World Cup 2014 Knockout Rounds (SPOILERS, YO!)

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Sun Jul 13, 2014 8:38 pm

Thank god for the silly season. I'm not sure I could deal with late July and early August baseball.

EdRomero · Post by **EdRomero** » Sun Jul 13, 2014 9:20 pm

Anyone else annoyed by the German defender committing the late foul and then wasting time laying on the field "injured" for the 10th time? Followed by everyone on the German sideline invading the field (sorry, pitch) like it was Poland yelling at the ref to end the game despite their "injured" player wasting a minute or two of extra time? No affect on the game, but a bad last impression of the World Cup for me.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Sun Jul 13, 2014 9:34 pm

Brontoburglar wrote:unfortunately it's not real North Korean news

I was 90% sure it was fake, but posted it to FB and e-mailed to a few friends. Funny either way. And Johnnie is useless and unable to translate.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:18 am

Messi didn't deserve the Golden Ball.

Robben or Rodriguez would have been better choices. Hell, Macsherano was the best player for Argentina Yesterday and in the Semi.

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:28 am

Russia, Qatar, Fox

We will remember these days with great fondness

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:30 am

Rex wrote:Russia, Qatar, Fox

We will remember these days with great fondness

I am pretty sure this is right.

Post by **Shirley** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:25 am

I thought that was a pretty damn entertaining final game. It was much better than 2010's. It's too bad both teams missed some great scoring opportunities, or it really could have been a classic.

The one thing that stood out to me though was how little Messi actually impacted the game. And that was true of pretty much all the Argentina games I saw. Is he not 100%? Surely he doesn't play that way for Barcelona, right? I mean, he's fantastic when the ball's on his foot, but otherwise he's mostly just standing around. His work rate was terrible.

Comparing him to similar little guys from other teams - he showed nothing like fight of guys like Valbuena, Shaqiri or Robben. And he plays a very similar position (withdrawn striker) as Neymar (Robben too), but Neymar had the ball WAY more than Messi.

For those who watch Barca regularly, can you explain?

Post by **Sabo** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:30 am

Shirley wrote:The one thing that stood out to me though was how little Messi actually impacted the game. And that was true of pretty much all the Argentina games I saw. Is he not 100%? Surely he doesn't play that way for Barcelona, right? I mean, he's fantastic when the ball's on his foot, but otherwise he's mostly just standing around. His work rate was terrible.

Some on Twitter were speculating he was fatigued or injured for the final, as he wasn't moving as much as he normally does. Regardless, he shouldn't have won the Ballon d'Or.

Post by **Shirley** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:37 am

Sabo wrote:Regardless, he shouldn't have won the Ballon d'Or.

Not at all. I'd have voted for Muller, Schweinsteiger, or even Neuer before anyone on Argentina. The first Argentine would have been Mascherano.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:52 am

I watch Barca a bit, but not enough to explain the difference between Messi with them, and Messi with Argentina. This was as good as Messi has been with the Albiceleste, and it still paled in comparison to his work with Barca. The quick answer is probably Xavi and Iniesta.

Johnny Carwash · Post by **Johnny Carwash** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:54 am

Rex wrote:Russia, Qatar, Fox

We will remember these days with great fondness

Yeah. During the postgame I was thinking these were the last minutes of a respectably done World Cup telecast I will see in a while. I'll start building my Joe Buck/Gus Johnson-proof bunker.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 8:55 am

I would have voted for Tim Howard. Or Jermaine Jones. Or no one.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 9:08 am

govmentchedda wrote:I watch Barca a bit, but not enough to explain the difference between Messi with them, and Messi with Argentina. This was as good as Messi has been with the Albiceleste, and it still paled in comparison to his work with Barca. The quick answer is probably Xavi and Iniesta.

This woudl be my thoguht as well. he has no one to help him build an attack with Argentina with Di Maria out. Mascerano is solid, but he's a destroyer of midfield worlds, not a creater of midfield magic. If you put Mascherano on Brazil in the Semi, I think that's a totally different game. Mascherano was the reason Germany couldn't get any good buildups.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 9:20 am

He's also been playing hurt...hammy hasn't been right for some time now.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 9:34 am

Apparently he vomits every game and during training as well. Docs can't figure out why. I'd recommend smoking a joint prior to every game and workout to avoid nausea.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 9:56 am

AB_skin_test wrote:
govmentchedda wrote:I watch Barca a bit, but not enough to explain the difference between Messi with them, and Messi with Argentina. This was as good as Messi has been with the Albiceleste, and it still paled in comparison to his work with Barca. The quick answer is probably Xavi and Iniesta.
This woudl be my thoguht as well. he has no one to help him build an attack with Argentina with Di Maria out. Mascerano is solid, but he's a destroyer of midfield worlds, not a creater of midfield magic. If you put Mascherano on Brazil in the Semi, I think that's a totally different game. Mascherano was the reason Germany couldn't get any good buildups.

Yup. Argentina needs a Veron-type player with Messi. A midfielder with exceptional vision. Often Messi would have to come back into midfield and supply the balls to the forwards who then fucked up.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 10:15 am

P.D.X. wrote:Apparently this chick got a modeling contract just from some shots of her in the stands.

Well, that didn't last long. Big game hunting picture posted on Facebook. Comment probably didn't help, but this was related to the soccer game, not a random murder spree related quote.

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 10:37 am

Isn't hunting Americans a protected right?

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 1:22 pm

AB_skin_test wrote:
govmentchedda wrote:I watch Barca a bit, but not enough to explain the difference between Messi with them, and Messi with Argentina. This was as good as Messi has been with the Albiceleste, and it still paled in comparison to his work with Barca. The quick answer is probably Xavi and Iniesta.
This woudl be my thoguht as well. he has no one to help him build an attack with Argentina with Di Maria out. Mascerano is solid, but he's a destroyer of midfield worlds, not a creater of midfield magic. If you put Mascherano on Brazil in the Semi, I think that's a totally different game. Mascherano was the reason Germany couldn't get any good buildups.

Yes to Xavi and Iniesta. Any forward looks better when being fed by midfielders of their quality. At least the version of a few years ago.

My take on the WC finals was that Messi didn't appear to be working hard because the strategy was to largely concede possession to Germany and try to counterattack. The Argentinians weren't trying to build an attack from the midfield but to launch one off turnovers to take advantage of Germany's roving outside backs. They wanted Messi's legs to be fresh to get on the other end of the counter. They may also have anticipated a 120 minute match. But of course, he may have been favoring an injury as well.

howard · Post by **howard** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 3:16 pm

Yeah, her grandad tried hunting my dad (and the rest of Patton's army.) How'd that work out?

Post by **Shirley** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 3:22 pm

It did look to me like Messi was holding his hamstring sometimes.

I don't buy that his success is so dependent on Xavi and Iniesta. Those guys certainly didn't help Spain this year (or last time around, to be honest). And plenty of other comparable players in this WC who didn't have those guys around them managed to run around and make things happen. Xavi and Iniesta shouldn't be necessary for the Greatest Player of All Time to work hard to get loose balls.

I'm going to go with a leg injury. He probably simply wasn't able to go all out all of the time. That might also explain that comment from his dad about his legs weighing 100Kg each.

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 3:42 pm

Yeah, I think what people either missed or are ignoring is that, yes, Messi has incredible skill in tight quarters, but where usually finds separation is his first two steps... which are usually unstoppable. It's what he does when he's in that very highest gear that makes him truly exceptional.

It looked a LOT like Cristiano Ronaldo's performance in the group stages. He'd flash, but he spent a lot of time conserving and floating around. Not enough of an impact at the end of the day.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 4:11 pm

Shirley wrote:It did look to me like Messi was holding his hamstring sometimes.

I don't buy that his success is so dependent on Xavi and Iniesta. Those guys certainly didn't help Spain this year (or last time around, to be honest). And plenty of other comparable players in this WC who didn't have those guys around them managed to run around and make things happen. Xavi and Iniesta shouldn't be necessary for the Greatest Player of All Time to work hard to get loose balls.

I'm going to go with a leg injury. He probably simply wasn't able to go all out all of the time. That might also explain that comment from his dad about his legs weighing 100Kg each.

What do you mean last time around? Iniesta and Xavi were pretty damn good at Euro 2012 and WC 2010

Post by **Shirley** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 4:19 pm

But Spain really didn't score much at WC 2010. They won a bunch of 1-0 games, if I remember correctly.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 4:27 pm

Shirley wrote:But Spain really didn't score much at WC 2010. They won a bunch of 1-0 games, if I remember correctly.

Right, they scored eight goals the entire tournament. But they played the tiki-taka so well. Xavi completed 669 passes; which is a record. (At an 89% clip too.) And a lot of people thought that Iniesta might have been Spain's best player throughout the entire tournament.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 4:36 pm

Interesting article about the youth academies in Qatar.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 5:31 pm

According to deadspin, before he scored the World Cup title game-winner for Germany, Mario Gotze was pretty well-known for these photographs:
(Yes, I'm a bad person for posting it.)

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 6:03 pm

Pretty much my exact reaction to his goal winning me my pool.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:30 pm

Is that an anorexic Chelsea Clinton?

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 8:57 am

Rush2112 wrote:Interesting article about the youth academies in Qatar.

Unreal. (But not really surprising)

A Toronto writer Cathal Kelly who did a great job covering the World Cup cautioned that people should enjoy this one, as we won;t see anything nearly as enjoyable for at least 12 years.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/s ... e19577586/

A combination of those neighbouring zealots and a general Brazilian enthusiasm made this tournament vibrant. For four weeks, you felt you were near the main source. That’s not always the case. And, I suspect, may never be the case again.

In four years time, Russia will be Brazil with twice the hassles and a fraction of the charm. The distances are vast. In an effort to spread around the graft, Russia initially proposed 13 host cities. The only way to get between them is in the air.

Russians root for one thing – Russia. Their team is crap and shows no hint of getting much better. The atmo at the 2018 World Cup will be D.O.A.

In 2022, it will be even worse. This assumes that Qatar will still be host (a big assumption). You can’t just roll into Qatar to soak up the vibe. The average daily high is 40 C. If you’re on the street, you’re going to die.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 9:00 am

Step up your game, Fritz!

Post by **brian** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 9:30 am

In four years time, Russia will be Brazil with twice the hassles and a fraction of the charm. The distances are vast. In an effort to spread around the graft, Russia initially proposed 13 host cities. The only way to get between them is in the air.

Not sure how this was/is any different from Brazil, which had 12 host sites and which is a pretty vast country itself. I'd bet the distances between venues is roughly the same for Brazil and Russia, since all of the host venues in 2018 are in European Russia.

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 9:49 am

Yes. Here they are at roughly the same scale.

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 9:52 am

Manaus to Recife is 1,800 miles. Yekaterinaburg to Kalinigrad is 1,550

Gunpowder · Post by **Gunpowder** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 10:15 am

Yeah, did that guy forget that this World Cup had games in the middle of the f-ing Amazon?

Gunpowder · Post by **Gunpowder** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 10:15 am

Put games in Vladivostok and Magadan. Manaus would be like holding a match in Norilsk.

Post by **brian** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 10:22 am

Gunpowder wrote:Put games in Vladivostok and Magadan. Manaus would be like holding a match in Norilsk.

It's kind of more grating, only because it's a fucking Canadian writer. Put the World Cup in Canada and try to have all of the games in venues where you don't have to fly. I guess he's thinking you could just hop in a car and bang out a quick drive between Calgary and Halifax.

Gunpowder · Post by **Gunpowder** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 10:39 am

brian wrote:
Gunpowder wrote:Put games in Vladivostok and Magadan. Manaus would be like holding a match in Norilsk.
It's kind of more grating, only because it's a fucking Canadian writer. Put the World Cup in Canada and try to have all of the games in venues where you don't have to fly. I guess he's thinking you could just hop in a car and bang out a quick drive between Calgary and Halifax.

We're talking about the biggest country in the world, though. Canada is only the 2nd largest...Russia, man!

(great point - didn't even realize it)

And hell, the US had games in Orlando (THE FUCK WHYYYY!?!?!?!) and Seattle. And indoors in Detroit. Whaaaattt

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 10:50 am

Ryan wrote:Yes. Here they are at roughly the same scale.

I had no idea that both of those countries were so much bigger than Earth.

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 11:28 am

Pretty sure you could probably takes busses/trains between a lot of those Russian cities. It's not Siberia.