A post from @foreverheady
If a week’s a long time in politics then ninety minutes is certainly plenty enough time for football fans to realise that most players are only human after all. I was listening to Darren Gough talking about Lionel Messi on the radio yesterday, and he was very much of the opinion that he hadn’t had the greatest of World Cup tournaments thus far and that his four Man of the Match awards were based more on reputation than actual achievement. In fact, Argentina’s latest game, where they seemed to take forever to dispatch Switzerland, showed another of the game’s greats, the exotically named Angel di Maria to be not so special after all. And yet, as the clock ticked inexorably towards another high stakes penalty shoot-out it was Messi and di Maria who stepped up to win the game. Gliding past two players in trademark style Lionel drew the final defender on to him before slipping the ball to Maria who passed the ball into the net with all the nonchalance of a training ground move, rather than the nerve-jangling coup de grace that would secure a quarter-final spot and, indeed, the promise of far more than that. It was a sublime moment of footballing genius, and future views of highlights and vine clips will ensure that it lives long in the collective footballing consciousness. In short, those few seconds wiped out the ordinariness of the previous two hours, and proved that when it really mattered Messi was the man. If you had only seen the goal you would have thought Dazzler mad.
And yet, despite the almost universal agreement that this has been the greatest and most exciting World Cup ever (at least since the last one) a lot of players have seemingly failed to shine on the greatest stage of all. While reputations may not be completely in tatters, it does seem that many of those who were so eagerly anticipated have struggled to be at their very best, and various reasons have been put forward to explain this. The impossible heat, the makeshift nature of the national teams, the refereeing, the tactical acumen of the opposition managers, the desire that the footballing ‘minnows’ show when pulling on their national strip have been among some of the more popular pieces of punditry, and as with all theories that masquerade as sensible each contain enough truth to be plausible. But I wonder if it isn’t something far more obvious than all of this and that Ronaldo’s feet of clay are just another symptom of the truth so wearily acknowledged each Saturday afternoon by the long suffering denizens of the football League’s terraces. And that truth is, and whisper this quietly or the sponsors will take offence, that football is actually quite a boring game, and that most players, for most of the time, struggle to do anything out of the ordinary; it is sadly true that most sides find it well-nigh impossible to breach a well-organised defence. When explaining goalless performances, managers euphemistically refer to a lack of quality in the final third, when what they actually mean is “none of my players were capable of doing anything unexpected, and my offensive tactics were rendered impotent by my counterpart’s defensive strategy. “ If you watch some games you quite soon begin to wonder if either side will ever be good enough to actually score a goal, so laborious are their efforts. The score-lines give it away, of course: 0-0, 1-0, 1-1, , 2-0, 2-1 are by far the most common, and any tally more than that is a rarity unless the teams are hopelessly mismatched or defensively incontinent.
I am guessing here, but I suspect that the vast majority of football watchers don’t often watch whole games, making do instead with recorded highlights on Match of the Day or various Youtube compilations. When much of the tedious dross is edited out, football comes alive with end to end stuff, goalmouth action a plenty, tantalising and sumptuous moments of artistry and wonder goals repeated endlessly and from all angles. They all look good on the telly, unless of course it is the turn of some hapless defender to have his limitations cruelly exposed by the forensic unpleasantness of a bitter analyst blessed with hindsight, technology and supported by full blown media bias. There will be few regular and actual game-going supporters who haven’t experienced the frustration of seeing their own attackers huff and puff impotently for ninety minutes that afternoon, only to catch Match of the Day later that evening and see a United or City star pirouette on a sixpence before dispatching it venomously into the top corner. And if you have had a couple by then and your reason and your judgment are momentarily suspended, it’s hard not to at least imagine what it would be like to have him leading the line for you next week. Infidelity, you see, is born out of over-exposure to the commonplace and a momentary glimpse of the exotic.
The problem with this World Cup is that the exotic has become commonplace and the likes of Darren Gough, not to mention many teenage boys, are having to watch whole games in their essentially dull entirety, perhaps for the very first time. Watching Messi being shackled by Johan Djouru for two hours is a little like (and I’m guessing here, Your Honour) watching Linda Lovelace condemned to a perpetual diet of lukewarm and unseasoned Shepherds’ Pie. It is, at best, a disappointment. And I wonder too if this isn’t the problem with people’s perception of Mesut Ozil . When he signed for The Arsenal I wonder how many had watched him play that often, or whether they just remembered flashes of brilliance from Bloemfontein and countless effortless assists in various “Ronaldo’s Greatest Goals” compilations. His first few Arsenal matches were like that too: a beyond brilliant assist for Giroud, a wonder strike against Napoli, a brace to see off Norwich. This was pornography made real and all that golden autumn we were drowning, stingless, in honey- bliss was it indeed in that dawn to be an Arsenal fan. It didn’t last, of course – or rather, it didn’t last quite like that. The everydayness of things all too soon kicked in, and shamefully the fans got used to his brilliance and no longer noticed when he had done something quite exceptional. Unless every touch turned to gold immediately, he was no longer accorded special status and all too soon he became merely human and nothing like his Youtube alter ego: just another ordinary player, in fact.
Except Mesut Ozil is not just another player, just as Lionel Messi is not having an ordinary tournament. Games are not twenty minutes long (football has yet to go down cricket’s route and pander to today’s short attention spans, although I suspect it is only a matter of time before that happens) and the proof of a player is his contribution over the whole game. It is no surprise that Messi and Ozil made their recent match winning moves deep into injury time, just as it was no coincidence that The Arsenal’s player of the season, Aaron Ramsey, scored the winning goal in the Cup Final long after most had cried enough. Cream rises to the top, they say, and so too do great Sportsmen, and if they think it is worth playing until the final whistle is blown then perhaps the pundits might also try concentrating for long enough to see what is really going on. Not every move they make will come off, not every shot will score, and for much of the time we should expect them to be shackled – after all, it would be almost match-fixingly strange if tactics were not drawn up to nullify the most dangerous players – but rest assured, class will out and they will find a way, and that is why they are, as Arsene would say, top, top quality, and why I am looking forward to seeing them play again this weekend.
Positively Arsenal 
The only good thing I will say about mcbitey is that it now looks like he has completely out-played Liverpool in getting out of that club double quick time after last summer’s messing around and the Mickey mouser’s season of failed heroics.
I’d even hazard a guess that the latest bite was a deliberate part of the plan.
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Passeral
France were quite poor, from my view of the game.
If that was a good performance from Pogba and Cabaye then Wenger was darn right about ignoring them. Benzema looked disinterested and I didn’t see Grizemann make enough of an impact to justify benching Giroud.
In short, a lot of French player devalued themselves, never mind national pride.
I take back the first post – a later camera angle made it clear Lloris had no chance saving the goal. He’s still a liability outside his box though.
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Wenger made the mistake of keeping Giroud on the bench when we lost to Bayern. We beat them at their stadium with Giroud on the pitch. Had Giroud been on the pitch today, France would have been a lot more dangerous on set plays and they would have had a target to get the ball to instead of hoofing it up the pitch to release pressure.
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I don’t know why Deschamps didn’t bring Giroud on earlier when he had the opportunity instead of Remy, Gains. Seemed the clear move.
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Without Neymar for Brazil and Silva suspended, Grrmany have a pretty clear path to the final, I think.
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“Without Neymar for Brazil and Silva suspended, Grrmany have a pretty clear path to the final, I think.”
You are forgetting the ref’s input
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I don’t think the ref has had much to do with Brazil’s last three victories, Dups. That’s a group stage joke that is a bit obsolete now. more apropos would be to note that the Dutch seem to have recruited the referees. Their results seem to have been dodgier lately.
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Me either, Lime. This game reminded me of the time we played Theo up front against Bayern and lost 3-1. Their midfield was all over us and, like France today, had a hard time getting out of our own half for long spells. When Wenger decided to use Giroud to hold up play further up the pitch we beat them at home. And every time we’ve played them since then, with Giroud up front, our games have been much tighter. Given how Hummels and Boiatend were on top of Benzema whenever he received the ball, I thought Giroud could have done a much better job at holding up the ball and distributing it to Griezmann and Valbuena.
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Lime, Fernandinho, Fred, Hulk and Marcelo committed six fouls less than the entire Colombia teamed combined yet none of them were booked As much as I’d like to think this is down to referee incompetence, it doesn’t take much to believe someone higher up told the ref to keep his cards in his pocket so James or Neymar could have a team around them if either made it to the semis.
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Ozil was quiet for much of the game but still managed to provide a gilt-edged opportunity. If his team mates keep spurning the chances he creates he’ll soon learn to go for goal himself, and that mightn’t be a bad thing. The commentators miss much of what he does though as he makes it look so easy it’s almost as if it’s happened by magic. I was surprised to see him out on the left wing so much, but would say that Debuchy made life very difficult for him. In fact, I would go further than that and say that Debuchy put in a defensive performance that was tighter than the proverbial duck’s backside. Mind you, if he’d been wearing an Arsenal shirt he’d have been called for at least one penalty.
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gains
giroud would have made impact only if the players around him play to his strength. but from what i have seen in the world cup, they dont. so i dont see him making any impact. and benzema dont like to play with giroud. that he has made very clear in this tournament. he is so self centred that his team mate only want to give the ball to him rather than giroud who plays more centrally.
but i think deschamp likes and rates giroud a lot but his hands are tied. remember what these players did in south africa. so you dont force strikers on them. matuidi said something like that before the start of the world cup when giroud was playing better in their friendlies, that benzema plays for madrid and he is a world class player and that they ALL expect him to lead the line in the world cup.
i’m afraid koscielny suffers the same fate. when your teammates prefare someone other that you, you have all kinds of problems. varane plays for madrid and zidane like him while sakho has been with this team since he was 18.
benzema may be good, but i just dont like him as a sport man.
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A very nice article FOREVER. people are enamored by a football game with many goals. The beauty of a very good defensive effort is lost on some. True football fans credit a good attacking effort just as much as the defensive move that foils it or a great goalkeeping display. A game could end 0-0 but could in fact be very exciting and griping.
HUNTER 13
July 4th ten years ago??
Let me guess. Is that the date the Greeks miraculously won the European championship by playing very chelskiask. Just a wild guess.
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Interesting piece Tim and aIso also struck by some people’s comments on theFrance Germany game which did not live up to the ‘handbrake-off’ contest that I, and I suspect most others, were hoping for.
It was not however a poor game, it was a game in which two very good sides all but cancelled each other, especially in midfield.
The decisions made by Low, Lahm at RB, Khedira and Schweini together in midfield, seem to me to be both the reason the Germans were able to control the game for long periods, and also made it the technical battle that it was.
Which brings me back to your piece Tim.
I cannot remember a World Cup I have watched in which there has been such a contrast between resolute seamless teamwork with no real stand out players, such as the Germans, theFrench and the Belgians, compared to the countries who have been literally carried into the final by one star, i.e. Argentina and Brazil.
Is it a continental thing North European Vorsprung dur Technik v South American joga bonita ?
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Anicoll
Phrase of the day…….
Is it a continental thing North European Vorsprung dur Technik v South American joga bonita ?
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I aim to please NB !
I see Neymar is out, the victim of what seemed to me at the time a fairly innocuous knee in the back. No Silva, no Neymar ?
Not a bad evening’s work for Herr Low.
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Gains, that’s a fair point about numbers of fouls. My feeling was the ref was pretty quick with the whistle and this mostly weren’t bad or hard fouls that would deserve yellows. Persistent fouls would be an issue, but then I think the red needs to warn the player and he didn’t seem to do that specifically.
Zuniga went into Neymar’s back with his knee first with no play on the ball. He wasn’t even charged with a foul, I don’t think. I think it was an inconsistent performance though I can certainly see your point about persistent fouls.
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I thought the same when Neymar went down, I watched the replay and then the facial expressions of I’m hurt, give me a free kick, and I was saying, get up you wimp……….; but actually, he must have been in a lot of pain.
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Nice one FH, cheers!
Gains; In response to your points about Debuchy and RBs in general. I would have liked to have seen how Aurier fared in an Arsenal shirt, but with Sagna gone, that would have been a too risky situation I fink, innit. But jenkinson must be considered ahead of him due to his experience at the Arse and therefore buying a more experienced RB was/is a must for the boss.
Now I have not really seen much of Debuchy, but I have read reports and Toon blogs and also the transfer rumours of the past. He is held in high esteem by the Toon fathful and seen as their 2nd bezzy player behind the departed cabaye. He is also viewed as being defensively strong, up for a fight and tenacious; all the things Sagna was for us. If anything, he is seen as a better defender than Bacary and although not really a good barometer given the absence of Giroud yesterday, the fact that MB is agead of BS should count for something I guess!
Oh yeah, he has also been strongly linked to bayern and PSG previously, so not too shabby (if true obvs!)
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Interesting points, layksite, on France. Tactically it was perfect to play Giroud as Gains points out. If you are going to send balls over the midfield, where you are getting smothered, up top OG would have done a much better job holding it up and bringing the other forwards into play. Same with crossing in from wide. You don’t expect Deschamps to knuckle under to popular opinions he doesn’t believe, but, whatever the reason, he let himself down with his substitutions and set up.
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Costa Rica coach Jorge Luis Pinto says Netherlands winger Arjen Robben must be punished if he dives during Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final in Salvador.
Robben, 30, apologised for diving in the last-16 win over Mexico. “I would like to ask Fifa and the referees to watch Robben,” said Pinto. “We’re really worried about his diving. He has admitted doing it.”
Asked if Robben should be sent off if he dives, Pinto said: “That may be the most logical solution.” He added: “Maybe he would have to leave the field because he gets two yellow cards for diving.”
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Right on Senor Pinto! Get in there my son!
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Anicoll, I agree Low’s decision to play Khedira and Schweinsteiger together was key and allowed them to stifle France in midfield. But I still think I would have enjoyed an underdog having a go at the big team much more than that match. The Brazil v. Columbia was much better match between to very good teams.
As far as the technik vs. jogo bonito: Brazil showed it was better than a one man team finally with its performance. And they have never been playing that sort of free flowing creative style associated with 1970 Brazil. Scolari doesn’t know the the beautiful game! It has been a myth for a couple decades. But it seems there is something to the idea of teams built around a tremendous individual talent vs. those that have a greater balance in their attack. But Argentina and Brazil and very different in approach otherwise, I think. Argentina try more of that beautiful attacking game. And the model will have to be re-written to accommodate the Dutch who seem to depend on Robben and play the jogo bonito more readily when they can. Interesting issues you raise but I don’t entirely see a direct contrast or pattern along style, geography, culture.
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Good move by Pinto. The refs have been more favorable to Holland than any other team in my opinion.
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I dunno Limey, i think brasil have had a few calls go their way too!
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Gainsbourg69 July 4, 2014 at 11:37 pm
yes i would..why you laughing…?….explain…
noone is shitting on djourou …i just think you are wrong in placing him at a level above hummels and or luiz… when the evidence dwarfs your opinion….
the 30m is a hypothetical scenario…hallo???…options….hallo? … have already set the conditions with multiple ifs..hallo??…..oh well gains..youll learn one day.
goonerkam
HUNTER 13
July 4th ten years ago??
Let me guess. Is that the date the Greeks miraculously won the European championship by playing very chelskiask. Just a wild guess.
haha you got it! … slight correction though chelsea plays the system 7-3-0 while otto played 343 and 442 in the final….but yes the general public opinion is about “antifootball”…people tend to trash what they cant accomplish themselves…it hurts…
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Dex, they have. Croatia etc… But less markedly so in the last two or three games. That’s my only point. More recently Holland has been the beneficiary of the most crucial ref decisions, I think.
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I think Holland have benefitted hugely from the diving of one player; Robben. Whereas brasil have been afforded a lenient and benevolent ride as a whole by the officials! Which they should do, as hosts!
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Shame about Neymar’s injury – Brazil are really going to miss him, but you live by the sword you die by the sword. They decided to go for the rough stuff and certainly targeted James Rodriguez, unfortunately for them it was their most talented player that paid the price in the end.
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You’re probably right, Layksite. But then you have to ask why Deschamps took Giroud to the world cup in the first place. I saw most of France’s friendlies leading up to the world cup and Giroud looked an absolute beast up front by himself. Why didn’t Deschamps play him upfront on his own against Nigeria, for example? Him and Benzema up front was just weird.
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I agree with Anicoll, I enjoyed the France vs. Germany game.
I knew in advance without having to gaze into my crystal football that it was not going to be a game ruined by a tilting official as seen elsewhere, and there’s not much doubt who that official was tilting in favour of even if it was a slightly better performance on the night from Brazil. The words from the Columbian player Zungia who injured Neymar after the game were more graceful then his actions but at least he was honest:
“I was playing for the shirt from my country, not with the intent to injure. I was just defending my shirt.”, he hadn’t been happy at the advantages the ref had allowed the Brazilians? He was playing for the team too, heh! They do understand Argie-Bargie in South America, S.American club football throws up some messy games. Scolari can only reap what he has sown.
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passenal July 5, 2014 at 12:16 pm
what sword? heh..the ref was criminal and allowed ridiculous things to happen and only gave 3-4 fouls…. im on record many times saying how i dislike brasil but what that colombian did to neymar is far far worse than biting….intentional knee at the back/waist…could have crippled him…
i understand complex -i have many too- but lets be honest…what is worse?
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I thought something was fishy when the referee booked Thiago Silva for interfering with the goalkeeper clearing the ball instead of that whack from behind he gave the Colombian player early in the second half. Also Scolari talking about Neymar being hunted in last night’s game, when James and Cuadrado were both fouled six times to Neymar’s four, is an absolute joke. If the referee had been up to snuff, Marcelo, Fred, Hulk and Fernandinho would have all received bookings early on in the game as they were the ones tasked with rotational fouling duties. Each one of them fouled the opposition at least four times on the night.
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Rotational fouling is a tactic and a referee is either on top of it or not. If not they don’t have any excuses! We can all see the stats after the game.
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I agree with dupsffokcuf at t 11:33 pm
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thats not to say the brasilians were angels though…they kicked too…there was a lot of kicking actually..
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All the Columbian did to Neymar was barge him from behind and caught him with his knee – Something that happens half a dozen times a game where you have players jumping for headers H
It could have been worth a card but the problem for a referee with Neymar lying on the ground, writhing, and squealing in agony is it happens X10 times a game so differentiating between a real injury and the player’s theatrics is no easy task.
As for Robben if he earns another penalty in this World Cup I shall eat my hat. (Crosses fingers)
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What sword? Fernandinho should have been double booked in the game against Chile, but Howard Webb allowed him to take chunks out of the Chilean’s legs and didn’t give him as much as a warning. Last night, he was at it again and wasn’t even reprimanded. You add to that Marcelo, Paulinho, Fred and Hulk engaging in persistent fouling and you start to notice that maybe Brazil go out to intimidate the opposition. Neymar was injured because his coach asked the thugs in his team to play rough with the opposition. James Rodriguez was fouled six times, do you think the Colombians weren’t gong to stick up for him by fouling the crap out of Neymar? Like Passenal said, you live by the sword you die by the sword. To see that scum Scolari talk about Neymar being hunted, even though his thugs have been playing rough and cheating for the entire tournament, is an absolute joke.
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ah ok thank you i just didnt understand the expression – now that youve related it to scolari’s tactics i get it.
anicol. now thats dark humour mate..heh
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“no one is shitting on djourou …i just think you are wrong in placing him at a level above hummels and or luiz… when the evidence dwarfs your opinion….”
And what evidence is this? You are talking about a player who lost his position in the Chelsea back line to a very mediocre Gary Cahill. You talk about evidence, but you still haven’t proven why you think David Luiz is worth so much more than someone like Johan Djorou, a player who is a mainstay of one of the best defenses in world football.
As far as Hummels is concerned, I rate Koscielny, Christian Zapata, Godin, Mertesacker, Spahic, Dante and Kompany higher than him. I’d even takenJohn Terry before Hummels. Trust me, I’ve seen enough of him to know that he’s good for at least one huge blunder every other game. All the hype he’s getting us just insane.
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There’s a saying about something; is it ‘calling wolf’ orsomething similar…. players will eventually understand that their falling over a feining injury will eventually come back to haunt them.
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Retrospective use of video, or even in game = end of histrionics. Simples.
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Neymar and Rodriguez merely experiencing what it is like to be Wilshere or Cazorla every Saturday.
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Gains,
I’ve been thinking a tiny bit, it’s hard work! Perhaps the Allerdician tactics employed by Brazil game after game, the Netherlands anti-Cruyff styles under LVG, is a part of the thinking behind Germany’s and even France’s flatter three CMs in midfield? Not sure if I agree with such cautious thinking but at least the best FB in the tournament is back playing at FB!
Be interesting to see how Germany line up in the next game, I guess that the over-rated overpriced Willian will get the start instead of Neymar. I hope that Özil will not be “hunted” by Scolari’s cloggers (Ramirez!) the plundits will chat their shite but anyone watching their games could see who was creating the most for Germany.
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Most effective Playmaker/ tennish type player in this World Cup so far after five games?
Most chances created?
Most forward passes in the opposition final third?
Highest pass completion percentage?
Highest number of key passes?
It is…
…Mesut Özil!
https://mobile.twitter.com/hughwizzy/status/485388220772155392/photo/1
Playing on the left, not having the same freedom as the others on the list.
Only Robben comes close to those numbers.
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Well written and very interesting Post, Foreverheady.
I am an Özil fan.
This World Cup was an absolutely superb spectacle, at the outset, but seems to have slowly but surely descended into an unpleasant spectacle of players either cheating by ‘simulating’ (diving/pretending to be hurt) or using sneak physical tactics (holding/over the ball tactics) and they have a great deal to answer for if that is the lasting memory of a what was shaping up to be a great event.
Who would want to be a referee trying to differentiate between cheating and the genuine play?
Hopefully tonights game and the semis and final will finish on a high, for everyone’s benefit.
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Fin, Scolari has been itching to play Willian and Ramirez together in his midfield, but he would catch all kinds of hell from the Brazilian press if he kept Neymar on the bench. Now he gets to do just that and no one can tell him anything because they hunted down his precious prince Neymar.
The reason Cesc was told he could go to Chelsea has a name. It’s Mesut Özil.
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Henry B, that’s why I can’t, in good conscience, support Holland until Arjen Robben retires and Van Gaal leaves as coach. Rinus Michels is spinning in his grave over what’s been done to his team.
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Speaking of Holland. What chance for CR? How about Argentina-Belgium?
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Limestone,
It’s going to be tough for Costa Rica, I’m hoping Campbell can get another goal against Utd! Should be a close game between Argentina and Belgium.
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The deflection off Vertonghan after Kompany’s charge forward unsettled his defence.
They needed Vermaelan and it’s bad luck he’s not fit (I think). I’m not biased.
Belgium should have some chances, it’s not over yet.
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HeR, hear Fins. Another goal for Campbell would be delightful.
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