Where the Goals At?

Yesterday's "Clash of the Titans" between Spain and Germany was perhaps the most anticipated match of the tournament thus far. The German "machine" [footnote: why do commentators keep referring to their squad as a "machine," as if it isn't an obvious allusion to the German "war machine"?] had stormed through the first few rounds with an abundance of ability and goals to boot, while the Spanish "inquisition" (I guess no one calls them that but me) had proven themselves strong and consistent, though perhaps slightly underachieving on the attacking front. David Villa had almost single-handedly carried them through to the semi-finals while Torres struggled to regain his form. Meanwhile, Miroslav Klose was fast approaching the record for most goals in World Cup history [footnote: although it looks like Klose might miss the 3rd-place match anyway, should goals in the 3rd-place playoff really count towards the record?].

The tactics and ability of the teams involved gave this matchup the potential for real excitement and drama. Yet, as we may have come to expect from most "Clasicos" (Madrid - Barca, Chelsea - Man U), the anticipation far outweighed the payoff. The first half was little more than a formality, with (if my memory serves me) only one really threatening strike on goal, and none from the German camp (can we say camp?). Both teams played exceedingly protective, tactical, and (let's be blunt) dull football, with the Spanish side content to kick the ball back and forth through the midfield for about 25 passes before attempting to organize an attack. We can applaud their ability to maintain possession, but that's about the most we can say. Meanwhile, the German side, normally so threatening through quick counter-attacks, were held at bay by the likes of Puyol, Pique, Ramos, and Casillas, and were unable to come up with a way to break through the Spanish defense.

Following what seems to be a trend in this World Cup, the game finally picked up once the first goal was scored. But is this what it takes for teams to open up their play? The only man on the pitch who seemed really hungry for goals was little Pedrito, who seemed to be taking a crack at it every chance he could. Of course, he selfishly sacrificed an amazing chance to get Torres on the board at the end of the game, but I think we should forgive him since was so positive and aggressive for the rest of the match. In the end, the only goal of the game came from the shaggy defender, who put himself in the right place at the right time.

I'm not normally one to complain about a game for lack of goals, but I was truly disappointed by yesterday's tactical confrontation. Albeit without Muller, Germany seemed much too cautious throughout the match, and didn't look at all like the side that dominated Argentina. The Spanish defense is certainly one of the best in the world, but even after going a goal down, Germany failed to find that spark and make those threatening runs into the box. Meanwhile, Spain played a very cagey match, although their patience finally paid off thanks to a free header off a corner kick.

In the end, Germany's tactics proved to be their Downfall (get it?), and I am inclined to think they got what they deserve. But the game simply reinforced the perception that in the most anticipated matches, both sides are so "respectful" of each other that they don't get into top gear until the last 15 minutes of play. Compared this to the prior semifinal between Holland-Uruguay, a match filled with excitement, enthusiasm, defensive AND offensive ability, brilliant strikes at goal, and real drama. There you had two teams that were not quite so "equal", but both sides went out there hungry for a win and ready to take chances, even unlikely ones (a la van Bronckhorst). I think the semifinals have proven that the best matches are usually NOT the ones involving the very best teams, since protective tactics tend to dominate at the expense of real excitement, opportunity, and (fuck it, I mean this is what we tune in for)... GOALS.