World Cup 2014

[DiM]

costa rica hasn't landed a single shot on goal so far, so basically cillessen might get the chance to stop a shot only at the penalties. some might say he's well rested so he'll do well.
on the other hand keylor navas had a lot of action and did great so far. he might be tired but he's also on fire.

it will be interesting if we get to penalties.

[betiko]

What a great coaching by van gaal! The main protagonists and superstars of this world cup are... The keepers!

[Agent 86]

Netherlands gets the result, so who goes through to the final? I predict Germany v Netherlands

Netherlands wins the cup 2014

[oVo]

Holland & Germany both look strong, but it won't be easy.
When are the semis played?

[DoomYoshi]

This is a pretty successful thread, despite the extensive boycotting that happened during it's inception.

[Pirlo]

Holland & Germany both look strong, but it won't be easy.
When are the semis played?

Brazil vs. Germany on Tuesday.

Argentina vs. Holland on Wednesday.

[Pirlo]

Obviously Holland dominated and were better by far... However, there was an evident penalty for Costa Rica. It looked kinda clear that Holland were wanted in semi-finals for a real thrill!

Whoever win the cup now shouldn't be a surprise. Brazil seem to be the weakest and least deserved team now IMO!

Just a reminder: Media and press have been ranting and pushing for a Brazil vs. Argentina final. Many Brazilians want it this was as they mad it clear in their statements, even those former stars like Ronaldo and Romario. Probably because Argentina never got a chance against Brazil in any final. Their game is always lost already, even before it starts because Brazilian media know how to destroy the rivals Argentina.. Also, Argentina papers really suck and don't help at all.. they rather increase the burden by asking for too much and put a lot of pressure.

[AndyDufresne]

This is a pretty successful thread, despite the extensive boycotting that happened during it's inception.

I am a monkey prophet.




--Andy

[nietzsche]

This WC has put in evidence that the referees need help. I've always been against of the idea because it would slow down the game but you cannot help but think that FIFA can decide who wins a match.

[Pirlo]

This WC has put in evidence that the referees need help. I've always been against of the idea because it would slow down the game but you cannot help but think that FIFA can decide who wins a match.

Just like the entertainment shows, such as in Hunger Games movie

[Timminz]

costa rica hasn't landed a single shot on goal so far, so basically cillessen might get the chance to stop a shot only at the penalties. some might say he's well rested so he'll do well.
on the other hand keylor navas had a lot of action and did great so far. he might be tired but he's also on fire.

it will be interesting if we get to penalties.

It certainly was interesting, with the Netherlands subbing out their keeper in the 120th minute. And what a decision that turned out to be! He looked like he wasn't guessing which side, like most keepers do. He was straight-up reacting to the shots.

[Pirlo]

costa rica hasn't landed a single shot on goal so far, so basically cillessen might get the chance to stop a shot only at the penalties. some might say he's well rested so he'll do well.
on the other hand keylor navas had a lot of action and did great so far. he might be tired but he's also on fire.

it will be interesting if we get to penalties.

It certainly was interesting, with the Netherlands subbing out their keeper in the 120th minute. And what a decision that turned out to be! He looked like he wasn't guessing which side, like most keepers do. He was straight-up reacting to the shots.

his stats are not impressive btw.. in the last season, he stopped 1/12 in EPL with New Castle... I'm not sure, but it seems to be more psychological than practical.. Who knows.. It still takes a great courage and strong character to make such a decision.. Imagine if the sub keeper failed and Holland lost? Media would have fucked the coach up lol

[demy7]

Unlike most of group stage matches, these quarterfinals were boring especially Arg vs.Bel.
hope to see more offensive games rather than sit back and defend in semis.

[JBlombier]

Jesus, that was close yesterday. The international football community expected Holland to win and so did the Dutch, but I didn't expect it to be like this. Louis van Gaal has shown us a masterpiece yet again, though. Probably, although I'm biased of course, the best coach on this WC. The fine touches he can add to a game are so overwhelming, it isn't a lucky shot anymore.

[Steiner75]

So, we have BRA vs. GER and HOL vs. ARG coming up.

HOL vs. ARG stats as follows

Test Match 1974 HOL ARG 4:1
WC Group A 1974 HOL ARG 4:0 (2:0)
WC Final 1978 ARG HOL 3:1 n.V.
WC Quarter Final 1998 HOL ARG 2:1 (1:1)
Test Match 1999 HOL ARG 1:1 (1:0)
Test Match 2003 HOL ARG 1:0 (0:0)
WC Group C 2006 HOL ARG 0:0 (0:0)

I am all for Holland to win that game. For the finals I hope to see Brazil playing Argentinia for 3rd place. While we have Germany and Holland battling it out like in 1974
In case Germany does not make it to the final game I hope Holland will get their first title.

[nietzsche]

Are we seeing the influence of Simeone in this WC?

Intensity + defense + counterattack?

Last world cup was Guardiola and Spain, will this world cup be Simeone and Brazil or Holland?

[betiko]

This WC has put in evidence that the referees need help. I've always been against of the idea because it would slow down the game but you cannot help but think that FIFA can decide who wins a match.

doesn't it spice things up though? I think that 95% of ref mistakes are genuine though and that they are not being dishonnest. they try to do their job and it's a damn difficult one. football without ref mistakes wouldn't be as passionate.

[betiko]

costa rica hasn't landed a single shot on goal so far, so basically cillessen might get the chance to stop a shot only at the penalties. some might say he's well rested so he'll do well.
on the other hand keylor navas had a lot of action and did great so far. he might be tired but he's also on fire.

it will be interesting if we get to penalties.

It certainly was interesting, with the Netherlands subbing out their keeper in the 120th minute. And what a decision that turned out to be! He looked like he wasn't guessing which side, like most keepers do. He was straight-up reacting to the shots.

This is something that is done very often in handball. It's the first time I see it in football and I think it's an absolutely brilliant idea. The guy comes from the bench and knows it's pretty much the only world cup minutes he will be playing, and that it's the most important thing a keeper can do. Van Gaal probably told him from the start of the world cup that he will play penaltys and the guy might have been 100% focused and training on this and analyzing each player while the number 1 keeper practissed more regular things. The fact of comming in 100% fresh mentally on the pitch is awesome. I hear lots of people criticize his trash talking to the shooters, I thought it was brilliant, I love it.

[DiM]

costa rica hasn't landed a single shot on goal so far, so basically cillessen might get the chance to stop a shot only at the penalties. some might say he's well rested so he'll do well.
on the other hand keylor navas had a lot of action and did great so far. he might be tired but he's also on fire.

it will be interesting if we get to penalties.

It certainly was interesting, with the Netherlands subbing out their keeper in the 120th minute. And what a decision that turned out to be! He looked like he wasn't guessing which side, like most keepers do. He was straight-up reacting to the shots.

his stats are not impressive btw.. in the last season, he stopped 1/12 in EPL with New Castle... I'm not sure, but it seems to be more psychological than practical.. Who knows.. It still takes a great courage and strong character to make such a decision.. Imagine if the sub keeper failed and Holland lost? Media would have fucked the coach up lol

in the final minutes of the extra time krul was on the sideline practicing penalty moves with the goalkeeper coach.
during the penalties he seemed to be extremely confident and very capable of playing mind-games with the opposition.
not sure if he's usually this great or if this was one of those occasions where everything falls into place and works great. regardless of how it was, it will be remembered as a great performance for krul and a brilliant move for van gaal.

[DiM]

doesn't it spice things up though? I think that 95% of ref mistakes are genuine though and that they are not being dishonnest. they try to do their job and it's a damn difficult one. football without ref mistakes wouldn't be as passionate.

extremely passionate is not necessarily a good thing, especially when we're talking about negative emotions like those that come after referee mistakes.

football has the capability to create extreme emotions on its own, it doesn't need referee mistakes "to spice things up".

i do agree that most mistakes are unintentional, and yes, it's a very difficult job to react in milliseconds and take important decisions that might alter the course of a game. but this is precisely the reason why i'm a strong advocate for video replays. having the help of a replay will take some of the pressure from the shoulders of the refs and reduce a lot of the mistakes being done. not to mention it will almost completely eliminate the suspicions of matches being fixed with the help of the refs.

[Pirlo]

doesn't it spice things up though? I think that 95% of ref mistakes are genuine though and that they are not being dishonnest. they try to do their job and it's a damn difficult one. football without ref mistakes wouldn't be as passionate.

extremely passionate is not necessarily a good thing, especially when we're talking about negative emotions like those that come after referee mistakes.

football has the capability to create extreme emotions on its own, it doesn't need referee mistakes "to spice things up".

i do agree that most mistakes are unintentional, and yes, it's a very difficult job to react in milliseconds and take important decisions that might alter the course of a game. but this is precisely the reason why i'm a strong advocate for video replays. having the help of a replay will take some of the pressure from the shoulders of the refs and reduce a lot of the mistakes being done. not to mention it will almost completely eliminate the suspicions of matches being fixed with the help of the refs.

Also FIFA doesn't need more than 2% of intentional mistakes... only 1 "mistake" can be enough to decide a match.

[iAmCaffeine]

It's spelt COLOMBIA. Can we try and get that right for the rest of the thread please?

And that match sucked... although I did miss the first 55 mins.

WRONG! Kolombia it is. Named after the great european explorer Kolombus. Get it right!

No, it's Coulombia. It's named after Charles Augustin de Coulomb. It's so named because the combination of caffeine and cocaine is electrifying!

I'm not a Brazil hater.. I'm just against favoritism.

+1

What a great coaching by van gaal! The main protagonists and superstars of this world cup are... The keepers!

+1

Obviously Holland dominated and were better by far... However, there was an evident penalty for Costa Rica. It looked kinda clear that Holland were wanted in semi-finals for a real thrill!

Whoever win the cup now shouldn't be a surprise. Brazil seem to be the weakest and least deserved team now IMO!

+1

This WC has put in evidence that the referees need help. I've always been against of the idea because it would slow down the game but you cannot help but think that FIFA can decide who wins a match.

+1

costa rica hasn't landed a single shot on goal so far, so basically cillessen might get the chance to stop a shot only at the penalties. some might say he's well rested so he'll do well.
on the other hand keylor navas had a lot of action and did great so far. he might be tired but he's also on fire.

it will be interesting if we get to penalties.

It certainly was interesting, with the Netherlands subbing out their keeper in the 120th minute. And what a decision that turned out to be! He looked like he wasn't guessing which side, like most keepers do. He was straight-up reacting to the shots.

This is something that is done very often in handball. It's the first time I see it in football and I think it's an absolutely brilliant idea. The guy comes from the bench and knows it's pretty much the only world cup minutes he will be playing, and that it's the most important thing a keeper can do. Van Gaal probably told him from the start of the world cup that he will play penaltys and the guy might have been 100% focused and training on this and analyzing each player while the number 1 keeper practissed more regular things. The fact of comming in 100% fresh mentally on the pitch is awesome. I hear lots of people criticize his trash talking to the shooters, I thought it was brilliant, I love it.

Costa Rica should have clearly had a penalty, and Robben was his typical self. Costa Rica's defensive game was strong and they pressed it well. It's a shame that FIFA/refs just want the favourites to go through. There hasn't been a single upset since the groups finished.

I also think Krul is a cunt.

[Gillipig]

costa rica hasn't landed a single shot on goal so far, so basically cillessen might get the chance to stop a shot only at the penalties. some might say he's well rested so he'll do well.
on the other hand keylor navas had a lot of action and did great so far. he might be tired but he's also on fire.

it will be interesting if we get to penalties.

It certainly was interesting, with the Netherlands subbing out their keeper in the 120th minute. And what a decision that turned out to be! He looked like he wasn't guessing which side, like most keepers do. He was straight-up reacting to the shots.

his stats are not impressive btw.. in the last season, he stopped 1/12 in EPL with New Castle... I'm not sure, but it seems to be more psychological than practical.. Who knows.. It still takes a great courage and strong character to make such a decision.. Imagine if the sub keeper failed and Holland lost? Media would have fucked the coach up lol

The coach must've seen something during penalty kick practices, probably Krul was amazing at it in practice and had a lot of confidence, while Cillessen probably did not look anywhere near as good. As you said penalty kicks is more about mental state than physical, Krul was probably in a much better mental state at penalties than Cillessen was leading up to the game. Krul looked really really good as well, much better than Navas, who was chanceless on a lot of the penalties, Krul was not chanceless on any of them, he was always there, either close to saving it or saving it. Genius move by the coach, had he not done that who knows what would've happened.

[Timminz]

Semi-finals start tomorrow!

And I've managed to arrange to be able to leave work at 1:30 both days, to go watch the games.

[Serbia]

I can only hope to be able to leave work early, otherwise I'm going to have to try to watch on replay.

Bollocks.