Quote:
Originally Posted by CroFlames
Why is Portugal/Spain an intriguing matchup? Both teams will rightfully believe they will progress the group so they will lollygag during their match to save players for the knockout stage. You should be looking forward to a team like Peru or Denmark upsetting France and throwing the group wide open. Or if Korea manages 0-0 vs Germany.
Also, earth to Familia: Italy, Holland and USA suck. Their teams are in shambles and them being present in the WC wouldn't add any "intrigue" to anything. Iceland is in fantastic form and will produce better football playing balls to the wall than a listless Italy would have if they limped into the WC.
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I won't argue that Italy is struggling and probably would have flopped in the WC. The fact remains, as Super Matty pointed out, the qualifications are bogus and have serious flaws in them. Italy should be there ahead of many other countries, their record in qualifying proves that (only one loss, minus the playoff vs. Sweden, and we still don't get in). No matter how you spin it, having Italy, Holland, USA, and Chile not in the world cup will hurt ratings and sponsorships.
Love them or hate them, teams like Italy, England, USA, Germany, Brazil, etc. are the teams that people pay and want to see. Fact is, I see 100's of Italy and Brazil jerseys all over the place wherever I go, with a great deal of those people clearly not of Italian or Brazilian decent. I have never come across an Algerian jersey unless the person is of Algerian decent. There is no denying that the traditional football superpowers transcend borders and nationalities and that they fuel the tournament in terms of interest. A casual soccer fan might tune into a Germany match. No one is going to waste their time watching Egypt vs. Senegal unless they have ties to those countries. Just look at hockey at the Olympics. No one watches or buys tickets to a Slovakia vs. Belarus game...everyone wants Canada and Russia.
In my opinion the World Cup is kind of a joke. The world's best teams are not always there. Due to the fact that every continent has to have a certain amount of representation (while better countries from other continents have to miss), proves that the World Cup is bogus. I'll take the Euro Cup any day of the week as the competition and skill is miles ahead of the World Cup.
Maybe I am making excuses for Italy (still bitter they won't be there), but hoping that my point has a bit of merit. Ask yourselves, how stoked are you to watch Senegal vs. Japan? I sure as hell won't be tuning in. No matter how ####ty Italy might be playing, I can guarantee you that they would create interest in some fashion. Whether that be due to an upset loss, a convincing win, or some on/off field shenanigans, people love to hate them. Oh well, at least I can be stress free all June. I guess I'll cheer for Denmark for some unknown reason...