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| Important safety tip: Never do this ever |
1. Pragmatism in Motion
Both the U.S. and the Germans played extremely cautiously today – befitting two teams needing only a draw to advance. The slick pitch in Recife seemed to take the edge off the American game plan, as the ball just seemed to run away from them on every touch and made any sort of a transition attack difficult. The Germans, meanwhile, played incredibly slowly and took very few risks, not wanting to let their slow backline get exposed. After they got the goal, the Germans basically didn't do anything. It didn't make for the most attractive game, but it is a results-oriented business and nothing going on down in Brasilia made any more urgency necessary. I'll take a 0:1 loss under the circumstances. Bring on the Belgians, but we best be careful what we wish for ... then again, a number of the Belgians said they would much prefer playing the U.S. instead of the Germans, so maybe it's they who need to be careful what they wish for.
2. Thank You for Imploding
Fortunately for the U.S., Ghana was bound and determined to self-destruct. Boateng and Muntari being sent home – one apparently for verbally abusing the coach, the other a Ghanian FA executive – was the last in a series of divisive, behind-the-scenes issues. The Black Stars were very flat against Portugal, and probably should've been down more than 1:0 at the half. Then again, it was probably appropriate that they were losing because they had scored upon themselves. Gyan's lovely header (and, no doubt, hearing the score in Recife) brought about 15' of spark, but it didn't amount to anything, and then came the truly dreadful piece of goalkeeping above. It's probably not a good idea to punch the ball directly to Ronaldo in the center of the penalty area. Portugal probably should've won by even more than they did. At this point, any result other than a Ghana loss would've been entirely undeserved.
And One More Moment of Noise About Ghana ...
The Black Stars got screwed by the draw. No doubt. Honestly, after watching the mess that was on display in Groups C, E, F and H, it seems a little cruel that a team is going home that's capable of playing the way the Black Stars did v. the Germans. This team has so much talent. But, really, they did it to themselves. Almost all goals they allowed were owing to sloppy defending, particularly on set pieces. Any sort of cross was something of a harrowing experience. The future should be reasonably bright for the Black Stars, who followed up 2010's successes by fielding one of the youngest sides in Brazil and they didn't appear to have missed that much of a step. But obviously, there are politics and backroom issues needing to be dealt with. Half the team seemed to be playing to win today, the other half seemed to be playing to get someone fired. It's obviously a big mess, and it's doubtful they currently have people in charge who can clean it up.
3. If it's Belgium, the Game Must Be Next Tuesday
You can't read much into the Belgian performance today, given that they rested about 6-7 starters. Even so, it was probably good for them to have to play a man down the entire 2nd half, because at that point the Belgians had to actually care. This team has been the enigma of the World Cup so far. They haven't played worth a damn, yet they're 3-0. Sure, the group wasn't very good, but the Belgians had to play terrible to make those games even close, and still couldn't lose.
I don't know what to make of the U.S.-Belgium match up in the 16s. Every time I see Mertens make a run down the flank, I think the U.S. will be in trouble. Every time I see him flub a cross, I think the U.S. will be just fine. The Belgians have tremendous midfielders, but the final third has been a wreck, and you can find holes in that defense if you stay away from Kompany. The Belgians positively mauled the U.S. last summer in a friendly, but they seem to have lost that edge and that attitude they carried. They certainly look beatable. If I were the U.S., I would try to get on them early, that's for sure. The Red Devils have so many players on their bench that they can just wear you out with their numbers. Fortunately, I think the U.S. conserved some energy today, because the Belgian starters will be well-rested and I suspect both sides will want to play very, very fast.
4. Outfoxed
I don't think they have much of a chance against Germany, nor do I know what they will try to do in the game, but Algeria will almost certainly come up with a solid game plan. This is a savvy team, well-coached and well-prepared, and they've shifted shapes repeatedly in this tourney to suit their opposition. First they pack it in and frustrate the Belgians, then they explode against the woful Korean defense. They definitely know how to get results. The Fennec Foxes also helped bring some respect back to African football after the Ghanian collapse and the Greek tragedy that was the Côte d'Ivoire the other day. They will make the Germans work for it, I suspect.
And Now Some Moments of Noise ...
Portugal gets some props for still playing hard. The tournament basically ended for them in the first game, when they got blown up by the Germans. They were old, slow, beat up, and they really struggled to keep pace in the heat. That they took four points from the last two games was commendable, and definitely a bit surprising. Without a healthy Ronaldo, this team isn't much to speak of, of course, and even Ronaldo at about 60% was good for a brilliant play to save the game vs. the U.S. and a pretty dominant display v. Ghana. (He probably should've had a hat trick.) The Portuguese seem to spend too much time watching Ronaldo. On more than one occasion, guys differed to him, waiting for him to make a play instead of making it themselves. This team needs a pretty big overhaul. Bento insists he will not resign as coach, but they've struggled pretty badly when it comes to qualifications in the last few years. Unlike Messi, Ronaldo is clearly human, and he ran out of miracles in Brazil.
It does not take much to explain where the problems with South Korea lie. Behold the first goal they allowed v. Algeria over the weekend:
What the shit was that?
And here are the Fennec Foxes running a 4-on-7 break. Count the number of statues dressed in red:
Like I say, it is not too hard to see where the problem is with this team. They got caught flat footed and ball watching again today vs. the Belgians. The Korean defense needs a lot of help. Then again, they could not find a goal v. a 10-man Belgian JV today, so the offense is not in great shape, either. Oh boy.
Speaking of the offense not being in great shape, Russia's attack verged on completely dysfunctional at times during this World Cup. Cappello has been given the keys to the Russian program between now and 2018, and his focus should definitely be up front. They were well-organized and defended stoutly, but couldn't score a lick. It might also help to upgrade the goalkeeping. Along the howler of a goal v. the Koreans, Akinfeev flapped pretty badly at the Algerian equalizer today. Considering that they only conceded three goals in three games, those goalkeeping errors undid a lot of good work by the defense.
There were times these past couple of weeks where it seemed the Russians were far more busy planning for 2018 than paying attention to 2014. In terms of logistics, I suspect the 2018 World Cup will come off relatively well. Unlike the white elephants in Manaus and Brasilia, all of the facilities being built in Russia are infrastructure improvements the Russian game can genuinely use. It's definitely a bit strange trying to prepare yourself to host a World Cup, however. You just don't have enough meaningful games in the build-up, and it's really hard to judge your side. I would imagine Cappello will keep going young here as Euro 2016 qualifying begins, but the Russians don't have a whole much success on which to build. Good challenge for a coach, though. Let's see if the Russian FA will show some patience and let Cappello attempt to craft a formidable side.
