Saturday 28 June 2014

Return of Count Suarez

Well well well, who saw this coming? Luis Suarez does what he does best and that is entertain through either brilliance or sheer stupidity. He clearly is unable to control himself and if I had my way he would be banned for a year minimum from all forms of football.

Best Goalie: Vincent Enyeama - The Nigerian was outstanding and managed to help keep the score so close against a potent Argentinian attack containing the likes of Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuaín. I was very close to awarding this to Alexander Dominguez but decided that the former's saves were of a higher difficulty level.

Best Defender: Francisco Javier Rodríguez - Whilst his captain will probably get most of the credit, Rodríguez was at the heart of every piece of good defending against a wonderfully creative Croatian side. He seemed to intercept every ball whilst making a couple of good tackles for good measure. His positional sense has allowed Rafael Márquez to remain in the side despite his age.

Best Midfielder: James Rodriguez - Such was the quality on display from the Monaco playmaker that despite only playing a half Rodriguez was the stand-out player from this round of games. The Japanese defence couldn't handle his silky dribbling skills and eagle-eyed vision whilst his goal was as good as any scored in this tournament so far. Xherdan Shaqiri was very unlucky to not win this award as his hat-trick was very well taken and his overall display was sublime. No other player came close to these two.

Best Striker: Lionel Messi - It seems inevitable that the Argentine captain should win one of these awards at some point during the World Cup and here is his first of what I might assume could be at least a couple. His two goals helped him to again drag his nation out of a sticky situation. His form is similar to that of his club form from a few years ago when no matter how he was playing, if his team needs a goal he will come up with it from nowhere. Giorgios Samaras was the closest striker to Messi but possibly didn't do enough throughout the duration of this game to win this award.

Best Match: Greece 2 - 1 Ivory Coast - What drama at the end of what was a tense game yet one that both teams will feel like they could have and perhaps should have won. In the end the Greeks were very good value for their win, attempting to attack with verve at every opportunity and eventually succeeding at the end. Even if the rest of the match had been played out in a similar manner to the infamous England v Algeria game in South Africa, the last minute penalty and conversion was absolutely sensational and exactly what football is about.

Worst Match: Costa Rica 0 - 0 England - If I'm being completely honest I can't remember much of this game and that is the main reason why I'm awarding this to them. I think the Suarez incident made this game pale into insignificance. 

Surprise Player: Joseé Holebas - The Olympiacos left-back has looked fantastic for his club side this season but I thought he would have anticipated his attacking flair would be curtailed by Serge Aurier and Soloman Kalou's pace and directness. However, he seemed to flow forward with verve and even hit the woodwork with an outstanding shot from outside the area.

Best Manager: Fernando Santos - Many expected his Greek side to sit back and soak up the pressure, hoping for a goal from a set-piece yet Greece seemed to exploit the spaces left behind the Ivorians' midfield to produce many scintillating counter-attacks and probably should have won by more. Their containment of an Ivory Coast side filled with attacking talent was a joy to behold and they have a good chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals. 

Team of the 'Round':
--------------------------Enyeama----------------------
Janmaat------Rodríguez------Fernández-----Holebas
Shaqiri---------Pjanic--------- Rodriguez-----Neymar
-------------------Messi---------Drmic---------------

Subs: Domínguez, Juanfran, Márquez, Luiz, Alba, Iniesta, Gustavo, Robben, Martinez, Samaras


Predictions:
Golden Boot: Lionel Messi (Unchanged) - Anyone who has three goals or more is in with a chance but I think whomever wins this award will be one of the players carrying their nation (ie. Lionel Messi, Neymar, James Rodriguez) rather than someone like Thomas Müller or Karim Benzema who are the goal scorers in very balanced teams.

Player of the Tournament: Arjen Robben (Unchanged) - I was going to change this to Lionel Messi but Arjen Robben has been simply incredible so far. I think he is playing better than Messi but the Argentine captain is probably having more of an impact on his team as he seems to be dragging them through. If the knockout stages go as planned, Netherlands and Argentina's potential semi-final meeting could decide this award.

Winners: Argentina (Previously Netherlands) - This has been tough to predict this year but Lionel Messi hasn't played anywhere near his best yet and has been one of the two best players at the tournament so far. If he starts to perform or one of the other attackers such as Agüero or Híguain decide to show up, the Albicelestes could become unbeatable.

Surprise Team: Costa Rica - Topping arguably the most difficult group is a mighty achievement for this tiny nation. The two weakest teams on paper made their way through Group D but Costa Rica have a very realistic opportunity to meet the winners of Netherlands and Greece in the quarter-finals which must have been beyond their wildest dreams. I have been incredibly impressed with their levels of fitness and also their efficiency.

Overperformers: Chile - Unfortunately for Chile a meeting with the home nation is probably the last side that they wanted to face but Brazil is whom they have drawn. It will be a tight, close-run affair but I think they home nation will succeed eventually whether they need extra time or not. It's unlucky because Chile may have reached the depths of this tournament had they have a little more fortune in the draw.

Underperformers: Italy - This Uruguay team is nowhere near as good as they used to be yet Italy looked completely drained at this tournament. Perhaps they shouldn't have started with both Ciro Immobile and Mario Balotelli or perhaps they shouldn't have played such a physical game when in the Amazon Rainforest. Either way Cesare Prandelli seems to be on his way, which is a shame as he is one of the better if not the best international manager currently plying his trade in Europe.


Final Thoughts
Luis Suarez has a problem and has received a ban from "all footballing activities" for four months. Whilst I think he should have been given a harsher punishment I am surprised with the swiftness and deliberation set out by FIFA in this case. It has been handled much better than most things within the organisation and I must commend them on that. Whatever you think of the Uruguayan striker, I for one find him very entertaining whether he is dribbling as if he is playing at lunchtime in his school or reenacting the escape scene from Silence of the Lambs, he is fun to watch.

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