World Cup Day 7 Ramblings

-South Korea and Argentina kicked off the day as the leaders of Group B with three points apiece. We were not sure how this match would go, as Argentina was not at full throttle as it squeaked by Nigeria in its first game, while South Korea impressed in its opening win over Greece.

But if any questions lingered about the Argentine attack, they were quickly answered. Lionel Messi was brilliant charging at the defense and constantly putting the Koreans on their heels. While he failed to score, he created chances that Gonzalo Higuain was able to capitalize on.

On the other hand, the defense showed why Argentina could be vulnerable in this World Cup once the knockout stages are upon us. After Walter Samuel went out with a leg injury, Martin Demichelis and Nicolas Burdisso looked shaky and were giving the ball away cheaply.

Argentina is scoring goals without much width in its attack. In part, it is because Messi has been able to get through defenses easily. But Maxi Rodriguez and Angel di Maria need to prove they can stretch out a defense. Otherwise, a team like Italy/Germany with solid defensive midfield play will limit the space in the middle and the attack will break down.

I was disappointed to see South Korea sit back early in the match. They would have had more success if they took the game to Argentina and tried to force mistakes in the back. The game plan should have been get the early goal and try to force Argentina into destruction mode.

As a result of being down two goals, South Korea had to push tempo and became disjointed along the back four. This opened gaps. But the gift right before half-time should have helped settle the nerves. But on the contrary, they continued attacking at a torrid pace instead of looking to posses the ball and stay balanced. As a result, Argentina found the space to score two late goals.

-Greece and Nigeria met in the second match in a critical game with the loser likely being eliminated from further advancement. It started choppy, as neither team was able to string together passes and constant fouling interrupted the flow of play.

Nigeria got a lucky breakthrough, when Kalu Uche was able to steer in an untouched free kick.  The Super Eagles looked on their way, as Greece was lacking a sense of urgency in its attack.

This edition of the World Cup could be a case study of what happens to teams when they get reduced to ten men. Sani Kaita temporarily lost his head over a simple throw-in. The damage was done and the Greeks were given new life.

The Nigerian backline was really gassed toward the end of the match that led to more and more pressure. Let’s face it, Danny Shittu is not exactly a poster boy for fitness. Vincent Enyeama, a bit of an enigma, bobbled a shot that Vasilis Torosidis neatly tucked away.

That is all Greece needed, as they were able to sit back for the rest of the match and invite pressure on to them, a situation that are always more comfortable with.

-France and Mexico both needed a win to keep pace with Uruguay in Group B. The first half was a stalemate as neither team was able to finish off an attacking move. It was perhaps the mostly evenly matched half of the Cup so far, with possession split right down the middle.

The play of Carlos Salcido from the left back spot was fantastic, as he got forward and applied pressure to the France defense. But El Tri still struggled to establish an attacking rhythm, often resulting in an uncharacteristic direct approach. The introduction of Javier Hernandez added speed to the front-line and he squeaked by an offside trap and calmly finished.

Mexico is a safe bet to advance, but they will need to push for all three points against Uruguay. The Mexicans do not want to run the risk of running into Argentina in the second round.

At some point, Raymond Domenech had to figure out that playing Frank Ribery in the middle is a handicap. He did not have the vision needed to break down the defense and instead just turned and went at players. With Nicolas Anelka dropping deep into the midfield, there were no penetrating runs for France and that allowed the Mexicans to stay compact.

It could not be more obvious that Domenech has completely lost control of the dressing room. France never looked inspired. When it was obvious that players on the pitch for France had run out of ideas, I expected Domenech to insert someone with a fresh approach. But instead, he sat on his last sub and just accepted the defeat.