Leicester City: My Double Edged Sword

So right now the football club in Leicester City are celebrating their first ever league title after nearly being relegated last season. 
Really? 
That is amazing.
And it proves one or two of my very long standing arguments:

Before now, Claudio Ranieri had been quite the underachiever with clubs like Juventus, Inter, Roma, Valencia (in their glory days) and Atletico Madrid.

1. CLAUDIO MUST BE LUCKY

If you all disagree with me on that, then it means you will all have to agree with me that coaches DO NOT make much of a difference......since ALL of the heavy weight coaches (Van Gaal, Mourinho, Manuel Pellegrinni and Arsene Wenger) did not come close to Ranieri (The Sorry One). 

But the more remarkable part here is that he used a team with absolutely NO PEDIGREE, no large budget, no tradition, and one that was almost relegated last season. Claudio Ranieri used one of the "dullest knives" in the kitchen to fight these other cat's bazookas! 
That is amazing!
(please do not argue against this using after-the-fact comments about Vardy, Mahrez, or Edin Hazard!)

Now, I know some people will want to mention "The Italian Tactician" or "Italian Pragmatism" or stuff like that. But after being an ardent follower of Italian football for over 20 years, I can confidently tell you that Claudio Ranieri was one of the most PATHETIC UNDERACHIEVERS of the famous Italian managers (one that even Mourinho mocked and ridiculed - much to the delight of some Italian fans).

One Copa Del Rey title and One Italian Copa are the only two trophies worth mentioning in Ranieri's many past big club appointments which included: Fiorentina, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Napoli, Roma, Internazionale, Juventus and Chelsea. 

Yet he has now won what many perhaps "erroneously" call the toughest League with relative ease and with a tiny club. 
Luck or Not?

Dale Maxwell disagrees with me. Here is his comment from Facebook: ►http://j.mp/Dales_comment

2. IF NOT LUCK, THEN THE EPL MAY BE THE PROBELM

And I have said this many times before....

The reason why the Premiere League appears to be very competitive among several teams is that their so-called strong teams have really not been that strong in the past 5 years or more, as their performances in Europe have shown. 

So they think West Ham and Stoke are tough, simply because they beat Man Utd and Liverpool, a bit more often than Osasuna would ever dream of beating Real Madrid.

So while many people praise teams like Crystal Palace for beating the Chelseas and Man Utds, what they should be doing is question the standards of the bigger clubs especially since both Man Utd and Chelsea are also quite frequently taken to the cleaners by the smaller clubs of Europe (e.g. FC Basel).

And I am not just talking about the results here....it is also about how they LOOK when they play against the Shaktar Donesks, the and the Olympiakoses.....compared to how those might look against say PSG, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. 

I have often argued that the reason why there is so much "equality" between teams in the EPL is the fact that almost every team (other than Arsenal) seems to play the same way....pls read on 

Mohammed Salah scored the first of Basel's 2 goals as they beat Chelsea 1-2 at Stanford Bridge in the Champions League. Basel also beat them 1-0 in the return leg, with Salah scoring there as well, and Chelsea signing the Egyptian that December

Yes EPL clubs (even the smaller ones) have spent more than any other Leagues and have bought many of the world's best players. But eventhough these foreigners bring much technical skills into their new clubs, the problem is that the clubs largely value some "anti-football" characteristics a bit too highly. In my opinion, these skills eventually become neutralized by those widespread "bad habits" of the League in general:

a) Over-emphasis on speed and stamina.
Speed is cool, stamina is wonderful for long matches. But when this is hyped to the detriment of basic ball control and passing accuracy? Not good. Some players just RUN so fast that they more frequently run the ball into goal-kick and into touch or into brickwalls (i.e. opposing defender's waiting feet). 
Or after all the "combustion" used in acceleration, there is not much left for accuracy in crossing the ball (which is 85% of the time, all they ever wanted to do).  

b) Physicality and over-reliance on aerial ability - These can actually be some determining factor for winning some games, but if you don't first take adequate care to build your team's ball control and passing issues, you would merely be gambling.

c) I find this one quite amusing actually. :-) And it is like point b).

Whenever I am watching a LaLiga or some Serie A game with my neighbors who are pure EPL fans; whenever they see a Spanish defender picking up a loose-ball in his goalie's danger 18-yard box and then giving a short pass to a fullback or DM, they always yell, "Hit the ball way out of the box! ". The direct Yoruba language translation would be, "BOOT THE BALL OUT!"

(I usually LOL at this) 

My response to this would be for them to use the game clock to time how quickly the ball returns to their danger-zone whenever it had been booted out! 

A very good team with players that have ball-control and that is building confidence and team work will easily sling together 4 to 5 passes from CB to RB to CM to LWF in very quick succession, without the players breaking too much sweat in the process. Unless they are physically manhandled along the way. Then the referee calls a foul; and some "fans' start whining. ;-)

So my argument here is that the EPL does too much of booting balls out of defense (sometimes without cause) + they rely too much on physicality and jostling for balls in the air (in midfield) + they do too much unnecessary running = Too much is left to LUCK/CHANCE; and technical skill is largely neutralized.
(please take time to watch these games carefully before you crucify my argument) 

 pace is great - having the ball under control is the best

In my past twenty something years of watching, enjoying, and analyzing football, I have often argued that the role of coaches are wildly overrated. See here ► A Facebook Post about Chelsea of 2013 and ► This

Even though I have also said great things about SOME particular coaches see here ► My Calling For Ancelotti In Madrid 2011

Nothing gives me a better opportunity to reiterate this point as the recent victory of Leicester City of the EPL.

I mean, yes, obviously coaches DO make a difference. But how much of a difference remains to be proven.
Most of the funny pundits I see on tv have this way of saying "high sounding" stuff after the fact. 
But how many fans ever ask the right questions?

How many EPL titles would Man Utd have won if they had sacked Alex Ferguson after his first 2 or 3 unsuccessful seasons?

It is easy for Bayern Munich fans to deify Jupp Heynckes as a great coach. But older Real Madrid fans have mixed feelings, while some fans of his home town club, Munchengladbach, threatened to kill him for his "failure" there.

What about Jose Mourinho?
His fans have claimed that he is the greatest coach, but I often ask questions and point out one or two things that make many of them really hate me. ;-)

Even Pep Guardiola, who I have probably even praised more than Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi (probably my favorites). Is there enough evidence to truly say that Guardiola is a great coach?

As a data analyst, I have to keep pointing out that their isn't enough data (or facts) to back up the bigger coaches since they generally win with the bigger clubs.
And these bigger clubs tend to easily make great coaches out of new-comers (e,g, Guardiola and Vincente Del-Bosque). 

Raneri is the exact opposite of this. 
And yet, he has achieved this incredible feat, while further plunging the argument into even more confusion and ridicule, going by his past records with much greater clubs. 

Still, I recognize a 3rd option:
Perhaps Renieri was indeed a loser of a manager in the past, but has now had an epiphany in the twilight of his career.
If this is the case, then his career should be watched closely from this point on.

Frankly, I won;t be betting as dime on Leicester in the next Champions League for one. Neither would I even bet on them achieving a EUROPA League spot in the EPL next season.


At the end of the day, I always have a soft spot for anything Italian, so I am personally very happy for uncle Claudio. ;-)
However, I have raised some very important questions, as part of my ongoing debate about managers and the need for club ownership to give equal opportunities to coaches before the best managers can be equitably rated. 








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Celta Vigo VS FC Barcelona

Celta Vigo thrashes FC Barcelona in one of the most impressive displays of attacking football I have seen in a long time.
And unlike many of the soccer pundits of today, I am not going to blame anything in particular.

People fail to realize that the idea of blame on such occasions arises because the giant was defeated by a relative midget. 

If Barca had won 8-0 the story would be all about how MSN (trio of  Messi, Neymar and Suarez) showed their class once again. In fact, I bet the pundits were waiting to start saying it. lol

Yet, there were several heroes on that night that made it almost impossible for FC Barcelona to even think straight, talk less of function properly.



When sports commentators do not know certain players, those players' brilliance and influence on games end up being unrecognized or forgotten.
I believe a good football analysts should not be trying to justify long held beliefs, but investigating to discover new opportunities to educate the viewers. 

The Caustic Celta Attack

So if you must blame, then blame the Celta midfielders for their attackers' grace and confidence throughout the game! 

Iago Aspas and Nolito were the stars of the match no doubt. 
And by the way, Nolito is one of those former Guardiola youngstars that Barcelona felt they could easily do without. 
Mind you, Real Madrid has been doing the same thing, by the way; treating football as a *bling contest - of who can buy the most expensive, Facebook-famous foreigners. 
But it seems as if Barca are now beginning to do this more than Madrid - selling off their self-developed talent and chasing after vanity helter-skelter. 

But apart from Nolito and Aspas who both taught Dani Alvez, Mascherano and Pigue enough footballing lessons to last them the entire season, there were also two super solid performers in midfield. 

Fanian Orrellana and Augusto Fernandez were quite simply magnificent as they were making Iniesta and Busquets look like kids on the ball.

Blame Orrelana and Fernandez

I keep saying that the team with the most secure and comfortable midfield is more likely to have better, more comfortable chances. 

And just because you make lots and lots of sideways and back passes doesn't make you comfortable in midfield. (Iniesta, and mostly Xavi, never got this memo. lol)

Messi was the only person that looked a bit comfortable in Barca's midfield for most of the game; their natural midfielders were almost always at sixes and sevens! (Somebody prove me wrong!)

If you think have never seen Iniesta fumble the ball as often as he did last niht, then try to consider that it is because he did not have Busquets to make spaces for him to do his frequent safety back-passes. lol
Poor Busquets himself was too busy trying to keep up with Orrellana all over the pitch. Since Mascherano and Pique Obviously couldn't. 

Please Do Not Blame The Kid!

I even got annoyed when the commentator tried to pin the blame on young Sergi Roberto, which is what they usually do. They don't want to touch their sacred cows, so they blame the least known guy on the pitch. 
Well, FYI, Roberto was one of the more decent players on the Barca team. At least, he held his own relatively against Celta's Jonny Castro. It was when the ball left Jonny and got to Nolito who needed to be challenged by Daniel Alvez that all hell broke lose! 

Also Iniesta was quite simply pathetic against Fernandez in the center of midfield. 

In essence, this was all about the sheer brilliance of the home team. They were too hot to handle. Full stop!
Just because they are not celebrated names on satellite TV or on social media does not mean that they should not be given their due.

The only criticism against Barcelona that I can condone will be if you mention Luis Enrique's decision to rest what he thought were "key players" in the game against Levante 3 days earlier.
I have always had my doubts about "resting" players generally, not to talk of when it is so early in the season. 

Nevertheless, I find nothing so terribly wrong in resting so many players. So I won't take away from what really happened on the occassion; which is Celta!
Yes Celta Vigo is what happened!
And some folks need to be careful they do not happen again!

Conclusion In Madrid

I am not saying that it was the resting of the players that caused it; I still insist that they lost to an unbeatable team on the night. And I thank God it wasn't Real Madrid that traveled to that tiny Balaídos on this occasion.
Yep, I am glad that it wasn't Modric that was pitched against Fernandez, and poor overworked Kroos expected to hunt down Orrelana.  

Hopefully Rafeael Benitez has noticed the uniqueness of this match, and will start closely observing these players to know that he would need a stronger midfield against them. Not as light weight one (Kroos Modric & Isco).
In fact when does Madrid face them?
If James Rodriguez is recovered from injury by then, then it would be wise to use only James with 2 strikers (i.e. Benzo and CRonaldo). Otherwise restrict to 4 middle-men (with either Modric or Bale - in midfield - Not both at the same time )

A 3-man solid midfield would be necessary in any case (Casimero, Ramos and Kroos - since they let go of natural defensive midfielders Alonzo and *Illaramendi senselessly) 

Chelsea VS Arsenal SEPT 19th

Chelsea FC beat Arsenal FC 2:0 today, but eventhough the French center back, Kurt Zouma, had an exceptional performance for Chelsea, I would personally pick the referee as the "man of the match".

Yes, Zouma had an impressive defensive performance against the likes of Alexis Sanchez, and an easy time dealing with Theo Walcott (who typically runs much faster than he thinks with the ball). But his great work in defense was capped by a smart headed goal after he was found by a fantastic cross from Cesc Fabregas.

But I picked the referee as the man of the match because, in my opinion, his actions not only determined the result, he also looked as if he was orchestrating the result. 

After issuing an unfair red card to Gab Paulista for an incredibly mild reaction to Diego Costa's taunting, after the latter had already displayed dreadful aggressive behavior to Arsenal players, the referee hadn't had enough.
He decided that Santi Carzola's sliding challenge on a loose ball was well deserving of a second yellow card, regardless of the fact that Carzola connected with both ball and player (who himself was sliding in) at the same time....And it was clear that Carzola was the only one of the two who actually got the ball. 

In my almost 30 years of following football closely, I have never seen a referee that showed lesser remorse for an earlier unjust sending-off than this.
You see, normally we have come to see referees try to make some amends by being a bit nicer to the aggrieved side. But this guy decided to follow up with another controversial call! 

*cough*match-fixing*cough cough*!

Anyway, let me quickly add this: Before some Arsenal fans start rejoicing......that apart from the referee, Arsene Wenger was also amazingly unburdened by the magnitude of the game his team were playing. 

I mean what kind of manager whose team was down by a goal and a player would replace the two most skillful elements he has in the attacking areas of the pitch.
Or does he really think that Walcott has what it takes to create and finish chances all by himself?!?!

Pathetic!

The deflection on Edin Hazard's late shot that led to the secong Chelsea goal; which would most likely have been saved by Petr Cech, was clear punishment for Wenger's  wacky "wisdom".

Chelsea have a life line......hopefully their super star studded squad would take advantage of this win and get their act together from this point on.

So hey!? Tell me what you think??? 

Would EPL Fans Ever Stop Whining About Man City?

Manchester City FC buys a lot of players. 

But which club doesn't? And which club doesn't wish to?

Once upon a time, AC Milan did this; then Inter did it. Then Parma did it. Then Lazio did it. 

Even the Spanish clubs Deportivo LaCoruna, Atletico Madrid and Valencia went on spending sprees when they had a bit more cash in hand than other Spanish clubs.

A lot of my neighbors argue vehemently with me any time I said that Chelsea has had a more *Star-studded team than Man City at least since the season immediately after Roberto DiMatteo won the Champions League!
(If your memory is good, you would remember that that was when they added Edin Hazard, Oscar, Marko Marin to the likes of Juan Mata, Fernando Torres and also David Luiz and Ramirez)

I always insisted (much to the confusion of my co-debaters) that just because one team was recorded to have spent more on a player, doesn't mean the player is a more accomplished footballer than the one another team spent less money on.

The truth is that Man City had (and still has) no choice but to spend much more than more established clubs in order to get most famous players' attentions. This is a logical fact that everyone seems to conveniently ignore.

It is not a new thing for a football club to try to buy its place in history. The old giants (Real Madrid, AC Milan, Barcelona, Juventus, Liverpool and Man Utd) did this long ago and gave themselves an unfair advantage against everyone else today. 

The fact that English is the lingua franca of the world, and that the EPL is lucky to have the backing of the American media giant 21st Century Fox means that the league is much more effectively marketed to the whole world. Therefore foreign investors like Malcolm Glazer, Roman Abramovic, Thaksin Shinawatra and Khaldoon Al Mubarak can expect long term profitability from the clubs within the league.

The Crux Of The Matter

I know that many of you fans of the EPL hate Man City so much, and you enjoy pointing fingers at them in order to create excuses for your own favorite clubs (i.e. the traditional big 4 EPL teams - Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal & Liverpool)

But today I am going to challenge you all again, and I'll even dare you to find any of the EPL's top sports journalists to take me up on my claims. Hahaha!

I have had this debate many many times with my neighbors at home here in Lagos, Nigeria, and even on the Facebook version of my True Football Analysts community. 

1. LEARN TO BE FAIR IN YOUR JUDGMENTS:

In the mid 90s Man City was in the 3rd Division of England. Man Utd was dominating England (about 5 straight titles) with Chelsea and Liverpool usually pushing them to the finish line. 

Then Man Utd could boast of Petr Schmeichel, Eric Cantona, Andrey Kanchelkis, Ole Solksjaer, Edwin Van Der Sar, Ruud Van Nistelroy, Jaap Stam, Fabian Barthez, Robert Lee, Roy Keane, Diego Forlan, etc. They always went after the top English players and mixed in some foreigners. Especially great goal keepers.

While Chelsea had the likes of Ruud Gullit coming in from AC Milan, and helping to bring in a wave of Italian stars like Gianfranco Zola, Casiraghi, Roberto DiMatteo and Gainluca Vialli who also used his influence to buy many other foreigners like Dan Petrescu, Marcel Desailly, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Didier Deschamps, George Weah, Albert Ferrer, Tore Andre Flo, Frank Lebeof, Juan Veron and Hernan Crespo, who wouldn't have come to the Premier League otherwise at the time.

Everyone of those players with a green arrow pointed at them cost quite a lot at the time they were bought. And the buying had started long before this season; And it continued long after.

2. Others Had A Huge Head Start

This is the foundation that the likes of Man Utd and Chelsea (Arsenal also had huge names like Bergkamp, Robert Pirez, Wiltord, Emanuel Petit, etc) already had to build upon when Man City's money came in 2007 or so. 

Despite that, Chelsea still had another mega financial boost with Roman Abramovic which saw another wave of world stars come into the club to further deepen their already rich history (MORE ON THIS LATER)

3. Early Risers Are Always Luckier

While Chelsea had to worry about only 2 big clubs when it started its own first era of big spending (Man Utd and Liverpool), Man City has had to worry about 4 of them (and other pretenders like Tottenham and Newcastle). And yet, while Man City under Roberto Mancini were criticized for only winning an EPL title and FA Cup in 31/2 years of Mancini, Chelsea won nothing under Gullit, and only an FA Cup under Vialli. No complaints then. But I guess that was because the irrational fans of today were still toddlers by then; so they were following the Transformers cartoons and not football. lol

4. About Bargaining Chips

Why Man City players usually cost so much money:

Liverpool and Man Utd have been well known names all over the world since the 70s, thanks to their historical successes. Chelsea also won the Cup Winners Cup and European Super Cups around early year 2000, so by now they are not really new to foreigners.

But who the frack knows Manchester City?

I mean outside of England and its fans!

If you were young Brazilian upstarts like Oscar or Neymar, would you want to play in a club that most of your friends in Brazil had barely even heard about? 

Do you think that at a certain level, money is everything that players think about?

Have you forgotten Ronaldinho's reason for refusing the highest salary offer in football that was offered to him by Manchester United?

Now looking at it the other way, wouldn't you not demand an insanely high salary to be transferred to a club that was never part of your dreams as a footballer?

Manchester City have to spend big in order to BUILD what Chelsea had built in the late 90s, and what Man Utd had since early 90s. 

This is why you all should know that Chelsea would never spend €49m on Rahim Sterling. If the player's agent insists, then Chelsea would simply go after a better player. Unfortunately, Man City does not have that many choices.........YET!

By The Way

Even when you consider this Kevin DeBruyne that is causing this present rancour from the City haters, you have to remember that he was a Chelsea player very recently.

Was it Man City's fault that Chelsea's "Special coach" had him sent away? (The same way he sent Juan Mata away). 

Why is it that Man City's spending habits is the one that keeps making the news when others have displayed equal or even more wasteful habits.

ANYWAY, here are my two strongest points:

5. HISTORY

The fact that legendary players pass through clubs also help their scouts in recruiting young talent or attracting the parents of promising young stars. A father who thinks he is wise would rather enroll his child for the Man Utd juvenile club rather than the City version. This parent doesn't necessarily have to live in the city of Manchester.

Also, because of Man Utd's pedigree and history (don't forget that many parents can remember 1999 and even 1986, even if most of you EPL fans today cannot) parents would wish their sons name would one day be next to George Best, Eric Cantona, Edwin Van Der Sar, Ruud Van Nistelroy, Diego Forlan, Fabian Barthez, Jaap Stam, and David Beckham......they cannot remember any such tradition for City because they had only one notable legend....Peter Reid - whose legend was only told within England.

City is only struggling to build their tradition NOW, so that parents of 2025 can be proud to have their kids play in the club that Carlitos Tevez, Kun Aguero and Yaya Toure played in.

I'll never forget when Peter Reid was player and manager at City. When they got a free kick in the second half, he would take out an out field player and replace him with himself so he can take the freekick, which he scored on a few occassions. :)

6. OTHERS BUY PLAYERS AS WELL

Now, the most important aspect that Man City critics conveniently forget is the fact that other clubs still spend big on players as well.

They don't just willingly: 

- forget the fact that Man City started in 2007 what Chelsea started in 94 and Man Utd started in 89.

- forget the fact that parents of good prospects would rather send their kids to other juvenile teams

- forget the fact that Chelsea and man Utd are in better positions to "bargain" with foreign clubs than Man City.

They also amazingly forget that while poor Man City is buying a so-called super star, Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal are usually BUSY doing the exact same thing!

Okay let me help you get this, if Man City were to spend €250m on Asier Illaramendi, Mario Madzukic and Antoine Greizmann today, for goodness sakes WHAT DIFFERENCE WOULD IT MAKE, if Chelsea also bought Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos and Javier Pastore; even if they cost only €150m????

.....Think about this seriously okay?

I mean check it out, City were getting Aguero, Dzeko David Silva and others. Chelsea got Hazard, Oscar and Marko Marin (no ones fault that Chelsea couldn't get out of him the magic he was doing at Weder Bremen).

For More Emphasis

So now that Man City bought Raheem Sterling and what not, did Chelsea fold their hands and do nothing?

What about last season that Chelsea got Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas and Filipe Luiz.....how did Man City's purchases dwarf such an outing? Or what about Man Utd's purchase of Angel DiMaria, Radamel Falcao, Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind, etc?

If you have 50 sheep, 12 cows and 15 rams, and then you added 7 horses and 6 giraffes......does that make you better than the guy who already had 100 sheep, 20 cows, 14 rams and 5 oxen, 

and then added 5 horses and 10 giraffes??? 

Let us try to be a little less bitter and passionate and be more analytical shall we? :) 

Thank you.

Please tell me what you think in the comments below. I would love to hear contrary opinions. :D

See you at my next post....perhaps next year.

Trying to remember all the stars that have played for ChelseaFC was always going to be a daunting task. I didn't even mention Andrey Shevchenko and Claude Makelele. :)

Semi Finals pt2: Brazil v Germany | Argentina v Holland

Hahaha! 
So I had predicted that Brazil was more likely to beat Germany in yesterday's match. And boy was I wrong.

Still, I am not afraid to make a prediction for this game either. So here it goes:

Argentina would beat Holland!

There I go again.
But this time, I am more sentimental with my analysis than anything else. After all, I have liked Argentina since the 90s. But my affection for the Albeceleste became even more potent when Lionel Messi arrived on the scene.

So I won't give much analytic reasons for saying Argentina would win this game, except that I want Messi to be at his best, and I hope he is at his best. And if he is at his best, then it is most likely his team would be on the winning side.

Because, just like the Roberto Baggios, the Ronaldo DeLimas, the Zinadine Zidanes and the Diego Maradonnas of this world, Messi is one of those players who can single-handedly win a big match.

Unfortunately, the match has started while I was tyoing this, so I will stop here for now, and continue later. Enjoy the game. :)

Semi Finals pt1: Brazil v Germany | Argentina v Holland

So many people have said to me that they think Germany will thrash Brazil in the first semi-final to be played tonight.

But all I can say to that is "we shall see"!

No wait! 
I never say that! No way!
How would I be able to brag after the match if I said "we shall see"?
I mean, what shall we see exactly?

It is better to be an analyst who makes judgments than one who constantly lives in the fear of being wrong. This is why I call myself the "True Football Analyst". hahaha

Okay, so Germany:
Well, I never bought into the German machine myth I must say. I have seen great German footballers come and go. But to me it's no different from seeing great Italian footballers come and go, or great English players come and go.

Wait a minute! Have there ever been any great English footballers? I don't think so. 
Sorry about that David Beckham. Say hi to Tom Cruise and Calvin Klein for me.

So Germany had a decent team at the 2010 World Cup. Everyone thought they would win that world cup after beating Argentina 4-0 (every one except me of-course - damn I never ever read matches by the final score-line. NEVER!). The German threat was not at all diminished by the fact that Spain only beat them by 1-0 (eventhough I still remember that that was the most one-sided football matches I ever saw featuring two powerhouses).

But I made my judgment about Germany when I saw them at the Euro 2012. Their game against Italy was again the most one-sided Euro cup game at that level. It ended 2-1 in favor of Balotelli, Montolivo and co, but my friends agreed with me that it could easily have been 6-0 before Mezut Ozil got that consolation penalty.

So if there was ever a time that Germany could prove themselves, it is this world cup.

1. Neymar is injured. That is a huge blow to the Brazilians. Huge. 
2. If they pass Brazil, and Argentina (4-0) beats Holland, then it should be easy for them to take the trophy. Or is it now?
3. They have gotten a boost (in my opinion) by the fact that tiki-taka has been learned (and very well too) by all of the German players who play at FC Bayern Munchen. There is some evidence of this as Joachim Lowe has followed Pep Guardiola's example of trying Philip Lahm in a central midfield position.
4. The young squad of 2010 have gained much more experience and have been kept essentially together.

Nevertheless, despite all of these advantages, I can only say that yes, Germany should be a more confident force this time around. I still doubt that they will be able beat Brazil and lift that cup. Especially if Argentina beats Holland.


Now Brazil:
The biggest news about them is that they've lost Neymar, thanks to that dreadful challenge by Zuniga of Colombia.

What makes Neymar so special to me is that despite his young age of 22, and despite how much pressure he has had to deal with, starting with those annoying remarks of comparison with Lionel Messi by Pele, then considering the enormous and increasing weight put upon the entire Brazillian team and Neymar especially by the Brazillian fans. And the fact that the entire world criticizes them (unfairly in my opinion) about their victories not being convincing enough. These things made me develop a huge respect for Neymar, who somehow managed to keep a calm head and play some dazzling football before he got injured.

I also wont be the least bit surprised if the other Brazillian attackers who have been under the young shadow of Neymar raised their games on this occasion. Especially Hulk, who has been growing in confidence and gradually returning to his known level of skill with each passing game.

At the end of the day it boils down to one game, and the Brazillians definitely have the talent. And for me, I just don't see what everyone sees in the German team that makes them so phenomenal.  

So in terms of predictions, I can't predict who will win, or join those people who even go as far as predicting the score line (that's just crazy - even if it ends up being correct, honestly!). 
What I can predict is that I will say that Brazil should have more possession (and that is more possession beyond the halfway-line). They should also create slightly more more chances. And I would expect them to likely be rewarded with the first goal at some point. 
Not to say that Germany cannot get the early goal through some counter-attack/defensive error, or some set-piece that catches the Brazillian defenders in an awkward position.

All-in-all I give the Brazillians a better chance of winning. But we know that football can be an adulterous b#tch sometimes.

Anyway, enjoy the game. And please share your comments and your predictions. Especially those of you that disagree. ;)

Watch out for 
Semi Finals pt2: Brazil v Germany | Argentina v Holland
Coming soon.

Also check out the amazing True Football Analysts Community 

Uruguay vs England: But Looking Back At Spain vs Chile

Joe Hart is on fire! 

But is anger was not against Uruguay or Italy, it was against a ballboy. 

Watch that ►►here

But meanwhile, Luis Suarez will feature for Uruguay against England today. Hence Joe Hart and England would probably need to reserve more of their passion for trying to stop the likes of Edinson Cavani and Diego Forlan, who will be looking to make amends for their misses against Costa Rica. 

Worry about Suarez alone at your peril lads.

Spain Left Very Big Shoes To Fill

Now the former champions, Spain may have been eliminated, but all the nations who are currently gloating need to realize that ONLY one country can go on to lift the World Cup this year. Only one of them can begin to contemplate replicating the greatness that Spain achieved. 

The truth is that Chile were spectacular! Especially Alexis Sanchez and Fiorentina’s Juan Vargas.

In fact, Uruguay is one nation that is closer to replicating Spain’s greatness than all others; because they already hold a continental trophy after winning the Copa America in 2011. 

So if they win this World Cup, they would need to win the next Copa America if they really wish to gloat.

Meanwhile, Italy need to beat Costa Rica to be sure of qualifying tomorrow. I am hoping to see more of Torino's Ciro Immobile and maybe a debut for Napoli's Lorenzo Insigne in that game. 

But the most intriguing game for me would be Colombia vs Ivory Coast where my favorite young footballer, James Rodriguez will be on display. Also to watch, Didier Drogba and the brilliant Fiorentina-based, Ronaldinho-like ball juggler, Juan Cuadrado.

We hope that Ivory Coast will keep the African hope alive.

Lots of great matches today. But try to check out my last post on recent matches in the 2014 World Cup….

And oh yes! by the way, I strongly disagree with CNN's choice of goal of the tournament so far! 

Tim Cahill of Australia’s goal is NOT the goal of the tournament in any way!!!

Leo Messi and Arjen Robben’s (against Australia) goals were WAY MORE technically difficult and beautiful. Even Robin van Persie’s header against Spain was better than that volley.

So what do you think?