Argentina Exits Too
Oh my God! What is happening here? The two venerable Gods of football have gone out of the world cup. After Brazil it was the turn of Argentina to crash out. And what a way to crash out? So completely defeated, nay humiliated, vanquished, eliminated, extinguished- you can go on counting words that will explain their exit. And like bolt of lightning it came where it was least expected. In their league games the two power houses of South America gave no indication that they would be exited from the world cup in so summarily a manner. While Brazil had something to show for their efforts, Argentina had nothing to show for itself. What a sorry situation to be in for a team having the likes of Tevez, Higuain, Heinze- not to speak of Messi. Argentina and Brazil were the favourite of Bookies and now both the teams have crashed out. And they have been handed these defeats by two teams which were regarded as good teams and no further. They were expected to put up a good show, reach second round or quarter finals where they would meet any of the pre-tournament favourites and would duly go out with their heads held high. Well this time they have not obliged the pundits.
So how all this came about? Football world cups have a way with surprises and unexpected results. Who would have predicted that Italy which was on the verge of crashing out at the first hurdle would go on to win the ultimate crown in the last edition. And this time they crashed out in the first round itself. Football is an unforgiving game and any team which fails to take bold decisions is doomed. It so happened in case of Italy, France and to some extent in case of England too. While as yet it is too early for a post mortem to take place, yet some points have emerged only too clearly to be missed.
First, teams that have occasion to gel well have generally performed better clearly underlying the fact that it is a team game and individuals matter little. The superstars or their teams have generally failed. Messi could not score a goal- a fate shared by Christiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Kaka. Teams that have very strong domestic leagues like England an Italy have not done well. On the other hand Germany whose players normally play in their national league are doing very well. So its all about the team and the camaraderie rather than individual brilliance that matters.
Second, the age factor has emerged to be very important. More than seven players of the first choice German team are aged less than 23. And so far in their performance speed has been the key factor. The agility with which they counterattack and the alacrity with which they get back to defend certainly points towards the cruciality of age factor. Same thing can be said about the Dutch team. So far they have presented to us a compact team which has bonded really really well.
Third, teams that have depended mostly on defending and rely on swift counterattacks have not done well. Italy is a case in point. And Germany is the best example of what to do succeed. Its no less than an eye candy to see German players going forward in droves to attack. So apart from physical fitness it is the mindset that also has to change. Brazil is also an interesting case. Dunga sacrificed the traditional Brazilian flair football in favour of safety first approach- a strategy that backfired against the Dutch.
So is the world cup now poorer for the loss of likes of Argentina and Brazil. Definitely so. Both teams bring to the world cup something that is not there in case of other teams. They have so much history so much charisma and so much passion. The national teams of these countries are perhaps the most followed teams of the planet. A single victory is an occasion of so much celebration so much joy for an entire nation and one defeat can easily and the nation plunges into mourning with clamours of dismissal of everyone connected with the team- right from the President of the National Football Federation to the Goalkeeper of the team. They bring color and drama to the game. This is not to say that German or Dutch fans are any less passionate about their team or they care less about the success or failure of their team- but that in the situation of failure they are much more circumspect and amenable to reason. So the exit of the two Latin American powerhouses have robbed the game of passion, drama and star power. The game will be poorer for that- whoever wins the match on 11th July. My guess- on the current form I would say Germany but my heart will be with The Netherlands.
