Postecoglou | Football | theguardian.com

[admin]

“OK, so there are no more penalties for Brazil, right?” Scolari said, fronting up to everybody in the auditorium. “That’s my question for you. All you did was criticise Fred … ”

It was a curious line of attack. What Scolari was referring to was the outcry in the Brazilian media over how Fred, the striker, had essentially conned the Japanese referee, Yuichi Nishimura, into awarding Brazil the penalty that had helped them to victory over Croatia in the opening Group A tie. Thanks to that, Scolari seemed to be saying, there would be no more penalties for Brazil at the World Cup.

World Cup 2014: Luiz Felipe Scolari takes on media after Brazil draw | Football | The Guardian

It would have been a much better idea if they simply admitted it was an idiotic penalty... Everybody could see it for themselves anyway. And it wasn't as if Fred was such a success on the pitch:

Fred’s stats, provided by Fifa, show no shots, no assists and a single run into the attacking third during the entire game. If it wasn’t for his reaction to the slightest of tugs by Dejan Lovren and the fact he actually lined up for the national anthem, one would be excused for doubting Fred had been on the Arena Corinthians pitch at all.

Paradox of Fred divides Brazil after pratfall in opening game | Fernando Duarte | Football | The Guardian

Not much better against Mexico either..

[Petrovale]

Adios Espana

Buajajajaja....

[ArtM72]

Congrats to the Netherlands. Ready to move up.

[Petrovale]

Tough cookies, those Chile peppers!

[admin]

Tough cookies, those Chile peppers!

Tough indeed, but much tougher tests will await (Australia is the lowest Fifa ranked team in the tournament, as it happens). Soon we'll find out how the Dutch defence will perform against the likes of Neymar or Messi, or the German collective, or even those two boys from Liverpool (if they qualify). It will be difficult enough against Chile..

After today, it's perhaps a little less surprising that I didn't include Netherlands in the poll as an option..