After 2 weeks of football, South Africa is finally set for the knockout stages. 32 teams are down to 16 and things should get very exciting here on in. As far as my original prediction went, 11 out of the 16 teams made it through. The five that didn't make it are... Nigeria, Cameroon, South Africa, Italy and Switzerland. Yeah, I was really betting on Africa but those teams failed to turn up and I thought Italy being eliminated was too good to be true, but guess not! Some of the fixtures for this round are really eye-catching, not least, Spain vs Portugal, which unlike the Brazil-Portugal match, should be exciting, since only one of these teams can progress. Germany-England is another match with a great deal of history behind it and either team has been fairly equally inconsistent in this tournament, though England haven't played anywhere close to how Germany played against Australia. Argentina-Mexico is a repeat of the last World Cup when Maxi Rodriguez scored that wondergoal winner in extra-time. Here are my predictions...
URU 1-0 KOR
Uruguay have been solid defensively, not conceding a single goal in the group stages. Diego Forlan is in great form and Luis Suarez came good against Mexico so attacking-wise, La Celeste definitely have the edge. Korea on the other hand haven't really been solid at the back, leaking goals against Argentina and Nigeria. Uruguay to go through...
USA 2-1 GHA
Should be a good game. USA have been very positive through the group games and they never give up. Both Slovenia and Algeria were subject to wave upon wave of American attacks. Ghana have been lacklustre and are lucky to have qualified, having yet to score a goal from open play. Without Essien, Muntari and Appiah, they're definitely not the side that beat USA in 2006. Hopefully Donovan & co. will come through.
GER 1-0 ENG
Honestly, I don't expect much from this game. I'm hoping it'll be great but I can't see England playing like Argentina/Spain/Portugal and I can't see Germany turning in a performance similar to the one in their opening match. England have been solid defensively, conceding only due to the Green fuck-up but going forward, they've looked dreadful. Germany on the other hand have been fairly decent at both ends.
ARG 2-1 MEX
A re-run of 2006. Though I don't expect this to go to extra-time. This Mexico side is I think slightly weaker than the previous one and Argentina are much better in the midfield. I just hope Messi gets on the scoresheet. He so deserves it...
NED 2-0 SVK
Shouldn't be much of an exciting game. All of Oranje's games have been pretty boring and they look like a shell of the side that rampaged the Group of Death in Euro '08. Arjen Robben's back though so that should provide the impetus to score 2 goals against a Slovak side that aren't as desperate to reach the next round as the Dutch.
BRA 3-1 CHL
A repeat of the 1998 Round of 16 match when Brazil won 4-1. This match should be closer since this is a weaker Brazilian team and a stronger Chilean team.
PAR 2-1 JPN
Could go either way, but Paraguay have been slightly better than Japan.
ESP 3-2 POR
Should be the match of the round, if not the tournament. I'm hoping that unlike the hyped Group G match, this one between the 2 most attacking teams in Europe, lives up to the billing. Spain have finally come good (a dull 2nd half vs Chile notwithstanding) and Portugal won't be as cautious as they were against Brazil. Hopefully.
So there, if things go according to kilter, the quarterfinal line-up should look thus...
URU-USA (w00t!!)
NED-BRA
ARG-GER (2006 rematch!)
PAR-ESP
This should be fun!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
The Week (Two) That Was... Oh Yes!!
The World Cup finally turned up and teams apart from Argentina finally got going. Where as week 1 saw a paltry 38 goals in 22 matches for a pathetic goal rate of 1.73 per game, the past week saw 63 goals in 26 games for a much more respectable 2.4 goals per game. The groups were finally decided and after starting off cagily to avoid defeat, the teams went for goals to secure their spot in the knockout stages. Argentina finished off their impressive run with a perfect 9 points and Messi turned in another great performance, while Landon Donovan proved to be the American hero yet again, not only helping the US qualify, but top the group and consign England to a very tough draw. The week capped off a near-perfect start to the World Cup for Sudamerica, as all but Chile topped their groups, with the latter finishing 2nd to Spain in Group H. For Africa, the week capped off a very disappointing campaign, with only Ghana making the next round. As for Europe, some big teams that screwed up in the previous round (England, Germany, Spain) made it through, Netherlands won all their games, and Portugal dazzled the North Koreans. On a personal note, it was the perfect week. My two favorite teams topped their respective groups in style, and my two most hated got fucked to the core!!
Group A
URU 1-0 MEX
A very entertaining first half saw Uruguay take the lead and a more sedate second half saw them successfully defend wave after wave of Mexican attacks. Both these teams qualify.
RSA 2-1 FRA
Oh yes! Karma completes its fucking up of Les Bleargh for the latter's screwing Ireland out of the World Cup! That's what you get you rooster-sucking, blue-blistering sons of bitches! On a sadder note, South Africa becomes 1st host nation to be eliminated at the first hurdle. :(
Group B
ARG 2-0 GRE
If it hadn't been for Greek goalie Tzorvas, Argentina could have easily beaten Hungary's 10-1 record of 1982. Greeks were very solid defensively, but Argentina completely dominated the midfield and their passing was very good considering it was a second string side. Messi dazzled again and had a part in both goals. Story of the game? Martin Palermo capping off his return from obscurity by scoring in the 89th minute!
NGA 2-2 KOR
A decently entertaining match, though Nigeria have only themselves to blame. Yakubu wasted a sitter and in the end, failure to score one goal sealed Nigeria's fate. Korea Republic become 2nd Asians to qualify from Group Stages on non-Asian soil (after North Korea in 1966)
Group C
SVN 2-2 USA
The ultimate game of 2 halves. I had to try hard not to vomit all over my bed after seeing the Americans at their sloppiest. Passing waywardly, shooting into the stands, losing possession... Slovenia deserved the 2 goals, but then... what a comeback! Donovan as always stirred the Americans to a great showing in the 2nd half and if it wasn't for that black Malian son of a bitch Coulibaly's canceling of Maurice Edu's legit winner, USA would have got all 3 points. Ah well...
ENG 0-0 ALG
A very dour, defensive game. I didn't even watch the highlights of this one after reading about it...
ENG 1-0 SVN
A slightly better performance from England. They dominated the game but only 1 goal to show for it means they really have to step up the attack. Defoe proved much more efficient than Heskey but Rooney's poor form continued. Thankfully, Slovenia got eliminated and I hopefully never have to see their uber-spastic goal celebrations again.
USA 1-0 ALG
One of the most exciting 1-0 games I've ever seen. The referees were again intent on screwing the Americans out of the Cup after the linesman ruled out another legit goal, this time from Dempsey. The Algerians played well in the first half (Djebbour hit the bar) but the 2nd half was completely dominated by USA. With only injury time left, it looked like USA would be out, but then, cometh the hour, cometh the man, Landon Donovan turned up to slot home the loose ball in front of goal after Dempsey's shot had been saved, to ensure that Old Glory would be gallantly streaming for another night!
That goal by the way, not only ensured US qualification, it helped them top the group! Meaning that with 1 goal, Landon Donovan gave the Americans a very decent draw and consigned England to Germany & Argentina! :D :D
Group D
GER 0-1 SRB
Serbia followed in Switzerland's footsteps by shocking another 'world power', though unlike the Swiss, the Serbs did actually play well. German strikeforce disappointed. Klose was unjustly sent off and Podolski missed a penalty.
GHA 1-1 AUS
Australia were the better side in this game but a controversial red-card for Kewell and the ensuing penalty helped Ghana take one step into the round of 16.
GER 1-0 GHA
Germany flattered to deceive again, turning in another sub-standard performance, except for one moment of magic from wunderkind Mesut Ozil, who's brilliant goal ensured Germany topped the group.
AUS 2-1 SRB
A game dominated by the Serbs but won by the Ozzies, thus ensuring Ghana go through.
Group E
NED 1-0 JPN
Netherlands haven't been up to par in this cup. Against Japan, they turned in another shaky performance and scored only through a goalkeeping error. Japan played very well and were unlucky not to get a point.
CMR 1-2 DEN
A surprisingly entertaining game. Paul Le Guen finally reverted to what should have been the starting 11 for Cameroon's 1st game, but lady luck would go to screw the Indomitable Lions from the cup. Cameroon had the lion's share of the chances, but Denmark were better at converting the few that they had. Cameroon thus became the 1st team to be eliminated from the tournament. :(
NED 2-1 CMR
Nothing special about this one except for the 2 Dutch goals which were very well worked. First glimpse of Arjen Robben at South Africa.
DEN 1-3 JPN
To everyone's surprise, Japan completely dominated the Danes, and Keisuke Honda and Endo both curled in free-kicks, doing to the Jabulani what the likes of Messi and Ronaldo have so far failed to do. Japan emulate the Koreans and become the 3rd Asians to do what they did.
Group F
PAR 2-0 SVK
The draw against the Kiwis seemed to have crushed the Slovak spirit as Paraguay completely dominated this game. Slovaks were happy to sit back and defend, even when they were a goal down.
ITA 1-1 NZL
A major shock. Italy were very unimpressive again and failed to score from open play, Iaquinta's penalty being their saving grace. Historic result for the All Whites.
PAR 0-0 NZL
Paraguay dominated the match again but having been pretty much assured qualification, lacked the killer instinct. New Zealand couldn't do much either but exited the World Cup unbeaten.
SVK 3-2 ITA
Who'd a thunk it?! Who'd have thought that Slovakia and Italy would produce one of the games of the tournament?! A completely changed team, Slovakia took the game to the Italians, knowing that only a win would get them through, and boy, did they succeed. Italy were caught napping again and after Robert Vittek scored a brace, the match got very exciting. Italy came back to make it 2-1 but then Kopunek with his first touch of the game, lobbed Marchetti from a throw-in and ensured a Slovak win. Quagliarella made it interesting again with an intelligent goal in injury time, but it was too little too late, and the Fighting Jondas had eliminated the world champions!! Yes! :D
Group G
BRA 3-1 CIV
The match wasn't as exciting as the result suggests. The goals from Brazil were pretty scrappy (save the third one) and Cote D'Ivoire were reminiscent of the Cameroonians of 1990 when they were hell bent on injuring Claudio Caniggia. Some histrionics from Abdel Kader Kaita towards the end of the game got Kaka unjustly sent off and ensured he miss the Portugal game.
POR 7-0 PRK
What a game! Another game of the week contender with Svk-Ita. A pseudo-interesting first half which saw Portugal take a 1-0 lead turned into an all-out goal fest which saw Ronaldo score his first international goal in 16 months! The Portuguese passing and movement off the ball were just joys to watch! :)
BRA 0-0 POR
Much ado about nothing. Ensured qualification, Brazil decided to rest their main team and the fans were witness to probably, the most boring match of the cup. Pathetic stuff.
CIV 3-0 PRK
Cote D'Ivoire were never gonna get the 9 goals they needed, but atleast they tried, dominating a North Korean team clearly just content after holding Brazil to only 2-1 in the first round.
GROUP H
ESP 2-0 HON
Spain bounced back after their shock defeat with another dominating performance only this time with goals to show for it. David Villa scored one of the best solo goals of the tournament but missed a hat-trick when he blazed his penalty wide. Honduras all but eliminated.
CHL 1-0 SUI
Didn't really see this match... Chile were the better team so I guess the win's deserved.
ESP 2-1 CHL
Villa scored a great goal again and Spain dominated the first half. Chile got a freak goal in a very dull second half and both teams were through.
SUI 0-0 HON
Another dull performance. Swiss failed to convert opportunities and were made to pay for it.
Final call for the week 18th - 25th June...
Match Of The Week: Tied - Slovakia 3-2 Italy and Portugal 7-0 North Korea
Team Of The Week: Portugal (for a 7-goal masterclass and for finishing the group stages with a perfect defensive record)
Player Of The Week: Cristiano Ronaldo (ended his goal drought and was the lynchpin of the Portuguese side)
Goalie Of The Week: A. Tzorvas (one man army in front of a blazing Argentine attack)
Medio Of The Week: Cristiano Ronaldo
Striker Of The Week: David Villa (3 goals in his last 2 games... and 2 of them were scorchers)
Goal Of The Week: David Villa's 1st goal against Honduras
Shock Of The Week: Italy eliminated at the group stages after drawing New Zealand and losing to Slovakia!
Moment Of The Week: Landon Donovan's last gasp goal that sent USA top of the group and now gives them a golden chance of making the semis!
Group A
URU 1-0 MEX
A very entertaining first half saw Uruguay take the lead and a more sedate second half saw them successfully defend wave after wave of Mexican attacks. Both these teams qualify.
RSA 2-1 FRA
Oh yes! Karma completes its fucking up of Les Bleargh for the latter's screwing Ireland out of the World Cup! That's what you get you rooster-sucking, blue-blistering sons of bitches! On a sadder note, South Africa becomes 1st host nation to be eliminated at the first hurdle. :(
Group B
ARG 2-0 GRE
If it hadn't been for Greek goalie Tzorvas, Argentina could have easily beaten Hungary's 10-1 record of 1982. Greeks were very solid defensively, but Argentina completely dominated the midfield and their passing was very good considering it was a second string side. Messi dazzled again and had a part in both goals. Story of the game? Martin Palermo capping off his return from obscurity by scoring in the 89th minute!
NGA 2-2 KOR
A decently entertaining match, though Nigeria have only themselves to blame. Yakubu wasted a sitter and in the end, failure to score one goal sealed Nigeria's fate. Korea Republic become 2nd Asians to qualify from Group Stages on non-Asian soil (after North Korea in 1966)
Group C
SVN 2-2 USA
The ultimate game of 2 halves. I had to try hard not to vomit all over my bed after seeing the Americans at their sloppiest. Passing waywardly, shooting into the stands, losing possession... Slovenia deserved the 2 goals, but then... what a comeback! Donovan as always stirred the Americans to a great showing in the 2nd half and if it wasn't for that black Malian son of a bitch Coulibaly's canceling of Maurice Edu's legit winner, USA would have got all 3 points. Ah well...
ENG 0-0 ALG
A very dour, defensive game. I didn't even watch the highlights of this one after reading about it...
ENG 1-0 SVN
A slightly better performance from England. They dominated the game but only 1 goal to show for it means they really have to step up the attack. Defoe proved much more efficient than Heskey but Rooney's poor form continued. Thankfully, Slovenia got eliminated and I hopefully never have to see their uber-spastic goal celebrations again.
USA 1-0 ALG
One of the most exciting 1-0 games I've ever seen. The referees were again intent on screwing the Americans out of the Cup after the linesman ruled out another legit goal, this time from Dempsey. The Algerians played well in the first half (Djebbour hit the bar) but the 2nd half was completely dominated by USA. With only injury time left, it looked like USA would be out, but then, cometh the hour, cometh the man, Landon Donovan turned up to slot home the loose ball in front of goal after Dempsey's shot had been saved, to ensure that Old Glory would be gallantly streaming for another night!
That goal by the way, not only ensured US qualification, it helped them top the group! Meaning that with 1 goal, Landon Donovan gave the Americans a very decent draw and consigned England to Germany & Argentina! :D :D
Group D
GER 0-1 SRB
Serbia followed in Switzerland's footsteps by shocking another 'world power', though unlike the Swiss, the Serbs did actually play well. German strikeforce disappointed. Klose was unjustly sent off and Podolski missed a penalty.
GHA 1-1 AUS
Australia were the better side in this game but a controversial red-card for Kewell and the ensuing penalty helped Ghana take one step into the round of 16.
GER 1-0 GHA
Germany flattered to deceive again, turning in another sub-standard performance, except for one moment of magic from wunderkind Mesut Ozil, who's brilliant goal ensured Germany topped the group.
AUS 2-1 SRB
A game dominated by the Serbs but won by the Ozzies, thus ensuring Ghana go through.
Group E
NED 1-0 JPN
Netherlands haven't been up to par in this cup. Against Japan, they turned in another shaky performance and scored only through a goalkeeping error. Japan played very well and were unlucky not to get a point.
CMR 1-2 DEN
A surprisingly entertaining game. Paul Le Guen finally reverted to what should have been the starting 11 for Cameroon's 1st game, but lady luck would go to screw the Indomitable Lions from the cup. Cameroon had the lion's share of the chances, but Denmark were better at converting the few that they had. Cameroon thus became the 1st team to be eliminated from the tournament. :(
NED 2-1 CMR
Nothing special about this one except for the 2 Dutch goals which were very well worked. First glimpse of Arjen Robben at South Africa.
DEN 1-3 JPN
To everyone's surprise, Japan completely dominated the Danes, and Keisuke Honda and Endo both curled in free-kicks, doing to the Jabulani what the likes of Messi and Ronaldo have so far failed to do. Japan emulate the Koreans and become the 3rd Asians to do what they did.
Group F
PAR 2-0 SVK
The draw against the Kiwis seemed to have crushed the Slovak spirit as Paraguay completely dominated this game. Slovaks were happy to sit back and defend, even when they were a goal down.
ITA 1-1 NZL
A major shock. Italy were very unimpressive again and failed to score from open play, Iaquinta's penalty being their saving grace. Historic result for the All Whites.
PAR 0-0 NZL
Paraguay dominated the match again but having been pretty much assured qualification, lacked the killer instinct. New Zealand couldn't do much either but exited the World Cup unbeaten.
SVK 3-2 ITA
Who'd a thunk it?! Who'd have thought that Slovakia and Italy would produce one of the games of the tournament?! A completely changed team, Slovakia took the game to the Italians, knowing that only a win would get them through, and boy, did they succeed. Italy were caught napping again and after Robert Vittek scored a brace, the match got very exciting. Italy came back to make it 2-1 but then Kopunek with his first touch of the game, lobbed Marchetti from a throw-in and ensured a Slovak win. Quagliarella made it interesting again with an intelligent goal in injury time, but it was too little too late, and the Fighting Jondas had eliminated the world champions!! Yes! :D
Group G
BRA 3-1 CIV
The match wasn't as exciting as the result suggests. The goals from Brazil were pretty scrappy (save the third one) and Cote D'Ivoire were reminiscent of the Cameroonians of 1990 when they were hell bent on injuring Claudio Caniggia. Some histrionics from Abdel Kader Kaita towards the end of the game got Kaka unjustly sent off and ensured he miss the Portugal game.
POR 7-0 PRK
What a game! Another game of the week contender with Svk-Ita. A pseudo-interesting first half which saw Portugal take a 1-0 lead turned into an all-out goal fest which saw Ronaldo score his first international goal in 16 months! The Portuguese passing and movement off the ball were just joys to watch! :)
BRA 0-0 POR
Much ado about nothing. Ensured qualification, Brazil decided to rest their main team and the fans were witness to probably, the most boring match of the cup. Pathetic stuff.
CIV 3-0 PRK
Cote D'Ivoire were never gonna get the 9 goals they needed, but atleast they tried, dominating a North Korean team clearly just content after holding Brazil to only 2-1 in the first round.
GROUP H
ESP 2-0 HON
Spain bounced back after their shock defeat with another dominating performance only this time with goals to show for it. David Villa scored one of the best solo goals of the tournament but missed a hat-trick when he blazed his penalty wide. Honduras all but eliminated.
CHL 1-0 SUI
Didn't really see this match... Chile were the better team so I guess the win's deserved.
ESP 2-1 CHL
Villa scored a great goal again and Spain dominated the first half. Chile got a freak goal in a very dull second half and both teams were through.
SUI 0-0 HON
Another dull performance. Swiss failed to convert opportunities and were made to pay for it.
Final call for the week 18th - 25th June...
Match Of The Week: Tied - Slovakia 3-2 Italy and Portugal 7-0 North Korea
Team Of The Week: Portugal (for a 7-goal masterclass and for finishing the group stages with a perfect defensive record)
Player Of The Week: Cristiano Ronaldo (ended his goal drought and was the lynchpin of the Portuguese side)
Goalie Of The Week: A. Tzorvas (one man army in front of a blazing Argentine attack)
Medio Of The Week: Cristiano Ronaldo
Striker Of The Week: David Villa (3 goals in his last 2 games... and 2 of them were scorchers)
Goal Of The Week: David Villa's 1st goal against Honduras
Shock Of The Week: Italy eliminated at the group stages after drawing New Zealand and losing to Slovakia!
Moment Of The Week: Landon Donovan's last gasp goal that sent USA top of the group and now gives them a golden chance of making the semis!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
The Week That Will Be... Hopefully.
Hopefully, the second week of the World Cup will be an improvement over the dreadful first. At first sight, it seemed to be. The USA-SVN game was quite entertaining but the ENG-ALG match following was another boring goal-less affair. I didn't expect much from the Groups D, E and F to begin with but even they have disappointed and they're continuing to. The GER-SRB match was ok, the NED-JPN and AUS-GHA matches were again nothing worth talking about. I'm hoping for a better second week but I'm not holding out for any greatness...
June 19
CMR 1-1 DEN
Both teams played poorly in the first game. I'm guessing a dull draw.
June 20
PAR 2-1 SVK
Paraguay were far better than Slovakia in the first round and if Slovakia couldn't find 2 goals against New Zealand, they probably won't against the Albirrojas
ITA 2-0 NZL
Italy look lacklustre but they should have enough firepower to do away with a very unimpressive Kiwi side
BRA 2-1 CIV
Brazil tend to get better as the tournament progresses so they shouldn't succumb to a draw like the Portuguese did. Though I wouldn't be totally shocked if CIV pull out a win.
June 21
POR 2-1 PRK
I expect a similar game to Brazil's.
CHL 1-1 SUI
Sitting on the fence for this. Chile were brilliant against a mediocre team, Switzerland were just about ok against a favorite so...
ESP 3-0 HON
I expect Spain to come out strong after their shock defeat. Honduras were unimpressive too. Plus, if Spain lose to Honduras (or even draw for that matter), there's a high probability that a Spaniard will join the ranks of Andres Escobar.
Double games!
June 22
MEX 2-2 URU / RSA 2-0 FRA
Something will happen that will make RSA go through. The host tradition will live on. And Karma will bite France in the behind for fucking the Irish up the ass. Well, if my predictions come true, RSA won't in fact go through but I don't know, something's gotta give, right?
NGA 1-1 KOR / ARG 3-0 GRE
Had a similar feeling about Nigeria too but then they're not hosts and they have been too poor and Korea too strong. Don't see Nigeria winning, don't see Greece not getting hammered by Argentina.
June 23
SVN 0-2 ENG / USA 2-0 ALG
The ENG-ALG draw was good for the group because this means that both ENG and SVN can't go through via a dull draw and that they must attack. Great news for the Americans ofcourse. They'll win against Algeria, the hiccup against Slovenia notwithstanding.
GHA 0-1 GER / AUS 1-1 SRB
GER were brilliant in the 1st game, lacklustre in the 2nd. Should have enough to beat a GHA team duller than 2006. AUS and SRB should be an average stalemate. Thus, GER and GHA to go through.
June 24
DEN 1-1 JPN / NED 1-0 CAM
Boring group. Very. Netherlands and some team, I don't give a fuck about will go through.
ITA 2-0 SVK / PAR 2-0 NZL
Another straightforward and boring group. Goal difference will probably come in to decide who wins the group.
June 25
BRA 3-2 POR / CIV 2-1 PRK
PLEASE let BRA-POR be the game of the group stages?? I don't support either, but PLEASE. Oh, and the other game should be good too.
CHL 0-1 ESP / SUI 1-0 HON
These are the likely results but, holy fuck, if this happens then it's Brazil-Spain in the round of 16! :D
Well that's what I'm hoping will happen this week. See you before the round of 16 kicks off!
June 19
CMR 1-1 DEN
Both teams played poorly in the first game. I'm guessing a dull draw.
June 20
PAR 2-1 SVK
Paraguay were far better than Slovakia in the first round and if Slovakia couldn't find 2 goals against New Zealand, they probably won't against the Albirrojas
ITA 2-0 NZL
Italy look lacklustre but they should have enough firepower to do away with a very unimpressive Kiwi side
BRA 2-1 CIV
Brazil tend to get better as the tournament progresses so they shouldn't succumb to a draw like the Portuguese did. Though I wouldn't be totally shocked if CIV pull out a win.
June 21
POR 2-1 PRK
I expect a similar game to Brazil's.
CHL 1-1 SUI
Sitting on the fence for this. Chile were brilliant against a mediocre team, Switzerland were just about ok against a favorite so...
ESP 3-0 HON
I expect Spain to come out strong after their shock defeat. Honduras were unimpressive too. Plus, if Spain lose to Honduras (or even draw for that matter), there's a high probability that a Spaniard will join the ranks of Andres Escobar.
Double games!
June 22
MEX 2-2 URU / RSA 2-0 FRA
Something will happen that will make RSA go through. The host tradition will live on. And Karma will bite France in the behind for fucking the Irish up the ass. Well, if my predictions come true, RSA won't in fact go through but I don't know, something's gotta give, right?
NGA 1-1 KOR / ARG 3-0 GRE
Had a similar feeling about Nigeria too but then they're not hosts and they have been too poor and Korea too strong. Don't see Nigeria winning, don't see Greece not getting hammered by Argentina.
June 23
SVN 0-2 ENG / USA 2-0 ALG
The ENG-ALG draw was good for the group because this means that both ENG and SVN can't go through via a dull draw and that they must attack. Great news for the Americans ofcourse. They'll win against Algeria, the hiccup against Slovenia notwithstanding.
GHA 0-1 GER / AUS 1-1 SRB
GER were brilliant in the 1st game, lacklustre in the 2nd. Should have enough to beat a GHA team duller than 2006. AUS and SRB should be an average stalemate. Thus, GER and GHA to go through.
June 24
DEN 1-1 JPN / NED 1-0 CAM
Boring group. Very. Netherlands and some team, I don't give a fuck about will go through.
ITA 2-0 SVK / PAR 2-0 NZL
Another straightforward and boring group. Goal difference will probably come in to decide who wins the group.
June 25
BRA 3-2 POR / CIV 2-1 PRK
PLEASE let BRA-POR be the game of the group stages?? I don't support either, but PLEASE. Oh, and the other game should be good too.
CHL 0-1 ESP / SUI 1-0 HON
These are the likely results but, holy fuck, if this happens then it's Brazil-Spain in the round of 16! :D
Well that's what I'm hoping will happen this week. See you before the round of 16 kicks off!
The Week (One) That Was... Damn.
The first week of the World Cup is over and boy was it such a letdown. There was a serious lack of goals, a lot of sloppy midfield play and many so-called favorites not really turning up. On the plus side, Argentina look to be the best team in the tournament right now, but to put matters in perspective of how fucked up this cup has been, the current goal count is 43 in 22 matches, the 1990 World Cup in Italy which ended up with the worst goals per game average of all time (2.21 per game), had 51 goals after 22 matches. So unless things take a drastic turn for the better, we may have ourselves the most dull, defensive world cup ever.
Group A
RSA 1-1 MEX
Went down almost exactly like I expected it would. First half was very sloppy, but second half was oodles of fun especially when Tshabalala scored a great goal. I was pulling for the Africans but Marquez banged out the equalizer in the end. Fair result I suppose.
URU 0-0 FRA
I was half expecting this. Sucky hasbeen European team playing a sub-standard South American team. I regret staying up for this match.
RSA 0-3 URU
Must say I wasnt expecting this. Hosts generally dont fuck up this bad. I didnt see the match but highlights showed URU deserved the win. Khune shouldn't have been sent off I think.
FRA 0-2 MEX
That's what you get you lousy good for nothing boring blue bastards. I'm so glad Mexico won and couldn't be bothered my prediction was wrong.
Group B
ARG 1-0 NGA
Bit disappointed with ARG, specially Messi's finishing, but ARG did dominate NGA and it was fun to watch. Enyeama was brilliant in goal.
KOR 2-0 GRE
I was surprised that Korea were so good and Greece so bad. Was expecting a dull draw but Korea dominated throughout
ARG 4-1 KOR
Hell yes! The Albiceleste finally arrived in style! Apart from a Demichelis fuck up which led to the Korean goal and some nervy moments in the 2nd half, Argentina dominated throughout and Higuain scored the 1st World Cup hat-trick since Pauleta's one against Poland way back in 2002. Great game.
GRE 2-1 NGA
It was shocking how different Greece was. From being dominated by Korea, to dominating the Nigerians. Enyeama was great again and if Nigeria advance, he might just get the Yashin Award. Sad for the Nigerians.
Group C
ENG 1-1 USA
A lame match considering the fact it could have been so much better. A lot of wasted opportunities from both teams. I'm just glad USA didn't lose.
SVN 1-0 ALG
A VERY dull game. It was just really really boring.
Group D
GER 4-0 AUS
This was the first great good game of the cup even though it was overly one-sided. I want the Germans to fuck up but must admit they were very good in this game.
SRB 1-1 GHA
A dull match which I didn't bother watching. Bleh.
Group E
NED 2-0 DEN
Gosh, the boring matches didn't stop. Even Holland who entertained in Euro '08 were so dull and dreary. The goals, an own goal, and a very scrappy one, bear testament.
JPN 1-0 CMR
Didn't watch this either. Couldn't take another boring dull game after the previous one. Though Cameroon were unlucky in the end not to get a point. (Saw highlights. :))
Group F
SVK 1-1 NZL
ANOTHER boring game. Made exciting because NZL stole a point with the last touch of the game.
ITA 1-1 PAR
Didn't watch after what happened in the previous game. Got pissed when I learnt that De Rossi equalized...but Italy continue like this they'll get fucked before they can say Arrivaderci
Group G
POR 0-0 CIV
Damn what have the football fans done to deserve this? I predicted a 5-goal thriller (justified!) but a goalless draw from these two?? I mean, what the FUCK?!
BRA 2-1 PRK
Decent match. High point being Maicon's mercurial goal. Without doubt one of the 50 greatest goals EVER. Fun to see North Korea get their first WC goal in 44 years. Funner to see that Brazil are not playing as good as Argentina. :)
Group H
ESP 0-1 SUI
Shock of the first week. Switzerland certainly didn't deserve the win but Benaglio was brilliant and the Spain front line was disappointing. Again, I'm glad because another favorite fucked up.
CHL 1-0 HON
Surprisingly one-sided. Expected Honduras to put up a much better fight. Chile got lucky with the goal, but deserved the win.
So there you have it. The first week of the World Cup saw some of the most boring, dull matches I've ever seen in the contest. I really hope things take a turn for the better and we get atleast a respectable goal-rate. Like above 2? Is that asking for a lot? Sheesh...
Final call for the week 11th - 17th June...
Match Of The Week : Argentina 4-1 Korea Republic (slightly better than the Germany-Australia game)
Team Of The Week : Argentina (for 2 great wins and for becoming the 1st team to qualify for the RO16)
Player Of The Week : Lionel Messi (finishing could be better, but christ, is his dribbling class...)
Goalie Of The Week : Vincent Enyeama (brilliant displays against both Argentina & Greece, shame the rest of his team couldn't get the job done)
Defender Of The Week : Antolin Alcaraz (i'm not a great judge of defenders plus this World Cup has seen an embarrassment of overly-defensive displays... so this guy gets the nod for scoring against those blue Italian mofos)
Medio Of The Week : Lionel Messi
Striker Of The Week : Gonzalo Higuain (for scoring the 1st WC hat-trick in 8 years)
Goal Of The Week : Maicon vs DPR Korea
Shock Of The Week : Switzerland upsetting favorites Spain 1-0
Group A
RSA 1-1 MEX
Went down almost exactly like I expected it would. First half was very sloppy, but second half was oodles of fun especially when Tshabalala scored a great goal. I was pulling for the Africans but Marquez banged out the equalizer in the end. Fair result I suppose.
URU 0-0 FRA
I was half expecting this. Sucky hasbeen European team playing a sub-standard South American team. I regret staying up for this match.
RSA 0-3 URU
Must say I wasnt expecting this. Hosts generally dont fuck up this bad. I didnt see the match but highlights showed URU deserved the win. Khune shouldn't have been sent off I think.
FRA 0-2 MEX
That's what you get you lousy good for nothing boring blue bastards. I'm so glad Mexico won and couldn't be bothered my prediction was wrong.
Group B
ARG 1-0 NGA
Bit disappointed with ARG, specially Messi's finishing, but ARG did dominate NGA and it was fun to watch. Enyeama was brilliant in goal.
KOR 2-0 GRE
I was surprised that Korea were so good and Greece so bad. Was expecting a dull draw but Korea dominated throughout
ARG 4-1 KOR
Hell yes! The Albiceleste finally arrived in style! Apart from a Demichelis fuck up which led to the Korean goal and some nervy moments in the 2nd half, Argentina dominated throughout and Higuain scored the 1st World Cup hat-trick since Pauleta's one against Poland way back in 2002. Great game.
GRE 2-1 NGA
It was shocking how different Greece was. From being dominated by Korea, to dominating the Nigerians. Enyeama was great again and if Nigeria advance, he might just get the Yashin Award. Sad for the Nigerians.
Group C
ENG 1-1 USA
A lame match considering the fact it could have been so much better. A lot of wasted opportunities from both teams. I'm just glad USA didn't lose.
SVN 1-0 ALG
A VERY dull game. It was just really really boring.
Group D
GER 4-0 AUS
This was the first great good game of the cup even though it was overly one-sided. I want the Germans to fuck up but must admit they were very good in this game.
SRB 1-1 GHA
A dull match which I didn't bother watching. Bleh.
Group E
NED 2-0 DEN
Gosh, the boring matches didn't stop. Even Holland who entertained in Euro '08 were so dull and dreary. The goals, an own goal, and a very scrappy one, bear testament.
JPN 1-0 CMR
Didn't watch this either. Couldn't take another boring dull game after the previous one. Though Cameroon were unlucky in the end not to get a point. (Saw highlights. :))
Group F
SVK 1-1 NZL
ANOTHER boring game. Made exciting because NZL stole a point with the last touch of the game.
ITA 1-1 PAR
Didn't watch after what happened in the previous game. Got pissed when I learnt that De Rossi equalized...but Italy continue like this they'll get fucked before they can say Arrivaderci
Group G
POR 0-0 CIV
Damn what have the football fans done to deserve this? I predicted a 5-goal thriller (justified!) but a goalless draw from these two?? I mean, what the FUCK?!
BRA 2-1 PRK
Decent match. High point being Maicon's mercurial goal. Without doubt one of the 50 greatest goals EVER. Fun to see North Korea get their first WC goal in 44 years. Funner to see that Brazil are not playing as good as Argentina. :)
Group H
ESP 0-1 SUI
Shock of the first week. Switzerland certainly didn't deserve the win but Benaglio was brilliant and the Spain front line was disappointing. Again, I'm glad because another favorite fucked up.
CHL 1-0 HON
Surprisingly one-sided. Expected Honduras to put up a much better fight. Chile got lucky with the goal, but deserved the win.
So there you have it. The first week of the World Cup saw some of the most boring, dull matches I've ever seen in the contest. I really hope things take a turn for the better and we get atleast a respectable goal-rate. Like above 2? Is that asking for a lot? Sheesh...
Final call for the week 11th - 17th June...
Match Of The Week : Argentina 4-1 Korea Republic (slightly better than the Germany-Australia game)
Team Of The Week : Argentina (for 2 great wins and for becoming the 1st team to qualify for the RO16)
Player Of The Week : Lionel Messi (finishing could be better, but christ, is his dribbling class...)
Goalie Of The Week : Vincent Enyeama (brilliant displays against both Argentina & Greece, shame the rest of his team couldn't get the job done)
Defender Of The Week : Antolin Alcaraz (i'm not a great judge of defenders plus this World Cup has seen an embarrassment of overly-defensive displays... so this guy gets the nod for scoring against those blue Italian mofos)
Medio Of The Week : Lionel Messi
Striker Of The Week : Gonzalo Higuain (for scoring the 1st WC hat-trick in 8 years)
Goal Of The Week : Maicon vs DPR Korea
Shock Of The Week : Switzerland upsetting favorites Spain 1-0
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Historically Hazarding A Guess...
When most people are asked, "Who do you think will win this year's World Cup?", the general response is whichever team they support and that is understandable obviously. Why support a team unless you think it can win? However, history has shown us that there's a certain pattern involved in who eventually goes on to win the World Cup. See if you can spot it...
1962 - Brazil
1966 - England
1970 - Brazil
1974 - West Germany
1978 - Argentina
1982 - Spain
1986 - Argentina
1990 - West Germany
1994 - Brazil
1998 - France
2002 - Brazil
2006 - Italy
Notice a pattern? You should. Ever since the 1962 World Cup in Chile, the winner has alternated between Europe and South America without fail. So, judging by that, this year is South America's year and so the winner should be either Argentina or Brazil.
But this is not the sole pattern. I pattern I've noticed every year I've seen the World Cup is that the favorites or the teams with the best odds of winning never do. In 1998, Brazil was expected to win the cup at a canter and they certainly looked the part before the fiasco over Ronaldo happened just before the final and France thrashed the Brazilians 3-0. In 2002, Argentina and France were clear favorites. Argentina had dominated CONMEBOL qualification while France were World and European champions. Neither managed to get past the group stage. Then in 2006, Brazil again emerged favorites, with Kaka almost at his peak and Ronaldinho just about crossing his. And yet they fell against their first tough opponent, France, in the quarters, to a solitary Thierry Henry goal. Thus, this year's favorites, Brazil again, and Spain, shouldn't do well. Spain have already gone back to choking, with a 1-0 defeat against Switzerland, while Brazil had to labor very hard to win against a team ranked 104 places below them (DPR Korea).
Thus, if one of Argentina or Brazil is to win the Cup, and Brazil being the favorites, shouldn't win, then this should be Argentina's year. But, another factor is that Brazil have won the trophy on every continent that the tournament has been hosted in - Europe (Sweden '58), South America (Chile '62), North America (Mexico '70 and USA '94) and Asia (Korea/Japan '02). So in that vein, they should win the first African world cup. In which case, I really hope the favorite eff-up tradition overrides the Brazil-win-on-every-continent tradition.
Thus, my prediction that Argentina will win is for once, not just biased, but also, well, kinda logical, both historically and the fact that they have the world's best player. At any rate, one of two traditions will break at the next World Cup. 2014 is Europe's year so Argentina/Brazil shouldn't win but it's going to be held in South America and a European team has never won outside Europe. And Brazil are the only country to have not won the World Cup as a host. So... Argentina?? I can only hope.
Well, all this speculation, as pseudo-logical as it seems, could prove to be bullshit, and who knows maybe Switzerland will end up winning the cup. Only time will tell whether the patterns hold on for another tournament. Me? I'm looking forward to the Albiceleste kick some Korean ass later today.
Oh, and Week-1 Review and Week-2 Preview to be up tomorrow!
1962 - Brazil
1966 - England
1970 - Brazil
1974 - West Germany
1978 - Argentina
1982 - Spain
1986 - Argentina
1990 - West Germany
1994 - Brazil
1998 - France
2002 - Brazil
2006 - Italy
Notice a pattern? You should. Ever since the 1962 World Cup in Chile, the winner has alternated between Europe and South America without fail. So, judging by that, this year is South America's year and so the winner should be either Argentina or Brazil.
But this is not the sole pattern. I pattern I've noticed every year I've seen the World Cup is that the favorites or the teams with the best odds of winning never do. In 1998, Brazil was expected to win the cup at a canter and they certainly looked the part before the fiasco over Ronaldo happened just before the final and France thrashed the Brazilians 3-0. In 2002, Argentina and France were clear favorites. Argentina had dominated CONMEBOL qualification while France were World and European champions. Neither managed to get past the group stage. Then in 2006, Brazil again emerged favorites, with Kaka almost at his peak and Ronaldinho just about crossing his. And yet they fell against their first tough opponent, France, in the quarters, to a solitary Thierry Henry goal. Thus, this year's favorites, Brazil again, and Spain, shouldn't do well. Spain have already gone back to choking, with a 1-0 defeat against Switzerland, while Brazil had to labor very hard to win against a team ranked 104 places below them (DPR Korea).
Thus, if one of Argentina or Brazil is to win the Cup, and Brazil being the favorites, shouldn't win, then this should be Argentina's year. But, another factor is that Brazil have won the trophy on every continent that the tournament has been hosted in - Europe (Sweden '58), South America (Chile '62), North America (Mexico '70 and USA '94) and Asia (Korea/Japan '02). So in that vein, they should win the first African world cup. In which case, I really hope the favorite eff-up tradition overrides the Brazil-win-on-every-continent tradition.
Thus, my prediction that Argentina will win is for once, not just biased, but also, well, kinda logical, both historically and the fact that they have the world's best player. At any rate, one of two traditions will break at the next World Cup. 2014 is Europe's year so Argentina/Brazil shouldn't win but it's going to be held in South America and a European team has never won outside Europe. And Brazil are the only country to have not won the World Cup as a host. So... Argentina?? I can only hope.
Well, all this speculation, as pseudo-logical as it seems, could prove to be bullshit, and who knows maybe Switzerland will end up winning the cup. Only time will tell whether the patterns hold on for another tournament. Me? I'm looking forward to the Albiceleste kick some Korean ass later today.
Oh, and Week-1 Review and Week-2 Preview to be up tomorrow!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Week I : Get Out Your Vuvuzelas...
The four year wait is now almost officially over and in a few hours, the 19th FIFA World Cup will begin. As promised, this is the first of my weekly posts that will span the duration of the World Cup and will contain my musings and rants about the tournament.
Without scrutinizing every single match this week, let's just look into the ones that are of interest. To start, both today's games are quite noteworthy and both should be entertaining games. Africans and Latinos are both known for playing colorful football so I expect the RSA-MEX opener to be a good match. FRA-URU I have certain reservations about because the last time they met, it resulted in a very dour 0-0 result. As I mentioned before, this group's very hard to predict. Logic tells me Mexico and France but then football is rarely decided on logic alone. And it's good for the tournament if South Africa progresses, though without star striker Benni McCarthy (who was dropped surprisingly) it will be difficult. I'm gonna have to sit on the fence for both these matches.
Group B holds interest for me for obvious reasons. Argentina have a history of choking in openers against African teams but they should have no problem winning against Nigeria. The other group B match will probably be a boring draw. Group C starts with what has the potential to be a cracker but may end up in a dull, defensive affair between England and USA. As always, I'll be rooting for the Americans but my head says that England should win. Whatever happens in the other match (SVN-ALG), shouldn't matter. Group D starts with Germany vs Australia which may prove to be tricky for those Nazi s.o.b's (I still remember 2006) but if they don't win this group, then they don't deserve to do well. Serbia vs Ghana will be crucial at the end of the stage in terms of both points and goal difference. Groups E and F are very similar. One dominant team (Netherlands, Italy) and 3 teams with near equal chances of making it. Expect a couple of one-sided games and a host of draws in these groups.
Tuesday is when things should start to get really fun because that's when Group G opens. Brazil vs North Korea should be one-sided but still provide a lot of goals for entertainment and Cote D'Ivoire vs Portugal should be a very exciting match. The best team in Africa against one of the few attacking teams in Europe. Tough to call this one, but Portugal should edge it. Group H is always somewhat boring and dull. In 2002, it had 4 defense oriented teams (Japan, Russia, Belgium, Tunisia) and last time it had Spain, an average European (Ukraine) and 2 below average teams (Saudi & Tunisia). That formula seemed to have been continued this year. Spain, Switzerland, Chile and Honduras. The Chile-Honduras game has the potential to be good but I don't expect too many sparks to fly. Spain should win. The other two should draw.
This leads us back to the first 2 groups before the week ends. Mexico vs France should be particularly interesting because it'll probably decide who wins the group or who goes through along with the hosts (if the latter are doing well). RSA-URU should give the hosts their most practical chance of a win so that match will be great to watch too. The Group B matches shouldn't be that exciting. Argentina should beat Korea and Greece-Nigeria is too close to call.
Predictions
June 11
RSA 1-1 MEX
Both teams are known for playing colorful football so I expect this one to be an attacking game. Crowd helps RSA pull out a draw.
FRA 1-1 URU
Last time they met it was a dull goalless draw, so I'm not expecting much. This year's FRA team is the weakest in a long time and URU aren't half bad so...
June 12
ARG 3-1 NGA
ARG should win this group easily and NGA shouldn't pose a threat. An attacking yet one-sided game.
KOR 1-1 GRE
Should be a dull game because well, it's Greece. The Hellenic sons of bitches who stole Euro 2004 with cagey, defensive football that would put Italy to shame
ENG 2-1 USA
Should be one of the highlights of the week. Could be either attacking or defensive. Heart says America, head says England.
June 13
SVN 1-1 ALG
Boring, below average European team against very average African team should mean a dull draw.
GER 2-0 AUS
Albeit wracked with injuries, Germany should have enough to dispense with Australia without too much trouble.
SRB 1-1 GHA
Ghana's attack versus Serbia's defense and midfield. Won't provide too many goals but shouldn't be too cagey either.
June 14
NED 2-0 DEN
Netherlands should plow through this group. Denmark, no exception.
JPN 1-1 CMR
Will probably be similar to the Serbia-Ghana game.
ITA 2-0 PAR
Paraguay did well in the qualifiers but Italy have a very talented midfield and attacking line, absence of Toni notwithstanding.
June 15
SVK 2-0 NZL
A must-win game for Slovakia and they should win against an inferior New Zealand team.
BRA 4-0 NKR
Should be goals galore for the Brazilians. Reminds me of the Brazil-China game from 2002.
POR 3-2 CIV
Potentially one of the games of the week, one of the few attack oriented European teams, Portugal, should edge out the best African team.
June 16
HON 1-1 CHL
Could be more explosive, but I'm not holding out for anything special. Chile has a better chance of winning.
ESP 3-0 SUI
Spain are playing better than they ever have and Euro proved that they need not choke every single time. Plus, Switzerland are nowhere near their level.
RSA 1-0 URU
Hey, what's a World Cup without the underdog hosts shocking the world?! Could go either way but home advantage might prove decisive.
June 17
FRA 1-1 MEX
Potentially a great match. Could be sullied by both teams willing to play it safe rather than lose on the counter-attack and throw away chances of advancing. Winner of the match will probably decide group winner.
ARG 2-0 KOR
Should be a straightforward win for the Argentines.
NGA 2-1 GRE
I want Greece to lose every match by a huge margin. That probably won't happen, but I'm pretty sure Nigeria will go through, so they'll have to win a couple of matches...bleh...
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
So This Is How It's Gonna Go Down... Probably.
Ok, we're just 2 days away from kick-off and it's about time some insufferable football know-it-all (me!) made a wise-ass prediction about how the World Cup will pan out. Like I mentioned in the previous post, whenever I make predictions about World Cup tournaments I ensure that in the end Argentina wins. So too here, but the rest of it is pretty un-biased and practical. Especially since the 2 of the other 3 teams I support didn't qualify (Turkey and Ireland. :'( ) and the United States are never gonna make it to the semi-finals of the World Cup for atleast another twenty years. Or whenever the USA next hosts it. So without further ado...
GROUP A
Teams: South Africa, Mexico, France, Uruguay
Qualifiers: South Africa, Mexico/France
Why? - This is a tough group to call. For me the only cert is that South Africa should go through. Why on earth? Because the host team has NEVER failed to make it past the group stage. Even in years when the world was sure the trend would be bucked, it didn't happen. USA qualified for the 1994 Round 2 with a crappy team and Japan and Korea both did it in 2002 (How Korea reached the effin' semis I'll never understand) So I'm pretty sure South Africa will qualify somehow. Rest of the group is tough to call. France would be the safer bet but they don't have a very good team for the tournament. Mexico are always a threat. Uruguay aren't half bad either but given that someone has to fuck up against the hosts I'd say it'd be them. So RSA for sure, and either MEX or FRA. In the long run it won't matter given they WILL lose in the quarters.
GROUP B
Teams: Argentina, South Korea, Nigeria, Greece
Qualifiers: Argentina, Nigeria
Why? - I don't think any one's stupid enough to ask me why Argentina. Even without a bias, you'd expect Argentina to trample their opponents. Argentina have been pitted in the group of death and have been given a pretty bad draw in the past 2 World Cups so this seems fair. There's absolutely NO WAY Argentina won't win this group. The rest is tricky. I have a feeling Nigeria will go through just because of the whole Africa jig. Africa havent had a good year since 1990 and I think it's their time to finally shine. I hate watching Greece play football and I really hope they lose all 3 matches. Admittedly its hard to pick between Nigeria & Korea but I'll go for the Super Eagles.
GROUP C
Teams: England, United States, Slovenia, Algeria
Qualifiers: England, USA
Why? - Pretty straightforard. England should win. US should finish 2nd. I dont think the other 2 are anywhere close to matching the former in talent and quality. Admittedly, both England and USA have reputations for screwing up but Slovenia and Algeria seem too weak on paper to cause an upset.
GROUP D
Teams: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana
Qualifiers: Germany, Ghana
Why? - Similar to Group B, Germany should win all 3 matches. I pick Ghana over the others again because of Africa, but I think both Australia and Serbia have an equally good chance. It's pretty tough to call this group actually.
GROUP E
Teams: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
Qualifiers: Netherlands, Cameroon
Why? - I know I'm picking way too many African teams but I think Cameroon can beat Japan without any home advantage and home advantage can give them the extra boost to top Denmark. This group is similar to B and D again, Netherlands should have no troubles, and it'll be a dogfight between the others.
GROUP F
Teams: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
Qualifiers: Italy, Paraguay/Slovakia
Why? - Gosh, this year's draw sucks. A whole bunch of crappy groups. Italy should top. Paraguay or Sloakia to follow. New Zealand to make up the numbers.
GROUP G
Teams: Brazil, Portugal, Cote D'Ivoire, North Korea
Qualifiers: Brazil, Portugal
Why? - Ah, the Group of Death! Cote D'Ivoire have landed in the toughest group for a 2nd consecutive world cup and it's harsh the best African side probably wont go through. Brazil should win the group and Portugal should follow, but by no means can you write off the others. Cote D'Ivoire as mentioned is the best team in Africa right now and you can never write off a team like that inside Africa. North Korea? No chance surely? Well, last time they played in a World Cup they beat Italy and squandered a 3-0 lead in the quarters against guess who... Portugal.
GROUP H
Teams: Spain, Switzerland, Chile, Honduras
Qualifiers: Spain, Switzerland
Why? - The 2 Europeans should have enough for Chile and Honduras Spain should win all 3 matches, Switzerland shouldnt have too much trouble either.
ROUND OF 16
Mexico/France def. Nigeria
Nigerian luck should run out. Either one among France and Mexico outclasses the Africans.
England def. Ghana
Another African dream should end. England are playing very good football lately and Ghana are well... Ghana.
Argentina def. South Africa
Home advantage can get you so far. This is where the journey of the mediocre host teams end and so it should for South Africa.
Germany def. USA
As much as I hate to admit it, USA beating Germany sounds farfetched and shouldnt happen. On the flipside, I'd love to see Germany get its comeuppance for beating the Albiceleste back in 2006.
Netherlands def. Paraguay/Slovakia
Simple prediction. No chance for Paraguay or Slovakia. The Dutch know not to be overconfident after the Russian defeat at Euro '08 so an upset is unlikely.
Brazil def. Switzerland
...
Italy def. Cameroon
An upset is possible but unlikely.
Spain def. Portugal
Set to be the match of the tournament atleast till that point. More evenly poised than Brazil v Portugal, this one is too tough to predict. I'd pick Spain just on current form and higher ranking and Euro momentum, but if it goes to the shootout and Ronaldo can find his last season's magic, Portugal could make it just as easily
QUARTERFINALS
Ah the fun starts!
England def. France/Mexico
Let's face it. France suck. They always have. They were lucky in 1998, and luckier in 2000 because Abel Xavier's a prick and the referee added extra time. I'm no England fan but I'd really like to see them kick France's ass just for screwing Ireland out of the World Cup. Even without a complete prejudice, England is definitely a much better team than France these days.
Oh and Mexico should lose to England too.
Brazil def. Netherlands
Should be a cracker. Both teams have great attacking flair, matched only by Argentina and to an extent, Spain and Portugal. I'd say Brazil goes through but only just.
Argentina def. Germany
Revenge is sweet. Argentina WILL win. Messi WILL fuck up those Nazi bastards.
Spain def. Italy
Like France, I think Italy were quite lucky in 2006. They had 1 good match (against the hosts) and faced mediocre opposition throughout the tournament, and got lucky in the shootout in the final. I don't see them beating Spain who are much better these days.
SEMIFINALS
Brazil def. England
Again, very close call. But Brazil have played a final on every continent so who's England to stop them? Personally I want England to win because they'd make easier opponents for you know who in the final but I guess that shows that Brazil will probably win.
Argentina def. Spain
Hey, Spain choke when most important matches come up, so this is valid.
FINAL
Argentina def. Brazil
VICTORY FOR THE ALBICELESTE!! IRONICALLY, ARGENTINA'S FIRST WORLD CUP WIN AFTER THE 1986 TRIUMPH SEES THE CAPTAIN OF THAT CAMPAIGN, THE INCOMPORABLE DIEGO MARADONA AS THE COACH OF THIS ONE!
And yes, that had to be all in caps!
Ok, so final call...
Favorites - Argentina and Brazil. This is South America's turn for winning the tournament and well, Paraguay, Chile and Uruguay will not win a World Cup again in this century. Between the two, Argentina have more of a chance because they're my favorite team and because the team topping the South American qualifying tends to choke up in the finals.
Dark Horse - Nigeria could theoretically reach the semis if they beat France/Mexico and then England. Cote D'Ivoire and Cameroon are better teams and South Africa's the host but they have horrible draws. Cameroon could reach the quarters if they shock Italy but they won't be able to beat Spain/Portugal. I'm not naming a European team since a European team will NOT win the World Cup this time.
Teams I Want To Win/Do Well - Argentina(to win), United States(to do really well). It's actually possible that the two meet in the final. Argentina will be in the final. For USA, they have to top their group (i.e. beat England) and then upset Brazil in the semis but hey, you can always hope...
Matches To Look Forward To In The Group Stage - Mexico vs France (Grp A), Portugal vs Brazil (Grp G), England vs USA (Grp D). Yeah, talk about a fucked up draw.
Ok that's a really big post! Dismiss me, enough!
GROUP A
Teams: South Africa, Mexico, France, Uruguay
Qualifiers: South Africa, Mexico/France
Why? - This is a tough group to call. For me the only cert is that South Africa should go through. Why on earth? Because the host team has NEVER failed to make it past the group stage. Even in years when the world was sure the trend would be bucked, it didn't happen. USA qualified for the 1994 Round 2 with a crappy team and Japan and Korea both did it in 2002 (How Korea reached the effin' semis I'll never understand) So I'm pretty sure South Africa will qualify somehow. Rest of the group is tough to call. France would be the safer bet but they don't have a very good team for the tournament. Mexico are always a threat. Uruguay aren't half bad either but given that someone has to fuck up against the hosts I'd say it'd be them. So RSA for sure, and either MEX or FRA. In the long run it won't matter given they WILL lose in the quarters.
GROUP B
Teams: Argentina, South Korea, Nigeria, Greece
Qualifiers: Argentina, Nigeria
Why? - I don't think any one's stupid enough to ask me why Argentina. Even without a bias, you'd expect Argentina to trample their opponents. Argentina have been pitted in the group of death and have been given a pretty bad draw in the past 2 World Cups so this seems fair. There's absolutely NO WAY Argentina won't win this group. The rest is tricky. I have a feeling Nigeria will go through just because of the whole Africa jig. Africa havent had a good year since 1990 and I think it's their time to finally shine. I hate watching Greece play football and I really hope they lose all 3 matches. Admittedly its hard to pick between Nigeria & Korea but I'll go for the Super Eagles.
GROUP C
Teams: England, United States, Slovenia, Algeria
Qualifiers: England, USA
Why? - Pretty straightforard. England should win. US should finish 2nd. I dont think the other 2 are anywhere close to matching the former in talent and quality. Admittedly, both England and USA have reputations for screwing up but Slovenia and Algeria seem too weak on paper to cause an upset.
GROUP D
Teams: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana
Qualifiers: Germany, Ghana
Why? - Similar to Group B, Germany should win all 3 matches. I pick Ghana over the others again because of Africa, but I think both Australia and Serbia have an equally good chance. It's pretty tough to call this group actually.
GROUP E
Teams: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
Qualifiers: Netherlands, Cameroon
Why? - I know I'm picking way too many African teams but I think Cameroon can beat Japan without any home advantage and home advantage can give them the extra boost to top Denmark. This group is similar to B and D again, Netherlands should have no troubles, and it'll be a dogfight between the others.
GROUP F
Teams: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
Qualifiers: Italy, Paraguay/Slovakia
Why? - Gosh, this year's draw sucks. A whole bunch of crappy groups. Italy should top. Paraguay or Sloakia to follow. New Zealand to make up the numbers.
GROUP G
Teams: Brazil, Portugal, Cote D'Ivoire, North Korea
Qualifiers: Brazil, Portugal
Why? - Ah, the Group of Death! Cote D'Ivoire have landed in the toughest group for a 2nd consecutive world cup and it's harsh the best African side probably wont go through. Brazil should win the group and Portugal should follow, but by no means can you write off the others. Cote D'Ivoire as mentioned is the best team in Africa right now and you can never write off a team like that inside Africa. North Korea? No chance surely? Well, last time they played in a World Cup they beat Italy and squandered a 3-0 lead in the quarters against guess who... Portugal.
GROUP H
Teams: Spain, Switzerland, Chile, Honduras
Qualifiers: Spain, Switzerland
Why? - The 2 Europeans should have enough for Chile and Honduras Spain should win all 3 matches, Switzerland shouldnt have too much trouble either.
ROUND OF 16
Mexico/France def. Nigeria
Nigerian luck should run out. Either one among France and Mexico outclasses the Africans.
England def. Ghana
Another African dream should end. England are playing very good football lately and Ghana are well... Ghana.
Argentina def. South Africa
Home advantage can get you so far. This is where the journey of the mediocre host teams end and so it should for South Africa.
Germany def. USA
As much as I hate to admit it, USA beating Germany sounds farfetched and shouldnt happen. On the flipside, I'd love to see Germany get its comeuppance for beating the Albiceleste back in 2006.
Netherlands def. Paraguay/Slovakia
Simple prediction. No chance for Paraguay or Slovakia. The Dutch know not to be overconfident after the Russian defeat at Euro '08 so an upset is unlikely.
Brazil def. Switzerland
...
Italy def. Cameroon
An upset is possible but unlikely.
Spain def. Portugal
Set to be the match of the tournament atleast till that point. More evenly poised than Brazil v Portugal, this one is too tough to predict. I'd pick Spain just on current form and higher ranking and Euro momentum, but if it goes to the shootout and Ronaldo can find his last season's magic, Portugal could make it just as easily
QUARTERFINALS
Ah the fun starts!
England def. France/Mexico
Let's face it. France suck. They always have. They were lucky in 1998, and luckier in 2000 because Abel Xavier's a prick and the referee added extra time. I'm no England fan but I'd really like to see them kick France's ass just for screwing Ireland out of the World Cup. Even without a complete prejudice, England is definitely a much better team than France these days.
Oh and Mexico should lose to England too.
Brazil def. Netherlands
Should be a cracker. Both teams have great attacking flair, matched only by Argentina and to an extent, Spain and Portugal. I'd say Brazil goes through but only just.
Argentina def. Germany
Revenge is sweet. Argentina WILL win. Messi WILL fuck up those Nazi bastards.
Spain def. Italy
Like France, I think Italy were quite lucky in 2006. They had 1 good match (against the hosts) and faced mediocre opposition throughout the tournament, and got lucky in the shootout in the final. I don't see them beating Spain who are much better these days.
SEMIFINALS
Brazil def. England
Again, very close call. But Brazil have played a final on every continent so who's England to stop them? Personally I want England to win because they'd make easier opponents for you know who in the final but I guess that shows that Brazil will probably win.
Argentina def. Spain
Hey, Spain choke when most important matches come up, so this is valid.
FINAL
Argentina def. Brazil
VICTORY FOR THE ALBICELESTE!! IRONICALLY, ARGENTINA'S FIRST WORLD CUP WIN AFTER THE 1986 TRIUMPH SEES THE CAPTAIN OF THAT CAMPAIGN, THE INCOMPORABLE DIEGO MARADONA AS THE COACH OF THIS ONE!
And yes, that had to be all in caps!
Ok, so final call...
Favorites - Argentina and Brazil. This is South America's turn for winning the tournament and well, Paraguay, Chile and Uruguay will not win a World Cup again in this century. Between the two, Argentina have more of a chance because they're my favorite team and because the team topping the South American qualifying tends to choke up in the finals.
Dark Horse - Nigeria could theoretically reach the semis if they beat France/Mexico and then England. Cote D'Ivoire and Cameroon are better teams and South Africa's the host but they have horrible draws. Cameroon could reach the quarters if they shock Italy but they won't be able to beat Spain/Portugal. I'm not naming a European team since a European team will NOT win the World Cup this time.
Teams I Want To Win/Do Well - Argentina(to win), United States(to do really well). It's actually possible that the two meet in the final. Argentina will be in the final. For USA, they have to top their group (i.e. beat England) and then upset Brazil in the semis but hey, you can always hope...
Matches To Look Forward To In The Group Stage - Mexico vs France (Grp A), Portugal vs Brazil (Grp G), England vs USA (Grp D). Yeah, talk about a fucked up draw.
Ok that's a really big post! Dismiss me, enough!
THE WORLD CUP!
Yes! The FIFA World Cup is back after the mandatory four year wait and well, surprisingly, this time I'm not as excited as I usually get before my favorite sporting event starts. Probably because of stuff mentioned in the last 2 posts. But whatever, I'm bent on enjoying this World Cup and having a good time and forgetting everything that's messed up around me.
This will be my 4th World Cup... I followed the last 2 in great detail and saw glimpses of 1998. So, in order to foster some excitement and get my mind off of crap and well, give this blog some interesting material, I've decided to do a review/preview jazz about the whole event. I won't go overboard by doing it after every match because after a year I don't want to go through my blog archives and see 30 odd posts about the World Cup! So I'll restrict it to once a week, reviewing all the matches in the week briefly and providing brief previews for whatever is coming up. And the great thing is the timings are better this time due to it being held in Africa and not Europe and so chances of me dozing off midway through an attack and missing a goal are less likely!
Now unlike reports in other media, mine will be very biased and jaundiced and prejudiced and I will stick up/bring down any and all teams I see fit (This is my blog after all). So that's that for the intro. I'll stick up a prediction post for what I think may happen and like every single prediction I make, I make sure in the end Argentina wins!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Pull You Away
Booze, marijuana and rooftop debauchery. And I only took part in two of those...
Underneath the red sky,
Where your minds did go high,
Where you swayed with strong waters,
Like Aphrodite's daughters;
The roofs of paradise,
We and my artifice,
My truth was dancing too,
Contending over you two.
And I pull you away,
Like I push you closer,
The desire and disgust,
My mind craves but can't be.
Underneath the red sky,
Where your minds did go high,
Where you swayed with the nature,
Like Aphrodite's pet creature;
The winds came from heaven,
From twelve to eleven,
In the dark we did thrive,
Interstellar overdrive.
And I pull you away,
Like I push you closer,
You wash my back over,
Washing yours would stab mine
And I pull you away,
Like I push you closer,
My arm's wet with water,
My mind loves and it loathes.
And I push you closer,
But I pull you away,
That day is now over,
And the night's gone a stray.
P.S. - My writing style has somewhat changed. If you've noticed, all my last poems have in fact been 'songs'. With a crude verse-chorus-verse-chorus... structure. It's somewhat weird... whenever I try and write something these days I always have a tune in my head and end up writing something to that tune, and thus it ends up being a crude song and thus doesn't end up having consistent meter because I sing it to myself while writing. Maybe it's because of too much guitar and music lately. Whatever be the reason, this has resulted in my current writings to have somewhat simpler words and less verbosity. I don't know whether that's good or bad.
Underneath the red sky,
Where your minds did go high,
Where you swayed with strong waters,
Like Aphrodite's daughters;
The roofs of paradise,
We and my artifice,
My truth was dancing too,
Contending over you two.
And I pull you away,
Like I push you closer,
The desire and disgust,
My mind craves but can't be.
Underneath the red sky,
Where your minds did go high,
Where you swayed with the nature,
Like Aphrodite's pet creature;
The winds came from heaven,
From twelve to eleven,
In the dark we did thrive,
Interstellar overdrive.
And I pull you away,
Like I push you closer,
You wash my back over,
Washing yours would stab mine
And I pull you away,
Like I push you closer,
My arm's wet with water,
My mind loves and it loathes.
And I push you closer,
But I pull you away,
That day is now over,
And the night's gone a stray.
P.S. - My writing style has somewhat changed. If you've noticed, all my last poems have in fact been 'songs'. With a crude verse-chorus-verse-chorus... structure. It's somewhat weird... whenever I try and write something these days I always have a tune in my head and end up writing something to that tune, and thus it ends up being a crude song and thus doesn't end up having consistent meter because I sing it to myself while writing. Maybe it's because of too much guitar and music lately. Whatever be the reason, this has resulted in my current writings to have somewhat simpler words and less verbosity. I don't know whether that's good or bad.
Hate.
Basically the last post in verse, and yes that many f-words were necessary...
What was my sin and where did I wrong?
Why the fuck must I now write this song?
I don't want to live. I don't want to die.
The world fucks me over the harder I try.
Some kind of monster within me resides,
And fucks with my mind while others decide,
What I should do and what's good for me,
When they don't fucking know how I come to be.
But I'll never sell this soul of my own,
And deprive myself of my regal throne;
Words I will write and games I will play,
I will make music while they waste away.
Why must I be a prisoner of birth?
No fucking money and no fucking mirth.
I wish I could cut the line that did reap,
The sorrow which I harvest while I fucking weep.
Why me, O Lord, what the fuck did I do?
Money? Luck? Damn near all things too?
And now the bells toll yet I can't go back,
Wish this pain and I would just fade to black.
But I'll never take what I did not give,
I'll die everyday yet I will still live;
I'm no one's puppet, you can't master me,
I'll fuck the world with my friend of misery.
How much longer must this damn windstorm rage?
I'll die in the sea 'fore I hit old age,
But I'll ride the lightning and I'll be its fire,
No more the world will fuck my desires.
But no, for sure, that can never be,
The life is fucked up that belongs to me,
My time is over, its too fucking late,
Here's a final fuck you, this world I do hate.
What was my sin and where did I wrong?
Why the fuck must I now write this song?
I don't want to live. I don't want to die.
The world fucks me over the harder I try.
Some kind of monster within me resides,
And fucks with my mind while others decide,
What I should do and what's good for me,
When they don't fucking know how I come to be.
But I'll never sell this soul of my own,
And deprive myself of my regal throne;
Words I will write and games I will play,
I will make music while they waste away.
Why must I be a prisoner of birth?
No fucking money and no fucking mirth.
I wish I could cut the line that did reap,
The sorrow which I harvest while I fucking weep.
Why me, O Lord, what the fuck did I do?
Money? Luck? Damn near all things too?
And now the bells toll yet I can't go back,
Wish this pain and I would just fade to black.
But I'll never take what I did not give,
I'll die everyday yet I will still live;
I'm no one's puppet, you can't master me,
I'll fuck the world with my friend of misery.
How much longer must this damn windstorm rage?
I'll die in the sea 'fore I hit old age,
But I'll ride the lightning and I'll be its fire,
No more the world will fuck my desires.
But no, for sure, that can never be,
The life is fucked up that belongs to me,
My time is over, its too fucking late,
Here's a final fuck you, this world I do hate.
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