World Cup 2014

I don't see how Brazil advances past Germany without Neymar or Thiago Silva. That's a tall order.

who will flop for them

Aw jeez, poor Neymar. Scolari's outrage so disingenuous though, he was the one who decided to try playing by those rules and it's just his bad luck it wasn't Hamez lying there folded in two.

ironically if the ref had carded more brazil players and controlled the game in any way at all maybe this doesn't happen, so as it is, go fuck yourself brazil you've only yourselves to blame

hope ozil assists a million goals against you and everyone still says he's shit

im all for hating this Brazil side but lads

haha that was a bit strong, but seriously I can't take watching this brazil team scraping these awful wins anymore

they'll probably beat Germany with a scrappy goal worked between Fred and Jo both trying as hard as they can to not score and Ramires breaking legs at will

oh hate them away, and lol at scolari, who has appalled me in every second of this tournament. but there's no justice or karmic balance or fun in their only functioning footballer getting badly injured, cos the only winners here are the lumpen violent cunts on all sides whose continued existence ruins football.

The silver lining is they're stinking the place up now and I can wish them out with a clear conscience. They've got a round too far and they've had their fun, and the final will be better without them. Them losing the final would be a better occasion but I'll take the better game, thanks.

Neymar injury is harsh, I will miss his majestic dives for sure

Only way I'd like to see Brazil winning is if David Luiz does it all on his own having left Chelsea and shutting up all the english pundits forever

nah thanks its a high price to pay.

Germany were edging this w/Neymar. Maybe lol Fred will set up to the plate now.

Germany rumbling ever closer to victory, can't see any of the remaining 5 teams beating them really, with the possible exception of the Dutch and/or an exceptionally on-it Messi

bellllgiummmmm

i seriously think belgium can win the world cup now. this goes against logic, foresight and reason, but i just think it could be. i know there are several tactical reasons why argentina, holland, germany or brazil could take them apart, but a team with that much attacking potential can always prosper in knock-out football, and - like germany but unlike the others - they have an absolute gun of a goalkeeper

They don't have enough experience. Same reason that Colombia went down yesterday.

they are also shit

World Cup winner Jan Vertonghen. Get used to it.

They moved the ball well at pace. But that happened against the USA so it probably doesn't count.

any of the remaining teams can win just need to take a couple few games and there u go but i hope its argentina

i hope messi scores 10 goals in the next three games and the country of argentina is forced to worship him as a god

I think USA failed to perform until too late on the night. that Belgium performed is to their credit but I haven't seen anything to suggest wc2014 winners there except for the latent talent not being utilised/extracted- Brazil same but on a higher scale and with ref and home support. Argentina same but with messi and a more solid setup. Dutch a better team unit with more performing names, Germany the best team with a squad and balance that won't be matched.

ftr I rlyrly hope CRC win it

if germany wins im gonna commit crimes against humanity

a small price to pay

but its worth noting that there's been vv few 90 mins no-caveat good performances in this amazing tournament, maybe that's a result of improving second tier teams or maybe its a result of a post-mourinho popularisation of nullification of flow in order to strike mainly from counters and set plays. its probably taking the lustre off most remaining teams for me but as a complaint set against the unpredictability and tension of most matched I'll pay that

well put

think i read one preview which suggests that wilmots may deploy defour to man mark messi. If he does and the ref is doing his job properly due to the debacle of last nights game, defour will be sent off by half-time.

Its not post-Mou. Football has always had nullification of flow, and as the wc gets closer to the end we will get more of it.

Didn't think Brazil got a ton of ref assist. Hulk's handball would've stood. Hernandez got it but he didn't cope as well with it as he could've and Colombia did tango as well. The ref was crap equally.

bah only credible wc winners who never won were Colombia and Holland. Wouldn't wish four wc finals defeat on anybody so if Holland get there..

I would have loved Argentina to win but they've been playing like shit. The players look UP to Messi whereas the Dutch players work WITH Robben.

Would've wanted a Holland - Argentina final but they can't meet at that stage.

Can't have this Brazil team. I look at my country supporting this basket case of a team in despair. It makes me support Argentina but LOOK AT THEM MAN! Won it five times, we should be picky about the kind of football we play to win. This shit isn't it.

otoh hand you can't two European teams in a final in South America.

All this 'logic' means a Germany - Argentina final.

'86 revisited

srs qn

if brazil wins the tournament playing exactly like this and getting outrageously lucky, will there be a backlash from within

Is this lumpier and less romantic than the Brazil team that one in 94? Struggling to remember. Still, Romario...

94 Brazil had at least one entertaining game vs Holland iirc. The final was tedious but the early games not as bad I don't think. This is more like '74 or '90 Brazil but with a legit star player.

Its not outrageous luck is it? Crossbar hit aside Colombia and Chile haven't really done much at wc level (Chile reached the SF in '62 but that was at home).

Brazil are usually worth a QF - home or away.

I don't know in what form a backlash would take place, more kids taking up basketball? It won't be a team that would be fondly thought of. Then again no one cared that much (despite what some headz would say) when Brazil won in '94 with defensive tactics. Brazil hadn't won it for 24 years and the shadow of '70 was weighing everybody down. A lot of relief. xp

Whereas this time round Brazil hasn't won it for a meager 12 years and Japan/SK is seen as one of the worst WCs. Everyone has fresh memories.

Thing is Brazil were playing good stuff in the conf cup last year. That final against Spain was one of the few times I was really pleased with the performance. Lots of pressing and Neymar was top draw. The crowd and team in harmony.

Winning without Neymar would be a stretch. Shit players like Hulk will be further weighed down by not having him around.

I see Ger stopping this the way they stopped that run by South Korea in '02 (and ho ho Eng in '96). The Germans are great at stopping a party.

I think you mean top drawer. Feel like Lucas Moura could have given Brazil that something extra now that Neymar is out

lol yeah. No Oxford English.

xyz I meant ref assist throughout tournament agreed that the game last night was just straight up badly reffed all round managers statements reasonably nuanced on that, glad to see. agreed on all else you're saying.

is there a chance that Brazil not playing around neymar eases the others into some sort of performance? not sure that the end stages of a tournament are the place for it but man if not its gonna be grimness with frozen opponents kicked the shit out of before luiz scores a fifty yard ribona just to prove it doesn't have to be like this, its just how it is

XP top draw is a common blight but it must in fairness to nn be stamped out wherever it rears, like gunnera tinctoria or poptimism

Van Gaal is taking his tactical shenanigans to an almost metaphysical next level: he is supposedly playing Depay and Kuyt as left and right backs tonight. The real backs are dropped to the bench. I imagine it's like playing two tactics in one game: 5-3-2 when the opponent has the ball, and as soon as we get the ball transform to 3-4-3/3-5-2 with Kuyt and Depay on the flanks. Think it can genuinely work.

formation is nothing. there is only drago

Love it. Imagine what he's going to do with Rooney next season

Haha yes! The challops are endless :)

https://scontent-a-gru.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t1.0-9/10501588_880950155254016_7775238899730892696_n.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbHJHPTikQA

nice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1zD-oyRzhQ

now colombia are out all i want for footie christmas is someone, anyone from today's side of the bracket to win it all.

hamessssssssszzzz & football, both awesome

https://vine.co/v/MUjhXWqxlUF

it's like playing two tactics in one game: 5-3-2 when the opponent has the ball, and as soon as we get the ball transform to 3-4-3/3-5-2 with Kuyt and Depay on the flanks.

isn't that how many teams do it with this formation anyway? Juve, Chile, etc. not really ~tactical innovation~ from VG...

Both games yesterday were a bit shit, weren't they?

nah the col bra game was mad

I thought it was the most disappointing, possibly outright crappiest, single day of the tournament so far.