World Cup 2010 Review

Congratulations to Spain on winning the World cup.   What can I say about that final match.  It was a real chess match I tell you, like a scene from the Gladiator or better yet 300.  Spain as I said in my preview had the better team and the experience of playing together paid dividends in the end.  Spain played total football and held the narrow edge.
 
The referee was the obvious star of the match and not totally by his own doing because if he played to the events on the pitch we might have finish the game with about 20 players.  He and his team did a fair job and I cannot blame him for the state of play because life goes on after world cup and especially with these professionals they ought to be protected. 
So for my awards I will name Argentina as the most entertaining team to watch.  This is followed closely by Spain and Ghana.

The best defensive team goes to Portugal while the most efficient goes to Germany.   Player of the Tournament goes to Pique while player of the finals is Jesus.   The worst team to watch is Greece and the most disappointing team was France.  Goal of the tournament goes to Micon while the best assist to Felipe Melo.  Mr. Melo also gets the most indisciplined player and the X-factor in the tournament.
South Africa 2010 was good because of the professionalism by the hosts.  It was incident free for the most part and the quality of the facilities were top rate.  The vuvuzelas were tempered nicely after the first round and that was commendable.  In the end it was true to form because the best team in the world won.
OJB

World Cup Finals 2010 Preview

One of the most interesting thing about this world cup finals is the fact that a First Time Champion will ease out of the company of mere pawns, and step into the envied company of the Royal Priesthood. The greatest show on earth will incidentally have one star and a supporting cast with the precise roles determined at the end of the final chapter. The other 30 playwrights in this show are therefore left out of the climax, having only contributed to the build up - or should I say tear down - of the great show.

Tactically, the Dutch are more dynamic because of their ability to play a myriad of different styles in the same game and by that play to each and every moment. The Dutch is akin to the Transformers with the way they match and mix roles as the situation dictates. Where Spain's strength lies is in their trust for each other on the pitch. This allows them to stick to their roles with the confidence that the different pieces will deliver. Thus Spain is like a Boeing 747, once everything is in check you can be sure it'll deliver the goods. not even volcanic ash can stop them because they have the ability to fly around it once they have prior knowledge. This is the key with the Spanish, their knowledge of the game and their opponents. Above this however is the knowledge of themselves. Spain knows and believe in their team and this will be their best weapon.

Again, this finals will not be a classic but it will not be a dull affair either, simply because of the Passion which surrounds it and the fact that the Spanish plays a beautiful brand of football irrespective of the situation. Beautiful if you are not playing against them that is. Might I dare say: "Spain is barca save for Messi". OMG, I've said it. I cannot make any predictions for the score but the outcome is unanimous.

Annex:
The Spanish people needs this boost because their morale has not been very high due to the economic mayhem in the Euro-zone. The unemployed youths will be encouraged to try a little harder and the general mood will be one of unity. This will be good for the country. Alcohol sales will go up, birth rate will rise, racism will decrease and the Spanish language will spread. The micro economy will thrive at least for a couple of weeks.

It would do a great deal for the Dutch too but they could live without it. In fact they will do better without it because they enjoy a good debate about what went wrong and they can export more Bears to Spain and import more marijuana from Jamaica. God Bless Amsterdam.

DISCLAIMER:
We are not promoting excessive alcohol consumption in Spain nor do we endorse the use of marijuana in small quantities or illegally. We love Holland as well as Spain and this is not an indictment against any one country or people.

Why Spain will win World Cup 2010

Spain up until a few months ago was ranked #1 in the world. This is not by chance or favor, but because of performance. The European Champions have been one of the most consistent sides in the world for the last couple years.

Germany is playing well, but they do not have the collective experience to win a World cup Semi Finals against Spain. The hunger of the Spanish team along with their collective experience will have a profound effect on the Semi finals tomorrow.

Andres Iniesta, Carlos Puyol, Alonzo and the other Barca guys work very well together and they know how to grind out games. This will therefore be a conservative game, which is out of character but necessary. It will by no means be dull however, since both the Germans and the Spanish have complete teams. The team that concedes first will have the more difficult task of winning. Thus we will see a half pitch game, meaning that the end to end flow will be curtailed in pace and reach.

Villa Vs Torres is a non issue. Villa is the man in form and Torres is not his usual self so he will most likely start off the bench. Failing this he will be withdrawn if the advantage is not significant for Spain after the first hour.

In the final analysis, Spain will grind out the victory. There is a strong possibility it will go to the extreme, not only due to the strength of the Germans but the fact that the game will be ultra conservative the Best Team will win.


OJB