People suddenly have an over-inflated idea of Germany after their 7-1 defeat of Brazil (who were weak all along and absolutely amateurish in that semi-final match). I know that they were guaranteed passage out of the group phase when they played the US, but they didn't exactly annihilate us; and it wasn't for lack of trying. Klose had many opportunities on goal and Howard shut him down. Their 4-0 victory over Portugal isn't anymore astonishing to me than was the Netherlands' 5-1 victory over Spain. Look what happened to the Netherlands... I bet against Argentina, even though I want them to win the entire tournament. I bet against Argentina because of Sneijder, Robben, and van Persie. I was wrong. I am betting against them in the Germany game for the same reasons I did with the Netherlands: namely Klose, Schweinsteiger, Muller, and Neuer. Based on my last bet, well...
Argentina outplayed the Netherlands in every way. Robben may have had a break for the goal on two separate occasions, but how quickly have we forgotten the bad off-side call against Higuain which would have given Argentina the 1-0? Argentina should have won that game without penalties if not for an assistant ref's error! Javier Mascherano was an absolute hero throughout that entire game. He shut Robben down single-handedly on three or four separate occasions. Argentina had better hope that they have Mascherano for the final, because without him I doubt they would have done so well.
Of course, we can't forget about the wildcard that is Lionel Messi. The Netherlands succeeded in shutting him down, but at what cost? They essentially neutered their midfield's attacking ability by triple marking Messi at times, essentially crippling their ability to get the ball forward to Robben or RVP. The commentators kept asking what had happened to Robben and RVP, why weren't they contributing to the game more? There's one simple answer to that question: Lionel Messi. When you have to triple mark a single man, especially when doing so with midfielders, you are essentially crippling your offense.
Germany will probably be a lot better off than the Netherlands because they have such a powerful offense. But, I have not been all that impressed by Germany's defense except for their excellent goalkeeper Neuer. Argentina on the other hand have shored up their defense in the last three matches (which was one of the worst of all teams during the group phase) and made significant strides in the midfield. Their attack has suffered with the loss of di Maria, but I think that may change for the final. Now with Higuain playing up to form again, and the constant threat of Lionel Messi, with the possible reentry of di Maria, I think the German backline may have its hands full. Argentina's will too, but I have more faith in the Argentine defense than I do the German's.
That said, I still predict a German victory, though not by much. I'm going to say 3-1 Germany. I really do hope that Argentina pulls off the upset though and I wouldn't be all that surprised if they do.
BTW - David Luiz was directly implicated in no less than 3 of the goals scored by Germany. When your captain, and the leader of the backline is that bad at man-marking and leading his defenders, you end up with a 7-1 game. If not for David Luiz, then the game very well might have been 4-1. With Neymar, I think 4-2 would have been more likely. Why? Because Brazil sucks at long passes over the top. They're a dribbling team, and they can't hang with the European English Premier / Bundesliga teams when it comes to playing long balls. South America, Spain, all of the smaller teams are known for their technical ability on the ball and making great runs. Neymar is absolutely essential to Brazil's ability to run the ball up the field. Without him, they really had nothing else. Brazil needed Neymar even more than Argentina needs Messi. And without Thiago Silva, well, Brazil was simply doomed. He is the rock that anchors their backline, and the leader they needed to keep things organized. He was even more important that day against Germany than even Neymar IMO. With him the Brazilian defense was mediocre; without him it was like watching a junior varsity soccer team. I think Scolari was foolish not to play Dani Alves on the backline with the loss of Thiago Silva. Alves may not be in his prime, but he is a very experienced player and much more of a leader than was David Luiz. Also, it's worth mentioning that Brazil was basically playing 10 v 11 throughout the entire tournament thanks to the worst striker to ever don the #9 shirt: Fred. I just wonder what the legendary Ronaldo thought seeing his replacement struggle to even make a single touch on the ball while his record went up in flames to Klose.
Argentina outplayed the Netherlands in every way. Robben may have had a break for the goal on two separate occasions, but how quickly have we forgotten the bad off-side call against Higuain which would have given Argentina the 1-0? Argentina should have won that game without penalties if not for an assistant ref's error! Javier Mascherano was an absolute hero throughout that entire game. He shut Robben down single-handedly on three or four separate occasions. Argentina had better hope that they have Mascherano for the final, because without him I doubt they would have done so well.
Of course, we can't forget about the wildcard that is Lionel Messi. The Netherlands succeeded in shutting him down, but at what cost? They essentially neutered their midfield's attacking ability by triple marking Messi at times, essentially crippling their ability to get the ball forward to Robben or RVP. The commentators kept asking what had happened to Robben and RVP, why weren't they contributing to the game more? There's one simple answer to that question: Lionel Messi. When you have to triple mark a single man, especially when doing so with midfielders, you are essentially crippling your offense.
Germany will probably be a lot better off than the Netherlands because they have such a powerful offense. But, I have not been all that impressed by Germany's defense except for their excellent goalkeeper Neuer. Argentina on the other hand have shored up their defense in the last three matches (which was one of the worst of all teams during the group phase) and made significant strides in the midfield. Their attack has suffered with the loss of di Maria, but I think that may change for the final. Now with Higuain playing up to form again, and the constant threat of Lionel Messi, with the possible reentry of di Maria, I think the German backline may have its hands full. Argentina's will too, but I have more faith in the Argentine defense than I do the German's.
That said, I still predict a German victory, though not by much. I'm going to say 3-1 Germany. I really do hope that Argentina pulls off the upset though and I wouldn't be all that surprised if they do.
BTW - David Luiz was directly implicated in no less than 3 of the goals scored by Germany. When your captain, and the leader of the backline is that bad at man-marking and leading his defenders, you end up with a 7-1 game. If not for David Luiz, then the game very well might have been 4-1. With Neymar, I think 4-2 would have been more likely. Why? Because Brazil sucks at long passes over the top. They're a dribbling team, and they can't hang with the European English Premier / Bundesliga teams when it comes to playing long balls. South America, Spain, all of the smaller teams are known for their technical ability on the ball and making great runs. Neymar is absolutely essential to Brazil's ability to run the ball up the field. Without him, they really had nothing else. Brazil needed Neymar even more than Argentina needs Messi. And without Thiago Silva, well, Brazil was simply doomed. He is the rock that anchors their backline, and the leader they needed to keep things organized. He was even more important that day against Germany than even Neymar IMO. With him the Brazilian defense was mediocre; without him it was like watching a junior varsity soccer team. I think Scolari was foolish not to play Dani Alves on the backline with the loss of Thiago Silva. Alves may not be in his prime, but he is a very experienced player and much more of a leader than was David Luiz. Also, it's worth mentioning that Brazil was basically playing 10 v 11 throughout the entire tournament thanks to the worst striker to ever don the #9 shirt: Fred. I just wonder what the legendary Ronaldo thought seeing his replacement struggle to even make a single touch on the ball while his record went up in flames to Klose.
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