World Cup 2014 Other Teams Thread

That's going from 80 to 8, no? We had a bad WC. Everyone but Germany had one in the last 10 years. Unless you expect a huge decline in the next years, we still have some of the best clubs outside the big leagues and decent academies. Regardless, if there exist problems with our youth system, then we can only think about solving them. I was neither too confident before the WC nor am I that defeatist now. Germany is the perfect example of how to go from decadence in 2000 to being the best in 2014.

 

This is what happens when your federation focuses on the success of the national team rather than the league.

You build up your own talent and look what happens. Not only is their national team great, but the league has over taken the EPL.

All the FPF care about is Benfica, Porto, and Sporting, and marketing Cristiano.

To me, if a foreign player cap and more money pumped into the academy system slightly hinders Porto/Benfica's ability to compete in the UCL, so be it. It'll create a stronger league and Seleção.

But alas, only PDC and Benfica have power in Portuguese soccer.

Benfica (finally) and Sporting are focusing/trusting their Portuguese talent, and even still my Puerto will win the league. I won't complain when/if we do, but it's frustrating to an extent. It's embarrassing that our coaching speech's and directions are probably done in Spanish.

 

Angry white men? I guess you don't consider people of Mediterranean stock to be white. That is fine though, because I don't want to be classified in the same group of American red necks from the south of U.S.A.

Anyway, back on topic, we should humbly admit our mistakes and learn from it and learn from the success of Germany. However, we should not put ourselves beneath anyone. Portuguese needs to get rid of that pessimistic, beta attitude first. So don't see Germany as a unbeatable team.

 

On the contrary, they lost 4 tournaments in a row, and one was a WC at home. The lesson to take from them is that you must persevere. Netherlands was terrible in 2012. Look at them now.

 

Completed passes this tournament

Manuel Neuer: 244
Lionel Messi: 242

 

Maradona's thoughts on Messi winning the Golden Ball.
http://screamer.deadspin.com/marado...source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

LOL.

 

So who should have won it? Mueller?

If Mueller, then give it to the whole German squad too

 

Robben or James Rodríguez.

 

Robben if he spent less time flailing would be one for me.

James. What a stud

I mean a case could also be made for Neymar. He carries Brazil until he gets his back broken Bane-Batman style and then suddenly Brazil collapses inwardly.

 

Apparently a reporter called Gotze the German Messi. He responded "no, I want to be the Cristiano Ronaldo of Germany."

It's on twitter, but you never know if these things are true.

 

James Rodriguez of course should have won.

Anyway, has anybody mentioned Mourinho's analysis of the game? I think he's spot on:

http://www.abola.pt/nnh/ver.aspx?id=489209
"Passando ao ataque, Mourinho questionou a opção tática do selecionador argentino, Alejandro Sabella, quando este decidiu colocar Sergio Aguero para o lugar de Ezequiel Lavezzi, ao intervalo.

«Gostaria de saber porque Lavezzi ficou no balneário ao intervalo. A Argentina estava a jogar com duas linhas de quatro jogadores, com Enzo Pérez a marcar Phillipp Lahm, e Lavezzi a fazer o mesmo do outro lado. Uma vez que estavam tão compactos, Messi não tinha de correr quando defendia, e assim, quando tinha a bola, tinha a energia para fazer a diferença. Quando Sabella colocou Aguero em campo, a Argentina passou de um 4-4-2 para um 4-3-3, perdendo muito equilíbrio. Messi teve de correr muito mais depois da saída de Lavezzi. A equipa perdeu energia – a energia de que precisava no prolongamento», explicou. "

Argentina lost the MF after that sub and Argentina lost the edge they had shown in the 1st half. Messi in particular almost completely disappeared. If he wanted Aguero in the game he should have done a straight swap for Higuain who was clearly overwhelmed by the situation and crapped his pants.

 

I would vote for James as well. I understand Mourinho's critics, but it's true that Aguero's entrance worked for a while. He wanted to solve the match before ET. And they had chances to do so.

 

This is the area where I think LFV is trumping PDC. Porto and Benfica's models of buying and selling foreign talent isn't sustainable and Benfica know this. There is simply way too much variance and risk involved. There' a reason Benfica got to the UEFA Youth League final. I expect them to be contributing heavily to the NT in a few years time.

 

Germany and Spain NTs shows how much of an advantage it is to have players that play on the same team play for your NT. Portugal will allways be at a disadvantage because as soon as our young players start playing well, they get sold.

 

Messi had some dangerous chances but his fans are looking pretty silly right now - the gap between their praise and what he did is embarrassing.

 

An example that can only be replicated in a handful of countries and unfortunately, Portugal is not one of them. Their system consisted of creating a national program that all clubs follow. The approach towards youth would be no different at Bayern Munich or Hoffenheim. Simultaneously, each academy was to provide their academy players with education that met high requirements, unlike most academies around the world tend to do. They made the priority of "school first, then football". So not only were they breeding great athletes, they were breeding well-educated men. The two tend to go together very well, as we've been able to directly see.

No teams in Portugal aside from the Big 3/Braga could ever afford a system like this. Each German club pays a significant amount of money to keep the system in place, as it logically would require. Portugal is not wealthy enough to compete with these other countries. It's a sad reality but one that can hopefully help manage expectations next time around. As time goes on, the countries that DO have the financial means to copy this system, will, ensuring that the usual suspects will continue to win tournaments. I see Germany winning a few more titles in the near future.