Semifinals

I don’t know if there is any stopping this German team. Confidence must be soaring. Who will come in for Mueller? It hardly matters I think. Loew and co have outsmarted opponents regardless of the cast (wasn’t everyone thinking they’d be rubbish w/o Ballack?!). It will be an interesting match – del Bosque is no tactical schmuck.

Spain has weaknesses, I think; the holding midfield players (Busquets and Alonso) are more creative than they are defensive. In any given German counter-attack - and they have been so effective in counter-attacks this tournament - expect one or both to be lazily retreating when they should be sprinting. Our captain courageous, Puyol, is wonderfully dedicated to the cause but is also slow and in generally not as good as his German counterparts. Del Bosque took him off in the last match, though; I wonder if he may start someone else for the next game.

Does Germany have a weakness?

Will Holland will beat Uruguay? Perhaps so without Suarez, but I’m not convinced it’s already been decided. Holland in their last game looked a bit uncoordinated. Individuals (Schneider, Robben, V. Persie) did remarkable things, but there didn’t seem to be much cohesion in the team. As much as I like Holland, I am hoping Uruguay makes it to the final (against Spain ;-)

Happy watching indeed!