Verbesserung (The quarterfinals, part 2)
Portugal v. England
Will this finally be the match where England plays up to their level of talent? England can certainly play better...but will they? Portugal will prove to be the toughest competition England has faced thus far in the tournament. The English side gets a lucky break since Portugal will take the pitch without Deco and Costinha in the lineup due to yellow card accumulation. That could very well prove to be the deciding factor. With 5 other players on the Portuguese side playing with yellow cards, they may have to play more cautiously to avoid getting carded again and not being able to play in the next game should Portugal advance. But, truly, this game is in and of itself so that shouldn't affect strategy much. However, it may slightly alter play enough to give England a slight advantage. That is, if they hadn't been playing so poorly all tournament. With Portugal missing players, England still waiting to hit their stride, and Owen out for the duration this could swing widely either way. With the offensive punch of both teams diminished due to cards and injuries, Rooney finds the net for the first time in this tournament and England limps along to another unimpressive but bookable 1-0 win.
Brazil v. France
Brazil was probably surprised by the tenacity of Ghana. That may explain why they seemed to be off-pace a good portion of the game. But most teams in the tournament would like to be off-pace and score 3 goals. Brazil didn't look exactly vulnerable. However, there were subtle hints during that game that may provide future opponents some tips on how to match up against this Brazilian supersquad. Ghana had a lot of success in pressing the attack. When they did let up Brazil was able to counterstrike and score. Keeping Brazil on their heels may be a key to taking down this giant. Of course, easier said than done. France seems to be gathering steam now that they have one game between their lacklustre group play. They looked quite creative against Spain and as a result pulled off a stunning 3-1 win. Unfortunately for France they will discover, as Ghana discovered, they simply don't have the guns to keep Brazil on their heels long enough to get the tallies they will need to win. Sure, Henry, Vieira and Zidane are all world class players, but there is too much softness outside of these 3 that is just waiting to be exploited by the Brazilians. Brazil doesn't appear to play like they want to win. Rather, they just know they will. Yes, they're that good.. 3-1 Brazil!
Will this finally be the match where England plays up to their level of talent? England can certainly play better...but will they? Portugal will prove to be the toughest competition England has faced thus far in the tournament. The English side gets a lucky break since Portugal will take the pitch without Deco and Costinha in the lineup due to yellow card accumulation. That could very well prove to be the deciding factor. With 5 other players on the Portuguese side playing with yellow cards, they may have to play more cautiously to avoid getting carded again and not being able to play in the next game should Portugal advance. But, truly, this game is in and of itself so that shouldn't affect strategy much. However, it may slightly alter play enough to give England a slight advantage. That is, if they hadn't been playing so poorly all tournament. With Portugal missing players, England still waiting to hit their stride, and Owen out for the duration this could swing widely either way. With the offensive punch of both teams diminished due to cards and injuries, Rooney finds the net for the first time in this tournament and England limps along to another unimpressive but bookable 1-0 win.
Brazil v. France
Brazil was probably surprised by the tenacity of Ghana. That may explain why they seemed to be off-pace a good portion of the game. But most teams in the tournament would like to be off-pace and score 3 goals. Brazil didn't look exactly vulnerable. However, there were subtle hints during that game that may provide future opponents some tips on how to match up against this Brazilian supersquad. Ghana had a lot of success in pressing the attack. When they did let up Brazil was able to counterstrike and score. Keeping Brazil on their heels may be a key to taking down this giant. Of course, easier said than done. France seems to be gathering steam now that they have one game between their lacklustre group play. They looked quite creative against Spain and as a result pulled off a stunning 3-1 win. Unfortunately for France they will discover, as Ghana discovered, they simply don't have the guns to keep Brazil on their heels long enough to get the tallies they will need to win. Sure, Henry, Vieira and Zidane are all world class players, but there is too much softness outside of these 3 that is just waiting to be exploited by the Brazilians. Brazil doesn't appear to play like they want to win. Rather, they just know they will. Yes, they're that good.. 3-1 Brazil!
posted by STB at
12:17 AM
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