Best and most pleasant World cup Surprise (s)

[dinho]

The Best and most pleasant World Cup surprise for me is the fact that all the doomsday predictions about a crime ridden, terrorist targeted, tourist hell hole, disorganized, improperly managed, incomplete failure of the first World Cup in Africa have not seemed to materialize from all accounts.

Agreed...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/07/world/africa/07safrica.html?ref=soccer

good read...

funny how after all the incessant noise they make before the cup we cant hear nothing solid about the positives. hopefully they just waiting for it to be done to include that in the post mortem.

[Mango Chow!]

The Best and most pleasant World Cup surprise for me is the fact that all the doomsday predictions about a crime ridden, terrorist targeted, tourist hell hole, disorganized, improperly managed, incomplete failure of the first World Cup in Africa have not seemed to materialize from all accounts.

  Tell dat to zeppo!

[richpy]

Ah have to chip in on the Forlan love.
People who follow Spanish football know that Forlan has been outstanding in Spain, beating out E'too for two Pichichi titles (interestingly on the final day of two seperate seasons). And doing it playing for 'small sides'. The man is a complete striker.

Man play possessed in this WC, like he had a axe to grind or something. He was also using his head too, everything had a plan behind it. Real real impressive. MVP for me.

[JDB]

Neither Schweinstieger nor Khedira surprise me as individuals becaus ethey have not really been outstanding compared to the rest of the team. In each game yuh could pick any of Podolski, Ozil, Muller and Schweinstieger as the top performer. Loew is the surprise for me as he making perfect use of some good, yet not great players, and have them lighting up the tournament.

Loew did an excellent job of marshalling the largely unproven (on this level) talent on the team.  An even better job of getting as much out of a team of individual stars as he did... unlike Maradona.  I thought Schweinsteiger was solid... not spectacular... certainly nowhere as meteoric as he was in Germany 4 yrs ago.  I liked that he was able to assert himself in midfield in a manner for which Ballack was quite unsuited... and frankly, I'd be surprised if Ballack get's called up anytime soon.  Sentimental reasons may have led to his inclusion after South Africa, but his contributions are likely surplus given the play of the team.  His hissy-fit with Lamm over the captaincy only serves to further seal his fate... although you can't blame him for wanting the arm-band back once fit.

I think the absence of Ballack is being overplayed. It was Ballack who pull this side through the crucial game against Russia.

Also Ballack's replacement was Khedira and he has played well but has not done anything that Ballack cannot do. Ballack is slower but Khedira has not been leading the German breaks, he has been trailing them. I would also pick Ballack over Khedira for threat on set-pieces and for making something happen when Germany is not counter-attacking and trying to break down a team defending deep..

Where not having Ballack might have been useful is off the field as there might have been issues with his seniority and attitude, but on the field Ballack is an asset to this team.

[Bakes]

Of course he's and asset... and yet surplus to requirements on current form.  He helped them qualify, and they played well, but since his injury they've been even better.  Khedira may have taken his place in the starting lineup but his actual replacement has been Schweinsteiger, who has become more assertive in the offense in Ballack's absence. 

[Peong]

Forlan is definitely the MVP for me.
Before the tournament I bet nobody would have picked him.
He can still get the Golden Boot too.
Well done Mr. Forlan.

[JDB]

Of course he's and asset... and yet surplus to requirements on current form.  He helped them qualify, and they played well, but since his injury they've been even better.  Khedira may have taken his place in the starting lineup but his actual replacement has been Schweinsteiger, who has become more assertive in the offense in Ballack's absence. 

Whose current form? Ballack's form for Germany has never been a problem and Germany has always played better with him than without him. He drove the team to finals in 2002 and 2008 and a semi in 2006, all comparable to this team, and the current consensus is that this team has better players.

As for Germany's current form it is convenient to say that they are playing better because he is absent but it is also baseless because we have not seen this current side, with tournament preparation including Ballack. As big a change as Ballack being missing is the 5 o6r 6 weeks that they have been together preparing as a team, drilling their gameplan  and improving collectively. It doesn't make sense to give Loew credit for making the best use of his players and then assume that he wouldn't be able to leverage his most experienced player to make the team better.

[Bakes]

As for Germany's current form it is convenient to say that they are playing better because he is absent but it is also baseless because we have not seen this current side, with tournament preparation including Ballack. As big a change as Ballack being missing is the 5 o6r 6 weeks that they have been together preparing as a team, drilling their gameplan  and improving collectively. It doesn't make sense to give Loew credit for making the best use of his players and then assume that he wouldn't be able to leverage his most experienced player to make the team better.

It's equally convenient to say that just because the team is good... his addition would automatically make them better.  Just as there is addition by subtraction, there too can be subtraction by addition.  Here we have a German team that essentially plodded it's way thru qualifying, was forced by circumstances to re-tool their game on the fly, developed a winning formula to complement the unique collection of talent and egos on the field, all conducted with a maestro's touch by Loew.  You would have us believe that all of that is mere coincidental to and not a consequence of Ballack's absence. 

You would also have us believe that Loew suddenly had the team "drilling their gameplan" after Ballack's injury... what they didn't have a gameplan to drill before?  Or are you conceding that Loew had to re-write the script following the injury, thereby introducing a new post-Ballack gameplan?  Of course the latter is obvious, no need to even debate.  The team that emerged in the wake of Ballack's injury was more dynamic and creative, was faster on the break and better equipped with tactics to match their younger, fresher legs than the Ballack-led team.

Would Ballack make the team better or worse? Of course it's all speculation... but you don't put a Volkswagen engine in a Porsche body and start it in Le Mans expecting to win anything.

[JDB]

It's equally convenient to say that just because the team is good... his addition would automatically make them better.  Just as there is addition by subtraction, there too can be subtraction by addition. 

I have never said that Ballack would automatically make the team better. You and many others are making the point that he would automatically make them worse. My point in bringing up his past excellence is to simply state that there is no evidence of Ballack ever making this team worse.

You would also have us believe that Loew suddenly had the team "drilling their gameplan" after Ballack's injury... what they didn't have a gameplan to drill before? Or are you conceding that Loew had to re-write the script following the injury, thereby introducing a new post-Ballack gameplan?  Of course the latter is obvious, no need to even debate.

Its not for me to have you believe anything. When asked what is driving the effectiveness of their counters the players, Schweinstieger included, have said that its down to the time they have had in training. Time that they do not have during the season when they get together for 3 - 10 days at a stretch. Loew has also admitted that he has changed the team, inspired by the resurgent and successful Bayern and Inter teams, not by a specific need to chnage in the absence of Ballack. This is also not the first time that Germany has found a new way to play right before a tournament and surprised everybody.

The team that emerged in the wake of Ballack's injury was more dynamic and creative, was faster on the break and better equipped with tactics to match their younger, fresher legs than the Ballack-led team.

Would Ballack make the team better or worse? Of course it's all speculation... but you don't put a Volkswagen engine in a Porsche body and start it in Le Mans expecting to win anything.

My point is that it is overly simplistic to conclude that Ballack would make this team worse and that he is "surplus to requirements". I am absolutely certain that the next German selection will put paid to that nugget of wisdom. Volkswagen and Porsche analogies are nice but doesn't really say much when you realize that there is nothing in Khedira's role or performance in this system that Ballack cannot do.


 

[Brownsugar]

.........we haven't heard from Zeppo since Ghana cut BooSA's arse......Ghana should play the US everyday.....

[Bourbon]

Despite de diving and ting by de dutch..dey still were able to give Spain a guard of honor.

[weary1969]

.........we haven't heard from Zeppo since Ghana cut BooSA's arse......Ghana should play the US everyday.....

 

[fari]

Forlan is definitely the MVP for me.
Before the tournament I bet nobody would have picked him.
He can still get the Golden Boot too.
Well done Mr. Forlan.

if again...i glad dey give him de mvp...every goal he score was a golazo ras...but like i said before, his older sister is paralyzed and de man say he does play for 2 every time he steps on de field...u cyah beat a man when he have dat kinda motivation.

[Mango Chow!]

Despite de diving and ting by de dutch..dey still were able to give Spain a guard of honor.

    ......you think they had a choice?  I'm willing to bet that it's a "requirement".

[Bourbon]

Despite de diving and ting by de dutch..dey still were able to give Spain a guard of honor.

    ......you think they had a choice?  I'm willing to bet that it's a "requirement".

I doh think so. Well...i could say i doh think i have ever seen it.