WORLD CUP JULY 3, 2010
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One of the things I enjoy most during the World Cup is watching a team improve, mature, and gel during the course of the tournament. It seems the Germans keep getting better and better. I have never been a fan of the country’s tournament entries before, but I find this team quite a bit more enjoyable to watch than any of its predecessors. They seem to have no glaring weaknesses, are both solid and creating, and just as important, they give the impression that they’re just having fun out there.
As was the case with Mexico vs. France, the best team won, not the team with the best players. Of course Germany was better coached, but the players were more disciplined as well. Schweinsteiger has been brilliant and consistent, and like his team, seems to be improving with every game. In all the talk about disappointing stars, players scoring or not, I’d like to nominate him as the best player in tournament. Even had he not had a hand in the goals today, he was so defensively dominant and set the tempo so well that I’d vote him man of the match.
6 comments
Without question man of the match; we'll see if he ends up player of the tournament. What a fascinating semi final we have in prospect. Can't wait. That German Dutch derby does look tasty but I don't think anyone could doubt Spain's steel. They're nowhere near their best and we must remember, have been in knockout tournament football since their second game and might have stumbled upon their best team with Fabregas replacing Torres. The good news for the Germans is that Del Bosque will bottle that one. It's all to play for. Huge brands and undoubted talent up against the ferocious, young Germans. Great WC.
- IggyPop
July 3, 2010 at 7:13pm
I'm glad Bastian Schweinsteiger is a great player, because he has hands-down the best name in football.
- davemb
July 3, 2010 at 11:27pm
Sorry davemb, I'll take Herculez Gomez any day.
- Crock1701
July 4, 2010 at 1:44am
Hmm... "Herculez" is great but "Gomez" is just a very common Spanish name. Whereas "Bastian" is very distinctive and a schweinsteiger ought to be a spear used in boar hunting...
- davemb
July 4, 2010 at 7:29pm
Actually the best thing about Schweinsteiger's name is that it means "pig-mounter".
- neitwin
July 5, 2010 at 2:57am
Schweinsteiger is great, and my wife has been passionately in love with Klose for eight years now, but Mesut Ozil is the German who's caught my eye. Like Bastian, he seems to have is boot on the ball at least once in every important play, only it's more often twice. He'll make a critical one-touch in the center midfield to advance the ball into the offensive third, and then a moment later he's taking the ball deep on the side and distributing it back toward goal again. He seemed tentative in the opening two games, but every match since Ozil has seemed at least a year more confident and canny than his last appearance.
- rhubarbs
July 5, 2010 at 11:18am