France vs Germany, Brazil vs Colombia tomorrow night, the Netherlands vs Costa Rica, Argentina vs Belgium on Saturday. That is the line-up for the quarterfinals of what has been a terrific World Cup. You can still vote to decide which team/country Salut! Sunderland supports. For now, it’s Belgium, who deserve it if only for Vincent Kompanys’s great show of magnanimity towards Tim Howard…
The Salut! Sunderland readers’ poll for Brazil 2014 has been fun. Now the tournament is entering its final phase, it’s time for a makeover.
Just eight teams survive. Our clear readers’ favourite, USA (however those votes came!), are gone, with this welcome little missive from Jurgen Klinsmann to us (and maybe a few others):
The United States started out as our honorary second team. England’s early departure made them our first team. Uruguay were in second place throughout, presumably a reflection of support for our head coach Gus Poyet. Belgium were third and, with the loss of all others mentioned in this paragraph, are now the readers’ choice as favourites.
I have now pared down the poll settings to the quarterfinalists. Brazil are in the mix at last, having originally been excluded for no better reason than that I could have only 30 contenders according to the template offered by the poll organisers (England were also omitted, naturally, since we were looking for a “second team”).
Every vote cast will be counted as additional to where the ratings stood when I created the new poll. That puts Belgium top, followed – in order – by the Netherlands, Argentina and Germany. Colombia, Costa Rica and France. But I gave Brazil the average score of the other seven so they stand third.
It is a new poll so you can vote again even if you had a go earlier. And I have again extended the voting to readers of the “other place”, francesalut.com.
Complicated? Not really but this is just for fun so it hardly matters. It’s been an outstanding World Cup so vote now and get others to do so, too …
William. I get the same feeling about the Germans as you do, every time the World Cup comes around. It’s a very average team that they keep putting out but they keep on getting results. The last four this time around a rather pedestrian bunch it seems to me. None of them really seem to be made of the stuff that it once took to be worthy World Champions.It’s been a decent tournament but I’ve not found myself terribly carried away by it as a lot of people have. There really haven’t been that many great performances from the best players (Robben excepted and he’s a cheat). These days we know who most of the players are from the start so few surprises. The likes of Ronaldo and Messi despite his goals, have been poor to my mind. Nothing to compare with the likes of Cruyff in 1974, the amazing Brazilians of 1970 or Gascoigne in 1990. Just the way the game is I suppose. Shame.
I agree.
It seems to me that Germany make the most of what they have [ albeit fairly average ] They have a better team ethic, and I think that have a winning mentality.
I’ve had a sneaking feeling for Germany from the start. Becoming more convinced every game.
Belgians out. Are my lovely Orange Machine finally our adopted team?
Belgium for me now that France and Colombia have fallen. I hope Robben trips over his laces and twists a sock. Cheating Robben b#stard! Can’t stand the thought of this Brazil team winning it. Worst Brazil team since the one that went to Germany in 1974.They just kicked their opponents off the park the same as the current bunch. They are a disgrace to the game. Were it not for the scoundrel fraud of a referee in their first game against Croatia they would have been well out of it in the group stage. Awful, awful team. Hate the sight of them.
As you say, very poor Brazil team. Now, Neymarless, they will fall at the SF stage. Can you believe David Luiz leads FIFA stats as the competitions best player?
I think everyone knows where I’m going! KOM EP JE CLOGGIES – all the way to the winners podium (and I haven’t even had a bet).