The Z Machine
Footballguy
I don't think Ghana is more talented. some are more technically skilled, but as a whole, not more talented.
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***Official 2014 World Cup Thread*** (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter NewlyRetired
- Start date
CletiusMaximus
Footballguy
I think Mourinho's Inter team beat Barca while conceding 86% in a knock out Champions League game a few years back. Possession is nice, but it means very little if it doesn't create chances. Ghana was undoubtedly better today, but were wasteful given all the dangerous situations they created. How many times was Howard really tested? Off the top of my head, 3 or 4 top class saves?
dparker713
Footballguy
The Gator
Footballguy
biggamer3
Footballguy
I know nothing about soccer, but after watching the game today, it wasnt close in terms of talent. Ghana sure seemed like they had more established pros than us, but we grinded out a well earned win.
dparker713
Footballguy
They'd certainly sit anyone with a card at a minimum. The protocol is to do whatever you can to help yourself. If it hurts someone else, too bad.
The Gator
Footballguy
I think there's -0- chance of a full B squad. I think they'll want to beat Klinsmoyes, but not get anyone hurt doing it
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Norman Paperman
Footballguy
No - but I doubt they run up the score. i am guessing they would prefer to see Portugal out, than to see the US out - if it came to that. Klinsmann is still a favorite son, even if he is a bit wayward.
biggamer3
Footballguy
US is probably viewed as weakest of 4 teams in group, if Germany advances, they are best suited with US advancing instead of Portugal, maybe giving them more motivation to take t easy vs us.
That was a question I had. How is Klinsman viewed among the German fans?
And for US fans, how is he seen? Was his hiring thought of as a great hire?
J
FreeBaGeL
Footballguy
Ghana also had several really good chances that they just whiffed on. One cross 10 yards out right in the center of the goal that the guy whiffed on when taking his shot, and several headers from right front and center that sailed over the top. They also had quite a few of those crosses where they had a man behind the D but the pass was just a foot or two off.
It was a miracle that we only gave up one goal.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
Some of the German players hated him saying he had almost no tactical knowledge. A couple lambasted him in auto biographies, it got a bit nasty
Many US fans have been uneasy with him but the recent handling of the Landon Donovan issue pushed many over the edge against him.
I think he is a fabulous recruiter (which in these modern times with so many dual nationals is very important) but he is not strong with the basic X's and O's ( and that is even with acknowledging that he does not have elite talent to work with).
The win today likely means that he will stick around through 2018 which is what he is signed for.
For you soccer studs, is time of possession a primary metric you use to gauge a game? Seems like it would be.
J
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biggamer3
Footballguy
How prominent is a manager in soccer compared to the 4 US sports. I have NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB in that order for the big 4 in terms of impact on teams performance. Where would you guys rank soccer managers on that list? First time seeing this new coach, I love the guy, he breeds excitement and hopefulness to the team.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
FIFA keeps a world ranking list using a very complicated formula that hurts teams from certain regions.
You can read more about it here if you are interested in seeing the nitty gritty
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA_World_Rankings
So it's not like he's seen as some kind of traitor or defector that he's coaching the US?
What were the conditions under which he left the German team?
J
Native
Footballguy
As a US soccer fan, I have always, and still do, love the hire. Proven European player who won the World Cup with Germany while also starring in German, English and Italian leagues. So he knows what it takes to play at the top levels. As a coach, he managed Germany to the semi-finals in the 2006 World Cup as well as coaching Bayern Munich (though he clashed with management and was fired). So his coaching pedigree is also above that of any other coach weve had in recent memory. To top it all off, he's lived here in the US for several years, has an American wife, and has adopted the US as his "second" country. So its not like hes a total import either - he is acclimated to lthe "american" way of life.
From a tactics perspective youll hear a lot of different thoughts about the way he manages the team. I personally like his formations and the way he develops talent. I know many others disagree.
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Thanks. So if those rankings are meaningless, what is a good way to get a ranking on the teams?
Not to be negative, but coming from someone like me that is used to a logical tournament seeding like the NCAA Basketball, this seems kind of ridiculous.
J
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
It is one very small stat that is over blown by the media.
If you are interested in stats, items like this are more useful to get a feel for how the game flowed.
Browse through this link for the detailed stats and analysis from the US game today
http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/pass-shy-usa-leave-it-late-punish-wasteful-black-stars-how-stats-zone-saw-ghana-0-1-usa
Norman Paperman
Footballguy
Really depends on the tactics deployed - many teams will concede possession and focus on quick counter-attacks, when the team dominating possession has been drawn up field. There is a school of thought that goals happen more frequently on loss of possession - mistake or otherwise - so the team with the ball is more vulnerable.
Possession-based teams look more in control - but that is not always the case. If they can't create scoring chances with possession - its all meaningless. Tonights game had Ghana with 8 shots on goal, and US with 7 shots on goal.
Sand
Footballguy
If they have 6 points they'll sit four or five guys. Anyone with a card, dinged up, or slightly winded from the first two games.
So no tactical knowledge but incredible recruiting skills. Joe - to put in football terms, JK = Les Miles.
Sand
Footballguy
Just like every other sport the best way to gauge relative power is betting odds.
Brazil 3/1
Argentina 4/1
Germany 9/2
Spain 10/1
Holland 11/1
France 16/1
Italy 18/1
Belgium 22/1
England 28/1
Colombia 28/1
Chile 28/1
Portugal 40/1
Uruguay 50/1
Russia 80/1
Switzerland 80/1
Ivory Coast 80/1
Mexico 125/1
Bosnia-Herzegovina 150/1
USA 150/1
Croatia 200/1
South Korea 250/1
Nigeria 300/1
Ghana 300/1
Japan 400/1
Ecuador 400/1
Costa Rica 500/1
Greece 500/1
Cameroon 1000/1
Algeria 1500/1
Iran 2500/1
Honduras 2500/1
Australia 3000/1
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NewlyRetired
Footballguy
His contract ran out and he decided not to sign again.
He is not considered a defector. In World Soccer it is extremely common for countries to have foreign coaches. Even a big soccer country like England had an Italian coaching them in WC2010
renesauz
IBL Representative
Norman Paperman
Footballguy
These are teams that get together a handful of times a year, and play with different line-ups virtually every game. They don't play a wide variety of teams around the world on a consistent basis. It would be an exercise in futility to rank the teams based on results.
Generally - you can get a sense of where teams are based on the individual talent, and where they play their club football. Having a coach who can meld these guys into a cohesive unit also plays a big role in how they will play in a tournament.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
I think the rankings are decent for what they are but they are only used to seed 8 teams in the World Cup. After that it is more regional oriented than rankings oriented.
You can call it ridiculous until you realize just how incredibly complicated it is to rank countries.
They do a decent job that works as useful talking points but most fans know that teams ranked from say 15 to 30 are relatively interchangeable.
There are many things FIFA sucks at, but I don't blame them for the rankings. It is a nearly impossible job for a computer to do.
onionsack
Footballguy
The Gator
Footballguy
I think he's pretty overrated as a coach. Did nothing at Bayern, had a good run in 2006 with Germany, but his assistant Low(Germany's current manager) was the tactical guy behind that. So that's the extent of the hire for the USA team; a failed club manager and guy that can't manage a game.
IMO, he's poor at man management, tactical knowledge and training. We suffered three(maybe not Bedoya) non-contact injuries today, that's likely not a just a coincidence. Cramps are one thing, but if it's three pulled hamstrings, then yeah, that's on the manager, imo.
He was an outstanding player, but it's like getting Ted Williams to try and teach a kid to hit .400, it just doesn't happen.
Don't even mention Donovan to me
Norman Paperman
Footballguy
I love that he is here too - but not for his tactical nous.
I think he is a great leader, and recruiter, and knows he has tactical shortcomings, so he is smart enough to bring guys in to help focus on that aspect.
Notorious T.R.E.
Showdown!™ Administrator
NFL/Soccer>NBA>NHL>MLB
Just as important as NFL if not more for me....tactics, recruiting (choosing the 23), subs, etc.
Norman Paperman
Footballguy
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
The chance is better with the 3 points tonight but it was always going to be a rough rode no matter who was hurt or healthy.
The big problem was that our tactics were designed to have a big body up top to take that punishment. With JK's roster selection, we don't have a like for like sub we can just plug in so he might have to rethink things a little, to either work to Bacon's strengths or switch things up entirely, stick Dempsey up top and put Mix underneath him as one poster suggested earlier.
Some take aways today from a total novice.
Landon Donovan was super cool on TV I thought. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was the retired favorite son. Not the guy cut. Now maybe they're paying him boat load of money I dunno but he acted super classy.
I love our guy that broke his nose and refused the stupid little stretcher boat thing then kept playing. That's the kind of thing that will make me cheer for a guy.
I can't stand the german guy Muller that flopped so hard and taunted the guy into touching his forehead (
at that being a "headbutt") I hope Germany sucks but from my vast soccer experience, that's looking kind of like hating the Heat or the Seahawks.
I enjoyed the USA game a lot. At 1-1, my friends were all begging for a tie and I told them they were wimps and that we were going to win. They smiled at poor Joe the Soccer novice. 30 seconds later, we scored.
J
Landon Donovan was super cool on TV I thought. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was the retired favorite son. Not the guy cut. Now maybe they're paying him boat load of money I dunno but he acted super classy.
I love our guy that broke his nose and refused the stupid little stretcher boat thing then kept playing. That's the kind of thing that will make me cheer for a guy.
I can't stand the german guy Muller that flopped so hard and taunted the guy into touching his forehead (
at that being a "headbutt") I hope Germany sucks but from my vast soccer experience, that's looking kind of like hating the Heat or the Seahawks.I enjoyed the USA game a lot. At 1-1, my friends were all begging for a tie and I told them they were wimps and that we were going to win. They smiled at poor Joe the Soccer novice. 30 seconds later, we scored.
J
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Norman Paperman
Footballguy
Very real chance - beat portugal, who may be down 3 starters.
US will play differently than they did tonight, knowing that Bacon or Wondo will start up top instead of Jozy.
Native
Footballguy
Just warning you - nobody rolls around the field and feigns injury more than the Portugese.Some take aways today from a total novice.
Landon Donovan was super cool on TV I thought. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was the retired favorite son. Not the guy cut. Now maybe they're paying him boat load of money I dunno but he acted super classy.
I love our guy that broke his nose and refused the stupid little stretcher boat thing then kept playing. That's the kind of thing that will make me cheer for a guy.
I can't stand the german guy Muller that flopped so hard and taunted the guy into touching his forehead (
I enjoyed the USA game a lot. At 1-1, my friends were all begging for a tie and I told them they were wimps and that we were going to win. They smiled at poor Joe the Soccer novice. 30 seconds later, we scored.
J
Notorious T.R.E.
Showdown!™ Administrator
Also this was a weird match because in 30 seconds, the US had a goal. So, tactics change, they want to protect that lead and not give up any mistakes...they just overdid it.
NewlyRetired
Footballguy
that is kind of how this world cup has gone. Lots of late goals and has been a fantastic tournament so far.
Sorry if honda. But if Donovan would have been on the team, would he have been the guy to replace the guy who hurt his hamstring?
J
J
Jaysus
Good times!
Norman Paperman
Footballguy
Sand
Footballguy
I can't stand the german guy Muller that flopped so hard and taunted the guy into touching his forehead (
IMO based on what we've seen so far you'd have to put either Germany or Argentina as the favorite. They're effing good.
Thanks. I need to know these things because so far, how much fake agony a team puts on is my primary way of deciding whether I like them or not.Just warning you - nobody rolls around the field and feigns injury more than the Portugese.Some take aways today from a total novice.
Landon Donovan was super cool on TV I thought. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was the retired favorite son. Not the guy cut. Now maybe they're paying him boat load of money I dunno but he acted super classy.
I love our guy that broke his nose and refused the stupid little stretcher boat thing then kept playing. That's the kind of thing that will make me cheer for a guy.
I can't stand the german guy Muller that flopped so hard and taunted the guy into touching his forehead (
I enjoyed the USA game a lot. At 1-1, my friends were all begging for a tie and I told them they were wimps and that we were going to win. They smiled at poor Joe the Soccer novice. 30 seconds later, we scored.
J
J
Premier
Footballguy
Norman Paperman
Footballguy
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