Comments on: PWC14: Group B Finale (Australia, Netherlands, Spain, Chile) https://freakytrigger.co.uk/pop-world-cup-2014/2014/03/pwc14-group-b-finale-australia-netherlands-spain-chile Lollards in the high church of low culture Fri, 04 Apr 2014 11:25:30 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 By: Matt DC https://freakytrigger.co.uk/pop-world-cup-2014/2014/03/pwc14-group-b-finale-australia-netherlands-spain-chile/comment-page-1#comment-1314634 Fri, 04 Apr 2014 11:25:30 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=26574#comment-1314634 Chile’s performance in this group has really mirrored their tactics, lots of patient build-up before hitting you right when it matters. Really happy they’re progressing.

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By: lartsaegis https://freakytrigger.co.uk/pop-world-cup-2014/2014/03/pwc14-group-b-finale-australia-netherlands-spain-chile/comment-page-1#comment-1314152 Thu, 03 Apr 2014 01:50:03 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=26574#comment-1314152 Just got word that we got through beside the Netherlands. Cheers to all the participants, and the voters, because god dang this was a hard group, and a hard match, for a minute I had to face the possible fact that we wouldn’t make it, but I had to pull something out of the hat. As far as quality goes, consider Astro a down payment. All newer blood from here on out. We’ve got more coming, and seeing as we face (*sigh*) Cameroon next game, we’re gonna need it, just a matter of planning. Thanks to the Astro boys for pulling us into the PWC stratosphere. Te queremos, indeed.

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By: Tom https://freakytrigger.co.uk/pop-world-cup-2014/2014/03/pwc14-group-b-finale-australia-netherlands-spain-chile/comment-page-1#comment-1314051 Wed, 02 Apr 2014 17:20:04 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=26574#comment-1314051 Results are in! (I don’t know why this didn’t close automatically at lunchtime)

That makes it a 3-way tie on 5 points at the top – horribly tight, so it goes down to % points total. We’re definitely saying goodbye to Carsmile’s Spain, though, despite their heroic performance in Game 2. Well done all.

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By: Matt DC https://freakytrigger.co.uk/pop-world-cup-2014/2014/03/pwc14-group-b-finale-australia-netherlands-spain-chile/comment-page-1#comment-1313416 Mon, 31 Mar 2014 18:58:00 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=26574#comment-1313416 Australia have been playing an old-fashioned game admirably well up until now, although this may be a mis-step, as a wall of guitar fuzz can’t disguise some fairly predictable moves.

Winning play from the Dutch, probably the tournament’s most controversial team. The singer doesn’t really carry the performance, but with synths like that, she doesn’t need to.

The Spanish formation is a bit of a mess, but it’s an enjoyable one, so I’m half tempted to fling them a vote. But hang on, what’s this from Chile? It’s only one of the best rock performances we’ve seen so far, totally bossing it across the park. Goal!

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By: Chelovek na lune https://freakytrigger.co.uk/pop-world-cup-2014/2014/03/pwc14-group-b-finale-australia-netherlands-spain-chile/comment-page-1#comment-1312969 Sun, 30 Mar 2014 17:14:31 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=26574#comment-1312969 Australia – continue in a related vein to that of their previous games: pleasing, persistent, but a bit lacking in form

Spain – a genuinely entertaining performance (looking back affectionately to late 80s wine bars), spoiled a bit by a certain lack of coherence. Thoroughly appreciated – but we did wonder at times if all the players were on the same team.

Chile – another quality performance, with well-placed aggression and some good set plays, that does the job.

Netherlands – superior, slick, and sharp, a round-winning performance.

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By: dollymix https://freakytrigger.co.uk/pop-world-cup-2014/2014/03/pwc14-group-b-finale-australia-netherlands-spain-chile/comment-page-1#comment-1312632 Sat, 29 Mar 2014 20:09:09 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=26574#comment-1312632 Probably the best round of fixures so far this tournament. Netherlands and Chile just edge it for me, with the latter a particular surprise given their lack of energy in the first two matches. Spain deserve plaudits for their lurching, off-tempo style of play, even if they can’t quite convert in the final third. Australia are a tad too cautious here – it’s understandable given their lead in a very tight group, but fortune does favor the bold and you wonder if it will come back to haunt them.

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By: Billy https://freakytrigger.co.uk/pop-world-cup-2014/2014/03/pwc14-group-b-finale-australia-netherlands-spain-chile/comment-page-1#comment-1312045 Fri, 28 Mar 2014 10:43:05 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=26574#comment-1312045 Memories of the 1990 PWC from Roku, however it’s more than just nostalgia which gets them my vote as they play a nice passing game which has enough swazz to find the net.

Not a lot to seperate the other teams, though I’m leaning towards the Netherlands total football approach. This will require some more thought.

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By: Garry https://freakytrigger.co.uk/pop-world-cup-2014/2014/03/pwc14-group-b-finale-australia-netherlands-spain-chile/comment-page-1#comment-1311236 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 23:06:29 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=26574#comment-1311236 Wow – hard choice here. The fact that Roku come from where I live and has members of No Anchor and the Rational Academy earned half a vote, but then I heard the song and another half a vote is more than earned.

But the play from the Netherlands and Chile is exquisite. Separating these three will be difficult.

Sadly for Spain there’s a lot of movement but an uncertainty which way the goal is. There is great technical brilliance on display but it might be a case of too many geniuses on the pitch trying to dictate play. In other games this would have gotten something, but the quality in this round is to high and the opposition too disciplined to be dazzled off the park.

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By: thefatgit https://freakytrigger.co.uk/pop-world-cup-2014/2014/03/pwc14-group-b-finale-australia-netherlands-spain-chile/comment-page-1#comment-1311166 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 19:47:29 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=26574#comment-1311166 I so wanted Australia to break out of the midfield and lunge forward as an unstoppable unit, but there they were, stuck in the middle of the park with no outlet.

Something about the Dutch tactics made me smile. Attacks based on building from a solid back four, letting the ball do the work and allowing their striker to nonchalantly stroke it goalwards, is what I expect from the Dutch and they didn’t disappoint. Good work.

Spain pop and fizz around the area, but finding the back of the net proves elusive this time around. And at the back, jeez… oh so leaky at the back!

Chile bossed this round from kick-off, right up to the final whistle. Great enthusiasm from the players, even if their manager has given up the ghost, he should be proud of the way they displayed passion. A Mourinho-esque bluff? The opposition can’t live with Chile here.

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By: lonepilgrim https://freakytrigger.co.uk/pop-world-cup-2014/2014/03/pwc14-group-b-finale-australia-netherlands-spain-chile/comment-page-1#comment-1311081 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 16:14:02 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=26574#comment-1311081 Australia lose focus here with sloppy passes and poor communication making them open to more clear headed teams.
The Netherlands create a lot of space, playing with a laid back assurance which sees the whole team playing with a deserved confidence that they will win.
Spain struggle to get going and seem unclear which way they’re playing. The team trip over one another and can’t keep possession. No contest.
Chile make a dramatic tactical change after their first two outings, raising the pace and pressing forward. Tackles are clean but crunching and they score with ease.

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By: weej https://freakytrigger.co.uk/pop-world-cup-2014/2014/03/pwc14-group-b-finale-australia-netherlands-spain-chile/comment-page-1#comment-1311078 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 16:09:25 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=26574#comment-1311078 I was ready to condemn the Australians for relying on an old formation, but it’s all a bluff to lure in the opposition before surprising them with sudden lurches forward from the midfield. The striker doesn’t do that much, but she doesn’t really need to.

The Dutch squad seem to be content passing the ball around aimlessly for a while – is this Germany-Austria ’82 all over again? It’s pleasant enough passing, but we’re here to see goals, surely?

Wildly erratic play from Spain, but with a thousand shots going in every direction, some of them are bound to end up in the goal.

Another surprising formation from Chile, this is the kind of quality play I expect at a pop olympics. A fair few goals scored, but will the effort prove to be too late?

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By: lartsaegis https://freakytrigger.co.uk/pop-world-cup-2014/2014/03/pwc14-group-b-finale-australia-netherlands-spain-chile/comment-page-1#comment-1311067 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 15:26:23 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=26574#comment-1311067 My mother always taught me memento mori, and in a group like this (in a finale like this) it’ll probably be good in retrospect not to be too foolhardy about intending to snatch a win. Everything to play for is a forked road where you’ve everything to gain and everything to lose. Only the push of the people will decide the direction of the or/oar, and where we’ll all go. This really seems like a let the chips fall where they may type of match, and it seems like pressure is a forge for fine quality. Anywhere we go, we’re going with a fight against armaments of bombastic beats, foggy magistic conjurations, a vocal cut armed in cloak and dagger.

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By: Matt DC https://freakytrigger.co.uk/pop-world-cup-2014/2014/03/pwc14-group-b-finale-australia-netherlands-spain-chile/comment-page-1#comment-1311044 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 14:29:20 +0000 https://freakytrigger.co.uk/?p=26574#comment-1311044 In a group with everything to play for, there’s certainly some defeatist talk coming from some of the managers here. If results don’t go their way, the Spanish press will be photoshopping their manager’s face onto a turnip after that Hodgsonesque team talk.

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