it's a bit late i know... the world cup is already coming to an end....

4 years of waiting and anticipation for this event, and boy was it worth it.

this world cup has been hailed as the greatest ever. for the first time in the history of the world cup, upsets were kept minimal(at least until the final 8). Never has the final 8 house so many football giants. Last time, it saw the likes of Turkey, USA(god have mercy), and South Korea; this time round, it was England, Germany, Portugal, Brazil, France, Argentina, Italy and Ukraine. with the exception of Ukraine(whom nobody knows how they got in), the rest ARE the football elite, and it was great.

i was watching the england v. portugal match last night, and i was dissapointed to say the least. holding till the last minute with ten men, yet losing in penalties in such an obscene way was horrible. england HAS some pretty great players, and they did have a shot at making it big, but THEY DIDN't. The good English players are:

David Beckham-   i know, he is overrated in many cases. but as a midfielder, he is competent, and as a captain, commands the respect of his team-mates. a free kick for england is never like it should be without beckham, and they know it. too bad they had to pull him out yesterday because of an injury. the cameras caught him crying on the bench. His last game in the world cup and he had to sit there watching helplessly as his team LOSSES.... how devastating. (plus he will probably end up in the poorhouse after he retires, which is soon, judging by the way his wife spends money)

Rio Ferdinand-    after Rooney and Beckham were taken off the field, u could see him struggling to carry the whole team, and he almost managed it, but didn't quite. he is a superb player, especially in defence, so one could see why he was so gutted when they lost. again, this might be his last outing in the world cup...

and the likes of Lampard and Gerrard, but these people are all nearing the age of retirement, except for Rooney, who is young, but his temper makes his a real liability, and he is not exactly reliable.

So, with the golden age of English football coming to a devastating end, who is going to carry the flag next time? england lacks young talent, especially in terms of strikers. Peter Crouch? he lacks the skills that make good strikers, his height IS a liability. somehow, he does not have the grace seen in other playes of similar stature. Jan Koller of Czech can play with such beautiful grace on the field; Peter Crouch looks like he can't even control the movement of his limbs, let alone the ball.

so, whether england will make it to South Africa 2010 remains a question. who do i blame? i blame that idiot Sven Goran Erikkson. 4-5-1 for England? who are u kidding?

Plus Brazil lost to France. a final four without Brazil? weird.

Thank god there's still Germany, Klose, and Klinnsman...Hurray.