Brazil vs Germany - Confed. Cup semifinals [R]

That dive against Chelsea was a bit more than that. Carvalho did not illegal while marking Ballack, whereas Ballack fell backwards so fast it appeared that he had just suffered a terrible case of whiplash.

 

I seem to remember that Carvalho shortly held Ballack's shirt. Not for long and not nearly strong enough to fall down but replays showed that there was illegal contact. Perhaps your tv program didn't show such replays?

Anyway, after the game Ballack stated that it was a clear penalty which I found surprising and may reflect that he really felt disadvantaged by Carvallho's pulling. Ballack is not really known to make outrageous claims after games, and in fact he has acknowledged "that other referees might decide otherwise" or some such in other questionable situations.

 

It seemed to me as if Emerson's hand slightly touched Ballack's back. Probably not in a foulworthy way but it was contact of a sort. There also seemed to have been slight contact of their feet as shown by replays. The later was difficult to see without to have the right camera angle.

 

Why are Germany playing in RED?

 

Oh, I saw them. But he was holding Ballack before the ball was in the air, to keep Ballack near him (and Ballack was doing the same).
If that is a penalty, then ANY contact in the penalty area is a penalty.

Ballack can say whatever he wants, but that was never a penalty.

 

I don't recall that Ballack was actually holding too but I wouldn't exclude it. This sort of thing is all too common. Anyway, whenever a defender holds a player in the penalty area he theoretically gives the referree an excuse to call a foul. Ballack's dive against Chelsea didn't simulate the holding itself but only its force.

I think Ballack may have rationalized that by being held back by Carvalho he was in fact robbed of the chance to get away from Carvalho to reach the ball before him.

But, heh, I don't believe it deserved a penalty too. Otherwise we would've at least a dozen penalties in every match.

 

No, that red one is actually the new German away-jersey. It replaced the black away-jersey last fall after Klinsmann took office. No promotion necessary as there is no third jersey.

The black one, by the way, was introduced in 2003 to replace the traditional green kit. Good decision, I think. Never liked that green one.

Cheers

 

Ballack is a stud. Did anyone see him pointing Lehman in the right
direction on Ronaldhino's pk? That was class. Lehman followed his
cue, too, but it wasn't to be . . .

By the way, Gary Bloom on FSC said that the penalty was for Roque's
shirt-pulling on Huth? You all are saying it was for Emerson on Ballack;
which is the official call?

 

TP,

It's interesting that not too many folks realize that the Defensive starts with the Midfield.

I thought Roque played great in the 2nd half. Imvho if he progresses on this level he will be solid. He's just a whipping boy, can't win for losing. Robinho played with some real intelligence against the Germans. Kaka and Ronaldinho look tired. Why not play Renato and Juninho in their stead?

 

it was Emerson pulling Ballack, i remember the commentor sayng that was what the ref said at HT or something

 

Ballack is a ........... (I had better not swear). Stay on your feet you Son of Klinsmann.

 

LOL

 

tpmazembe,

I know you mentioned previously that you didn't want to continue rehashing the whole debate about Roque, but yours was one of the few thoughtful discussions I've read on the matter -- so here goes:

I agree with your basic premise that Brasil's strategy and playing style puts an inordinate amount of pressure on the CBs and that even defenders of Puyol, or Nesta's ilk might not be able to deal with the ensuing defensive problems significantly better than Brasil's current defensive lineup. Like you said, playing attacking football entails tradeoffs and it is incredibly unfair to blame one person for the consequences of these tradeoffs. Likewise, I don't believe that Roque lacks skill or is without his merits--far from it. For instance, he had a magnificent WC final, where he dealt with everything that was thrown
at him, or if one prefers a more a more recent example, one could take the "milimetric" pass that led to Brasil's second goal in the Confed. Cup semifinal as proof of his footballing acumen. All of this is erased and forgotten with the latest stupid goof (where we are sure our grandmother could have done better) or puerile and unnecessary foul leads to a penalty.

No. These are not the reasons I think Roque should be replaced.

There is no simple answer to the Selecao’s defensive woes--but a better “saida de bola” would go a long way. This is not a new problem, either. If one examines the matches where the critical link between the defense and midfield was put under pressure, one will find precisely the games where Brasil had the largest problems. I think the team needs a CB with more tranquility and greater ability to pass the ball, or run with it if necessary. I think Juan fits the bill (I’m sure you got a chance to see the Brasil-Mexico game in the Copa America last year) but there are other options, like Edmilson. Furthermore, I am not of the opinion that it’s a strictly defensive issue. The current Brasil side lacks a true center midfielder—someone with a wide range of passing options at his disposal, vision to distribute ball, play incisive through passes, defend when necessary and generally make the ball run rather than run with the ball--a Falcao or Gerson. I think that Alex most closely fits this requirement (though Ricardinho could also do it to a lesser extent)—he would add a lot more dimension to the Brasilian offense than Kaka, whom I like but think should not be a starter. You could stick two DMs behind the pair of Ronaldinho and Alex, one to play a role like Gilberto Silva fulfilled in the WC and another capable of either defending or attacking (like Kleberson or Renato):

==============Dida=================
==================================
========CB==========CB============
==================================
RB===========================LB====
==================DM==============
=========DM=======================
==================================
======================Alex=========
=========Ronaldinho=================
==================================
======Ronaldo=====Adriano============

Or maybe Robinho in Adriano's place comming more from behind.

 

This is probably the best post I've ever read on any site. Good job. My main concern is defense on set pieces, a problem which is to some extent a separate problem from the Quarteto system.

 

It's a shame that Alex was injured before the cup... I wonder if we will ever get to see him on the pitch with Ronaldinho.

 

I think this thread has already run its course; we should be discussing the Bra vs Arg game of today. Any other general Confed. Cup discussion should be continued on the main Confed. Cup thread of this forum.