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I wouldn't go that far. We should have won the WC in 1974/78 or 1998. But that French team in 1998 was truly legendary and they beat Brazil 3-0 in the final so you can't argue with that. And although Spain is much criticised these days, people will still be talking about this tiki-taka generation decades from now.
The Netherlands of 1974 and Brazil of 1982 were considered the best teams that never won an WC. They were pure magic and inspirational, their legacy still lives. If you have a chance to watch them play, it's worth it. They were so ridiculously talented and technical that it makes any modern soccer team look amateurs.
We must have seen a different game then because from my pov, Argentina barely had any real chances either. Argentina had 8 shots (5 on target) compared to 7 for the Netherlands (3 on target). Both had an equal number of corner kicks and offsides while the Netherlands slightly dominated ball possession (53%). This was probably the most even match-up I've seen this entire WC. No team deserved to win more than the other so I can live with the fact that it went to penalties. It's just a shame to miss out on the final this way.
i still think the loss of di maria was part of why this game went to PK. i hope he can recoup by sunday because without him, im not sure who's going to support mesi
i agree that this was the better game in terms of overall "balance" (but i don't think it was balanced tbh). i still think that argentina played it safe and more defensive without di maria in that line up. imo, hes helped dictate the flow of their offense. Not the best, but that argentine offense can get to you if you assume they have nothing but mesi.
i still think the loss of di maria was part of why this game went to PK. i hope he can recoup by sunday because without him, im not sure who's going to support mesi
i agree that this was the better game in terms of overall "balance" (but i don't think it was balanced tbh). i still think that argentina played it safe and more defensive without di maria in that line up. imo, hes helped dictate the flow of their offense. Not the best, but that argentine offense can get to you if you assume they have nothing but mesi.
If we're going down that route, who knows how far we would have made it if Strootman hadn't gotten injured right before the WC started. Strootman was one of only three players (Robben and Van Persie were the others) that was always guaranteed a place in the starting 11. Van Gaal was very clear about that. When he got injured, a lot of people thought we would embarrass ourselves at the WC. But there's no use in thinking "what if..." We exceeded expectations and this was a great experience for a lot of young players in this team. Now we have to look forward to Euro 2016.
I thought both played pretty well today. It was a hard fought, strategic game. What can I say, I like defensive games.
That being said, I thought Argentina and the Netherlands both looked flat today. Lackluster if that makes any sense to some of you. The teams just didn't have that spark and it's not the first time in this tournament I've thought that about either team. Brazil's play this WC has often struck me the same way.
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Originally Posted by Indyking
I don't know about that. Brazilians are all about keeping their lead in WC wins. If Germany wins they will get too close with 4 championships and tie with Italy. If Argentina wins they will get to 3 and still be 8 years away from matching with Brazil, if they win every WC for now on, that is.
See, I don't know about that either. Theirs wins will take second place to Argentina winning on their soil after that humiliating defeat. Now eventually, I think their wins will be the thing they console themselves with but it will take them awhile to get there. Prior to it will be angst and drama to rival any over the top soap opera.
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Originally Posted by EduardoFinatto
That's why it would be epic, haha. Of course it's not her fault, but it's funny how the results of the World Cup change the voting intentions. If Brazil had won, her reelection would be guaranteed.
LOL Okay that's a level of twisted I can totally appreciate. I must admit I can't quite wrap my head around a win determining the presidency. I know it's absolutely true but it's still boggling!
The ARG/NED match was pretty even. Both sides had a few chances to score. Nothing too exciting. It came down to the PKs and ARG executed on their kicks. You HAVE to score on your first PK. The best strikers need to kick first. Anyway, I was leaning for NED to win. I'm not too sure who will win the final. I want GER to be champion though. I hope it's a great match with no extra time and PKs.
If we're going down that route, who knows how far we would have made it if Strootman hadn't gotten injured right before the WC started. Strootman was one of only three players (Robben and Van Persie were the others) that was always guaranteed a place in the starting 11. Van Gaal was very clear about that. When he got injured, a lot of people thought we would embarrass ourselves at the WC. But there's no use in thinking "what if..." We exceeded expectations and this was a great experience for a lot of young players in this team. Now we have to look forward to Euro 2016.
if we went down that way... who knows how far the US team would've made it if Altidore wasnt hurt and/or Donovan was in the line up since the formation completely changed and Beasley was forced to play completely different than what he was used to play. Not saying we'd be playing Germany again but I doubt the outcome vs Portugal would've been the same.
whats happened before the WC doesn't matter. what matters is what you have DURING the WC. the dutch couldn't pull it and I felt they should've lost last round IMO.
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We exceeded expectations and this was a great experience for a lot of young players in this team. Now we have to look forward to Euro 2016.
