I think Deutschland did never ever beat Italia during any of the WCs in the history of the tournament.
Porca misieria, why should they beat them now?
If France keeps on playing like they did against Brazil, no one will beat them.
I live three miles away from the french border and if you look close enough, you can already see them preparing their cars with flags to cross the border in a convoy of thousands and then they will drive through our towns and cities for hours and hours. Just like in 1998. But this time it will be thousands.
Allez les bleus, but please keep on your side of the border.

max wrote:I think Deutschland did never ever beat Italia during any of the WCs in the history of the tournament.
Porca misieria, why should they beat them now?
If France keeps on playing like they did against Brazil, no one will beat them.
I live three miles away from the french border and if you look close enough, you can already see them preparing their cars with flags to cross the border in a convoy of thousands and then they will drive through our towns and cities for hours and hours. Just like in 1998. But this time it will be thousands.
Allez les bleus, but please keep on your side of the border.

It's annoying... That's why I don't want Italy to win this WC. I live too close to the border too.

kenoki wrote:are all you englishmen crying too? poor boys, poor blokes, posh will dry your tears.

hey, i had no idea that the entire portugal team was so insanely hot. man, totally my favorite now.

i was rooting for england that game, but my girlfriend was quick to point out how much hotter the portuguese were, so she was rooting for them.

i still like rooney a lot - can someone explain to me why england used this sole striker tactic? your coach sven had a lot of class in the press conference yesterday. the other guy i like a lot is the tall lankey dude who subs in at the end.

zidane was amazing to watch - he ruled that entire field and controlled the pace of the game it seemed - amazing control of the ball and composure. that was a great game of soccer. made me want to get back on the field.

also - it seems the sport is making progress here in the states - i remember how absolutely terrible the commentators used to be, but now that the "first wave" of US players have retired - it's great to see/hear them as commentators. i think we're getting much more insightfule reads into the game as opposed to earlier outings, which much of the time was spent educating the public on the simple mechanics of the game. US soccer has moved into more of a elementary school stage.

nick92675 wrote:i still like rooney a lot - can someone explain to me why england used this sole striker tactic? your coach sven had a lot of class in the press conference yesterday. the other guy i like a lot is the tall lankey dude who subs in at the end.

Peter Crouch is the lanky dude.

Rooney is generally amazing, although he is not target forward material. He creates goals. Thus, he should have been played back a bit and allowed to work his magic, but instead, injuries and Crouch's poor form meant that Rooney was stuck up on the top, alone, waiting for service from the midfield that never arrived.

England had exactly 45 minutes of good soccer: the first half of the match against Sweden. That was also the only time that Sven didn't try this stupid experiment with both Lampard and Gerrard in the midfield. He should have fielded Rooney, Crouch, Joe Cole, Lennon, Gerrard or Lampard (but not both), and Hargreaves; that team would have had chemistry.

zidane was amazing to watch - he ruled that entire field and controlled the pace of the game it seemed - amazing control of the ball and composure. that was a great game of soccer. made me want to get back on the field.

I've been following soccer since 1999, and Zidane's match yesterday was probably the single best performance by one player I've ever seen in the game at any level. It was utterly breathtaking. What I loved especially is that Zidane didn't merely showboat; every single trick he performed and fancy play he made was purposeful.

Wood Goblin wrote:

nick92675 wrote:

zidane was amazing to watch - he ruled that entire field and controlled the pace of the game it seemed - amazing control of the ball and composure. that was a great game of soccer. made me want to get back on the field.

I've been following soccer since 1999, and Zidane's match yesterday was probably the single best performance by one player I've ever seen in the game at any level. It was utterly breathtaking. What I loved especially is that Zidane didn't merely showboat; every single trick he performed and fancy play he made was purposeful.

I've been watching football since 1987, and that's the best performance I have ever seen.

I think the term genius is used far too often, but fuck, Zidane is a genius.

Watch this video for more evidence of his genius...

http://www.1zidane.com/zidane-video/Zin ... .Video.htm

Incredible.

nick92675 wrote:


I've been watching football since 1987, and that's the best performance I have ever seen.

you started watching one year too late. 1986 was the best world cup. maradona the greatest player of the modern era, dragged a generally shit argentina side to glory virtually single handed

also here is the side that fuckwit sven should have played


.....................robinson

neville.... ferdinand .... terry.... cole


lennon.... gerrard.... carrick.... j.cole

.................. rooney

.............................crouch



i think the balance would be right between carrick and gerrard carrick would hold more because gerrard is wasted as a defensive midfielder.

also lennon on the wing would have been more effective than the has been beckham

the_rekoner wrote:

nick92675 wrote:


I've been watching football since 1987, and that's the best performance I have ever seen.

you started watching one year too late. 1986 was the best world cup. maradona the greatest player of the modern era, dragged a generally shit argentina side to glory virtually single handed

not that it really matters, but i didn't say that. i played regularly from probably 84-95 - that zidane video is amazing when you've actually played the game and been in the same game situations - it almost doesn't look that impressive until you realize how hard that is in real life under that kind of pressure - and the most intense pressure i ever got was regional high school playoffs/statewide tournaments!

it's much like how i've come to enjoy baseball much more having played it in real life now - i never played baseball or anything like it as a kid, i was all soccer. baseball always appeared slow and boring to me (the same critiques most americans make against soccer) - which isn't the case at all for either sport once you get to know them better.

the infamous maradonna goal!!

the_rekoner wrote:also here is the side that fuckwit sven should have played


.....................robinson

neville.... ferdinand .... terry.... cole


lennon.... gerrard.... carrick.... j.cole

.................. rooney

.............................crouch



i think the balance would be right between carrick and gerrard carrick would hold more because gerrard is wasted as a defensive midfielder.

also lennon on the wing would have been more effective than the has been beckham

Most of England was screaming for that formation. Don't expect anything
more sensible from Svens successor. As a Boro fan I know this won't
happen. Wir sind screwed.

As we are Dordogning this summer, I'm behind France.

b

nick92675 wrote:

the_rekoner wrote:

nick92675 wrote:


I've been watching football since 1987, and that's the best performance I have ever seen.

not that it really matters, but i didn't say that.

not that it really matters, but you did. it's right there dude.

only kidding, i know where you are coming from mate. i think it's the same with music. you seem to appreciate what people are doing or trying to do when you play yourself