Group C

Romania 1-1 Italy

This was an amazing and enthralling match that hung in the balance right through to the final whistle. And in the end Italy and Romania remain in contention for a place in the last eight come the final round of group play next Tuesday.

Italy has Gianluigi Buffon to thank for their first point of the tournament and making sure that they maintained a fragile grip on continued participation. Panucci was got caught red-handed trying to hog tie Niculae for little apparent reason and with ten minutes left Romania got a chance to almost certainly send Italy home.

But the Italian keeper guessed right on a well struck but poorly directed penalty kick from Adrian Mutu. Buffon got his right hand to the shot which then deflected onto his trailing leg and clear.

Earlier in the second half Mutu turned opportunist has he anticipated a header from Zambrotta back to Buffon. By the time the Italy right back had realized what he had done Mutu had struck a rising shot behind Buffon and high into the net. It was however a very short-lived lead as Italy equalized with their next attack.

Giorgio Chiellini intelligently opted to direct a header down and across the Romanian goal rather than go for glory and Panucci snuck in at the back post to tie the game up.

It was almost inconceivable that this match could reach half time scoreless. Italy set off at a cracking pace and keyed on the right side of the Romanian defense early. Contra came in for special attention as Grosso moved forward to support the Italian attack and Petre instead of playing in midfield found himself augmenting Contra at right back.

It took fifteen minutes for Romania to find any attacking intent but once they settled chances were created in quick succession. Tamas and Mutu had shots well saved by Buffon while Rat went narrowly wide from a long range effort and a deflected Chivu free kick came back of the post with the keeper helpless.

The series of close encounters reinvigorated Italy and the first half finished with Lobent making a couple of fantastic saves before being beaten by a Toni header. Fortunately for Romania the assistant referee’s flag went up for offside; replays showed that Toni was not offside.

The best game of the tournament so far in my book and the Group of Death, for once, has lived up to the pre-billing.

France 1-4 Netherlands

It was the sort of day that you want to bottle and preserve only to be opened when you need reminding of how compelling, beautiful and thrilling this sport can be. While Italy and Romania produced an opening act that threatened to one up the main attraction, the Netherlands and France rose to the challenge and produced a display for the ages.

A look at the final score might lead you to conclude that this was a terrible performance by the French. But rather this was a case of an astonishing performance from the Dutch. Think the World Cup Final of 1970 when Brazil beat Italy 4-1. Was Italy that bad? The truth is it didn’t matter because on that day Brazil was just so brilliant it did not matter who wore the other jerseys.  

And so it was today as the Dutch put on a master class of passing, movement, shooting and finishing that was quite breathtaking. While 4-2-4 made way for 4-3-3, then 4-4-2 and now 4-5-1 or 4-2-3-1 the basic premise of attacking and defending has remained stunningly simple. When you attack you want to create space, when you defend you want to shrink the space.  A simple concept yes, but something that is exceedingly difficult to pull-off - especially when the opposition is constantly trying to counter.

It was concept that the Dutch executed  today to perfection as they sliced open a French midfield with a display of passing that was devastating. No ten yard square passes to slow the tempo ala Makelele. The Dutch bypassed the French midfield with passes that changed defence to attack in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, the French midfield with two anchors (Makelele and Toulalan), that should in theory have been the perfect foil to the Dutch counter attack was left gasping and chasing shadows.

Netherlands back to back wins against the World Cup winners and runners up from only two years and by a clear three goals each time is unprecedented in my memory. The question for the Dutch is what do they do for an encore?
France and Italy both remain alive with the winner of Tuesday match also needing the Dutch to maintain their undefeated streak when they face Romania in order to move on.

 What a day.

Man of the match - Rafael van der Vaart. Amongst a number of very honourable mentions Ruud van Nistelrooy. Can't play as a lone striker? Hmmm.

Comment of the Day

Rwonfootball - While all of the spotlight is on South Africa for the 2010 World Cup, I am as nervous about the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Should the host bid process be changed and what would you do if anything?

Bobby – Well I don’t think it is clear as to whether or not there is a process at the moment or not. FIFA has to decide is there a rotation policy or not and. Just because Brazil is the only CONMEBOL nomination the award of the 2014 World Cup is not a slam-dunk by any means. The evaluation committee could find that Brazil is unable to comply with all the requirements. Rio is hosting the Pan American Games next month and they are hoping to use the Games as a launching pad for a 2016 Olympic Bid. If next month’s Games go badly then it will be a major black eye and call into question both the 2014 and 2016 bids. I would not be surprised if the USA hosts in 2014. 

Footiefan – Thanks for fixing that link, Bobby.

Henry14 - What do you make of Poll's media antics of talking about his football experience, and can he be blamed and what difference is what Poll is doing from a Rooney / Gerrard/Vieira autobiography and lastly do you feel the press 's criticism of coming out in public to speak about these things is fair?

l personally thing Owen is not the same player he was and may never be the same again, how would you rate Owen among the world's best strikers.

Who is the better player between these examples
Maldini vs. Kaiser
Zidane vs. Cruyff
Buffon vs. Schmeichel

Do you get the feeling that the United team is being build for Carlos Queiroz to take over? He is a 4-5-1 merchant and all the players they have suit the system perfectly. and Ribery is going to Bayern, the guy is a joke, he said he wanted Madrid or England last week and all of a sudden changes his mind. Personally l hope Wenger gets one player out of the hat, who is incredibly good who is not known a lot

Bobby – Poll is trying to sell books just like the players. The problem is he has to work harder because the market for a referee’s autobiography is pretty limited. Regarding Owen – I will reserve my comments until he gets himself match fit and with a decent number of games under his belt.

As for who are the better players - the smart arse answers are Maldini, Zidane and Buffon because Beckenbauer is 62, Cruyff 60 and Schmeichel 44. Somehow I don't think that is what you meant though.

Maldini vs. Kaiser – very different players. Maldini much more a defender while Franz Beckenbauer invented a position. Zidane vs. Cruyff – Cruyff by a mile. Buffon vs. Schmeichel – nothing between them. 

I don’t think for one moment that SAF is building a team to satisfy someone who might take over in the future – why would he do that? He’s building a team that he believes will win trophies next year, not one that is tied to one formation.

CIAO - SAF has been with United for a long time. Considering the years of service and the handful of players that have had issues with him... I'd say you have to cut the man some slack. And for the record I am not an SAF fan. Regardless, Marcotti makes an interesting point by indicating that the current transfers are Carlos Q's vision of the future. Maybe he is in transition to take over from SAF in a couple years time. What do you think?
Regardless, I would also have to say that in current years the most balanced team in the dressing room and on field has to be VVV's beloved Milan. Ancelotti is one of the top 5 managers. Along with Lippi, SAF, Mourinho and Hiddink. (Runner ups: Capello, Wenger, Del Bosque, Dino Zoff and Benitez) (Future tops: Klinsmann, Mancini and Big Sam)
What do you think of Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu? Would you say he is one of the most underrated coaches? I think it would be great to see him given the opportunity to manage a competitive team.

Bobby – Regarding SAF I don’t think he is looking to retire soon. Carlos Queiroz could finish up waiting longer than Prince Charles. Just look at Guy Roux who is returning to coach Lens at 68 after being retired for two years.
I would have to disagree with your choice of Hiddink over Capello. Lucescu has a good record and would make an interesting choice for a club in one of the big 5.

Neophyte - My U-10 player just tried out on a U-12 team on fluke...the coach needed another player to scrimmage a complete team and he was there so they put him in. Three goals, two earned corners and an earned penalty kick got the attention of the coach. Should he play up at U-12 or play on his U-10 team?

Bobby – I don’t think there is a hard a fast rule on something like this. As an 8-year old I played for the under-12 school team without any trouble or problem. Seven years later I was very small for my age and got regularly pummeled. It wasn’t until I hit 17 that I caught up physically and was able to compete again. If your boy can handle it physically then I think the next question would be whether or not he wants to move up or does he want to play with his friends? Does he have an option move back and forward between levels?

Ringo - With Ryan Giggs retirement from international football, does he now become the second greatest ever player, not to appear in a World Cup?

Bobby – I would not have him as high as second.

CIAO - Does anyone know where Nakata is playing now? How about Ilhan Mansiz (Turkish player that shined during the 2002 World Cup)? Do you think Italy and England will qualify for the EURO 2008? Did anyone watch the Italy game over the weekend? How did they play?

Bobby – Nakata and Mansiz are both retired I believe. As for qualifying – Italy without a doubt, England yes but with a greater level of doubt. I didn’t see the Italy game just the highlights. Italy got three points – enough said and be thankful. Scotland has to play there tomorrow - it will be a bad night's sleep.

Mistafantastic - I heard Alan Green (a man I had a lot of respect for) babbling on 606 Friday that Beckham was going to hinder his career by going "to that joke of a league MLS". Only Andy Grey & Martin Tyler have at least given MLS the benefit of the doubt for the time being. I know all these so-called "experts" wouldn't be hammering Becks if he went to Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Japan, or even Australia, but have no problem ripping a league that's given England a helluva lot of players the past few years. Why exactly is this the case? I'm the last guy to ever defend MLS but this is irking me something awful! Any comments? Cheers!

Bobby – My only comment is the vast majority of comments coming from England regarding MLS is based on total and absolute ignorance.

The realrico - At first I thought there was no way Henry leaving Arsenal, but with him now being linked to AC Milan, it seems like it is more likely now then ever he might go. My question is if he leaves, whom does Arsenal get with the money from the Henry sale?

Bobby – I don’t think Henry is leaving. My question is what is Milan actually up to – the Henry transfer hint is a smoke screen for something else.

Neophyte - Since the Beckham rule, we have seen an increase of foreign players come into the MLS. Now Claude Makelele and Shevchenko have stated playing in the MLS might be something they would consider. If Beckham actually plays in the league, do you see more players from Europe coming to the MLS?

Bobby – Will more players come from Europe – the answer is yes but it will not be a flood. I wouldn’t read too much into the comments by Makelele or Shevchenko. They are professional players and in Shevchenko’s case his wife is American so there is no reason not to consider a moved to MLS. MLS just has to make sure that a balance is maintained and that the players that come from Europe don’t come with a #### attitude.

LosAngelesChelseaFan - Why do think that West Ham or Newcastle would risk putting Joey Barton in their dressing room? I just don’t get it. Is this an $11m charity donation?

Bobby – When you have a player with ability – and Barton does – there will always be managers who think that they can control players with bad reputations and turn them around. Out of all the players who were trouble but with genuine talent that you can think of over the years, how many were dumped and never picked up?

Gongatore - What do you think of the US squads' performance vs. China and since it starts this week how they may do in the Gold Cup? I was impressed by Bradley's kid, he really has some bite to his game, what do you think?

Bobby – I didn’t see the game so I can’t really comment on the specifics. The team that played against China is very different than the one that will play in the Gold Cup. If the USA don’t make it the Gold Cup Final Bob Bradley may find that the honeymoon period is over. As for young Bradley I haven’t seen enough of him to form a decent opinion.

Henry14 - I do not know if its your company policy Bobby that you are not supposed to say that MLS is poor, because if you read nick ' article you would have thought MLS is like the Prem. l do not see Becks in the near future, because in my opinion the MLS is more of a league that is based on passion and euphoria rather than quality. The defending and general play is generally appalling; the league is just not good enough as fantasy manager with Juan Pablo Angel will testify.

Bobby – In the twenty years I have been involved in the media end of things no one has told to say or not say anything so if there is such a policy it hasn’t been brought to my attention. As far as only watching “quality” football then you must be a connoisseur compared to me. I can enjoy watching the game played at all levels.

Venti_vidi_vici - What is your take on the goings on at Stamford Bridge? What will Chelsea look like in three months time, will they sign anybody important, who will leave? Reportedly during a strategic meeting last week to discuss summer transfer targets etc., Abramovich apparently drastically cut spending, removed himself from day-to-day operations of the club, Lampard and Terry still don't have a new contract, and Mourinho wasn't even in the meeting. I guess just like a spoiled kid, his new expensive toy isn't as much fun anymore, and is amazingly making a mess of a very fine football club.

Bobby – Chelsea is a bit of a freak show at the moment. With all the speculation and rumour mongering I would not be surprised to find out that Elvis has been spotted at Stamford Bridge. Let’s just wait and see.

djnima -  I just have one question and one question only this week. Who do you think deserves to win La Liga this year? and please don't say whoever has the most points and head to head records. Also, when is Rupert Murdoch going to give you your own show?

Bobby – It is probably one of these seasons when no team deserves it because Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Sevilla have all suffered through some pretty poor results. I picked Real Madrid at the start of the season and I will stick with that pick. As for a show – between the two shows a week and the blog I am busy enough as it is. But I will be asking for blog ideas, preference etc in the next few days.

Venti_vidi_vici - Where does Milan rank in terms of all time great football clubs? Over the past half century they have been incredibly successful - are they possibly the greatest ever? What is the key to their success over the past twenty years? Berlusconi? In the past twenty years they have reached eight UCL finals, next best is a Serie B team with four, and their five titles are two better than anyone. Their players always seem to love the club, they've always had a lot of Italian players in the team, and they seem to get the best out of their players, and make their players into champions?

Bobby –One of all time great teams – absolutely. The greatest ever? An argument as fruitless as trying choosing the greatest ever heavyweight. Weren’t Milan in Serie B a while back as well?

MeanSucka – I saw someone on Sky Sports (Alan Mullery, a former England player from the 60's) talking about Beckham not getting the proper training to stay on England's team past this week's call-up. In the process he called MLS a Mickey Mouse league and said it's only slightly better than the Conference - a sentiment echoed in the Lovejoy column. That's a little harsh, I thought. What do you think - how does MLS compare to England's divisions?

I would like to think that MLS is on the level of the Championship or at least League One, especially considering results of some of our players overseas and our team internationally.

And speaking of MLS, I tend to think sometimes that it is not as good defensively as it should be. I continue to see flat footed defenders giving goal scorers ample opportunities to finish. Do you think defense is a problem in this league?

Bobby – Your average former-player-now-pundit in Britain doesn’t know the difference between his arse and a hole in the road when it comes to anything outside of English football. The major short coming of the MLS is the lack of depth and that will take some time to rectify. There are some very good North American based players in the MLS (proven by the number that have moved overseas) but there are a number who would struggle to get a game in League Two. But there again you could look at Jay Demerit who was playing A League and started regularly in the Premiership so there are examples of it working both ways.

It is interesting that when Capello arrived at Real Madrid he was appalled at the shape the team was in physically which would seem to indicate that Beckham wasn’t getting the kind of training in Spain either. No doubt Mullery believes that only good English coaches can get English players fit.

Given the choice between watching a league with good defenders and bad forwards and bad defenders and good forwards which would you prefer?

Atleti female - I've heard a lot of good things about an Arsenal player called Francisco Merida Perez (aka 'Fran Merida). Some are dubbing him Arsenal's new wonderkid. What have you read about him? Do you think he is in the same level of ability as other wonderkids, such as Jonathan dos Santos and Bojan Krkic?

Bobby – Until you mentioned him I had heard nothing about him. I am a bit leery of wunderkids – is it just me or are there more of them around? – so I prefer to just wait and see. The Champions magazine this month had a piece that linked players with past stars i.e. the new Pele, the new Maradona etc.

Meansucka - What do you make of this FIFA ruling that games may no longer be played at altitude above 8200 feet? I read that one of the Brazilian club teams were upset that they had to play in Bolivia with freezing rain at altitude. But to me - it seems home field advantage is the reason you play a home and away leg to begin with and if they eliminate altitude, why not also look at air quality, temperature, or other factors? Why has this become a problem now?

Bobby – To answer in reverse I think it has become an issue as more clubs and countries have been or have been threatening to take games to higher elevations in order to get an even greater advantage. While FIFA claim it is far medical reasons it is more likely down to lobbying by Brazil and Argentina. Having said that I could see how playing at some of these elevations could be dangerous. However, you do make a good point about air quality. In Mexico City it is the combination of altitude and air quality that makes it so challenging.

Carneade - What would you change in soccer to improve the game? I'm not talking so much about the rules of the game itself (even though I do think that the goal size and the pitch width should be increased), I'm referring to max number of players in rosters, domestic and international schedules, number of games per year, national teams, refs and instant replay etc.

Bobby – I think FIFA’s desire to have leagues maxxed at 16 teams is a good one. How you ensure that the clubs don’t fill the vacant dates with other stuff is another issue. I would also find a way to curtail the World Cup and European Championship qualifying schedules – it would be an easy fix. I would also like to see the Gold Cup and Copa America consolidated into a true Cup of the Americas.

Henry14 - Can anyone tell me why Carragher is seen as a great defender, because for me he is highly overrated. He plays for an extremely defensive minded team and he is not usually exposed, l do not think he is as good as Gallas, Toure, Rio, Vidic, Carvalho, Terry, so why do pundits rave about this guy?

Bobby – Because he is a great central defender. He reads the game well, makes few mistakes and is a great tackler. Apart from that I can understand why you wouldn’t rate him.

Henry 14 - Have you ever considered having a Bobby McMahon weekly podcast, because surely you have a lot of friends who are journalist or football experts and talk about football thoughts. The two hours you have a week do not exhaust all burning soccer issues, because you are one of the best and rationale football pundits l have met rather than a lot of so called Liverpool biased pundits we have all over the world.

Bobby – Thank you for the kind words. Hold that suggestion as I will be asking for some input in the next days in terms of the blog.

CIAO -  Do you think Buffon will leave Juventus? Also have you heard whether or not Inter are ready to split with Julio Cesar and Toldo? If so, and Buffon doesn't transfer who would they get -Amelia?

Bobby – It is strange that after spending a season in Serie B that Buffon would leave but I have heard that there is a strong possibility that he will move. I have not heard anything on the Toldo / Cesar front but you would expect that neither of them is particularly happy with the situation. Your suggestion of Amelia moving from Livorno to Juventus is an interesting one and one that would make a lot of sense. He is young for a goalkeeper and if he stays at Livorno then Champions League football is a pipe-dream. Probably a good time for a move and I would expect him to stay in Italy rather than moving to another country.

neophyte - I didn't know Don Williams was still alive! Just a couple of off the wall comments: Where is the Reading firepower up front? Is Convey really that important because they have looked horrid up front?

Bobby – Ted, Tennessee and Hank are deceased but not Don!
I’m sure that they are missing Convey’s left foot but you have to consider the schedule that Reading as had the last few weeks. Has any side had a tougher run than Manchester United, West Ham, Chelsea, Arsenal, Portsmouth and Liverpool?
They face Spurs on Sunday and then it looks a bit brighter – Charlton, Fulham, Bolton, Newcastle, Watford, and Blackburn. They will need to pick up points because the holiday schedule is on the tough side – Everton, Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham.

AlexMorph - Who is your pick among the current crop of England 'wingers'; Joe Cole, Lennon, SWP, Downing, et al. To my mind Cole is really the most creative (besides being the most complete player), and after him I would take Lennon. SWP and Downing never seem to show any guile in taking on a defender, and Phillips always needs about 10 feet of space or he'll lose control.

Bobby - Actually, I think you can make a case that Cole is more effective in a central role. Until Mourinho got a hold of him, I thought Cole was just going to turn out to be another unfulfilled talent. Lennon on his game is tremendous. If he can make as much progress this season as he did last season then he will be some player come May 2007. Some players are quick – certainly Lennon is – but Lennon is sharp as well. That is maybe your issue with SWP – he seems to need more space to work in. Downing is blessed with a great left foot which is a wonderful advantage. I would say that the next 12 months or so are critical for Downing and it will decide whether he goes on to become an international class player or just a very good club player.

venti_vidi_vici - Why is Mourinho starting Hilario now that Cudicini has been declared fit? Is Hilario really the better option, or is JM repaying a debt to Hilario, or is this part of a larger scheme? I believe it is part of a scheme to get to Buffon in January. Benching Cudicini will naturally force him to seek a transfer, and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind joining Juventus. The bianco-neri have shown a great interest in Mascherano, whose contract is basically owned by Abramovich. I think it’s safe to say that the whole Abramovich/MSI connection is hardly a secret anymore! I think Juventus would accept the Cudicini and Mascherano trade for Buffon with the right amount of cash, which is obviously not an issue! Juventus will need the transfer money next year, and may even get an option for Cech when he’s healthy. Or it could be that Cudicini is actually not quite fit yet, and Mourinho is just being cautious !!!!

Bobby – A couple of questions in there. Cudicini has been in a tough position since Cech arrived – how do you hope to stay match fit when you rarely see action? Having said that Cudicini is prone to costly gaffs and perhaps his best days were during the Vialli/Ranieri eras.
I don’t know about the Abramovich/MSI connection though. It seems to me that since the double Argentine move to Upton Park there has been more to indicate that Abramovich and MSI are not one and the same. The more I think about this I can’t come up with a credible reason why a man who could buy all the players he ever wanted would want to mess around with a share of what is in effect for him, a small scale operation.   

Henry14 - 1.as I was watching the Arsenal game I was frustrated as you can imagine with the lack of determination, l think Wenger will clearly take a swipe at his players if he has never did. West Ham deserved to win; they were hungry and the gunners let talk of beautiful football get to their head. l feel that Wenger 's outburst was as a result of the frustration of losing points while he lied that he was impressed by the team's performance and I bet that if he had been hit by a ball from a player he would have been on his throat. If you would have asked Wenger how many point he would get in his past three games including the Hammers he would have said 7 to 9 and that why I feel he snapped, what do you think caused him to lose his cool

2. My question is if Ashley Cole is the best left back in world football then the standard of left backs in world football is low, Il have seen him since he has been to Chelsea and has not got his best form. l think this is because Chelsea are more defensive minded than attacking and his defensive awols are now being exposed than ever b4, he was toasted in the Barca game by Messi and Lennon made him look average, and to be honest Chelsea’s weakness are wingback. Do you think it is Chelsea’s weakness and what do you make of Cole’s poor form since joining Chelsea in comparison to a Gallas?

3.  What do you make of Cole’s allegations towards Graham Poll, I did not feel he had a bad game and do you thing if a Neil Warnock, or Adie Bothroyd had complained about ref treatment would the ref chief go to speak to him or it is just one of those moves that only happen to the big boys as the case with Mourinho and if so what causes the bias?

Bobby –1. Frustration. 2 – It could be that Ashley Cole is showing the effects of the long drawn out move from Arsenal to Chelsea as well as his run-in with the FA plus he just got married etc. He is not playing well but few good players in the prime of their careers suddenly become bad players. At Arsenal he had a system that he was comfortable in and he had an understanding with Pires and Henry. Now he has to learn how Jose Mourinho wants him to play. Perhaps one of Cole’s strengths with Arsenal was he often forced the wide midfield player to mark him. At Chelsea that doesn’t seem to be happening too much at the moment. I don’t think you can write him off in his first three months and make comparisons to Gallas. Chelsea fans would rightfully point out that even if Gallas is playing better Chelsea still lead Arsenal and I am willing to bet that Ashley Cole is still playing years after William Gallas has retired. 3. It sounds as if Poll actually said what Cole claims, then the referee assessor and the assistant referees would have heard it as they are all connected. We will know sooner rather than later. If it turns out that Poll didn’t then Ashley Cole will be the starting left-back for the Pinocchio X1.

4Everton - Is Kanu injured? Just wondering why he hasn't playing as much.

Bobby – He was on the bench on Saturday but didn’t get on. He has started 8 games and came off the bench once this season. That means apart from Saturday there has only been one other Premiership game where he hasn’t made an appearance.

davard - How was "The Don?"

Bobby – It was great stuff. Unfortunately this tour is billed as a farewell one.

bigdavedisaster - I thought your comments on Mondays show about Robbie Keane were spot on. He has become a fan favorite at Spurs because of his tenacity and great work rate and he seems to take a leadership role when he starts games. I criticized him earlier in the year but he seems to be back in his form of last year the more that Jol plays him I hope it translates to Ireland. He and Berbatov seem to play well together and I think Jol should stick with them. I like Defoe but he does not see the field well and though he has great pace and quickness I think that he rarely creates chances for other players and needs the ball at his feet a lot to create his own chances. Mido and Defoe are sloppy with the ball whereas Keane and Berbatov tend to be a settling presence allowing other players to get forward and create scoring opportunities. Do you think Jol will stay with the Bulgarian and Irishman and does that mean that Defoe might be dealt in January?

Bobby – I think the Bulgar-Irish duo looks to be the most promising but Martin Jol is another manager that rotates so I am not so sure that you will see anything resembling a settled partnership.

verbal97 - Thanks for not adding to the ridiculous hyperbole that is crowning Ferguson the greatest manager in the history of the world. Although, I personally think Paisley is better than Busby as he had to take over for a legend in Shankly and was even more successful.

Bobby – Not doubt Bob Paisley was more successful than Shanks but rather like Busby, without Shankly would Paisley have had the foundation to build on? It really comes down to what you place a higher value on – trophies or the instilling of a culture of good football and high expectations which in turn leads to winning trophies. In doing research for the Busby piece I discovered that Bob Paisley arrived at Anfield just before WWII and that Busby, who was club captain at the time, apparently took the young Paisley under his wing.

neophyte - I noticed that many of you have Buffon listed as the #1 keeper, as well as FIFA. My son even tells me he is one of the best keepers in his FIFA video game. Maybe VVV can help out here since I haven't seen Buffon a lot but I didn't see much in the way of "the best keeper" in the WC. His backline was incredible and I don't remember him getting tested. I have seen Dida-impressive, and a couple of other keepers in La Liga that were impressive. Why doesn't Van Der Saar get more love? He looked great in the WC (as well as Ricardo-Portugal) and plays in a league that scores more than any other. I am sure I'm missing something but what is going on with the Buffon man-crush everyone is feeling? VVV-educate me. Bobby-help me see the light.

Bobby – I would pick Buffon as the best in the world. A few years back I was a bit surprised when Juventus sold van der Sar to Fulham and spent a fortune on Buffon. I thought van der Sar was a bit of a scapegoat for a blunder that essentially handed Roma the scudetto a few years back. He made a hash of a Nakata shot after Juventus was 2-0 up and the game finished in a 2-2 draw. Shortly after that he was gone.
But over the years Buffon has been very consistent – even as a teenager with Parma – and he very rarely makes a mistake. He seems to do everything that a keeper needs to do very well.

Neil Davidson on a new and different way to identify World Cup bad-boys.

Sid Lowe explains how a shot from a Spanish paper backfired and provided Zinedine Zidane with motivation.

Kevin McCarra believes that Sunday’s final will dictate how the 2006 World Cup finals will be remembered.

How important are the French wingers? David Pleat explains.

The former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson compares and contrasts Barthez and Buffon.

The winner will be announced on Monday.

Nominees are:

Michael Ballack, M, Germany

Gianluigi Buffon, GK, Italy

Fabio Cannavaro, D, Italy

Thierry Henry, F, France

Miroslav Klose, F, Germany

Maniche, M, Portugal

Andrea Pirlo, M, Italy

Patrick Vieira, M, France

Gianluca Zambrotta, D, Italy

Zinedine Zidane, M, France

My pick would be Fabio Cannavaro.

Very little in this one. Germany is clearly the fitter team but they haven't turned that advantage into many clear cut chances. Podolski got free on one but Buffon saved.

If Italy is going to score it looks most likley to come from catching the German back four square.

Lahm had a fantastic second half.

Well it was a much better second half and a well deserved win for Italy. Buffon bailed Italy out with a couple of great saves early in the second half.

Ukraine was a much more enjoyable team to watch when they opened up in the second half - unfortunately for them it left them open at the back and Toni finally got on the score sheet.