Ben, sometimes it isn't possible to talk football without talking about the ref.
of course, but 2 entire pages of people repeating over and over again how outraged they are, is kinda boring. yes, the ref messed up, and if i were a croatian i wouldn't be happy, but it was hardly unexpected. the home team always gets a bit of help during a world cup, it's natural. it's not an original story, so i really don't understand how a football fan could pretend to be "shocked and surprised". also it's not like his mistakes were that blatant. we see much worse refereeing than this in premier league every week. neymar's elbow was a border-line call (in italy we call theese situations "orange card situations" as they're between a yellow card and a red card worthy offense). the kid is an ass, but i for one was happy the ref didn't send him off. fred's dive was quite difficult to spot in real time, so nothing shocking on that front either. and as for the julio cesar contact, i thought that was another tricky situation.... one might disagree with the ref's decision, but that's certainly not stuff to be "outraged" about.
fuck, i can't believe u guys had me talking about the ref too!
ernesto said:
I was the one that mentioned the moral score!
It´always a joke present in many match reviews here. Don´t take it serious buddy!
sorry mate, didn't mean to sound harsh. mine was supposed to be a funny post, but i guess i sound pretentious even when i don't intend to

anyway i absolutely didn't mean to have a go at u, buddy. i was just mocking u guys a little
sauce said:
Lets talk football ben!
Brazil failed to impress me, I don't think we are going very far.
Fred was disgusting, not only for the dive, but he did absolutely nothing, the dude is done as a player, can't jump, can't run, can't pivot, does not have offensive presence, and he is our 'best' option.
Playmaking also disappointing me, both Luiz Gustavo and Paulinho are exceptional at one thing only, while Luiz Gustavo finds out where the opponent offense is going and is very good at covering that space, Paulinho is the opposite he tends to find out where the brazilian attack is going and finding that space. Which would sound like an awesome partnership, but it is not.
Cause they are average to bad in what became the most important thing for a guy at that position, quality, quick, accurate passing. The playmaking ability. I think Felipão gets this, hence the Hernanes getting in to try to fill that gap. But I don't think he is that guy to do that job either.
I think we will struggle to create against composed teams. The team will try to win on pressure, steals and quick offense, but it might not work on all games.
The first impression was not good for me.
i think u're being too harsh sauce. first off this croatian team is no joke. even without mandzukic they are a very good team, and there's no shame in struggling against them, especially at midfield.
i really like luis gustavo as a player, but yes, he and paulinho are no playmakers. perhaps putting another midfielder like hernanes instead of hulk (who was all over the place yesterday) would have been a better idea, as, with that midfield, u basically gave up any hope to control the tempo of the game from the start... but then again, it's easy to come up with brilliant tactical ideas after the match.

i also agree about fred.... is he really your best option for that position?
anyway it was only the first match. with all the pressure of playing in front of your own crowd, u were supposed to look a bit too nervous and "stiff". i think this win will help u loosen up a bit, and brasil will only improve from now on.
and if croatia keep playing like this, they won't have much trouble making it to the next stage either.
