Even though the officials have got most decisions right I have felt they have been rather whistle happy and a lot of unnecessary booking. The games themselves haven't been to the level I thought they would be and its all been a little but defensive.
Now we are down to the final 8 I am hoping this is when the quality finally shines through. We have some games which I might struggle to watch (but we all know I will) like Uruguay v Ghana and Paraguay v Spain but its the other two matches that catch the eye. Holland v Brazil will be a colourful affair and then there is Argentina v Germany.
They have met at the later stages of the World Cup with the most famous meetings being in 1986 where a Maradona inspired Argentine beat the then West Germany 3-2 but in 1990 the World Cup final was a dire affair. 2 Argentine players dismissed, niggly and decided by a dubious Andreas Brehme penalty but I think this will be a game to remember.
Their have been a few negatives, the Vuvuzeals's ruining the match atmosphere, Frank Lampard goal that wasn't, Tevez disallowed goal that wasn't and also, I feel there has been a lot of simulation. Kaka should never have been dismissed and also in the group stages Miroslav Klose was very unfairly dismissed.
At the start of the tournament I thought Spain was going to win the World Cup, I will stick with my prediction but if I could change it, I will say Germany could be the new team to beat.
What do the bookies think? Well here's their pre-tournament odds and their current odds
Argentina 9/1 now 9/2
Brazil 5/1 now 5/2f
Germany 15/2 now 15/2
Ghana 66/1 now 40/1
Holland 14/1 now 15/2
Paraguay 50/1 now 50/1
Spain 4/1 now 3/1
Uruguay 100/1 now 18/1
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