4-2

though Costa Rica was a disgrace.. one of the worst team i ever saw playing at a WC (like Korea 1998)
sure the germans are no threat to a real team..
pretty lucky draw my friends…

Posted from  Netherlands

…facing a real team???You dutch never played a good tournament (except one time)and Germany is competetion team….we have a pretty chance for the next round and if we then facing England, we will kill them in the penalty shot out!!

Goose meant a good team like Brazil or Argentina, certainly not a team that plays 1 : 1 against Australia.
Sorry that just had to be said. I think yes there are some weaknesses in the German defense, but I think once Ballack is well enough to play Schneider could move on to Friedrichs position and Borowski can stay in the team. Possibly Nowotny could replace one of the other defenders. However CR had two chances and capitalized 2 times one of which was a clear offside. As I remeber Brazils defense did not look much better at the WC 2006. I think if the german defense get their fine tuning right and keep playing this beautiful attacking football, they can go all the way.

Posted from  Australia

Germany and the USA in the final. Holland, who is Cruyff and how do you spell his name?
England… can win again with help of the opponent. Other than that, I dunno. Germany plays agressive. I love it. They pass great and are quick.

Posted from  United States

USA in the final??? They may have done well in Korea/Japan but this is a whole new tournament. To get out of group E is one thing but to go all the way to the final? The US doesn’t have enough gas. Germany have excellent goal scorers but there defensive flaws will be their undoing.

Posted from  Canada

Moehaha C.G.F., you almost got it right: CRUIJFF, try google…

AKC77, youre right that Brasil and Argentina are on a different level than our team, think together with England and France they have the best players but im confident that holland will beat this german team any time any place, i just think this is the worst german team in a long time ( an i know my german football cause i spent my childhood living in germany and watching german football)
the team of 1990 was a great TEAM with a few good players, 96 was again a good team effort but not confincing(?) in the 70 and 80 the germans almost could not be beaten now they havent won a game against an ‘a-country (Eng,Bra,Fra,Arg,Hol,Spa etc) for many years!!

Lucky draw!!!

Posted from  Netherlands

die deutschen haben SO WIE IMMER eine menge glück - sowohl die spielweise als auch die gruppengegner! ich gönne den deutschen keinen titel!

Posted from  Austria

wir werden weltmeister

Austriafreak… Weshalb so negative? Fussball sollte doch Spass machen. Deutschland wird Dir zu liebe schon gewinnen.

I would be just as happy if the USA would win…

Posted from  United States

Torsten Frings is the man. What a goal !!!

Posted from  United States

In Klinsmann, we trust !!!!

Posted from  Malaysia

Goose:

I have to disagree. I think that Germany had worse teams in 94 and 98 then this time around. By the way I am half dutch and half german living in Australia (just on the side that was real magic today - in Guus we trust) and I know my dutch football very well. You have got a great coach and one outstanding footballer with Robben. I think the dutch team was missing a proper link between the Midfield and Attack. I think v.d. Vaart would be the right man for the Job. But you won’t let him play because he plays for an “inferior” german club. Your loss.

For the german speakers in here. This is an english language blog.

And for my Austrian friend. What is your team doing again this world cup? Ah yeah thats right I remember. NOTHING! At least you don’t have to qualify for the European Championship 2008.

Posted from  Australia

@AKC77, you’re right my friend forgot all about 94 and 98 (nothing to remember I guess, lol)
you’re also right when saying that Holland misses a player who can link defence and midfield

you’re surely having a laugh when you say that we dont play vanderVaart because he plays for HSV.. he’s injured as you (should) know..

come and post on the dutch site, looks like you know your stuff..

guess your happy with today..

greetz

WIJ HOUDEN VAN ORANJE

Posted from  Netherlands

v.d. Vaart can make the difference in a tough match as Robben did against serbia.
So i think he will play when he is fit again because the rest of the dutch team did not perform very well but Serbia is very tough to play and a very well organized team.
This victoty was mor ethan important in this unbelivable group and the netherlands deserved that victory.

Comming back to germany. I also belive that our team is better than it was in the last years. We have a lot of very young and very talented players but that also brings problems. Our defense is a vicitm of the tactic and players that all suffered serios injuries before the cup.

“im confident that holland will beat this german team any time any place”

As the netherlands always does. For some strange reasons the dutch team has always problems to win against germany although i would agree that the netherlands often had the better players especially in the last years. So as a german i would choose the netherlands in the quaterfinal ( if we reach it).

Posted from  Germany

@Frank, would like that to happen too my neighbour friend, not at all concerned, remember last time we played you (tough to be honest we were a bit arrogant the last 20 minutes..)? You may be confident but im sure few of your countrymen would second you,

be pleased about the draw, dont think you would have survived group C…

hope to meet you guys soon!!
well

Posted from  Netherlands

Well likely potential teams for the quaterfinal are the Nehterlands Argentina or England as far as i know but i should look that up.

I think Argentina would be worst case scenario for germany but england and the netherlands is possible. We never played very well against Argentina or Brazil.

Group C is unbelivable tough but that is the result of a mixed WC record of the netherlands and not qualifing for the WC 2002.

Robben was more than briliant but a lot of players should better show some progress for the rest of the WC.

But i agree with you that the netherlands has better players in their team compared to germany but i also believe many people underestimate the present german team as they did so often in the past.
We reached seven times the final of a WC and we are able to archive this again this year.
If this is the most likely scenario is a different thing and more than doubtfull.

Posted from  Germany

Hmmm, talking about the Dutch team… where’s all the black players (i don’t mean any racism here please) like Edgar Davids and Patrick Kluivert and Clarence Seedorf ???

Were they on the bench that day ? I watched only the 2nd half.

Posted from  Malaysia

re: Black dutch players:

Kluivert - been performing poorly for 3 seasons now.

Davids - hardly set the world alight last year, considered a troublemaker

Seedorf - see Davids.

Posted from  United Kingdom

@goose

Hope to meet you, too.
I remember the friendly against Holland quite well. They f****d us for most of the game. But even then, they couldn’t win…
And the worst German team in history was that from 2000-2004 (I still can’t believe that someone like Ramelow was allowed to play in the final in 2002…) But the present German team consists of many gifted players (except for Arne Friedrich).

Posted from  Germany

California fat cunt Germany Fan shut up you kraut cunt i hope the fucking german twats don`t
win

fucking krauts

Posted from  United Kingdom

@krautkiller

“California fat cunt Germany Fan shut up you kraut cunt i hope the fucking german twats don`t
win ”

fucking krauts

LOL

I know it hurts so much beeing an english football fan.

Someone just have to take a quick look at your record to understand how humiliating it is to be english in the great world of football.

Come on you often qualify for the big tournaments that´s OK and only two teams can reach the final and only one team can win and as we have learned in the past one thing is sure it isn´t england.

Posted from  Germany

@Frank, nice one on the english my friend. You’re so very right.. only thing the english ever won was a STOLEN worldcup at home in ‘66 nothing more… always think theirs something wrong with their mentality (like when they lost to Brasil 4 years ago, they never put on a fight in that game) something that a have to say is a thing a realy admire about the germans (or hate!!) we dont have that aswell

@Krautkiller, lets keep it nice..
no need for abuse..
you’ve got a great time this time around Krautkiller why be so frustrated??

Posted from  Netherlands

@goose

The first match of england was just terrible to watch and a waste of time.

In my oppinion backham tells the whole story. No fighting spirit. Where is this guy as a captain in though and important matches and the complete english team in their first match played as if the WC is a unimportant summer event.

It is always the same this time we have the best team since 1966 and this time it is our WC.
We will win and if any other team wins it is the ball the
weather or any other god given problem that prevent the better englsih team from winning a tournament (since they won a cup 1966 because of a blind linesman).

I mean disapointments are normal in a world where everyone plays football and you can not always have a winning generation but a team should at least try everything and fight until the last minute.

Posted from  Germany

@Frank, yet again you’ve hit the nail(shame your not dutch,lol.. )

i personaly think Beckhem is a very overrated player, he has a very nice pass and a good freekick but nothing more, his left foot is just 4 standing, he cant realise a decent header, hes very slow but..he looks pretty and that sells…he won trofies with a great team in Manchester but hasnt won anything in Madrid

to be fair, youre team is for less crappy then i thought (schade!!), but still think that theirs no real competition in your group(think CR is a laugh)

what do (you guys) think??

A germany HOLLAND match would be so BIG!!!

greetz

WIJ HOUDEN VAN ORANJE

Posted from  Netherlands

@goose

A german holland match is always something very special if someone looks at the history at WCs or Euros.

what would be the world of football without matches like Holland against germany.

The competition in our group is hard to judge. I would agree that CR was really no real competitor but you have to beat these teams and if somebody watched england vs TT yesterday you could see how painfull football can be and that it is not always easy to beat these smaller teams.

Poland is also hard to judge but they showed a better performance against us as they did against Equador.

after the first round we will see a complete new tournament until now there were more disapoinments like england and france as there were really positive moments czechs Spain perhabs Argentina.

Posted from  Germany