WORLD CUP 2014: Loew's Not Low Anymore; A Fitting Finale To A Compelling Tournament

In our final World Cup 2014 column, we proclaim Germany rightful Kings Of The Football World, and reveal our own tournament "award winners"

On a barmy, balmy night in Rio De Janeiro, Germany persisted to a deserved triumph over a valiant Argentinian side, winning the World Cup for the fourth time overall but for the first time as a unified nation, to follow West Germany's treble of wins in 1954, 1974 and 1990.

In doing so, they went from zeroes to heroes, and from chokers to champions, at long last putting aside the ghosts of Fabio Grosso, Fernando Torres, Carles Puyol, Mario Balotelli and every other obstacle that stood between the Jurgen Klinsmann-Jogi Loew long-term project and its worthy reward.

But it was not easy. This year's grand showpiece match rather disappointingly fell into the category of most knockout games in this World Cup: class eventually telling in a contest characterised by its goals, or lack of them.

Only the astounding thrashing of Brazil by Germany produced more than three goals per game following the first round of Brazil 2014, reducing what once promised to be among the highest ever goal averages at a World Cup to 2.67 - on par with France 98 and its 171 goals in 64 games, but below USA 94's 2.71.

And when considering the latest high-profile battle between Europe and South America in retrospect, it isn't hard to see why. With stakes heightening and matches becoming all about survival rather than goal difference and points, fear of losing regularly overtook daring to win. The result was, unsurprisingly, a slightly nervy Argentina and a seemingly overawed Germany scrapping with one another in the first half in the Maracana Stadium.

It is arguable that had they really believed in themselves and been more thoughtful with their attacks, Argentina could have been comfortably ahead by half-time. Although Germany dominated possession and were unlucky not to score themselves when Benedikt Howedes' close range header bounced off a post, Gonzalo Higuain had already fired wide with only Neuer to beat, and later mistimed a run to find himself rolling the ball past Neuer in a clearly offside position when he didn't need to be. The second half continued in a similar pattern, with players like Toni Kroos and Lionel Messi missing when you would have expected them to at least hit the target. Still, the replacement of the unfortunate Christoph Kramer (who had, in turn, stepped in at the last minute to replace Sami Khedira) with Andre Schurrle at least gave the Germans a little more attacking impetus.

And it was substitutions that eventually paid seven minutes from the end of extra time. Schurrle at last found space on the left flank, delivering the right cross for fellow substitute Mario Gotze to beat Sergio Romero from a tight angle. It had not been as brutal as the final of South Africa 2010. But, as had been the case four years ago, the Golden Boot contenders - in this case, Messi and Thomas Muller - were overshadowed in an exceptionally tight battle settled by a solitary goal from the deserving side close to the end.

Persistent, precise probing paid, for the purer football. And while short of being a brilliant team, the Germans at last showed that they did not, after all, lack the guts and the muscle for the games that really mattered. No longer would this gifted squad always promise, but never deliver - and that is something to be celebrated.

Of course, we must spare a thought for the poor Argentines, who all had faces like thunder at the end of the contest. To too many of them, it must have felt like the same kit, but an all-too-familiar outcome in a marginally cleaner but longer match than that filthfest in Rome in 1990. Marcos Rojo resembled Diego Maradona back then. Some tried in vain to put on a happy face as the Germans celebrated with their WAGs. It was all too much. And the consolation of the Golden Ball for Messi counted for little. He - and Argentina - had run out of steam, the general effect of a too restrictive, predominantly defensive game plan.

But the right team won. Just. And Mario Gotze rightly joins Helmut Rahn, Gerd Muller and Andy Brehme as World Cup goalscoring heroes while a fourth star now rests on top of Germany's football crest for all to see.

BEST WORLD CUP EVER...?

It is a fitting finale to a fine tournament that has ultimately promised more than it delivered. Brazil 2014's status as a very enjoyable World Cup should not be in doubt, but that it is being acclaimed in some quarters as the "best World Cup ever" speaks more of its recent competition (2002, 2006, 2010) than the tournament itself. It brings back that old food analogy: when you've been starved of a decent meal for so long, you'll regard the next "good" meal you get as a "great" one.

But it has produced countless memories. Several of which are worthy of "awards". And here are a handful of my own:

MOST ADMIRED TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT? Germany, for adding resilience and toughness to go with their already proven flair. It helped lead them, in the end, to the ultimate prize. Honorable mention for their second round opponents Algeria.

FAVOURITE TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT? Colombia. The most revelatory nation of this World Cup, blessed with a fearless attacking strategy, lots of goals and the finest No. 10 of them all. The absence of Falcao was forgotten... at least until they paid the poorest Brazil side in recent memory a little too much respect. Honorable mentions go to the spirited, well-organised Costa Rica and the never boring United States.

MOST UNDERRATED? Mexico and the two "honorable mentions" above. All three escaped from difficult groups to push technically superior opposition all the way in the knockout stages.

MOST OVERRATED? Croatia, Ivory Coast. Classic cases of gifted generations with the inability to deliver when it counted; in other words, they had all the gear, but no idea.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS? Where do I start? Spain's "Golden Generation" running out of steam in the most embarrassing manner? Holland starting with a bang before gradually deteriorating? A gutless Russia? Portugal, for relying too much on Cristiano Ronaldo (ditto Uruguay, and Luis Suarez)? France and Belgium, for being subsumed by unexpected timidity in the quarter-finals? A restrictive Argentine system eventually exhausting Lionel Messi? Alternatively, every Argentine attacking player barring Messi, especially Gonzalo Higuain? Every African nation bar Algeria? There are so many contenders, but I think the winner has to be Brutal Brazil and their midfield of clones. It's said one man doesn't make a team, but if you let him, as Brazil clearly did with Neymar, then you're in trouble...

MOST PLEASANT SURPRISES? Colombia, Algeria, Costa Rica, the United States and France (at least until the quarter-finals).

FAVOURITE GAME? Germany's 7-1 rout of Brazil has to top the list here. Honorable mentions for Holland's trouncing of Spain and the second period of extra-time in Belgium vs. USA.

FAVOURITE PLAYER? James Rodriguez of Colombia. An outstanding No. 10 in a field of already proven No. 10s.

MOST ADMIRED PLAYER? Tim Howard. His series of saves in the competition epitomise just how well he has bounced back from falling down the pecking order at Manchester United, once upon a time. Honorable mentions for Javier Mascherano for keeping Argentina ticking, and Miroslav Klose for breaking a certain record.

FAVOURITE GOAL? Rodriguez vs. Uruguay. Honorable mentions for Tim Cahill's volley against Holland, Robin van Persie's looping header against Spain and David Luiz's free kick against Colombia.

FAVOURITE CELEBRATION? Van Persie's celebration against Spain and any of the Colombian celebrations against Greece are favourites, but it is John Brooks' celebration for the USA against Ghana that really lingers. Forget overstatement; you knew that goal meant a lot to him. You just knew.

MOST AMUSING INTERNET MEME? Yes, we were disappointed in him at the time (and still are), but you have to admit the former Liverpool striker with plenty of bite gave us plenty of funny material to work with.

It's been quite a month, hasn't it? And on that note, it's time to consign Brazil 2014 to the record books and look forward to the new football season. For now....

Congratulations Germany!
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(Also published at Pulp Interest in July 2014.) Read more...

WORLD CUP 2014: Argy Bargy, And The Third Place Final

We review the second semi-final, picks our tournament winners and make a case for the third place final

The worry for the second semi-final of Brazil 2014, in advance, is that Brazil vs. Germany raised the bar so high for astonishment, entertainment and clinical finishing that it was always going to be a tough, even impossible, act to follow.

In the event, Louis van Gaal’s Holland did not possess quite enough Argy Bargy to see off their marginally more determined opponents in Sao Paulo. It was a case of sad history repeating itself for the Dutch; sixteen years before, they had lost 4-2 in a penalty shootout to a worse-looking South American team on the day, with the shootout hero being a much-maligned goalkeeper. For Claudio Taffarel, read Sergio Romero, as his brace of saves carried Argentina into the final and continued their proud record of never losing a semi-final match.

The match itself was disappointing, a turgid tactical battle between, as Liam Brady put it, “two boxers who (wouldn’t) drop their guard”. There were strong, persistent spells of passing and probing from both nations, but these ultimately amounted to nothing, with tiredness and tentativeness taking precedence as the match went on. Suffocating the middle of the park, and not giving the totems – Lionel Messi, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and a clearly unfit Robin van Persie – room to dictate, seemed key for teams who appeared to prioritise not losing over the desire to win. Result: a safety-first stalemate where penalties seemed the only solution.

If this match will be remembered for any reason, it’ll be held up as an example of a defensive collective triumph. Each back four excelled, with Javier Mascherano’s exceptional tackle on Robben deservedly marking him out as man of the match.

WHO WILL WIN?

Most neutrals, who desire goals and excitement above all else, will plump for Jogi Loew’s Germany to lift the famous golden trophy this weekend. I’m not so sure.

As they’ve proven repeatedly in this tournament, the Argentine back-line are not likely to be anywhere near as accommodating as Brazil. Nor is Loew likely to field a defensive midfielder to nullify Messi, as Van Gaal did with Nigel De Jong, then Jordi Clasie. That would be going against his principles.

My instincts, and the knowledge that Germany have more obvious match winning individuals, still point towards a narrow German win, but something more akin to the dramatic encounter in the Azteca Stadium in 1986 than the filth of 1990 which left Diego Maradona in tears. If Messi does cry tears of defeat, I fear it may not be his fault. The tight solidity of this unspectacular Argentina side, surely brought upon them by haunting memories of Marcelo Bielsa’s failures of 2002, is not the sort of environment for an individual like Messi to really prosper. Neither the opposition’s tactics nor his own team’s structure are really letting him play his game – it is clear that at Maradona’s zenith, Argentina were more cavalier – and fatigue, fear and frustration look to have caught up with him, to the point where he seems a shadow of the goalscorer he was in the group stages.

Football hopes that Messi can find something in the tank to dazzle us all with, regardless of the final outcome.

THIRD PLACE FINAL – YAY OR NAY?

Going by Louis van Gaal’s recent comments that the third place final in the World Cup is “unfair”, “should not be played” and, ludicrously, “has nothing to do with sport”, I can see why many might look upon the consolation match as pointless.

However, if you put van Gaal’s own self-interests aside and look upon the fixture as purely a football match, I think the fixture generally provides an enjoyable spectacle and has produced matches that are even better than the World Cup Final itself, especially in the modern era.

Without so much at stake, the fear of conceding significantly decreases in relevance and teams are encouraged to play more freely. The result? Goals, goals, goals. Only two third place matches have produced less than four goals since the 1980s (Italy vs. England in 1990, and Croatia vs. Holland in 1998). But the match also opens the door for new stars to emerge, new records to be set and individual awards to be won. In Bari, Toto Schillaci crucially netted his sixth goal of Italia 90 to clinch the Golden Boot that year; Davor Suker followed suit in France 98 as his superb strike against Holland, also his sixth of the tournament, gave Croatia third place. Elsewhere, Hakan Sukur set the record for fastest goal at the World Cup finals in 2002, Bastian Schweinsteiger rose to prominence with two humdingers against Portugal in 2006, and a then unknown Bolo Zenden fired a swinging strike into the roof of the Croatian net in 1998. That's not even taking the 3-2 "thriller" of four years ago into account (watch it below).

Flowing football, new heroes, goals and Golden Boot winners. What more could you want?

(Originally published at Pulp Interest on July 11, 2014.) Read more...

WORLD CUP 2014: The Magnificent Seven

And we thought Spain’s 5-1 hammering by Holland was staggering. Read our musings on Germany’s incredible 7-1 victory over Brazil in the World Cup semi-finals

Belligerent Brazilian brutality was trumped by Grand German efficiency in a tub-thumping, eye-opening, record-breaking spectacle in Belo Horizonte. For both Germans and neutrals, it was a joy to watch, delightful advertisement for clinical, mouthwatering attacking team play. For Brazil, it transcended disaster. A record five World Cups will be scant consolation for the nation who hoped that this would be the year that they would finally win it on home soil.

There will be sympathy for the fans, but there ought to be little sympathy for a team who had illustrated as far back as their opening match that they frankly weren’t worthy of winning the World Cup. A team who had survived to this stage through a mixture of friendly refereeing decisions, dour, functional tactics, luck and the odd moment of individual brilliance, mostly from Neymar.

The lasting impression of Brazil 2014 was threatening to be left by these non-Brazilian Brazilans, for many the undeniable villains of the piece. And the price of kicking the elegant Colombians out of the tournament, surely hard to forgive in the eyes of many purists, was paid in the most emphatic fashion, with both captain and talisman unable to face Germany through suspension and injury respectively. One cannot even begin to comprehend just how much this enormous loss will impact a nation so thoroughly steeped in positive football culture.

David Luiz, whose commitment and classy free kick papered over many cracks against Colombia, was left utterly exposed without Thiago Silva alongside him. I also recently theorised that one man doesn’t make a team; one can amend that theory to “one man does make a team – but only if you allow him to.” That point of view turns a solitary playmaker or front runner into, as fellow football writer Jared Browne has put it, the team’s “own Limerick Junction”: everything has to go through him. And so it was with Neymar.

Germany have no such weakness. Firstly, their defence, for all its limitations, works for one another as a collective. The reversion of captain Philipp Lahm to his traditional full back role has made room for the presence of an old-fashioned No. 9 – Miroslav Klose.

Klose illustrated the value that a role seemingly deemed defunct in today’s game can still offer, his hunger, sharpness and persistence in breaking his own World Cup record passing through to the rest of the German team.

Stunned at going two goals down in a match for the first time since 1998, Brazil fell into a spell of shock and the previously blunt Sami Khedira briefly looked imperious.

It was a night for true match winners: Brazil had one, in Neymar, and he was pole-axed. Germany, on the other hand, had many: Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos, the aforementioned Klose, Manuel Neuer and later Andre Schurrle, to name but a handful.

Their fight to keep a clean sheet even though it seemed irrelevant, their tug-of-war between maintaining a compact system and going for more goals, and their disappointment at conceding a goal in the end is symptomatic of the high standards they have set for themselves following two consecutive semi-final failures.

It’s third time lucky for the Germans, and deservedly so. There have been better German sides, man for man, over the years, but few more admirable in terms of youth, vitality, fluidity, unity, determination and incisiveness.These record breakers have registered the biggest World Cup semi-final knockout victory ever, beating the 6-1 wins of Argentina vs. USA and Uruguay vs. Yugoslavia respectively in 1930, and West Germany’s 6-1 win over Austria in 1954.

Were they to score three goals or more in the final and win it, they would become the highest-scoring winners of any World Cup, beating the current record of 19 held by Brazil’s immortal class of 1970. They are already on course to be the highest scoring team in the World Cup for the third tournament running, having scored 14 in 2006 and 16 in 2010.

That is something no team has previously achieved in the history of the World Cup finals.

And the lesson? It took a complete overhaul of a stagnant, restrictive results-driven system in the mid-noughties, which has revitalised German football and played a major part in changing the international game for the better.

Perhaps, on this evidence, Brazil need a similar overhaul.

(Originally published at Pulp Interest, July 9, 2014.) Read more...

WORLD CUP 2014: The Semi-Final Countdown...

Four more games gone. Four more to go. And it is still difficult, even impossible, to choose a World Cup winner. We preview the World Cup semi-finals

 

The best of the four quarter-finals was also the filthiest, as Belligerent Brazil, who have traded almost all of the beauty in their game for battling brutality, bashed their way past Cultured Colombia to set up a semi-final meeting with Germany, to be played tonight. Luiz Felipe "Big Phil" Scolari has made few, if any, friends outside Brazil by capitalising on the most negative aspects of the modern game for success's sake. (As an aside, similar negative play at Italia '90 forced major rule changes in the game by the time of USA '94; what price further rule changes four years from now?)

Big Phil won't care. He's not out to win fans, and as long as he continues to get the right results, both pragmatists and Brazilians will stand by him. What will, and should, stick in the craw of everyone is his hypocrisy; his comment that the now sadly injured Neymar "was always going to be hunted" earns no sympathy when you recall that his own team wasted little effort in trying to kick star-of-the-tournament James Rodriguez out of the quarter-final.

There is something worth celebrating. The unpopular Scolari has become the only manager to lead Brazil past the World Cup quarter-finals in the 21st century. It is a monkey that Brazil have been trying to shake off their backs since Scolari managed them to victory in 2002, where, coincidentally, it took a very special free-kick to earn them a 2-1 win in the quarter-final against England. For these achievements alone, he deserves some sort of credit; and he still won't be satisfied. His attitude may put you off, his teams may not be the most attractive even on their best days, but he's not short of ambition. This, along with moments of class and luck at the right times, appears to be seeing this brutal Brazilian team over even the most difficult hurdles.

Brazil's path to the semis is also starting to bear an uncomfortable resemblance to France's overall triumph in 1998, with less elegance. Following the first round, only defenders have scored for Brazil, and they have found themselves taken to extra time and penalties along the way, as France were by Paraguay and Italy sixteen years ago. It is also telling that France's top scorer in that tournament, a pre-Arsenal Thierry Henry, scored three goals in the first two matches and was no longer in the team by the final. For Henry, we may read Neymar... what price Fernandinho scoring two headers from corners in a final where the opposition defence does not show up to play?

Of course, they need to get past Germany first. And it is funny that the Germans, despite the obvious success of the Klinsmann-Loew "attacking" revolution, are once again adhering to a typical German principle: delivering the goods when it matters. In Euro 2008, they scored a total of six goals in the quarter and semi-finals. In South Africa 2010, they knocked four past England and Argentina. In their Euro 2012 quarter-final, they scored four again. Yet the moment they faced finalists - first Spain (twice), then Italy - their dream ended. Their newly found resilience in the face of an admittedly too respectful French attack is, in a way, a welcome sight, and should put them in better stead against today's Brazil.

What might come as a godsend to Brazil, and fellow semi-finalists Argentina, is that neither Germany nor Holland has fully fired as an "attacking force". Both "Europhiles" set off like greyhounds, unexpectedly hammering fancied Iberian nations in their opening matches before muddling their way through to the last four, being pushed to the limit by less technically capable but more committed sides. Similarly, while Argentina have won all their games and will be delighted to get their own monkey off their back (this is their first appearance in the last four since the Hand Of God was amputated), they too have been rather underwhelming.

It is not that Brazil 2014 doesn't remain packed with promise. Four high-profile teams have reached the semi-finals. All four have a point to prove. All four have had their moments throughout their campaigns. Two of them - Germany and Argentina - seem to be finding some sort of form at the right time. Yet not one of the World Cup contenders this year, on the whole really makes the heart race. There is something to be said for Lionel Messi's late missed chance against Belgium, France's unexpected timidity, and Costa Rica's organised football earning more praise than the canniness of Louis Van Gaal. (Yes, it was a rather "Krul" elimination for the Central Americans.) Despite the commitment levels remaining genuinely high, goals have dried up, and fears that both semi-finals will be tightly fought, cautious affairs are not unfounded.

Then again, Thomas Muller, Robin Van Persie & Messi may find their shooting boots again (none of them have scored in the knockout stages) and Hulk may finally live up to the "incredible" tag of his comic book namesake. If so, we could be in for a pair of thrillers. Read more...

WORLD CUP 2014: It's A Knockout – And Quality Is Telling

In eight battles of aggression and ambition, aesthetics have counted – but only just. We look ahead to the quarter-finals of World Cup 2014 with much anticipation

The second round of Brazil 2014 has followed a strict, but quietly spellbinding, pattern: no tactical stalemates, almost no mismatches, just a mixture of quiet penetration and wholehearted physicality from virtually every country involved, with quality ultimately prevailing in the end. It is not a battle of managerial tactical "wits", but a war of aggression, attrition and ambition, with aesthetics ultimately prevailing. The best footballers, man for man, are finishing on top in a knock out stage where, barring Switzerland and Uruguay, every nation has entered the sporting arena with a will to win. Nothing overly mechanical. Nothing too complicated. Just "having a go". A refreshing simplicity that sometimes dazzles and often inspires. Roy Keane would be proud of it.

One should still be reluctant to laud this competition as a "truly wonderful" World Cup, like many pundits have; the over-praise for Brazil 2014 is based on a theory of relativity. The knockout stages in 2002, 2006 and 2010 were so dour and defensive that any remotely exciting World Cup knockout stage this year was likely to be regarded as nirvana. And the question I now ask is: is it likely that the upcoming quarter-finals will match the high watermark of those in the United States in 1994?

The USA '94 quarter-finals produced fifteen goals - that's an average of 3.75 per game. Italy 2-1 Spain, Holland 2-3 Brazil, Bulgaria 2-1 Germany and Romania 2-2 Sweden (with the Swedes winning on penalties). Almost entirely Euro-centric, but were we spoiled for choice or weren't we? It felt like a clash of attacking titans: Roberto Baggio vs. Jose Luis Caminero, Dennis Bergkamp vs. Romario, Hristo Stoichkov vs. Jurgen Klinsmann, Gheorghe Hagi vs. Tomas Brolin. A true football feast, with at least one major upset bound to happen (it did).

Today we look forward to Brazil vs. Colombia, Holland vs. Costa Rica, France vs. Germany and Argentina vs. Belgium; or, if you prefer, Neymar vs. James Rodriguez, Arjen Robben vs. Joel Campbell, Karim Benzema vs. Thomas Muller and Lionel Messi vs. Eden Hazard. Not quite as mouth-watering - Campbell is modest rather than mercurial - but Rodriguez, the tournament's top scorer at the time of writing, has been a real find. He could be this competition's Stoichkov, or better.

Perhaps one should be fairer on Brazil 2014, however. It is so easy to pick holes in modern international tournaments in today's oversaturated age of social and televisual media. We need to remember that the competitions we hold so dear - especially Italia 90, where dramatics glossed over the negativity - were seriously imperfect themselves.

These quarter-finals have one truly important thing going for them - they do not feel predictable. We cannot tell who will win this World Cup, let alone these matches. Were this set of games to successfully build on the sound second round, then we could have a treat of a tournament.

With the exception of bus-parkers Switzerland (try not to let Blerim Dzemaili's late, late missed sitter mask their "park the bus" tactics) and a Uruguay team demoralised by the Luis Suarez fiasco, every team in the last sixteen should be pleased with themselves. The quality has been varied, but the general performances have been laced with considerable endeavour, proving Roy Keane's adage that "having a go" is indeed winning half the battle in international competition, where the "best" teams are often overrated and fragile.

How right that can be. Russia started Euro 2012 with a bang, becoming favourites to win their group; and then they were found out by Greece. Four years earlier, Marco van Basten's Holland side of Euro 2008 stormed through the group phase with three wins out of three, before unexpectedly coming a cropper against Roman Pavlyuchenko and Andrei Arshavin. Croatia and the Czech Republic fell victim to the colourful Turks in extremely unlikely circumstances that same year. And all because Greece, Russia and Turkey were unafraid to "go for it".

It's extremely refreshing. As modern football has developed, luck has taken more of a back seat as tacticians have stepped to the fore, and their keenness to establish control has drained colour from the game. Germany 2006 was the epitome of this malaise, starting well before deteriorating into a tournament for control freaks. The paucity of goals from the quarter-finals onwards spoke volumes. Only in the extra time period of the Germany-Italy semi-final did both teams let the shackles loose and produce a brutally compelling game.

This theme ties in with nearly every knockout game in Brazil 2014 to date; high quality teams pacing themselves over ninety minutes, hunting for openings while fighting hard not to let in any themselves. Then, they step up a gear in a mostly successful attempt to win the game without the lottery of penalties. Which, really, is how it ought to be. No, the physical, pacy, counter-attacking goal fests of the group stage are no longer so prominent, but with more at stake, that's understandable. Teams must work harder to break deadlocks. And, unlike the late nineties and early noughties, teams are no longer so fearful of conceding in extra time. The additional thirty minutes are therefore more enthralling, more about quality and stamina than luck and mood. The Golden Goal idea has been fully exposed as the misfire it was.

The elimination of Spain has been even more of an eye-opener, shattering the illusion that rigid, controlling tactical systems would always win the day. Teams would now have to do the difficult things to stand out and win; a footballing romance, of sorts, has been recaptured in a more adventurous, unpredictable tournament. And that's exactly how we stand at the last eight of the twentieth World Cup finals.

Costa Rica, man for man, are arguably the weakest team in the quarter-finals, but as CONCACAF's sole representative at this stage, they will not need motivation. Nor will the gifted Colombians, currently living up to their FIFA World Ranking of 5th. The sole "Europhile" encounter could see France and Germany cancel each other out, or Germany's statuesque and confused defence - fortunate not to be exposed by the limited but entirely admirable Algerians - will be punctured by Benzema and Paul Pogba. Holland will, naturally, be favourites, but since the Game That Rocked The World against Spain, they've yet to fully convince. And Belgium? The star trio of Hazard, Kevin Mirallas and Romelu Lukaku appear to be hitting form at the right time, though most neutrals will be hoping Messi can do a Diego Maradona as far as opponents Argentina are concerned.

Which brings us back to Suarez. The "one man makes a team" myth is simplistic: Argentina in 1986 weren't all about Maradona, Brazil in 1994 weren't all about Romario, Colombia aren't all about Rodriguez, Brazil aren't all about Neymar, and France aren't all about Benzema. Their teams could still win without them. But it is they who have that canny ability to make everyone else in the team dance to their tune when they are on top of their game. One mercurial man doesn't make a team, but he makes a difference; he inspires when he fires. A Messi, Benzema or Cristiano Ronaldo proves Jorge Valdano's point that while teamwork is very important, you need individuals to go to the next level.

USA '94 didn't have an extraordinary team, but it had several extraordinary players. It just goes to show that for all the teamwork, tactics, organisation and pacing you toss into football, there is no substitute for outstanding individualism. And that's what we will hope to see in the Brazil 2014 quarter-finals: unexpected, outstanding, spontaneity, from teams inspired by the the hearts and feet of incredible individuals. Read more...

WORLD CUP 2014: It's Been Good So Far. And It Can Be Great...

Si's Insights muses on the 2014 World Cup to date...

By the time you read this, it might be all over for the not yet fully convincing Brazilian hosts, and the dazzling Colombians, spearheaded by the fearless James Rodriguez, will have fallen prey to the Greek Gods. Alternatively, Jose Pekerman's 100-per-centers will continue to enhance their reputation with their first ever quarter-final place, and Neymar will continue to reign supreme.

This unpredictability, the joy of seeing the latest set of already established and newly established world stars react, perform or non-perform in the media has already made Brazil 2014 the best World Cup since 1998. It is, however, hampered by not having much competition. Too many upsets, not all of them legitimate, robbed Japan/South Korea 2002 of quality. Germany 2006 started well, with plenty of stunning goals to savour in the group stages, before deteriorating into dour, defensive play.  Similarly, the flashes of individual brilliance we saw in South Africa in 2010 became more sparse as the tournament went on and teams prioritised results, as if it wasn't already bad enough that the vuvuzelas were drowning out the atmosphere. The over praising of Brazil 2014, then, as an “epic” and “wonderful” competition, is like enjoying a very good meal at a restaurant where the last four or five meals haven't been much cop in your eyes. It's not a great meal, in the same way this World Cup is not a truly great tournament, but it feels like one.

But, unlike the meal, Brazil 2014 can be a great tournament.

And it is the knockout stages that might make it so. Today, we will find out the answer to at least four questions. Will Brazil really play like the team their two wins and seven goals suggests they can be, or will Neymar's knack for popping up in the right place at the right time draw a veil over their frailties again? Impressive though the Chileans have been, do their individuals have the spark required to overcome the World Cup's most successful nation in their own backyard? Now that the quality of James Rodriguez is no longer so unknown, will Colombia be so effective? Will the hullabaloo surrounding Luis Suarez crush the spirit of the Uruguayans or fire them up to prove a point to their press and the watching world? And so on, and so on...

Pacy, physical, counter-attacking play with a sprinkling of innovative individual invention has defined this World Cup. There has been no place for a limp, lightweight and uninspired England, nor a Spanish side cursed by age and a footballing identity crisis. The Real Madrid-Barcelona trifecta of Xavi, Alonso and Iniesta were all thirty or older, and even when Spain were in control during the earth-shattering 5-1 defeat to Holland, they seemed torn between sticking to the tiki-taka they knew best and adhering to the more direct Diego Costa experiment. (Frankly, cups of Costa Coffee would have given the lumbering World and European Champions a bigger kick.) It is impossible to overstate how revelatory Robin Van Persie's game-changing equaliser was; when roughed up, robbed of their aura and denied of their typically possessive control, Spain had no answer. That both David Villa and Fernando Torres scored against Australia spells further trouble; where do their replacements come from, let alone Xavi's, Alonso's and eventually Iniesta's? The “champs to chumps” cliché couldn't feel more apt.

If Italy, Bosnia and arguably Ecuador can count themselves unlucky to be eliminated, every other “favourite” to make the last sixteen feels like the architect of their own downfall. England were beaten by genuinely better teams, though their failure stems not so much from Roy Hodgson and his players as the culture that spawns them. The technical skill they actually have feels submerged beneath a “battling” stereotype that translates into a general lack of organisation in defence and quality up front.

The likes of Croatia, Portugal, Ghana, the Ivory Coast and Luis Suarez have all dug their own graves. The overall quality of players like Modric, Rakitic, Mandzukic, Gervinho and Yaya Toure counts for little when you cannot come good at the right time. To point a finger at the debatable (but ultimately correct) last minute penalty for the Greeks would be to gloss over the Ivorians' failings. The “Golden Generation” did not have the acceptable excuse of being dumped in an “impossible group” this time (Argentina & Holland in 2006, Brazil & Portugal in 2010) and still failed to make the second round. Perhaps they are destined to be the Scotland of Africa?

As for Suarez, he should simply ask himself if he wants to be remembered as the phenomenally talented footballer he is or as someone who exists to literally provide some bite to the headlines. It is probably best to think, instead, of the positive headlines provided by world class like Lionel Messi (above), or the up-and-comers who have pleasantly surprised us all, like Nigeria's Ahmed Musa (below), a diamond in a very rough-and-tumble side.

I shall return to ponder further events at the World Cup in due course. Until then...

Enjoy the games!

Read more...

WORLD CUP 2014: Boro's Own World Cup Odyssey

For this writer, one of the highlights of any World Cup Finals, or international competitions as a whole, comes from following the fortunes of players then associated with, or soon to be associated with, the Boro.

Who didn’t feel a sense of pride in seeing Christian Karembeu win Euro 2000 with France, though his forthcoming sole season with Boro would be sadly underwhelming? And while Mikkel Beck disappointed both at Euro 96 and with Boro, one can’t admit that he or she didn’t at least look forward to seeing him in action when “football came home”. But those were the Euros. This is the World Cup. And since Italia 90 launched football into the consciousness of an audience beyond the working class, Boro have had no end of heroic and, er, not-so-heroic representatives at the finals.

Everyone loves Bernie Slaven, for better or worse. His Boro goals, punditry and, ahem, a few other things (remember when he literally hit bottom in Binns’ window?) have rightly earned him cult status. And his goals earned him a place in the Ireland squad for Italia 90, even though he sounded as Irish as Ray Houghton (yes, the ancestry rule came into play again). Sadly he wouldn’t enjoy anywhere near the same international success as Houghton; Jack Charlton judged his front men not only on their sharpness, but also their physicality and aerial prowess. It would appear poor Bernie didn’t have enough of the latter two for the gruff Geordie’s liking. Hence “The Wolfman” found himself on the bench throughout the whole of Jackie’s Army’s Journey to the quarter-finals. But at least he got to meet the Pope, albeit in his Ireland tracksuit. (No, Ireland didn’t have suits!)

Jaime Moreno was a little luckier, at least on the international stage. Part of a Bolivia side who made history in 1993 by becoming the first team to beat Brazil in a World Cup qualifying match, he managed 67 minutes of action in Bolivia’s three winless group games at USA ’94 before joining Boro. For both Boro and Bolivia, he appeared little more than a bit part player; a mere twenty league appearances and a solitary goal in two years speaks volumes. Moreno returned on loan in 1997 as striking cover during Boro’s promotion campaign; though slightly portly, he still hung around long enough to score an invaluable winner away to Stoke before returning to the MLS.

It’s hard to imagine a more striking contrast between Boro World Cup “stars” than Paul Merson and Hamilton Ricard. The former was Boro’s Player Of The Year, the latter was a figure of ridicule. A year later, the former would be remembered with ridicule, and the latter would be Boro’s Player Of The Year. How the tables would turn.

Looking back, neither distinguished themselves in France 98. As a substitute against England, Ricard was, as we expected, calmly swallowed up by a classy backline featuring Tony Adams, Gary Neville and a young Sol Campbell (how things have changed!). Glenn Hoddle’s emphasis on solidity did Paul Merson no favours when he came on against Argentina; “Merse”, as we called him, was reduced to running at and harrying the opposition, his elegant passes and shots nowhere to be seen. I imagine that, having not played at the highest club level for an entire season, Hoddle didn’t trust him to dictate. At least he scored a penalty in the shootout though.

By the time Alen Boksic played in his first World Cup, in 2002, he’d left it more than a little late. Some veterans of Croatia’s 1998 semi-finalists remained, but they’d all seen better days, and no one could find a reliable partner for Boksic, even though on his day he could be the best in the world. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he scored no goals, Croatia didn’t make it beyond the first round, and his retirement was imminent. Gareth Southgate, despite having the season of his life at Boro, didn’t play at all in England’s run to the quarter finals, though displacing Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell back then would have been a big ask. Geremi, soon to sign for Boro on loan, and Joseph Job, soon to return to Boro from a loan spell at Metz, both featured for Cameroon, although Job got a mere 10 minutes of action compared to Geremi’s ever-presence. Like Croatia, however, Cameroon made an early exit; hyped up as “dangerous underdogs”, the 2000 Olympic Champions flattered to deceive and ran out of steam.

As for Juninho, I’m not so sure he’d like to remember that he eventually lost his place in Brazil’s midfield to Manchester United reject Kleberson. Admittedly he was a pale shadow of the player he once was, but one should give him credit for adapting his game to cope with injuries and the passage of time both in the Far East and with McClaren’s Boro. Players of his calibre never lose their vision and finishing ability.

In Germany, Mark Schwarzer and Mark Viduka lined up for Australia regularly after strong finishes to the 2005-06 campaign, although one must remember how close both were to leaving and being alienated from the club, respectively; Schwarzer’s transfer request and Viduka leaving the Riverside once he realised he was only a sub against Chelsea will not be easily forgotten. Credit where credit’s due, however, they turned things around and would have more to offer Boro in future seasons. The Australia squad, which reached the last sixteen, also featured former Boro man Luke Wilkshire. What happened to him?

And then there was Stewart Downing. Relatively fresh off creating three goals in the game against Steaua that we all talk about, he appeared twice for England, as a substitute against Paraguay and Trinidad & Tobago. He would soon create three goals in England’s friendly win over Greece, although before long he would be castigated for not being “international class”. The belief that perhaps Downing would have to move to improve was growing. Robert Huth, soon to join Boro, managed just one start in Germany’s run to the semi-finals, against Ecuador; Jurgen Klinsmann preferred the Mertesacker-Metzelder partnership in defense.

Lots of representatives, but as yet no goals, I hear you say. And Chris Killen wasn’t about to change that. He’d arrived at Boro on loan in 2010, scored some goals, missed a penalty, then disappeared. He was a typical Gordon Strachan player; the sort you’d associate with “results without progress and development”. Perhaps it was ironic, then, that his native New Zealand didn’t lose a game in South Africa, but didn’t win one either; they got results, to be sure, but they weren’t enough to ensure progression to the second phase.

We’ve had “stars” at the World Cup before 1990, however. The great Alan Peacock, who formed a formidable partnership with Brian Clough and scored 24 in 34 games in the season following Clough’s departure, lined up alongside Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton and Jimmy Greaves as England defeated Argentina and drew with Bulgaria in 1962. Twenty years later, Ballymoney’s own Jim Platt would feature in Northern Ireland’s brave campaign in Espana ’82, playing the full ninety minutes in a 2-2 draw with Austria.

But neither has matched the international feat of the truly legendary Wilf Mannion, the only Boro representative to score in a World Cup finals. His goal for England in the 2-0 win over Chile turned out to be the highpoint for both England and Boro that summer.

And on that note, it’s “goodnight from me”, and over to Albert Adomah and Kenneth Omeruo. How will they do in their nations’ remaining games?

(Originally published online at Middlesbrough's Teesside Gazette on June 20, 2014.) Read more...

WORLD CUP 2014: Do We Want Spain To Reign Again?

As The Greatest Show On Earth gets underway in Brazil, we predict that La Roja will triumph for the fourth international tournament in succession. But will that be good for The Beautiful Game?

On the face of it, Spain's "tiki-takanaccio" (a term coined by The Guardian's Rob Smyth in 2012) and Ireland's infamous "put 'em under pressure" mantra couldn't seem any more like polar opposites. But they are actually rather alike in a number of ways.

Built around a defensive midfield pivot (for Andy Townsend and later Roy Keane, read Xavi Hernandez) they are defined by spirit, organisation, professionalism, teamwork, loyalty and the exploitation of oppositional weaknesses. They are machinic ideologies, a blueprint for whatever degree of success is relevant to their respective countries, no more, no less; and it is that which makes them both rather restrictive.

It might sound ridiculous to criticise Spain for being limited and restrictive. One glance at La Roja's current status presents: An intricate passing game. Clinical finishing. Rock solid defending. An emphasis on youth development (the entire Spanish back line is in their twenties). Three major international championships in a row. And a galaxy of class: add Andres Iniesta, David Silva, Cesc Fabregas, Juan Mata and Iker Casillas, to name but a handful, to the aforementioned Xavi. What more could lovers of The Beautiful Game possibly want?

More heart, soul and bravery, that's what. At the risk of being a heretic, the Spanish system isn't aging too well. To paraphrase the late Roger Ebert, tiki-taka felt kind of terrific once, but now it seems a copy of a copy of a copy. Like "put 'em under pressure" before it, tiki-taka, or rather, tiki-takanaccio, minimalizes individual expression and risk, with the right results taking precedence. It is not that the systems are bad; it is that they are safe. They've worked, of course. But they need to be seen more for what they are; achievements in tactical footballing mechanics rather than revolutionary footballing art. And ultimately, one is likely to lose out if he stands by the "so what, it works" and "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mantras. If players are forever trained the same way at international level, regression, not progression, is more likely.

Give Spain credit where it's due. They haven't really regressed; tiki-taka keeps producing gifted player after gifted player (remember Jordi Alba's exciting and unexpected run and goal in the Euro 2012 final?) and Xavi has at least one more good tournament left in him. No, a more serious problem with La Roja is that in their quest to be masterful, to be perfect, they have drained the soul from their game. They aren't as brave in their victories because they don't need to be. Occasionally there are glimpses of genuine risk and excitement, as there were during the first half of the Euro 2012 final, but these are becoming fewer and further between. There is, and this might sound odd, perfection in imperfection in football. What we remember is not so much the attainment of "perfection" but the thrill in the quest to achieve it.

By nature, the "imperfect" sides and their temperamental totems are remembered extremely fondly. Recall Diego Maradona in 1986, Romario in 1994, and Zinedine Zidane in 1998. The mercurial Frenchman bounced back from an early sending off to inspire his team to glory on home soil. Or the Turks and Russians of Euro 2008, who weren't quite good enough to win the big prize but were expressive, individualistic and adventurous. Not to mention Jurgen Klinsmann and Jogi Loew's German Revolution of 2006 onwards.

We cannot, and should not, criticise Spain for discouraging technical skill. They have rightfully earned a reputation as a successful international side by making the simple things look good.

But how about making the difficult things look good? They've lifted their fear of failure and they've achieved great things, and they will feel no reason to change tack so long as they continue to achieve great things. That is commendable. And I don't believe they will be "found out".

Yet I remain unsure if that's really a good thing. For it does get to the point where you have to put all the records and trophies to one side and ask "Now what?" What more have this team got to offer us?

We say "Dare To Dream". The Spaniards should Dream To Dare. Read more...

Si's Insights Goes Green! (Again...)

Yes, it's that time once more...

The World Cup is almost upon us. And as our players (well, most of them anyway) settle into their summer breaks, Si's Insights will be taking a break from Boro-related matters to bring you the best from Brazil.

Look out for my first World Cup 2014 column soon! Read more...