Fifa Germany 2006 - world cup thread

Regardless of what Materazzi said, Zidane shouldn't have done what he did. It was vicious and (almost) completely out of character.

Anyways, very even game, although France looked a lot better going forward in the second half and first half of extra time, Italy always looked like they could contain them. Cannavaro, Buffon and Zambrotta were brilliant as always, Totti was as useless as ever. Thank god Lippi's intelligent enough to bring him off. The Italian penalties were poetry in motion, very admirable considering their horrible record and the immense pressure.

Great final, shame about ZZ, but he's just one man. I have a couple of Italian friends I watched the game with last night, and it means the world and more to them.

It's time to show Catennacio some respect. Defence in the Italian blood, Since the Great Roman Empire.

All in all, a great and deserved victory for Italy. They were able to exercise they're past WC demons and failures, particularly at the hand of penalties. They were able to put the match fixing scandal and the attempted suicide of Pessotto all behind them and just play quality futbol. Now they can brag for the next 4 yrs if they choose to. Looking forward to the Euros in 2008 with the Swiss as hosts.

Oh and one more look at the great Zizou's final exit, it's a shame he'll be remembered for this but I still think it was a pretty badass and cool way to go out! 😛

Haha, very nice 👆

Originally posted by Deathblow
Regardless of what Materazzi said, Zidane shouldn't have done what he did. It was vicious and (almost) completely out of character.

That's a very weird thing to state. Surely, it's either 'out of character' or 'in character'; there's no 'almost' about it.

Zizou has always had that vengeful streak in him. I think it's to do with his childhood in the slums of Marseille; if he feels wronged or disrespected, then he reacts.

Have we reached a consensus on Italy being a dull team yet? I hope so.

Argentina were the most stylish team there. Brazil never really got going. England were shit. Holland coulda-shoulda-woulda, and Germany were a joy to watch: so passionate, vibrant, adventurous and filled with a joie de vivre.

Good stuff, Klinsmann. I bet you learnt all that at Spurs.

If ya look at it, Italy have no more world class players than France, and here's a list:

Italy: Totti, Pirlo, Buffon, Nesta, Cannavaro, Gattuso, Zambrotta & Del Piero (he was awesome last season for Juve)

France: Henry, Zidane, Makalele, Vieira, Trezeguet, Sagnol & Thuram & Ribery

I love the way some people on this forum constantly and needlessly nit pick.

Anyway, unrelated:

Originally posted by Ya Krunk'd Floo
Zizou has always had that vengeful streak in him. I think it's to do with his childhood in the slums of Marseille; if he feels wronged or disrespected, then he reacts.

Have we reached a consensus on Italy being a dull team yet? I hope so.

Argentina were the most stylish team there. Brazil never really got going. England were shit. Holland coulda-shoulda-woulda, and Germany were a joy to watch: so passionate, vibrant, adventurous and filled with a joie de vivre.

Good stuff, Klinsmann. I bet you learnt all that at Spurs.

Thing is though, as he grew up in said slums, and due to the intolerance of French society recently, he should be used to getting abuse from people about his roots or whatever, so really he should be able to take it in his stride more than most. I don't think it's an excuse. Fact is, there is no excuse. Materazzi shouldn't have provoked him, sure, but what Zidane did was stupid and overly aggressive. In short; he should have known better.

I certainly agree with your summary of all those teams, especially Argentina. I'm very disappointed they went out so soon, same with Spain. However, Italy not so much. They may not be as ''attack attack attack as quick and as often as possible'' as many have been this tournament, but that doesn't make them dull. I think people mistake Italy for being defensive just because their defense is so very good. In fact, Cannavaro, Materazzi and of course Zambrotta and Grosso have formed the most offensive defense this side of Brazil, always looking to go forward, passing it smoothly and cooly out of defense rather than smashing it upfield or guiding it cautiously back to the keeper, and often just generally looking impentetrable. The reason they were on the back foot by extra time in the final yesterday was due to tiredness more than anything. And I can assure you they did not play for penalties.

And seeing as they were involved in three fantastic games (Ghana, USA and of course Germany in the semis), and that the final is being hailed as the best since '82 (and who won that game?), kind of proves they're not boring. At least not in this tournament. I certainly enjoyed watching them, for the most part.

Originally posted by RZA
Oh and one more look at the great Zizou's final exit, it's a shame he'll be remembered for this but I still think it was a pretty badass and cool way to go out! 😛

Originally posted by Mattomic
If ya look at it, Italy have no more world class players than France, and here's a list:

Italy: Totti, Pirlo, Buffon, Nesta, Cannavaro, Gattuso, Zambrotta & Del Piero (he was awesome last season for Juve)

France: Henry, Zidane, Makalele, Vieira, Trezeguet, Sagnol & Thuram & Ribery

Individual ability on paper means nothing in the world cup. Just look at Brazil and Spain. Amazing squads, got nowhere. Then look at Germany. One or two world class players only, but third place.

And a lot of them didn't even perform. Totti being one of the best cases after Ronaldinho and Frank Lampard. He's completely anonymous all tournament, and even Lippi knew they wouldn't win with him on the pitch yesterday. Hence the early-ish decision to bring him off.

Originally posted by Mattomic
If ya look at it, Italy have no more world class players than France, and here's a list:

Italy: Totti, Pirlo, Buffon, Nesta, Cannavaro, Gattuso, Zambrotta & Del Piero (he was awesome last season for Juve)

France: Henry, Zidane, Makalele, Vieira, Trezeguet, Sagnol & Thuram & Ribery

Henry is better than all those, but if you don't like Henry, Makelele is most certainly. I think you're confusing playing in a World Cup with being World "class". The two aren't indubitably linked.

Originally posted by Deathblow
One or two world class players only, but third place.

I'm curious as to who these two are. I would assume that one is Ballack, which means the other one must be either Lehmann, Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Odonkor etc.

Originally posted by Deathblow
I think people mistake Italy for being defensive just because their defense is so very good. In fact, Cannavaro, Materazzi and of course Zambrotta and Grosso have formed the most offensive defense this side of Brazil, always looking to go forward, passing it smoothly and cooly out of defense rather than smashing it upfield or guiding it cautiously back to the keeper, and often just generally looking impentetrable. The reason they were on the back foot by extra time in the final yesterday was due to tiredness more than anything. And I can assure you they did not play for penalties.

And seeing as they were involved in three fantastic games (Ghana, USA and of course Germany in the semis), and that the final is being hailed as the best since '82 (and who won that game?), kind of proves they're not boring. At least not in this tournament. I certainly enjoyed watching them, for the most part.

The irony is, this tournament is probably the best Italy have played in about a decade, and it was still full of mediocrity and inconsistency. When they played good, all two of those games, they played very good, but even then it was just a few stand out players. Cannavaro who, in fairness, should be playing like that considering how he's rated, and Gattuso, who was fouling everyone and anyone last night. That, plus the fact that they didn't even attempt to score for the first 35-45 minutes.

If you've watched football consistently over the years, you'd see why people think Italy are a dull team, even if you don't necessarily agree. If you watch football for the sake of it being football, then you won't agree. I watch it to be entertained, which is why I love Premiership games and not Division One games. Seeing as most people have jumped on the World Cup bandwagon (not saying you have), they don't get where it comes from.

In their defense, football isn't a sport created solely for the entertainment of the crowd. Teams go out to win, and if they win then by hook or crook, their job is done. I don't watch football because it's football, though, I watch it because at its best it's very entertaining. I don't find Italy entertaining, at all. I never have and if history suggests anything, I never will. As you can see, I'm not above giving them credit where it's due, I just think it's due a lot less than most people here.

-AC

Originally posted by Alpha Centauri
I'm curious as to who these two are. I would assume that one is Ballack, which means the other one must be either Lehmann, Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Odonkor etc.

Ballack and Lehmann, yes. Lahm isn't good enough a defender to be world standard, and Schweinsteiger and Odonkor aren't good enough fullstop. IMO anyway.

Originally posted by Alpha Centauri
The irony is, this tournament is probably the best Italy have played in about a decade, and it was still full of mediocrity and inconsistency. When they played good, all two of those games, they played very good, but even then it was just a few stand out players. Cannavaro who, in fairness, should be playing like that considering how he's rated, and Gattuso, who was fouling everyone and anyone last night. That, plus the fact that they didn't even attempt to score for the first 35-45 minutes.

If you've watched football consistently over the years, you'd see why people think Italy are a dull team, even if you don't necessarily agree. If you watch football for the sake of it being football, then you won't agree. I watch it to be entertained, which is why I love Premiership games and not Division One games. Seeing as most people have jumped on the World Cup bandwagon (not saying you have), they don't get where it comes from.

In their defense, football isn't a sport created solely for the entertainment of the crowd. Teams go out to win, and if they win then by hook or crook, their job is done. I don't watch football because it's football, though, I watch it because at its best it's very entertaining. I don't find Italy entertaining, at all. I never have and if history suggests anything, I never will. As you can see, I'm not above giving them credit where it's due, I just think it's due a lot less than most people here.

-AC

I'm not sure which games you're referring to in regards as when they were good, but either way, I wasn't talking about whether or not they were a good team as a whole, just arguing that they haven't been dull. With a couple of exceptions, all of Italy's games, I have found entertaining. Not because they were brilliant, just because they were exciting games of football. I mean, they were pretty awful against us, but it was still great viewing.

I do see why people say Italy are a dull team, and up until a few months ago when they embarked on their winning streak that's taken them into the finals, I would've agreed. But I believe, and I stick by this, that they have been exciting to watch throughout this tournament. I find good tactical games just as exciting sometimes as high scoring attacking games, and excellent defensive displays just as satisfying as good attacking displays, as long as teams don't rely entirely on their defense, which Italy haven't (although ironically, it's the one time they haven't done that, and it's their defense that pretty much won them the tournament).

I'll be honest with you, I haven't been watching this sport for many years, only really since I moved to this country, and to be even more honest, I'd definitely assume that you know quite a bit more about the insides and outs of the game. However, being a huge sports fan, I've immersed myself in it and its history and I feel confident in my own views and opinions on it now. I love the English Premiership too, it's very exciting, but as I may have made clear before hand, there are different levels on which I find it possible to appreciate a soccer match, and Italy have obviously achieved one of them otherwise I wouldn't have enjoyed them. Again, I can see why people may have found them dull in this tournament, primarily because it's been characterised by the tremendous, Premiership-esque pace of the games, and Italy haven't decided to cater to that. They've played how they want to play, but I think, as that amazingly hard-fought semi final against Germany demonstrated, even their traditional style isn't always dull.

And at the end of the day, as with all things entertainment-related, it's whatever floats your boat, really.

Originally posted by Deathblow
Ballack and Lehmann, yes. Lahm isn't good enough a defender to be world standard, and Schweinsteiger and Odonkor aren't good enough fullstop. IMO anyway.

Lahm has made crucial defensive plays as well as more often than not, scaring defenses rigid when he makes runs. People put Ashley Cole above him, but I've never seen Cole score for England in such glorious fashion...or score for England overall.

Originally posted by Deathblow
I find good tactical games just as exciting sometimes as high scoring attacking games, and excellent defensive displays just as satisfying as good attacking displays, as long as teams don't rely entirely on their defense, which Italy haven't (although ironically, it's the one time they haven't done that, and it's one them the tournament).

That's where we differ, really. You see it as tactical, I don't. If I thought Italy were holding off with a view to grabbing many chances, building up, then yeah. However, most of the time it seems like the Italian managers say "Don't let them score, whatever happens.", then they pull the shutters down. Especially if they score. Nothing wrong with doing that either, let's be fair. I just don't enjoy that.

Originally posted by Deathblow
I'll be honest with you, I haven't been watching this sport for many years, only really since I moved to this country, and to be even more honest, I assume you know quite a bit more about the insides and outs of the game, but being a huge sports fan, I've immersed myself in it and its history and I feel confident in my own views and opinions on it now. I love the English Premiership too, it's very exciting, but as I may have made clear before hand, there are different levels on which I find it possible to appreciate a soccer match, and Italy have obviously achieved one of them otherwise I wouldn't have enjoyed them. I can see why people may have found them dull in this tournament, primarily because it's been characterised by the tremendous, Premiership-esque pace of the games, and Italy haven't decided to cater to that. They've played how they want to play, but I think, as that amazingly hard-fought semi final against Germany demonstrated, even their traditional style isn't always dull.

And at the end of the day, as with all things entertainment-related, it's whatever floats your boat, really.

I agree and I'm not here trying to say "I know more", because I don't care enough about football, even if me knowing more is the case. You like who you like and that's fine by me, none of my business who you like.

I just think that Italy's moments of excitement and flair have come because they actually have good players, a couple at least. Toni, for example. For the longest time it was literally a team of high class, name-reputation primadonnas failing time after time. Even if it wasn't in spectacularly miserable style, it was in boring style. I think of it as I do Italian club teams, really.

The only saving grace of serie A is that it has some quality players, world class, but hardly any of those are Italian anyway. Like in the Spanish, and even English leagues. The best players in the English league aren't even English, in my opinion. I think people watch English leagues, see the mad football and expect England to do well, forgetting that Henry, Fabregas, Van Nistelrooy, Makelele, Robben etc don't play for England, the same with Italy.

Either way, I think this World Cup has been a bit of a disappointment. No team really performed excellently and it was a classic case of the sum of the parts not being as good as they should. Probably something to do with the fact that it's the most hyped World Cup, so many big names with such unrealistic hopes, they could do nothing but not live up to them.

We know what Henry can do, Ronaldinho, Messi, Lampard etc. They just didn't work it out. At least you live here to catch the season, most of the US will probably forget about football now.

-AC

Originally posted by RZA
All in all, a great and deserved victory for Italy. They were able to exercise they're past WC demons and failures, particularly at the hand of penalties. They were able to put the match fixing scandal and the attempted suicide of Pessotto all behind them and just play quality futbol. Now they can brag for the next 4 yrs if they choose to. Looking forward to the Euros in 2008 with the Swiss as hosts.

Oh and one more look at the great Zizou's final exit, it's a shame he'll be remembered for this but I still think it was a pretty badass and cool way to go out! 😛

😆

What was he thinking though..

So.....who won?

Originally posted by WrathfulDwarf
So.....who won?

Italy won.

Italy won!w00t

I always been a HUGE fan of the Italians. They're the best! Go Italy!

Spoiler:
If you sense a bandwagon fan nearby then pretty much you seen me

Ok, it's official now. We finally know what Materazzi said to Zidane to make him act the way he did. I have to put it in spoiler tags cuz it's quite offensive. It's pretty bad. He told him that.....

Spoiler:
His mother wears combat boots!

Boy, I dunno about you guys but that would definitely make me wanna morph into a 'Ram' and charge at somebody.

Anyway, Fifa apparently was so impressed by his finishing move that he was given the golden ball award...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/5154248.stm

Completely undeserved if you ask me. I think there were far more deserving players to choose from in this tourney. Cannavaro for one.

Oh and Portugal was named the most entertaining team. I guess Fifa enjoys the dives as much as everyone else. What a great example they set for fair play with these 2 awards. That Fifa committee is definitely heading in the right direction.

he did say something about Zidane's mum, who as far as im aware is in a pretty bad state atm.

still, no reason to headbutt someone in the world cup final haha

Italy are world champions, no point arguing if theyre a good team or not, because its clear now that they are

Originally posted by RZA
Ok, it's official now. We finally know what Materazzi said to Zidane to make him act the way he did. I have to put it in spoiler tags cuz it's quite offensive. It's pretty bad. He told him that.....

Spoiler:
His mother wears combat boots!

Boy, I dunno about you guys but that would definitely make me wanna morph into a 'Ram' and charge at somebody.

Anyway, Fifa apparently was so impressed by his finishing move that he was given the golden ball award...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/5154248.stm

Completely undeserved if you ask me. I think there were far more deserving players to choose from in this tourney. Cannavaro for one.

Oh and Portugal was named the most entertaining team. I guess Fifa enjoys the dives as much as everyone else. What a great example they set for fair play with these 2 awards. That Fifa committee is definitely heading in the right direction.

Voting for the Golden Ball award took place at half time of the final... 😑

Cannavaro should have had it for sure.

Head Butt story

Originally posted by Deathblow
Regardless of what Materazzi said, Zidane shouldn't have done what he did. It was vicious and (almost) completely out of character.

Zidane had already done something similar 5 years ago in a Champions League qualifier when Juventus played against Hamburg.

He also stamped on a Saudi player in 1998 WC. I would say he does have the tendency to lose his cool on the pitch