Prime Time said:
. And I think there Defensive Minded soccer will cost them early.
Yet you are a fan of US soccer, whose play is darn similar to the Italian style of soccer, always back, never moving the ball, always giving the ball back and waiting for a hole to open....
Defensive soccer seems to be incredibly effective, tell me of one overtly offensive team that has really put it together lately. The argentinian team directed by Bielsa was famous for never proposing anything, but taking what the other team gave them (i don't know if this has changed with Peckerman at all), Brazil would always loose when they had the more open and fantastic schemes, it was not until Parreira (who is a damn boring coach) came in in 94 that they started winning again (and in the process they gave us the most boring world cup finals ever, even worse than the 1990 which was damn bad). I mean France won in 98 with a 5-4-1, remember? they went for games at a time without a single score by any of their forwards.
Look at 02, the four guys in the semifinals Brazil that was playing with 3 Central defenders, and although granted they did have the two side defenders going up often, they still had two dfensive midfielders, so they where not exactly the most offensive team in the WC (probably Senegal was a little more than anyone else) actually I remember that a lot of people where talking about how they had a very mediocre play until they actually won. they where more effective than offensive.
Germany got lucky, great play by their goalkeeper and by Ballack (the only guy on that team worth a damn) and lucky draws and they got up there, but certainly not through good offensive play.
Turkey only got back there because Rustu Reckber had a great WC (which lead to him being a dissappointment in Barcelona) and because they had a tough defensive team, which allowed them to put things up with indiray basturk and have that bald guy (hassan sas i think) and the other tall FW just put in one and then wait.
Korea cheated... Plain and blatantly cheated. I have nothing to say about this team, because it was so damn overt it was embarassing for worldwide soccer, they cheated and that is it....
So my point being that the italian catennaccio is never going to bite them int he ***. THeir talent level might, but I think that this group of youngsters is indeed hungry since they have dissappointed a lot. So they are more than ready to come up big... Plus the WC is in Europe, and that will make a difference one that will favor the european countries, I am afraid that this one will go very normal, Czech republic, and Italy will pass, US and Ghana will have a tough one, if anything Ghana will do well especially since they are the only team there that plays a different stile (kinda like having 3 3-4 defenses in one division and one 4-3, the 4-3 might surprise if only because no one is facing a team like that in the division, also ghana youngsters have always been good, and there is always one African team that rises to the challenge, especially when in fours years it is the first world cup in Africa)
I've spoken too much. ta da
