WORLD CUP 2010

[AOA]

Looking forward to a life-saving performance by France. Portugal may have to consider one hell of a come back after the way they'd performed against Ivory Coast.

 

[tcda]

damn, England, France, now Italy. what the hell?

Well done to the Kiwis though, I bet Southern Kross will be celebrating tonight!

 

[Fluffywolf]

Weird championship so far.

 

[FDG]

Jesus, what an awful match. Penalty wasn't there, either, so we should have lost.

 

[tcda]

^^^To be fair the NZ goal was offside though.

Not that I will take away from an amazing acheivement by them.

 

[FDG]

^^^To be fair the NZ goal was offside though.

Well, Cannavaro touched the ball, that offsets any kind of offside. If you mean that the other NZ player did (head), that was barely noticeable, I don't think the refree could have noticed, nor I think it made any difference as far as trajectory goes.

 

[SolitaryWalker]

Jesus, what an awful match..

I wonder if I could get an Italian supporter to agree with me that Italy is a mediocre team without any notable skill other than diving and inconspicuously fouling opponents. You know, a New Zealandian forward was brought down in the penalty area by the neck in the last 15 minutes of the game, yet no penalty was giving, yet DeRossi earned a penalty kick by falling at a gentle tug of a shirt.

Penalty wasn't there, either, so we should have lost.

Yes, you should have and probably by more than one goal. I think that any player who dives should be fined 1 EURO per act, and any team that records more than 10 dives in an International tournament should pay a fine of 100 million EUROS. What do we all think about that proposal?

^^^Not that I will take away from an amazing acheivement by them.

I don't think it was amazing, it only seem as such because Italy is unduly regarded as a EUROPEAN superpower. Unfortunately skill at diving and fouling opponents with impunity does not make a team good or worthy of even basic respect. In other words, just because the Italians have won the world cup and are ranked 5th in FIFA does not mean that they deserve their accolades or are as meritorious as they appear on paper.

 

[FDG]

I wonder if I could get an Italian supporter to agree with me that Italy is a mediocre team without any notable skill other than diving and inconspicuously fouling opponents.

Yeah, this italian team is absolutely awful. We do have some good players, but Lippi didn't want to bring them. Still, I think our last good team was in 2002, we lucked out of 2006. I think most italian supporters actually agree with you, but probably you shouldn't refer to an entire population as "dirty", that's quite a big offense - in my language, at least.

You know, a New Zealandian forward was brought down in the penalty area by the neck in the last 15 minutes of the game, yet no penalty was giving, yet DeRossi earned a penalty kick by falling at a gentle tug of a shirt.

De Rossi should stop doing that kind of thing (I feel ashamed for this penalty), he's kind of famous for being a diver in the italian championship, however Roma doesn't play too many international matches...

Yes, you should have and probably by more than one goal.

Nah, New Zealand shot 3-4 times, no more than that. They didn't play that well, either, although probably they played decently for their standards.

Yes, you should have and probably by more than one goal. I think that any player who dives should be fined 1 EURO per act, and any team that records more than 10 dives in an International tournament should pay a fine of 100 million EUROS. What do we all think about that proposal?

Ok as far as player goes, disagree for the team. I don't want to pay (as an italian citizen) for a player's mornic behavior and I think people from other nations would agree too, especially because there's many people that don't care about soccer.

 

[SolitaryWalker]

Yeah, this italian team is absolutely awful. We do have some good players, but Lippi didn't want to bring them..

What players were excluded from the squad, yet in your opinion should have made the team?

but probably you shouldn't refer to an entire population as "dirty", that's quite a big offense - in my language, at least. ..

I wasn't referring to the entire population as dirty, just to the team. I said that the dirty Italians should have lost, which means the team only. The entire nation could not have lost because the entire nation was not playing, only the team could have lost the game, hence the epithet applies only to them. I don't know what connotations the word 'dirty' has within the context of Italian culture, but all I meant by that is that they are dishonest or cheaters.

I think most italian supporters actually agree with you,,.

A commentator on the U.S TV said that although the English consider diving cheating, the Italians call it 'clever'. Is there any truth to that?

De Rossi should stop doing that kind of thing (I feel ashamed for this penalty), he's kind of famous for being a diver in the italian championship, ..

I noticed him diving more than any other player, but I don't think he is the only one doing it. Approximately at the 75 minute mark, Camoranesi went flying down by the corner kick flag when he was barely pushed by a New Zealandian defender. At a later point the New Zealandian forward brought the Italian defender down with shoulder contact, yet the latter fell and earned another free kick. I remember there was a number of other similar episodes but I won't bring them up because I don't remember the names of the divers or the exact nature of the plays in which they went down.

however Roma doesn't play too many international matches.....

They will be playing in the Champions league this year. Do you think he will be diving there just as much or more?

Nah, New Zealand shot 3-4 times, no more than that......

If the referee was to make the correct decision to not award the penalty kick to Italy, New Zealand could have maintained a 1-0 lead and we noticed that Italians did hack New Zealandians several times either inside the penalty area or close to it, yet they got away with it. Had the referee made the right decisions, New Zealand would have gotten more free kicks and possibly a penalty, which could have given them good opportunities to score a second goal.





.

I don't want to pay (as an italian citizen) for a player's mornic behavior and I think people from other nations would agree too, especially because there's many people that don't care about soccer.

Wouldn't the Italian football federation be able to pay the fines by using their own funds? I am not sure if they would have to increase the ticket prices in order to pay the fines, so fans and citizens who don't care about soccer may remain unaffected if their national team was to be fined.

 

[Riva]

^
Suddenly i don't want the italians to win anymore.

Go Germany and Argentina.

 

[FDG]

What players were excluded from the squad, yet in your opinion should have made the team?

Cassano, Balotelli (yeah, they're not easy to handle personality-wise, but a good coach should manage), Santon; Quagliarella should also play for 90', he's got the best condition among available forwards, and he's not that bad technically. We wouldn't be a great team, but definitely more decent than now.

A commentator on the U.S TV said that although the English consider diving cheating, the Italians call it 'clever'. Is there any truth to that?

Nah not really, it's more of a "tragedy of commons" type of behavior. Since every forward dives, since you're a small child you're "forced" to dive (by your own coach), thus it tends to become an ingrained behavior. Most football fans hate it though, as far as I know.

They will be playing in the Champions league this year. Do you think he will be diving there just as much or more?

I hope international refrees will be harder on him.

If the referee was to make the correct decision to not award the penalty kick to Italy, New Zealand could have maintained a 1-0 lead and we noticed that Italians did hack New Zealandians several times either inside the penalty area or close to it, yet they got away with it. Had the referee made the right decisions, New Zealand would have gotten more free kicks and possibly a penalty, which could have given them good opportunities to score a second goal.

Ahah I don't agree, New Zealand had few opportunities and didn't attack much, it's hard to see how they could have scored more goals even if those free kicks had been awarded. Still, I do think 1-0 would have been the fair score.

Wouldn't the Italian football federation be able to pay the fines by using their own funds? I am not sure if they would have to increase the ticket prices in order to pay the fines, so fans and citizens who don't care about soccer may remain unaffected if their national team was to be fined.

Yeah, that might work; something that would work even better, IMHO: past 10 dives during a given international competition, the player is disqualified from playing at every level (thus, even national championship - champions league level). That'd be equivalent to a 5-10 million euros fine for high-level players.

 

[SolitaryWalker]

Cassano, Balotelli .

Do you think that Balotteli's exclusion has anything to do with the fact that he is black? I haven't once seen a single black player on the Italian team and the nation seems more given to right-wing politics than their Western European counterparts. Interestingly, all but one of the national team players play for an Italian club. How much, if at all, did the nationalistic sentiment influence the coach's squad selection?

I hope international refrees will be harder on him..

I hope so too, players like DeRossi malign the reputation of the entire Italian football culture and infrastructure. DeRossi seems to have no honor whatsoever. Last world cup he picked up a 4 game suspension, now he dives incessantly, yet according to the American commenators he is the future captain of the Italian national team. Does this suggest that the team approve of his chicanery or for the very least do not oppose it?

Yeah, that might work; something that would work even better, IMHO: past 10 dives during a given international competition, the player is disqualified from playing at every level (thus, even national championship - champions league level). That'd be equivalent to a 5-10 million euros fine for high-level players.

That sounds like a great idea, not only will the player be fined, but also laid off or suspended. This should be an effective deterrence mechanism. However, I do think that there should be a penalty imposed upon the entire team or the football federation of the nation, otherwise they'd have little incentive to discourage their coaches from advising the players to dive.

 

[tcda]

Damn, I've never even seen this much hatred for the Italian team even in Argentina!

 

[SolitaryWalker]

Damn, I've never even seen this much hatred for the Italian team even in Argentina!

Do Argentians have a special reason to despise the Italian team more than the rest of the world does?

 

[Helios]

This discussion is academic. England will win the World Cup. That is all.

 

[onemoretime]

This discussion is academic. England will win the World Cup. That is all.

Ha. That's a good one. Have you seen how terribly they've been playing?

 

[Reflection]

Ha. That's a good one. Have you seen how terribly they've been playing?

Indeed. But I have this feeling that if the final match is between a European team and a Latin American one (my money's on Argentina here), the Europeans will win. I have outstanding bets on Germany, though, so I'm hoping they'll go far. Even if the coach is a bloody idiot.

 

[onemoretime]

Indeed. But I have this feeling that if the final match is between a European team and a Latin American one (my money's on Argentina here), the Europeans will win. I have outstanding bets on Germany, though, so I'm hoping they'll go far. Even if the coach is a bloody idiot.

Disagree. The CONMEBOL teams have been playing the most consistently, especially on their passing games. With the exception of the Netherlands, the UEFA teams have all had sequences where they play uncharacteristically sloppily, leading to missed chances, and intercepts that lead to unnecessary goals against.

In other words, a typical WC in a non-European country. They really depend on crowd support, it seems. They also seem to be affected the most by the vuvuzelas.

 

[Helios]

Ha. That's a good one. Have you seen how terribly they've been playing?

Meh.

Thus I refute thee.

 

[Reflection]

Disagree. The CONMEBOL teams have been playing the most consistently, especially on their passing games. With the exception of the Netherlands, the UEFA teams have all had sequences where they play uncharacteristically sloppily, leading to missed chances, and intercepts that lead to unnecessary goals against.

In other words, a typical WC in a non-European country. They really depend on crowd support, it seems. They also seem to be affected the most by the vuvuzelas.

I'm holding out hope. They have been very sloppy, yes, and it doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. But if they do manage to reach the finals, the pressure should improve their play.

Also, I'm affected by the gorram vuvuzelas, and I don't have to play (not that I would, football's not my sport). Though I've mostly learnt to ignore them by now.