Quickfire World Cup Poll #19: front up: who will win the World Cup now?

- Holland aren't that good, Brazil just self-destructed. Wesley Schneider is one of the players of the tournament, though. Without him they'd be fucked.

- Uruguay aren't much cop either, frontmen aside. That said, their frontment are very very good indeed. The Ghana defeat was the sort of horrible epic that we're led to believe only ever happens to England. Poor, poor Asamoah Gyan - if he'd been English he'd be written straight into the history books because taking the first penalty straight after that = maximum respect.

- Yes Germany amazing BUT so far they've only played fuckwits like Argentina and England. Like, every single team that played Argentina identified Messi as the major threat and stopped him from playing. It seemingly hasn't occured to anyone that Germany have some quite tasty players and maybe they should approach Ozil/Schweinsteiger/Podolski/Mueller/Klose with some sort of a plan. Germany seem to be able to destroy teams who pour forward and attack - Spain don't do that.

- Spain have been quite rightly shackled by everyone they've played so far and it's ruined most games they've played. Admittedly the first 15mins of the second half yesterday was loltastic. They've managed to not play particularly well throughout this tournament but still win. IF they can work out a gameplan for Germany they might still win this World Cup. That said, no one's really had much of a go at their defence so far and I think Germany might do that and get some joy.

― Vulvuzela (Matt DC), Sunday, July 4, 2010 9:54 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

please make more predictions! I insist.

― so you want Mark Ronson to cry into your ass (acoleuthic), Monday, July 5, 2010 12:53 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

germany will win the WC, and i'm not sure they'll be particularly taxed in doing so. they've been the only team throughout the tournament where the players can tactically adapt on the spot to whatever setup they face. kudos to luuuuuuuuurve for picking the best players available (capello's out mainly because he didn't do this) but i'm not sure that ze germanse need much in the way of coaching after that- there's a lot of footballing intelligence in that squad.

― ,,,,,,eeeeleon (darraghmac), Monday, July 5, 2010 1:11 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Ok, Andre Oojier to shock the world by doing what Cryuff and van Basten could never do.

― fuque santa cruz (a hoy hoy), Monday, July 5, 2010 1:42 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark

Spain - Netherlands final, Spain to win the WC.

― The Birdman of Alcaraz (Noodle Vague), Monday, July 5, 2010 6:58 AM (52 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

so anyway i think spain is gonna win too, they don't seem as susceptible to the german counter attack -- hope parauruguay beats netherlands tbh

― hell hath no furry (J0rdan S.), Monday, July 5, 2010 7:17 AM (33 minutes ago) Bookmark

should've done this before the QFs for maximum Brazil/Argentina-related fun

I've voted for Netherlands but that's almost entirely on instinct. I love them. I also love the Spanish and the Germans, too, and I have Uruguay in the office sweepstake, so I'm gonna be pretty happy whoever wins.

Netherlands haven't lost in about 25 games; there's got to be something in that, even if they're not attracting headlines and office chitchat seemingly at the moment. Sneijder's awesome, and Robben's coming into form and fitness too.

Germany haven't yet faced a well-organised team who can pass round a defence. They wont be able to neutralise Spain's attack the way they did Messi, because Spain work in a totally different way.

I was gonna start a 'team of the tournament' thread but sod it, I'll do it here...

Casillas
Ramos - Heitinga - Pique - Lahm
Schweinsteiger
Mueller - Sneijder - Xavi
Klose - Villa

xavi, lw

Well, no, not really; Villa would pull way out left.

Maybe I should have put it as a 4-3-3 with Schweignsteiger, Sneijder, and Xavi in a triangle behind Mueller, Klose, Villa.

yeah that might work, villa has been playing to the left so far

suárez over klose tho

You reckon? I like Suarez, and as a rule don't really like Klose, but Klose's got the goals (again), and I can't really deny that. On past form I'd have loved to put Torres or Rooney in there, but they've obviously been shocking in the actual tournament.

suárez hasn't nearly the same quality in midfield, and he scored that amazing goal against south korea

Also the awesome handball and crying one min/celebrations the next. Gotta love a South American 'little thief'.

Good points.

Pick for pick I'd go with SM's team, I think. Klose practically on his own up front, Ramos doing everything on the right, Villa left wing, the rest just some kind of beautiful footballing fulcrum of beauty with Sneijder playing in the hole.

They are great, yeah. xp

Sticking with the Dutch.

Same here.

      Skeletenburg
van der Wiel Pique  Juan     Lahm
     Bradley Schweinsteiger
Muller              Sniejder
        Suarez             Villa

Voted Holland btw.

Why are y'all picking Pique and not Lucio? He was colossal every time I saw him, even when the others had lost it.

Bradley's a deserved inclusion - will be interested to see where he ends up.

have a beard quota.

I was wondering why suddenly no mention of Fabregas

Germany or Spain - have a funny feeling that the Germans may have peaked too soon. It'd be good to have a first-timer win but Van Persie is too evil a person to be allowed to lift the World Cup and, y'know, it's Holland in South Africa.

Home advantage is pretty much the only way a country ever gets over the first-time winner hurdle, and this is probably the closest Holland is ever going to get.

Aside from the obvious, why's Van Persie so hateful?

He's not, really. He's just dutch/arrogant tbh. Can't understand that hate myself.

(apart from the obvious, as you say, which AFAIR never actually went anywahere)

eh i think it happens on a regular enough occasions that we can just assume that rapey footballers are a bit rapey

If I didn't believe it I would have to stop singing that one song to the tune of 'Re-rewind' which would suck

afaik that was established as a false accusation

Have all the leftbacks in this tournament been so shit that people have had to put a guy who's played every game at rightback in there? I know Lahm has played LB in the past but still. Coentrão's been alright, and Clemente Rodríguez looked decent for Argentina.

fucile has been well fuckin futile

friend of mine had a debate with me as to whether 'futile' or 'facile' would be a better rendering of his name

maybe the answer is 'fuckle'

coentrao has been dope, yeah my bad. future wasted chelsea left back if ever there was one.

eduardo (suárez); lahm, juan, godin (da silva), fucile; arévalo ríos (diego pérez), bastian s., sneijder (donovan), muller; forlán & suárez

villa out. cause: goatee

         Enyeama
Maicon Lucio Inkoom Coentrao
     Bradley Mascherano
KPB
                        Ozil
       Tevez 
             Honda

Eliminees XI, except Ozil who gets in cos nobody else seems to want him.

Would pick Park over Bradley, we was great in much the same way but did more going forwards.

Picked Holland at the start for no particular reason so sticking with that. I strongly fancy Spain to beat Germany in the semi for what it's worth.

http://www.electru.de/wp-content/uploads/germany_worldcup2010.jpg

And the next one's in Brazil, and then the next two get cancelled due to all-out global war. Excellent!

Will be so disappointed if it isn't a Deutsch v Dutch final

http://www.chartstats.com/image/s13434_300.jpg

I remember an earlier form of that diagram making the rounds pre-'98 to show that it was England's turn to win.

You could also make a reasonable case that England '66 ≈ France '98. It would be pretty great if Uruguay somehow managed to screw up Brazil in 2014 too.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

I thought germany would run away w/ this

oh, they will.

So everyone thinks it will be a Holland Vs Germany final for sure?

Would be funny if it was Uruguay vs Spain.

So everyone thinks it will be a Holland Vs Germany final for sure?

What, everyone thinks Germany will beat Spain? Since when?

since we decided to revolt against our psychic octopus overlord.

Even the Psychic Octopus is backing Spain!

People be madly overrating Holland here. I think Uruguay might do them this evening.

I think most people misread the question as "Quickfire World Cup Poll #19: front up: who will win the World Cup not?"

People be madly overrating Holland here. I think Uruguay might do them this evening

To expect them to beat Uruguay isn't madly over-rating anything really.

underestimating the spanish too

Spanish have struggled to really impress themselves, despite their undoubted class. I don't know if they'll particularly trouble Germany.

Start by dropping Torres

Don't remember Italy being that impressive either last time round, until suddenly it was like "woah they've won it".

Italy were far more impressive than France

That's Italy though. Pretty much par for the course there.

Start by dropping Torres

Del Bosque has hinted at exactly that and he has Llorente and Silva available.

Italy were far more impressive than France

France looked plucky and managed to scrape by but that was about it.

Llorente would be a real sign that they mean business

Why are they playing a Premiership player anyway, they're crap

Best league in the world, worst players at the World Cup. Richard Keys is sobbing under whips chez Murdoch