"...it is the toughest day of my life. This is like a kick in the face. I have no more energy for anything." Diego Maradona :(
about 3 hours ago via web
How sweet of Fran. I'm feeling pretty low myself after the game on Saturday. But we gave our best, like we always do. Sometimes we play poorly, sometimes we don't, sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. But we always try hard. :o)
Maradona's lack of tactics was the main reason for the result. He doesn't seem to be a good manager. Plus Germany had more enthusiasm and energy. They also played far better than Argentina. They passed the ball really well. Germany could win the World Cup playing like that.
Maradona's lack of tactics was the main reason for the result. He doesn't seem to be a good manager. Plus Germany had more enthusiasm and energy. They also played far better than Argentina. They passed the ball really well. Germany could win the World Cup playing like that.
I agree with you on every sencence but the second and part of the third. I was the first person complaining when Maradona became our coach, but after this World Cup, I think he's done a great job. We nearly didn't make it to the World Cup at all. He arrived when the team was utter shit. Nobody gave two cents for us. And we finished among the top 8. We lost only one game out of five and played a much more interesting football than most teams out there (and I'm not the only one who thinks this). He has a very special relationship with the players and gives them a kind of motivation no other coach has managed to convey in years. I think that if he's able to allow some self-criticism (which, considering his personality, is not an easy task at all), he should remain our coach and we might win the next cup. We've got the players, we've got the motivation, we just need to reinforce the tactical scheme. As for enthusiasm, no European team can match Latin American teams when it comes to enthusiasm and passion.
Germany is way more disciplined and organised (they're like a machine, it's very impressive), and is a far better team as a whole, and German players are physically stronger by far than any Latin American player (perhaps that's what you mean by energy?). I'm not too fond of the way Europeans play football, but I think it's the best team in the Cup, notoriously. But enthusiasm and passion? The only team with those qualities left in the competition is Uruguay, no doubt about it.
And I, being Latin American, believe that passion is the most imoprtant thing in football. It's what makes this sport entertaining, so I'm really hoping Uruguay wins the Cup, though I know it's a long shot. Vamos La Celeste!!! :o)
I don't like Maradona. At all. He has no plan B either. Plan A wasn't working, but he didn't change anything. Messi was useless the whole World Cup, which was a shame because I like Messi. Look at Spain, when things weren't working they made the change with Fabregas and they looked so much better. In my opinion, Germany, Spain and Holland have been the best teams at this World Cup by far. Spain to win, and I think they will. If not Spain, then Holland. Go Europe! :) I know what it's like to watch your own team get thrashed by Germany as they did it to England too. *hugs* Well, at least we scored 2 goals. :P lol
Sorry. Can't agree on your passion statement. Argentina just gave up against Germany. The players just stopped playing. Germany were much more enthusiastic, passionate and had more energy. In that I mean they ran more, and played with a much higher tempo.
I don't like Maradona. At all. He has no plan B either. Plan A wasn't working, but he didn't change anything. Messi was useless the whole World Cup, which was a shame because I like Messi. Look at Spain, when things weren't working they made the change with Fabregas and they looked so much better. In my opinion, Germany, Spain and Holland have been the best teams at this World Cup by far. Spain to win, and I think they will. If not Spain, then Holland. Go Europe! :) I know what it's like to watch your own team get thrashed by Germany as they did it to England too. *hugs* Well, at least we scored 2 goals. :P lol
Err... Messi is always useless when he plays for the national team. That wasn't a surprise and didn't start with Maradona as a coach. :oP
Spain have no football passion whatsoever, which was perfectly clear in the game against Chile. You can't honestly say a team that plays just speculating with results has shown the best football. It's just not true. Or maybe you enjoy a team that spends a quarter of the game passing the ball on their own field... Spain is the most overrated team in history (although it does have some great players, like Iniesta, Casillas or Xavi). Made it through the round of 4 thanks to an offside goal (in case you mention Tévez's offside goal against Mexico, we scored two more, Spain didn't), and then in the game against Paraguay was conceded a penalty kick thanks to Villa's outstanding acting skills. Bad referees is all it takes. Spain is not bad, but lacks attitude. I think Germany is far better, and if they play like they've been playing until now, they should beat Spain.
Holland, on the other hand, is pretty good too, but they need a proper number 9. This was evident in the game against Brazil. They reached the area and just stood there, looking confused, waiting for a Brazilian to take the ball from them. Wtf??
Germany is evidently the best European team, whether it wins the cup or not.
Uruguay is not in a good shape after the game on Friday, so I think beating Holland is going to be very, very hard. However, if the world was a fair place (!!), the final should be between the most passionate team (Uruguay) and the best team football-wise (Germany).
And at least we won four games and made it to the top 8! :oP *Hugs*
Sorry. Can't agree on your passion statement. Argentina just gave up against Germany. The players just stopped playing. Germany were much more enthusiastic, passionate and had more energy. In that I mean they ran more, and played with a much higher tempo.
*hugs*
The second goal came when Argentina was playing better, so it was very demoralising for the team (and then the third... and the fourth...), but we never stopped trying, even if we played awfully. And yes, Germany ran more and had a much higher tempo, because that's what Germans do. It's not our way of playing football, never was. So don't even bother trying to compare Argentinian players to Germans on that matter, because they are much more physically fit than us, and are ready to run a lot. We play a different football. I'm not talking about this particular game but in general. Running a lot has never been our style: it's Europe's style. I'm glad we're not copying Europe's football, or else we wouldn't have our finest players: Maradona, Messi, Tévez, Riquelme, Pastore, Palermo...
But more passion??? Not in a million years. ;o)
All over the world people hate Maradona and think things will be solved if he leaves. The hell they will. We were crap before Maradona, and he got us to the top eight. People can see that, despite "successist" Argentinian journalists and despite the world trashing Maradona. That's why 10000 people went to the airport to welcome the national team yesterday and to ask Maradona to stay as our coach. We support our team in good times and bad times. And we know they did their best and gave everything of themselves... that's what passion is about. :o)
If Messi is always useless for Argentina, why does Maradona play him? Seems like stupid management to me. You'd be better off with another manager in my opinion.
Spain are far more entertaining to watch than Argentina, in my personal opinion. They pass the ball beautifully. No team in the world currently sums up "the beautiful game" as well as Spain. They play the game properly. The penalty was the correct decision. He was clearly fouled. The referee disallowed the penalty because of players encroaching. Proved by television replays that it happened on the re-take too but it wasn't allowed to be re-taken again. Oh and, seconds after the penalty was missed, Fabregas was clearly hacked down by the keeper. That was a definite penalty but it wasn't given... ;)
But hey ho, it's not been a great World Cup anyway in my opinion. And I'm looking forward to watching a match where people in the crowd actually sing! lol
If Messi is always useless for Argentina, why does Maradona play him? Seems like stupid management to me. You'd be better off with another manager in my opinion.
Spain are far more entertaining to watch than Argentina, in my personal opinion. They pass the ball beautifully. No team in the world currently sums up "the beautiful game" as well as Spain. They play the game properly. The penalty was the correct decision. He was clearly fouled. The referee disallowed the penalty because of players encroaching. Proved by television replays that it happened on the re-take too but it wasn't allowed to be re-taken again. Oh and, seconds after the penalty was missed, Fabregas was clearly hacked down by the keeper. That was a definite penalty but it wasn't given... ;)
But hey ho, it's not been a great World Cup anyway in my opinion. And I'm looking forward to watching a match where people in the crowd actually sing! lol
Messi needs to work out some personality issues. It's not like he's a shit player, he's the best fucking player in the world. Like I said, he has personality issues and he should work them out with a psycologist or something. And yes, Messi is not a player to be playing so back in the field, totally agree. But I guess Argentinians see things differently than the rest of the world. We know our team and our players best. And certainly know our coach best.
Well, like I said, I'm not fond of European football. I'm more into dribbles than long shots. Spain play very simmilar to Barça without Messi... I guess that's where the fun and the "magic" is lost for me... There's no such thing as "properly". Obviously you think the way Europe plays football is properly. I don't like European football. It's a matter of taste, not of what's right and wrong.
And no, it was not clearly foul. The Paraguayan player was too far from Villa to make contact. It's not like he didn't try, but he was so far from Villa that he couldn't even pull his jersey. The reff obviously wasn't as certain as you are either, because if he had been, he would have sent the Paraguayan player off. Villa could have scored if he had wanted to do so, but he rathered fake a foul to get a penalty just because Paraguay had been given one just before. That's another example of attitude problems I see in Spain. And yes, it was a clear penalty for Spain when Villar fouled Fábregas... but considering the whole play was just a gift to Spain, it wouldn't have happened anyway if the reff had made the right decision in the first place.
Haha, I know what you mean. I can't wait to stop hearing the vuvuzelas every time I turn the tv on. :oP
Although in some Argentina games I was able to actually listen to the fans, haha.
I think we should leave this here. It's a Fran's Twitter thread and we'll have to agree on disagreeing anyway. :oP
