Fox Sports football commentator Simon Hill has emerged from his month in South Africa with 10 lessons learned from the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Read what Simon says and offer your thoughts on lessons learned at this World Cup, following the discussion at the bottom of the page.
- THE BALL IS ROUND - too round. Never did the title of David Goldblatt’s excellent book on the beautiful game have more meaning. The jabulani dipped, swerved and misbehaved. Makers adidas claimed it was the "roundest" ball ever. A bit like the "flattest tv screen of all time". So what? It still has to be functional. New technology doesn’t necessarily mean better.
- TECHNOLOGY IS OVERDUE - so to completely contradict that last statement, goalline technology is definitely overdue. It wouldn’t have made a blind bit of difference to the result in Bloemfontein - Germany were so superior to England it was unbelievable - but Frank Lampard’s goal should never have been ruled out. With refs “wired for sound” regularly these days, the decision can be delivered in an instant. What’s the problem?
- DEFENSIVE FOOTBALL DOESN’T WIN - teams setting their stall out to contain generally failed at this World Cup. Australia learned to their cost against Germany, being completely overrun. There were other instances - North Korea (although they can perhaps be excused) played an almost prehistoric 5-3-2, and were duly thumped by Portugal. Even Brazil drew criticism for abandoning their traditional “attack with flair” philosophy.
- ATTACKING FULL-BACKS ALL THE RAGE - Philipp Lahm is perhaps the perfect modern full-back. He joins in with attacks, links the play with his deft skills, and is still excellent in the tackle. Others such as Van der Wiel, Maicon, Ramos, Cha Du-Ri and Nagatomo epitomised the role. It’s a tough job, working the flank for a full 90 minutes, but those who did it well helped their teams immeasurably. Note to Glen Johnson - offensive skills must be combined with defensive discipline.
- MULTICULTURALISM IS GOOD - hats off to Germany, who have made good use of one of the west’s most contentious issues … that of mass immigration. “Die Mannschaft” has a most un-German look about it - names like Khedira, Podolski, Cacau, Ozil, Boateng, Aogo (although there is still a Muller - there always is!). Blended together, they have given Germany a South American-feel allied to the traditional German steel. A winning combination.
- AFRICA IS NOT THE THIRD WORLD - when it comes to organizing major sporting events. Great stadiums, friendly people, and a unique atmosphere provided by the contentious vuvuzelas. South Africa has been a terrific host and deserves many plaudits. If there is one downside, it is the travel times to and from the stadiums - but once there, people are kept moving, and everything has worked. There has also been next to no trouble at the finals.
- ENGLAND MUST LEARN - and France and Italy, too. Having a bunch of talented individuals doesn’t make a team. England were lopsided, one-paced, unimaginative, disorganised defensively, and Rooney didn’t even show up. The fundamental flaw in England’s set-up is the lack of technique. Kids don’t get the required coaching in that area until far too late. A Daily Express report recently showed England had just 245 coaches with the highest UEFA badge - Spain has over 15,000. A scandal.
- EUROPE RULES - despite the South Americans getting off to a flier, we had an all-European final for the second World Cup in a row … only the second time that has happened in the tournament's history. Uruguay were left to fly the flag for CONMEBOL; they produced a valiant effort, but never looked likely to lift the trophy.
- OCEANIA INTO ASIA - New Zealand unbeaten at the World Cup - unbelievable isn’t it? The All Whites were one of the great stories of the finals, even though they bowed out at the group stage. For the second World Cup in a row, Oceania has proved it deserves to be treated better. Give their half spot to Asia, and throw the winner of the Oceania group into the final round off Asian qualifying.
- THE BOOFHEADS NEVER LEARN - for a while, I thought we were making progress. While Australia were still in the tournament, the meatheads who normally slate our game were asking good questions. Should Kewell play? Were Verbeek’s tactics right? It was all a patriotic smokescreen, and they reverted to type after the Roos went home. The bigger picture is the 2022 World Cup - let’s hope it comes down under so we can shut these dinosaurs up for good.