What was supposed to be a great display of attacking football turned out to be a great display of how to attack footballers. My bitterness with the Spanish ref will continue. Meanwhile, there's two more semifinal spots up for grabs. First up, it's Argentina and Belgium in Brasilia, at noon Eastern Time.
Your Mandatory "No love lost between these two teams" Video
The last time Belgium made the Semifinals of the World Cup, they got Maradona'd. I'm sure they don't want to get Messi'd this time around.
Uniforms
Another of Adidas' ridiculousness. An Argentinian team in all white looks so unnatural. Belgium, on the other hand, look mighty sharp in their red uniforms. Advantage, Red Devils.
Three Burning Questions
1. Can Axel Witsel handle Lionel Messi?
This Belgium team is like an upgraded version of Switzerland. They are very physical, organized, and have an excellent GK and back four. The key matchup, though, will be Axel Witsel vs. Lionel Messi. Normally, it takes more than one player to control Messi. However, the Zenit St. Petersburg man might be tasked with stopping "the Flea" all on his own. At the very least, he already won the hair competition.
2. Will Lukaku make an impact in the game?
One of the main reasons why Belgium is in the quarterfinals is the inspired play of Romelu Lukaku, who came into the Round of 16 match against the USA at the beginning of extra-time . His powerful run created the first goal, while adding a 2nd a few minutes later. However, don't be surprised if Belgium manager Marc Wilmots elects to start teenager Origi again and let Lukaku run at tired defenders in the 2nd half. We will definitely see the Chelsea/Everton man at some point.
3. Will Gonzalo Higuain do something productive? Anything at all?
We know Messi can't do it all on it's own. Argentina knows it too. The loss of Sergio "Kun" Aguero was a devastating blow to a team that has not being able to jell up front. Argentina has scored 7 goals at this World Cup, split up like this: 4 by Messi, an own goal, a Marcos Rojo goal on a corner-kick, and di Maria's well taken shot at the end of the Switzerland match... after an amazing run by Messi. Higuain needs to show up. The Napoli striker has been MIA so far and Argentina needs him to score if they hope to make the Semis, much less win the whole thing.
Argentina will win if...
... they score first. Once they have a goal, Belgium will open up and the space will be there for Messi and Angel di Maria to make their trademark lightning runs. A quick 2nd goal would then follow.
Belgium will win if...
... the score is 0-0 after 60 minutes. Argentina will grow more and more desperate as their attacks get stuffed by a very good Belgian defense. This is the time when Hazard & Co. capitalize on a quick counter.
The Final Score
Argentina 0 - Belgium 1. This is the end of the road for Messi & Co. Switzerland was not able to capitalize on the weaknesses Argentina showed at the back, but Belgium definitely have the firepower to do so and will do so. Expect Axel Witsel to chase Messi around, not letting him breath. An Eden Hazard goal wins it for the Red Devils. Fellaini's afro lives to fight another day.
Showing posts with label Quarterfinals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quarterfinals. Show all posts
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Friday, July 4, 2014
World Cup 2014 - Quarterfinals Preview: Brazil vs. Colombia
It's Samba vs. Cumbia. Friday, July 4th, in Fortaleza. 4 pm Eastern kickoff time.
Your Mandatory "No love lost between these two teams" Video
Once upon a time, Brazil beat Colombia 9-0. That's the worst loss in Colombian history.
Uniforms
In this battle of Yellow vs. Yellow, Brazil gets the edge due to home-field advantage. The Colombian away red jerseys are nothing to write home about.
Three Burning Questions
1. When did Brazil turn into England?
If you watched any of the Brazil vs. Chile match, you must have noticed that, at some point during the course of the game, Brazil decided to just boot the ball up-field and pray for the best. Considering the quality of their strikers (more on that coming up), this is not a strategy that suits them very well. Brazil is at its best when Neymar and Oscar are dictating play, with overlapping runs by Marcelo and Dani Alves. They need to get back to the basics if they plan on reaching the Semifinals.
2. Jackson or Ibarbo for Colombia?
The only lineup decision that Colombian manager José Pekerman has to make is a tactical one. Does he choose Jackson Martinez and play a 4-4-2 with Teo Gutierrez in a shadow striker position? Or does he select Victor Ibarbo instead and play a 4-2-3-1, with Teo playing the sole striker role? As mentioned above, Colombia should find space behind Brazil's aggressive fullbacks and must be able to exploit it in order to win. If it were up to me, Ibarbo would be the choice.
3. Will fatigue play a role in the heat and humidity of Fortaleza?
Almost all of the Brazilian Starting XI has played 390 minutes: 4 full matches plus 30 minutes of extra time. Luiz Gustavo, Neymar, Oscar, Dani Alves, and Marcelo have all ran more than 40 kms already! On the other hand, none of the Colombian starters have played all 90 minutes in each of the 4 matches. James Rodriguez leads all Colombians with 36 km traveled, yet he didn't play the first half of the match against Japan and was subbed out at the end of the Round of 16 match against Uruguay.
It doesn't seem like it'll be a particularly hot day in Fortaleza (72F), but the humidity should be around 70%. If the match goes to extra time, Colombia should have fresher legs. If you consider Neymar's nagging calf injury, I would be willing to bet that Brazil goes all out to win in 90 minutes.
Brazil will win if...
... either of their completely inept strikers, Fred or Jo, scores. They are both so bad you wonder why they don't just grab somebody off the beach and give him the #9 jersey. I think the current version of Ronaldo, R9, would be an upgrade over Fred.
Colombia will win if...
... the match goes to extra time. As mentioned above, Brazilian players have had to play a lot more than their Colombian counterparts. Jose Pekerman has done an excellent job rotating the squad and all players are close to full fitness. They should be able to grab a late winner by outrunning a very tired Brazilian back four that might get caught in transition.
The Final Score
Brazil 2 - Colombia 1. Brazil wins it after Zapata or Yepes loses a ball trying to play out of the back and Neymar capitalizes. I've been picking against Colombia all tournament and I'm not going to change my strategy now.
Your Mandatory "No love lost between these two teams" Video
Once upon a time, Brazil beat Colombia 9-0. That's the worst loss in Colombian history.
Uniforms
In this battle of Yellow vs. Yellow, Brazil gets the edge due to home-field advantage. The Colombian away red jerseys are nothing to write home about.
Three Burning Questions
1. When did Brazil turn into England?
If you watched any of the Brazil vs. Chile match, you must have noticed that, at some point during the course of the game, Brazil decided to just boot the ball up-field and pray for the best. Considering the quality of their strikers (more on that coming up), this is not a strategy that suits them very well. Brazil is at its best when Neymar and Oscar are dictating play, with overlapping runs by Marcelo and Dani Alves. They need to get back to the basics if they plan on reaching the Semifinals.
2. Jackson or Ibarbo for Colombia?
The only lineup decision that Colombian manager José Pekerman has to make is a tactical one. Does he choose Jackson Martinez and play a 4-4-2 with Teo Gutierrez in a shadow striker position? Or does he select Victor Ibarbo instead and play a 4-2-3-1, with Teo playing the sole striker role? As mentioned above, Colombia should find space behind Brazil's aggressive fullbacks and must be able to exploit it in order to win. If it were up to me, Ibarbo would be the choice.
3. Will fatigue play a role in the heat and humidity of Fortaleza?
Almost all of the Brazilian Starting XI has played 390 minutes: 4 full matches plus 30 minutes of extra time. Luiz Gustavo, Neymar, Oscar, Dani Alves, and Marcelo have all ran more than 40 kms already! On the other hand, none of the Colombian starters have played all 90 minutes in each of the 4 matches. James Rodriguez leads all Colombians with 36 km traveled, yet he didn't play the first half of the match against Japan and was subbed out at the end of the Round of 16 match against Uruguay.
It doesn't seem like it'll be a particularly hot day in Fortaleza (72F), but the humidity should be around 70%. If the match goes to extra time, Colombia should have fresher legs. If you consider Neymar's nagging calf injury, I would be willing to bet that Brazil goes all out to win in 90 minutes.
Brazil will win if...
... either of their completely inept strikers, Fred or Jo, scores. They are both so bad you wonder why they don't just grab somebody off the beach and give him the #9 jersey. I think the current version of Ronaldo, R9, would be an upgrade over Fred.
Colombia will win if...
... the match goes to extra time. As mentioned above, Brazilian players have had to play a lot more than their Colombian counterparts. Jose Pekerman has done an excellent job rotating the squad and all players are close to full fitness. They should be able to grab a late winner by outrunning a very tired Brazilian back four that might get caught in transition.
The Final Score
Brazil 2 - Colombia 1. Brazil wins it after Zapata or Yepes loses a ball trying to play out of the back and Neymar capitalizes. I've been picking against Colombia all tournament and I'm not going to change my strategy now.
Thursday, July 3, 2014
World Cup 2014 - Quarterfinals Preview: Germany vs. France
The World Cup Quarterfinals kick off with France vs. Germany this Friday at the Maracana in Rio. The match is scheduled for noon, Eastern Time.
Your Mandatory "No love lost between these two teams" Video
That one time that German keeper sent that French striker to the hospital during a World Cup semifinal....
Uniforms
I give the advantage to France, only because a German uniform without the black shorts is a disgrace. Seriously, Adidas. You and I have issues that need to be worked out.
Three Burning Questions
1. Who will play Right Back for Die Mannschaft?
The injury to Mustafi will force German manager Joachim Low to make a lineup change: 1) he can move Höwedes to the right, Boateng to the left, and reinsert Mats Hummels into the lineup, or 2) he can move Phillip Lahm to his familiar right back position, and play Schweinsteiger/Khedira/Kroos in the middle, with Özil and Götze in more advanced positions behind Müller.
2. Will Griezmann be in the Starting XI for Les Bleus?
The Real Sociedad winger was key in opening up the Nigerian defense, winning the corner that led to Paul Pogba's goal and then provoking the own goal that sealed the match. Olivier Giroud got the start in the Round of 16 match but did not play well, and that's an understatement. Benzema is a better player when playing as a true #9, which he can do with Griezmann playing out wide.
3. Which goalkeeper will make the game-changing save?
Manuel Neuer is widely acclaimed as one of the world's best GKs, but this discussion is not as clear-cut as you might think. Hugo Lloris is really good, even if he has not been tested much in this tournament. Once you go deep into the knockout rounds, having a World Class goalkeeper can make all the difference. See: Howard, Tim. I think Lloris will come up big during the 2nd half.
Germany will win if...
...if Özil plays at a superstar level. The Arsenal midfielder was atrocious during most of the match against Algeria, even if he did score what turned out to be the game-winning goal at the end of extra time. If he can connect with the other midfielders and feed decent balls to Müller, Germany will advance.
France will win if...
... Benzema and/or Valbuena can get in one-on-one situations against another key Arsenal man, Per Mertesacker. Mertesacker has been under scrutiny due to his lack of speed, which GK/Libero Manuel Neuer has had to make up for with his daring play.
The Final Score
France 2 - Germany 1. Germany may have more individual talent but France has looked like the better team so far. A late Benzema strike off a quick counter sends the Mannschaft home.
Your Mandatory "No love lost between these two teams" Video
That one time that German keeper sent that French striker to the hospital during a World Cup semifinal....
Uniforms
I give the advantage to France, only because a German uniform without the black shorts is a disgrace. Seriously, Adidas. You and I have issues that need to be worked out.
Three Burning Questions
1. Who will play Right Back for Die Mannschaft?
The injury to Mustafi will force German manager Joachim Low to make a lineup change: 1) he can move Höwedes to the right, Boateng to the left, and reinsert Mats Hummels into the lineup, or 2) he can move Phillip Lahm to his familiar right back position, and play Schweinsteiger/Khedira/Kroos in the middle, with Özil and Götze in more advanced positions behind Müller.
2. Will Griezmann be in the Starting XI for Les Bleus?
The Real Sociedad winger was key in opening up the Nigerian defense, winning the corner that led to Paul Pogba's goal and then provoking the own goal that sealed the match. Olivier Giroud got the start in the Round of 16 match but did not play well, and that's an understatement. Benzema is a better player when playing as a true #9, which he can do with Griezmann playing out wide.
3. Which goalkeeper will make the game-changing save?
Manuel Neuer is widely acclaimed as one of the world's best GKs, but this discussion is not as clear-cut as you might think. Hugo Lloris is really good, even if he has not been tested much in this tournament. Once you go deep into the knockout rounds, having a World Class goalkeeper can make all the difference. See: Howard, Tim. I think Lloris will come up big during the 2nd half.
Germany will win if...
...if Özil plays at a superstar level. The Arsenal midfielder was atrocious during most of the match against Algeria, even if he did score what turned out to be the game-winning goal at the end of extra time. If he can connect with the other midfielders and feed decent balls to Müller, Germany will advance.
France will win if...
... Benzema and/or Valbuena can get in one-on-one situations against another key Arsenal man, Per Mertesacker. Mertesacker has been under scrutiny due to his lack of speed, which GK/Libero Manuel Neuer has had to make up for with his daring play.
The Final Score
France 2 - Germany 1. Germany may have more individual talent but France has looked like the better team so far. A late Benzema strike off a quick counter sends the Mannschaft home.
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