It is my strong belief that this World Cup is a gift from Adidas to countries such as NL and Germany.
Before you start hating, take a minute to read the whole post please and remember that i know football as much as you guys do too.
My point is:
the Jabulani ball.
It is so lighter and different that the players cannot handle it. Teams such as England, Paraguay, Brazil, Spain, Portugal are playing a different kind of football than that of Germany, NL, Denmark, Switzerland. They are more technical, players control the ball before shooting it, the passages aren't that often etc etc etc, there are many dribbles by all players etc etc etc.
I have watched closely the matches of England and Argentina for example. The players didn't know how much strength to put and so, they either lost the ball (if they put much strength) or they tripped on it (if they put less strength). It's not only the goalkeepers who couldn't catch the ball easily, but the players too. They don't know how to play with it and if they come from a more "technical" football playing country that is obvious in the game. Countries like Germany and NL however, don't play this way traditionally. They go all the way for team work and they pass the ball more often than they control it, dribbles don't appear as often etc. For them, the problem wasn't so big.
Adidas even admitted:
that the altitude at which many of the matches in South Africa are taking place may be partly to blame for its unpredictable nature.
And before saying that those countries should have used the new ball in the local tournaments, don't forget the sponsorship agreements?such as England's with Umbro; those have prevented most teams from using the Jabulani ball in the build-up to the tournament.
So, my point is, thank you ADIDAS for making sure that the countries which you sponsor will win the cup!
