FOOTY FAIR

Zinedine Zidane and 5 Other Bald Legends

2016-01-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

Zinedine Zidane enjoyed a roaring start as Real Madrid coach this weekend as his side destroyed Deportivo La Coruna 5-0.

One of the greatest players of his generation, Zidane will be hoping to claw back Barcelona's lead at the top of La Liga and try to replicate some of the success he had himself during his playing days.

As great a player as Zidane was though, he'll never be remembered for a flashy haircut like his current charge Cristiano Ronaldo. No, the man nicknamed Zizou was as bald as a cue ball.

The following are five other folically challenged dynamos:

Sir Bobby Charlton

Don't let the exquisite combover fool you, Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton went bald at a young age but it didn't stop him from setting scoring records for club and country.

Arjen Robben

After his hairline disappeared faster than a plate of nachos on a pub table full of drunks, Arjen Robben opted to shave it all off and it actually seemed to improve his game. It's like he's more aerodynamic now.

Jaap Stam

With a muscle packed physique and with a face like a Bond henchman, it was only right that Dutch defender Jaap Stam had a freshly shaved head. It made him look even more frightening.

Gianluca Vialli

Retired striker Gianluca Vialli went from rocking what could best be described as an Italian Semi-Fro to a nice clean palate in the middle of his career, and like Robben it seemed to somehow give his career a renewed sense of purpose.

Yordan Letchkov

In the summer of 1994, Bulgaria's Yordan Letchkov was probably the most famous bald man on the planet when his flying header (of course) knocked Germany out of the World Cup at the Quarter-Final stage.

Five Players I Love to Hate

2015-03-31T16:00:00.000-04:00

Well here's a topic that's sure to raise a few eyebrows and likely upset a few people reading this.

I'm talking about five players I currently despise, and giving you my reasons. I tried my hardest to keep club allegiances out of it and purely focus on other reasons for not liking these particular players, but I can't write with my hand on heart that the club's some of these guys play for hasn't factored into this a little.

Anyhow, without further ado here are the players I love to hate:

1.) Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard is a Liverpool club legend and fans of the Anfield outfit have practically awarded him an honorary Sainthood at this point. But that's just the thing with Gerrard and why I don't like him. Depending upon your perspective, he's either become bigger than his club or has become interwoven with the weird Anfield Boot Room mysticism that fans of the Merseysiders like to wax lyrically about. So much focus has been on his quest to win a league championship, it's as if it's more important that he wins it rather than the club. Last season, when he had his most realistic chance of winning the league, after beating Manchester City his posturing seemed to suggest that Liverpool had the title in the bag. Can you imagine Frank Lampard or Paul Scholes, his contemporaries acting like that?

Even if you do support Liverpool, and love Stevie G., why do you think so many rival fans took pleasure in his slip up against Chelsea last season?

It shouldn't be overlooked that he once got into a night club altercation over a DJ not playing Phil Collins. That's right, Phil Collins.

2.) Cristiano Ronaldo

He may be one of the greatest players of all time, certainly he's been one of the most dominant players of the past ten years, but my god is Cristiano Ronaldo a smug looking jackass. With his crispy chicken looking tan and precision hair style, he looks twerpy enough, but it's the facial gestures, the mugging, the sulking and the appearance of it all being about him that makes him particularly annoying. He also dates super hot models, and drives incredible cars, so how can you like a guy like that?

I don't like to judge people, but he also paints his nails and opened a museum in Portugal dedicated to himself. If that's not narcastistic I don't understand the word.

But what I wouldn't give to have him at my club though...

3.) Arjen Robben

He doesn't dive quite as much as he used to, although Mexican fans would beg to differ on that, and he's also cut down on his ultra flipping annoying habit of always running down the right wing, cutting inside and blasting the ball over the damn net, but Arjen Robben is still annoying.

It could be his previously mentioned sins that get my back up, or it could be the fact that he looks like he's a 57 year old man's testicle but appears to run faster than Usain Bolt. It could be that last point that pisses me off, as I'm winded when walking across the street to pick up the mail some days.

4.) Rio Ferdinand

With this character it all comes down to his off the pitch behaviour. At his peak he was one of the finest defenders in the world, but since he first opened a Twitter account he's been one of the biggest knobheads on Social Media.

When he's not pimping his shitty "5" brand hats he casually get's low class digs in at other players or former managers.

For someone with plenty to say online he could bore the paint off the wall whenever he turns up in front of a camera. Let's hope he sticks with his hat empire and doesn't feature too much on the airwaves once he hangs up the boots.

5.) Luis Suarez

My dislike of this fella doesn't need much explaining really. He's a cheat, has been found guilty of racially abusing another player and has bitten three opponents.

If you were presenting an example of a professional player that kids should look up to, at the bottom of your list should be Luis Suarez. It's a pity, as he's probably only behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of overall ability, but the man is a gargantuan dick head who looks a bit like a rat.

Cartoon Footballers by Bart van de Riet (Gallery)

2015-02-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

Bart van de Riet is a 23 year old graphic and illustration artist from Zwolle, Netherlands. Recently, Bart created these cartoon characters of some Dutch footballers including Arjen Robben when he had hair. He also did a few of the Australian team. You can check out Bart's Facebook page by clicking here.

Hey, check this out, the player on the very left of the image below is Joost Broerse whom we interviewed a few months back. CLICK HERE to read FootyFair's 10 question interview with Joost.

The Monday Meltdown - FIFA's World XI Stinks

2015-01-12T16:00:00.000-05:00

It’s Monday, January 12 in the year of our lord (Sepp Blatter) 2015 and everyone’s favourite football governing body has handed out a few awards.

Unable though to take a simple leak in a urinal without spraying piss all over the floor, FIFA have announced a World XI that is as laughable as their claims of integrity.

Although there are a few obvious names on the list like the bronzed Cristiano Ronaldo, noted tax dodger Lionel Messi and the 57 year old wing wizard Arjen Robben on the team, there are some inclusions that have prompted howls of derision on social media.

First of all FIFA, also known as the Swiss Mafia, hung on to the rule that there has to be a Barcelona midfielder on the World XI, despite the fact that Barcelona weren’t very good in the last calendar year and the player in question, Andres Iniesta, looked tired, sweaty and balding at the World Cup for Spain.

The defense is where things get really hilarious though. To start with we have Thiago Silva, who is a good defender that plays for the only decent team in France and had a decidedly average to poor World Cup, the excellent Phillip Lahm, who actually played most of last year for Bayern as a defensive midfielder and it’s really a defender in the true sense anymore, Sergio Ramos who is always a calamity waiting to happen for club and country, and then the funniest of all… David Luiz. They actually included the clown of World Cup 2014, who cried and capitulated as the German’s ran riot in the Semi Final. He was also decidedly average for Chelsea last season, before his ridiculously overpriced move to PSG.

David Luiz’s inclusion is almost as hilarious as the World Cup going to Qatar in 2022.

On a somewhat controversial note, some are arguing that Angel Di Maria shouldn’t be in the XI, after his injury plagued and somewhat spluttering start to life at Old Trafford, after his move to Manchester United from Real Madrid last summer. Di Maria was impressive for Madrid in 2014 and did play a prominent role in Argentina’s run to the World Cup Final, so I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt though.

In terms of exclusions, there was no place for 2014’s breakout star James Rodriguez, and despite him sinking his teeth into a bit of Italian in Brazil, it was a poor decision to exclude Luis Suarez, who nearly single headedly dragged Liverpool to their first title in 24 years. Likewise, Gareth Bale, Diego Godin, and Diego Costa will feel a bit hard done by.

It also seemed that despite Atletico Madrid’s heroic La Liga title and run to the Champions League Final, they still aren’t fashionable enough to warrant anyone in the World XI.

Apparently the team is made up of votes by players, but if that’s the case you have to wonder if the players put any thought into these selections at all?

Footballers and Their 'O Face' (Gallery)

2015-01-11T20:00:00.000-05:00

The 'O Face', or 'Oh Face' if you will, was memorably coined in the 1999 workplace comedy Office Space.

Basically an 'O Face' is the face you make when you're getting your freak on and you reach climax. In football they say that scoring goals is the closest thing to sex and with that in mind here are a few footballers and their 'O Face', often after goals, but occasionally after near misses. I guess if we're comparing sex to goal scoring, does a near miss and an 'O Face' signifies premature ejaculation?

Arjen Robben: No Longer a Symbol of Selfishness

2014-12-27T20:00:00.000-05:00

If you've ever played football even once in your life, be it at the professional level, for your school team, or simply with a bunch of friends in a parking lot I can almost guarantee that you've played with a selfish player.

A selfish player or a ball hog, is someone who tries to take on five players every time they have the ball and will only pass if they have absolutely no other option.

They likely wear bright neon pink boots and have an unhealthy whiff of arrogance about them.

For every great goal they score, there are at least six other times that they screw up a promising attack with their selfishness.

Arjen Robben, as gifted and talented as he undoubtedly has been, fell into this category up until about two seasons ago. Sure, he scored a few great goals from midfield and had the innate ability to ghost past defenders, but he had the frustrating habit of always cutting to the middle from the right and either taking on one player too many or blazing the ball over the top of the goal.

Frustration with him among some Bayern Munich supporters peaked after he missed a crucial penalty in the 2012 Champions League Final, that the club would lose on their own pitch to Chelsea.

The Dutch international has dramatically improved in the seasons following that traumatic defeat and after terrific performances for club and country is now considered to be among the best players in the world.

Redeeming himself with the winning goal in the 2013 Champions League Final, along with playing a big role in Bayern's domestic dominance, he also enjoyed a memorable World Cup in 2014 with the Netherlands as he helped his country to a berth in the Semi Final.

His improved performances, and his reduced selfishness, have not gone unnoticed with his teammates as Bayern captain Phillip Lahm said this week to Jutarni, "Robben has changed a lot, he's no longer a symbol of selfishness."

I will have to remember that line, "a symbol of selfishness", and perhaps roll that out to one or two ball hogs at my next indoor 5-a-side match.

How Good is Bayern Munich?

2014-10-22T12:00:00.000-04:00

General malaise, disease, a weakened army and a sudden catastrophic collapsed have all been cited as reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire.

On Tuesday night though it was clear to all that witnessed it that Rome, or rather AS Roma, not only fell but was left in smouldering ruins by Pep Guardiola's thrilling Bayern Munich side in Champions League play.

Within 35 minutes the Romans were already down 5-0 with goals from Arjen Robben who scored twice, Mario Götze, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Müller.

The Roma defense played down the stereotype of solid Italian backlines by falling to absolute pieces in the first half and allowing Bayern far too much space.

Ashley Cole, one of the finest left backs of his generation, was showing his advancing years last night and had no answer for Arjen Robben, who skipped inside him for the first goal. Cole was also beaten again for Robben's second and Bayern's fourth goal.

After a humiliating first half, Roma dug in and attempted to limit the damage after the break, even managing to pull a goal back through Gervinho.

But Bayern responded with a sumptuous chip by Franck Ribery and a late close range finish by Xherdan Shaqiri.

With 9 points through three matches in the Champions League, to go along with six wins and two draws for 20 points in their first eight Bundesliga fixtures one has to ask how good is this Bayern Munich side.

The club already has scored 21 goals in the league this season, 9 more than any other side, and have only conceded a measly 2 goals. In the Champions League after slim 1-0 wins in Group E over both Manchester City and CSKA Moscow, they have now put 9 goals on the board with only 1 goal against.

Solid from Manuel Neuer in goal, and with a dominant midfield and attack, the only possible question marks before the season began were over the sides defense, but so far that hasn't been an issue in the slightest.

Following Tuesday night's match a stunned Sky Italia reporter compared Bayern to the Total Football side of the 1974 Dutch national team, but Pep waved that away as "an exaggeration."

With Roma's destruction being Bayern Munich's largest away win in the Champions League the hyperbole is understandable. After scooping up more of the domestic competition's talent in the shape of Robert Lewandowski this summer, on top of an already glittering squad, it's difficult to see the Bavarian club not winning the league title again this season.

In the Champions League, particularly when it gets into the knockout phase, it'll be tougher to proclaim them as likely winners. With the Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona looking as formidable as ever, and Chelsea looking like a solid outside bet to do well in the competition, it's no given that they'll get their hands on the 'cup with the big ears'. But it would be foolish to bet against them at this point.

Manchester City and CSKA must surely be dreading the fact that Munich seems to have hit form and have taken a stranglehold on the group.

The Monday Meltdown - Golden Balls Up

2014-07-14T14:00:00.000-04:00

Golden Ball? More like Golden Bullshit.

Years from now when we look back on the career of Lionel Messi we will see unbelievable statistics, read about the pile of trophies he won with Barcelona and view YouTube clips of him scoring outrageous goals in La Liga. However, we will also see that he won the 2014 World Cup's Golden Ball and remember what a pile of shit that was.

After Argentina lost the World Cup Final 1-0 to Germany in Extra Time, FIFA in their infinite wisdom handed out the player of the tournament to Messi and even he seemed embarrassed to receive it. As a movie aficionado it reminded me of how the Motion Pictures Academy has the nasty habit of handing out pity Oscars. As the diminutive Argentine collected his trophy I recalled Jack Palance doing a one armed push-up after winning the Best Supporting Actor Award for fucking City Slickers.

But perhaps commercial partnerships and marketing had something to do with this fiasco. The FIFA Golden Ball is sponsored by Adidas after all, so it makes sense from a business perspective to give the award to Adidas' poster child. FIFA President Sepp Blatter and the rest of his odious cronies know what side their bread is buttered. Even Argentina legend Diego Maradona shared this view:

“Messi? I would give him heaven if possible,” the 1986 World Cup winner said on his television show on Telesur. “But it’s not right when someone wins something that he shouldn’t have won just because of some marketing plan.”

Manuel Neuer - Best Goalkeeper and Lional Messi - Best Player

Did Messi have a horrible tournament? Of course not, but if you look at the four goals he scored they all came in the group stage against fairly average opposition. Placed in a group with Bosnia, Nigeria and Iran, with all due respect to those countries, this was not the toughest draw for the South American side. Messi was then largely anonymous for the knockout stages.

It was defensive solidity that was largely responsible for Argentina making it to the World Cup Final, and perhaps the teams structure did stunt Messi's effectiveness.

If you look at who should have won the Golden Ball, a case could certainly be made for Colombia's excellent James Rodriguez. But with his side being eliminated in the Quarter Finals it was always going to be a stretch for Rodriguez to claim the best player prize, despite his six goals and overall terrific play.

Colombia's James Rodriguez

In dragging, and in some instances diving, his side through to the last four, the Netherlands' Arjen Robben may have also been in with a shout for the Golden Ball, but again you're more likely to see someone from one of the finalists claim the top prize.

Out of the two sides that contested the final then it's hard to look outside of either Thomas Muller, Mats Hummels or Toni Kroos from Germany. All of which were excellent right throughout the tournament. Even on the Argentina side you could argue that Javier Mascherano had more consistently good performances than Messi.

Thomas Muller

Whenever something shady happens in football a friend of mine will say, "There's some FIFA'ing going on here." Without getting into too many X-Files style conspiracy theories, he means that the FIFA big shots have pulled a fast one. This best player award certainly looks like that's the case here.

It sort of feels like the owner of a fast food joint giving the Employee of the Month award, for the fifth straight month, to his dimwitted son Cecil.

Perhaps, as Russell Brand suggested "they just gave Lionel Messi the award for being Lionel Messi" and we can leave it at that.

Whatever way you look at it, I think it stinks worse than Cecil's underpants after he craps himself when the drive through line backs up at 6pm on a Friday.

2014 World Cup Best Starting XI

2014-07-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

2014 World Cup is finished, let us take a look at who the best starting XI are.

Goalkeeper – Keylor Navas (Costa Rica)

Costa Rica would not make it to the QF of the World Cup if it wasn’t for Keylor Navas play in net. The Costa Rican goalkeeper was the stand out player of the tournament and the best goalkeeper. He only allowed two goals during the tournament and was incredible at every single game he played. He deserves the recognition of making it to the best XI of the World Cup.

Defender – Lahm (Germany)

Lahm started the World Cup in midfield, but it is undeniable that since he moved into defense not only his play has improved but also the overall play of his team. He has been an anchor at the back for Germany and this has allowed the midfield to play with more space in front of the back line, which has overall contributed for a better offensive play and a stronger stability at the back.

Defender – Vlaar (Netherlands)

He was a surprise with Netherlands in this tournament. He is a solid player, with incredible ball control and vision. Able to break a play, get the ball and initiate the offense, a true central defender that understands Total Football. He was the reason why Netherlands was incredibly solid at the back playing only with three men in the back line.

Defender – M. Hummels (Germany)

Hummels struggled in the tournament with his fitness level, but when he was on the field he was without a doubt an added value to Germany and their defensive line. He adds more speed, vision as well as the ability to score on dead ball situations. He is currently the best central defender playing for Germany.

Defender – M. Rojo (Argentina)

Rojo came into this tournament as an unknown to most. Playing in Portugal at Sporting CP not many people knew of his value, but he has taken every opportunity that he has been given to show how important and versatile he is. He can play on the left of defense as well as central defense. Good defending, able to also lead his team in attack. Good crosser of the ball, he has really been one of the best players in this Argentina squad. He has a bright future ahead of him.

Midfield – Arjen Robben (Netherlands)

Robben deserved more than just to play in the 3rd place match. He was the best offensive player for Netherlands during the tournament. His speed was incredible, able to break down a defense by running at them with quick dribbles. He wasn’t just a speedy winger; he also finished his plays when given a chance. One of the most complete midfielders at this year’s World Cup.

Midfield – J. Mascherano (Argentina)

He has been the best defensive midfielder in this World Cup, and the reason why Argentina was able to make it to the final with low scoring games. He made up for all the lapses provided by the central defenders. He may not be Rambo but he has been super human.

Midfield – Toni Kroos (Germany)

He is another player that used the World Cup as a way to put his name in the minds of all football fans. At Bayern Munich, he has always been a very influential player, but he has elevated his game during this tournament, and become an influential player in his countries midfield. He is an incredible player, huge heart, great passer and able to finish when given a chance near the box. The ultimate box to box player.

Midfield – James Rodriguez (Colombia)

He should have won the MVP of the tournament award. He was the best player of the tournament. Scoring important goals, brilliant goals, but also carrying his country on his back to the QF. It was a shame that he couldn’t take them any further but he proved to be at the same level of the World’s best players.

Forward – Neymar (Brazil)

Up until the moment he got injured he was being influential to his countries team and success. I don’t think it is a surprise or coincidence that once he was out of the squad, Brazil didn’t win a single game. He is not just an offensive problem, but his ability to create something out of nothing has the opposing team more pushed back than if playing against a team that doesn’t have Neymar. Brazil’s collapse was enough to show us how important one player can be to a national team.

Forward – Messi (Argentina)

Messi wasn’t brilliant or dominating at this World Cup, but he was influential in his team’s play and performances. If Argentina didn’t have Messi they would had never made it to the final. He was decisive at moments, pulling goals out of nowhere and creating problems to any team he played against. His consistency and ability to turn a game upside down grants him a spot on the best XI.

2014 World Cup Match Day 24 (3rd Place): Goals & Highlights

2014-07-12T20:00:00.000-04:00

Game 60: Brazil 0-3 Netherlands

2014 World Cup Match Day 24: Recap (3rd Place Match)

2014-07-12T18:30:00.000-04:00

Brazil 0-3 Netherlands

With the humiliation of a six goal deficit loss in the semi-finals to the Germans still fresh on their minds, the Brazilian national team took on the pitch for their 3rd place affair against the Dutch, knowing that this will be their only chance at some sort of redemption in front of their home crowd. The spectators seemed to feel the pain of their beloved squad, singing the anthem loudly with all the pride they had left after the disappointment of the prior match.

In just the second minute, with Arjen Robben receiving a great through pass from Robin van Persie, Thiago Silva pulled the Dutchman from behind giving the Dutch an early penalty-kick. Van Persie was the man to take the spot-kick, and just like that memories of the shock loss to the Germany resurfaced. Silva’s pull on Robben may have been just outside the box, but a red-card was deserved on that play as Thiago Silva was the very last defender when he took Robben down. The referee however, decided to award the yellow.

Five minutes later and Robben received a yellow-card of his own; suggesting that the referee on the day was going to reach for his pocket on any questionable challenge.
On the 16th minute it seemed like a Brazilian Déjà vu

, as more horrible Brazilian defending led to the Netherlands’ second goal, as Daley Blind picked up a loose ball in the Brazilian box and put it in the roof of Julio Cesar’s net for his first international World Cup goal.

The next half-hour or so were quite uneventful, although the Dutch were looking the more dangerous side with some dominating midfield play. The Brazilians however, did not look as lost as they were after conceding two goals against the Germans, and did produce some “half chances” of their own, but without any success.

Oscar seemed the bright spot in Brazil’s squad with a few good runs and moves just outside of the Dutch box, but even his shot, which was Brazil’s only one on goal in that time frame, was easily gathered by the Dutch keeper.

In the second half the match took a turn to mediocrity, with both the Dutch and the Brazilians seemed content to slow the pace down. After a few half chances in the first 15 minutes, the score was still at 2-0, although possession was now swaying a bit more towards the home side.

In the 67th minute, Oscar was taken down by Dutch defender Blind inside the Dutch penalty area, but instead of what seemed a sure penalty-kick, the referee decided to award the Brazilian young player with a yellow card.

With a last gasp attempt, the Dutch would score their third and cap a miserable campaign for the home nation after a goal from Georginio Wijnaldum in added time, claiming the World Cup bronze medal. The Brazilians on the other hand, were losers for the second consecutive match on home soil for the first time in over 70 years and with their heads in their hands, the home squad would finish the competitions off with more questions than answers.

Staff Predictions:

Kon: Brazil 2-1 Netherlands
Iain: Brazil 2-1 Netherlands
Pedro: Brazil 3-1 Netherlands

Obviously all us were giving the hosts too much credit.

2014 World Cup Match Day 24 (3rd Place Match): Preview

2014-07-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

Brazil vs. Netherlands

Match Info

The third place match will be played at 5pm local time in Brazil.
This fixture is between two sides that have met six times before. The two nations share not only an identical record of 3 wins, 5 draws and 3 losses, but have also scored an exact 15 goals each in previous meetings. The match will take place at the 69,349 seat Estádio Nacional de Brasília Mané Garrincha, in the capital Brasilia. Brazil has played once before in this stadium, defeating Cameroon in the group stages 4-1. The Netherlands will be playing in the capital of Brazil for the first time in this tournament.

Netherlands' star winger Arjen Robben has gone on record saying that he does not care for the 3rd place match whatsoever. Brazil on the other hand, have some unfinished business after their humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany, after which they must have a good showing in front of their home supporters in order to regain any kind of respect from their nation's faithful.

Don't get your hopes up, Neymar will not be playing in this match. But the key ingredient that was missing against the Germans, captain and center-back Thiago Silva, will. Surely the Dutch don't want to finish off a decent World Cup run with two straight losses, but the Brazilians have much more riding on this fixture and are more likely to come out on their "front foot".

Players to watch

For the Dutch it will most likely be Tim Krul who had played all of 46 seconds before becoming a Dutch hero, leading his nation to a penalty kick victory over the Ticos from Costa Rica. Van Gaal must show the keeper respect and give him the nod in this "match that doesn't matter". For the Brazilians it will be David Luiz. The newly aquired PSG center-back must show his new teammates that he can be relied on, because if he shows up to camp after the World Cup with nothing other than the loss to Germany to show for, he may as well spend all of next season on the bench while proving to his colleagues in training that he can get the job done.

Staff Predictions:

Kon: Brazil 2-1 Netherlands

Iain: Brazil 2-1 Netherlands

Pedro: Brazil 3-1 Netherlands

The Losers’ Final – Entertainment Value in the World Cup 3rd Place Match

2014-07-11T11:00:00.001-04:00

In its 19 editions (not including this year), the FIFA World Cup has held the match for bronze medal in all but two tournaments. In the inaugural championship in Uruguay 1930 the match simply didn’t exist, and in 1950 in Brazil it wasn’t played due to the fact that the final stage was a group consisting of 4 teams, with the winner of the group declared World Cup champion.

But on the 17 other occasions the match that I like to refer to as the “who gives a crap, bring on the finals” match, was played out every time. Although I don’t really care for the outcome of this particular fixture every four years, I do watch it. See, when two teams are relaxed, under no pressure to win and have an opportunity to play the way they would in the yard, it does create on most occasions a beautiful, open brand of football that is rarely seen in fixtures of higher value.

Arjen Robben has already gone on record after his side’s loss to Argentina, saying that he does not care for the 3rd place match, and all of his efforts were directed at winning the cup. With that in mind, and the 2014 World Cup 3rd place match just a day away, I look at the previous 3rd place World Cup meetings to try and see if it’s a match worth watching for the neutral fan.

First ever 3rd place match contested between Germany and Austria in 1934. Germany won 3-2

Goals

Since 1934 the goal difference between 3rd place matches and World Cup final matches is only 7 goals, that being in favor of the bronze medal match with 61 goals scored in World Cup finals, and 68 goals scored in the “other” one. In the past 20 years however (including the 1994 World Cup), the 3rd place match has provided us with a total of 21 goals, to the miserable 8 goals in the finals of the past five World Cup tournaments. Sure we’ve seen some high scoring finals, but none with 4 or more goals since the 1986 World Cup when Argentina defeated the West Germans 3-2. In the 3rd place matches in the past 20 years we watched Sweden run riot against the Bulgarians in their 4-0 victory in 1994, the Turks taking out hosts South Korea in a 3-2 thriller in 2002, the Germans beating Portugal 3-1 in 2006 and then again in the 3rd place match Germany came out on the winning end with a 3-2 defeat of Uruguay.

There is no doubt that as far as goals are concerned, chances are we will see more in the 3rd place match.

France and West Germany playing in what would become the highest World Cup 3rd place match to day.
France won 6-3

Importance

Of course some players would dismiss the importance of a bronze medal match when giving an interview directly after a semi-finals exit. But for some fans and even players, the 3rd place match is a great opportunity to leave the tournament on a high note when otherwise it would be a very bitter ending to a good run. Without having to look too far back, this year’s 3rd place match is a great opportunity for the host nation Brazil to apologize to their fans for their dismal performance in the semi-finals against Germany, and although there is no way to earase their 7-1 loss, they can regain some respect with a solid win against the Dutch. For others like Austria in 1954, Chile in 1962, Portugal in 1966, Poland in 1974, Sweden in 1994 and Croatia in 1998, it could be a once in a lifetime chance to win an unlikely bronze medal in a tournament that just a month before seemed to be too impossible for these nations to reach any kind of success in.

Obviously, this year’s 3rd place contenders have had better success in years past, but for some of the smaller nations this match could be the most important in their national team’s history.

Croatia celebrates their highest ever World Cup finish with a 2-1 win over the Netherlands in 1998

The Good Ones

In 1962 hosts Chile defeated Yugoslavia to win the bronze medal and bring joy to the home team supporters with their highest World Cup finish to date.

In 1966 the world watched Eusebio reach his highest peak in the World Cup tournament with his record 9th goal of the tournament in their 2-1 3rd place win over the Soviets.

In 1974, Poland defeated three-time and defending World Cup champions Brazil to claim 3rd place.

In 1990 it was the tournament hosts again, when Italy finished off the tournament on their home soil on a high note by claiming the 3rd place finish against England.

In 1994 an unlikely 3rd place match-up saw a Scandinavian nation win a third place match for the first time in World Cup history, when Sweden defeated Bulgaria 4-0. (note: Sweden won 3rd place during the 1950 World Cup in Brazil as a result of finishing third in the final group. An official 3rd place match was never played)

In 1998 Davor Šuker and his Croatian side shocked the Netherlands, claiming third place with their 2-1 win.

And in 2002 we watched another unlikely 3rd place match between Turkey and South Korea finish in an exciting 3-2 final for the Turks’ best finish in their World Cup history.

The third place match carries very little importance in the eyes of the neutral fan. But there is always a good chance that this match can provide us with entertainment value that will surpass that of the big final match. Watch it or don’t, it’s there, and if nothing else it’s another great excuse to get out of doing house chores.

Eusebio and his Portuguese squad play against the USSR in a 3rd place match in 1966. Portugal won 2-1

Mascherano's Torn Anus

2014-07-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

Getting to a World Cup Final requires a lot of hard work, determination, bravery, skill and discipline.

On Wednesday night a berth in the World Cup Final ended up costing Argentina’s Javier Mascherano a torn anus.

With the Netherland's Arjen Robben bearing down on goal, with little time to play in their Semi Final match, Mascherano slid in to deny the flying winger a goal that surely would have been the winner.

After suffering a concussion earlier in the match it was incredible that Mascherano was on the pitch at all, but his timely block kept Argentina in it and they would later go on to win on penalties.

The terrific tackle was not without the cost of a torn asshole though, as he later said during a press conference, "I do not want to be rude … I tore my anus on that play. That’s why I felt so much pain”.

It's understandable that he was in pain, in fact just the thought of what happened to him makes me clench my butt cheeks rather tight and pray that something like this never happens to me. A leaky defence is one thing, but a torn bung hole is far worse.

It's unclear at the point if he will play in the final on Sunday, but the if the rugged midfielder can't recover in time it will leave a gaping hole in Argentina's lineup, to go along with the tear in his poor sphincter.

2014 World Cup Semi-Finals: Best XI

2014-07-10T06:00:00.000-04:00

Let us take a look at the best starting XI of the World Cup semi-finals.

Goalkeeper – M. Neuer (Germany)

During a 7-1 win you would think Neuer didn’t do much and in this case it isn’t true. He had some big saves in the second half of the game and was almost able to keeping a clean sheet if it wasn’t for an Oscar late goal. Going into the final he is by far the best keeper available.

Defender – Lahm (Germany)

Low moved him back to right back and he showed why he is one of the best in the game. He has given the Germany back line more security and cohesiveness. He is so calm and has a great sense of space and positioning, making everyone around him a far better player than what they are.

Defender – Vlaar (Netherlands)

He was the player of the game for Netherlands. What a good, strong and efficient central defender. He is not only great at defending but he can also start your attack by dribbling the ball forward. He has great feet and incredible vision and positioning. He has placed his name as one of the best central defenders of the tournament.

Defender – M. Hummels (Germany)

Hummels had another strong game in the middle of defense. He has been improving his game as the tournament progresses and will now arrive in the final with some strong performances behind. That should give him the confidence he needs to elevate his game one more notch in a very difficult final.

Defender – M. Rojo (Argentina)

Rojo has been one of the best left backs in this tournament and during the semifinal game he proved once again how good he is defending. He is also very good going forward; getting involved with his team offensive maneuvers. He is a very dynamic player that can play on both ends of the field.

Midfield – Arjen Robben (Netherlands)

Netherlands was not very good offensively in their semifinal match, but Robben was their only bright side from an offensive perspective. He looked like the only player that wanted to move forward and score a goal, and it wasn’t a surprise that Holland’s best chance of scoring came from his feet. He has proven to be a complete player and an incredible offensive threat when on the field.

Midfield – J. Mascherano (Argentina)

He was a monster during his countries semifinal game. He was incredible for Argentina and by far their best player on the field. He looked like he was everywhere, and the way he recovered defensively in the 90th minute to block Robben’s shot was something at the reach of only a world class player.

Midfield – Toni Kroos (Germany)

He is proving in this tournament why Real Madrid will be paying 30 million euros for him. He has growing in importance within his team with every game that has been played, but against Brazil he was the motor behind Germany’s offensive prowess. He scored, created goals for his team mates and complete dominated the midfield. He was the best player on the field from either side.

Midfield – Enzo Perez (Argentina)

He was brought in to replace Di Maria, and while he doesn’t have the same qualities of the speedy winger he came in and did a wonderful job. During the 90 minutes of the game Argentina’s best chances came from his feet, and he was able to give Argentina a box to box player that would not only attack on the right side of the field but also change sides and show up in the left. He integrated the team well and proved to be a player that Argentina can depend on for the final.

Forward – T. Muller (Germany)

He scored the first of the 7 goals Germany scored. In a round where forwards were not great, Muller proved to be the next great forward coming out of Germany. He will one day break Klose’s record for goals at a World Cup. He has scored 10 goals in 2 tournaments. At this rate he will one day be the best World Cup goal scorer.

Forward – M. Klose (Germany)

The German forward scored his 16th goal at a World Cup tournament, breaking Ronaldo’s record and becoming the best goal scorer of all time. He is a pure finisher, that when given the ball in the box he will not waste them. In this semifinal game he had one chance of scoring and he did. He is a player that you don’t see anymore, a classic forward.

2014 World Cup Match Day 23 (Semi-Final): Goals & Highlights

2014-07-09T20:00:00.000-04:00

Game 59: Argentina 0-0 Netherlands (Argentina wins 4-2 PK)

2014 World Cup Match Day 23 (Semi-Final): Recap

2014-07-09T19:00:00.000-04:00

Today we had the last semifinal that would decide who would face Germany in the final.

Argentina 0-0 Netherlands (Argentina won 4-2 in PK)

First half was a very defensive half, with not many chances of goal for either side. Argentina was able to hold possession of the ball for the majority of the half, and control the game.

They pushed Netherlands to their own half and didn’t allow them to come out of their defensive zone with the ball controlled. The only few times they reached Romero’s area was with long range free kicks being floated into the box looking for a header from Van Persie.

Argentina had the best chances of the first 45 minutes, and a free kick from Messi in the 15th minute of the first half was their best chance to score. For all the possession that Argentina had and control of the game, they weren’t able to really create many chances. All of their offensive plays came from Enzo Perez and Zabaleta using the right wing to break through the wall put up by Netherlands.

In the middle of the field was impossible to break through and Messi was kept off the ball and away from the box, which was the best strategy that Netherlands could deploy to avoid going down a goal early.

The first half ended in 0-0 score, and everything was wide open for the second half of the game.

The second half brought us the complete opposite of the first 45 minutes. Janmaat came in for Martins Indi and it gave some extra muscle to the Dutch midfield.

Netherlands was able to retain the ball and control possession, and now it was Argentina the ones pushed into their own half and defending with 11 men behind the ball. Even with all that ball control and possession Netherlands wasn’t able to create much offense with it. Mascherano was a general in the midfield able to stop any attack.

The first good chance of scoring came to Argentina, with a great cross from Enzo Perez in the right wing to a running Higuain that shot wide. He was called for offside so it wouldn’t have counted, but it was a sign that Argentina could put one away in a quick transition play.

The best chance for Netherlands came late into stoppage time with Robben having one of his dashing runs and when he was about to finish, who else but Mascherano with a sprawling tackle to push the ball to the end line and give Netherlands a corner. Nothing came from the corner and few minutes later the game was over.

They were going into extra time with neither team creating many goal opportunities during the 90 minutes played.

The first half of extra time brought us the same that we had already seen in the second half of regulation. These were two very defensive minded teams not willing to give each other any space. Nobody with any real chances of scoring and Messi continued absent from the game.

Second half of extra time didn’t change anything. These were two teams more interested in not losing than actually trying to win. It would take penalties to decide the winner.

Penalties:

Vlaar – Misses (0-0)

Messi – Scores (1-0 Argentina)

Robben – Scores (1-1)

Garay – Scores (2-1 Argentina)

Sneijder – Saved (2-1 Argentina)

Aguero – Scores (3-1 Argentina)

Kuyt – Scores (3-2 Argentina)

Rodriguez – Scores (4-2 Argentina)

Argentina is going to the final to play Germany.

Match Day 23 - Staff Picks

Kon: Argentina 1-2 Netherlands
Pedro: Argentina 1-0 Netherlands
Iain: Argentina 1-0 Netherlands

Iain and Pedro had Argentina winning just not by the correct result, but at least they got the winner.

2014 World Cup Match Day 23 (Semi-Finals): Preview

2014-07-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

Today we will have our second semi-final match, let’s preview the game.

Argentina vs. Netherlands

Match Info

The second semi-final final match will be played today at 5pm local time in Brazil.
This fixture is between two sides that have met four times before. Argentina's lone victory against the Dutch came in the final of the 1978 World Cup. The match will take place at the 62,601 seat Arena Corinthians in São Paulo.

In the eight matches between the two sides, the Netherlands have won four times, with the sides drawing three times and Argentina, as mentioned, winning once. In those matches, the Dutch have outscored their South American rivals 13 to 6.

After thrilling the watching world with their opening 5-1 destruction of Spain, the Netherlands have blown a bit hot and cold in this tournament, but have done enough to keep winning. After a difficult Round of 16 match against Mexico that required two late goals to come back and win 2-1, the Dutch then struggled to break down Costa Rica in the Quarter Finals and only went through on a penalty shoot out after a 0-0 draw. Arjen Robben has been excellent throughout the tournament, but some of his teammates have looked a bit subpar since the group stage. It'll be interesting to how they line up against an Argentina side that has looked entirely convincing either, but features the incredible Lionel Messi in their ranks. Argentina got through one of the easier groups in the tournament, defeated a decent Swiss side right at the death in the Round of 16 by a score of 1-0, and then edged out a fancied Belgium side in the Quarter Finals by the same score. I expect this to be another very close encounter.

Players to Watch

Both teams could be accused of being guilty of leaning on one player on each side to even get to this stage, and will likely do so again. Lionel Messi is looking at perhaps his last great chance to win a World Cup and to do so would stamp his name in the history books as one of the greatest players of all time. Arjen Robben will against be counted on by the Dutch for inspiration again and will hope that Robin van Persie can find his scoring touch to help him out up front.

Match Day 23 - Staff Picks

Kon: Argentina 1-2 Netherlands
Pedro: Argentina 1-0 Netherlands
Iain: Argentina 1-0 Netherlands

FootyFair Semi Finals Predictions

2014-07-07T20:00:00.000-04:00

The semis are here, and we are not sure there could have been a more lethal combination of four teams playing it out for a spot in this year's World Cup Final. Will it be South America versus South America, Europe versus Europe, or maybe one of each in the finals?

Before we take up our guys' predictions, let's see how they did in the quarters.

Quarter-finals prediction results:

KON: Two of four correct predictions for Kon in this one. Netherlands and Germany winning were his correct pick, and he was able to predict the 1-0 score-line in the German's match. [Match Outcome: 2/4, Correct Scores 1/4]

PEDRO: Pedro was only able to predict one match correctly, and surprisingly he even got the score right in the match which saw Argentina overcome the Swiss by a score of 1-0. [Match Outcome: 1/4, Correct Score: 1/4]

IAIN: Again the bragging rights go to Iain as he managed to correctly predict three of the four outcomes, with only the Colombians' loss standing in his way of a perfect prediction round. He also guessed the Argentina - Switzerland score correctly, so there' no doubt who the predictions winner is again this round. [Match Outcome: 3/4, Correct Scores: 1/4]

Predicting the semi finals:

BRAZIL vs GERMANY

KON: For the very first time in this tournament, the Brazilians impressed me with their play against the Colombians, but Felipe Scolari's side has obvious problems with Neymar and Thiago Silva out of the lineup. The Germans did not look spectacular in their win against the French, but did play a solid match where the defense (for the most part) did their job pretty well. Karim Benzema was the only player on the pitch the Germans had trouble containing, and with the absence of Neymar I don't see any Brazilian player that can make that kind of difference. The German attacking on the other hand matches up pretty well against the Brazilian defense and I see them scoring more than once. [Final Score: Brazil 0-2 Germany]

PEDRO: Brazil will be missing Neymar and Thiago Silva. I expect Brazil to use Dante in Silva’s place and perhaps Ramires or Willian in place of injured Neymar. Neither of these substitutes will be able to give Scolari the same results but they will have to do. If this game was anywhere other than in Brazil I would give the edge to Germany, but at home Brazil is very hard to defeat and I don’t think the Germans have the tools they need to overcome the atmosphere around this match. Germany will be in full strength but their play over this tournament has not impressed me, and I think if Brazil can play 90 minutes equal to the first 45 they played against Colombia they will win.[Final Score: Brazil 2-1 Germany]

IAIN: Although Brazil, at times in the first half, played some of their best football in this tournament against Colombia in the Quarter Finals, they will desperately be missing Neymar and Thiago Silva in this one. Neymar has been virtually their only consistent creative outlet and without him I think they'll struggle to break down the Germans. Germany seemed to have corrected their fragility at the back and although it wasn't pleasing for the neutrals, they thoroughly dominated France in the last round. I think there's just too much quality and organization in this German side for the Brazilians to handle, and they won't be bullied like the Colombians were. [Final Score: Brazil 1-2 Germany]

NETHERLANDS vs ARGENTINA

KON: Argentina's first test against a world-class team should probably be their last match in this tournament. Let's be honest here, Argentina has not played a single match against a worthy opponent, which of course may mean that they are fairly rested. But winning against Bosnia, Iran, Nigeria, Switzerland and Belgium is no road to glory for a World Cup champion, especially not when you manage to win each match by just one goal. The Dutch are coming off a scare against the Ticos from Costa Rica, but the fashion in which they managed to win the penalty shootouts should be a huge boost for van Gaal's boys. I believe the Netherlands will turn up the heat against Argentina the same way they did against the Chileans in the second half of their affair, and the Spanish all throughout that fixture. Wait a second, did I just guarantee a European title in South America? I believe I did! [Final Score: Netherlands 2-1 Argentina]

PEDRO: Argentina will miss Di Maria, but will respond with Enzo Perez. He is more a box to box player and not as much of a pure winger like Di Maria, but more than capable of filling in those shoes. Netherlands will play the same team that faced Costa Rica, and if that game and the Mexico game is any indication of what is happening to this team, they will struggle to score goals. Argentina has won every match by 1 goal, so you have two teams that don’t score a lot of goals but that also don’t allow many. In the end, Messi will be the difference in this game, giving Argentina a slight edge over Netherlands. [Final Score: Netherlands 0-1 Argentina]

IAIN: After coming back from a late deficit against Mexico and surviving a penalty shootout against Costa Rica, the Netherlands should be in good spirits going into this one. That being said, they did struggle to break both sides down with any consistency and I believe that may be a problem against this Argentina side. The South Americans will definitely miss Di Maria, but with Gonzalo Higuain showing some great form in the last match and the mercurial talents of Messi, I think Argentina can just about edge this one.
[Final Score: Netherlands 0-1 Argentina]

The Monday Meltdown - When Referees Ruin Matches

2014-07-07T17:00:00.000-04:00

Sometimes the referee is a wanker

It's not easy being a referee. Football is a passionate sport and reason often goes out the window when you’re cheering your side on.

I recently saw a referee berated for an entire 90 minutes for being out of position during an Under 8 house league match. The fact that the referee was only a 14 year old girl, trying to save up some pocket money for One Direction tickets, meant nothing to the angry mob. She had missed a hand ball and was obviously the worst person on the planet in that given moment.

Sure, some people are just assholes, but you've got to develop an armadillo-like thick skin if you're going to make it as a referee. Most decisions you have to give on the pitch are quick, snap calls that often aren't that straight forward. You don't have the benefit of instant replay and if your assistant referee is too busying thinking about how they get the caramel into a Caramilk bar, rather than watching the match, you might be in trouble.

As a fan, if a 50-50 call goes against the team you're supporting, I guarantee you'll be questioning the virtue of the referee's mother. In the park, you and the referee only get to see an incident once, but on TV you end up seeing twenty replays, from six different camera angles in slow motion. If glorious HD proves the referee was correct in their decision, unless you're a blithering idiot, you'll nod your head sadly and say, "OK, maybe he did elbow him in the throat."

Howard Webb

Even in a high pressure World Cup match a ref though will only see a play once, and will rely heavily on their vision, interpretation of the rules and their gut. That's why it's crucial that FIFA appoints the best possible referees to handle matches in the Finals.

For all of the terrific football played in this World Cup there has been some shocking refereeing decisions that have marred the tournament. As the knockout stages have unfolded it has begun to impact the quality of football on show and, arguably, some of the outcomes.

As good as the group stage was, it started on day one when Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura gave Brazil a very soft penalty against Croatia. That was nothing compared to the injustice served up to the Ivory Coast though, as they saw themselves cruelly dumped out of the competition when Greece's Georgios Samaras basically kicked himself in the ankle to win a last minute penalty. Meanwhile, Italians everywhere felt aggrieved when Uruguay's Luis Suarez sunk his chompers into Giorgio Chiellini and the incident was missed by the referee and his assistant.

Sometimes the match officials really aren't helped by the players though. When the Netherlands Arjen Robben flung himself to the ground to win a last minute penalty against Mexico in the Round of 16, he sold it better than a quick talking used car salesmen. There had been the merest of contact from Rafa Marquez, but Robben threw himself through the air like he had just been hit by a Mack Truck. A call like that is very difficult for a referee to make and although it was very hard on Mexico you see that call given more often than not.

As good as Robben has been in this tournament in leading the Dutch to the Semi Final, some of his diving antics have been absolutely pathetic.

Arjen Robben

One thing that referees could do a better job on in this World Cup, is to stamp their authority on a match a bit quicker. In the Brazil vs. Colombia Quarter Final last Friday, the Brazilians clever tactic for stopping James Rodriguez was to kick him up in the air. A lot has been made of Neymar's back injury, thanks to a flying knee from Juan Camilo Zuniga, but Brazil had been allowed to set a brutal early tone on the match and Colombian's were certain to respond. This match contained a staggering 54 fouls and it was only in the second half that the referee booked anyone. The official should have carded a few players right off the bat, and perhaps called the captains over with the instructions to cut the crap. He didn't and as a result never had control of the match.

Neymar’s injury was terrible, but it came about due to Brazil manager Luiz Felipe Scolari sending his team out with the clear instruction to break up Colombia’s play through rough house tactics, the referee failing to put a stop to it and the Colombian’s responding. The match left a very bitter taste in the mouth and now one of the brightest stars of the tournament is out with a serious injury.

Carlos Velasco Carballo

Besides the rough stuff, the hapless Carlos Velasco Carballo from Spain and his assistants also wrongly disallowed a Colombian goal for offside and should have sent off Brazil's Julio Cesar when he lunged in on Carlos Bacca which resulted in a penalty.

Performances like this, with so many key decisions favouring the home side, have people crying "fix", but I don't think that's the case. Referees, like it or not, are human and get caught up in the emotion of the moment. Also, if they aren't a strong character they will definitely feel pressured by a partisan crowd to give close calls to the home side. If anyone started watching this World Cup thinking that Brazil weren't going to get a few soft calls in their favour, they haven't been watching football for long.

Heading into the Semi Finals, let's hope that the referees don't bow to crowd pressure, get the big decisions correct, and are strong, but still let the players play. Easier said than done really.

Can the Netherlands Finally Win the World Cup?

2014-07-06T17:00:00.000-04:00

With the Netherlands victory over Costa Rica in the World Cup Quarter Finals on penalty kicks, a great psychological weight may have lifted from the Dutch, frequent losers from the spot, and people are now wondering if this is the year that they can finally become champions of the world.

For a country that has produced so many fantastically gifted players over the past forty years, along with revolutionizing how football tactics and youth development is approached, it's astounding that the Dutch have never lifted the World Cup.

1905 Netherlands National Team

Playing their first international against Belgium in Antwerp in 1905, the Netherlands competed in the 1934 and 1938 World Cup Finals without a great deal of success, and would have to wait until 1974 to reach another World Cup. In the intervening years, a sea of change swept over Dutch football though.

Unlike neighbouring countries in Europe, the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) refused to allow professionalism in the Dutch leagues right up until the early 1950's. As they continually lost talented players to other domestic leagues, and subsequently banned these players from playing for the national side, the Dutch team was rightfully seen as a minnow on the world stage. With the introduction of professionalism in 1954, and the formation of the Eredivisie in 1956, the standard of play in the country began to improve. The first winners of the Eredivisie, AFC Ajax, would also have a profound effect on the direction of Dutch football.

Implementing a youth development program that would one day become the envy of Europe, Ajax would not only dominate Dutch football, but dramatically change the fortunes of the national side. With the emergence of Johan Cruyff from their youth ranks in 1964 and the hiring of coach Rinus Michels the following year, the side began to implement a system of play known as Total Football.

The concept of Total Football involved the flexible movement of players all across the pitch, moving and covering for each other to fill spaces and confuse opposition markers. This system, which was heavily influenced by the great Hungarian side of the 1950's, required players to be comfortable with taking on different roles and to have the intelligence to adapt as the teams shape could change at any time during a match.

The Ajax way of playing also emphasized quick, short passing and movement that would be adapted to good effect by not only the Dutch national side, but in later years by Barcelona and Spain. The 1970 Brazilian World Cup winning captain, Carlos Alberto, described Ajax and the Netherlands style of play as a carousel of passing and movement. After seeing his Manchester United side demolished by Barcelona at Wembley in 2011, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson also referred to Barcelona having beaten them with their "carousel of passing". This was a style of play adapted from the Dutch and the direct influence of Michels and Cruyff.

Johan Cruyff scores on Argentina in the 1974 World Cup

With Ajax providing this template for a system of play and a talented generation of players, to go along with stars from Feyenoord and PSV, the Netherlands thrilled the world in reaching the World Cup Final in 1974 in West Germany. Unfortunately after taking an early lead, the Dutch crumbled and lost 2-1 to the hosts. A Cruyff-less Netherlands side reached the final again in Argentina in 1978, but in the white hot political climate of that infamous tournament they were faced with near insurmountable odds and predictably fell to a 3-1 defeat to Argentina.

1988 European Champions

Despite Michels bowing out of management with a thrilling win in the European Champions at the helm of the Dutch side in 1988, the country of Total Football never reached another World Cup Final until 2010 in South Africa. Facing off against Spain, a nation that owes their current footballing philosophy to the "Low Country", the Netherlands betrayed their proud traditions by trying to kick the Spanish off the pitch. In a horribly disappointing final, Spain justifiably prevailed 1-0 in Extra Time and the Dutch were left pondering what could have been again.

The 2014 tournament this has seen anything but a vintage Dutch side. They lack the genius of a Johan Cruyff, the magic of a Ruud Gullit, the vision of a Dennis Bergkamp, or the lethal threat of a Marco van Basten. However, they have done what they've needed to win. Utilizing the speed and cunning of Arjen Robben, the steel of Nigel de Jong in the middle, the goal scoring threat of Robin van Persie and a solid back line, the Dutch opened their campaign by destroying Spain 5-1. Since then it has not been plain sailing, but under the crafty leadership of Louis van Gaal they have exceeded expectations and find themselves in the World Cup Semi Final against old foes Argentina.

Arjen Robben has been key to the Dutch's progress in this tournament

It certainly won't be easy to win the next two matches, but could it be that this is the year that Dutch football finally gains football's greatest prize?

We'll find out in the next week.

2014 World Cup QF: Best XI

2014-07-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

2014 World Cup quarter finals are over, let’s see who I consider the best XI of this round.

Goalkeeper – M. Neuer (Germany)

He was a stone wall for the Germans against France in their quarter finals match. He is the main reason why Germany is in another semi-final and with a clean sheet. He was calm, collected and when he was called into action he came through in a big way. His 90th minute save on Benzema short range shot was just another sign of what he had done for the duration of this match.

Defender – Zabaleta (Argentina)

He almost goes unnoticed during the game, because he is not a flashy player or someone who will dazzle you with incredible runs down the wing, but he is so consistent defending and has an extremely good final pass or cross into the box which makes him very important on both ends. He had a very solid game against Belgium, able to shut down De Bruyne, who had been so fundamental against USA in the previous round. He has been one of the best defenders in Argentina team that has managed to win games by 1 goal difference.

Defender – Thiago Silva (Brazil)

He is by far, aside from Neymar, Brazil’s best player. He scores the go ahead goal for Brazil in a corner kick and leads his team to victory against a very good Colombian side. Thiago Silva has been their best defender and their most consistent player of the tournament, but in this quarter final round he raised his level even higher. The only downside is that he saw a yellow card that will make him miss the semifinal game against Germany.

Defender – M. Hummels (Germany)

Hummels came back into his team in a big way. He scored the only goal of the match, which would guarantee them a spot in the semi-final. He was the anchor at the back but also versatile enough that he is able to start the play from the back. He was very solid defending, didn’t make mistakes and scored a winning goal, what else can you ask of your central defender.

Defender – David Luiz (Brazil)

PSG’s new defender has had an up and down tournament, but during the quarter final match against Colombia he had his best game to date. He scored the winner from an incredible free kick and was very strong in the box, clearing danger and also moving the ball forward into attack, which he loves to do but not always does well. He will have to play the same way in the semis. Brazil will be depending on him to surpass Germany in the absence of Thiago Silva.

Midfield – Arjen Robben (Netherlands)

He was Netherlands best player on the field against Costa Rica. Against a very strong defensive team that never really looked at scoring just defending, Robben looked like someone that wanted to finish the game within 90 minutes. His runs were incredible and his ability to still sprint at players even in the later stages of the game is a testament to his incredible physical condition.

Midfield – James Rodriguez (Colombia)

The tournament lost two of their stars in one game, James Rodriguez because Colombia was eliminated and Neymar due to injury. James scored his 6th goal of the tournament which gives him the lead and a real chance of winning the goal scoring title, but it wasn’t enough for his country to stay in the competition. He was once again Colombia’s bright star and his play in the second half gave them a real chance of winning this game. James has proved to be a world class player at such young age.

Midfield – Paul Pogba (France)

Pogba proved in this World Cup that France has a bright future in the middle of the park when it comes to box to box midfield players. He had another great game; I don’t think he can play bad even if he tried. He was able to control most of the offensive maneuvers from Germany and kept Muller quiet for 90 minutes which is not an easy task.

Midfield – T. Kroos (Germany)

He is such an important player in the German side, but is also one of the most under rated players on the team. He was fundamental in the game against France and one of their best players on the field. He is strong, smart and capable of moving the ball forward with quality as well as defending when he doesn’t have it. His quarter final game was his best game of the tournament so far.

Forward – Messi (Argentina)

Messi continues to shine for Argentina and be the world class player we all known he is and that he can be. He helped his country take one step closer to the dream of winning the World Cup, and his performance was once again, magical.

Forward – Higuain (Argentina)

He has been quiet for the duration of this tournament, but finally he scored a goal that is worth a spot in the semi-final. It was a pure forwards goal. Higuain has shown in the past that he is capable of scoring goals and being a decisive player in the box, when given a chance. He hasn’t had many chances in the tournament, but today the one he had he made it count. This should help his confidence going forward in the tournament.

2014 World Cup Match Day 21: Recap

2014-07-05T20:09:00.000-04:00

The quarter finals ended today with both of the favourites going through, but one of them had to suffer the drama of a penalty shoot out to get to the Semi Finals of this pulsating World Cup.

Argentina 1-0 Belgium

And so the vaunted "Dark Horses" from Belgium are out of the World Cup, with a whimper, after succumbing to Gonzalo Higuaín's half-volley for Argentina early on in this one. For a team heading into the World Cup with high hopes, Belgium never really convinced in this tournament. There was a slow tempo to their play, and too many key players like Eden Hazard did not hit the heights they are capable of.

Argentina entered this one with a few doubts about them as well, with Lionel Messi seemingly their only source of inspiration and goals, they too needed certain players to step up. After a bright start, the Albicelestes took the lead through Higuaín finishing off a play started by Messi.

Unfortunately for the South Americans, flying winger Angel Di Maria had to come off before the half time break with a suspected thigh injury.

As Belgium huffed and puffed to get back into it, Argentina settled into more of a defensive shell as they thwarted everything the Red Devils tried. Higuaín was still dangerous on the break though, and even wrung one off the crossbar part way through the second half.

Messi, meanwhile, when not trying to avoid Marouane Fellaini's awful challenges, staged a personal duel with Belgium keeper Thibaut Courtois that the Belgian came out on top of. He was brilliant, but his team were bereft of ideas and are deservedly heading home.

Argentina, after Di Maria went off were very conservative and more interested in protecting their lead than extending it, but this was a solid, professional performance.

Netherlands 0-0 Costa Rica (Netherlands win 4-3 on PKs)

In making it to the Quarter Final stage of this tournament, and along the way taking down both Uruguay and Italy, this Costa Rica will live long in the memory. Seen as the whipping boys of Group D when the World Cup draw was made, no one saw this coming.

Going into this match against the Netherlands, many predicted that it would be a step too far for the Ticos, and in the end it proved to be, but oh how close they came.

As expected the Netherlands controlled possession throughout most of this one, but were unable to carve out many clear cut chances. Costa Rica meanwhile, were very wasteful in possession and did not want to commit too many men forward into attack as they looked to frustrate the Dutch.

The Netherlands did come closer and closer to snatching it in the second half, with great chances falling to Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben, and Wesley Sneijder. Keylor Navas, as he has been all tournament long, was scintillating in goal for Costa Rica though and repelled all that came his way.

The Netherlands looked to have won it just on the stroke of normal time when Van Persie found himself in the clear, but his shot was blocked by a defender on the line. Unfortunately the second half was marred by some pathetic diving by Robben, as he conned his way to several threatening freekicks. For a player as talented as the Bayern Munich man obviously is, it's a shame that he resorts to such behaviour.

Extra Time continued the pattern of normal time with the Dutch dominating possession and Costa Rica clinging on for dear life. With ten minutes to go though, the match finally opened up and there were some thrilling chances at both ends. Costa Rica's Marcos Urena worked himself into a great shooting position with minutes to go, only to see his shot well saved by Jasper Cillessen.

There was drama then at the other end as Sniejder smashed a delicious shot off of Navas' upright.

With time nearly expired and penalties looming, Louis van Gaal sent on Newcastle keeper Tim Krul to handle the penalty shootout, and what a job the big man did. Getting into the heads of the tired Costa Ricans, he saved two of the five penalties he faced to send the Dutch through to face Argentina.

The Netherlands will now face Argentina in what is sure to be a memorable Semi Final.

Match Day 21 - Staff Picks

Kon: Argentina 1-1 Belgium (Belgium win on PK) & Netherlands 2-0 Costa Rica
Pedro: Argentina 1-0 Belgium & Netherlands 0-1 Costa Rica
Iain: Argentina 1-0 Belgium & Netherlands 3-0 Costa Rica

Both Iain and Pedro had the correct result and score in the first match of the day, with Argentina downing Belgium 1-0. Kon incorrectly predicted a Belgium win via the shootout in that one. In the second match, both Iain and Kon expected the Netherlands to hammer Costa Rica, but the Central Americans held on until eventually losing on Penalty Kicks. So with Pedro only predicting a 1-0 defeat for the Ticos, he came the the closest to getting both results correct today.

2014 World Cup Match Day 21: Goals & Highlights

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Game 56: Argentina 1-0 Belgium

Game 57: Netherlands 0-0 Costa Rica (Netherlands 4-3 PK)

2014 World Cup Match Day 21: Preview

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The last two Quarter Finals will be played today with two intriguing match ups to look forward to.

Argentina vs. Belgium

Match Info

The first quarter final match of the day will be played at 1pm local time in Brazil.

This fixture is between two sides that met in the 1986 World Cup semi final in Argentina and Belgium. The match will take place at the 69,349 seat Estadio Nacional in Brasilia.

These two nations have faced each other four times with Argentina coming out with three wins to Belgium's one.

Prior to the tournament, a lot of writers, experts and fans like myself had Argentina and Brazil in the final. Argentina though have spluttered along doing just enough to get past seemingly inferior opposition, while relying on Lionel Messi for all of their attacking threat so far. It could also be argued that Argentina have not really had to face one of the stronger sides in the competition yet, and the jury is till very much out on how good they are as a collective. Belgium came into the tournaments as dark horses, but were largely dull and disappointing in the group stage. They had their best match of the tournament though against the US and if they play anything like they did in that match they will cause Argentina problems on the break.

Players to Watch

Anyone with even the smallest passing interest in the beautiful game could tell you that Argentina will only go as far as Lionel Messi can take them. He is critical to their progression in this tournament, as too few of his teammates have really performed this far. As for Belgium, keep an eye out for Romelu Lukaku. The forward looked hopeless in Belgium's first two group matches and was actually dropped for the there last match against Korea. With a point to prove though he hopped off the bench against the US in the Round of 16 and led his side to victory with a storming cameo. If he plays a part against Argentina, I see them having a lot of difficulty with the Chelsea forward.

Netherlands vs. Costa Rica

Match Info

The second match of the day will be played at 5pm local time in Brazil.and will feature the Group Winners from groups D and B.

The match will take place at 50,000 capacity Arena Fonte Nova in the historic city of Salvador.

These two nations have never met in International competition.

Unlikely Quarter Finalists Costa Rica have already exceeded all expectations in reaching this point. For them to become the first nation from CONCACAF to make it to the Semi Finals of the World Cup since the USA in 1930 they'll have their work cut out for them. After defying the so-called experts and winning their group, they got by Greece in the Round of 16 by virtue of a penalty shootout. Although the Netherlands struggled to a last gasp 2-1 come from behind win against Mexico in the Round of 16, the Dutch have been the form side of this tournament. The European side will be heavy favourites to progress, but Costa Rica have been the surprise side of the tournament and you have to wonder if they have one last surprise up their sleeve.

Players to Watch

Costa Rica's Bryan Ruiz has made those of us that watched him struggle at Fulham realize what the West London club saw in him in the first place. He's been terrific and will need to be so again to lead his country to the last four. For the Netherlands, the seemingly ageless Arjen Robben has been one of the players of the tournament and will be looked on to open up the Ticos back line.

Match Day 21 - Staff Picks

Kon: Argentina 1-1 Belgium (Belgium win on PK) & Netherlands 2-0 Costa Rica
Pedro: Argentina 1-0 Belgium & Netherlands 0-1 Costa Rica
Iain: Argentina 1-0 Belgium & Netherlands 3-0 Costa Rica