Match 6 | Algeria vs. Slovenia | June 13 | PbP and Post (Page 23)

From a tactical point of view, Greece and Algeria are illiterate.

That was pretty awesome. I wonder how he got up there (both physically and without anyone noticing).

We want to win both matches. We don't want 2nd place going out of this group.

After watching this game i can't wait to watch england hammer algeria, i can see it being 5/6-0, imo england didn't play bad against USA i think they are better than people give them credit for and we really did attack them second half should of won 2 or 3-1.

I will laugh my ass off, when Slovenia will pass in second round.

Why? People aren't saying Slovenia can't go through to the round of 16, its obviously possible. I say there's like a 50-50 chance of U.S. or Slovenia passing or maybe 55% for the U.S. just because we need a tie against Slovenia and I'm pretty sure we'll beat Algeria, and if we do that, we go on.

The U.S has been an unpredictable team. When we are up, we probably down later on. In 2002, we shocked the world when beating Portugal 3-2, but then lost miserably 0-3 to Poland. What I am saying is, don't underestimate Algeria, or we will end up like against Poland, after a really good match (v. Portugal and now v. England).

Slovenia does not calculate! Slovenia says YOU SHALL NOT PASS, let it be England or USA or ALGERIA.....!

Actually by the comments in the community i wonder why would Slovenia even bother to play this match???

Some of the Algerian players are good on the ball. However, they are terrible with their heads. By heads I mean brains. They are an athletic group without much general intelligence. They make boneheaded plays more consistently then they conjure up attacks.

This made me confident that they'll struggle with the US. The US are an intelligent side with loads of athleticism. Algeria doesnt have the players to match up with the US wingers Donovan and Demspey, and they'll struggle with Michael Bradley. Bougherra nearly gave Slovenia a penalty, and he'll be matched up with a highly motivated Altidore who has the feet and strength to put Bougherra in trouble. Algeria's #9 is an absolute brainless moron. Hopefully he'll get the start against the US.

I generally gave Algeria more credit than most heading into this tournament. I have seen Egypt play several times including the US 3-0 victory in South Africa last year, and Algeria were extremely fortunate to beat that team because Egypt is certainly better.

The only way that Algeria beats or ties the US is if they come into the game eliminated from the tournament (which will likely be the case), are motivated to get a result against the "Great Satan", and the US team completely packs it in for the game. Algeria simply are not good enough to beat this US team when both sides are showing their best football.

Of course that stands if both play their best football. We clearly haven't today, and I think Algeria also played very nervously. It was a first game at the WC for all the players on the field, however, and also the grass was weird. I certainly do hope Slovenia plays better next time ...

As you well said, Algeria does have some technically good players, the problem certainly is in their heads. I wouldn't say they are morons, just that they clearly lack organisation and holding their temper ... But I wouldn't dare to claim that they will go home with 0 points. Clearly it is possible, but not neccessary. They are not that bad.

If they get down a goal against the US, I would expect a red card and maybe even an injury to one of the US midfielders. Algeria have little control of their emotions and they play dirty. You probably saw the shoulder that an Algerian player delivered to the face of one of your defenders. They werent even down at that point yet.

^ dirty my ass, the slovenian player walked into that shoulder. If you try to reply to this by bringing up the playoff game against Egypt in which we played aggressive, dont bother, it was 4 days after their fans attacked our players, any team would've played like that

We lost this game because of mental mistakes and a bad bounce by the ball. Also, number 9, Ghezzal is a DUMBASS.

I've seen that allright, and I did admit they have a problem with their temper, I'm just saying they're good enough to take a point form USA or England, not very likely, but also far from impossible.

No it wouldn't. And Šuler didn't walk into that shoulder either. That was a clear foul for the card.

Some of you will notice that some posts have disappeared and be well aware of the reasons why. In future please keep politics out of these threads, ignorant and ill-informed stereotyping especially

Re: Match 6 | Algeria vs. Slovenia | June 13 | PbP Thread

Well, about these new Slovenian shirts: There was an old slavic god called Triglav, (directly translated Threehead), and the highest Slovenian mountain (which has three peaks, really) was named after him. We are of course an Alpine country, so our people decided to put that mountain in our coat of arms, and somehow that part of the coat of arms found it's way to our football shirts ...

But I do admit it, when I saw the presentation, Charlie Brown was the first thing that came to my mind .

The announcer mentioned that the turf was a mixture of synthetic turf woven in with real grass. 1st WC game on synthetic turf (mix). This may have caused a few problems as these type of fields seem to be rare.

Terrible game to watch for any neutral. At least France-Uruguay featured some great defending and quality scoring chances. This game had the defending down, but it's tough to say if that was more indicative of defensive strength or inept attacking.

I agree that we can't underestimate Algeria or Slovenia (especially based on this one game alone), but 2002 was 8 years ago, and this is an entirely different situation. That said, I'd actually be a lot more confident of a win over Algeria if we don't beat Slovenia.

There was already a draw in this group, so 6 points would guarantee advancement (no way for 3 teams to have 6 or more points). We need to beat Slovenia. A tie, and the Algeria game is a must win and we'd need to rely on England to beat Slovenia. A loss, and we have to compete with England for that 2nd spot.

Here's a quick and dirty analysis of the two teams, and what I think it means for the USMNT (because let's face it, at least half the people on here are US fans).

Algeria
-Saadane had a definite veteran strategy going into the match, and it almost worked. He started the match playing both his defending and midfield lines deep, looking for the quick counter, but definitely not looking to give anything away cheaply. Algeria played like this for probably the first twenty minutes, and I think Saadane's intent was clear: play settled football, don't mess around, don't give up a goal early. It worked. It was interesting, because their shape was all over the place, completely unbalanced. It was clear they were not used to playing like this.
-Once Algeria started loosening up and going forward more, they were tactically better formed, and especially in the second half they started picking out holes in the Slovenian defense.
-They play a 3-5-2, NOT a 4-4-2 like some analysts are claiming. The centerbacks were Bougherra on the right, Halliche in the middle, and Yahia on the left. Belhadj played his usually left wingback position, and played almost exactly as he does at Portsmouth, making vertical runs all the way down the flank, then cutting in near the box (instead of staying wide). Ziani had freedom to move forward, as he was playing with two holding mids; I did see Yebda make a few runs late. Bougherra made a few runs from his centreback position; it looks like Saadane didn't want a two-centerback pairing for the fact that Bougherra would then have to concentrate completely on defending.
-Algeria is the tactical Anti-England, with their midfielders moving all over the field. This can cause defenses alot of problems (their own defense included). It was interesting to watch them play such a tactically disciplined Slovenian team, basically an Anti-Algeria.
-If Algeria could have gotten their heads properly on a few crosses, it could have been a different outcome. They got free headers twice.
-Ghezzal is an idiot. Is he out for the US game as well? In any case, if he had not completely stopped Algeria's momentum, I think they would have put a goal in late to win it. They got more dangerous as the game wore on.

Slovenia
-A standard 4-4-2, pretty tactically disciplined with a generally good shape. A pretty straight counterattacking team, they had trouble holding possession; I was surprised how poor their passing was.
-Reminded me of the USMNT in many ways, but they seemed less skilled and less athletically gifted. Had trouble defending crosses into their penalty area. Suler looked pretty bad on a couple of plays, Djebbour's speed seemed to give him problems, and he obviously made the terrible mistake that almost allowed Ziani to score.
-For a primarily defensive-oriented team, they backline seemed pretty shaky. Their strikers did not seem to be on the same page. They also didn't seem particularly creative, and the goal was a gift.

How the USMNT can exploit them, and who should play against them
-Against Algeria, I think we'll need to play them pretty much like we played Turkey in the second half. Torres behind Bradley, Donovan helping Cherundolo out on Belhadj, strong discipline on defense, and a strong presence in the air when the inevitable crosses come in from the flanks. Algeria didn't seem to go through the middle as much, which is good, since this presents problems for the US defense. Offensively, Findley paired with Altidore. Bougherra could hang with either one, but there's only one of him, and I don't think Halliche and Yahia are athletic enough to get the other guy. I think the key is to contain Belhadj, and not given up any cheap free kicks, as he is pretty deadly. I was not impressed with Ziani.
-Against Slovenia, I think Torres will once again be the right guy in the center of the park behind Bradley, because they don't seem to have particularly athletic CMs that might give him problems. The Black Drogba at forward alongside Altidore, since we may not need a speed element to stretch them, and we need taller guys in the middle to try to exploit their center halves on crosses. The Black Drogba is also used to the Jabulani ball, having played with it during the MLS season, so adjusting to crosses will be easier for him. This may be the right game for Spector to play in at RB, since Kirm doesn't seem particularly technical on the wing. Of course Spector's accurate crossing will be helpful, given Slovenia's system. I also see this as a reason Holden could play a big part in the game. If there were a game where Dempsey would start at forward, this would be the one.

Algerian and Slovenian bosses unhappy with pitch, World Cup ball

Algeria coach Rabah Sadaane and his Slovenian counterpart Matjaz Kek both slammed the semi-artificial pitch at the Peter Mokabe stadium in Polokwane following their World Cup Group C clash Sunday. The match was decided by a single goal on 79 minutes when Robert Koren hit a tame shot that bounced over an embarrassed Algerian keeper Faouzi Chaouchi into the Algerian goal.

Sadaane, however, put part of the goalkeeping error and the general poor standard of play down to a combination of pitch and the controversial Jabulani ball, a view echoed by Kek. 'I think that the ball and the turf caused problems for both teams, it was very difficult to control,' said Sadaane. 'All the players, including the goalkeeper said after training yesterday that the ball seems to go very quickly in the air and when it hits the ground,' said Saadane.

Slovenian captain and goalscoring hero Koren also had harsh words for the Polokwane pitch and the official World Cup ball 'There have been a lot discussions about the ball. It is difficult to control the ball when making long passes and the goalkeepers are having problems,' he said. 'The turf is very fast which led to some mistakes.'

Kek was also forthright in his criticism of the playing surface, comparing it to the artificial pitch his side played on when progressing at the expense of Russia in a World Cup playoff. 'I don't agree with this turf because we only got acquainted with it yesterday,' he said. 'It's not an excuse because it was the same for us and Algeria but it means a different game. We are really glad to overcome the artificial grass after our experience in Russia.'

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/n...nian-bosses-unhappy-with-pitch-World-Cup-ball

I totally agree. What FIFA official o.k.-ed an artificial pitch at a World Cup Final venue? Let alone at high altitude and with the Jabulani ball?

At halftime, I was thinking the Slovenian and Algerian teams should agree to a 10-10 draw (allow unchallenged goals) in protest to FIFA, so both were not behind the 8-ball with a 0-0 Draw.

The main thing that saved Slovenia was the red card and the sun going down.

Here are some articles:

http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/wo...won-t-die--fbintl_ro-worldcupball061310W.html

http://af.reuters.com/article/southAfricaNews/idAFLDE65C0NH20100613

http://www.skysports.com/football/world-cup-2010/story/0,27032,17367_6204746,00.html

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...efuse-to-blame-Faouzi-Chaouchi-for-gaffe.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8737775.stm

How does FIFA get much of its funds? A: Selling broadcast rights to air the matches

Who are two of the bigger revenue markets for FIFA? A: USA & England
Source: http://www.soccertimes.com/worldcup/2005/nov02.htm (ABC/ESPN paid FIFA nearly a 1/2 BILLION dollars for the rights to air the men's and women's world cup, along with the confederations cup from 2007 to 2014)

Who's interest is it that fans in the US stay glued to their sets throughout the World Cup, so they can make as much, if not more money, in the next broadcasting agreement? A: FIFA

Who were the the only teams to play at Peter Mokaba Stadium (on an artificial turf, in a warmer location in SA, at high altitude) during the day time with the Jabulani ball, making it difficult, if not downright impossible to have any flow to the match so long as the pitch stayed heated by the sun? A: Algeria and Slovenia

What group are Algeria and Slovenia in? A: In Group C with England and the USA

Did this FIFA scheme work? A: No, Slovenia got lucky, with a man advantage, and more than 50% of the pitch shaded, the ball that was designed to score more goals, could finally be brought under control by the offense: the game's only goal appeared to have more to do with the ball than the 11 vs. 10 situation. Just ask the scorer. “Every player, if he is being honest, will tell you there is something strange about the ball,” said Koren, the Slovenia captain. “It is different to what we are used to and it gives keepers a big problem – like we saw today.”

So FIFA's other scheme to get more goals during World Cup matches, and thus increase viewers (which turns into tens of millions of dollars) with the Jabulani ball, may end up interfering with their goal of getting the US to the knockout stage. And the reason for the existence of the Jabulani IS to make the World Cup more "exciting" to draw in more fans. Otherwise, they would use a normal ball.

Here is another great article:

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100614/SPORT/706139865/1173

I can't believe nobody on 30 pages of comments, noticed the ball acted like a red rubber kickball schools use. That was the reason why the match was unwatchable for 75 minutes, until the sun went down. Not that either of these teams are great.

If anyone follows tennis, they know that a warmth makes the surface faster. So, Algeria and Slovenia were playing on a fast artificial turf, with the Jabulani ball - that has a mind of its own, at nearly a mile in altitude. I've watched the Algerian team in qualifying play, they were ok team. Nothing like the US or England, of course.

In the first two minutes of the match, I knew the reason for the poor passes, that would launch like a rocket and bounce 20 feet in the air, were because of the pitch and the ball. Even soft lob passes to the players chests would bounce and fly off.

Guys you just watched the first ever FIFA World Cup match on artificial turf. And FIFA is pushing for more of it in the future.

Why are they pushing for more of it?

why have all the other games that have beeb played during the day beeb dramatically better then?
the AT had nothing to do with the amount of balls just being kicked out of bounds or also just the overall poor quality of position etc..

I dare anyone to actually read the first 7 pages of this thread, the ACTUAL PBP.

Re: Match 6 | Algeria vs. Slovenia | June 13 | PbP Thread

the pitch sucked big time. it was half artificial and it was small part of the problem and reason why the game was how it was. Bad passes and to long balls. I hope we raise our game to the level of game against russia. If we do we will win against USA. With the level of game we showed against Algeria, we have absolutely no chances at all. The players said after the game they had big stage fright and were very nervous. Wich is understandable since it was their first game ever in WC. All in all, we just HAVE TO raise our game level and show the world are true level. If we dont we gonna go home with 3 points. Wich is not that ball at all. Our players have allready satisfated their people. But we want more now, logically. Peace.