As expected, with the start of the second round at the World Cup, it immediately became more interesting. True, there are still no outstanding matches, but the situation is already fraught with them. I write these lines on the road to Gelsenkirchen, where teams from the "death group" (Argentina - Serbia and Montenegro) enter the second round. So far, in the two previous groups, without fail, someone parted with chances to continue the struggle. In other words, he was dying. So, in group C, where the word "death" is taken out, albeit in an unofficial, but still the headline, the one who dies will probably do it beautifully.
Ballast dropped
Because so far, in the person of Poland and Paraguay, the world championship has basically got rid of ballast. Not to mention Costa Rica. It is interesting to compare this team with Trinidad: they left one qualifying tournament, comparable rosters, but at the same time Costa Ricans have a lot of experience, still the third world championship in recent history, and even higher in the selection. And what? Can you compare Costa Rica’s participation in the world championship, which I would even call participation, but the presence, with that bonfire of emotions and hopes that has been burning and is burning around the Trinidad’s performance. And the difference in favor of the islanders is only one - the coach. This is what it sometimes means.
Moreover, Beenhakker merit should not be exaggerated. He exposed a classic, well-known and unpleasant "trap." This is not an achievement of coaching thought, it is just a solid work. But Beyenhakker merit in that he made this only right decision during the construction of the team and was not carried away by anything extra. Everything, here, in turn, the most important quality - professional and personal - is his experience.
As for Poland and Paraguay, no spark was found in these teams. As simple as bricks. So they remain at the bottom, tamped into the foundation of a beautiful building, which still does not even have clear outlines, but these are no longer there.
Strained winners
Two teams from among the favorites achieved the right to play in one eighth - England and Germany. Both play so far rather mediocre, the British are so simply bad. Their riotous fans celebrated their victory yesterday with a beer, and now, when we rush to Gelsenkirchen and, of course, we are late, they go to sleep. But when they sleep, they will cover Sven-Eran Erickson with a thick layer on purpose for this purpose the words existing in the language. It is a shame, of course, to play with Trinidad like that, even if he is at least three times heroic. Just think - those in defense found a guy even taller than Crouch! So now: is there no way to deliver the ball to him? It turns out - no. Already at this stage, Rooney had to be thrown into battle, completely, by the way, not ready, which he also saw instantly and immediately. Glorious captain Beckham eventually made an assist in the penalty area, but in this way - “in the end”, since God knows what the effort was. But such a pass could glorify Dwight York, but not Beckham. Because Trinidad needed a goal at all costs, but about the England team, the question is completely different - what is it capable of, what is its potential? So David Beckham today is able to only once in a while give a kick in the ass to the defender throwing himself under the ball. Maybe this is also the road to victory, just don’t remember who she was successfully attending.
Boiling bowl
About the Germans, despite the strained impression that their game invariably leaves, I want to say a good word. To begin with - about the match as such. I am working at a big tournament for the second time, and I must say that the impression of this work will not be complete if you do not visit the hosts' game. At the match Germany - Poland, I really asked to work and I am very glad that I got to him. This is a special attraction. The stadium in Dortmund - the famous Westfalen - is built very unusual. It is completely devoid of majesty when viewed from the outside. That is, it almost does not rise above the ground: it rests on the slopes of the hills. And it will not be a great exaggeration to say that in fact the Westfalen Stadium is dug in the ground. It turns out that you walk and walk among some buildings of gray or brick color, past the temporary building of the press center (the usual giant tent), then you don’t go up, no, but go down the stairs and at that moment ... the smoke of the Westfalen bowl . It is almost full of people and music, it shines with lights, it is huge, and teams are already warming up in such a field close to you!
At commentary positions - a real elite. On the left, if you extend your arm, you can pat on the shoulder of Gerard Houlier. Ahead, though, is through the passage, so you can’t reach with your hand (except to crumple a sheet of paper and throw it in the back to turn around) - Mick McCarthy bent over the microphone. He, of course, in shorts, I never saw him without shorts. During the break, this simple guy pulls a bag directly from his short pocket, from which appears ... a sausage already plastered with mustard. Inveterate human being, what to say!
And we are all sitting in the huge, boiling bowl of Westphalen. We are all obviously lucky that the match turned out exactly as it turned out, because the goal in the last minute made happy already thoroughly warmed up fans. And their joyful cry turned out to be especially loud and passionate ...
Bench power
So what's good about the Germans? Firstly, if it’s not that the star composition of the starting lineup, as it turns out, they have a very decent bench. Compare with the British - everything is the other way around. But any coach would prefer the German version, which is fraught with all sorts of different reorganizations of the game. What Klinsmann took advantage of. Without hesitation, he changes Podolsky, who doesn’t fall into luck, releases a veteran of Neuville, releases a simple Odonkor like a light rail. But the task is simple - jerk after jerk to wind the defender on the edge. So that for the first time, maybe, step on the ball, in the second - to miss it over the side, but on the fourth, okay - on the seventh - to certainly run away and serve. And there, there’s someone to jump out to this pitch.
And the center of defense played much more reliably. Mertezakker with his huge growth - the defender is quite fast. Mach-max with long legs - and already near. And this same leg is already stretching, like a retractable knee of a spinning rod, and knocks a ball from an opponent who is already preparing to strike. It is also important that since Ballack returned the game in the center of the field has been balanced. And in the game with the Poles, the Germans stopped attacks of the opponent much more often on the far approaches to their penalty area. However, the Polish national team played frankly toothless ahead, and the real test of the German defensive forces, of course, is ahead.
And with all the contradictory game practices of those leading teams that we managed to see, it is clear that the whole championship as a whole - of course, adds. The confidence that in the end his decisive matches will present amazing examples of the game is only growing in your humble servant.
Vasily UTKIN
This article was written specifically for the newspaper Sport. Day after day"