Do you think that the 2006 Football World Cup was won by the best team?

Question

Italy won, okay, but were they the best team in the tournament and therefore deserved to win? Or was it more a combination of luck and circumstances that handed them the Cup?

Answer 1

I know what you mean, and I have been thinking in a similar direction myself after watching the final yesterday. In my humble opinion that final was a sad and shambolic end to an otherwise brilliant World Cup. And based on skills and action, the real final was the play-off for third place.
Looking at the four teams that played in the semi-finals, and again based on skills and action rather than on goals and actual result, I have to say that Germany was by far the best and strongest of them and would therefore have deserved to be world champions.
The second best team was Portugal, the third best France - who only impressed me against Brazil, while all the other matches they played were mediocre - and the least impressive of the last four standing was in fact Italy. They have some good players, of course, but there was little co-ordination in their game and very little positive attitude. Even in the final they did not make any effort to decide the match in regular or extra time, gambling all on the speculation that Buffon was a better goalkeeper than Barthez (which of course paid off, even though it was not great sport). In the semi-final Germany was clearly the stronger team and they would have won the penalty shoot-out (as they always have for the past 30 years), but the luck of a fluke goal two minutes before the end of extra time gave Italy the edge. And, no matter how good or bad the teams are during a match, at the end of the day it is the goals that count in Football, and nothing else.
I have no grudge against Italy and I do not grumble. They played and won their matches according to the rules, and therefore they are the world champions. Congratulations!
But in the interest of Football and its millions of amateur players and supporters around the world, I would have hoped for a more deserving champion and a more positive final. Unfortunately the modern club game is so over-commercialised that it produces now primadonnas where once there were players. And all those millions spent on the stars have - as we all could see during the past four weeks - not produced better players and better Football as such. Maybe FIFA can learn from the experience and make a few positive moves during the coming four years.

Answer 2

Possibly. Tournaments aren't really the best measure of a team. A season is. A season in a league like Serie A, The Premiership, La Liga and perhaps even the Champions League (though the final is a on-off). Tournaments are about survival. And clearly the Italians showed themselves to be the best survivors. Where other great teams, coaches and players cracked, they stayed alive. Brazil and Argentina, Pekerman and Eriksson, Ronaldinho and Zidane--Italy, Lippi and Matterazzi outlasted them all. France actually looked the better team in the run of play yesterday but Italy is a team loaded with skill, toughness and tactics--and they converted all five penalties. So why not, yes, why not say that the best team did win?

Answer 3

In a knockout competition there will always be an element of luck and circumstances that dictate the winner, not always the "best team" .... Argentina were arguably the most attractive side, and looked strongest for my money, but penalties were there undoing ..... but Italy are worthy winners, and produced some great displays, Cannavaro being the best player in the tournament. Well done to them

Answer 4

No, sadly the best team (Germany) only came third. But that is the way such knock-out tournaments go. There is only so much skills, motivation, team spirit and performance can do. In the end it is goals that count.
In the past I have seen teams dominating a match for 120 minutes, and then losing 4:5 on penalties.

Answer 5

They deserve to win the World Cup, if you have been following it, you will notice that they were really a strong team (especially in the semi finals with Germany). A tough group, but of course, with a little luck. Its their rightful turn for the World Cup this year!

Answer 6

The time table and match pairing was horrendous...
In the quarter finals how could we have Brazil and France...
also many other team pairing were mismatched and then bad referring was the culprit for France forfeiting the game to Italy as the second time when maluda fell it was actually a penalty not awarded and the Italians should mind their tongue while speaking to the captain of the other team also such a respected and senior player of the game...
It was not a fair game...

Answer 7

I think Italy got extremely lucky as they were able to pull off a lot of "injurys". Germany on the other hand played almost 100% fairly(I said almost!!) and they also showed much better coordination and teamwork than any other team. They're still a young squad but were able to win third which is still great. Congrats to them for that achievement.

Answer 8

Of course the best tean won - Thats why they are world champs!!!

Winning teams need good play and good luck. Sometimes they make their own luck, sometimes its from outside sources - other team's players, weather, refs etc....

I support England but on the day we were beaten. Of course you can debate how we COULD play when at our best, but the simple fact remains, we didn't!

Italy played hard, had some luck and held their nerve. Well done.

Answer 9

I don't know about them being the best team but they were undoubtedly one of the best 5 teams.

Yes I think they won by mixture of luck (meeting teams like Australia and Ukraine) and opportunities they created in the game. Isn't that usually the case.

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Answer 10

My guess is every time a team needs luck and circumstances to win the cup. Italy had got both, luck to win at penalty kicks, circumstances to have such an easy final stage (Australia and Ukraine were weaker opponents than Brazil, Argentina, England, Portugal...)
This has a part in pointing a team out as best, but it couldn't be deserved as the main key in winning WC... Italy was wrong in some match (USA, Australia) and definitively doesn't play well in final, but had some good issue too as:
* Best goalkeeper
* Best defenders (Materazzi had a great tournament, and he's injured Nesta's substitute, Cannavaro is going to be awarded with golden ball)
* Best coach.
I need to spend some words on Lippi.
Luck and circumstances are more prized in WC than other tournaments, because teams are made by players who stay together 60-70 days out of a year. This 'time factor' makes a Federal Team so far less trained and well-playing than Club Team counterparts. There are less tactics, movements, schemes. Less ability to react to troubles as injured key players, to switch tactics and roles if a match needs changes...
Lippi had an impressive preliminaries playing with a 4-3-1-2 tactic, really attacking and performing, with Totti as leader and key player moving at the back of the forwards. When Totti was injured in February (broken leg), Lippi replaces him with Del Piero and collect 2 great friendly match against Holland (3-1) and Germany (4-1). Totti starts his WC with only 5 official match played after recovered from injury, and Lippi replaced him in the 2nd match sending Del Piero against USA, but his performance was low and he seems out of fitness. Finally, Lippi switched to a more defensive 4-4-1-1, to cover Totti slow movements. Of course, this tactic create a playing less attacking and offensive, but it isn't the coach first choose. Lippi led the team to final having send in the field 21 players out of 23, 10 players who scored a goal, without playing his favorite tactics.
Luck and circumstances did only the rest.

_*****adding a note to sean_f:

1. Italy won Germany in e.t. well playing. In e.t. they got a post and a crossbar, then scored 2 goals, the first at 119' from a defender in the opponent's box. This means willingness to avoid penalties!
2. Italy lost against France in '98 WC at penalty kicks and in UEFA championship 2000 golden goal in extra-time by Trezeguet. You can go for sure in Italy we fear e.t. and penalties. Starting penalties, all Italy feels ready to gone out. They won, but not in the way they choose...