The Fall

I just watched Germany pick apart what many considered a viable contender to lift the Jules Rimet trophy, Argentina.  It was a simple case of selfish vs. unselfish.

Selfish:  Maradona's inability to admit his tactics were not working and change them.  The always forward thinking Argentinians were undone by a complete lack of creativity in the final third.  Part of this is because Carlos Tevez can only do 2 things: score, or turn the ball over.  Since Argentina were shut-out guess which one he did the most.  His touch, his passing, or his inability to do either were part of Argentina's downfall.  So often did he just try to bull his way through a compact, organized German defense.  That is never going to happen.  Yes Tevez is a great goal threat, but it just wasn't his day.  Maradona did not recognize this.  He kept Aguero on the bench for way too long, and I want to know what he has against Diego Milito.  The man was brilliant for an Inter Milan side that won three trophies.

Maradona didn't make the necessary changes until the lid was on the coffin.  His answer: weaken an already shaky defense.  He took off Otamendi when the second goal went in, which he should have because the defender was lucky not to get a red, and brought on an attacking player, leaving three at the back.  This is why Germany was able to get 2 more.  The midfield would have been better served with Veron being injected in, because he can really pick passes and win balls, keeping valuable possession.  The attack needed more touch, more grace, more ability to connect on quick, touch passes, which Aguero and Milito both provide.  All in all, Mardona's personnel decisions were as puzzling as Bob Bradley's and like Bradley's helped lead to their downfall.

Selfish:  The Argentinian attack.  There was one person on that field who could win a game alone.  And his teammates refused to give him the ball.  Now Messi is not blameless here.  When he was on the ball he didn't look his usual self, but there were times when he was unmarked in the penalty area, and his teammate on the ball decided to try to dribble through 3 German defenders to try to salvage the game (mostly Tevez, but Higuain's ghost and Angel Di Maria also were guilty on occasion).  Messi should have been more demanding of his teammates, more vocal, more upset, but he's only 23 and he's never been one to be petulant.  He is the consummate team player, but the look on his face after the game was one of disgust.

Unselfish:  Everything about Germany's performance.  None of their 4 goals were scored by someone who had made a long run with the ball.  Klose's first was a perfect microcosm of the German philosophy.  Their strong defense patiently won the ball and moved it to the midfielders who got it wide for Podolski.  Podolski beat his man and instead of doing what the Argentinians had done all day and go for his own glory, he teed up Klose who walked the ball into a wide open net.  This is pretty much how goals 2-4 were scored.  Even the first goal highlighted a huge difference between the two sides.  On every free kick near the box Messi shot it, whether the angle was good for his left foot or not, even though the Jabulani is known to float when driven, even though almost no free kick goals have been scored.  The Germans on the other hand used their free kicks to set each other up.  In the third minute Schweinsteiger put a threatening ball into the box from a free kick and Mueller flicked it on with his head, into the back of the net.

I think the Germans sent a message to the world today: we are young, but smart, cool, and ready to hoist the ultimate prize.  They can play and score on the front foot or the back.  They will not be broken down.  Neuer is getting better and more confident every game.  They have officially played the "Eff you" and the "Nobody believed in us card."  The are efficient and unrelenting.  I hope that we get a rematch of the 2008 European Championship game in the next round to really see how much this team has grown in the course of the last month.  I think Spain will prove an excellent test because they too are a very well balanced side, and they keep possession so well, and are hard to hit on the counter attack because their midfielders win the ball high up the pitch.  That game, if it is to be, could come down to who has the most savvy and patience. 

Overall, this game reminded of a better played version of the US-Ghana game.  Poor coaching and team selection, and an inability of the attack to do anything of real threat met a well organized, hungry, unselfish team who were set up to execute their way to victory as one.  While I will miss Maradona, and you cannot give him enough credit for the chemistry he created with that team, I think Argentina would be best served with someone who can admit they are wrong, who will change tactics, who won't run over someone in his car and claim it was the victim's fault.  So until next time, keep watching the events in South Africa.