2014 FIFA World Cup™ Semi-Finals: Netherlands vs Argentina| Wednesday, Jul 9, 4:00 PMET

You'd really need to appreciate chess then.

 

Quite the condescending, arrogant attitude you got there... I'm a neutral, and I know plenty about futbol. And I'm definitely not a hater... And I can unequivocally state that this match was booooooooriiiiing!
And I've seen quite a few nil-nil matches that were entertaining as hell, no goals were need it to make them entertaining. This one was not it.

 

I am missing something, either Dutch news is behind or I ignored someone who said something to be noticed.

What did v.Gaal and Robben say ?
Id read about the remark about Romero, the guy is class indeed.

 

I haven't heard anything from gaal but robben did say Argentina have no chance in the final.. I'm not gonna say anything because at the end of the day...it is what it is.

 

Van Gaal said sth along the lines that he taught Romero how to save penalties, but he was only joking and it was taken out of context. He actually praised Romero.

Robben said we have no chance.

 

Romero even went to thank van gaal either way...robben is bitter and who wouldn't, getting beat by an average team just like Belgium... Sarcasm

 

Ah, I got it now. It appears Robben actually said it.
It is one thing to say 'I think Germany are the favorite' , fine by me.
Saying 'Argentina doesn't stand a change' is sour and leaves a very bad impression.

 

It's just sour, there's really no need for that

 

Robben is an idiot He always has been one. He doesn't know how to win or to lose.
All you need is to look at his prancing around vs Spain. Imagine Germany doing that vs Brazil
And he can make you hate an entire team despite that team being filled with decent guys. Well him and RVP are equally bad

 

Van Gaal’s comment about teaching Romero how to take PKs was made in jest during a press conference immediately after the shootout. Van Gaal said as much when asked to expand on the comment on the very next question. Van Gaal had nothing but praise for his old goal keeper.

Speaking of class, rather than continuing to rub salt into our open wounds why don’t you enjoy the
moment and look forward toward the Germans?

 

I agree to a certain extent about Germany-Brazil, but watching very skilled players take advantage of Brazil's terrible spacing and tactics was entertaining to me because we don't get to see that often with two teams of this level. It was not just the goals for me but how ruthless the Germans were in taking advantage that made it entertaining. But after twenty minutes, it began to look almost sad...

The Argentina - Netherlands match was actually a well played very tactical match, and much more typical at this level, but that does not mean that even football experts have to see the entertainment value in it. Offensively, there simply was not much to get excited about. There is nothing wrong with anyone saying it was boring, in my opinion, even if I or you did not think so. And please note that this is from someone who would buy a ticket just to watch Messi kick it about before the match. We tend to love Argentine #10s where I am from!

One last thing, for me because I grew up watching the Maldinis and Cannavaros of the word, I jumped out of my chair screaming when Mascherano made that perfect tackle. But not everyone finds such things entertaining, and I think that is just fine.

 

I have no idea where or when Robben supposedly said what is commented on here.
I asume a scewered translation once again. In the interviews i have seen he was gracefull.

 

Of course fans of either side have to defend their team ^^. Understandable. It was still shit as a neutral viewer. Why? Because you can also when you have the ball play fast and offensively then the other team can counterattack....so many possibilities. I want to see that in a semi final. Even Brazil had a lot of chances and tried everything they could.

 

It was both, a tactical masterpiece and a bit boring.

 

If you're going to bring up doping, you might as well recall every medal ever won by a Warsaw Pact nation (some western ones also), pretty much all top 25 or so finishers of almost all past bicycle races....and a whole bunch of other stuff.

 

If a tactical masterpiece consists of both teams concentrating on shutting down the opposition, especially the main threat, then this was it.

One could also look at this game as a disappointment as both teams concentrated so much on the above, that neither played to their own strengths. It led to a boring game to watch with minimal creativity, with most of it spent watching defenders pass to each other.

 

Actually, a tactical masterpiece would mean that not only did you shut down the opponents main threat and stop them creating chances....but that you also exploited the oppositions weaknesses when going forward (whether that be with build up or counter attack)....and ultimately won the game in regulation time. That is not what happened.

It doesn't surprise me that most of the people lauding this as a fantastic tactical game...are fans of the team that advanced. Their team is in the final of a WC, and thus the elation has removed some objectivity.

 

My tactical masterpiece assessment would be similar to yours. That's why i started my first sentence with "If". Some people have a different definition.

For me, this game was a defensive tactical match, which severely lacked the offensive creativity to make it a total tactical masterpiece. Guys like Macherano and Vlaar shined defensively. Nobody else stood out in this stalemate.

 

This is what the Italians did so perfectly in 2000. Without the winning it all part in the final. But I admired their performances back then. Deserved the title a tiny bit more than the French with Zidane in his peak time, imho. Catenaccio can be beautiful.

What you described, would be a tactical masterpiece from one team. What we saw was a tactical masterpiece from both sides. Hence, no (major) mistakes or weaknesses and eventually no goals.

 

Perhaps you didn't comprehend my post or what it was in response to.. Did you miss the part where I said that a nil-nil match can be very entertaining? Where in my post did I imply that a high scoring match is the only measure of a good match?... Am sorry you're offended, but this was a boring match. And like I told your countryman, it's condescending and arrogant and simply dumb to dismiss those who found it boring as being "haters" or "neutrals who don't know a thing about football".