Germany vs Argentina

1) Argentina obviously didn't watch the England or Australia (or Serbia or Ghana) games closely enough. You need five men in midfield against Germany. Argentina'a approach of leaving Mascherano with Di Maria and Rodriguez working the flanks was absurd.

2) Thomas Mueller didn't look anything special in the Champions League games I saw; however he is clearly a real talent. Hard working, decent game awareness, great movement, a good touch, and a goalscorer to boot. He might be missed against Spain.

3) Klose deserves his place up in the pantheon of World Cup goalscorers. You don't score 14 goals in World Cups without being a decent taker of chances and without having sufficient ability to be in place to score in the first place.

4) Bastian Schweinsteiger has been by far the best midfielder on show in this tournament.

5) A slightly off-colour Messi is not good enough to simply win matches all by himself. To be honest, I doubt if he is good enough to win matches all by himself even on top form; perhaps some recognition that he plays in front of two of the finest midfielders on earth with some fabulous forwards alongside is due. Messi may be one of the great players of all time, certainly he often looks like the best player in the world; perhaps a little less deification is necessary though. The truth is that each star who has been built up for this tournament has disappointed in the face of the hype placed on them; the hype needs to stop. Teams are always more important than individuals anway.