FIFA Worldcup 2010 SA-- SPAIN WON ~ AWARDS pg 48 - Page 12

Originally posted by: ansh25

I'm glad Holland are through....We are now guaranteed a European final...woohoo..thats gonna be wicked...Go RVP

lol, normally I would feel bad for the South-American teams but I'm pretty sure they're going to kill it in the next world cup in Brazil in 2014!

Originally posted by: ProdigalStudent

lol, normally I would feel bad for the South-American teams but I'm pretty sure they're going to kill it in the next world cup in Brazil in 2014!

Yeah no doubt...there will be some even better players that are coming through for Brazil, Argentina etc etc..Hopefully by then Messi et al will be at the peak of their career

NOTE: Just a warning. Wow, I just realized that my post is embarrasingly super-long, so read at your own risk? Sorry I just tend to go into these long rambling posts from time to time where I just don't know when to stop! I definitely need to fix that!!!

Okay Germany vs Spain: My amateur predictions....

Before the tournament and Germany's 4-0 win against Argentina, I gave the edge to Spain because they tend to dominate possesion - however, I'm going to admit I was wrong as I misjudged the strengths of the Germany side, tactically. England and Argentina, both, dominated possesion in their respective matches against Germany - and Germany still won those matches with more than a respectable margin. The reason: counter-attacking. They've really got an amazing formation here with a player like Schwiezsteiger here playing the holding midfielder - that enables swift counterattack. And the fact that they don't dominate possesion and still manage to score 4 goals in their last two matches really worries me for Spain because this isn't the same Germany team from Euro 2008 - that one relied on more pure attacking techniques compared to counter-attacking - so Spain really can't just go expect to win by being able to dominate possesion.

However, the fact that Spain can dominate possesion would be a superb asset for them if they score that crucial first goal. So really in my opinion, like ShadowKisses has said, this match really depends on who scores that important first goal. If Germany scores it, then Spain will be chasing the game - and Germany can take advantage of that by doing what they do best, counter-attacking like they did with Argentina and England respectively in the previous two matches. If Spain scores it, then Germany will be chasing the game - And Spain can comfortably dominate possesion for the rest of the match playing the game defensively - not letting Germany get the ball to attack and simply frustrating them like they did in Euro 2008. Though ofcourse - I don't think it's going to be as easy for Germany to counter-attack with Spain or Spain to frustrate Germany like both teams have done previously with other teams.

Attack-wise I definitely would give Germany the edge over here. I mean they're the team that has scored the most goals in the tournament uptil now. They have the likes of Klose, Podolski, attacking midfielders like Ozil, a guy like Schweinsteiger - and so far they've all gelled really well as a team - Moreover, they seem comfortable with the Jabulani compared to Spain - though no doubt, Villa also seems to be adept at handing that ball - just not as good as the Germany strikers I would say though. Defense-wise, uhh I'm not that well-versed with the defense of both teams but I would give Spain the edge over here just because they've better defenders than Germany with Puyol, Pique, Ramos compared to Lahm, Boetang, Friedrich - Though to Germany's credit they've never really allowed the opponents a chance to exploit their defense. Now midfield I think is where both the teams are equally good... Germany definitely has an amazing and young midfield with Schweinsteiger, Ozil, Mueller, Khedira and unlike with England (where the talented midfielders were put in wrong positions/partnerships), and Argentina (where the midfield was poor and definitely not good enough to supplement Argentina's superb strike-force, save for perhaps Mascherano who played more defensively anyways), Spain too have a brilliant midfield. So the game also would really depend on whichever team dominates the midfield - as the midfield is the tie-breaker in this case.

Spain also has a problem with how to deal with Torres not being in his in-form - Villa works much better with a partner occupying both sides of the Spain attack than if he's the lone central striker (which is what he started as in the Switzerland match.) And another advantage of having Torres there is that even if he's in poor form and unlikely to score - no team will be foolish enough to take the risk to allow him freedom with the ball - they are going to mark him which will invariably end up giving Villa more space. But that said, Spain's quality of play improved much more once Torres was subbed off - And like one of my commentators has said the problem is, if they replace Torres with a midfielder then that would essentially change the winning formation of the Spain team. Hopefully if they do replace Torres it's by another forward.... Germany too has a problem with the suspension of Mueller (totally unfair) - though most likely Mario Gomez or Stefan are replacing him and they're just not as strong as Mueller.

Finally, to the predictions themselves... when I envisioned this match-up pre-world cup I never really thought I was going to say that Spain are the underdogs in this match - but there it is... Germany are clearly the favorites over here and rightly so after their awe-inducing win over Argentina. I think it's because Germany seems to have that killer-instinct in this tournament - and they're just bringing their A-game to the tournament and the team just works well together, Spain on the other hand, while they were the pre-tournament favorites, have really not impressed much as team. They have such a talented squad, but they really haven't been performing up to their abilities - and this isn't about their goal margins btw - because they won over Germany in Euro 2008 by 1-nil but I thought that was one of the most decisive wins by Spain - this is different - they lose the ball relatively easily and dare I say, fail to exhibit the spirit they showed to dominate and win every match in Euro 08. That x-factor or quality that made Spain just click as a team and so daunting of an opposition. Hopefully being labeled as the 'underdogs' for the first time in a matchup will work to help them gain that killer instinct. So, it's difficult to rule Spain out - because they have such a talented squad - and if they do find that momentum and balance - then honestly, I would give the Spain the edge in this match.

Overall, and no I'm not chickening out here, I would say both the teams have equal chances of winning this game. There is no clear favorite, or 'front-runner' in this match IMO. I mean I really can't predict the winner unlike say with Netherlands vs Uruguay. How can one bet against this Germany side with their impressive wins over Argentina/England and Australia in their previous matches, not to mention their track-record with World Cups? Likewise how can one bet against this Spain side which has such awesome talent, and has proved just how well they can play in the world stage with Euro 2008 and their qualifying campaign.

So all in all, this will be a very interesting match to watch. :P

^ Ditto loved it. My brother, my Dad and I have been talking about the exact same things.

It's interesting how Spain entered the WC as the big team. They were the favorite even though they didn't like it. Most of the players complained it put them under more pressure.

Tomorrow match will be an interesting one. Though Germany has improved their defense is still a bit shaky, that's their weak point. If Spain can manage to break through it the Germans will be in big trouble.

Octopus baba ne Spain ki jeet ki bhavishyavaani ki hai. 😆

here's something interesting to read for germany fans ... esp Schwiezsteiger fans!!!

http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/news/germany-s-rebel-with-a-cause--fbintl_ro-schweinsteiger070610.html

^ link is not working 😕
Everywhere I go they are talking about the oracle octopus. 😆 Then yesterday I red the mathmatical way to find who will be the winner.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqcQN4Wqm8U[/YOUTUBE]

this really should've been the final match

Originally posted by: spln

here's something interesting to read for germany fans ... esp Schwiezsteiger fans!!!

http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/news/germany-s-rebel-with-a-cause--fbintl_ro-schweinsteiger070610.html

DURBAN, South Africa – Heads of state and their armies of advisers spend countless hours sweating over how to improve those pesky approval ratings. For German chancellor Angela Merkel, it was as simple as offering a few words of wisdom to her favorite soccer player.

Merkel's advisory lecture to Bastian Schweinsteiger, the self-confessed rebel of the German national team, came two years ago and was motivated by her love of soccer rather than political gain. However, as Schweinsteiger has emerged as arguably the best player at this World Cup – and publicly credited Merkel with the resurgence of his career – Germany's administrative leader also has reaped the benefit.

When the Chancellor speaks, you tend to listen," said Schweinsteiger, whose dynamic performances in midfield have helped the Germans reach the semifinals, where they meet Spain on Wednesday in Durban.

And when Schweinsteiger speaks, the public listens. Despite, or perhaps because of, his catalog of roguish behavior in the past, the man known as "Schweini" (which translates into "Piggy") is wildly popular in his homeland.

"When asked if Merkel's helpful advice for Schweinsteiger made fans feel more warmly toward the Chancellor, more than 75 percent of magazine readers replied yes.

"It made me think about things carefully and look at how I wanted my career to be," said Schweinsteiger, referring to his conversation with Merkel during the European Championships in 2008. "She told me to not make such stupid mistakes again, ever. And she told me to get back to my best form, just like at the 2006 World Cup."

Schweinsteiger has long been regarded as Germany's greatest soccer talent, but an expectant nation feared his ability would be wasted by his penchant for cheeky yet unruly antics.

Like how the 25-year-old once smuggled his girlfriend into his team's training ground at 2 a.m. so the pair could use the Jacuzzi. Upon being discovered, he laughably told a security guard that the girl was merely his cousin.

Then there was the hard partying (sometimes on the night before games) and the foolish driving (he was once clocked at 150 mph). And there were a bunch of hairstyles in various shades of bizarre colors.

Merkel's words struck a chord and convinced Schweinsteiger to get serious.

The Chancellor is here in South Africa and was spotted dancing excitedly during Germany's 4-0 quarterfinal demolition of Argentina last Saturday.

"Wunderbar [wonderful]," she exclaimed when asked about the performance of Schweinsteiger and the team. "Einfach wunderbar [simply wonderful]."

There is a growing sense in Germany that in Schweinsteiger the nation has a player with the inner resolve and the creative instinct to lead it to its first World Cup title since 1990. Against Argentina, he not only played a pivotal role in shutting down Lionel Messi but also launched a series of devastating counter attacks that allowed the Germans to run up the score.

Diego Maradona's pre-game taunt of "Are you nervoussssh Schweinsteiger?" was turned into folly over the course of 90 minutes.

"In the past two years we have seen special things from Schweini," German coach Joachim Loew said. "He has an extra edge to him and an extra drive."

Two years ago, Schweinsteiger was a lost talent struggling for direction. A few words to the wise have sent him on the path to becoming the pride of a nation. And its leader.

This is so funny and just like Schweini 🤣🤣

Germany all they way. They deserve it. Just have to work on defense part although.

So nervous right now for both teams.