2014 FIFA World Cup: Group B (ESP/NED/CHI/AUS)

[Notanoob]

I'll just leave this old saying here.

If you ain't Dutch

You ain't much.

Goooooo Holland!!!

[Next Coming]

Unreeeeeealllllllll! My God!

[PedroGrande]

portugal only have 2 great players in ronaldo and moutinho, rest you're going to hope to have them in their good days to hope to beat a team like brazil. their excellent defense includes pepe who could have a brain fart any given second and bruno alves who was very inconsistent turkish super league of all places.

This is true. Unfortunately for me:( Coentrão is great when he plays for Portugal, but he makes the difference on Offense not on D. Our GK are meh, my favorite is Beto but he wont be the starter. João Pereira does his job, Bruno Alves is a monster in the air, but has limitations on the ground.

Raul Meireles is fragile fisically, Veloso plays in a pretty way but is too soft. Nani played well on preparation games and we really need him on the top of his form, when Ronaldo is still semi-injured and our strikers make me cry. I wish we could make a player like Diego Costa Portuguese like... Wait, no I dont.

BTW Love the belgium Team, I think they are an outsider to the top 4

[Det the Threat]

It's fun watching Chile play but man do they need to play more of a 5 man back if they want to get points from those next two games.

Matthiew Leckie, who couldn't make it at Gladbach and is playing 2nd Bundesliga for the last two season, looked like a GOAT on the wings.

The spaniards need to replace either Xavi or Xabi Alonso with a guy like Pedro, cause that would cause some havoc on the wings and could be the key for them to beat Chile.

[MaliBrah]

yeah agreed , australia was having some success from the wings and just lacked a final ball in the final third. Spain will be more clinical if those chances open up.

[sardinian]

I won't be surprised by a draw between Netherlands and Chile next week..

[EArl]

Chile played decently. Im surprised the Roos stayed with them for so long.

[Ted Lasso]

I just got to see Spain v Netherlands. Happenstance of a scoreline - This was nothing like a Barcelona-style tactical figuring out.

In fact, i'd say Spain could (and by God should!) bench Pique, maybe consider another minor change or two, and be on their way to contention anyway similar to the last World Cup, but between the hammer blow to their morale and the fact that they are now on course to face the one team to avoid, i don't know if they'll recover this time.

[Man of Steel]

I won't be surprised by a draw between Netherlands and Chile next week..

I know it was Cahill that scored but Chile looks pretty weak in the air. I'm guessing Netherlands will look to exploit that weakness.

As a Madrid fan it pains me to say this but Casillas looks so lost. The only goal you can't really fault him for was the one where he got fouled by Van Persie. Three of them were saves he should have made.

[Ted Lasso]

I won't be surprised by a draw between Netherlands and Chile next week..

I know it was Cahill that scored but Chile looks pretty weak in the air. I'm guessing Netherlands will look to exploit that weakness.

As a Madrid fan it pains me to say this but Casillas looks so lost. The only goal you can't really fault him for was the one where he got fouled by Van Persie. Three of them were saves he should have made.

I felt like he was only at fault for van Persie's second. Robben's first looked like it was deflected.

I am hesitant to say this because i don't want to be writing him off, but Xavi looks like a bigger problem to me. He can't move, he can't press.

[5DOM]

Xavi, Casillas and one of Pique and Ramos need to be dropped, but it will be tough for Del Bosque

[Man of Steel]

Van Persie's first was a thing of wonder, but yet again Casillas was caught too far out when it's known that the aerial game is his weakness. The first Robben goal was poor defending from Pique and an unlucky deflection from Ramos. But Casillas gifted the fourth to RvP and on the fifth one he looked so lost scrambling around. Like his keeper instincts had just completely shut down. Playing a high line with possession is inviting counter attacks and crosses, which a keeper like Casillas is ill-suited to.

The sad thing is there's so much talent available to replace all these 30 year olds who look slow and lazy on the pitch. At the Euro 2016 I fully expect to see at least a few of the U21 guys (Thiago, Isco, Koke, Jesé, Deulofeu, Carvajal, Illarramendi, Martinez, Bartra, Muniain, De Gea, and Morata) feature heavily over guys like Xavi, Pique, Ramos, Silva, Torres, Villa, Xabi, Cazorla, Juanfran, and Albiol.

[TheAdmiral]

As a Madrid fan it pains me to say this but Casillas looks so lost. The only goal you can't really fault him for was the one where he got fouled by Van Persie. Three of them were saves he should have made.

I kind of share the same sentiment, I feel really bad for San Iker. To me, it would've been so much sweeter to watch Spain go down to the Dutch had Casillas not been manning the goalkeeper position.

He's been shaky for a while now, he wasn't his usual brilliant self in the CL Final either. His decline surely is worrisome and him playing like this will likely mean Real will (have to) approach a younger goalkeeper.

He's not the only one to blame for yesterday's 'rout' though. Spain's defense was awful as well.

[Brt19]

[Man of Steel]

I kind of share the same sentiment, I feel really bad for San Iker. To me, it would've been so much sweeter to watch Spain go down to the Dutch had Casillas not been manning the goalkeeper position.

He's been shaky for a while now, he wasn't his usual brilliant self in the CL Final either. His decline surely is worrisome and him playing like this will likely mean Real will (have to) approach a younger goalkeeper.

He's not the only one to blame for yesterday's 'rout' though. Spain's defense was awful as well.

Between him and Lopez we'll be fine but we should definitely be on the lookout for a younger keeper that we can loan out to get ready for the role the way Chelsea have done with Courtois. Someone like Mattia Perin, Jan Oblak, or Maksym Koval, who've got the potential but haven't yet shone enough to cost more than 10M. Hell, there are even some cheap spanish keepers who look promising like Kepa Arrizabalaga, who wouldn't cost more than 2M.

[bbms]

Spain should put some hungry young guys to do some work. If I'm Del Bosque, I'd be starting Koke instead of Xabi and Fabregas instead of Xavi.

[JV4MVP]

[Man of Steel]

De Gea ruled out from playing the rest of the cup with a hip injury. I wonder if Reina will start next game.

[asuran]

Lol that gif.
Clowns are crazy!!

[Sofia]

Sweet, some of the Chile fans were able to sneak in flares and smoke bombs.

I am proud of my countrymen