Fashioning a World Cup Final: How the BBC Dressed

As their counterparts on ITV opted for a more casual presentation, sans jackets and ties and with open-collared long and short-sleeved shirts and sunglasses – seated at three bar or garden tables somewhere along Ipanema beach – the BBC’s pundits for the World Cup final came dressed in an array of formal ensembles. In a studio located further up the beach, with Ipanema’s mountains providing the backdrop, Gary Lineker, Alan Hansen, Alan Shearer and Rio Ferdinand were not merely wearing suits, staid and nondescript, as Germany faced and ultimately defeated Argentina. Their wardrobes were highly distinct in form, cut, and colour.

Three of the men – Lineker, Hansen, and Ferdinand – wore suits. Boldly yet subtly different, Alan Shearer wore a blue blazer, slightly ruffled, with notch lapels, a natural shoulder and little or no padding. His white shirt sleeves emerged prominently from the arms of his blazer, and showed French cuffs and cufflinks. Saturated, and significantly hidden by the BBC’s stacked tabletop, it was difficult to discern the precise colour of his trousers, which were certainly dark, but may have been black or a deep shade of charcoal. The only member of the BBC team who deigned to wear a pocket square, its vivid purple and white pattern unbecomingly mirrored the purple and white diagonal stripes of his necktie.

To his right, Rio Ferdinand sought almost to revolutionise menswear, with one idiosyncratic choice after another resulting in a challenging complex of popular fashion. His 4×2 double-breasted, indigo blue suit had a shawl collar and decidedly thin lapels. The suit’s buttons seemed to be mother of pearl, and he partnered it with a bright orange knit tie. A gold tie bar appeared just above the right lapel, just below his BBC-supplied microphone. His white shirt had a cutaway collar; and he wore several bracelets in tones of brown around his left wrist.

Alan Hansen – for his final turn on Match of the Day after twenty-two years as the programme’s chief analyst – took the most conservative route, wearing a black suit, with notch lapels and a rope shoulder with padding. His tie was a paisley of azure blue. Meanwhile Gary Lineker’s slim-fitting suit was of a dark blue pinstripe, with peaked lapels. Its provenance, according to accrued information, is the Savile Row tailoring house Spencer Hart – which advertises itself, via a quotation on its website, as ‘A new strain of British Luxury that is far removed from the old-fashioned backdrop of Savile Row tailors’; and which has been worn by such luminaries of the entertainment world as Benedict Cumberbatch, Robbie Williams, and Sean Combs. Lineker’s shirt had a tab collar, from which protruded a thin white-on-black Macclesfield dot tie.

Thus the BBC managed to dress both more formally, and more appropriately for the occasion, and at the same time more playfully than did their poor relations over on ITV. The degree to which this affected the viewing figures enjoyed by the two channels can only be conjectured. Whatever, an average of 12.09 million viewers watched the BBC’s World Cup final broadcast, while just 2.86 million preferred the fare ITV offered.

A Newcastle United supporter, but always ready to lay aside prejudice in the pursuit of objectivity when it comes to matters of dress, this website maintains that Alan Shearer was the best dressed male on this evening concluding the World Cup. His errors were the most egregious: the matching square and tie, while his trousers for all the uncertainty did look suspiciously and perniciously black. His choice of jacket invokes a longstanding debate over which types of shoulder best suit which human beings. While it may generally be accepted that a sloping shoulder or one devoid of all musculature benefits from some shape and padding, it is sometimes asserted that men who are heavily built in the shoulder also require padding to provide a straighter line and a more graceful appearance. Shearer, however, has the physique to pull off such soft expression: his jacket showed his figure while still hanging elegantly about him. It is for the construction and colour of his blazer – and for the daring to wear one rather than a suit – that he wins this website’s acclaim.

All four men went with the four-in-hand tie knot. Hansen’s version was probably the best – Lineker’s knot with a thin tie was too short and stubby, while Shearer’s and Ferdinand’s were too thick – but he could have done with cinching it more firmly about his collar. His suit fitted him well and it was complemented by his choice of tie, but altogether the outfit was far from inspiring, and it had a touch too much padding. Lineker’s shoulders were a little pointy, but his combination of patterns was accomplished, the peaked lapels a logical choice for the show’s host, and his suit was a good fit. However, while Shearer and Hansen had their jackets unbuttoned while sitting down, Lineker kept his top button done for the majority of the broadcast, which meant that some pulling was unavoidable as he gesticulated over the match.

Ferdinand’s outfit wasn’t appalling, but it evinced a clash of elements which were far from perfect in and of themselves. The relatively high buttoning point of his double-breasted suit, and the fact that he buttoned the top row of buttons, made him seem constrained in the upper body. A thin shawl collar did nothing to help a thick, bright and textured orange tie. There is room for arguing too that his jacket buttons clashed with the orange, and ought to have been more subdued. Numerous wiseacres on Twitter posited that his outfit made him look like a flight attendant; the position that he looked like a flight attendant for a budget airline was gratuitous. Whatever, he surely flew home from Brazil pleased – before signing for Queens Park Rangers –  with his overall performance, having spoken eloquently throughout the tournament and surely consolidated a career path upon his retirement from the pitch. And so there’s nothing really to worry about, aside from being a little run-down.

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Evaluating the World Cup: Groups E-H

France

An indifferent World Cup for France was encapsulated by their 1-0 defeat in the quarter-finals against Germany, in one of the tournament’s most disappointing and uninspiring games. France had started the World Cup in blistering form, scoring eight goals in their opening matches against Honduras and Switzerland. Karim Benzema proved particularly impressive, scoring three of the goals and finding himself an early contender for the Golden Boot. But manager Didier Deschamps vacillated over his place in the starting eleven. Against Honduras he had started as the central striker in France’s 4-3-3, with Mathieu Valbuena and Antoine Griezmann as the wide attackers. Yet despite two goals, for the game against Switzerland he was moved out to the left, with Olivier Giroud brought in to head the attack. Needing only a draw from their final group game against Ecuador to guarantee their qualification for the next round, Benzema was restored as the team’s striker, the midfield was reconfigured, and both Benzema and France were flat as the game finished 0-0.

In the round of sixteen, France laboured against Nigeria with some poor play in the final third, before two late goals secured their passage: the first a header by Paul Pogba from a corner which Vincent Enyeama grossly misjudged, the second an injury-time own goal. Griezmann had replaced Giroud and Benzema was moved forward with half an hour remaining; and this brought a qualitative improvement so that, against Germany, Griezmann started the game while Giroud was on the bench. France, however, fell behind in the thirteenth minute and never looked like getting back into the encounter. Their performance was devoid of energy, urgency, and quality up against a strong German defence.

Perhaps Deschamps rotated too much in the group stage; or perhaps this French side is simply inconsistent, and struggled to raise its game when it most mattered. It was and remains a peculiarly inexperienced squad, the third least-capped in the tournament, with only two players possessing more than fifty caps. While France’s first-choice central midfield trio of Pogba, Yohan Cabaye, and Blaise Matuidi are all talented, they struggle to remain present for ninety minutes of games and currently lack the ability to excel at the very top of the sport.

Switzerland

Possessing one of the youngest squads in the tournament, with a host of capable youngsters competing for places in the attack, Switzerland’s proactive strategy was undone against France, but saw them progress as group runners-up after victories over Ecuador and Honduras. Boasting two of the most attacking full-backs on display in Ricardo Rodriguez and Stephan Lichtsteiner, and the midfield creativity of Granit Xhaka allied to the directness of Xherdan Shaqiri, Switzerland can be an engaging team to watch. Shaqiri scored a hat-trick in their final group match against Honduras, running off Josip Drmic in a more advanced role. Up against Argentina in the round of sixteen, Switzerland reverted to a more cautious style, and limited Argentina’s chances before succumbing to a goal – created by Lionel Messi, scored by Angel di Maria – deep into extra time, with only a minute to go before an otherwise impending penalty shooutout. Having managed Switzerland since 2008, this was Ottmar Hitzfeld’s last tournament before his retirement from coaching. Vladimir Petkovic is his replacement.

Ecuador

Ecuador’s play was focused down the flanks, with Antonio Valencia and Jefferson Montero meant to supply crosses for Felipe Caicedo and the emergent Enner Valencia. Establishing himself in the national side after an excellent season for Pachuca in Mexico, Enner Valencia scored all three of Ecuador’s goals during the group stage, and thus won for himself a move to West Ham, who are believed to have paid around £12 million to bolster their attack. His goals ultimately proved insufficient for Ecuador’s hopes: despite prevailing 2-1 against Honduras and drawing against France, their opening defeat against Switzerland proved decisive and they finished third in their group.

Honduras

Impressive two years ago at the Olympics, when their under-23 side played a fluid passing game before being cruelly beaten in the quarter-finals by Brazil, Honduras took an ageing squad to the World Cup, featuring such veterans as Maynor Figueroa, Victor Bernardez, Wilson Palacios, Oscar Boniek Garcia, and Carlo Costly. They conceded eight goals and scored only once as they departed with three defeats. Their manager, Luis Fernandez Suarez – who managed Ecuador to the last sixteen in 2006 – has subsequently resigned from his post.

Argentina

Much like their counterparts Brazil – and despite possessing a greater wealth of established attacking talent – Argentina were built around one man, in their case Lionel Messi. They began the tournament conservatively, as they played five across the back against Bosnia and left Fernando Gago out of the side. A fixture of Alejandro Sabella’s first eleven throughout qualification, Gago was widely perceived before the tournament began as crucial to this Argentine team. With Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Rodrigo Palacio, and Angel di Maria to choose from for the attacking positions, and utilising a front three which could readily become a front four with Di Maria breaking down the left, Gago was responsible for linking what could otherwise prove a disengaged defence and attack. Without Gago against Bosnia, Argentina struggled, their play improving after he was brought on at half-time. Reverting to a 4-3-3 with a flexible attack, Gago played against Iran and Nigeria; and twice more Argentina eked out narrow wins.

In the round of sixteen against Switzerland, Sabella retained the same setup, but Argentina were less convincing still as they won by virtue of a single goal scored in the last moments of extra time. Sabella changed things for the quarter-final game against Belgium. Gago was replaced in the midfield by Lucas Biglia and Federico Fernandez was replaced at centre-back by Martin Demichelis. The idea was for Biglia to sit alongside Javier Mascherano, and to provide defensive solidity just ahead of two deep central defenders; while in the attack, Messi became playmaker as well as goal threat, dropping into a number ten position to orchestrate Argentina’s attacking play. Argentina were still focused on counter attacking. But with defensive full-backs and Di Maria falling to an early injury, their play became increasingly narrow and reliant upon Messi.

Again they won through, holding on after an early goal scored by Higuain. Then in the semi-final against the Netherlands, both sides cancelled each other out before Argentina prevailed on penalties. Thus Argentina reached the World Cup final without particularly impressing, and without having beaten a team by more than a single goal. Despite bright moments at the beginning of both halves, in the final against Germany they were dominated throughout the midfield, and couldn’t respond after Mario Gotze’s goal in extra time. Aguero, suffering from an injury which had ruled him out beyond the group stage, was brought on after forty-five minutes, but couldn’t offer the width and running which had been provided by Lavezzi. Palacio and Gago came on in the last ten minutes of normal time, with Palacio spurning a chance early in extra time which would have given Argentina the lead.

Argentina took the oldest of all squads to the World Cup, but their key attacking players remain in their mid-twenties and ought to be available come 2018. While they will need to revitalise their midfield and defence, just as pressing is the need to forge a system that doesn’t result in Messi, Higuain and Aguero simply getting in one another’s way, or playing only as individuals in a limited counter-attacking side.

Nigeria

With Emmanuel Emenike consolidated at the head of the Nigerian attack, in their opening game they played in a fairly narrow 4-3-3, failing to break down the Iranian defence as the match finished 0-0. For their second game, against Bosnia, coach Stephen Keshi made some alterations: replacing central midfielder Ramon Azeez with the more offensive Michel Babatunde, and swapping Victor Moses for Peter Odemwingie, who was given license to stretch play down the right and provide an additional goalscoring threat. These changes worked well, with Odemwingie scoring the game’s winning goal. Despite falling to a 2-3 defeat in their final group game against Argentina – with Ahmed Musa scoring both of Nigeria’s goals – Nigeria progressed with four points and went on to meet France in the round of sixteen. Moses replaced Babatunde at the head of the midfield, but Nigera couldn’t capitalise in the attack and – after midfielder Ogenyi Onazi was forced from the game owing to a bad tackle by Blaise Matuidi – suffered two late goals.

Keshi’s position as Nigeria manager remains uncertain, but otherwise Nigeria’s future looks promising. Of the host of young midfielders and attackers already established within the national setup – including Onazi, Babatunde, and Azeez – Ahmed Musa would appear to be one of the best prospects in world football, a regular goalscorer for CSKA Moscow and having already won 41 caps at the age of just twenty-one.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

A disappointing tournament for the Bosnians, who beat Iran comfortably in their final group game, but exited in the group stage thanks to their defeat against Nigeria. Roma’s Miralem Pjanic impressed in the centre of the pitch, and Ferencvaros’s Muhamed Besic – a transfer target for Everton – worked effectively in a more defensive role beside him. However, in the attack they failed to take their chances. Pjanic is twenty-four and Besic twenty-one, but Bosnian captain Emir Spahic and playmaker Zvjezdan Misimovic are in the twilight of their careers; and the side will have expected more from their long-established forwards, Edin Dzeko and Vedad Ibisevic.

Iran

Iran went into their final group match with one point, knowing that a win against Bosnia might see them through to the next round. Well organised by Carlos Queiroz, their hopes were high after securing a draw against Nigeria and holding out until the final seconds versus Argentina. After conceding twice, however, the prospect of a late comeback following Reza Ghoochannejhad’s goal in the eighty-second minute was dashed when, mere moments later, Bosnia scored their third of the game. The game finished 3-1 and the Iranians left the pitch distraught, feeling themselves to have come close to the second round for the first time in the country’s footballing history.

Germany

Rewarded for placing faith in Joachim Low – despite the considerable doubts raised by consecutive near misses across recent tournaments – the future looks prosperous for the new world champions. Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil, Mario Gotze, Andre Schurrle, Toni Kroos, Mats Hummels, and Jerome Boateng are all young; they have Marco Reus to return and Julian Draxler and Max Meyer waiting to establish themselves; and Ilkay Gundogan too, out with a back injury over the last year, who may prove the long term partner for and eventual successor to Bastian Schweinsteiger in the middle of the pitch. Schweinsteiger is still only twenty-nine, and likely to remain part of things through to the next World Cup.

Germany are not without issues. Though they have experimented with a false nine, played Muller at the head of the attack through the opening stages of the tournament, and won it by virtue of a goal scored by Gotze, still they looked a more coherent side once Miroslav Klose was restored in the quarter-final against France. As a traditional striker, lethal in the opposition penalty area, Klose maintains his position and forces opposition centre-backs to defend, allowing his teammates space. To excel without him, Germany will have to make the false nine equally effective, or they will have to turn back to Mario Gomez or to the youngsters Kevin Volland and Pierre-Michel Lasogga.

As Philipp Lahm’s stint in midfield during the tournament showed, Germany also lack quality in the full-back positions. This is a problem thrown into stark relief by Lahm’s shock retirement from international football. Just thirty, a model of fitness and intelligence on the pitch, Lahm could easily have played on through 2018. Without him, Germany will look for improvement from the likes of left-backs Erik Durm and Christian Gunter, and may toy with converting a midfielder to fill in at right-back.

For more on Germany, see: ‘Germany 1-0 Argentina: An Analysis of the 2014 World Cup Final’.

United States

Managed by Jurgen Klinsmann – who was responsible for one of the more contentious selection decisions prior to the World Cup, leaving out the USA’s all-time top goalscorer, Landon Donovan – the USA started strongly with a 2-1 victory over Ghana. After losing Jozy Altidore to injury in that match, they switched from a four to a five man midfield, leaving Clint Dempsey as their lone striker. Conceding an early goal in their second game against Portugal, they equalised and then took the lead thanks to Jermaine Jones and Dempsey, only for Portugal to agonisingly draw level in the fifth minute of injury time. Yet given Portugal’s 4-0 defeat against Germany, the USA could afford to lose marginally against the Germans in their final group game and still go through. And so it was, as they lost 1-0, allowing both sides to progress to the round of sixteen.

There the USA faced Belgium and defended valiantly, until they were undone by fresh legs in extra time. Dempsey, Jones, DaMarcus Beasley, Tim Howard, and Donovan too may have seen their last World Cup action. Michael Bradley and Altidore will remain pivotal to the team. Twenty-one-year-old DeAndre Yedlin impressed with bold and energetic runs from right-back.

Portugal

Thumped in their first match against Germany and fortunate to equalise late against the USA, Portugal were effectively out of the World Cup after their second game. Perpetually without a centre forward of note, their 4-3-3 formation was but a pretence, their attack wholly reliant upon Cristiano Ronaldo who was afforded the freedom of the pitch. Yet Ronaldo was some way off his best, and Portugal too short of ideas elsewhere to compensate. Their squad was the second oldest in the competition, and their exit suggested another generation of talented Portuguese footballers who have failed to reach their potential on the international stage. Looking beyond the collective age of their defence, even Ronaldo will be thirty-three by the time of the next World Cup.

Ghana

Ghana took the youngest squad to Brazil of all the thirty-two competing nations, and they were slightly unfortunate not to progress beyond the group stage. They were the only side throughout the competition not to fall to Germany, pulling ahead of the Germans before drawing their match 2-2; but ironically they fell just short against the USA and Portugal and ended at the bottom of a tough group. Still, with Daniel Opare and Jonathan Mensah in defence, Kwadwo Asamoah and Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu in midfield, and the Ayew brothers and Christian Atsu in the attack, Ghana should be strong over the coming years.

Belgium

So much discussed, so widely tipped, possessing so many players who are established at top club sides throughout Europe, Belgium could hardly be classed as dark horses going into the World Cup. Reaching the quarter-finals before losing to Argentina, they picked up the results expected of them without ever excelling on the pitch. Like Argentina, they failed to win a game by more than a single goal; and they scored late in each of the matches they won. But their squad is still young, and capable of progressing intact through another four-year cycle. Their striking talents may be the envy of the world: Romelu Lukaku, Christian Benteke, and Divock Origi all look capable modern forwards, powerful and mobile and adept at bringing others into play; and they are supported in the wide positions by Eden Hazard, Kevin Mirallas, Nacer Chadli, and Adnan Januzaj. Kevin de Bruyne showed his ability playing as a number ten; but Belgium perhaps lack a deeper midfielder with a range of passing and composure on the ball. Aside from a player who can connect defence and attack and bring some control to their play, Belgium also struggle for options in both full-back positions.

Algeria

The highest ranked African side at the beginning of the World Cup, Algeria progressed to the round of sixteen with a 4-2 victory over South Korea and a 1-1 draw against Russia. Centre-back Rafik Halliche and star attacking midfielder Sofiane Feghouli were the only constants as manager Vahid Halilhodzic proved more than willing to change his line-up and alter his team’s style of play; but Algeria were most effective and most exciting to watch pressing through the midfield and playing balls in behind the opposition defence for Islam Slimani to attack. In the round of sixteen, their pressing and relentless pace on the counter caused Germany’s high defensive line problems, mitigated by Manuel Neuer sweeping up beyond the confines of his penalty box. They eventually lost the game, but only 2-1 after taking the eventual champions to extra time.

Though Halilhodzic has left Algeria to return to manage Trabzonspor – with Christian Gourcuff his replacement – Algeria possess a core of players in Halliche, Feghouli, Yacine Brahimi, Nabil Bentaleb, Saphir Taider, Slimani, and El Arbi Soudani who ought to be able to maintain the high standards they set in Brazil.

Russia

Russia are not as strong today as they were several years ago: though they failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2010, the squad which reached the semi-finals of Euro 2008 saw genuine competition up front, the magnificent talent of Andrey Arshavin playing behind whichever striker was picked to start, a strong midfield comprised of Konstantin Zyryanov, Sergei Semak, and Igor Semshov, and Yuri Zhirkov and Aleksandr Anyukov full of running at left and right full-back. Russia’s captain and key midfielder this time round, Roman Shirokov, was forced to withdraw from the squad prior to the start of competition with a knee injury. So Russia didn’t go into the World Cup full of confidence, but they still managed to disappoint with three lacklustre, overly conservative performances, which saw them manage only two goals and two draws. Perhaps most frustrating was manager Fabio Capello’s reluctance to use Alan Dzagoev, Russia’s most creative midfielder, as anything more than a late option off the bench. Capello blamed a lazer pen directed towards the eyes of goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev for his side’s elimination; but it was Capello’s own performance that was met with derision among the Russian media, politicians, and populace at large.

South Korea

Tidy through the midfield and looking to bring Son Heung-Min into play from the left side of the attack, South Korea struggled at both ends of the pitch, managing only a draw against Russia. They thereby compounded a poor showing at this World Cup from the Asian Football Confederation, whose sides – South Korea, Japan, Iran, and Australia – failed to win a single game.

South Korea are short of a goalscorer. Two of the strangest transfers in European football over recent years have seen Park Chu-Young sign for Arsenal and Ji Dong-Won sign this summer for Borussia Dortmund. Neither player produced the performances at their previous clubs which would seem to compel such moves; after signing in the summer of 2011, Park managed only one league appearance for Arsenal in three seasons before being released, and it will be interesting to view Ji’s progress over the coming season at Dortmund. Still, South Korea have a young squad, with a balance of players between the Asian, the German, and the English leagues, and they will look to build on their strategy for next time.

What’s Wrong with Brazil? Evaluating the World Cup: Groups A-D

This first set of evaluations of the teams who competed at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil comprises the participants of groups A-D, listed in the order in which they finished the group stage. I explore how the teams’ tournaments progressed, and suggest the course of their futures. And in this first piece, I analyse at length the range of problems within Brazil’s squad, which implicates a crucial flaw in the country’s footballing philosophy over the last twenty years. This is a period which has, admittedly, seen Brazil lift two World Cups and reach one further final. Yet it has also witnessed a marked deterioration in Brazil’s style of play, and has resulted at this juncture in weakness on the pitch.

Brazil

Many of the analyses of Brazil’s semi-final defeat against Germany have been wildly or gravely portentous rather than reflective: they have focused on the potential ramifications of the defeat for Brazilian football, taking its apparently sorry state as a given rather than attempting to identify its precise nature and causes. Talk of ‘Maracanazo II’, the ‘Ghosts’ of Maracanazo returning, and of a fate worse than that defeat on home soil in what was effectively the final of the 1950 World Cup, seems both simplified and sensationalist. While reminiscence of the surprise 2-1 loss to Uruguay undoubtedly added to the weight of pressure which this Brazil side evidently struggled against, the Maracanazo cannot sensibly be said to have tormented the Brazilian mind and the Brazilian game for sixty-four years.

After making the quarter-final stage at the next World Cup in Switzerland, Brazil went on to win three of the next four tournaments, in Sweden in 1958, Chile in 1962, and Mexico in 1970. Against Uruguay – the bogeymen of the tale as much as the Maracana stadium or the concept of home defeat – they maintained a strong record, unfettered, for instance, as they beat their rivals 3-1 in Guadalajara in the semi-finals of Mexico 1970. Among the Brazilian people, following the 7-1 loss against Germany last Tuesday, despite the obvious disappointment in the stands, defeat seemed to be taken with dignity and grace. There was little of the tension in the streets which had been posited as an outcome of Brazil’s elimination, no violent outpouring despite the extent of anger felt and expressed in the build up to the tournament.

Looking at Brazil’s success in 1970 in Mexico, however, as much as Brazil’s attackers – Pele, Rivelino, Jairzinho, Tostao – and their goalscoring full-back, Carlos Alberto, remain emblems of the beautiful game, just as praised and equally as important to the side’s success were their two central midielders, Clodoaldo and Gerson. And looking back to their first World Cup triumph in 1958 and to Didi, and to their 1982 side – fondly remembered as one of the best ever despite falling to eventual winners Italy – and to Socrates and Zico, the great Brazilian sides of the past have been defined by their central midfield players as much as by their forwards and strikers.

Even in the attack at this moment in time, Brazil look relatively weak, with Fred a poor target man, supporting players like Hulk and Jo decidedly limited, and Alexandre Pato a spent force at just twenty-four years old. Yet with Bernard and Oscar, and most of all with Neymar, there is room for optimism regarding the future. The central defence will perhaps not be of the utmost concern given the range of players established and emerging in the position; but at full-back, with Dani Alves and Maicon towards the end of their careers, Brazil urgently require new talent. For a position which has been so important to Brazilian football – and which was so well served for a decade and a half by Roberto Carlos and Cafu – Marcelo is a capable attacker, but too often crude and reckless defensively, while Rafael, Fabio, and Danilo have stagnated at club level and are struggling for an international opportunity.

Most of all though, Brazil lack accomplished central midfielders. In fact, it is arguable that they have lacked a playmaker for the position – someone with a range of passing and the intelligence to dictate the play – since the 80s. Italia 90 all the way through until the World Cup final at France 98 was the Dunga era: a supremely effective defensive midfielder, his short passing and sitting in front of the defence came to symbolise what many thought of as a functional but dull Brazil. Brazil’s World Cup triumph at USA 94 vindicated the approach, as it was Brazil’s first World Cup win – and first final appearance – in twenty-four years. Yet that side received much criticism for its pragmatic and unadventurous approach, Dunga sitting alongside the hardworking Mauro Silva, the team heavily reliant on their two star forwards, Romario and Bebeto. By 1998, Brazil had more exciting wide players to call on in Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Leonardo, and Rivaldo; Ronaldo now starred alongside Bebeto up front; but with such talent to break forward from the wide positions, and with Ronaldo able to score goals out of nothing, even less emphasis was placed on the ball-playing capacity of the centre of midfield.

Four of these superstars remained and excelled during Brazil’s success in South Korea and Japan in 2002. Ronaldo and Rivaldo now had Ronaldinho playing behind them, and Cafu and Robert Carlos were given advanced wing-back roles. Yet the centre of midfield featured Gilberto Silva and Kleberson. In fact, Gilberto Silva was always a capable box-to-box player, a lack of pace masking workrate and good positional sense in the attack as well as the defence. For Arsenal, he chipped in with the occasional goal; but for Brazil he was asked to cover for other players, offering running and a limited passing game. Across the early 2000s until the unsuccessful World Cup campaign of 2006, he was joined by Emerson – perhaps Brazil’s most accomplished midfielder of the period, and the most successful for his clubs, but deep-lying for the international team, and often injured at key moments – and by Ze Roberto, Juninho Paulista, and Juninho Pernambucano.

Ze Roberto and Juninho Paulista offered genuine dribbling ability. Juninho Paulista, the most attacking of all these players, had started the World Cup in 2002 as part of the first eleven, but was dropped in favour of Kleberson at the quarter-final stage. Ze Roberto played alongside Emerson in 2006, but he was more of a wide player at heart, and played in a supporting role behind Kaka, Ronaldinho, Adriano, and Ronaldo. By 2010, Felipe Melo was occupying one of the midfield berths, a retrenchment that proved costly as he was sent off against the Netherlands in a quarter-final defeat.

So the cautious and overtly physical approach taken by Luiz Felipe Scolari this time round was far from new, but exacerbated by the lack of talent elsewhere on the pitch. Luiz Gustavo sat and made a nuisance of himself just in front of the Brazilian defenders; and Paulinho or Fernandinho were essentially asked to cover the expanse of ground that lay between defence and attack. It did not work. Yet while Brazil are short of players in other key positions, any return towards an ethos which would see them attempt to develop play through the centre of the pitch seems unlikely given their dearth of midfield options. Luiz Gustavo and Lucas Leiva may be more defensive, but they and Paulinho, Fernandinho, and Ramires offer much the same in their lack of flair and composure on the ball, being primarily runners, all prone to cynical challenges. Hernanes was once the bright hope for the Brazilian midfield, but he is now twenty-nine, has never established himself for Brazil, and lacks pace. There are no obvious prospects on the horizon, with Lucas Moura of Paris Saint-Germain in the mould of Brazil’s other young attacking players.

Mexico

After advancing from the group stage unbeaten and with seven points, Mexico were two minutes from progressing against the Netherlands in the round of sixteen – before succumbing to a late Wesley Sneijder strike and to Klaas-Jan Huntelaar’s disputed penalty. Their standout player, the goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, remains without a club; but what marked Mexico above all was their cohesion, emboldened by Miguel Herrara from the sidelines, his 5-3-2 defensively solid and quick and incisive on the attack. While their defensive mainstays – Marquez, Rodriguez, and Salcido – will have played their last World Cup, they can continue to call on their mobile attackers, Andres Guardado, Hector Herrera, and Giovani dos Santos. Javier Hernandez’s goalscoring record remains impressive, but his all-round game is proving insufficient to entice both his international and his club managers.

Croatia

Possessing two of the best central midfield players in the competition in Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic – who will line up next year for Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively – Croatia seemed to lose heart after their controversial defeat in the tournament’s opening game against Brazil. Despite thrashing Cameroon, they succumbed meekly to Mexico to finish third in their group. The likes of Modric, Mario Mandzukic, Nikica Jelavic and Vedran Corluka should be about for one more World Cup, but this squad will perhaps peak at the next European Championship in two years’ time – when they will hope to gain from the youth of Sime Vrsaljko, Ante Rebic, Mateo Kovacic, and Alen Halilovic.

Cameroon

Coming away from the group stages with the worst goal difference of all sides in the competition, Cameroon’s World Cup was disastrous. Their preparations marked by a row over bonuses, the squad was further blighted upon departure by allegations of match fixing. Cameroon should possess a strong spine with Nicolas N’Koulou, Aurelien Chedjou, Alex Song and Joel Matip, and they have some capable forwards. But they sorely lack direction and a figurehead on the pitch, as Samuel Eto’o’s international career winds down amid infighting and acrimony.

Netherlands

With the perspective in the country that their side would struggle to advance beyond the group stage, the Netherlands’ progress to the semi-finals – and to a third-place finish after beating Brazil – must be considered a success. It is a tribute to Louis van Gaal’s ability to mould and unite a team; while on the pitch, Arjen Robben proved himself one of the world’s best players. But the Dutch – such a force at international level since finishing World Cup runners-up in 1974 – may have to be thankful for what they’ve witnessed rather than looking forward with renewed hope.

There is the sense that they are not producing players like they used to. While Ajax come foremost in the world’s perceptions about the Dutch game, and continue to be viewed as providing a sort of finishing school for rounded young footballers, they and Feyenoord are equally responsible for providing today’s new Dutch talent. The young midfielders and defenders Memphis Depay, Georginio Wijnaldum, Kevin Strootman, Jordy Clasie, Daley Blind, Bruno Martins Indi, and Stefan de Vrij are all capable. But the Dutch appear to lack an outstanding prospect in the attack, with Robben and Robin van Persie to be thirty-four by 2018. This is after two decades which have seen Patrick Kluivert, Dennis Bergkamp, Marc Overmars and Clarence Seedorf, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Robben and Van Persie alongside Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart, all establish themselves early on the world stage. Along with Depay, Jean-Paul Boetius, Tonny Vilhena, Marco van Ginkel, and Adam Maher are attacking-minded midfielders with some promise. Up front, the prospects are rawer still: Luc Castaignos, with Twente after an unsuccessful stint at Inter Milan; Jurgen Locadia at PSV; and the seventeen-year-old Richairo Zivkovic, who has recently moved to Ajax. The Netherlands will need some of these players to secure big moves and start prospering before the next World Cup.

Van Gaal, of course, is away to Manchester United. Guus Hiddink is his immediate replacement. However, in a move slightly bemusing for its apparent logic, Hiddink will remain the manager of the Netherlands only until the end of Euro 2016. After that tournament, Daley Blind – currently an assistant to Hiddink – will take over, provisionally until the end of the 2018 World Cup.

Chile

Edged by Brazil on penalties in the round of sixteen, Chile were – like Mexico and Colombia – one of the tournament’s most engaging teams. Perhaps the most flexible side in the tournament tactically, they were capable of adapting their formation at will. Through the energetic wing-backs Mauricio Isla and Eugenio Mena, a resolute 5-3-2 when defending readily became a lively 3-5-2 on the attack. Remarkably, of their seven most defensive players – once Isla and Mena dropped, and with Marcelo Diaz and Charles Aranguiz ahead of the back three – not one stands taller than 5 feet and 10 inches, or 1.78 metres.

Mobile throughout the midfield, the 3-5-2 even turned into a 3-4-3 as Jorge Valdivia, Arturo Vidal, or Felix Gutierrez advanced through the centre to play just behind the two forwards. Alexis Sanchez ran off Eduardo Vargas, and Chile pressed relentlessly up the pitch. Chile sometimes struggle to score the goals their football would seem to deserve, but with many of their players only in their mid-twenties, and a committed coach in Jorge Sampaoli, they will remain an enticing side to watch.

Spain

As the reigning world and consecutive European champions fell appallingly from grace – losing their first two games, against the Netherlands and Chile, 1-5 and 0-2 – manager Vicente del Bosque was heavily criticised in some quarters, with it even suggested that he had failed to add a scrap to the successful side he inherited after 2008. While a side can hardly remain at the pinnacle of the sport over such a period without astute management, still Del Bosque erred significantly this time round. The move to a more direct style, with Diego Costa up front, proved ineffective and did not play to the strengths of the rest of the squad. The strained reluctance to field Cesc Fabregas and David Villa was bizarre.

Though the demise of tiki-taka has been widely bemoaned and – more commonly – celebrated, Spain’s failure in Brazil reflects less the obsolescence of the style of play, more how other teams have adapted to combat it and how difficult it is to pull off with ageing players, who are less able to press. Spain have enough emerging talent to rebuild however they see fit. They may stick with Costa as a target man, and utilise the flanks with players including Pedro, Gerard Deulofeu, and Iker Muniain; or with Isco, Thiago, Koke, and Javi Martinez, they have a new generation capable of revitalising a possession-based approach.

Australia

The lowest-ranked team going into the tournament, at first glance Australia were typically plucky in defeat. Yet – aside from the game against the Netherlands, in which they briefly led 2-1, and which saw Tim Cahill’s magnificent left-footed volley – they were well beaten by Chile and Spain. As Tim Cahill and Mark Bresciano – both thirty-four – depart the international arena, Australia’s squad shows some promising young players, but a severe lack of experience at the top level of club football.

Colombia

Managed by Jose Pekerman, Colombia were one of the standout sides of the World Cup. Full of goals in the group stages and comfortably dispatching Uruguay in the round of sixteen, they overcame the absence of their star striker, Radamel Falcao, and in James Rodriguez had arguably the tournament’s best player, and one who drew neutrals to the side. In front of a solid back six, with two holding midfielders sitting in front of the four in defence, Cuadrado impressed while Rodriguez – playing out wide and as a support striker, but mostly as a number ten – scored goal after goal, finishing the tournament with six goals and the Golden Boot. Alas, like Chile, Colombia fell to a marginal defeat at the hands of Brazil after a scrappy physical contest.

A €45 million signing for Monaco from Porto just one year ago, the twenty-three-year-old James is now in the process of completing a move to Real Madrid for double that amount. He will presumably play as a number ten behind a forward line which could comprise Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Gareth Bale. Still owning Angel di Maria, Isco, and Jese, and having signed Toni Kroos for a midfield which already contains Luka Modric, Xabi Alonso, Sami Khedira, and Asier Illarramendi, Madrid possess a moderately sized squad but with a baffling hoard of talent in midfield and attack. Angel di Maria will presumably follow Alvaro Morata out the door; but it still seems absurd the way in which a tiny handful of clubs have consolidated so many – in fact, now essentially all – of the world’s top players. This is not good for the game as a whole, and it results in inevitable wastage as great players are misused or struggle for adequate playing time.

Greece

Synonymous with negative, obstructionist football ever since their European Championship success in 2004, Greece lived up to their reputation. They ground their way through the group stage, snatching their only victory in the final seconds of their final group game against Ivory Coast; before succumbing on penalties to Costa Rica in the round of sixteen. This was the last stand for the two remaining heroes of 2004, Giorgos Karagounis and Kostas Katsouranis; but also for longstanding forward Theofanis Gekas, Greece’s third top-scorer of all time, who alas missed the decisive penalty against Costa Rica.

Ivory Coast

Moments from progressing from the group stages against Greece, Ivory Coast will see the fading of a generation of players over the next four years. Didier Drogba, Didier Zokora, and Kolo Toure all have over a hundred caps for the nation, and all are well into their thirties. With Yaya Toure looking tired, Drogba remained the talisman of this side, called upon for their decisive match despite Wilfried Bony’s two goals in the previous two games. Bony and Gervinho will continue to provide Ivory Coast with a dangerous attack; they have Seydou Doumbia and Lacina Traore, both on standby this time round, to come into the squad; while a youthful group of defenders and midfielders have begun gaining international experience.

Japan

A disappointing tournament for Japan, who may have expected more enjoyment from a talented group of players, many of whom ought to be playing at the peak of their careers. Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa, Shinji Okazaki, and captain Makoto Hasebe are all good footballers, and Japan boasted a vastly experienced defence. But they managed only two goals, failing to score against Greece, and being roundly beaten by Colombia.

Costa Rica

One of the surprise packages of the tournament, Costa Rica reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time. Built around a conservative five man defence, with Celso Borges and Yeltsin Tejeda ahead of the centre-backs, and with Bryan Ruiz and Christian Bolanos running from wide to support Joel Campbell, Costa Rica proved hard to break down and sharp on the break. They deservedly beat Uruguay and Italy to progress from what appeared a difficult group, before beating Greece on penalties, and falling to the Netherlands after more of the same.

The absence of centre-back Oscar Duarte against the Netherlands – owing to a red card accrued against Greece – ought to have been a blow, yet Costa Rica’s defence remained relatively untroubled. However, after playing for an hour with ten men in the previous match, their forwards were evidently worn out. With a good mixture of youth and experience throughout the squad, Costa Rica can look towards building on their overall performance.

Uruguay

Uruguay’s is an ageing and an experienced squad: it was the third oldest and the second most-capped going into the World Cup. Persisting with experience – restricting Gaston Ramirez and Abel Hernandez, who could have added some dribbling ability and pace, to brief cameos from the bench – Uruguay were set up to be defensively solid and to rely on Luis Suarez in the attack. Without him, as they were against Costa Rica in their opening game, and against Colombia – after Suarez’s bite – in the round of sixteen, both Edinson Cavani and the Uruguay attack appeared equally flat. Suarez’s behaviour, while harder to understand and provoking a more visceral response, was ultimately no more grievous than many other things which occur and are perpetrated on the football pitch. Uruguay’s bigger concern will be the extent of the rebuilding they face when the current generation of players retire. Many of this squad – which already looks a little tired – may hang on for one last World Cup.

Italy

Cesare Prandelli, upon taking the Italy job in 2010, had to oversee a process of renewal. Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluca Zambrotta, and Gennaro Gattuso all retired after the 2010 World Cup; and the spectres of Alessandro del Piero and Francesco Totti continued to dwell, with recalls for both players never dismissed as Italy struggled for creativity in the attacking third. Though they reached the final of Euro 2012, Italy came into this World Cup lacking identity. In every match of the group stage, their formation changed. Against England, they played with something approaching a diamond 4-4-2, with Antonio Candreva playing off Mario Balotelli. Despite that side’s 2-1 success, in the next game against Costa Rica, they moved towards a purer 4-3-3, with Candreva wide on the right and Claudio Marchisio wide on the left, between the midfield and Balotelli at the head of the attack. Then in their decisive match against Uruguay, they switched to a back three, with wing-backs and Ciro Immobile playing off Balotelli.

The only constants were Andrea Barzagli as one of the centre-backs, Balotelli as the focal point of the attack, and Andrea Pirlo in the centre of midfield. Even Pirlo’s position changed subtly, as he was pushed slightly wide or forward from his usual deep-lying role, playing alongside two or three from Daniele De Rossi, Marco Verratti, Marchisio, and Thiago Motta. As much as his off-the-field antics amuse or antagonise, Balotelli is often brighter away from the pitch than he is on it: always capable of a match-winning performance, when he isn’t switched on, he offers his side nothing. Not only his goalscoring touch, but the basics of movement and the strength to hold the ball disappear.

After the surprise loss versus Costa Rica, Italy needed something against Uruguay, but fell to a contentious late defeat – having been reduced to ten men, and conceding moments after Luis Suarez’s bite on Giorgio Chiellini went unpunished. Thus Italy were eliminated at the group stage for the second World Cup in a row. Prandelli immediately tendered his resignation, and Italy are now looking for a new manager. Pirlo, at least, has said that he will remain available for selection.

England

England managed to fall short of diminished expectations, failing to win a game in Brazil despite some promising moments in the attack against Italy. They look slight in the centre of defence with no outstanding talents emerging to improve the situation; Joe Hart should feel challenged as England’s number one; Wayne Rooney’s precise function in the side remains unclear; but most pressing of all is the need to reconfigure the midfield, a weakness for over a decade. Steven Gerrard ought to be eased out of the international picture, but England lack options with only Jack Wilshere and Jordan Henderson naturals for a central midfield role.

For more on England at the World Cup, see ‘A Recapitulation of England’s Failings at the World Cup’.

Germany 1 – 0 Argentina: An Analysis of the 2014 World Cup Final

So the 2014 World Cup final took place in Rio’s Estádio Maracanã, Sunday 13 July, kicking off at 4 pm local time. Germany lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. With Manuel Neuer in goal, the back four comprised Benedikt Howedes at left-back, Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng in the centre of defence, and Philipp Lahm at right-back, expected to fulfil a wider and more adventurous full-back role. Bastian Schweinsteiger sat in the centre of the midfield behind Toni Kroos and Christoph Kramer – making only his fifth appearance for the national side, and his first competitive start, a last-minute replacement for Sami Khedira, so impressive against Brazil, but succumbing to a calf injury in the warm-up. In the attack, Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller played on the left and the right respectively behind Miroslav Klose.

Argentina utilised something between a 4-2-2-2 and a 4-3-3. With Sergio Romero in goal, and a back four of Marcos Rojo, Ezequiel Garay, Martin Demichelis, and Pablo Zabaleta, Lucas Biglia and Javier Mascherano occupied the two central midfield positions, sitting relatively deep to protect the defence. Ahead of them were Ezequiel Lavezzi and Enzo Perez; with Lionel Messi roaming behind Gonzalo Higuain in the attack. Provisionally, Lavezzi and Perez played as wide attacking midfielders, with Lavezzi starting on the left and Perez on the right, but intending to interchange through the course of the game.

As the first half progressed, both teams found the most joy down the flanks, but especially down their respective right sides. The Argentinians had a strong opening twenty minutes: after four minutes, a pass by Lavezzi down the right found Higuain, whose shot from the right of the six-yard box went across the goalmouth ; and at eight minutes, Lionel Messi burst into the right of the penalty area past Hummels, but couldn’t find anybody with his attempted pull-back. In the twentieth minute, one of the chances of the game was gifted as Kroos carelessly headed the ball beyond his own centre-backs, into the path of Higuain, who found himself through on goal. Higuan snatched at the shot, however, and struck wide from the edge of the area when he should have scored. At the same time, Lahm and Muller were connecting down Germany’s right to build attacks, and to provide crosses into the box. While the tempo of the game remained high throughout the half, with both sides pressing and harrying effectively, the pattern of the game emerged, which saw Germany retaining possession in the midfield and Argentina hoping to break incisively.

Argentina’s 4-2-2-2 was frequently becoming a 4-3-3 on the attack, as Lavezzi moved over to the right and made good use of his pace against Howedes and Hummels, with Messi drifting over to accompany him, and Perez filling in to bolster the left of the Argentine midfield. After just seventeen minutes, Kramer had suffered a nasty blow when, running for the ball, he found himself suddenly sandwiched between two defenders, and his head rebounded violently off Garay’s shoulder. After a pause in play, he continued on, but was forced to retire fifteen minutes later, still visibly dazed and being helped from the pitch. His substitution came as Argentina had a goal disallowed for offside, Higuain several yards ahead of the last German defender when Lavezzi crossed the ball for him to finish. With Khedira and now Kramer injured, and Lahm playing at full-back, Germany found themselves without an obvious midfield replacement, and brought on Andre Schurrle, an attacker. Schurrle moved to the left of the attack, with Ozil moving into the centre of the pitch.

The 4-2-3-1 which has characterised Joachim Low’s long tenure as Germany manager was replaced at the start of this World Cup with a 4-3-3. Muller played as the formation’s nominal front-man, with Ozil and Mario Gotze behind, and with Schweinsteiger and Kroos in the midfield ahead of Lahm, converted from his accustomed full-back position as he was last season under Pep Guardiola for Bayern Munich. With Lahm in the midfield, Per Mertesacker came in at centre-back, and Germany played with four natural centre-backs across the defence. This was the template until the quarter-final against France.

After the tense victory in extra time against Algeria in the previous round, against France Klose was restored to the team at Gotze’s expense, and Lahm was reestablished at right-back. Khedira took his place in the midfield. Schweinsteiger again proved himself adept at midfield defensive work, covering ground and intercepting effectively; Lahm as a natural full-back offered more to Germany there than he could muster in the centre of the field, providing much needed pace, width, and attacking intent down the right flank; and despite his lack of ability outside the box, Klose proved Germany’s best option leading the line, his prowess in the penalty area encouraging the opposition to defend deep, allowing Germany’s attacking midfielders the space in which to play.

Yet the formation against France and for the triumph over Brazil had remained a 4-3-3, with Kroos and Khedira just ahead of Schweinsteiger, and Ozil and Muller either side of Klose: despite his goalscoring ability and his frequent forward runs, Kroos would never linger behind the striker, always retreating to make a compact midfield. Now against Argentina, with Schurrle on and Ozil central, Germany’s formation moved back towards a 4-2-3-1. A unique sort of number ten in that he favours short runs and passes and intelligent movement off the ball rather than prolonged possession and attempted through-passes and shots on goal, Ozil is still a natural for the position, and Low allowed him to play there rather than asking him – or another attacker – to drop deeper to retain the shape of the 4-3-3. Kroos was inevitably required to drop a little as part of the midfield two, playing more resolutely alongside Schweinsteiger.

The interchange between Ozil and Muller has been a key facet of Germany’s game, and a highlight of international football, over the last four years. With Schurrle hugging the left touchline, Ozil frequently moved between the centre and the right of the pitch, receiving passes from Lahm and becoming one of the game’s key players. Nobody on the German side was moving with as much fluidity between the narrow lines of the Argentinian’s tight defence. This encouraged Muller also to wander on occasion, and the first of a flurry of chances before half-time came when he cut the ball back to Schurrle down Germany’s left, only for Schurrle to fire the ball straight at Romero in goal. A moment later, Messi again found space down Argentina’s right, and managed to flick the ball over Neuer, only for Boateng to scramble it clear. Then Ozil beat a couple of defenders and laid the ball off to Kroos on the edge of the Argentine area – but Kroos’s shot was tame, and trickled towards Romero’s outstretched gloves. The final chance of the half – and the closest either side had come to scoring so far – came as Howedes headed against the woodwork from a corner taken by Kroos. While Howedes’ leap was impressive, winning a free header just yards from goal meant that he should have scored.

Within seconds of the second-half commencing, Messi struck from the left of the penalty area agonisingly wide of Neuer’s far post. Argentina looked bright, but the half soon settled into a slower, slightly scrappier affair. The Argentine forwards – now playing solely on the counter, and with Sergio Aguero replacing Lavezzi after the break, entrenching a 4-3-3 but a narrower version, with Messi just behind Aguero and Higuain – began to make more runs across and at the heart of the German defence. Germany were dominating possession and probing, but still going wide in an attempt to carve chances. Since coming on, Schurrle had provided much workrate down the left, but he was rarely venturing to go past Zabaleta and reach the byline. Mascherano and Biglia provided Argentina with a strong spine ahead of Demichelis and Garay, and Boateng routinely cleaned up at the back for Germany, while Schweinsteiger tracked back to make several timely interceptions.

A ball played over the top towards the right of the German penalty area in the fifty-fifth minute encouraged Neuer to race from his goal and to punch the ball clear; but in jumping to do so, he clattered into Higuain, with the foul absurdly given against the attacker. After a foul by Schweinsteiger and a high challenge by Howedes in the first half had brought the game’s first bookings, now two fouls in quick succession saw yellow cards for Aguero and Mascherano.

Messi, who to this point had been the game’s most dangerous player, began dropping deeper to search for the ball. Rodrigo Palacio replaced Higuain in the Argentine attack. Two pieces of clever play by Germany brought abject conclusions, with Howedes fumbling from an advanced position in the Argentine area, and with Kroos again spurning an excellent shooting opportunity after a good ball from Ozil. With five minutes of normal time left, Argentina made their final change of the match, as Fernando Gago replaced Perez. Germany responded by substituting Klose – presumably drawing to an end his World-Cup defining international career – for Gotze.

With no clear opportunities presenting themselves in the final minutes, the game moved on into extra time, and immediately became more open. Schurrle forced another save from Romero. After several forays down the left, a lofted diagonal ball from that side evaded Hummels and put Palacios in on goal, but as Neuer raced out, Palacios lifted wide. Mascherano was fortunate to escape a second yellow card for fouls on Schweinsteiger either side of the half-time break; then Aguero should certainly have gone for catching Schweinsteiger – whose command on the game was only growing – with a fist to the cheekbone, which caused a cut and plenty of blood.

As he returned to the pitch and the players entered the final ten minutes of extra time – as penalties looked increasingly likely – Germany scored. Whether Muller or Gotze, the false-nine experiment has thus far brought meagre returns for Germany, failing to extend their play; but it was unsurprising that Gotze’s fresh legs ultimately proved the difference. Crosses having been delivered from the right for so much of the game, the goal came thanks to a delivery from the left, as Schurrle crossed to Gotze who, to the left of the six-yard box, showed exceptional ability and composure, controlling with his chest before volleying with his left foot over Romero and into the back of the net. Argentina fought to find a way back into the game. Messi headed onto the roof of the net from the edge of the area; and after Mertesacker replaced Ozil, Messi struck a final free-kick from too far out decidedly over the bar. The referee played on beyond the allocated injury time, but Germany held firm, and thus became World Champions.

Lamenting Messi’s role in Argentina’s defeat is sensationalist, if perhaps reflecting the extent to which individualism rules in today’s game. Argentina’s top scorer and the joint-third top scorer in the tournament with four goals, scoring decisively in every match of the group stage and creating the winning goals in the knockouts versus Belgium and Switzerland, even on the night Messi was one of Argentina’s best players. Undeniably fading towards the end of ninety minutes, and offering little aside from his late, desperate attempts in extra time, still Messi came closest to scoring with his run towards the end of the first half and his shot in the opening moments of the second. In the first half in particular, with Hummels bizarrely challenging him for pace rather than attempting to hold him up, Messi ran past Hummels time and time again without receiving adequate support. Built effectively around a compact defence, Argentina lacked fluency in the attack throughout the World Cup, and in the final it was Higuain and Palacios’s squandered chances which proved costly.

Germany’s standout players across the course of competition have been numerous. Hummels had appeared the tournament’s preeminent ball-playing centre-back, and scored two goals from headers against Portugal and France, before struggling defensively in the final. Kroos too had been regarded one of the World Cup’s standout players, especially after scoring twice against Brazil, before a tentative showing yesterday. In their stead, Boateng made crucial use of his strength and athleticism in the German defence, and Schweinsteiger dictated the game in the middle of the pitch while remaining so astute and committed defensively. He and Ozil were the standouts for Germany in the final.

Meanwhile Muller comes away from the tournament with another five World Cup goals, and Klose scored his sixteenth in total to break Ronaldo’s World Cup goalscoring record. Neuer has brought new acclaim to and a new perspective on the role of goalkeeper with his aggressive and modern sweeping behind the defence. Philipp Lahm scarcely put a foot out of place. Yet Gotze’s magnificent goal encapsulates as well as anything Germany’s World Cup, which has been brilliant at least as much as it has been, at times, workmanlike. After coming so close but falling short at each tournament since 2006, their triumph vindicates Low’s management; and with a winning mentality, the youth of their attackers, and players including Marco Reus and Julian Draxler to come into the side, this may be seen as the beginning rather than the end of an exciting process.

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Lavender and Yoghurt Scones after Rachel Khoo

It was Sunday, already afternoon, and my partner was still asleep having earlier that morning driven her mother and brother from York to London Stansted. Earlier this year, Ryanair began flying twice weekly between Stansted and Skellefteå airport in the north of Sweden. My partner’s brother lives in that city; while her mother lives in nearby Umeå, the capital of Västerbotten, and where my partner and I spent three and a half years. Quite remarkably – given that, although perfectly pleasant, it is an admittedly small city; and that Umeå, less than a couple of hours’ drive away, has a more overtly international character, with its university, culture houses, jazz festival, and Bildmuseet – Skellefteå’s airport appears to be winning a significant degree of success positioning itself as the gateway to Sweden’s north.

Where air traffic services across airports in Sweden were previously controlled by the state-owned operator LFV, in 2010, following a new Civil Aviation Act, the market was rent asunder. LFV relinquished control of Skellefteå airport, and its air traffic was taken over by the private contractor Aviation Capacity Resources. Under this new operator, the airport seems to be succeeding in building surprising partnerships: the route to and from Stansted is the second international offering at the airport from Ryanair, which opened last year a pathway between Skellefteå and Girona-Barcelona.

But as planes came and went from Skellefteå and from other airports comprising the known world, my partner remained in the unknown, sound asleep, and I determined to make some scones which I had seen a day or two before via the Instagram feed of Rachel Khoo. I knew that the scones were of lavender, which I possessed; and I returned to their image and found their recipe via the website of the London Evening Standard.

At which I fell upon a difficulty. I was in a quandary; I was without some of the ingredients which Khoo’s recipe asked of me; I had neither low-fat yoghurt, nor the raspberries recommended for these ‘lavender, yoghurt and raspberry’ scones; and more I lacked the required means of access by which to make surreptitious egress from and thence return to my property. In short, I was not inclined to go outside, desiring neither to get dressed nor to talk to any people. I knew that the culinary lavender in my cupboard was of a high grade; and I had plenty of butter and flour; and I felt that this would prove enough.

And then to my delight I found in the back of the fridge: a raspberry yoghurt! True, it contained scanty or no raspberry pieces, and was just short of the 130 ml the recipe pleaded, but not wanting to look such a serendipitous gift horse in its gaping mouth, I determined to use this yoghurt regardless, to which I added a small quantity of milk. I made the scones and they turned out just fine, so fresh and fine, just off divine.

Ingredients

Rachel Khoo‘s delicious recipe reads:

• 40g caster sugar
• 1 tsp dried culinary lavender
• 130 ml low-fat yoghurt
• 250g self-raising flour
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 heaped tsp baking powder
• 50g cold salted butter, cut into small cubes
• 75g raspberries
• 1 egg

This is to make approximately six scones. My recipe reads differently, and I cannot fairly claim that it produces better results. And yet what is any action, what is any life aside from a testament which says: ‘Something different has happened, and here it is, see how it still works!’. My modified recipe comprised:

• 40g caster sugar
• 2 tsp dried culinary lavender
• 100 ml raspberry yoghurt
• 30 ml milk
• 250g self-raising flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1 heaped tsp baking powder
• 60g cold salted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 egg

Out of my recipe, I managed five well-sized scones, plus 4 little scone balls, or scone bites.

Method

The method I used broadly followed that provided by Rachel Khoo – by far my favourite famous chef – and the London Evening Standard. Do as follows:

• Pre-heat your oven to 180C.
• Mix the sugar and lavender with the yoghurt in a bowl.
• Combine the remaining dry ingredients – the flour, salt, and baking powder. Rub in the butter.
• Add the yoghurt mixture, and bring together using your hands to form a dough.
• At this point you may gently incorporate into the dough any raspberries you possess (remember that I did not have any raspberries).
• The dough should be sticky; but go ahead and roll it out on a floured surface to a thickness of about 4 cm. Use a cutter of 6-7 cm to cut out approximately six scones.
• Beat the egg and brush the top of each scone with the egg wash. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until the tops of the scones are golden.
• Set aside to cool slightly, then eat with butter, with cream, and with jam.

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The Quarter-Finals of Wimbledon and the World Cup

After almost three weeks of football and one week and a half of tennis, competitions have fallen into alignment, and we find ourselves at the quarter-final stage of both Wimbledon and the World Cup. While some of Wimbledon’s ladies have already progressed on into the semi-finals, the gentlemen’s quarter-finals are all scheduled to be played later today, on Centre Court and No. 1 Court; while the World Cup quarter-finals will be played across Friday and Saturday, in Rio de Janeiro, Fortaleza, Brasília, and Salvador.

The draw for the 2014 Wimbledon men’s quarter-finals is as follows:

Novak Djokovic (Serbia) [Seeded 1] (Ranked 2) vs. Marin Cilic (Croatia) [26] (29)

Andy Murray (Great Britain) [3] (5) vs. Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) [11] (13)

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Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland) [5] (3) vs. Roger Federer (Switzerland) [4] (4)

Milos Raonic (Canada) [8] (9) vs. Nick Kyrgios (Australia) (Wild Card) (144)

The 2014 World Cup quarter-finals will see:

France (Current FIFA Ranking 17) vs. Germany (2)

Brazil (3) vs. Colombia (8)

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Argentina (5) vs. Belgium (11)

Netherlands (15) vs. Costa Rica (28)

Now, as I began to put together this post, I hoped to be able to do something remarkable with the two draws: revealing some outstanding coincidence in terms of the rankings or the nationalities involved. Alas, I’m not sure that the details of the two competitions allow this in any meaningful way.

Whereas the Wimbledon singles draws are thoroughly seeded – with thirty-two men and thirty-two women made seeds; with the first round of each draw comprising eight sections, each of which contains one of the top eight seeds; and with each draw being split into top and bottom halves, so that first seed may ultimately meet second seed come the final – the World Cup is seeded foremost at the group stage. Thus last December, when the draw for the World Cup was made, Brazil – the host nation – plus the top seven teams based on FIFA’s World Rankings were made seeds, and placed separately into each of the eight World Cup groups. The eight seeds were Brazil, then Spain, Germany, Argentina, Colombia, Belgium, Uruguay, and Switzerland. The groups are then completed based on geography, so that African, South American, Asian, North American, and European sides are evenly distributed. Following the group stages, group winners go on to meet the runners-up from their adjacent group: the winner of Group A plays the runner-up from Group B, the runner-up from Group A plays the winner of Group B, and so on.

What we can say is that, in both sports, the number one ranked entity going into competition – Rafael Nadal in the tennis, Spain in the football – has been prematurely knocked out. Though seeded only second – and perhaps generously, given that since last reaching the Wimbledon final in 2011, he has fallen in the second round, first round, and fourth round of the tournament – Nadal still went into this Wimbledon ranked number one in the world. Spain – on the back of three tournament successes, winning the European Championships in 2008 and 2012, and winning the last World Cup in 2010 – occupied the same position in the latest FIFA World Rankings. Having lost their first two group matches, Spain gained some meagre consolation by beating Australia 3-0 in their final group game, thereby finishing third in their group. Rafa Nadal at least reached the round of 16, before succumbing yesterday to an Australian, the nineteen-year-old Nick Kyrgios, in the surprise of the tournament so far.

In Djokovic, Wawrinka and Murray, Germany, Brazil and Argentina, both competitions still possess numbers two, three and five in the world rankings of their respective sports. While Switzerland were slightly unfortunate to fall to a 1-0 defeat after extra time last night against Argentina, the nation is strongly represented in the men’s tennis quarter-finals, with Wawrinka vs. Federer arguably the match of the round.

Marin Cilic is in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for the first time, and after an impressive three-set victory over sixth-seed Tomas Berdych in the third round – incidentally, the latest finish to a match ever on an outside court at the championships, coming to a close at 9.38 pm on No. 3 Court last Friday. However, despite a surge in form since returning to the tour at the beginning of the year – after a four-month suspension for taking the banned supplement nikethamide – Cilic is unlikely to pose Djokovic too many problems. Djokovic has reached the quarter-finals with ease, dropping only one set along the way; coming through in three sets in the last round against a Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who looks increasingly like a spent force at the very top of the game.

Increasingly focused, still building his game, and having both dominated opponents and come through a back-and-forth five-setter against Alexandr Dolgopolov in the third round, Grigor Dimitrov should prove a significantly sterner challenge for Andy Murray, who is yet to drop a set in the tournament. A decisive win for Murray still appears the likely outcome; whereas the two matches making up the lower half of the draw are more difficult to judge. Wawrinka and Federer have never faced one another on grass. While Federer holds a 13-2 lead in the record of their head-to-head encounters, Wawrinka won the last match the two played, in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters in April on clay. Milos Raonic, still only twenty-three, has struggled in the past on grass, and is perhaps less mobile than Kyrgios. Though more than a match for his more inexperienced opponent when it comes to power, Kyrgios – confident and composed after his success over Nadal – would seem in the better position to progress.

The two World Cup quarter-finals which will take place on Friday are highly alluring and hard to call. France and Germany last met at a World Cup in Mexico in 1986, when West Germany progressed to meet Argentina in the final with a 2-0 victory. Both sides laboured through the last round. France beat Nigeria 2-0, with Paul Pogba heading in from a corner with ten minutes remaining, followed by a Joseph Yobo own goal in the second minute of injury time. Having impressed in their opening two matches, scoring eight goals against Honduras and Switzerland, France have lost their fluidity, with Karim Benzema marginalised or simply failing to assert himself to the same degree, and some of their decision making in the final third against Nigeria severely lacking.

Likewise, Germany’s faults and frailties have become increasingly apparent since their 4-0 defeat of Portugal in their opening group game. Two goals in the thirty minutes of extra time on Monday night against an impressive Algeria surely saved Joachim Low from losing the job he has now held for eight years. It is increasingly difficult to view Low as anything more than a poor imitator of other people’s ideas: building on the foundations laid, for better or worse, by Jurgen Klinsmann, Low has in recent years taken indiscriminately from Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund and from Jupp Heynckes and now Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich. Moving away from the 4-2-3-1 which has been characteristic of Germany under his leadership, the 4-3-3 which Germany have utilised so far this tournament does not appear to be working from anyone’s perspective. Mirroring Guardiola by playing Philipp Lahm as a defensive midfielder rather than at full-back, the aim is to provide defensive nous and defensive movement in the centre of the pitch. However, Germany’s lack of alternatives at full-back have seen Low field centre-backs across the back four. Against Algeria, a high defensive line exposed a lack of pace in the defence, while even playing high up the pitch, Germany’s converted centre-backs did little to provide width or attacking penetration. For all of his defensive attributes, Lahm would surely offer more to the team playing in his accustomed position.

Playing with a front three, headed by Thomas Muller, rather than with three attacking midfielders behind a central striker or false nine, Germany appear to lack incisive attacking movement. Where Muller and Mesut Ozil used to interchange so effectively and so enticingly behind Miroslav Klose, while Lukas Podolski or Marco Reus added width and directness down the left flank, now Ozil seems a marginal figure and there is less running between the lines and beyond the last line of the opposition defence. Germany may well possess the most talented squad in the tournament, and from 2006 have reached four major semi-finals in a row without managing to go any further. They should be expected to progress against France. The midfield battle, presumably pitting Pogba, Cabaye, and Matuidi against Lahm, Kroos, and Schweinsteiger, will be intriguing to watch, but Germany despite their problems still suggest the more cohesive team, and cherish in Muller a more reliable goalscorer.

Inspired by James Rodriguez and Cuadrado, Colombia have become the chosen side of many neutrals. They have scored eleven goals so far in this World Cup – one goal behind the Netherlands’ tournament-leading twelve – with Rodriguez’s volley against Uruguay the tournament’s most beautiful goal, and they have a fixed and capable defensive unit. Brazil, owing to a lack of talent and to the shortcomings of their defenders, have stocked their central midfield with runners rather than with players who can control the tempo of play, and in the attack they look reliant on Neymar. On form, Colombia should be favourites going into the later kickoff on Friday; they can pose Brazil more problems – with more movement from deep – than Chile, who lost out in the last round by the narrowest of margins.

Both Argentina and Belgium required extra time yesterday to see off Switzerland and the United States. Despite being strongly tipped before the tournament began – Argentina as potential winners, with Lionel Messi expected to shine after an indifferent close to the season with Barcelona; Belgium as everybody’s preferred dark horses owing to the establishment of so many Belgians across Europe, but particularly in the Premier League over the last several years – both sides have stuttered through the competition, winning all of their matches thus far, but always by single-goal margins and without impressive performances to bolster these results. Romelu Lukaku’s legs were the difference for Belgium against a resilient USA; while an excellent run and pass by Messi spurred Argentina to their win. Argentina will go into Saturday’s match as favourites, but only minutely on the back of barely distinguishable form.

As with France and Germany, so too the Netherlands have faltered after enjoying a perfect start to the World Cup, beating reigning champions Spain 5-1. After a close-run victory over Australia and two late goals against Chile, they were two minutes from going out of the competition in the last round against Mexico, before Wesley Sneijder struck and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar converted expertly from a correctly awarded injury-time penalty. Despite Sneijder’s contribution, his first in the tournament; some eye-catching performances from Daley Blind; and the concerted and effective use of Memphis Depay from the substitute’s bench; still the strength of this Dutch side rests heavily on Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie. Robben in particular has been exceptional, proving himself one of the world’s elite players, and with him the Netherlands should have too much for Costa Rica – defensively sound but also lively in the attack in their first two group games, but having to endure an hour with only ten men against Greece before triumphing on penalties.

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Wednesday afternoon update: Beginning earlier than I anticipated after two breezy women’s quarter-finals – which resulted in victories for Eugenie Bouchard and Simona Halep – by the time I published the above piece, the first men’s quarter-finals were already underway. Grigor Dimitrov had just about taken the first set against Andy Murray; and only an hour and forty minutes later, he came away with a comfortable three-set victory, 1-6, 6-7, 2-6, to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic has just fallen behind against Marin Cilic, down two sets to one as Cilic takes the third set tie-break. As things stand, as far as my predictions or suppositions go, I am also behind, 0-1. Wawrinka leads Federer 3-1 on Centre Court.

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Thursday morning thoughts: Djokovic turned his match round and beat Cilic over five sets, 6-1, 3-6, 6-7, 6-2, 6-2, to prevent another big upset. Federer, already a break down, went on to lose the first set, but he won the next three to progress 6-3, 6-7, 4-6, 4-6. In the last quarter-final of the day, Raonic beat Kyrgios 6-7, 6-2, 6-4, 7-6.

Djokovic had appeared to be progressing serenely through the tournament, steadily building form and momentum, and comfortable in the previous round as he beat Tsonga over three sets. The two sets Cilic took from him yesterday will certainly provide Cilic with much encouragement, his increased aggression paying dividends; but Djokovic seemed to lose impetus after a straightforward first set – something which is becoming characteristic of his game, and so far removed from the player he was a couple of seasons ago. In a similar fashion, but more markedly, Andy Murray’s level has dropped significantly since his return from back surgery, and Dimitrov needed to be strong and steady from the back of the court rather than particularly bold or imaginative yesterday to beat him. Djokovic still has the tools to beat Dimitrov decisively in their semi-final, to be played on Friday: despite his observing to the contrary, it is Djokovic, not Dimitrov, who remains the man to beat: but Dimitrov has grown in stature over the past several months, and has the all-round game to challenge on all surfaces over the long term.

In the Wawrinka vs. Federer match, the tie-break at the end of the second set proved fairly decisive. Wawrinka appeared to be suffering several minor aches and ailments, and called for the doctor at the end of the second set; he still clung on through a particularly tense final game, which saw Federer serving and spurning four match points, and saving a break point before securing the victory. He progresses to his thirty-fifth Grand Slam semi-final.

Faced with Milos Raonic’s serving power and consistency, Nick Kyrgios lacked the same conviction and resoluteness which served him against Rafa Nadal. The match was more one-sided than the scoreline suggests: the statistics show that Raonic won 144 points to Kyrgios’s 111, whereas in his four-set defeat of Nadal, Kyrgios won 144 points to Nadal’s 137. Where Kyrgios had served with an average first-serve speed of 120 mph against Nadal, winning 83% of points on his first serve, against Raonic his average speed dropped to 116%, and he won only 67% of his first-serve points. Raonic meanwhile hit 39 aces to Kyrgios’s 15; his average first-serve speed was at 121 mph, and he won 88% of points on his first serve; even his second serve kept an average speed of 107 mph. Raonic returned effectively, hit more than double Kyrgios’s winners from the back of the court, and also came to the net frequently, winning points at the net more often than not. He will pose Federer a different sort of challenge: one that appears even somewhat old fashioned, built around a big serve, eschewing the long rallying which has dominated men’s tennis over the last five or six years; but carried out with the sort of precision which Raonic showed against Kyrgios, it is a style of play which is supremely difficult to beat.