Only in football can a win be a defeat.
As sort of predicted by me last night, Australia got the win, but it mattered little, because we didn't score enough, and Germany didn't score enough/Ghana didn't win. It was actually heart-wrenching stuff. Comparable to Italy stealing the win against Australia last time. Although I think I actually cried then.
An excellent performance by the Socceroos, I thought. It makes me all the more sadder that we did that badly against the Germans in the first game. Their team isn't even that great. It's just when you're Australia, and you're trying to play defensively, you're usually asking for trouble. Sometimes attack is the best defence. At least then you sort of get to keep the ball, thus keeping it from them i.e. Spain style.
Anyway, the way the Socceroos were playing this morning, they could've taken on almost anybody. The pressing and the passing was all reminiscent of the way they played under Hiddink, when they actually looked like a team.
It's a shame that the golden generation should disband like this. If we had gotten a better coach in/played better against Germany, things might have turned out differently. I mean, the second-placed team in this group, which would've been us, plays the USA. While that's no walk in the park, it's manageable, especially if they play like they played today.
Ifs and buts matter not now. What's done is done. I'm going to miss this generation of Socceroos, and all the great memories that they gave us.
In all seriousness, one of the biggest regrets in my life thus far is not watching the Japan vs Australia game in 2006. All my parents' fault. That game means so much, especially because I missed it. Sigh. I never understood why they used to let me wake up ridiculously early, but not sleep late.
On a side note, I don't know why TAB and all that keep underrating Australia. You'd think that with professionals and stuff, they'd get it right sometimes. Against Ghana, Australia winning was about three times the payout of a Ghana win. Today, similar odds for an Australia win. Australia's not that much worser than Serbia, in my opinion, even before the game. I actually tipped an Australia win. Yeah. Bizarre.
Anyway, I hope a new generation emerges sooner rather than later. Doesn't look promising right now. But then again, a good coach can make a mediocre team good. Take Switzerland for example. I watched them beat Spain. Unbeknown to me, their coach has won, like, everything there is to win. And they played great.
To summarise, good effort lads.
Word of the Day: Socceroos
Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts
Thursday, 24 June 2010
Monday, 14 June 2010
Le Coupe du Monde
So, like, I'm all done with exams. Man, it was exhausting. I'm 99% sure I failed Accounting, and I'm trying to work out how to work around it.
The hardest part was telling my parents. They reacted surprisingly well to it (well, I only told mother). Once that was over, it was alright. I wouldn't say their opinions are the only ones that matter, but they're definitely up there.
So I've been mentally beating myself up, and resolving to work a lot harder. I guess I'm just frustrated that I'll have to go through that living hell again. Ah well. What's done is done.
I've now moved on to vegging in front of the television.
"What? You don't watch TV!" I hear you exclaim.
Let me clarify that.
I watch Man vs Wild, Flight of the Conchords, and football.
The reason for my vegging is because of the latter.
Yes, after four years of waiting, the World Cup is back. Yes, I watched Australia lose this morning. It was embarrassing, to be honest. I don't know what happened to the Australia of four years ago. We had more fire back then. I'm afraid to say it, but I don't see us getting out of the group stages.
That red card against Cahill was very harsh. He was pulling out of the tackle, and hit the guy with his thigh. Surely a yellow would've been more than enough. Stupid card-happy ref.
Other matches...hmm. Let's do a list.
South Africa 1 : Mexico 1
Surprisingly impressive. Both were trying to go for each other's throats, and played some great attacking football. A very enjoyable opening game, marred slightly by the fact that South Africa almost won but didn't.
England 1 : USA 1
Another draw, this one much, much less entertaining, apart from England keeper Robert Green throwing the ball into his own net. Didn't help that I missed the Gerrard goal that happened in, like, the first five seconds of play.
Australia 0 : Germany 4
The less said about this game the better I think. Australia were lacking in attack, lacking in defense, were missing star players, getting sliced apart by the German machine, and generally doing a really good impression of fish milling around in a bowl of water. Fish that were completely out of their depth. I don't think anybody played well. Lucas Neill was calling non-existent offsides. The offside trap was clearly not working, because they were continually failing to pick up the man who was not offside making the run from deep. Fairly rudimentary schoolboy errors, like not playing the ref's whistle, like Neill and his shadow offside call. Yeah. That's about it really.
Netherlands 2 : 0 Denmark
Was really, really looking forward to this one because a) it's the Netherlands and b) it was an early game, and I really needed one just then, because I am slightly tired from having a total of eight hours sleep over two nights. Anyway, what a game. Certainly didn't disappoint. The movement, passing and vision of the Dutch team is just magnificent. What a joy to watch. Their ball control is also sublime. The way they play is a thing of beauty. They may just be my next favourite outside-of-Australia team, the top one being Spain. I'm still trying to decide whether to buy a Spain jersey or Australia. Perhaps both, perhaps neither. Perhaps I need more money. It's just that, if Spain win this cup, it will be the crowning moment for one of the greatest, if not the greatest, national football sides of all time. I mean, Fabregas and Torres are on the bench for them. That says enough.
And that's mostly it for now. Watched a bit of Greece vs South Korea, got bored so kept playing monopoly.
Just to finish, a comment about the match ball. The scientists and whatnot who designed/engineered/lovingly handcrafted these balls are coming out and defending it, saying things such as "it flies the straightest out of any ball" and "the players just aren't used to it yet." They use these as defences and justifications for why players are complaining about it.
I don't know about you, but I have never heard this many players complain about a World Cup match ball. At the end of the day, if the players, who have spent the better part of their lives playing this sport, say that it doesn't feel right, no matter how perfectly round the ball is, or how aerodynamically awesome it is, the fact remains that the players don't enjoy using it, and engineers and such cannot claim that technological perfection in a ball equates to something exactly the same as balls that these guys have been using since they've been kicking balls.
I also don't understand why they have to keep changing the ball. It's not exactly like loads of people were demanding a massive overhaul of the football. Clearly the ones they use every day are just fine. Maybe their imperfections are what makes them a true football. In a sense, they're used to their imperfections, and have already adjusted to them. What does the new ball add anyway, apart from an alarmingly high frequency of over-hit passes, and ridiculous keeper fumbles? What's it's purpose? Greater speed? Because that's the only thing I can see it maybe doing better in.
Anyway, sleep beckons. Got a big day of buying stuff tomorrow.
Word of the Day: World Cup
The hardest part was telling my parents. They reacted surprisingly well to it (well, I only told mother). Once that was over, it was alright. I wouldn't say their opinions are the only ones that matter, but they're definitely up there.
So I've been mentally beating myself up, and resolving to work a lot harder. I guess I'm just frustrated that I'll have to go through that living hell again. Ah well. What's done is done.
I've now moved on to vegging in front of the television.
"What? You don't watch TV!" I hear you exclaim.
Let me clarify that.
I watch Man vs Wild, Flight of the Conchords, and football.
The reason for my vegging is because of the latter.
Yes, after four years of waiting, the World Cup is back. Yes, I watched Australia lose this morning. It was embarrassing, to be honest. I don't know what happened to the Australia of four years ago. We had more fire back then. I'm afraid to say it, but I don't see us getting out of the group stages.
That red card against Cahill was very harsh. He was pulling out of the tackle, and hit the guy with his thigh. Surely a yellow would've been more than enough. Stupid card-happy ref.
Other matches...hmm. Let's do a list.
South Africa 1 : Mexico 1
Surprisingly impressive. Both were trying to go for each other's throats, and played some great attacking football. A very enjoyable opening game, marred slightly by the fact that South Africa almost won but didn't.
England 1 : USA 1
Another draw, this one much, much less entertaining, apart from England keeper Robert Green throwing the ball into his own net. Didn't help that I missed the Gerrard goal that happened in, like, the first five seconds of play.
Australia 0 : Germany 4
The less said about this game the better I think. Australia were lacking in attack, lacking in defense, were missing star players, getting sliced apart by the German machine, and generally doing a really good impression of fish milling around in a bowl of water. Fish that were completely out of their depth. I don't think anybody played well. Lucas Neill was calling non-existent offsides. The offside trap was clearly not working, because they were continually failing to pick up the man who was not offside making the run from deep. Fairly rudimentary schoolboy errors, like not playing the ref's whistle, like Neill and his shadow offside call. Yeah. That's about it really.
Netherlands 2 : 0 Denmark
Was really, really looking forward to this one because a) it's the Netherlands and b) it was an early game, and I really needed one just then, because I am slightly tired from having a total of eight hours sleep over two nights. Anyway, what a game. Certainly didn't disappoint. The movement, passing and vision of the Dutch team is just magnificent. What a joy to watch. Their ball control is also sublime. The way they play is a thing of beauty. They may just be my next favourite outside-of-Australia team, the top one being Spain. I'm still trying to decide whether to buy a Spain jersey or Australia. Perhaps both, perhaps neither. Perhaps I need more money. It's just that, if Spain win this cup, it will be the crowning moment for one of the greatest, if not the greatest, national football sides of all time. I mean, Fabregas and Torres are on the bench for them. That says enough.
And that's mostly it for now. Watched a bit of Greece vs South Korea, got bored so kept playing monopoly.
Just to finish, a comment about the match ball. The scientists and whatnot who designed/engineered/lovingly handcrafted these balls are coming out and defending it, saying things such as "it flies the straightest out of any ball" and "the players just aren't used to it yet." They use these as defences and justifications for why players are complaining about it.
I don't know about you, but I have never heard this many players complain about a World Cup match ball. At the end of the day, if the players, who have spent the better part of their lives playing this sport, say that it doesn't feel right, no matter how perfectly round the ball is, or how aerodynamically awesome it is, the fact remains that the players don't enjoy using it, and engineers and such cannot claim that technological perfection in a ball equates to something exactly the same as balls that these guys have been using since they've been kicking balls.
I also don't understand why they have to keep changing the ball. It's not exactly like loads of people were demanding a massive overhaul of the football. Clearly the ones they use every day are just fine. Maybe their imperfections are what makes them a true football. In a sense, they're used to their imperfections, and have already adjusted to them. What does the new ball add anyway, apart from an alarmingly high frequency of over-hit passes, and ridiculous keeper fumbles? What's it's purpose? Greater speed? Because that's the only thing I can see it maybe doing better in.
Anyway, sleep beckons. Got a big day of buying stuff tomorrow.
Word of the Day: World Cup
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