World Cup 2014

IK - you mean FIFA tournament delivers

Love Van Gaal and getting all my love out of the way i preparation for a season of loathing

Nope, turns out the Hopkin goal was against Sheffield United in 1997.

I do, yes. Thank you Sepp.

Ooh, "Keine Melodie" on the highlights! Nifty.

lol, Argentina suddenly clear favourites for the WC

Germany.

Van Gaal you magnificent bastard.

Nope, turns out the Hopkin goal was against Sheffield United in 1997.

The name Hopkin means nothing to me, but 97 sounds right because I'm pretty sure the whole Lombardo (and fat Brolin thing?) was in 98.

Congratulations LBI, hope you win it now

Suarez emerging unscathed was my other priority fwiw

Thanks NBS!!

Was v sceptical abt Van Gaal on forehand, but he's got great tricks up his sleeve. Plus, he's made it so that - for the first time ever? - there is not one player having problems with being benched, there's no mutiny. Rare for us.

Krul was in the right corner with all five penalties btw. And for the Dutch to score all of them is bizarre.

The story is almost too good to be true. First killing off the national penalty trauma. Now Argentina, our 78 trauma. And then Germany? Bring it on!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjgYc71QMtY

This one?

OK, before watching that clip, I can say the goal I remember was from right to left as the cameras filmed it, maybe from outside the box, that's all I can be sure about - I think the guy was near side rather than far side...

And here's Cladge:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6764iSnVJPQ

And finally, just because I know that, as if by magic, he will appear:

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

...yeah that's it (xps). But his name means absolutely nothing to me. Was he still there the following season?

Van Gaal: "We deliberately DID tell Krul today he would be brought on in the case of penalties, but also deliberately DIDN'T tell Cillessen, to not cramp his style."

Class.

i would be very surprised if Holland won't in this tournament

ARG, I'm counting on you

Feel like that's the kind of trick you can only use once, if NEDARF gets close to pens his heads gonna be messed for sure xp

I agree, this won't be copied a second time.

So, Argentina: weren't too impressive today. Holland wasn't either, but the CR played to make it to the penalties tbh. ARG will leave more space. I'm slightly confident we can overcome ARG, despite the players being drained right now.

VegGirl, y u hate us so much ;_;

I bet the Netherlands don't have a FOOTBALL CHICKEN
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/pp201/sharonjoy666/D299423F-38CC-45FC-9655-226335635B43_zpsdqfpls1x.jpg

i hate you because you always win in ways that are sociopathically designed to be the most heartbreaking to the other team

even just subbing on the keeper: brilliant but FUCK OFF SO MUCH

:)

rooting for argentina vs holland but will be rooting pretty hard for whoever wins that to win the whole thing

VegemiteGrrl's Football Chicken and Waffle House

Gotcha Veg. It's why we do. Either that or fail miserably :)

i secretly admire the commitment to winning

fyi I am reading brilliant orange to aid my eventual coming to jesus re u bastards ;)

How is that book, VG?

Friend form Argentina not looking forward to next match.

is holland the biggest soccer power never to win it? if they do win it who's the next biggest never to win it?

Hungary?

Although their claim to fame was 60 years ago

After Spain won it, I'd say Holland is pretty much the last one standing of the big ones without a win. Countries like Portugal or Columbia might have a good generation now and then, but nothing like Holland. Three finals + Euro champs 88.

http://i.imgur.com/IBu56m6.jpg

Thought this was some right wank. But I've watched the penalty series twice in replay again now. Krul is in the right corner every time. And every single time before a CR player takes a penalty in one corner, the lead up from Krul has been strolling into the opposite corner. Don't know if it was intentional (know keepers trainer Frans Hoek has a large role in bringing Krul on), but it's quite amazing.

I watched this in the pub. All I have to say

http://abload.de/img/lvgfyjt4.gif

Haha

To me, it looked like Krul wasn't guessing, he was waiting to see the kick before jumping. I went through the PKs in slow motion and compared -- Navas jumps right before the ball is struck, Krul stays centred (but leaning one way) until the ball is on the way.

You can see it with a couple of the successful CR penalties -- they're not placed all the way to the edge/corner, but Krul still isn't able to reach them (the 4th one, you can see he nearly gets it, and slaps his hand to his head afterward). That's because he's moving late. Contrast that to Kuyt's penalty, Navas misses it by inches even though it hits the inside of the post, because he's jumping that way before he ball is hit.

Krul is so tall/long that he can still cover a large part of the net without moving much. With this strategy he'll never be heading the wrong way, and he can hope to save anything that isn't struck firmly and placed to the edge of the net.

I don't watch that much soccer, is this an unusual technique?

Love your close reading into this Plasmon!

But I don't think it's just waiting till the striker moves/shoots. Krul is tall alright, but - having watched the whole penalty shoutout five times now - that doesn't seem to be what he is depending on. Ever since 1988, when PSV won the CL with Van Breukelen the successful keeper in shoot outs because his keeper trainer kept a diary on who aims where - this has been a thing. Keeping tabs. But obviously this is useless for a keeper when your takers don't score, as has been the case for Holland so many times.

But I saw more in Krul's performance tonight. He knew, and also contributed to where the CR takers were going to shoot. The 4th one you mention, Krul grabbing his head, yet also signing to the bench: "I knew! I had him in the right corner" is key. From that penalty on he seems positive that walking to right, distracting the striker, helps make the striker aim to the left.

Not sure if luck or thought out. I am inclined to think this was studied on - and ManU fans (here's looking at you, NN) will be even more glad now that Van Gaal is taking Frans Hoek to Manchester with him - thought through and executed wonderfully.

After Spain won it, I'd say Holland is pretty much the last one standing of the big ones without a win. Countries like Portugal or Columbia might have a good generation now and then, but nothing like Holland. Three finals + Euro champs 88.

― Frederik B

yeah this is what i thought. ok my followup question: why isn't mexico more of a power? adequate gdp, population size, passion for the game. we're not far off from being on the same tier as them and we're a long long way from being on the same tier as say uruguay.

i keep thinking (hoping) that the american world cup fever this year (the rumour was that if it had happened argentina-us might have seen numbers approaching the super bowl which is INSANE) might prompt some network to pony up the cash for something really resembling an americas version of the uefa european championship, maybe an officially expanded copa america (i don't know if that's remotely a possibility even w/ a huge payout as an incentive, i know they invite non-south american teams) i don't know, not just the gold cup. if you could get something that next tier down in intensity and hysteria the way the euros are w/ the world cup, have it every four years so every two summers you get this kind of thing and minimum every four summers it's in the same time zones as the us (already anticipating dumb shaugnessy/coulter/morbs hot takes in four years pointing out games that air at 5am suddenly aren't getting the ratings games that aired at 6pm got) and most likely minimum every twenty years it's hosted in the us, that would be a real opportunity for whatever networks air it, for whoever's getting a cut, and for 'the future of american soccer'.

addendum: lol i forgot we are actually hosting copa america in 2016 so obv that's not a precedent that can't be broken. just wondering (hoping) it can be organized into a regular thing and provoke the kind of mania we've seen this year.

If it's luck, it's incredible luck.

Purely guessing 50/50 5 times in a row is a 1/32 chance, 3%. Even if you improve the odds to 2/3 per kick by knowing tendencies or some process of psyching out the shooters, 5 times in a row is still only 13%.

Meanwhile you can watch the CR kicks and pause them at the moment the ball is struck, Krul is still crouched upright, with his head centred above his feet. He hasn't moved yet. Do the same for Navas, he's got both feet to one side and he's already stretching one way or the other (and he guessed wrong 2/4 times, just as you'd expect). I can post screenshots if you want.

If Krul was so confident about forcing the shooter's hand by making his little promenade around the box, why would he be late off the line? And shouldn't he have saved the 4th kick? It was struck not far from his starting position, several feet inside the post, would've been easy to get over there if he could anticipate where it was going.

a hundred xposts to LBI re Brilliant Orange

I'm only a little ways in, but it's kind of fascinating. As much a cultural overview, he ties a lot into art, architecture & societal stuff. i think I enjoy the specific football stuff more, even though I find the broad perspective interesting. I love the early stuff about Ajax, I dont really know any of that so it's had me on a few fun youtube rabbitholes, like Johan Cryuff (!!!! holy shit !!!!)

Brilliant Orange is amazing.

"or some process of psyching out the shooters"

Kurt the fucking trash-talker

I mean where was the ref?

Navas, guessing -- Robben's penalty, keeper's head to the left of both of his feet when struck:
http://i.imgur.com/lSd2klb.png
http://i.imgur.com/TEVx8Bu.png

Krul, not guessing -- 2 separate penalties, keeper's head centred above feet when struck:
http://i.imgur.com/u1ibhOL.png
http://i.imgur.com/lWsB5eh.png

Navas, moving early, stretching nearly to the post:
http://i.imgur.com/kNFSv08.png
http://i.imgur.com/2CtBadc.png

Krul, moving late, failing to reach a shot well inside the post:
http://i.imgur.com/aFH4MwI.png
http://i.imgur.com/97n50W3.png
http://i.imgur.com/cA3hnj0.png

has krul any previous as heel cos i hadn't really noticed

classic dutchman steez otoh i spose

say what u like about him but unlike every other recent penalty save hero at least he stayed on his fecking line