Forza Italia

ok now that it's over, i can reveal some bets.

Best bets made before the WC 2006 started
- Italy to win WC2006
- Miroslav Klose to win golden boot

These bets made me think twice
- Luca Toni to win golden boot @16:1
- Michael Ballack to win golden boot @40:1
- Jared Borgetti to win golden boot @40:1
- Lukas Podolski to win golden boot @25:1

- Portugal to win WC2006 @20:1
- Brazil v Czech as finalist @20:1

but it's been a good WC for me, the 2 best bets were huge because they were made before the WC2006 started. So now it's over, NZ can have their rugby back. the 4 weeks were good, now to wait for EPL, champions league and La Liga.

+thoughts on the final+
did france deserve that penalty, fuckin hell no! why not? because Florent Malouda fuckin dived, Materazzi hardly tocuhed him. But the ball is round and the same person who made the penalty scored the equaliser. So it's cool. i'm not going to talk about the zidane headbutt but what i'll do is give a rundown of the BEST players.

+Goalkeeper+
there's one stopper worth mentioning here, Gianluigi Buffon. The Juve stopper has been a rock of concentration and in superb form, conceding only to a own goal and a penalty. damn. he's the new safe hands.

+Leftback+
a toss up between Germany's 22 year Phillip Lahm and Italy's Fabio Grosso, but my pick would be Lahm, his runs remind me of Bixente Lizarazu who played for Bayern. But Grosso is worth mentioning here as well, he may be a "peter crouch" but damn he scores when needed and defends when it counts.

+Central Defender+
The other italian rock - Fabio Cannavaro, he may not have the height but goddamn the man can defend. His placement and crucial tackles saved Italy a lot of times and definetly one of best bets.

+Central Defender+
The french rock - Lilian Thuram, at 34 he makes feel like a fuckin turd sitting on a couch again. It's hard to see him cry his heart out during the finals because it's his last outing. Adieu Thuram!

+Rightback+
Ginaluca Zambrotta definetely, although a sub for Zaccardo he's proven that he can play left or right and in defence or midfield. His goal against Ukraine - fuh!

+Holding Midfielder+
a toss up between Claude Makalele and Rino Gattuso, who worked the hardest? both of them did. But i think Real must be kicking themselves in the balls, for letting him leave to Chelski. So it's Makalele for me, Gattuso's final celebrations pants off still a little too traumatic for me.

+Central Midfielder+
Pavel Nedved or Patrick Vieira or Juan Roman Riqueleme. Vieira was the one who actually lifted the French team back to contention, it was not Zidane. His fill in captaincy role showed why he was so damn important to Arsenal during his Gooner days. Nedved eventhough this will be his last WC, but this little midfield general has always worked like it was the last match of his life, it was really sad to see grown men weep especially to a country where he plys his trade. Riqueleme, dubbed the political signing whilst at Barca and treated indifferently by the gaffer; loaned to villareal, found back his form with fellow Argentinian Juan Pablo Sorin. The rest is history. Argentina is Juan Riqueleme, the team is built around him. My pick is hard but Riqueleme is the choice, his vision during the Argentina - Serb game was superb.

+Left Midfield+
Maxi Rodriguez for his ET goal against Mexico (dammit i thought i had that match sewed up)

+Right Midfield+
Bastion Schweinsteiger, another 22 year old German, had he not been a sub during the Italy - Germany, we would have seen a Germany - Italy Final.

+Attacking Midfield+
Nope, not Zinedine Zidane here, but Andrea Pirlo. Well it was a toss up between Franck Ribery and Pirlo but i think Pirlo had more of the magic as a playmaker like Riqueleme.

+Strikers+
Miroslav Klose and Lionel Messi, There is no denying now that Klose does not only scores with his head, Golden Boot 2006 in his hands. the up and coming Messi on 19 and playing for Barca, he terrorises backlines and who can blame him.

+Gaffer+
Has to be Marcelo Lippi, why? because look at the Italian bench - everyone had a part to play in the WC. Domenech put in Alou Diarra who had only 15 minutes of game time to replace the injured Vieira. Lippi's tactical switches during in games and he is not afraid to take out a star player like Totti (*advise for mcLaren.

+teams to look out for+
the African nations

+unlucky stars+
Switzerland for going out of the WC without losing a game
Ghana for losing Essien and meeting Brazil next
Nesta for getting injured

::Duckeggs::
+ Ronaldinhno, Roberto Carlos .... actually the entire Brazilian squad
+ Poland
+ Frank Lampard, Wayne Ronney .... actually the entire England squad (yes you included Sven)
+ Michael Ballack
+ Andriy Schvchenko
+ Thierry Henry
+ Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ljun ... actually the entire Sweden squad
+ Switzerland v Ukraine for being the MOST fucking boring match ever.