The group stage isn't
even over yet, but already people are calling this the greatest World Cup ever.
They need to calm down I say. Yes the carefree attacking football employed by
almost every team present (with the exception of Russia) has been a joy to
behold, but being gung-ho in the first round is one thing, doing it in the
knock-out stages is quite another. However if things continue in the same vein
then this will surely go down as the best tournament of modern times.
Putting debates about
the quality of the tournament aside though, what have we learned about this
World Cup, and football in general, thus far? Well personally I've learned
quite a lot, and much of it has been positive.
1. South American fans
are brilliant
It first came to my
attention during the Argentina Bosnia-Herzegovina game: large swathes of fans
bedecked in light blue, and all of them singing, chanting and being boisterous,
what the hell was going on here?! I'd never seen anything like it at an
international tournament, even in footballing hotbeds like Germany and England.
At major finals we've become accustomed to seeing stadiums full of
disinterested corporate consumers while the real fans desperately try and
generate an atmosphere behind each goal. But that hasn't happened here, every
game involving a South/Central American side has played host to a carnival
atmosphere. Thousands upon thousands of Chileans, Mexicans, Colombians,
Argentines, Ecuadorans, Hondurans, Uruguayans, and oh yeah, Brazilians, have
conspired to make this the noisiest, most passionately supported World Cup in
living memory. Long may it continue.
2. The vanishing-foam
is here to stay
FIFA don't often come
up with good ideas, but when they do they tend to excel themselves.
Encroachment at free-kicks has long been a pet-hate of mine. Your star player
lines up a shot at goal from the edge of the box, but before he's even struck
the ball the opposition players are mere feet away from him. Not anymore. Now
referees can draw a proverbial line in the sand, and anyone that steps across
it is in trouble. And even though footballers are renowned for their
disingenuity not one of them has figured out a way to combat this new measure.
They will though. My money's on the one of them shady looking Uruguayan
midfielders.
3. International
football is far more competitive than we've been led to believe
We all enjoy the odd
upset; footballing minnows upstaging the big boys, it's great craic. But when
it comes down to the nitty-gritty we prefer to see the usual suspects fighting
for top honours. Let Costa Rica, Algeria and Ghana have their day in the sun,
just so long as we get an Argentina Germany final. This tournament has been
different though. Can we even class Costa Rica as a plucky underdog after their
exploits? I don't think so. And what of Chile? Many people's dark horses before
the competition began they've proven themselves to be far more than that and
will provide Brazil with a stern test in the round of sixteen.
But what's been most
refreshing is the lack of any real whipping boys. Cameroon aside virtually
every team has given a good account of themselves. Australia, the lowest ranked
team coming into the finals, pushed the much-lauded Dutch very close. Honduras
ruffled a few feathers with their combative style of play, and, at the
time of writing, perennial nearly-men Mexico and the USA are on the verge of
their best tournaments in years.
4. Brazil have done a
great job with the stadiums
Remember all the
hullabaloo about Brazil's preparations (or lack thereof) for the finals? We
were told they were nowhere near ready and the whole thing was going to be a
disaster. Well from where I'm sitting (which admittedly is just on my couch in
front of the TV) that disaster has not materialised. The stadiums look great,
each has its own unique style and all appear to be perfect footballing
ampitheatres. The only shame is that once the finals end some of these arenas
will no longer be in use. Unless. Could we? Could we really? It's worth a shot,
surely. Who's up for moving to Manaus and setting up our very own team? The
Arena Amazonia will just be lying there, no-one will mind if we train on it
twice a week and have a game on Sundays. If you're interested get in touch and
we'll take it from there.
5. The Premier League
is killing England's national team
A lot of Irish people
take great delight in seeing England fail at major tournaments, I'm not one of
them. I'd stop short at saying I'd like to see them win one but I take no
pleasure in seeing them fall at the first hurdle this time around. It does make
for great coverage in the media though, and already the inquest into England's
failings has begun. Everyone from Maggie Thatcher to Simon Cowell has been
blamed for their downfall but there's only one culprit in this instance: the
raging behemoth that is the English Premier League.
6. Seeing your face on
a big screen is cause for celebration regardless of how your team are
performing
Picture the scene; your
team are trailing in a pivotal World Cup group game, and failure to score will
see you eliminated. It's tense, nail-biting, and nerve-shredding, you can
hardly bear to watch. We've all been there, it's torturous and anyone
unfortunate enough to cross your path during these moments will be the
recipient of some carefully chosen words - and then some. But how would you
react if, in the dying throes of Ireland's World Cup campaign, you saw your
pensive features beamed up on the big screen for all to see? Personally I would
respond with an offensive gesture and be labelled a spoilsport by the viewers
at home. But that's just me. For most fans at this World Cup the natural
reaction is to make a complete and utter fool of yourself regardless of what's
happening on the pitch. Your team may be on the way home - bringing to an end
months of hard-work and preparation - but hey you just saw your face on the
screen so let's have a party baby.
7. Ronaldo isn't fit
and shouldn't have travelled
It appears likely that
Portugal will join Spain, England and Italy as one of the big names to bow out
at the group stage. And Ronaldo, despite all his best efforts, will have been
outdone by Lionel Messi yet again. But should he even be at the World Cup? His
injury problems this season have been extensive and varied, and from the early
stages of Portugal's opening game against Germany he didn't look right. Reports
suggest he has tendonitis in his knee, the same condition that forced Owen
Hargreaves into premature retirement. So why play? Why risk it all for one
World Cup campaign? Because this is Ronaldo we're talking about, can you
imagine the strop if he was forced to stay at home while the greatest show on
earth took place in football's spiritual home without him? He had to be here,
there was no other option. I just hope for his sake he doesn't live to regret
it.
8. Belgium are a bit
rubbish
Okay so they might have
qualified with a game to spare but has anyone been even slightly impressed by
the Belgians in their opening two matches? No, me neither. All the hype, all
the whisperings about them being genuine contenders, we've been listening to it
for the past two years. Then we finally got to see the famous Red Devils in
action, and it was all a bit meh. The fact they had to call on Marouane
Fellaini to rescue them says all you need to know about this Belgian side. They
do have some talented players, Eden Hazard is rightly regarded as one of the
most talented players in the world, and Vincent Kompany is arguably the best
centre-half in the game, but we already knew about them. We'd been led to
believe that those two were just the tip of the iceberg, instead of, y'know,
the entire iceberg.
They may yet have an
impact on this tournament. Romelu Lukaku may at some point put his boots on the
right feet and start scoring. Adnan Januzaj might get summoned from the bench
and wow the world with his talents. Kevin Mirallas might join him. But the
gloss has gone. They're just another team now, just another 'golden generation'
- and we all know what happens to them.
9. Louis Van Gaal is
making Manchester United fans very giddy
He may not have even
set foot inside Old Trafford yet but already Louis Van Gaal is being proclaimed
as the answer to all Man United's problems. Before the tournament many United
fans would have been happy to see the Dutch crash out in the first round so
that their new manager could get started early. But all that was forgotten
about in the wake of Holland's five-one win over reigning champions Spain.
Twitter came alive; "We're back", "Watch out Premier
League", "United are gonna win the league next season", "LVG
will sort it all out", you get the idea. The hysteria only intensified
when the Dutch won their next two games, from being at their lowest ebb in
years United were now suddenly back in their rightful place at the helm of
English football - without even playing a game.
In truth it is quite an
exciting time to be a United fan. But Van Gaal hasn't even started yet, and
when he does he'll only have a few weeks to organise his squad before embarking
on his first season in English football. In contrast he's had two years with
this Dutch team and the evidence of that is there to see every time they step
on to the pitch. So I would advise caution, don't get carried away yet lads. At
least not until Ashley Young is sold.
10. Allowing referees
to use their common sense makes for more entertaining games
Before every World Cup
FIFA try to implement a new directive, a new measure which will give referees
more control and ultimately enhance the quality of the football. Officials are
told to crack down on the tackle from behind, penalise play-acting or just be
an overly fussy twat, depending on what Blatter and his cronies come up with in
the weeks leading up to the finals. And the result? Mayhem. Yellow cards, red
cards, tears, suspensions, jail sentences and general outcry. By the time the
knockout stages begin the refs have been told to ignore this new directive and
revert to type. Normality is restored but it's too late to save the tournament.
But this year something
remarkable has happened. In the lead up to the finals there was no talk of new
mandates or mystifying, impenetrable rule changes. It was all very quiet, too
quiet I thought. And then the tournament began. And the tackles flew in. And,
astonishingly, the referees just admonished the culprits and told them to get
on with it. No yellow cards, no hasty sendings off, just a referee using his
own common-sense. Yes there has still been glaring errors made by the
officials, offsides that weren't and penalties that were, but on the whole the
officials at this tournament have been brilliant. And the reason they've been
so good is because they've been allowed to ref the games without interference
from above. Wonders will never cease.
11. RTÉ need to get a
studio by the beach
There was once a
general rule of thumb when it came to watching tournament football; you watch
the game itself on BBC/ITV, and then switch over to RTÉ for the analysis. I,
and many others, adhered strictly to this doctrine for many a year. And it
worked great. As soon as you heard Peter Collins' voice you quickly changed to the
Beeb and the more dulcet tones of John Motson, and then at half-time you zipped
back to our national broadcaster to see what Eamon and the lads had to say. But
this year I've found myself staying with our British cousins, once half-time
comes I no longer feel the need to listen to Brady and Giles bicker. So what's
changed?
Well for a start ITV
and the BBC have their studios beside the Copacabana, it immediately feels more
intimate and beats RTÉ's set with ease. And then there's their pundits.
Clarence Seedorf, Fabio Cannavaro, Rio Ferdinand, Thierry Henry and Patrick
Vieira; proper legends of the game who have either only just quit or are still
playing. Listening to these lads talk about the game is a lesson within itself,
don't get me wrong I still enjoy the views of RTÉ's grizzled veterans but
Seedorf et al offer a new view, a different insight, something we haven't heard
before. In fairness RTÉ have tried their best to jazz things up, but Dietmar
Hamann and Ossie Ardiles can't compare I'm afraid. When it comes to the crunch
I'll probably return to Eamon and the lads, especially now that Clarence and
Thierry have gone home, but the writing is on the wall, and not even the
prospect of Dunphy in a dress can change my mind.
12. Fabio Capello is a
footballing dinosaur
Guess which manager is
on the biggest wages at this World Cup? No not Phil Scolari, he's only earning
a paltry €2.5 million per annum. And no not even Roy Hodgson, the usually
profligate FA are only lining his pockets to the tune of €3.5 million on a
yearly basis. It's the manager of Russia, who have been the dullest, most
uninspiring team at this tournament. Fabio Capello is currently earning €7
million per year in his role as head coach of the Russian national team. And
what a job he is doing. For much of their opening game against South Korea the
Russians were content to knock the ball around their back-four, sending to
sleep those stupid enough to stay up to watch the game and even dampening the
celebratory mood of the Brazilian crowd. Then South Korea scored. So Russia
decided to attack. And they equalised. At which point they returned to knocking
the ball around their back-four.
The game against
Belgium was a slight improvement but this time they came away with nothing.
Their task now is to beat Algeria in their final game and hope to scrape
through as group runners-up, but I sincerely hope they don't. Capello's brand
of football belongs to a different age, 2010 perhaps. That was when it was last
seen on a global stage as England stunk out the tournament like they'd never
done before. And for England 2010 read Russia 2014. Come in Mr. Capello your
time is up, it's time to call it a day and join that other famous Italian
managerial dinosaur, our old friend Giovanni Trappatoni.
So there you have it,
I've learned twelve things, not quite one for every day of the tournament, but
close enough. And who knows what else I'll learn as this World Cup progresses;
I might find out why Phil Neville can only speak. In sentences. That last. A
couple of words. While commentating. On football matches. Or I might find out
why Martin Keown's face looks like it was put together by the team of surgeons
who constructed Michael Jackson's nose. The possibilities are endless. But what
have you learned? Leave your thoughts and ruminations in the comments section
below. Oh and don't forget, if you want to be a part of Manaus FC, just get in
touch.
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