World Cup Update 4

Well my predictions were made out of hope rather than an educated football guess so I only got the 4 correct.

This round was interesting with 21 goals in just the 8 games.  There were calls for goal line technology, calls for Capello’s head and calls to the Nigerian Prime Minister to let his team go out and play with the other boys and girls.

OK, England.  They are out and here’s a list of things I need to say about it…

1. They are over paid yes but that is not the reason they didn’t win the World Cup.  It has nothing to do with money and the money they earn is mostly the clubs fault.  Also, Imagine if every time you make a little mistake in your job it’s splashed over the back pages being called all sorts of things.  You wouldn’t like it and you’d want to be compensated accordingly.

2. The Second World War was 2/3 generations ago (6/7 in some areas of the country :))  Let it go, you can’t compare the defending in a 4-4-2 formation without a holding midfielder against Ozil and Podolski to defending your country in a War.

3. The disallowed goal DID make a difference.  Yes they scored 4 but at 2-2 we can sit back, and 2-1 we had to go forward.  To show this, watch Barry on the third goal.  He took the ball forward from our free kick when at 2-2 he would have held back to break up play.

4. We qualified with Heskey so don’t complain when he plays.

5. (TBA – I had something and forgot but I’ll add it when I remember)

Anyway, here are the “Awards of the week”

Best Goal

Frank Lampard – England
Carlos Tevez – Argentina (The good one, not the offside one)

Lot’s of good goals and finally a few from outside the box.  The Tevez one was a little ‘purer’ than the rest so I’ll give it to him.

Best Team

Ghana

There were no shock results as the ‘expected’ team went though on most occasions.  This means that the winner of USA v Ghana would get this award.  Ghana, being the last African nation left have deserved a quarter-final place.

Best Player

Carlos Tevez – Argentina

No real stand out player this week but Tevez scored twice (even if one was dodgy) and looked more like the player we’ve seen in England recently.

Least Valuable Player (AKA The Muppet Award)

Sepp Blatter – Fifa

Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal could be explained by the assistant ref looking down the offside line.  So where was he looking when Carlos Tevez received the ball 3-4 feet offside? The replay being shown on the big screen within 10 seconds after it happened shows that video technology, as much as I don’t want it, is possible.  Fifa have now said they will look into it further.  To add balance, I will say that I mentioned Karma a few times in my World Cup posts and a goal bouncing in off the cross bar against Germany NOT being given when it clearly went in added karmic balance to that particular situation.

Best Moment

Goals Goals Goals

This is better.  When a win is needed, teams have to attack, an average of around 3 goals a game compared to 1 a game from the first round of matches.  Goals from outside the area, free kicks and penalties.  This is better.

Serious predictions this time…

Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Spain

Brazil Spain final. (Argentina 3rd.)

Spain to win.

See you after the final.

@jestatharogue