Spain celebrate. Photograph: David Gray/Reuters
Good morning and welcome to day 645 of the guardian.co.uk's daily live World Cup blog, wherever you are in the world ...
We hope this blog will provide news, predictions, pontifications, colour from our team in South Africa, plus lots of pointing outwards; to your comments below the line, to the best things we've seen on the web and to various World Cup randomania.
The plan is to update the blog from now until around 5pm UK time.
9.02am: Hello and welcome to the blog. Four days to go. A new World Cup winner in the offing. An absolutely intriguing final that, while all-European, still contains enough alluring contrasts of history, style and nation-dom. Even the third place play-off should be a cracker. It's not the usual way, but I have a feeling the World Cup end game could be the best bit this time around.
9.11am: I think the main theme of the day is surely Spain. I have a few things to say about them and I'm sure you do too. Why not email me your gushing and unconditional chorizo-breathed praise/snidey, green-eyed jibes for this team of all the talents/team with one extremely well-developed talent on barney.ronay@guardian.co.uk.
9.14am: Here's a lengthy essay-style kick-off from Jason Molloy, who makes some deft points but is also quite wrong about Argentina: "I used to think that in World Cup football there are 4 really big nations: Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina. But South Africa 2010 has caused me to reconsider the interpretations of past events which support this ranking, and now I think Italy and Argentina should be dropped from the A-list and placed closer to nations like the Dutch, English, French, Spanish, etc. Consider Argentina: in 78 a nice Cup win at home, but even England managed that, and of course a legendary Cup win in 86 inspired by a solo virtuoso, but almost nothing in the last 20 years. The 1990 runners-up were somewhere between a fluke and a disgrace to sport, and there's been England-esque frustration since then. Not much before 78, either, although Argentina did supply the best players for Italy's Cup wins in 34 and 38 [a potential reason for Italy's demotion, by the way]. Looked at this way, Argentina are rather like England or Uruguay: they've got some past glories, some nice memories, and a continuing supply of outstanding players to rich European clubs, but it'd be very noteworthy and rather surprising if they got as far as the semifinals of the World Cup [like Uruguay this year or England in 90]. Or looked at another way, Argentina is an otherwise decent footballing nation with one outstanding tournament under one outstanding player – in other words, rather like Portugal but with a publicity-hogging, light-skinned version of Eusebio in its past. What does anyone else think?"
9.27am: Loved that Puyol header last night. It was a kind of heavy metal power-rock header, a head-bang. I heard power chords as it bulleted into the net. And Paul Jaines heard angry men swearing and the bark of a dog: "Good to see Spain finally adopting a more classical English approach to their goal last night - sticking it in the mixer and hoping for a big lumbering defender to head home. It had Hackney Marshes printed all over it."
9.31am: Some classy and gracious comments from dreamboat drama teacher Jogi Low: ""Compliments to Spain, I believe they will win this tournament. They've been the best team for a few years. They circulate the ball well and you just can't keep up with them. We couldn't play the way we like to." Hard to argue with any of that. Even if it all seems somehow a bit wrong when nobody's blaming the ref/bad luck/being [ahem] tired.
9.43am: Spain then. Here's a nice little video from the excellent 101greatgoals.com. Warning: contains scenes some viewers may find upsetting (mild Iberian perspiration peril).
9.46am: By the way did anyone see the bit on the BBC last night about some England fans who had stayed on to build an orphanage in South Africa? I found my grizzled mask of sneery career cynicism melting into hot wet tears of confused and helpless admiration. There men are saints. albeit, apparently saints without jobs or families to return to. That idiot-bus has finally done something worthwhile.
9.57am: So, Spain. B Maxwell voices a view: "On the Spain issue: there's no doubt they're a fantastic team, the best in the world. But I've honestly never been as bored watching such technically gifted players. They suck the life out of the opposition with their insipid tempo. God forbid someone should spoil the 37 prior passes by having a dig from distance. They're the international Arsenal. Yawn." It's odd isn't it. There is a sense that Spain have been "found out" a little in this World Cup. Not in terms of talent: they are peerless manipulators of the ball. They have sick skills. They have three genuine talents in Villa Iniesta and Xavi. But in temrs of a more visceral appeal, a likability-factor. Are they lovable? Do they make your heart sing in the way, say, Brazil '82 did, as they pootle the ball about expertly? Is this what football is now? And is it enough?
10.02am: On the other hand Guy Hornsby makes a good point about their simpler, more trusty virtues: "So, last night's match didn't live up to the hype or indeed match the first semi, but at least Spain found a way (finally) past their multi-phase attacks to score a good old-fashioned winner. Germany, it seemed, may have looked cautious, but Spain's defence has proven rock-solid at this World Cup, with Pique and Puyol immovable yesterday, and so they were less effective than their England/Argentina games when both sides left them a big door to charge through."
10.04am: I agree with Santi Alonso, although it does also seem oddly faint praise: "I'm sure Pedrito will get a lot of stick for not laying the ball off to Torres but he was on for an amazing record scoring in 7 competitions, who wouldn't go for a bit of glory. Besides he ran nonstop for the entire game and chased every German defender like a demented daschund. He was Spain's best player." Pedrito? Mmmmm. Do they come in Spicy Hot Sweet Chilli Cheese flavour?
© Guardian News and Media Limited 2010
No comments:
Post a Comment