I don't pretend to know much, but Germany is torching the Orange Team. Honestly, I would've thought that the German side would've just hung back on D after the first goal, but they have one more (and should be up 3-0). NED can't stop the forwards from getting behind them.
The Dutch need a massive upgrade at LB. Or Willens needs to get a lot better in the next few days. Otherwise Ronaldo is going to tear him apart. That game is going to be good though. If Holland wins 2 or 3 nil they could get through, which would be crazy given then lost their first 2 games.
Haha, I was thinking the same thing as Mcmanaman. It'd be funny if Germany played for a tie, just to make sure Holland didn't go through.
Ole to Croatia! My 3 teams (Portugal, France, and Croatia) are doing pretty good. Each have a legit shot at advancing.
Spain showed their class today. It was lucky to be 1-0 at the half. Having an in form Torres is huge for them, he could be the difference in a final. With Cesc in there you have too much of the same thing, with Iniesta, Silva, Cesc and even Xavi. Lots of passing and possession, but not always the final product. Its the same issue that Barcelona has and against a a disciplined defense (see the Italy game for Spain or Chelsea vs Barca), they can have trouble with getting through that final line of defense. Spain-Croatia is going to be a good one. Croatia will be fighting for their spot in the next round and I don't see Spain changing any tactics, so it could be wide open.
Spain proves that unlike the NBA, you don't need a superstar scorer to be the best team in the world.
But it does help to have 4 of the top attacking midfielders in the world playing at the same time. I found it funny that although Torres was so bad all year and didn't play all that much at the Euros, he ended up winning the golden boot. I wanted Spain to win, but i was hoping Italy would to cut it to 2-1 just to make it more interesting for the TV crowd. Once they went to 10 men they never really had a shot. I'm just glad it didn't end up 0-0 and finish in penalties. I don't mind PKs, but I know Americans in general hate them so finishing the tournament that way wouldn't sit well here. The scary thing (to the rest of the national teams) is that Xavi (32) and Xabi Alonso (30) are the only field players over 30. Xavi may not be elite at world cup, but they'll just move Iniesta back to his preferred center mid role and replace him on the wing with Pedro or some other young (but proven) player. Or, rearrange the set up to use Villa/Torres/Llorente up top. Here's to Brazil 2014!
