Sheffield Wednesday 2009-2010

[Chief Rum]

Here are my quick hit predictions:

Group Stage

(winner and second place squad in that order):

Group A (Holland, Serbia & Montenegro)
Group B (Spain, Paraguay)
Group C (Argentina, Sweden)
Group D (Germany, Russia)
Group E (Italy, Mexico)
Group F (France, Brazil)
Group G (England, Morocco)
Group H (Portugal, Ghana)

Second Round

Holland over Paraguay
Spain over Serbia & Montenegro
Argentina over Russia
Sweden over Germany
Brazil over Italy
Mexico over France
England over Ghana
Portugal over Morocco

Quarterfinals

Holland over Sweden
Spain over Argentina
Brazil over Portugal
Mexico over England

Semifinals

Mexico over Holland
Spain over Brazil

Third Place Playoff

Brazil over Holland

Final

Spain over Mexico

WC Champs: SPAIN!

I reserve the right to edit my picks throughout the tournament.

[Chief Rum]

Group Stage

I did have a much longer post here, with some individual game highlights, but then IE's stupid automatic key strokes kicked in, and hittign the wrong button erased it all. Fuck Microsoft.

Unfortunately, I'm not re-writing that. So I am just giving results here.

Group A

Australia 3, Holland 2
Serbia & Montenegro 1, Colombia 0

Serbia & Montenegro 1, Holland 0
Colombia 2, Australia 0

Colombia 3, Holland 1
Serbia & Montenegro 1, Australia 1

FINAL STANDINGS

Serbia & Montenegro 7
Colombia 6
Australia 4
Holland 0

Comment: This group was just a shock for how World Cup holders Holland just completely crapped out. They were definitely the class of this division, and they didn't get a single break or create anything for themselves when they needed it. The two squads expecting to bie for second behind the Dutch ended up getting the top spots.

Group B

Spain 3, Paraguay 0
Scotland 2, South Korea 0

South Korea 3, Paraguay 0
Spain 2, Scotland 0

South Korea 1, Spain 1
Paraguay 1, Scotland 0

FINAL STANDINGS

Spain 7
South Korea 4
Scotland 3
Paraguay 3

Comment: Spain dominated this group as expected. But the one match they didn't go all out turned out to be the key difference between South Korea and Scotland. The point the Koreans got from the Spain match got them into the second round, surrounding pre-tournament fave Scotland home. Scotland only had itself to blame, though, considering they could have won through by beating, or even drawing, Paraguay.

Group C

Argentina 5, Canada 0
Sweden 2, Iran 0

Sweden 2, Argentina 2
Iran 2, Canada 0

Canada 2, Sweden 1
Argentina 2, Iran 0

FINAL STANDINGS

Argentina 7
Sweden 4
Iran 3
Canada 3

Comment: Argentina was scary good against Canada, but were surprisingly human and vulnerable against Sweden and Iran. The rest of the group was a dogfight, especially after Canada's upset of Sweden made things so close. Still, Sweden's draw with Argentina earned it a trip to the second round.

Group D

Senegal 3, Germany 3
Saudi Arabia 3, Russia 0

Saudi Arabia 1, Senegal 0
Russia 0, Germany 0

Russia 2, Senegal 1
Germany 4, Saudi Arabia 0

FINAL STANDINGS

Saudi Arabia 6
Germany 5
Russia 4
Senegal 1

Comment: The surprising tone of this group was set in the first match, when the Saudis just overwhelmed Russia, and Senegal drew with Germany on a late equaliser in the wildest match of the first round. Saudi Arabia continue its surprise run by clinching a spot in the next round with its win over Senegal. Germany looked like it was in trouble until they pasted the Saudis in Round 3.

Group E

Bosnia 1, Italy 1
Mexico 1, Algeria 0

Mexico 2, Bosnia 0
Italy 0, Algeria 0

Italy 1, Mexico 1
Bosnia 1, Algeria 1

FINAL STANDINGS

Mexico 7
Italy 3
Bosnia 2
Algeria 2

Comment: Italy just didn't even show any energy for this round, which is typical of them in their history. Drawing with the two weaker teams is not a good sign, since you may have to beat Mexico to advance. Mexico clinched its spot after two matches, but it was still a strong match from both squads. The resulting draw was very risky for Italy, and a win (by either squad) in the Bosnia-Algeria match would send the winner to the second round, and the Azurri home. Fortunately for Italy, they got the one result they needed, a draw, and advance with a weak three points.

Group F

France 1, Brazil 0
Costa Rica 2, South Africa 0

France 4, Costa Rica 0
Brazil 3, South Africa 1

France 3, South Africa 1
Brazil 2, Costa Rica 1

FINAL STANDINGS

France 9
Brazil 6
Costa Rica 3
South Africa 0

Comment: The pivotal match was, of course, the Round 1 heavyweight between Brazil and France. The French won a tight match, and used it to win out in an otherwise weak group. Brazil played uninspiring at times, but they did enough to advance with ease.

Group G

Croatia 2, Morocco 0
England 2, Uzbekistan 1

England 1, Croatia 0
Morocco 2, Uzbekistan 2

England 1, Morocco 0
Croatia 1, Uzbekistan 0

FINAL STANDINGS

England 9
Croatia 6
Morocco 1
Uzbekistan 1

Comment: Winning three matches by just one goal apiece is not exactly the most dominant way to maximum points, but that's what the English got. Croatia didn't get thri two wins easy either, but it was enough to advance.

Group H

Portugal 3, Austria 0
USA 2, Ghana 1

Austria 5, USA 0
Ghana 1, Portugal 1

USA 1, Portugal 1
Ghana 1, Austria 1

FINAL STANDINGS

Portugal 5
Austria 4
USA 4
Ghana 2

Comment: Portugal looked like a world-beater after the Austria match, and the Americans won what many considered the key match for the second place spot. Amazing how things can change in a round. Portugal were surprised by a draw with Ghana that made their advancement less automatic, and the United States were embarrassed in probably the tournament's worst thrashing (and by the much unexpected Austrian squad). The draws at the end kept things the same, and Portugal and Austria advance.

Second Round Matches

South Korea vs Serbia & Montenegro
Colombia vs Spain
Argentina vs Germany
Sweden vs Saudi Arabia
Italy vs France
Mexico vs Brazil
Portugal vs Croatia
England vs Austria

There are some very impressive matchups there, with some squads playing teams you wouldn't expect this early.

[Chief Rum]

To The End Of The 2009-10 Season

While I will wrap this thread up with the World Cup (which goes into July), my Sheffield Wednesday 2009-10 season officially wraps up on June 19, just ten days after the start of the World Cup.

This will finish the club end of things, which I will continue it a new thread dedicated to the 2010-11 season.

I will continue to tell the story of this World Cup up to its conclusion on July 11, and int he following international aftermath (firings, awards, and what not). And that will be the actual end of this season's thread.

June 12 Southampton superkid winger Theo Walcott has accepted our offer. He will join us for a pricey $13.5 M total, the most I have shelled out altogether for a player. He rejected the offer from Man City. He will join us on July 1.

June 15 The club and nation rankings are announced, as judged by European coefficients.

Man Utd, which did so "poorly" as to only win the UEFA Cup and earn its manager a sacking, jumped from third to first, much to the satisfaction of its "billions" of fans, I am sure. England has four of the top five squads (the four that finished above me). We check in at #94, which is pretty high considering we haven't seen any European action in the past five seasons. It just goes to show you how far you can get just by being in a good league.

Here is the Top 25 of clubs:

1. Manchester United (Barclays Premiership/England)
2. Milan (Serie A/Italy)
3. Liverpool (Barclays Premiership/England)
4. Arsenal (Barclays Premiership/England)
5. Chelsea (Barclays Premiership/England)
6. Inter (Serie A/Italy)
7. Real Madrid (Primera Division/Spain)
8. Barcelona (Primera Division/Spain)
9. Schalke (Bundesliga/Germany)
10. Betis (Primera Division/Spain)
11. Villareal (Primera Division/Spain)
12. Roma (Serie A/Italy)
13. Juventus (Serie A/Italy)
14. Lazio (Serie A/Italy)
15. Monaco (Ligue 1 Orange/France)
16. Fenerbahce (Turkcell Super Lig/Turkey)
17. Feyenoord (Eredivisie/Holland)
18. FC Bayern (Bundesliga/Germany)
19. Stuttgart (Bundesliga/Germany)
20. Marseille (Ligue 1 Orange/France)
21. Ajax (Eredivisie/Holland)
22. Lyon (Ligue 1 Orange/France)
23. Werder Bremen (Germany/Bundesliga)
24. Rangers (Bank of Scotland Premierleague/Scotland)
25. Newcastle (Barclays Premiership/England)

As you might expect, the dominance by England in the rankings is a reflection of clubs from the Premiership capturing both major trophies in Europe, including sending both representatives in the Champions League final. They are far and away the best nation of clubs at the moment, distancing themselves from the pack. Here is a look at the national listings, with their coefficient in parentheses:

1. England (87.034)
2. Italy (78.286)
3. Spain (73.134)
4. Germany (63.706)
5. France (50.321)
6. Belgium (40.875)
7. Holland (40.083)
8. Scotland (36.250)
9. Turkeu (35.917)
10. Portugal (34.750)
11. Denmark (34.250)
12. Austria (33.250)
13. Serbia & Montenegro (30.150)
14. Greece (29.833)
15. Russia (27.250)

This list includes all of the European leagues with more than one spot in the Champions League pool.

June 17 I place an advert in the Job Centre for a physio, coach, assistant manager and scout, just to see who applies.

June 17 Portugal's Felgueiras, a lower league club, have offered a contract to Kiss, one of my few remaining players without a contract after June 30 to not have signed for someone else.

June 19 The Intertoto Cup for the 2010-11 season begins.

***END OF 2009/10 CLUB SEASON***

[MIJB#19]

I dunno what's more embarrasing this:

Serbia & Montenegro 7
Colombia 6
Australia 4
Holland 0

or this:

6. Belgium (40.875)
7. Holland (40.083)

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

I dunno what's more embarrasing this:
or this:

I was shocked by both myself, although for different reasons than you probably. Having watched every one of Holland's World Cup matches, I know they dominated two of the three and played a man down in the third (they played even with the opponent anyway). It was just one of those awful stretches where they couldn't seem to get much actual goal production. I was really disappointed because they had so much talent, and I wanted to see them go forward.

The second part has me confused, because I didn't think they adjusted the coefficients in the middle of the year. When I first looked at the national list, Holland was actually almost even with France, such that I was telling myself maybe I should start talking about the "Big Six", instead of five. So when I went to check this out for the post above (I am in late July 2010 in the actual game right now), I was shocked to see how things had changed.

My bet is that the Dutch leagues will make a comeback, and probably the national team, too, at the Euros.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

The second part has me confused, because I didn't think they adjusted the coefficients in the middle of the year. When I first looked at the national list, Holland was actually almost even with France, such that I was telling myself maybe I should start talking about the "Big Six", instead of five. So when I went to check this out for the post above (I am in late July 2010 in the actual game right now), I was shocked to see how things had changed.

I don't play FM (shame on you, MIJB!) but my guess is that it's the shift from the past five years figure to the in-season figure of the last four season + this season. If the season falling over board was a top season with a tema making it to a final or two teams making it to the quarter finals, a league can lose like 10 to 15 or even 20 points.

Edit; But looking at the raw numbers given, it has to be a 5-year figure, 87 points are impossible to gather in 4 seasons, barring 4 years of total domination.

Another edit: My new guess is that it's the change from the 5-season figure from the years before the most recent, to the 4 before plus the most recent season. In that case, a really good Dutch season, or weak Belgian season 5 years ago compared to the ended season can make such a shift of teams.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

I don't play FM (shame on you, MIJB!) but my guess is that it's the shift from the past five years figure to the in-season figure of the last four season + this season. If the season falling over board was a top season with a tema making it to a final or two teams making it to the quarter finals, a league can lose like 10 to 15 or even 20 points.

Edit; But looking at the raw numbers given, it has to be a 5-year figure, 87 points are impossible to gather in 4 seasons, barring 4 years of total domination.

Another edit: My new guess is that it's the change from the 5-season figure from the years before the most recent, to the 4 before plus the most recent season. In that case, a really good Dutch season, or weak Belgian season 5 years ago compared to the ended season can make such a shift of teams.

Yeah, I think that's what happened, although that is disappointing if it did.

It seems to em when the new team rankings are announced should also be when they would re-adjust the national rankings (taking into consideration the soon to be ending year, as the club rankings did). Apparently it didn't do that, though, and changed over when the new season actually began a few days later.

So the club rankings remain the same, but not the national rankings untila few days later. Strange...

[Chief Rum]

Second Round

South Korea vs Serbia & Montenegro

Neither of these squads were exactly picked to be here, but here they are. One of the primary reasons the Serbs are here is superstar striker Mirko Vucinic, and he showed it again in this one. From 17' to 27', Vucinic started and completed a hat trick, and did all the scoring his team needed. The Koreans could only muster three shots on goal, and Serbia & Montenegro advance. SCG 3, KOR 0

Colombia vs Spain

Colombia was in the mix for a spot in the second round, but certainly not favored, while Spain was my pick from the beginning (and are playing like it). This one did not start well for Spain. Cesar Augusto Fawcett scored at 12' to put them at a deficit, and then Edixon Perea added another at 29'. By this time, it was clear the Spanish were failing to capitalize on their immense talent. Colombia continued to roll in the second half, getting a score at 51' from Juan Cmailo Arboleda, and wrapping it up with a Andres Felipe Gonzalez penalty kick at 55'. This was perhaps the ugliest World Cup ousting Spain has ever endured. COL 4, ESP 0

Argentina vs Germany

Argentina has been very good in the group stage. Would this continue against a heavyweight like Germany? Well, apparently, yes. Cesar Delgado got the only goal in the first half at 21' to put the Germans on their heels. Carlos Tevez gave them another one at '59, and Gabriel Veron put it away with a score at 89'. ARG 3, GER 0

Sweden vs Saudi Arabia

Getting through your group stage in surprising fashion is one thing; advancing beyond the second round is another. But, still, the Saudis might have gotten lucky drawing Sweden, a nontraditional European power, here. Or at least so thought. Superstar striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a penalty at 17' after fellow striker Eder Sarkis was pushed in the box. Then Abdul Mohsen Al-Dossary put his own squad down another with an own goal at 23'. Sweden was rolling after that. Sarkis added two more, and the Swedes crushed the Saudis. SWE 4, KSA 0

Italy vs France

Much as in the real life Final, this would prove to be a tight defensive match. At 32', Patrick Vieira went for a tackle on Daniele de Rossi as he went into the box, and the ref pointed to the spot. Andrea Pirlo stepped it up and blasted it past Sebastien Frey, who might have been limited by a hurt ankle injury he sustained earlier in the match. Such are the little things that matter most at this level. It would be the only goal the Azzuri would need, as the French put a lot of pressure (13 shots, 7 on goal) before falling. ITA 1, FRA 0

Mexico vs Brazil

Brazil is the most talented squad in the world, and they really rolled out the firepower for this one. But they couldn't figure out Francisco Guillermo Ochoa. He stopped all eight shots on goal, and tensed up as the superpwer squad shot at him 23 times. But they didn't get one past him, and the Mexicans rode his performance and a lone goal from Oribe Peralta at 35' to victory. Mexico took only five shots, and only one went on goal-- Peralta's. MEX 1, BRA 0

Portugal vs Croatia

This turned out to be one of the tournament's most exciting matchups. Dario Simic put in an own goal at 33', and for most of the match, it looked like the veteran defender might have to live with that being the goal that eliminated his team from this World Cup. He was bailed out at 77', though, when Niko Kranjcar scored to even it up. That forced extra time. Simao out the Portuguese ahead, 2-1, with a goal at 100', but there was still twenty minutes to go. Once again, the Croatians put that time to good use, kicking in a penalties-forcing score at 118', by Goran Ljubojevic. Simic, unfortunately, would figure poorly in the penalty phase. He and squadmate Mato Neretljak would shoot Croatia's first two penalties right at Portgual keeper Ruben to immediately thrust them into a pressure situation. Miguel, Simao and Ricardo Carvalho all scored their kicks, forcing Nikola Safaric to make his shot to keep Croatia alive. Ruben made a fantastic save on Safaric's blast toward the right post, and the Portuguese go on. Simao's goal was the only shot on goal for Portugal all match. POR 2, CRO 2 (3-1 pen)

England vs Austria

This should be an easy match for the English, but when do they ever do things the easy way? They got down early when young Austrian striker Kevin Martischnegg put one in at 15'. England dominated the entire match, otherwise, getting 21 shots off and putting 10 on goal at Austrian keeper Bartolomej Kuru. But they, as usual, failed on the offensive end, and failed to finish. They did score, though. The most mind-boggling weird goal I have ever seen in FM. At 63', a long clear out over an open defensive half-pitch was bouncing toward England keeper Paul Robinson. He was flat on his line, and the ball was headed directly for him, with no danger coming from Austria. Yet he did not move off of his line one bit. So here comes John Terry, running madly into his own box, as if to save it or stop it, despite the fact the immobile Robinson is perfectly positioned to catch it. And what does one of the world's top defenders do? He misjudges it on a bounce and kicks it past Robinson for the galling own goal. Unfreakinbelievable. Only to England could this happen. In real life, Terry and Robinson wouldn't even be allowed back on the island. AUT 2, ENG 0

Quarterfinal Matchups

Serbia & Montenegro vs Sweden
Colombia vs Argentina
Mexico vs Portugal (the game to determine who is the best nation on Earth)
Italy vs Austria

[aran]

I'd just like to share that I actually saw Sheffield Wednesday play on Saturday night. They played against the USL's Rochester Rhinos. Wednesday won 2-0 and put on a nice show. It was a lot of fun to watch.

Great dynasty, also.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by aran

I'd just like to share that I actually saw Sheffield Wednesday play on Saturday night. They played against the USL's Rochester Rhinos. Wednesday won 2-0 and put on a nice show. It was a lot of fun to watch.

Great dynasty, also.

Cool! I didn't know they had come to the States to play any exhibitions. I haven't paid much attention to the real life Owls. It's too bad that five years have passed in this dynasty--I don't know that there are too many real life Owls still with the squad in this dynasty.

Thanks for the compliment.

[Chief Rum]

Quarterfinals

Serbia & Montenegro vs Sweden

Once again, neither squad was expected to get this far, but here they are. One thing they have in common is they both have superstar strikers in Mirko Vucinic and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Unfortunately for Sweden, they lost Ibrahimovic at 26' to a rib injury. Of course, they still had Eder Sarkis, one of the top performing players in the tournament. He put the Scandinavian squad ahead 1-0 at 36'. Vucinic showed why he is a star, though, and equalised at 48', just after half time. And then began a battle of defenses, as each side tried to figure out the other. Neither had much luck, though, and this one would have to go to penalties. The two squads met each other shot for hot through the first two rounds before the Serbs started making mistakes, and Andreas Isaksson stepped up in net for the Swedes. Isaksson made a strong save on a dive against Nemanja Vidic in the third kick. Swedish winger Alexander Farnerud put his squad up one. Then Ivan Fatic kicked it right at Isaksson--easy save. Midfielder Dusan Djuric missed his next penalty to keep the Serbs alive. That left it up to Nenad Brnovic. Unfortunately, Isaksson was up to it, and made another terrific save to clinch the win for Sweden. SWE 2, SCG 2 (3-2 on pens)

The bad news is Ibrahimovic might miss the rest of the Cup.

Colombia vs Argentina

This figures to be a high octane matchup between continental rivals. And it most definitely was. Argentina came out rolling. At 13', Colomboan defender Ivan Leonardo Lopez jumped unfairly with Argentinian star forward Javier Saviola in the box. The ref pointed to the spot. Saviola himself was elected to take the shot, but Colombian keeper Libis Andres Arenas made the save, and the ball was cleared out. Arenas wasn't so fortunate, though, because the ball didn't go too far outside of the area. It was eventually worked back in, and forward Cesar Delgado headed it in for the first goal of the match. Carlos Tevez scored another at 36', and Argentina looked like this was going to be another dominating performance. The Colombians were having none of that, though. Forward Carlos Andres Alvarez, who has been one of the tournament's best players, got Colombia back within one with a score at 45', and his partner up front Edixon Perea scored the equaliser in first half injury time. The difference in the match would end up coming on a goal that was both amazing and probably a bit lucky, too. Lopez had the ball in the middle of the pitch off to the right of the goal, when he saw that Argentina's goalkeeper Leo Franco had come off of his line. Lopez was pretty distant from the goal, so it was unexpected of him to try anything. But he did--he tried to chip it over the entire area and into the left side of the goal. Franco raced back to intercept the lob shot, but it was perfectly placed, and it sailed just out of his reach and into the net. Wow! That would prove to be the gamewinner in a huge upset for Colombia. Adding insult to injury--
Argentinian winger Mario Santana hit the crossbar at 80'. COL 3, ARG 2

Colombia doesn't come out of this unscathed. First choice keeper Arenas suffered a twisted knee which will put him out the rest of the tournament, and key midfielder Jaime Alberto Castrillon will miss the semifinal match with a suspension from earning his second yellow in international play.

Mexico vs Portugal

Both of these teams came into the tournament as darkhorses to contend, and now that they have, they will determine which of them will go to at least the semifinals. Portugal seemed the stronger side in the beginning. At 14', Helder Postiga scored an amazing goal off of the right upright, but it was waved off after the linesman called Postiga offside. Portugal didn't have to stay disappointed about that for long, as Cristiano Ronaldo scored at 19' to give them the lead. Mexico spent the rest of the goal trying to make up for that deficit. At one point at 68', Ruben came well off of his line to stop short an approach toward the left post. Mexico begin ping-ponging the ball around the box, and at least three Mexican players had a wide open chance at the goal. Each one missed, though, with the last player, Rafael Marquez (the striker) kicking a ball from one post to the other, right across the goalmouth. That was the sort of match it was for Mexico. They lose a dispiriting one to Portugal. POR 1, MEX 0

Italy vs Austria

This would seem to be an easy win for the Azzuri, but then that's probably what the English thought, too. Andrea Pirlo wouldn't let Italy take Austria lightly, though. He scored at 3' to give Italy the early lead. Austria brought it even again, though, on a 14' score by Thomas Pichlmann. It would remain at a draw for some time. Italy's chances went up considerably at 68' when forward wing Wolfgang Mair picked up his second yellow of the match and was sent off the pitch. They got a lot of shots off, but couldn't beat Bartolomej Kuru, Austria's keeper. This one goes to extra time before Italy finally makes its move. Just three minutes into extra time, sub Massimo Bonanni scored to give Italy the lead. The Italians would have to wait another 27 minutes to be sure it could walk away with a win, though. It did keep Austria out of the goal, though, and escaped the quarterfinal with a tight victory. ITA 1, AUT 0

Semifinal Matchups

Sweden vs Italy
Colombia vs Portugal

[Chief Rum]

Semifinals

Sweden vs Italy

As the most prestigious team left, Italy would seem to be the favorite at this point, but they haven't actually been rolling over the opposition. This figured to be a defensive match, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic missing it with an injury. The Italians will be missing fullback Adriano with a suspension, but that wouldn't have the same impact as losing someone have Ibrahimovic's stature. Eder Sarkis will have to step up to provide some offense.

As it turned out, the only thing this match seemed to provide was injuries. Italian central defender Andrea Coda had to leave the pitch at 23' with a gash to his head. And Sweden also lost a defender at 106' when Karl Svensson had to leave with a knock. This was a boring defensive match from the start, with Italy playing its win by one goal mentality while Sweden just lacked the ability to mount much of an attack. Only 20 shots are taken in regualtion and extra time, and only 9 of those actually required the goalkeeper to do anything with it. This one would go to penalties. In Sweden's quarterfinal matchup with Serbia & Montenegro, which also went to penalties, the Serbs helped Sweden out by missing its first two kicks. Apparently taking their cue, Italy also started off poorly. Andrea Pirlo and Roberto Minuti barely forced Andreas Isaksson to move from his spot to make saves on their kicks. Kim Kallstrom, Marcus Berg and Christian Wilhelmsson all scored to give the Swdes a 3-0 lead and put Italy's back to the wall. Alessandro Nesta scored, though, to keep the hopes of the Azurri alive, and then Kalle Ljungberg missed to allow Italy the chance of getting within one. Daniele de Rossi was up next for Italy. He blasted the ball at the net--but right at Isaksson again! Awful penalty kicking by the Italians. The Swedish keeper made the easy save, and Sweden's dream run at the Cup continues. SWE 0, ITA 0 (SWE 3-1 on pens)

Colombia vs Portugal

Both squads come in a little shorthanded. Colombia's first choice keeper Libis Andres Arenas was out with a knee sprain, and holding mid Jaime Alberto Castrillon is suspended for receiving two yellows. Portugal is without the services of creative playmaker Jaoa Moutinho, out with a broken arm. Neither side is particularly noted for defensive excellence, so this shouldn't be quite the drab one Italy-Sweden was. And that turned out to be true early on, when Colombia's Edixon Perea scored at 9'. Portugal poured on the attack after that. They took 16 shots to Colombia's 5 (in fact, they put more shots on goal, 6, then Colombia took). They also dominated possession, at 54%. But David Gonzalez didn't play like a backup keeper. He put in a Man of the Match performance at the back, and made Perea's goal stand up. Carlos Andres Alvarez put it away with a goal in second half injury time. COL 2, POR 0

Third Place Playoff

Italy vs Portugal

As in many competitions like this, this sort of match is largely meaningless. But they play it anyway. At least it is a chance for players to clear out suspensions on a match that doesn't mean anything. Italian defenders Angelo Palombo and Alberto Aquilani would, in fact, both be doing that today. Italy had some troubles they didn't expect, though. Starting striker Alberto Gilardino had to leave the match with an injury at 15', and midfielder Massimo Bonanni pulled a hamstring at 2' and also had to be subbed out. Both squads followed paths for this game that they had set in their semifinal losses. Italy played defensively and took only eight shots. Portugal dominated possession (53%) and bombarded Italian keeper Gianluca Curci with 19 shots, 8 on target, but failed to take advantage. This one was going to have to go to penalties, too. Pirlo had first shot this time, and he didn't blow it, shooting the ball past Portuguese keeper Ruben. The teams traded a couple more kicks and a miss each, to go into the last two rounds tied at two apiece. When Gianpaolo Pazzini missed and Ricardo Carvalho scored, it looked like Italy would fall in penalties for the second match in a row. But De Rossi also made up for his miss in the Sweden match and scored to draw Italy even. Portugal had a chance to win, though, outright. Helder Postiga failed to get it past Curci, though, and this one would go to extras. Both sides missed their sixth kicks, and then Italy's Felipe missed the seventh kick. All came on amazing saves by the keepers, who were both fantastic. That put the onus on star winger Cristiano Ronaldo, who could win it for Portugal with a score. Ronaldo ran up to the ball and faked to the left. Curci bit, and Ronaldo put the shot in the right end to win it for Portugal! POR 0, ITA 0 (POR 4-3 on pens)

[MIJB#19]

Oh my, Sweden finally got past the semi-finals stage.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

Oh my, Sweden finally got past the semi-finals stage.

And with two straight penalty wins!

[Chief Rum]

World Cup Final
July 11, 2010 at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa

Sweden vs Colombia

This is certainly one of the more unexpected Finals we have ever seen. Sweden has some players, but is not in the upper echelon of European powers. Colombia barely made it to South Africa out of South American qualifying.

Sweden has gotten this far on the strong defensive effort of keeper Andreas Isaksson and the opportune scoring of Eder Sarkis, along with some terrific late clutch scoring (two penalty wins). They also have no doubt the single most talented player on the pitch, world class striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic (well enough to return from the neck strain that kept him out of the semifinal match with Italy). Colombia got here by relying on the scoring of Edixon Perea and Carlos Andres Alvarez, who have both been terrific up front, and by putting up a good defense all around, despite losing their top goalkeeper Libis Andres Arenas to injury in the quarterfinal.

Perea nearly gets Colombia the early lead at 2'. Dribbling from outside of the area, Perea suddenly unleashed a blast at the right end of the goal. It looked like it could have been intercepted a couple times, but no one got to it, including Isaksson. The ball struck the post and caromed across the goal mouth. Defender Mikael Antonsson got to it first and cleared it out.

Sweden almost returned the fabor at 5'. Sarkis broke free in the area and blasted a shot at the left post. David Gonzalez turned it back out into the box. Tobias Eriksson took a shot at the goal, but Andres Felipe Gonzalez deflected it. Kalle Ljungberg jumped on the ball with a chance at the goal, but David Gonzalez was back in place and he pushed it away up the goal line.

Neither side really came close to scoring in the first half. A lot of attacks started and failed in a snarled midfield, or on goalkeeper interceptions of crosses, and on misplaced long shots. The squads went into the half scoreless, with Colombia holding the advantage (11 shots to 7, and 55% possession).

The second half was even more bogged down, as each side seemed to entrench itself in its own end of the pitch. Sweden got a terrific opportunity at 68'. Playing a quick passing game up the pitch, Sweden got the ball to Ibrahimovic on a run into the area. Although heavily marked, the world class striker had a half-step of space when he unleashed a shot on goal. The ball rose quickly past Gonzalez, who charged out to meet him, but the ball was too high, striking the crossbar and going back out onto the pitch.

That would be the best shot in the second half, as this one would go the full ninety without a goal. The stats were very even at this point, with each side taking 14 shots, but putting only three on goal. The extras showed truly conservative play, as only two shots (both by COlombia) were taken into the 30-minute extra period. The World Cup final was going to penalties!

Midfielder Jaime Alberto Castrillon got Colombia off on the wrong foot by kicking it right at Isaksson. In three straight penalty shootouts, no Sweden opponent scored the first kick against them. Ibrahimovic blasted the ball into the right end of the goal after Gonzalez guessed wrong. Defender Andres Felipe Gonzalez then kicked the ball right at Isaksson again, who, of course, made the save. Who is teaching these guys to kick penalties? Fortunately for Colombia, Sweden midfielder Kim Kallstrom went to the same kicking school. He shot it right at Gonzalez, who turned it away. Defender Cesar Augusto Fawcett stepped up for Colombia with a chance to even things up. Isaksson made a rare mistake and jumped to the left far too early. Fawcett easily kicked into the other end to tie it up at 1-1. Winger Christian Wilhelmsson went next for Sweden and scored it into the right end of the goal to put the Swedes back on top. Winger Andres Perez then put it just inside the right post to level things again, 2-2.

Unfortunately for Colombia, Sweden still had the advantage, as even if everyone scores the rest of the way, they would win. Striker Marcus Berg put Colombia's back to the wall by faking Gonzalez to the left and putting the ball into the open right side of the goal, for a 3-2 Sweden lead.

Striker Oscar Eduardo Velasco stepped up with Colombia's hopes pinned on him--he has to make this kick to keep them alive. He steps up and unleashes a blast at the goal--but right at Isaksson! The keeper leaps up and knocks it back out. Sweden wins the World Cup!

Sweden 0, Colombia 0 (Sweden wins 3-2 on pens)

Despite being on the losing squad and missing his penalty kick, Colombia's Andres Felipe Gonzalez was Man of the Match for the Final.

Congratulations to Sweden. Someone go tell 3ric.

[Chief Rum]

World Cup Awards

World Cup Best Player

ST Carlos Andres Alvarez (COL). Alvarez was one of the top forwards at the tournament.

DC Ronald Gercaliu (AUT) finished second, and DC Darko Vukasinovic (SCG) finished third. The fact two defenders came runner up shows how defensive this Cup was.

World Cup Best Goalkeeper

Vladimir Stojkovic (SCG). Was Stojkovic good because of Vuksinovic, or the other way around?

Libis Andres Arenas (COL) was second and Bartolomej Kuru (AUT) was third. Arenas was very impressive in the early going, despite getting hurt and missing out on Colombia's run to the final.

World Cup Golden Boot

ST Eder Sarkis (SWE). Sarkis led all players with 7 goals and should have made the Dream Team. Usually being the to goalscorer in the tournament and on the Cup winner is a cinch.

Alvarez (COL) and Mirko Vucinic (SCG) came second and third, with 6 goals apiece.

World Cup Dream Team

GK Stojkovic (SCG)
DR Adriano (ITA)
DL Fabricio Coloccini (ARG)
DC Vukasinovic (SCG)
DC Gercaliu (AUT)
MR Cristiano Ronaldo (POR)
ML Mario Efrain Gomez (COL)
AMC Dejan Stankovic (SCG)
DMC Esteban Cambiasso (ARG)
ST Alvarez (COL)
ST Carlos Tevez (ARG)

Sub GK Libis Andres Arenas (COL)
Sub DC Gabriel Alejandro Milito (ARG)
Sub MC Florian Metz (AUT)
Sub WGR Daniele De Rossi (ITA)
Sub ST Thomas Pichlmann (AUT)

[Katon]

Okay, I give up. How does Isaksson win three shootouts, including the final, without being rated as one of the tournament's top three keepers?

[Chief Rum]

National Team Coaching Movement

Stunningly, few of the more obvious coaches did not get the sack, including Holland's Huub Stevens, England's Alan Pardew, Spain's Cesar Ferrando, Argentina's Marcelo Bielsa, Germany's Felix Magath, Brazil's Leandro Avila, France's Philippe Hinschberger and the United States' Claudio Reyna. All of them survived the post-Cup cut. The particular surprise was Stevens, who not only led Holland to such an abysmal underachieving performance, but apparently reneged on his intention to retire, with the blessing of Holland's FA. Amazing.

Seven coaches were let go: Algeria (Meziane Ighil), Bosnia (Blas Siskovic), Costa Rica (Alexandre Guimares), Croatia (Zlatko Kranjcar), Iran (Branko Ivankovic), Saudi Arabia (Gabriel Calderon), and South Africa (Stuart Baxter).

Not exactly the true powers in the international world of football.

Job Opening Applications

I decide to apply for some of these positions. I apply for the European squads, Bosnia and Croatia, because that is the bext international non-Cup competition (Euro 2012). I applied for Algeria and South Africa because they run the COSAFA Cup every two years, always keeping the teams busy. And I apply for Costa Rica because the Gold Cup is next year, and it would be a challenge to take on Mexico and the United States in qualifying for World Cup 2014.

I decide not to go after Saudi Arabia and Iran, because I don't know any players on either squad, really, and I would likely only go for Australia or South Korea in this region anyway.

Job Offers

On July 18, I am approached by Algeria, Bosnia and Costa Rica and offered their national team jobs.

After brief consideration, I accept the Bosnia job, as this gives me the chance to stay in European competition. Also, I like the squad, which is mostly a young and up-and-coming team.

I have not resigned my post at Sheff Wed, so I will split my duties between the two jobs.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Katon

Okay, I give up. How does Isaksson win three shootouts, including the final, without being rated as one of the tournament's top three keepers?

Oh, I agree completely. There were some galling omissions on the Dream Team, and I think Marc Vaughan should have his team look closely at that logic in the game. Did you notice what team did not get a single member on the Dream Team?

That's right. Sweden.

[MIJB#19]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Oh, I agree completely. There were some galling omissions on the Dream Team, and I think Marc Vaughan should have his team look closely at that logic in the game. Did you notice what team did not get a single member on the Dream Team?

That's right. Sweden.

Good point. Back when Greece took the surprise Euro'2004 title, the dream team makers worked hard to find spots for several Greek players on that team.

Maybe the 0-0 draws followed by penalty shootouts pulled the attention on the Swedes down, or the player ratings somehow ended up below dream team average?

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by MIJB#19

Good point. Back when Greece took the surprise Euro'2004 title, the dream team makers worked hard to find spots for several Greek players on that team.

Maybe the 0-0 draws followed by penalty shootouts pulled the attention on the Swedes down, or the player ratings somehow ended up below dream team average?

My guess is that it is entirely too based on ratings. Ratings are fine except:

a) they are too dependent on how dominant team play is (which means you're probably right about the 0-0 draws getting in the way)

b) there are too few matches in a tournament like this (and too much variation in quality of opponent) to depend on ratings as a primary factor for determining these teams

c) despite the fact that team play is important to ratings, team results and how important that player was to those results aren't considered nearly enough.

If I am looking for a break from the dynasty, I might try and go back to pick a proper Dream Team. My guess is at least Sarkis and Isaksson will be somewhere on the squad.

[Chief Rum]

This season is finally at an end.

I am continuing my dynasty as the manager of both Sheffield Wednesday and Bosnia in my new thread, Sheffield Wednesday & Bosnia 2010-2011.

Thanks so much for coming along on our journey this year.