The Shouting/ A Look Back At The Tournament That Was

The World Cup is over.  It began as the first World Cup to be played on the African continent and ended, fittingly, with the first World Cup triumph for Spain.  In between, there was much to be seen on all fronts.  There were notable and sometimes forgettable performances to be had from countries of every federation, not to mention the referees.

As an emerging nation, South Africa faced a big ask in putting on a smooth, safe and entertaining show.  After the tragedy at the African Cup of Nations, skeptics abounded  as to their ability to do just that.

Will the sun set on the incessant buzz of the vuvuzela?

There were some small bumps in the road, like the dissatisfied fan who found his way into the England clubhouse after their first match and the pair of protestors who made it onto the pitch in the late rounds, one trying to lay his hands on the still undedicated World Cup Trophy.  As much as was seen, not too much was heard, thanks to the efforts of, and we hesitate to call it this, the symphony of vuvuzelas at every match in the competition.

Each nation and its fans have their own way of supporting and celebrating their side during matches and South Africa is certainly welcome to theirs.  Hopefully, though, this deafening cacophony of sound, which is unique to them, will not spread to the rest of the world, ala the Mexican Wave.

On the other hand, the spirit and unity of the South African people was a wonderful thing to behold in a country and on a continent not noted for it.  We hope that reports of the goodwill being temporary are not proven true.  The hosts put on a colourful and entertaining show from Match Day One right through to the Final and, happily, the games themselves soon followed suit.  The world owes the people of South Africa a heartfelt thank you for a job well done.

Now, that we have had a couple of days to let the finality of the Spanish victory sink in, WFC is here to reflect on the tournament as a whole.  Six of our writers will bring you their impressions of the competition, with each focusing on a different country or region.

First up is,

Geoff Edwards on Germany

Just as in ’06 and ’08, 2010 saw Germany still heavily involved at the business end of the tournament. For the 3rd consecutive major competition, the Nationalmannschaft took its fans on a magical summer adventure, going down valiantly on each occasion to the eventual champions.

Whilst there was an air of disappointment amongst Germany’s fans after their semi-final exit to Spain, there was also an acceptance that they were beaten by the better side; the overriding feeling has been one of pride. The DFB-Elf’s‘ destruction of England and then Argentina are memories that will live long and go down in German World Cup folklore.

The future is now

There is also a huge feeling of optimism surrounding the German team at the moment. The most striking aspect of Germany’s success was the amount of gifted young players in and around the squad. Mesut Özil cemented his reputation as one of Europe’s hottest young prospects and Sami Khedira has put himself in the shop window of Europe’s biggest clubs with some mature displays in midfield. The biggest success however, was Thomas Müller. The young Bayern forward was far from a guaranteed starter before the World Cup. In fact, it looked as if Piotr Trochowski would be given the nod. After picking up the Golden Boot and the award for Best Young Player, Müller has made himself a starter for the forseeable future.

Perhaps the most credit of all has to go to Löw, the manager. Many were sceptical about the chances of such a young squad.  Juergen Klinsmann’s successor had a clear vision of how he wanted his team to play, however, and picked the squad he thought would best execute his plans. The result was a skilful, direct, tactically astute and pacy team, led superbly by young captain Philipp Lahm and vice-captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, neither of whom ceased to step up and take responsibility, be it on or off the field.

There is a nucleus here, a superb young team that could potentially be together for 4-6 years. Surely, some silverware is on the horizon.

David Holden on the French Debacle

It’s been a hell of a World Cup. Maybe not in terms of spectacle, but as far as entertainment goes, I have loved it. Spain are the new world champions, an honour which they thoroughly deserve. Sadly though, Fernando Torres, one of their brightest stars, failed to shine, a serious concern to Spaniards and Liverpudlians alike.

However, despite fantastic performances from the champions and a few other notables, like Holland and Germany, there were also some teams that failed to live up to expectations. Brazil lost their cool against Holland and Italy’s aging team failed to impress.  But the chief culprits were probably the French.

The newest dartboard material in French pubs

With their campaign marred by player infighting and strikes, some would argue that it was karmic justice for the way they qualified. Yet, the real problem wasn’t the squad but rather the coach, Raymond Domenech, who reportedly chose his team based upon the signs of the Zodiac. His lack of man management and insensitivity to the spirit of his camp made him the figure-head for France’s disastrous campaign.

Still, he can’t be held solely to blame. The players themselves seemed uninterested. Yes, perhaps the way they qualified played a hand (pun intended) in their fall from grace but let’s not forget their history. In 1998, they won the World Cup, after failing to qualify in the previous two competitions. In 2002 they finished bottom of their group, losing to Senegal, but  finished runners-up in 2006, after a penalty shoot-out.  Overall, a very comme ci, comme ça series of results.

So, what does the future hold? That will be in the hands of the new coach, Laurent Blanc.

Eliot Rothwell on the Eastern Euro Nations

That’s it for another four years then. Now it’s time for the post World Cup blues, the discount memorabilia and the inevitable transfer inflation of the players that had an impressive tournament. The Emperor of the Inflation Realm seems to be Diego Forlan – the newly crowned “Golden Ball” holder. The Uruguayan was instrumental in his team’s unexpected, yet deeply enjoyed rise to 4th place and collected a greatly deserved award.

Top of the bill was the “Tikki-Takka” of the underwhelming Spanish. The smooth passing of the Spaniards was enough to overcome the destructive Dutch in an all European final.

Speaking of Europe, the task of reviewing the progress of the outer reaches of Europe at this World Cup has fallen into my hands.

Milan Jovanovic had a moment in the sun against Germany

First, the plucky but, ultimately, inadequate Slovenians. For a country with a population less than the total number of Germans working in football, the Slovenians would be right to feel a sense of achievement in merely making it to South Africa. But it could have been so much better. Surrendering a two goal lead to the USA in a match that finished in a frantic 2-2 draw and a lack of ambition in the final group game with England cost the team a place in the knockout stages. Manager Matjaž Kek set his teams out well but his lack of attacking verve when it came to substitutions made the efforts of Valter Birsa and Mille Novakovic all the more difficult.

The Serbians, everyone’s favourite dark horse, proved to be everyone’s least favourite disappointment. The mercurial talents of Milos Krasic, Dejan Stevanovic and Nemanja Vidic did little to secure that much vaunted place in the knockout stages. Raddy Antic’s men fell feebly to the Ghanaians and the Australians but did manage a rousing victory over the youthful Germans. Although their performance was largely frustrating this summer, the Serbians have enough to pose a real threat in the European Championships of 2012. With the championships located in the Ukraine and Poland, the Serbs won’t have to travel very far. Watch this space.

Robert Vittek put Italy down for the count

An extremely successful but understated tournament saw Vladimir Weiss’ Slovakians overcome in the second round by eventual finalists Holland. The Slovakians, whilst being my favourite team of the tournament, were largely overlooked due to the fact that they had the audacity to block New Zealand’s route to the knockout stage. In a polar opposite of neighbours Slovenia, the Slovaks were quite happy to “go for it.”  Their 3-2 victory over Italy raised the spirits of commentators who had bemoaned the defensive nature of the World Cup. Aside from a quite stupendous goal by Italy substitute Fabio Quagliarella, the match highlighted the uncharacteristic ruthlessness of Robert Vittek and his, ahem, comrades. Weiss’ men may also be back in two years time, slightly closer to home soil.  Successive qualifications will prove difficult, however, for the Slovaks, as the 2010 World Cup was their first as an independent nation.

So, a mixed World Cup for the Eastern Europeans but a tournament that offers much in the way of perspective and promise. The ever dividing circles of the former Yugoslav Republic offer a sense of regret to football fans. The fact that many of these independent nations are a shadow of what an enduring Yugoslavia might have become, in footballing terms, has always left me with that wonderful feeling of what if… Still, the footballing landscape looks promising for those over in Eastern Europe with Bosnia, Russia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Romania, all wanting to right some wrongs and Serbia, Slovenia and Slovakia hoping to build on this summer’s tournament.  The 2012 European Championships may well see the rise of an Eastern European force.

Fabricio Presilli on South America

A World Cup held in the winter is always a little different and presents challenges for the organizing committee.   Yet South Africa proved its many doubters wrong and we shall remember this month forever.

Diego Forlan led the last qualifiers from South America far deeper into the tournament than powers Brazil and Argentina

After a grueling CONMEBOL classification period, Brazil and Argentina were favorites to win it all, but the other three teams’, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, were accorded much lower expectations than that.

Chile soared with two victories and impressed with its uncompromisingly high flying offense.  Brazil and Spain brought them down to earth, however, with effective counter attacks.

Paraguay had their best result in a World Cup so far, reaching the quarter-finals. Unlike Chile,  the Paraguayans have historically had a strong defense, with a deficiency in the front. Even the debut of Lucas Barrios couldn’t change that.

Brazil reached the quarters without much sweat, but facing the Dutch proved a bigger test than Dunga’s boys could handle. The Seleção’s elimination paves the way for a rebuilding in the team, starting at the bench as the new coach should be named before Brazil’s first test, in New York, next August.

Argentina’s problems were forgotten after four good matches. The offense was working well, even though Lionel Messi’s goal didn’t arrive. Then, the German’ amazingly  fast counter attacks tore apart Maradona’s squad. The Argentinian might be remembered, in his managerial capacity, for having great players that couldn’t get it together as a team.

Among the biggest surprises of the World Cup was the Uruguayan rebirth, giving hope to such a small and football-loving nation. In a smart move, coach Oscar Tabaréz put Diego Forlan in the middle, feeding Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani with great balls and creating some good chances for himself, along the way. Forlan deserves his Golden Ball, the lack of options in the Uruguayan squad obligated him to do everything for them, and he found a way.

My World Cup First XI: GK, Eduardo of Portugal;  D, Philip Lahm of Germany,  Carlos Puyol of Spain, Diego Lugano of Uuruguay and Fabio Coentrão of Portugal; M, Andres Iniesta of Spain, Bastian Schweinsteiger of Germany and Wesley Sneijder of the Netherlands; F, Arjen Robben of the Netherlands, David Villa of Spain and Diego Forlan of Uruguay; Coach, Oscar Tabárez of Uruguay.

Martin Palazzotto on Most of the Rest of the World and FIFA, too

First, I have to say congratulations to Spain, the Netherlands and also the English referee for giving us a much more engaging final than the France/Italy snore-fest in the last go ’round.  There is a lot of criticism in the media for the way the Dutch conducted themselves in this contest.  Johan Cruyff especially dug into his compatriots for abandoning ‘total football’ for what Fisted Away, hilariously called “Total Bastard Football.”   However, artistic football is not the only path to victory and Bert van Marwijk and his charges believed their hope lay in getting in the faces (and chests) of the Spanish players.

Spare your sympathies for where they’re needed, though.  Vicente del Bosque’s side were not above some physicality of their own.  Five of the thirteen bookings in the match went against la Furia, as Iniesta and Puyol most notably got some of their own back.  Howard Webb, in a no-win situation handled the match just as he need to insure that the players decided the match and the audience were entertained.

Japan pulled off a memorable bait and switch on the Danes

The game was deserving of its place as a final and lived up to the challenge presented by the rest of the matches in the competition.  The performances of so many teams showed that, despite his provincial politics and boorish sentiments, Sepp Blatter is to be congratulated for bringing the furthest reaches of the planet truly into the world’s game.

Who can forget the bravado of a thoroughly outclassed North Korean side going toe to toe with mighty Brazil and getting one good shot in at the end?  What about the set piece magic of Keisuke Honda and Yasuhito Endo against the Danes?  After Honda was the first to master the Jabulani, striking from close to the byline on the quarter hour, he stood over another, more central opportunity on twenty-nine minutes.  His pose was the quintessential Cristiano Ronaldo, legs spread, hands on hips and the determinedly measuring look towards goal.  The Danes were completely sucked in by the charade and were far too late to react when Endo stepped up and struck the ball.  It was a moment I’ll remember fondly for a long time.

The Pacific Rim was well represented at this World Cup.  New Zealand, the ultimate minnows, refused to lose and, despite not getting through themselves, contributed to seeing off a sub-par Italian side.  Mexico opened the tournament with just a draw against a buoyant home side but followed that up by defeating a crumbling French team.   The youthfulness of the side was unable to cope with Uruguay and Argentina but Javier Hernandez and Giovani Dos Santos showed much promise.  The aging Cuahtemoc Blanco took his bow in international competition with flair, coming on late to cut open defences with his surgical passing.  The Americans were true to their stereo type, getting up time and again when knocked down, to persevere their way to result after result.  Tim Howard, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, whose ages raise doubt about their return in four years time, showed that America is growing into their potential as a soccer nation, whether or not the citizenry is appreciative of the fact.

Ghana were the better team but rules are rules

Most of the African sides were overmatched and unable to take advantage of familiar surroundings.  Cameroon’s backroom infighting highlights the troubles of sides from the Dark Continent.  Politics and corruption are preventing some very talented athletes from coming together as a unit.  The Ivory Coast were the fatality in the Group of Death, wounded as they were from the start, by the injury to their talisman, Didier Drogba and the unfamiliarity with caretaker manager Sven-Goran Ericksson.  Ghana overcame those issues, however, to progress to the quarter-finals where they were cruelly treated by the ‘hand’ of fate.  Luis Suarez’ deliberate handball to prevent a goal and defeat at the death of their quarterfinal match gave an unintended meaning to ESPN’s World Cup slogan, “One Goal Changes Everything.”

That incident highlighted the one shortcoming in this tournament:  FIFA’s refusal to grow with the times and patch up the shabby officiating and the holes in the rule book.  None of the officiating errors were the ultimate cause in any nation’s exit but who is to say what might have happened had correct calls been made, replacing anger and despair with joy and hope in the hearts of certain players?  The one call that did eliminate a side, the Luis Suarez handball, was a loophole in the rules, for which the referee could do nothing. Sepp Blatter has promised to reverse his former position and re-open the debate on replay technology.  Whether, the loophole in the rulebook will be closed as well is uncertain.

The remorselessness of the Uruguayans was a sad thing to see, crushing as it did the hopes of an entire continent.  Some consolation can be taken from the bitter taste of irony they suffered in the consolation match, when Suarez was hauled down at the death and Forlan sent the possible game tying ball, like Asamoah Gyan’s potential match winning  penalty, off the bar.  Uruguay, to be fair, showed a lot of quality in their deep run but their demise was just desserts, indeed.

Lastly, Matt Dalton on England

When I was a child, I was completely and utterly in love with the World Cup. The magic that was Italia 90 for all England fans held such power over me that I was hardly bothered when we didn’t even qualify for the next tournament, in America. These days, the World Cup is a little different for me.

For 14 years now I have been hearing Three Lions by the Lightning Seeds. For almost as many years we have had a “Golden Generation”. For 14 years all I have heard is, “This time, we’ll win it!”  The only problem is that England have gotten worse with each tournament; worse with every renewed promise of victory.

International tournaments are difficult for me to watch,as I pessimistically wait for the inevitable poor performance from England. This year was no different. In fact, it was possibly the worst England performance I have ever watched. When you consider the money that flows into the English game, it is difficult to understand exactly why we are so poor. Still, I was born with the curse of an Englishman and I will die with the curse of an Englishman. If there’s one thing we are good at, it’s cocking up at international tournaments!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlBiLNN1NhQ

And so…

The 2010 World Cup provided memories enough for the whole world and it’s been our pleasure to share some of them with you.  Now, though, WFC goes back to business as usual.  We will be here to bring you our take on the goings on in leagues and competitions the world over.  Plus, we’re planning a few new features to keep you entertained.  Stick with us and enjoy!

One last look