Final

So Japan are World Champions. I think it hasnt quite sunk in for anyone, neither the japanese nor the americans nor myself, that japan are world champions.

i have been saying that usa shouldnt be here, but today, they showed up and were the better team. japan never played to their level, and the back 6 were somehow leaden in their movement. it seemed as if the americans were always one step faster, one step stronger. i think the japanese were maybe a little rattled by the americans' strong and physical start, and maybe gave the americans too much respect because of their really inferior record against the americans. what the us did really well was that their front 6 formed 2 banks in the middle of the pitch, preventing the japanese from passing their way through the middle. there was really very little space and the japanese were forced to play long balls which the defence handled. the fact that the 2 fullbacks were stuck in their half showed how pegged back the japanese were. and that was a key reason why the japanese couldnt really get their game going, although when they did somehow get the ball into the attacking third, they could play balls right through the middle of the us defence, causing some panic.

it was only in the second half where japan raised their game a little. the us started leaving gaps as well, and the japanese fullbacks managed to get forward more. usa scored first through alex morgan. and i thought the centrebacks were just caught out by that long ball.

miyama stabbed home the equaliser 8 minutes from time.

the match went into extra time and abby wambach headed in alex morgan's cross at the end of the first period. and i thought japan were buried. but miyama's corner was flicked home by sawa and the match went into penalties.

to be honest, i thought the americans would be clear favourites in penalties because they had won one here and hope solo is the better keeper.

but kaihori saved with her legs against boxx. great reflex save. carli llyod, who was for me a contender for player of the match, blasted over. and tobin heath's was saved by kaihori as well. nagasato's miss was irrelevant as miyama, sakaguchi and kumagai all dispatched theirs with zen-like composure. japan won 3-1 on penalties.

over 120 minutes, usa had more chances, especially in the first 20 minutes. but japan kept coming back. i think the pressure got to the americans in penalties, while the japanese kept their cool.

i think the god of football was with japan today.

japan had played the best football in the tournament. it is a pity that they didnt win this game with the football that they have shown so far. not that they would care.

it is funny how sometimes you play well but lose and you get outplayed but win. i wouldnt have begrudged an american victory today.

Dream Team (Looks)

gk: Melissa Barbieri (Australia)
dl: Sonia Bompastor (France)
dc: Natalie Garcia (Mexico)
dc: Sophie Bradley (England)
dr: Alexandra Krieger (USA)
mc: Caroline Seger (Sweden)
mc: Louisa Necib (France)
aml: Josefine Öqvist (Sweden)
amc: Kelly Smith (England)
amr: Eugenie Le Sommer (France)
fc: Lotta Schelin (Sweden)

final preview

i will just keep it short and sweet:

beauty and the beast. future and the past.

let's hope the best team wins.

Team of the Tournament

i already came up with the team after the Semi-Finals, because i felt i have seen all i needed to see.

gk: Hope Solo (USA)
the japanese keeper kaihori ran her close, but hope solo got the nod, because she saved 2 penalties(unofficially) and is a great shot stopper, whereas Kaihori has impressed not because she is the best keeper, but because she functions so well in her team.

left back: Aya Sameshima (Japan)
the best left-back in the tournament, solid at the back, swashbuckling going forward. she weaved her way into the swedish box 3 times at least and also did the same against the English.

centre back: Laura Georges (France)
to be honest, after the game against Sweden yesterday, i seriously reconsidered my choice. but it was just one game and the 2 mistakes against USA. other than that, she has been the best defender in a suspect French defence. the only constant (along with Bompastor)

centreback: Charlotte Rohlin (Sweden)
i don't understand why Nilla Fischer is captain when Seger isnt playing. Rohlin is the real voice in the team, next to Seger. commanding centreback, organised the solid swedish defence well.

rightback: yukari kinga (japan)
basically the same thing for sameshima applies to her as well, just that going forward, she is less a silky dribbler, more power in her style of going forward.

centre mid: homare sawa (japan)
current joint-top scorer with 4 goals. heart of the japanese team. tackling, distribution, goals, leadership. what more do you want in a central midfielder?

centre mid: mizuho sakaguchi (japan)
for me the unsung hero in the japanese team. quietly doing her job in defensive midfield. she reminds me of amandine henry with her play because she is also so skilful and composed in her distribution.

other contender: lisa dahlqvist (sweden), elise bussaglia (france)

left wing: aya miyama (japan)
first name on this team sheet. interestingly, if not for her, this place would really have been up for grabs, with gaetane thiney(france), therese sjoegren(sweden) and megan rapinoe(usa) all putting strong claims for this spot.

amc: louisa necib (france)
disappointing end to the adventure, but necib is a joy to watch on the ball, her passing bettered by only Miyama.

amr: abily (france)
not her natural position, but does well there, playing the Lara Dickenmann role for France.

forward: Lotta Schelin (Sweden)
excellent finish against France. has got only 2 goals so far, but it is really her intelligence and movement that impress and really make the difference for the Swedes

contender: abby wambach for her heading, but schelin is a much more complete player.

supersub: megan rapinoe (usa)
i have said that she makes an impact every time she comes on.

coach: norio sasaki (japan)
i think he has been shrewd tactically and also the personnel changes.

the interesting thing in this world cup is perhaps the lack of a right-sided attacker. it is like every team plays its best attacker on the left flank, hence the competition for that spot if not for aya miyama. these same left-sided attackers are all predominantly right-footed, suggesting that the idea is to let them shoot or whip in inswingers with their right foot.

france 1 Sweden 2

this was a very disappointing match because
1) necib had to come off after just 30 minutes. i think she is too fragile
2) france never got into the game
3) the game was marred by the öqvist incident

basically, france's defence with renard and franco coming into the team was suspect all evening. even laura georges was very poor: positioning, pace, strength and clearing. there were a few occasions when scheline was stopped by the ref's whistle, apparently for fouling georges. to be honest, i thought georges was lucky there and could understand schelin's frustration. in attack, le sommer was well-marshalled by the swedish defence.

öqvist was sent off midway through the second half for kicking bompastor. deservedly so. but i must say that bompastor was not entirely innocent there. in the tangle before that, bompastor lashed out at öqvist too.

sweden seemed to play better with the numerical disadvantage, and hammarstrom got the winner when she hammered the ball in after evading le sommer and bompastor. great goal. sweden were deserved winners and certainly showed more fire.

i think this was a disappointing end to the french adventure. they imploded and didnt show what they could do, what they have shown before this game.

france v sweden preview

the OL bronze medal game.

ok that's a little obnoxious, considering that on the french team, only 4 OL players are guaranteened starters (Abily, Bompastor, Georges and Necib) and Sweden has only one OL player (Schelin). but these are basically the best players on the field.

i will say again that if france play their game, if the keeper doesnt screw up, they should have no problem against sweden.

for me, this is how the teams should be ranked: 1) japan 2) france 3) sweden 4) usa

france somehow threw it all away; or you could say usa somehow stole it from them.

caroline seger has been ruled out of this game, though i wonder if the french should rejoice, because it means nilla fischer will play, and she is an out and out destroyer in midfield. i expect her to put in some rough challenges on soubeyrand and co.

it will be interesting to see schelin play against georges.

i think the swedish defence really struggled against the clever japanese. the french attackers have a similar style, so i am curious as to how they will fare. the french love to shoot, and they really can, so the keeper lindahl will be really tested for the first time in the tournament with long shots.

usually, a third placing match is a match no one really wants to play in. but i have no doubt that both teams will be fully motivated because france have never been here, and they will want to end on a high, while sweden wants to prove that there is life after the retirement of the old guard like victoria svensson.

france to win 2-1.

japan 3 sweden 1

sweden took an early lead, öqvist pouncing on a stray pass from midfield to defence to race clear and put it beyond the keeper.

but after that, japan started playing football, and boy, what football did they play. until the 70th minute, sweden had only one shot and didnt get near the japanese box at all.

japan pressed, passed and ran to perfection. if france were a joy to watch, japan were on another level all together when they fully expressed themselves. you can see the idea behind every pass. the decisions they made were top notch. it was all very zen.

the swedes had no answer, and fell 3-1 behind. the attacking changes were then made, and even then, they only carved out 3 shots (1 on target).

the crowd started the game supporting sweden, understandably, considering japan had spoilt the german party. but by the end of it, they were applauding the japanese.

good football played with fairness, sportsmanship and heart will always be appreciated.

and that is what japan played.

i think their keeper was outstanding. i know i criticised her distribution against england, but the way japan plays, they need other qualities in their keeper and she has those: quick off the line to play as a sweeper, solid on the crosses. she is not the best keeper, but the kind of keeper japan needs.

norio sasaki the coach is quite a genius. the personnel changes he's made have all reaped rewards. maruyama came on at half time against germany and got the winner. kawasumi started against sweden and got two goals.

japan will face their biggest test against the americans, because this is one team that won't hesitate to send those high balls in. and in wambach, they have the best header in the game.

france 1 usa 3

for a game billed by many as 'david against goliath', all i saw was david running circles around goliath and goliath chasing shadows. aside from the 10 minutes after usa secured a shock lead, france was playing all the football.

so much so that from the worry on the usa coach pia sundhage's face, from the body language of the us girls, you know they know they were being outplayed.

france were having all the ball and controlling the midfield. the inevitable came, albeit with a stroke of luck. bompastor's cross went all the way into the far corner; gaetane thiney didn't touch the ball at all. gaetane thiney had 2 other golden chances in the game, put through superbly by necib, but she did not put them away. in light of this, perhaps it wasn't surprising that thiney didnt quite get to the ball.

but in 5 minutes of madness, the question from when france would seal the win became a ticket to the final handed to the americans on a silver platter. a poor clearance from sapowicz, the weakest link in the french defence all evening, fell straight to rapinoe and the french managed to clear it for a corner. sapowicz flapped at the corner and wambach scored.

then a rapinoe ball wasn't met cleanly by georges and alex morgan broke through. i seriously wondered why sapowicz was so far off her line. she was neither here nor there, and while morgan's chip was excellent, you felt that sapowicz should have stayed on the line, because the other centreback was moving to pressure morgan.

by then, it was too late.

the usa got out of jail again.

for me, the french lost because of their keeper. and you know i have complained about the second choice deville. now, i can only conclude that they don't have a good keeper. and they lost because georges made her only two mistakes in the whole tournament and was roundly punished today.

abby wambach was named the player of the match, but let's be honest. aside from that second goal and another header late in the first half, i didnt see her at all. neither did i see any american girls. but if u have to give it to an american, i would give it to megan rapinoe, because once again, she came on and gave an impetus, made things happen in attack.

the way necib picked out her teammates was a joy to watch. france were a joy to watch, though i felt they were a little too trigger-happy with their long shots. but hey, they really can shoot from anywhere, abily, thiney, necib, soubeyrand, bussaglia and bompastor. just that sometimes you feel they could still have passed instead of shootng straight away.

the litmus test is always if you want the game to end. for france, you can watch them forever.

i think they know it: they are better than usa and have thrown it away themselves.

semi finals

france-usa

in my opinion, if france can play their game and beat hope solo, this is their game to lose. many people will look at this fixture and tell you that usa are the favourites.

france plays the better football and are the better team. though of course we know that the better team, the better football doesn't always win.

let's talk about usa first.

they got out of jail against brazil. i think against brazil, they looked very inhibited. perhaps it was the effect of the shock defeat against sweden. so triumphing against brazil will do their confidence and morale wonders.

but if you look at their team, it is actually quite limited in terms of ability.

hope solo is a great keeper, as she has shown against brazil. abby wambach is a powerful striker who worries defenders just with her presence. the rest of the players are just cogs in the machine: athletic players with decent skills. amy lepailbet at leftback and rachel buehler at centreback are weak links in the defence. rachel buehler is suspended for the semi-final. and i do wonder if her replacement is going to be any better; why else would buehler be first choice?

usa play a traditional flat 4-4-2. all 4 midfielders can advance with the ball. abby wambach can hold up play while her strike partner amy rodriguez is more mobile and has licence to roam. but that's it. for me they are very rigid.

they will send in crosses and take long shots, because these are their strengths. like germany, norway, sweden, they don't have a playmaker or a great passer of the ball.

france have 3: camille abily, louisa necib and gaetane thiney. these are the 3 who play in the 3 in france's 4-2-3-1 behind marie laure delie. the thing that struck me about them is how all 3 swop positions during the game, underlining how comfortable they are both on the flank as well as in the middle.

the only question is: will renard partner georges in defence in light of the wambach threat? i think the key is to stop the ball from going into the box. this means closing down the americans quickly and having possession. against england, france had all the possession and isolated ellen white up front. the americans will pose the same aerial threat as the germans, and renard didnt look good against the germans. so i really don't know. i think renard will play. and i hope she will show up.

if they can handle the physical aspect and abby wambach, then what's left is just to play their game and beat hope solo. use their technique, use their intelligence.

japan v sweden
this will be an interesting contest. sweden started the competition with jessica landstrom in attack but josefine oqvist has since established herself as lotta schelin's strike partner. jessica landstrom is strong in the air while oqvist is a very quick player. so the question would be: would dennerby try to go the aerial route and bring in landstrom again?

my advice would be no. the japanese are shorter but germany didnt find any joy with that. in any case, i think schelin, sjoegren, the two key players in the swedish attack prefer to keep the ball on the ground. that's why oqvist has broken into the team. they function better as a team.

sweden are solid at the back, though i think japan will really test them with their quick passing and intelligent movement.

what i like about the swedish game is that they switch flanks very well. they make use of the space well. lotta schelin is the kind of forward that occupies the whole defence and it allows sjoegren and oqvist to play. forsberg, the other attacker plays abit of the dirk kuyt role, a runner upfront.

i mentioned playmakers and fluidity earlier. japan has a playmaker in aya miyama. kozue ando is also a clever forward who drops back to link up play. their two fullbacks are probably the best attacking fullbacks in the tournament.

sweden do not have a real playmaker, but they are more advanced tactically than the usa because of schelin and sjoegren. schelin's intelligence gives them a natural fluidity while sjoegren is the next best thing to a playmaker. nominally a winger, she is very comfortable on the ball and likes to drift in, adding another dimension to the play. you can say that she plays the nasri role for sweden.

i think sweden will be content to let japan play and try to hit them on the counter. i expect a game that flows from end to end. japan are slight favourites, but with lotta schelin, you know that sweden always has a trump card.

development of the game
in a way, this quartet highlights the development of the women's game. in men's football, systems have moved towards the incorporation of intelligent, fluid players who are able to play between the lines. before this world cup, before ol feminin's triumph in the champions' league final, women's football was based on power and athleticism. it was alot about having the stronger, faster, fitter player who can get past her marker first and foremost with her physical attributes, coupled with the basic technique to control the ball.

in this respect, france and japan, interestingly the smallest teams among the top 8 teams, have shown the way, playing attractive football based on technique and intelligence.

as i mentioned, sweden with schelin and sjoegren are halfway there, while usa are the relics of the past. but even their coach has acknowledged the need to be able to play football and has slowly tried to incorporate it into the american system. but compared to the other 3, they are still behind.

the word to describe this kind of football that we are moving towards is 'sophisticated'. it is about having ideas in your head, being one step ahead of your opponent in the head and having the technique to realise your idea.

being a strong advocate of beautiful, intelligent football, i am hoping for a france-japan final. i think it would be a treat with the two best footballing teams in the tournament up against each other.

what drama

what drama in the game between usa-brazil. aside from the drama and the controversies, it was for me actually a poor game in terms of football. the poorest among the 4 quarter finals.

usa made a dream start, with daiane diverting a cross into her own goal after maybe 2 minutes. but after that the game died down. usa played with inhibition, while brazil were self-indulgent.

the controversy came early in the second half. buehler was rightly sent off and hope solo saved the penalty. but it was allowed to be retaken. a decision i didnt understand.

down to 10, usa managed to hold on to extra-time.

then maurine was offside when she crossed for marta to make it 2-1. and to be honest, it was looking bleak.

but the americans upped their game in the second half of extra-time and applied pressure on brazil, who were resorting to time-wasting. erika and abby wambach jumped for the ball. she looked ok when she landed, looked around and saw that the usa had a throw-in, and promptly collapsed on the ground. she was stretchered off, but jumped off the stretcher to quickly make her reentry. pathetic.

3 minutes of injury time was awarded, and after 90 seconds of that, rapinoe sent in one last cross, and abby wambach headed it in to send the stadium into raptures.

'believe' was the word of the day.

usa prevailed on penalties to send brazil home.

and i can honestly tell you that i have no sympathy for the brazilians even given how cruelly everything has fallen apart for them at the last.

they are spoiling women's football. no sportsmanship, no fair play, theatrics, bitching to the ref at everything, time wasting. even the great marta. she is a great player but not a class player. she has got no class with her behaviour.

and they don't play great football. just individual, self-indulgent tricks. more suited for the circus. you want to watch football, you watch france and japan.

and in the earlier game, sweden were comfortable 3-1 winners over australia, who once again made too many individual errors.

conclusions from the first 2 quarter finals

you need a playmaker to break down well-organised defences. germany were lacking that player. they had good wingers, good strikers, but no one with that creativity who can come up with a different approach rather than just launch the ball into the box. someone who can find that space, who can find that pass. france has abily and necib, japan has miyama.

i think that was the main flaw in the german team. they have such a great 4-2-3-1 system that is very much based on their wingplay that they lack the creativity in midfield. so when they don't get their headers on target, or you cut out their crosses, they have a problem.

i am disappointed that we didnt get to see the best of kelly smith.

japan's win in a way is a victory for women's football because it shows how far women's football has progressed, developed. it has become much more competitive that you can't show up and expect to win. of course i would prefer it if it were brazil or usa on that other end of this 'groundbreaking' result. as it turns out, germany are, unluckily that 'sacrificial lamb'

of course i will be hoping that france beat usa/brazil in the semi-final to make it complete.

the big question now after germany's defeat: what next?

i think women's football is well established enough in germany not to suffer a fallout from this result.

i hope that people will still go to the stadiums, people will still watch at home, because it has been a fantastic tournament, and they won't be doing the other girls justice if they shut off simply because germany are no longer in the running.

as for germany, i think it is time for the new generation to take over. some tweaks in the system, some tweaks in the player selection could help. it is no secret that i am not a big fan of silvia neid because of the way she runs things. i am sure she will reevaluate things and come to the same conclusions as i had a while back.

for england, they have shown a lot of fight, alot of guts, but they know themselves that they didnt play to their potential. fara williams, coming back from injury, has been anonymous. kelly smith not making that impact. maybe too much burden has been placed on ellen white, playing in her first major tournament. for me, karen carney was england's best player. the only attacker among aluko, smith, yankey, jess clarke who really showed why i raved about them. she gave bite to the english attack.

for france, i am relieved that sapowiecz will come back for the semi-final. wasnt convinced by deville. and i think aside from jill scott's goal, where viguier and lepailleur collided into each other to give scott the route to goal, the defence with bompastor, viguier, georges and lepailleur did well, and bini should continue with this. france had 33 shots, apparently. only one went in. but i have faith in le sommer, abily, necib, delie and thiney. what is important is that they banished some ghosts with this penalty win. (remember em 2009 against holland and the champs league final in 2010 when ol lost to turbine on penalties)

japan were outmuscled by germany. mana iwabuchi couldnt show her stuff, because she was just being bumped off the ball.she will have to learn how to deal with it better. sweden and australia will dish out more of that physical treatment in the semi final.
the germany game was probably the first game in a while that they were on the backfoot for much of the game. to be honest, i didnt think they would prevail, but they did. hopefully they will be able to play their football against sweden or australia. for japan, what has been impressive is how their substitutes have come on and made an impact in the attack.

france-japan would be the dream final. and it is definitely possible.

japan 1 germany 0

japan recorded a famous 1-0 win over germany in extra time.

how did germany lose this game? to be honest, i still can't quite believe it. the germans sportingly praised the japanese' organisation and determination. surely a factor... but germany had enough chances, but didnt get their shots or headers on target.

there was of course an element of luck when you consider the chances for both sides.

but the japanese coach made one change at half-time which i think in hindsight, was brilliant. he took off yuki nagasato for karina maruyama. i was shocked, because an attack without nagasato was unimagineable. but maruyama gave the japanse a focal point in their counterattacks. she could hold the ball, knew when to hold it, when to pass it, when to take on the defender.

and of course, she got that winner, running onto sawa's throughball and putting it into the far post from a tight angle. fantastic finish.

when i saw the ball go in, i had to raise a fist in triumph, because japan were being bombarded with high balls all game, under pressure, but i always knew that one chance is all you need to score. and they did just that. one lapse in concentration it was from the germans too. the two midfielders didnt close sawa and ando down when they got the ball in midfield from the defence. and bartusiak was somehow already flatfooted when maruyama made her run.

there was a stunned silence after the goal. germany pressed for the equaliser, but japan held on for that famous win.

france 1 england 1 (france 4-3 on penalties)

marathon today. england got the first chance within 30 seconds or so with kelly smith latching onto the throughball but not putting it away with her weak right foot.

france got into the game and started dominating it. fara williams, kelly smith couldn't get into the game at all. france were dominating and creating chances, but you felt that england could always steal that one goal with one chance. and they did just that in the second half.

the keeper deville was beaten too easily from jill scott's long shot. positioning was all wrong.

after that, france were clearly shellshocked but managed to recover and searched for the equaliser, which they finally did, with bussaglia blasting it from outside the box late in the game to force extra time.

ellen white shot wide in england's only chance in extra time, while france didnt convert their chances.

penalties came. and to my horror, abily's penalty was saved by bardsley. your best player missing. shes that one french player i least expect to miss.

kelly smith was limping but blasted hers home to put all the pressure on france. bussaglia, thiney, bompastor converted for france, carney and stoney for england.

then claire rafferty pulled hers wide. i was thinking: why was she taking that penalty? where was fara williams? where was jill scott? ellen white? why claire rafferty, the young leftback who has come on late in the second half for the tiring rachel unitt?

le sommer was as cool as a cucumber, rolling the ball into the other corner as bardsley dived one way.

faye white sent hers against the bar, and the french were through.

i know i have put faye white under scrutiny, but i can tell you that she was the last player i wanted to see miss that penalty.

france were the better team, by a lot. but i was so torn between the two teams that maybe you could say that penalties was the best way to decide it. lottery.

albeit a very cruel way.

France v England Preview

France versus England is like Olympique Lyonnaise versus Arsenal Ladies again.. just that this time, it is more the 2007 vintage of the Arsenal Ladies.

imagine: kelly smith, karen carney, rachel yankey, alex scott, faye white, anita asante in the england squad were in that quadruple-winning team from 2007.

now they are joined by ellen white and steph houghton.

it is a shame that katie chapman, gemma davison, emma byrne, julie fleeting and kim little can't be here to join in the party.

and for OL: laura georges, sabrina viguier, sonia bompastor, camille abily, louisa necib, eugenie le sommer, wendy renard, elodie thomis, sandrine bretigny.

a shame that amandine henry, lara dickenmann, shirley cruz and lotta schelin are missing out.

if you look at the fact that aside from fara williams and jill scott, all the important england players have played for arsenal, you will understand why i stress that england is essentially arsenal ladies.

quarterfinal preview

england v france
i won't make any predictions, because to be honest, i am quite torn between these two teams. it is like arsenal ladies v ol feminin again.

france will not have keeper sapowiecz available, thanks to her red card against germany. otherwise, bruno bini should field his first team, though the big question would be if wendy renard plays. personally, as i have explained, i am not in favour of playing her at centreback.

the key to this game is the flanks. stop the wingers from getting the crosses in. it is about markign the space rather than the player, especially since jill scott would be running from deep.

for the english, the question is whether faye white will return to the starting lineup. sophie bradley did very well in her place. i think the change was made because japan has a very mobile and pacy attack, so the idea is that bradley would be able to cope better with that. with france having a similar style to japan, i think bradley might well stay in the starting lineup.

in the england-japan game, japan were able to work out numerous openings but shot wide or over. the english defence, despite keeping that clean sheet, isn't the most solid defence. unlike japan, france have players who can get their shots on target: abily, le sommer, necib. and most importantly, delie is a poacher. japan were maybe lacking that poacher.

so i think france will definitely score. the question is: can england score? aside from the high balls, i think the french defence has been not bad. and i think it might have something to do with understanding and organisation. renard spent much of the season playing rightback, and georges has a superb understanding with viguier, so why don't they play that?

and i realise that bompastor will be up against alex scott. mouthwatering direct duel between the two fullbacks. matchup of the game.

as i said, i won't make predictions. i am just disappointed that one team will go home after this game.

germany v japan
germany will look to use their physical advantage and i think that is going to be a problem for japan. what impressed me alot in the japan-england game is that japan were able to recover and play their passing game. this is something they need to do even better against germany. and of course, they need to take their chances.

it may well be another case of japan playing the football, but germany getting the goals and the win. i will be cheering for japan, but i think the odds are against them.

brazil v usa
i am putting my head out on this to tell you that usa will beat brazil. people are shaking their heads after the american defeat to sweden, saying brazil are better than usa. but i think if there is a team that can expose the tactical shortcomings of the brazilians, it is usa.

usa is a team that produces the goods when the chips are down, so i am backing them to put on a show. of course, amy le pailbet worries me since marta will be smelling blood. but if hope solo and christie rampone can come to the rescue, i think usa will once again prove critics wrong.

sweden v australia
australia will be up against a better version of norway, in a way. a much better version. i think it will be interesting to see how the australian coach lines up his team. will he go cautious, or aim to dominate the game? it is a tough decision because you only have 90 or maybe 120 minutes. what makes things even trickier is that sweden themselves can play on the counter or control the game.

surprisingly, i think the swedish defence will face their sternest test against the australians. i think the colombian, north korean and american attacks haven't been dynamic enough.

i think however, that lotta schelin will prove to be the difference between the two sides.

team of the group phase

so, the group phase has ended and the 8 quarterfinalists are confirmed.

here is my team of the group phase:

keeper: hedvig lindahl (sweden)
you won't recall any great saves that she's made (i don't either), but what i like about her is how she plays with her team, quick to sweep things up. solid, unspectacular, but keeps up with the team.

leftback: babette peter (germany)
i think she's had the most number of touches so far in the german team. not bad for a leftback. easily the most consistent player on the german team

centreback: charlotte rohlin (sweden)
the organiser in the solid swedish defence which conceded only one goal from a corner.

centreback: christie rampone (usa)
in a tournament where the captains have come under fire, she stood out for her commitment and reading of the game. but perhaps what is most impressive is that she is probably doing the job of 2 players(1+0.5+0.5), having had to clean up after amy le pailbet the leftback and rachel buehler, her partner in central defence.

rightback: yukari kinga (japan)
that i pick her ahead of alex scott says it all.

centremid: homare sawa (japan)
hattrick heroine against mexico, tough uncompromising midfielder who distributes the ball well.

centremid: simone laudehr (germany)
all-action midfielder

left wing: aya miyama (japan)
for me, she is a genius passer of the ball. as simple as that.

attacking midfielder: louisa necib (france)
outstanding against nigeria and canada. people were raving about her after the nigeria game, wondering why her name is not listed under the stars of the french team.

right wing: celia okoyino (germany)
strong, skilful, fast and clinical. there is life after birgit prinz.

forward: lotta schelin (sweden)
the complete forward.

you might wonder why there are no players from brazil or australia or england, the other 3 quarterfinalists.

most people would look at the statistics and tell you that brazil are the best team, because they scored the most number of goals(joint with germany and france) and conceded 0 goals and won all 3 games. but to be honest, brazil haven't impressed me at all. they show some nice individual tricks here and there, but so have many players. brazilian football is first marta, then individual tricks.

australia really gave them problems, and norway and equatorial guinea were dispatched with convincing scorelines, but perhaps not convincing performances.

likewise, england haven't played to their ability. different players have stepped up to the rescue in each of the games.

australia have impressed, but it is more a team effort. probably the only player who stood out would be collette mcCullum, but i feel that aya miyama and the midfielders i have chosen have had bigger performances. lisa de vanna is a livewire in attack, but the real stars of australia are the team and the coach, whom i think is quite astute tactically.

sweden 2 usa 1

and so, sweden pulled off the upset no one saw it coming. i think the turning point in the game was the penalty. it gave sweden an early lead. and dahlqvist did very well to put it away, not allowing herself to be distracted by hope solo's mind games.

after that, usa struggled against a well-organised swedish defence. things got worse when amy lepailbet, who gave away the penalty, deflected fischer's freekick the other way. luck deserted the americans, and sweden went into half time 2-0 up.

usa didnt have the ideas to unlock the swedish defence, and were reduced to taking long shots. they did pull one back from a corner.

but sweden held on, and shouldnt have had the schelin goal disallowed very late in the game. she was onside.

schelin might have not scored in this tournament yet (officially), but she is really leading the line, pulling her team up.

the one moment which confirmed that she is one level above her team is during the last 30 seconds of injury time, when sweden had a corner. obviously, no one went into the box. the short corner was taken and schelin held the ball, then weaved her way on the goalline past 2 americans into the box, cut it back, but no one ran with her.

that move underlined her class, as well as her attacking instincts.

germany 4 france 2

i missed the first 30 minutes, and france were already one nil down. then minutes later they conceded a second.

then i realised that abily, bompastor and delie were not playing.

at half time, abily and delie came on for necib and thomis.

the game had a friendly-feel to it, though i feel that germany' changes meant they were closer to playing their best team than france, with bajramaj and grings all starting.

delie made an impact almost immediately, pulling one back from a corner soon after the restart.

hopes of a french comeback was dealt a huge blow when the keeper was sent off and grings scored the resulting penalty.

amazingly they pulled one back from another corner- this time from laura georges.
it could have been 3-3 soon after, but she shot just wide after being put through by abily.

but 2 minutes from time, renard allowed grings to head the ball to okoyino, who had all the space to volley in the 4th goal.

germany will revel in this win, but i think bruno bini won't be too concerned aside from the red card.

i think he had made it clear to the girls that they didnt need to win this game.

for me, germany has shown all their cards whereas bruno bini knows that should they meet again, he should be able to play bompastor, necib, abily, delie all together right from the start, and that they wouldnt be playing with 10 players for the last 20 minutes. so he would still have a few cards up his sleeve.

i say 'should they meet again' because that would be in the final, and first france have to play england.

i don't like the second choice keeper, because she makes half-hearted jumps and the ball ends up grazing the crossbar. reminds me too much of almunia with the way she assumes she's got it all calculated; the ball was going out. hopefully, she can survive england.

wendy renard was also disappointing. brought in obviously for her height, she lost the three headers that resulted in the 3 goals from open play.

to be honest, for the england game, bruno bini should revert back to sabrina viguier because viguier and georges have handled ellen white before. and i do think viguier is a better centreback than renard, otherwise why would renard be playing rightback for lyon?

as for the problem of the 1,8m tall jill scott, leave her to the rightback lepailleur, who is 1.75m.

yesterday was a day in which both england and germany dropped their captains and got the victories. sophie bradley, faye white's replacement hardly put a foot wrong. germany were more dynamic without birgit prinz. i think it says something about the development of women's football that great players approaching the ends of their careers are finding it difficult to impose themselves on the game.

in the past, they would still have been able to shine, but the younger players have really taken a step up thanks to better training etc that you can't say you are birgit prinz and expect to be the star.

of course for the old guard, it is a little sad to be so unceremoniously dumped, undermined. you have to give them credit for that hunger to still want to play at the highest level and win, but all great champions know when to stop, when to accept that they need to change their roles. they could still be in the team, but maybe as backup and mentor.

i think the coaches were also slow to recognise that they can't get away with it anymore, making things even more awkward when they have to finally ring in the changes during the tournament itself.

as a player, you would feel that the authority of your captain has been undermined.

england 2 japan 0

Japan 0 England 2
i was at the stadium in augsburg for this game. you could say that japan played all the football, but england got the goals and the win. japan took a while to settle, with england's physical approach certainly making them uncomfortable for a while. england looked to play the ball behind the japanese defence, and it was from one such ball that ellen white got the breakthrough, cleverly lobbing the keeper.

that goal took the pressure off england, and they knew that it would be difficult for them not to qualify for the quarterfinals. so they were content to sit back and play on the counter, even taking off kelly smith after an hour for aluko. eventually, yankey got that second goal.

the japanese never gave up but they just couldnt score.

i got this feeling that all the neutral german fans in the stadium were every bit as disappointed as the japanese girls themselves, because they felt that the football japan played had warranted at least a draw, if not a win.

i am very impressed by the technical ability of all the japanese players. even the centrebacks had outstanding technique.

i think the two japanese fullbacks are the best attacking fullbacks i have seen in the tournament so far. the right back kinga, like alex scott for england, pushes so high up that when you look at it from above, the game is skewed like a parallelogram, with both rightbacks starting level with their midfields.

aya miyama once again underlined her creativity and genius. i will always remember that corner when shinobu ohno came up to her offering the short option. she jsut stood there and gestured for ohno to take one step to the side, because she had seen kinga lurking free outside the box. she proceeded to pass it to kinga.

then there was another freekick where everyone was getting ready for her to whip it in, but she took it very quickly, passing it down the right for the rightback to get really close to the box and cross it.

i am really impressed by the quick-thinking, by the ideas in her head. it seems like she is always one step ahead.

so england got the win, as i had thought they could. i told you that england is a team that will grow into a tournament. they haven't been convincing, but they have avoided germany.

for japan, it is a familiar story. yet again winless against top european opposition. there is a sense of disappointment, having come into this game on such a high but not getting the result they wanted. they have to pick themselves up, because germany beckons next.

group c and group d

group c:

sweden 1 north korea 0
this game once again proved that i was right about north korea not having the quality to go all the way. in a game where they needed a result more than sweden, they had much of the ball but without any penetration. on the other hand, sweden is a team that could play on the counter, and were more dangerous despite having less of the ball. in the end, lisa dahlqvist slammed the ball home to send sweden through.

colombia 0 usa 3
colombia's youth and naivete were fully exposed by the old heads of usa, who had little problem sealing their passage.

sweden v usa
sweden needs to win to go through as winners, but they look an ordinary team without lotta schelin. usa on paper are stronger than sweden, so unless sweden can come up with a good plan or usa don't show up, it is hard to see sweden pulling off an upset.

group d
equatorial guinea 2 australia 3
australia were actually so dominant that 3-0 would have been a fairer reflection of the game. but centreback servet uzunlar probably would want to forget this game in a hurry, losing her footing twice to gift anonman 2 clear passages to goals. unlike against norway, anonman was clinical with her finishing today and australia were glad to see the whistle finally go.

the difference between australia and norway is that australia have collette mcCullum, who is a brilliant passer of the ball, and a great deadball specialist as well. she should have gotten a goal, with one freekick coming back off the crossbar, and the other curling just wide. lovely left foot.

the other interesting observation is that australia made 5 changes to the starting lineup today to change their approach and style. these changes certainly paid off, and highlighted the depth and versatility of the australian squad.

leena khamis impressed me with her incisive running, scoring one and creating one. but i think the player who really made the difference was collette mccullum.

brazil 3 norway 0
while marta's first goal should never have been allowed given the clear push she gave to the defender while chasing for the ball, norway can only kick themselves for that sloppy start to the second half that saw them concede two goals in 5 minutes. from that moment on, there was no way back.

norway v australia
norway will fight australia to join brazil in the quarterfinals. norway needs to win, thanks to goal difference. it will be an interesting game, because the norwegians need to step up and be more aggressive while australia have shown that they are able to sit back and hit on the counter.

to be honest, i think only the most ardent fans will believe that norway can pull it off. australia have been quite impressive. the coach is tactically astute.

as i said, norway lacks that playmaker. perhaps an early exit will be good for them, because clearly norwegian football needs an overhaul. qualification for the world cup and a semifinal finish in euro 2009 may have glossed over the glaring deficiencies in the team, but it is clear right from the start that they are no longer a top team. they have good, young players, but no world class players, and they lack a coherent game plan.

group a and b summaries

england v japan
england needs just a draw to confirm qualification. a win would see them through as group winners, with japan already qualified.

the interesting thing about this game is that under normal circumstances, both teams would want to qualify as group winners to avoid germany. however this time round, it is very possible that germany will not top their group.

my advice, however, would be not to think that much and aim to win the group. ultimately, to win the tournament, you need to beat the best. in any case, i don't really think that germany are necessarily better than france.

i will be there in the stadium watching this game, and i am excited about it, because japan has produced the best football i have seen so far (i did miss both of france's games) and while england has started slowly, as usual, i am convinced that kelly smith and co will show up for this big game. i think i am in for a treat.

mexico v new zealand
mexico has a very slim chance of sneaking through, provided they beat nz and japan beat england, although even so, the goals have to flow freely for that to happen. the nz girls have fought valiantly this tournament, and it is a shame that they are going out, but i am sure they will put up a big fight to help their english cousins get through.

germany v france
france should fancy their chances, although i must warn them that this will be a very difficult game.

germany hasnt set the tournament alight, having had to labour to victories over canada and nigeria.

while germany beat canada 2-1, france strolled to a 4-0 win over the same opponents. i didnt watch both games, but i would caution against comparing, even though i am a big fan of the french. the reason is because canada probably set out for a draw against germany, whereas against france, they knew that they had to get a result and were thus more vulnerable at the back.

likewise, germany so far were up against teams out to defend and get a draw. hence they have found little joy. france however, will not do that. i think the germans are looking forward to the game, because they know it will be a football game with both sides looking to attack. it would also mean that they might have that little bit more space that they didnt get against the rather negative opponents so far.

thus, the french girls need to be up for this game, especially with germany out to prove a point. beware of a backlash.

having said that, i think the germans are also facing alot of pressure. i think not winning the group would be seen as an embarrassment and rightly so, though i think it means nothing because england and japan are different teams but both have quality. it also means nothing in terms of who lifts the trophy in the end. there is no law that states that a team that finishes second in their group cannot lift the trophy. perhaps a little setback will help the team grow. but yes, it will be more of a pride matter to beat france and secure the group win.

with all this pressure on the germans, france should fancy their chances. scenes of birgit prinz disgusted with her own performance and her substitution are playing all over german television, sparking debate about her future.

with star player bajramaj sitting on the bench, birgit prinz the captain not on form, things arent going smoothly for the germans at present and you would wonder if maybe there is a storm brewing. i think the players are focused enough to want to win this tournament on home soil, and silvia neid is a strong enough character to deal with all these.

i think the french should just relax and enjoy the game. the pressure is all on germany.

england 2 new zealand 1

a gutsy new zealand performance was not enough, as they crashed out after a 2-1 defeat.

england's defending was atrocious, with perhaps only alex scott not really culpable. but faye white, rachel unitt, casey stoney all made glaring errors.

i am not convinced by faye white. and i think it is always awkward when you talk like that about an experienced player, a captain. but birgit prinz and faye white's underwhelming performances so far in the world cup underline why i never believe in age being a really important factor.

just look at the mathildas, who played with a maturity that belies their age against brazil.

these two players seem like the liability in their teams. but because these players are the captains, it is difficult to drop them when maybe that is the best way forward for the team.

of course i am crossing my fingers and hoping that birgit prinz won't make me eat my words with a show against my France.

anyway england didnt play well, but managed to turn the game around through determination and their quality.

england are almost through, barring a heavy defeat against japan and a mexico win against nz, or a defeat against japan and a big mexico win against nz.

silke rothenburg was saying that looking at the performance of england so far, it is hard to see them go far.

i always believe that the team that grows into a tournament wins the tournament. it is not about winning 4-0 in all 3 games in the group stage and then going out 1-0 in the next round.

germany arent playing well at the moment, but that doesnt mean they are no longer the favourites, because they have that inherent quality.

france and japan won 4-0 but that doesnt mean they are now favourites. in fact, i am more concerned that they won 4-0. it is about peaking at the right time, so i hope the french and japanese girls still have more to give.

should england qualify but not go far, it will not be because they don't have the quality, but because france and germany, either of which stand in their way in the quarterfinals, are quality teams.

in fact, should england qualify, all the 4 qualifiers from group a and b are quality teams.

i have seen brazil, germany and usa, and i can tell you that these 3 top favourites are all very beatable.

so from the quarter final onwards, every game is a final. and in a final, anything can happen.

japan 4 mexico 0

i am impressed by the japanese's interpretation of 4-4-2. their two forwards upfront yuki nagasato and kozue ando are not your typical out-out-out strikers usually employed in a 4-4-2. yuki nagasato is fast and her natural position is the side attacker in a 4-3-3. kozue ando is a skilful, intelligent attacker who is not particularly strong or fast, but has a wonderful touch. the right winger ohno loves to switch with ando. the two full-backs also push very high up in support

the japanese are also very mobile and have a lot of off-the-ball movement, which is the key to their passing game. pass, move, pass, move, pass. it is a very simple concept but requires intelligence and discipline.

aya miyami is a genius crosser and passer of the ball.

japan were 3-0 up at half-time, captain homare sawa heading in a miyama corner, then a miyama freekick. that a 1.6m tall player could beat taller opponents twice proves my point that crossing is not about tall players. of course it takes two hands to clap: a quality ball delivered, and a quality run to meet the ball. homare sawa made intelligent runs to find the space to meet the ball miyama delivered.

miyama's crosses are high to beat the defence, then dropping at the right time to sawa's height.

a normal cross requires the attacker to still beat the marker. a great cross does that work for the attacker. of course the attacker must still be intelligent enough to read the cross. otherwise the crosser will look like a fool. thankfully for miyama, she has intelligent fellow attackers in ando, nagasato and sawa.

japan were dominant from start to end, running out 4-0 winners with homare sawa getting a hattrick.

i was a bit surprised by how overrun mexico were. but their play was too simple, too overreliant on captain and star striker domingues. they had no answer to japan's high-tempo robust intricate passing game. but don't take any credit away from the japanese: they did what every team is obliged to do in an easy game. win big.

player of the match: homare sawa
when a midfielder gets a hattrick, or any player for that matter, it is very difficult to deny him or her the honour, unless it is some 10-0 thrashings with two players getting hattricks. but sawa was outstanding in midfield, spreading the ball wonderfully, making superb runs into the box.

if sawa hadnt gotten that third goal, which was wonderfully set up by rightback kinga, miyama would have been my player of the match. reverse passes, crosses, she seems to be able to pick out teammates at will, sometimes without looking.