Will this be a high scoring entertaining or boring low scoring WC?

I think this is also but great importance. Recent years it seems in the most important of world football events like WC, CL finals, SFs etc., and the trend of tactics and strats means defense/counter attacking over flair and attacking of the past. Even Brazil has shifted their style to adjust to this, they are very solid now compared with their tradition in the past for mostly being not so.

Whether club of international football I see this clear trend and style. The last WC Spain unfortunately won it with all those 1-0s, extra time too in the final being 0-0 after 90mins. This was also vs a traditionally attacking team Netherlands. Teams with good defense and structure just ultimate get beaten, like Ivory Coast and so others so classically showed.

To be fair though there were also many high scoring, entertaining attacking football games during that WC and also with top class football all round, but cant deny the emphasis even more so now on defense, structure, tactics, etc.

So will this trend prove to continue in the WC? Or will we get some pleasant surprise? Maybe Messi to beat all odds and his form to light up the WC? Or Neymar and Brazil? Or Ronaldo? Or Germany with all their gifted attackers?

It's a plus if there's some good football on display (whether it's low or high scoring), but it's all about the results for me at the World Cup, that's where the excitement comes from.

U cant deny though that goals gives such entertainment and excitement. Just imagining for example if Brazil or Argentina win their first 2 games, then the 3rd game would be a rotation match for them, their backup players would want to impress and go for it, if then scoring goals galore it would be fun to watch

As we know, as the stages progress, teams get more cautious and more rare to see open attacking football.

Cautious and tight football can also be entertaining, like Atletico Madrid this season, but still, attacking game with many chances and goals, end to end stuff, thats the most entertaining.

Cautious 0 - 0's are boring, but there are good 0 - 0's, too. I don't really care how many goals there will be, every game is so important in the World Cup that I find them exciting to watch anyway. But sure it's even better if teams try to play attacking football.

If there are great saves by the keepers, then a 0:0 would be really entertaining for me, too. ^^

Germany vs Italy on 2006 was 0-0 for 118 minutes and it's one of the greatest football games I ever saw.

Will depend on teams, imho, teams that ruined their defence with questionable tactics, like Germany, or have no defence, like Argentina, will obviously be more attacking, and matches involving them will, as a rule of thumb, have more goals. But there's still a lot of teams that'll park the bus, especially considering how many teams that can't even hope to compete are in the mix.

Well it's certain there will be no vuvuzila and that's a relief. I'll enjoy this WC more than previous one for sure.

In my mind there's nothing more suspenseful than a high quality 0:0 going on in a high stakes game.

its entertaining to see the number of new threads being opened everyday....i am afraid in few days people write their comments through the title of a thread

Im surprised quite many ppl enjoy the tense 0-0s. I also do sometimes but definitely prefer at least a goal or 2! Just goes to show diversity of tastes as spectators.

For the 2006 WC, I cant remember the Italy vs Germany one, but certainly hated the final 1-1.... it was so disappointing in the end, when both teams just wanted to wait out for the penalty shootout. I think those kind of matches are also the most boring, when not one team wants to win.

And yes thank god no more vuvuzila the amazingly annoying noise. The Brazil crowds should be amazing to watch

I'm hoping for a competitive World Cup. High scoring usually means too many scrubs are in the tournament.

Having said that I hope we get to witness a great 4-3 or 3-2 game or something like that.

Nope, it will be a low scoring one. Football has become more defensive. Teams were playing in a very
offensive manner back then, unlike the defensive one these days.

These are the goals per game average. Judging by those stats, its been a while since we've seen a high goal scoring World Cup. But, who's to say a 0-0 or 1-1 can't be entertaining? It definitely can be.

1930 WC- 3.89 g/g
1934 WC- 4.12 g/g
1938 WC- 4.67 g/g
1950 WC- 4 g/g
1954 WC- 5.38 g/g
1958 WC- 3.6 g/g
1962 WC- 2.78 g/g
1966 WC- 2.78 g/g
1970 WC- 2.97 g/g
1974 WC- 2.55 g/g
1978 WC- 2.68 g/g
1982 WC- 2.81 g/g
1986 WC- 2.54 g/g
1990 WC- 2.21 g/g
1994 WC- 2.71 g/g
1998 WC- 2.67 g/g
2002 WC- 2.52 g/g
2006 WC- 2.3 g/g
2010 WC- 2.27 g/g

1954  
Must have been all the fault of the Mighty Magyars

I really enjoyed Euro 12 and Confederations Cup so I have high hopes for this World Cup

M99 wrote:Germany vs Italy on 2006 was 0-0 for 118 minutes and it's one of the greatest football games I ever saw.

Casciavit wrote:Nope, it will be a low scoring one. Football has become more defensive. Teams were playing in a very
offensive manner back then, unlike the defensive one these days.

These are the goals per game average. Judging by those stats, its been a while since we've seen a high goal scoring World Cup. But, who's to say a 0-0 or 1-1 can't be entertaining? It definitely can be.

1930 WC- 3.89 g/g
1934 WC- 4.12 g/g
1938 WC- 4.67 g/g
1950 WC- 4 g/g
1954 WC- 5.38 g/g
1958 WC- 3.6 g/g
1962 WC- 2.78 g/g
1966 WC- 2.78 g/g
1970 WC- 2.97 g/g
1974 WC- 2.55 g/g
1978 WC- 2.68 g/g
1982 WC- 2.81 g/g
1986 WC- 2.54 g/g
1990 WC- 2.21 g/g
1994 WC- 2.71 g/g
1998 WC- 2.67 g/g
2002 WC- 2.52 g/g
2006 WC- 2.3 g/g
2010 WC- 2.27 g/g

But wait I thought there were no more good defenders like in the 80's/90's?   

Could this mean that mole/jibers/dani/sports etc were wrong? 

This certainly is interesting. Defenders overall given by most opinion that they are not longer as good as in the past. Yet the more important factor is the structure and tactics. I dont know exactly when it started, modern day football focus on much on defending as a unit, was it Mou? Or 2006 Italy? Or when did it start the trend Nowadays so many teams know so well how to shut up and not to concede, even vs the best attacking players and sides in the world....

If thats so, I guess I'll learn from the many posters who said these low scoring games can be tense and entertaining in another way too.

Must have discussions about this somewhere maybe, but not much time lately to read all the posts from needing to watch 3-4 matches everyday!!!

So I have been absolutely delighted about the football so far, mostly. So many goals on average, late winners. The 0-0 last night was the first real shitty game. I think MExico 1-0 Cameroon was pretty poor too. But apart from that all the matches I think have been really good for the most part.

This is not to mention all the dramas, the crowds, theatrics, off the field stuff for the players and camps too, that Benzema goal to perfectly illustrate the goal line tech, thank god for that!