Copa America 2015

ahmad25 wrote:Thanks to this tournament i learned a lot about S.American people. Its just GTA in real life
Winning this tournament is very dangerous

No wonder Messi is afraid of winning it

Cavani dad is going to be pretty popular in jail if his hair is anything like that "boy" of his.

Chile will put 3, maybe 4 past Uruguay.

Dnmac4 wrote:

messixaviesta wrote:Very interesting thoughts about international football. Some of the points do explain the state of things but one big question comes to my mind. Yes club teams are better drilled and yes current international football is of a low standard but let's go back a few years in time and international teams weren't always this poor. What has changed in the last few years to deteriorate the standard of international football?

These teams are not poor.  Again, this is how they play football in South America.  It happens to be a fact that these same poor teams do very well at the world cup for the last 2 cycles.

South American teams hide there warts better than European teams and can keep the games closer by the way the games are officiated.  Why do you think South American players are so good on the ball?  They have to be because they have to get it and make a decision quick or get cleaned out.

Now you can see when Brazil played Germany in the world cup in a more Euro-centric officiated affair they got destroyed.  That Brazil wasn't the Brazil of old and couldn't hide there warts by playing a hard nosed, play through the whistle style.  They were not allowed to bully Germany and Germany's team play destroyed them not to mention when Brazil goes down it's usually not a pleasant site there emotions get the best of them, look at the Holland game the World cup before.

This is part of the reason I don't know why people can't judge Messi on a club level and stop all the non sense about international play, he took Argentina to the WC final.  They practice for 9-10 months together at club level, they play all year round and the Champions League as said by SAF and MOU is the new standard of football.  The most competitive tournament in the world.  The most even of playing fields.

My comment was not specific to Copa America. It was about international football as a whole over the last year or two. It seems there isn't one major national team which is truly strong and/or playing high quality football. That wasn't always the case, was it? Around 1998 for instance France, Brazil and Netherlands were all very strong teams while Argentina was upcoming but played beautifully and Italy was strong as well. What I am trying to understand is why have the standards of international football fallen over the last few years. Nowadays is there that much difference between watching a major team and a minnow team? Aside from the individual ability of some players every national team seems to be struggling on the pitch most of the times.

Earlier at a time one or two major nations used to go through a lean period such as Germany in the period I mentioned. Today it seems as if every major national team is going through a lean period and trying to rebuild. Isn't that strange?

BTW UCL is not an even playing field. The riches are all taken by a handful of clubs and the rest are also rans. Once in a while a Dortmund or an Atletico can over-perform which is immensely creditable but that apart it's left to the few big boys each and every year. I do agree that it represents the highest level today. Your comment is actually related to the question I am asking. You said 'new standard of football'. So why have world cups etc. taken a backseat? Why has international football fallen? In the 90s and early 2000s I think international footballer was stronger than it is today.

messixaviesta wrote:

Dnmac4 wrote:

messixaviesta wrote:Very interesting thoughts about international football. Some of the points do explain the state of things but one big question comes to my mind. Yes club teams are better drilled and yes current international football is of a low standard but let's go back a few years in time and international teams weren't always this poor. What has changed in the last few years to deteriorate the standard of international football?

These teams are not poor.  Again, this is how they play football in South America.  It happens to be a fact that these same poor teams do very well at the world cup for the last 2 cycles.

South American teams hide there warts better than European teams and can keep the games closer by the way the games are officiated.  Why do you think South American players are so good on the ball?  They have to be because they have to get it and make a decision quick or get cleaned out.

Now you can see when Brazil played Germany in the world cup in a more Euro-centric officiated affair they got destroyed.  That Brazil wasn't the Brazil of old and couldn't hide there warts by playing a hard nosed, play through the whistle style.  They were not allowed to bully Germany and Germany's team play destroyed them not to mention when Brazil goes down it's usually not a pleasant site there emotions get the best of them, look at the Holland game the World cup before.

This is part of the reason I don't know why people can't judge Messi on a club level and stop all the non sense about international play, he took Argentina to the WC final.  They practice for 9-10 months together at club level, they play all year round and the Champions League as said by SAF and MOU is the new standard of football.  The most competitive tournament in the world.  The most even of playing fields.

My comment was not specific to Copa America. It was about international football as a whole over the last year or two. It seems there isn't one major national team which is truly strong and/or playing high quality football. That wasn't always the case, was it? Around 1998 for instance France, Brazil and Netherlands were all very strong teams while Argentina was upcoming but played beautifully and Italy was strong as well. What I am trying to understand is why have the standards of international football fallen over the last few years. Nowadays is there that much difference between watching a major team and a minnow team? Aside from the individual ability of some players every national team seems to be struggling on the pitch most of the times.

BTW UCL is not an even playing field. The riches are all taken by a handful of clubs and the rest are also rans. Once in a while a Dortmund or an Atletico can over-perform which is immensely creditable but that apart it's left to the few big boys each and every year. I do agree that it represents the highest level today. Your comment is actually related to the question I am asking. You said 'new standard of football'. So why have world cups etc. taken a backseat? Why has international football fallen? In the 90s and early 2000s I think international footballer was stronger than it is today.

National teams struggled in the 90's too. It is the nature of the beast when putting a bunch of guys together once every few months and seeing if something sticks.

Your memory is clouded by the good times. You are thinking of the stunning team play that makes up the good times of football.

You are not remembering the 1998 final where Brazil tried to play hoof ball to a sick Ronaldo, and France only did anything from set pieces. You are remembering the good 1-2 pass Zidane put on in the middle of the pitch to get out of a sticky situation.

titosantill wrote:sad that some kid loses his life, even sadder that its due to some immature behavior from a grown ass man.  if you're too foolish and reckless with your life, please don't put others at risk. somebody has lost a loved one because of this man's foolishness. tough situation for edinson cavani, even tougher for the poor boy's family

Very well said. Agree completely. Amidst all this hoopla around footballers let's not forget who the greatest victims are - the 19 year old boy and even more his near and dear ones. Cavani should feel ashamed of his father, not sympathetic.

Betty La Fea wrote:

messixaviesta wrote:

Dnmac4 wrote:


These teams are not poor.  Again, this is how they play football in South America.  It happens to be a fact that these same poor teams do very well at the world cup for the last 2 cycles.

South American teams hide there warts better than European teams and can keep the games closer by the way the games are officiated.  Why do you think South American players are so good on the ball?  They have to be because they have to get it and make a decision quick or get cleaned out.

Now you can see when Brazil played Germany in the world cup in a more Euro-centric officiated affair they got destroyed.  That Brazil wasn't the Brazil of old and couldn't hide there warts by playing a hard nosed, play through the whistle style.  They were not allowed to bully Germany and Germany's team play destroyed them not to mention when Brazil goes down it's usually not a pleasant site there emotions get the best of them, look at the Holland game the World cup before.

This is part of the reason I don't know why people can't judge Messi on a club level and stop all the non sense about international play, he took Argentina to the WC final.  They practice for 9-10 months together at club level, they play all year round and the Champions League as said by SAF and MOU is the new standard of football.  The most competitive tournament in the world.  The most even of playing fields.

My comment was not specific to Copa America. It was about international football as a whole over the last year or two. It seems there isn't one major national team which is truly strong and/or playing high quality football. That wasn't always the case, was it? Around 1998 for instance France, Brazil and Netherlands were all very strong teams while Argentina was upcoming but played beautifully and Italy was strong as well. What I am trying to understand is why have the standards of international football fallen over the last few years. Nowadays is there that much difference between watching a major team and a minnow team? Aside from the individual ability of some players every national team seems to be struggling on the pitch most of the times.

BTW UCL is not an even playing field. The riches are all taken by a handful of clubs and the rest are also rans. Once in a while a Dortmund or an Atletico can over-perform which is immensely creditable but that apart it's left to the few big boys each and every year. I do agree that it represents the highest level today. Your comment is actually related to the question I am asking. You said 'new standard of football'. So why have world cups etc. taken a backseat? Why has international football fallen? In the 90s and early 2000s I think international footballer was stronger than it is today.

National teams struggled in the 90's too. It is the nature of the beast when putting a bunch of guys together once every few months and seeing if something sticks.

Your memory is clouded by the good times. You are thinking of the stunning team play that makes up the good times of football.

You are not remembering the 1998 final where Brazil tried to play hoof ball to a sick Ronaldo, and France only did anything from set pieces. You are remembering the good 1-2 pass Zidane put on in the middle of the pitch to get out of a sticky situation.

I never count the 1998 final. That match is pretty much meaningless to me because of the Ronaldo incident and most are still left wondering what if ...

The matches I am remembering instead are to give a few examples - Argentina vs. Netherlands 1998, Italy vs. Germany 2006, Brazil vs. Netherlands 1994, etc. Anyway more importantly it's about the level of teams and the kind of clash that results from the meeting of two biggies. Earlier these matches were very tight fought but with high quality play - either offensive or defensive or both. Now high quality play has become a rarity and sometimes the matches may be tight fought but they are not too different from a tight fought match between two minnows. Maybe I am not quite being able to put this in words but earlier when two major nations met in a competitive match there was something in the air that could be felt right through while nowadays it's become more listless. An encounter like Germany vs. France and Argentina vs. Netherlands to name just two shouldn't be as pedestrian as they were in WC 2014.

Nowadays if there is great play it's from one team while the other is being made to look amateurish.

When did we last see an international competitive match between two major football nations in which both teams played at a high level and a moment of brilliance caused one to win? If anyone says WC 2014 final then I'll say neither team played particularly well in that and so I don't count it here.

Uruguay: Muslera - Rodriguez, Gimenez, Godin, Fucile - Gonzalez, Sanchez, Rios, Rodriguez - Rolan, Cavani #ssnhd

Chile: Bravo - Mena, Jara, Medel, Isla - Aranguiz, Diaz, Vidal – Valdivia - Sanchez, Vargas #ssnhd

LEGO CHILEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Lots of diving and exaggeration and it's only 10 mins in.

URU can actually win this if they could string 3 passes together. Playing so poorly, and much of it in their own box.

Uru would win the tournament if Suarez were available, no doubt about it.

God, I wish ARG played CHL. End to end stuff, with ARG outscoring them.

À bout de souffle wrote:God, I wish ARG played CHL. End to end stuff, with ARG outscoring them.

Pls. Messi wouldn't score against Claudio Bravissimo.

Fußball wrote:

À bout de souffle wrote:God, I wish ARG played CHL. End to end stuff, with ARG outscoring them.

Pls. Messi wouldn't score against Claudio Bravissimo.

Pls, ARG forwards never had a prob scoring past Bravo. Higuain has put 4 past him the WCQs.

He'd score against Claudio Bravo though.

Spoiler:

RIP  in peace uruguay

no way they are getting past this match

Three good reasons to watch the Copa America :
- Nice football at night when you aren't sleepy.
- Good number of chicas in the stands.
- Jorge Luis Valdivia.

Cavani gets a 2nd yellow and gets sent off, but not before wasting 5 minutes on the pitch

Cavani you fool

This Copa.

Dive to send Cavani off

Disgraceful from the Chilean player.

Alexis just needs an excuse to bare his thigh.

There is no extra time and this goes straight to pens, right?

Come on Uruguay, Can a red card be rescinded if they advance?

Fußball wrote:There is no extra time and this goes straight to pens, right?

Yep,

Looking at Chile struggle so much against Uruguay, even with 10 men, is making me feel a lot better about Argentina's performance against them.