True Colours

The lack of posts for a couple of days has not been down, as you might think, to the lack of football taking place. On the contrary, I had fully intended to keep you up to date with life as a World Cup obsessive on those days during the tournament when the remaining teams are allowed to rest, but alas, moving house and all the crap that comes with it have prevented me from posting. Also, I have now moved into a home which as yet has no internet connection so my posts may be a little delayed from now on. One thing that is certain is that, like the eventual world champions, this blog will continue to the bitter end!

Now where were we? Oh look, I go missing for a couple of days and I come back to find that World Cup 2006 has lost it's best team. You can't trust these footballers with anything can you? One thing should be clear, and that is that Argentina are the best footballl team in the world regardless of who wins the World Cup. Certainly when it comes down to technique, skill and sheer quality of their play they are anyway but as we know, that doesn't necessarily always win you football matches. When you get to a quarter final or beyond of the World Cup, I get the feeling that the teams that win are just those that get slightly less terrified than their opponents. Prior to yesterday's game, both these teams had advanced with a method of all-out-attack, in the Germans case mainly to keep the ball as far as possible from their untrustworthy defence, and yet both seemed rather crippled by the enormity of the occasion. What should have been a match to savour for its fast paced high drama and goals, will actually be remembered for the tension, slowly rising as they headed towards the moment of judgement, when one team that has come to the World Cup only to take away the trophy knows that their dreams will be shattered. Now that's pressure, and it got to Argentina.

After controlling the game for an hour, and taking the lead, the Argentine players and coach got the biggest case of the wobbles since Jana Novotna (legendary choker - tennis ed) last had a match point. This manifested itself in one of the classic "(sharp in take of breath) ooh, he's gonna regret that I tell you" substitutions as, with half an hour left and one goal up, Argentina removed Riquelme, their playmaker and axis, and replaced him with Cambiasso, a holding midfielder. They also used up their three subs without bringing on the young Prince Messi to torment their weary opponents. Germany duly equalised with ten minutes to go, and Argentina had nothing left with which to reply. The best they could achieve was to hold out in extra time and wait for the penalties, but as this game involved the Germans, we all know what happens then. I'm sure I caught sight of German players grinning as they meandered through the extra half-hour, knowing that as soon as the final whistle blew, the semi-final place was a mere formality. Readers can feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here, but as far as I know the Germans have lost only one major shoot out - the 1976 European Championship final to Czechoslovakia, when the famous chipped penalty (probably the first time that technique was ever seen in a major match) won the tournament. From that moment, it appears that it has been implanted into the brain of every German footballer that they do not lose penalty shoot outs, and their preparation for these occasions is becoming the stuff of legend.

So, each and every German penalty was duly despatched with frightening ease and confidence, and the match was all over. Well actually, not quite. Following the final whistle, complete anarchy broke out on the pitch as Argentina took their defeat, complete with the obligatory few dodgy refereeing decisions in favour of the host nation, rather badly. Gabriel Heinze was unsuccessfully restrained by at least 20 people, and when Maxi Rodriguez sprinted 30 yards to launch himself feet first into a group of Germans, Sepp Blatter must have been having palpatations over the effects this would have on his precious PR. Fifa shouldn't punish Argentina for this, they should celebrate the fact that football is played by emotional human beings who aren't actually delighted at being knocked out of the World Cup having not lost a match, and have just had all their dreams shattered. If this is the greatest show on earth, and it is, then the last thing you should want is for players to walk off smiling when they've lost. Argentina's behaviour was a fantastic advertisement for football, it said 'this is the World Cup. It matters.' I would love to see England behave like this when, sorry, if they lose to Portugal today. Only joking there!

As for Germany's semi-final opponents, the one thing they will know is that the game must be won in the conventional way. Not only are the Germans seemingly infallible when it comes to spot-kicks, there aren't many nations more vulnerable at that stage than Italy. Personally I don't think it will get that far, I think Italy will knock the Germans out in normal time. The wonderful scenes of national joy reached their cruscendo last night, and are about to turn into utter despondency. Why do I make such a bold statement? Quite frankly I can't understand why the Italians are so constantly written off by the TV pundits who appear to dislike them for being defensive. First of all I think it's a tired cliche, and the Italians are no more negative than most other sides, in fact in some cases they are less so. What the Italians do have is a magnificent defence, but this is not the same thing as being negative. Some of their games may appear quiet, especially if Italy take the lead, but this is because the opposition finds it impossible to carve out any chances due to the sheer quality of the defending. You can hardly blame the Italians for spoiling the game when the opposition simply aren't good enough to beat them.

Let's look at a few facts. Italy have the best goalkeeper in the tournament, the best centre-back, the best full-back, the best holding midfielder, and possibly the best winger. Ok, playmaker unfit and out of sorts, and centre forward unconvincing, but it's not a bad start is it? They haven't yet conceded to an opposition player in the tournament, Zaccardo's freak own goal against USA the only time Buffon has been beaten so far. Italy also haven't actually lost a football match for two years, surely this makes them, if anyone, the 'team to beat' in the tournament. Then there is their World Cup record - Italy haven't actually been knocked out in normal time since 1986, losing on penalties in 1990, 1994 and 1998, and going out to the South Korean golden goal in 2002. When it comes to playing Germany they're not bad either, 4 World Cup meetings, no German wins so far, and when they last played each other in a friendly, about two months prior to the World Cup, Italy thrashed Germany to such an extent that Klinsmann almost lost his job because of it. The omens do not look good for the Germans. Quite apart from the questionable clues that history gives us to the outcome, Italy are coming along very-nicely-thank-you in this tournament. Anyone who can coast to a 3-0 win in a World Cup quarter final the way Italy did deserves serious respect. Even then the BBC chose to question the standard of the opposition rather than give Italy any praise for their efficiency. England have made much harder work of far worse opposition so far, yet their chances are seen to be better than Italy's.

If winning in the final stages of a World Cup is more a mental task than anything else, then personally I think we have new World Cup favourites. Just so long as it doesn't go to penalties, which may be the only way the Italians can be beaten.

I can't sign off today without a mention of or TV friends once again. The gulf in class between BBC and ITV was perhaps more in evidence last night than any other night, both in the serious and non-serious stakes. In the aftermath of the vile Spanish supporters monkey chanting over La Marseillaise the other night, Fifa have insisted on each captain reading an anti-racism message before the quarter-finals. As the German and Argentine captains did so yesterday, ITV gave a cursory explanation, then proceeded to talk all over the announcements. Jonathan Pearce on the BBC gave a full explanation, declared his praise for such a venture, and gave us full translations of both Cannavaro's and Shevchenko's readings. As the BBC might tell you, this is what they do. Added to this was the BBC's half-time punditry, which was superb. Gary Lineker, for all his puns and biased assessments does at least have a relaxing style well suited to sports coverage. Steve Rider might be presenting a royal funeral, such is the gravity of his manner. Last night the BBC produced the TV moment of the World Cup so far, thanks to the wonderful Martin O'Neill, who began comparing Italy's style of play with the building of the Roman Empire, and even crediting Caesar and co with inventing the offside rule. It's only on the BBC.

Now, who's playing today? Ah yes...