Considering I've been watching football for the first time in 32 years - strange how my last interset was another WC in Germany - this year was a minor let-down. Yes, spirits where high and everything surrounding the sport itself was more than just nice. But playing? Wow, how many teams played the same boring system of standing 11 players high in front of their own goal. Very few showed what football is about: shooting goals, playing fast forward.
Surely Italy isn't a bad team, France's wasn't probably the best in the tournament (as wasn't Italy) but yesterday they were much more enjoyable than Italy. "Strategic playing" may be effective, especially if you have got a superb goalie like Italy, but it's boooooooooooooring.
It is sad that Zizou went the way he went, as a pro with lots of experience he shouldn't have gone for Matterazzi [?] that openly in the last minutes of the match. At least it wasn't his fault France lost out, more a problem of too little too late by the trainer. And this goal keeper, Barthez, ... is the substitute worse or why didn't he play?
Patriotism, in general and in sports, is something people who know me won't expect from me, I see myself as a word citizen; and I usually applaud the better [not necessarily the most economic] team. Still, I am surely not the only one finding Saturday's match much more interesting, both temas really played. Only France did so in the final - and they should have won.*
*There's a catch, Italy now is the second most successful team behind Brazil (put in second place and Germany should still be a little better). Another catch: Now, Germany can say, "we only lost to the best team in the world ...".