re: Group B Match 19 | Chile vs Spain | Official Match Thread 3:00PM EST

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How are the rankings determined

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It's a formula based on Wins/draws, importance of matches played, quality of opponents, and ranking of overall confederation strength

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how often are teams re-seeded?

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Monthly

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I mean I'm asking a question, there's no need for this IMO.

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All I was doing was emphasising something that is normally really difficult for Americans to come to terms with.

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How are the rankings determined and how often are teams re-seeded?

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Read this

so this is the 3rd time in the last 4 Cups that the defending champ hasn't made it past the group stage

France in '02

Italy in '10

Spain in '14

ETA: in '06... defending champ Brazil was eliminated by France in the quarterfinals

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Spain has a lot of talented midfielders but they don't have one that can replace Xavi without changing the dynamics of their ability to frustrate pressing defenses or simply not be as effective trying to do the same thing.

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Exactamente. We all knew this going in, so did El Marqués, and I thought we´d be playing more direct. Thiago´s injury really hurt (I think Del Bosque was seriously planning accommodating he and Koke together, albeit possibly not as starters). Hence, the inclusion of Diego Costa (late in the WC planning phases, not for these specific matches). If you´re going to play Costa, you´ve got to play Koke. Nobody else knows how to feed him (well, a full on Xavi, of course).

I was disappointed with the slooooowness of David Silva, I really thought this was his time to shine. I guess his technical ability just lulls them to sleep in the prem, and all you EPLers now understand why he´s been playing sparingly up until now. Koke gave him two good balls today which he didn´t get to (due to his mental ´cacao´ and his lack of quickness).

Andrés Iniesta cannot be asked to do it all. I really feel sorry for this guy. Can´t say enough about him. Beast. Absolute beast.

Azpilicueta was rather pedestrian as well, but within La Selección there were soooo many mental errors, lead feet and patent exhibitions of age and being slightly past prime, that he looked a bit north of serviceable.

Xabi Alonso was horrid, if anyone follows Real Madrid, I think we all saw this coming.

I did not know Busquets had THAT bad of a season. It was damned sure evident in these two matches (he just wasn´t sharp and über on time, which has always been his forté). I say this, as it seemed he was tired, definitely mentally tired and slow. That whimper of a tap in of the inside of his shin guard summed his two matches up quite nicely.

Pedro, bless him. A lot of heart. Nothing more to say.

Ramos is Ramos, I don´t think he was tremendously sub par, I think he was a bit under expectations. I think a lot of people expected him to head in two goals and have a penalty á la Panenka.

Piqué actually looked good early on against the Netherlands, he and Ramos got tore apart when left on an island by the maddening ivory white crowd nervously going forward against ten or eleven dingey blues.

I understand the starting of Iker Casillas, but I thought Vincent of the Forest would bring on Pepe Reina, even at the half of the first match (because of hierarchy and seniority, NOT because he´s better than David DeGea).

DeGea injuring himself in training a day after the first debacle (whether true or not, we´ll never know, will we?) certainly helped the idealness or no of rallying around Casillas, to be a moot point.

Alba is kind of like Pedro, but better. I mean to say, he can create a lot, can ball, and is a fireplug, but the lethargy and pointlessness which reigned were highly contagious, and he was definitely under the influence.

Diego Costa meant well, fought like hell, but Alonso, Silva and company can´t work with him on such short notice. Xavi can, on some isolated instances, because he´s Xavi (even though he´s past it physically). Isolated instances aren´t enough in the WC.

The next generation are multiple European Champions and World Champions in the inferior categories. It´ll be the Koke and Thiago Alcántara show (sans Sergio Canales, which is a shame). Let´s see if it holds true with La Selección Absoluta.

Ah, head coach you ask?


Marcelino
Rafa Benítez
Fernando Vázquez
Camacho
Caparrós
Emery

Who knows?





Ah, someday, when we´re all up for it, we´ll discuss ´broken´ matches, and how they affect different sides (and the scoreboard). Very few of you know what I mean, but those that do, I know you´re knodding your heads (this isn´t an elitist comment, nor meant to be so), and it´s going to be much fun.

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I was disappointed with the slooooowness of David Silva

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He's just not that good. The sooner Spain realizes that that is why he is in the Premier League, the better.

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Azpilicueta was rather pedestrian as well

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He was the best player out there tonight. And that is pathetic.

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I understand the starting of Iker Casillas, but I thought Vincent of the Forest would bring on Pepe Reina, even at the half of the first match (because of hierarchy and seniority, NOT because he´s better than David DeGea).

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Jose Manuel Pinto would have been better. That says everyhing.

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Alba is kind of like Pedro, but better. I mean to say, he can create a lot, can ball, and is a fireplug, but the lethargy and pointlessness which reigned were highly contagious, and he was definitely under the influence.

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Alba is just awful and the sooner Spain and Barcelona can understand that they fricked up letting him play, the better.

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He was the best player out there tonight. And that is pathetic.

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Ignoring Andresíto, of course.

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Ignoring Andresíto, of course.

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Yeah, but it hardly counts because even shitty Iniesta is better than the rest of the team.

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Alba is just awful and the sooner Spain and Barcelona can understand that they fricked up letting him play, the better.

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Well, they've gotten this far with him playing. So..... There's that.

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Maybe with Thiago they can find a like for like replacement.

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There´ll never be another Xavi.

Thiago is more vertical and athletic. He´s got some Iniesta in him.

Koke is more vertical and athletic. He´s got more Xavi in him (Thiago has a lot, don´t get me wrong), but is still more direct.

Ah, I didn´t rate Javi Martínez, because he was just fine. I mean to say, he was at CB, but had to drift up in the second half, as that´s where he´s best (enabling and trying to diffuse onslaughts). He´s one of the pillars going forward, absolutely without a doubt.

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Hence the need to adapt. Maybe with Thiago they can find a like for like replacement.

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I think the adapt part is more likely.

Thiago's excellent but he seems more of an attacking midfielder than a master of geometry like Xavi.

I think with Xavi-Thiago, like Pirlo-Verratti, the comparisons come more because they will replace them in their respective teams than that their skill sets are such close matches that the teams won't have to undergo some real changes in style. . . .