And yet they are South American champions with an excellent record, prior to qualification, with the same players. They just lost form. If they decide that today is the day to regain it, England won't win.
They've lost form for a while. They've shown no evidence that they will regain their best form, as proved by their 3-1 loss to Costa Rica.
Admittedly they didn't have Suarez for the Costa Rica game, but Cavani and Forlan is still a formidable partnership and they couldn't get the ball. They need someone to find them but they're playing a 4-4-2 with two holding midfielders who lack any sort of creativity. They'll be easily prevented from creating anything from wide positions because they don't have a ton of pace on the wings and their only good attacking fullback is now suspended. We'll keep the ball, make their wide players chase back and isolate their strikers. Suarez will probably play deep as an effort to link the midfield and win the ball, but if he's not 100% I don't think he'll be able to do that much work. I think they'll have to try and play on the counter.
I think you underestimate England, we are a good team that just needs to gel (and leave rooney out). It is equally likely we will find our stride today.
On the evidence of the Costa Rica game he's likely to hang out on the shoulder of a centre back and touch the ball about 5 times all game.
We have good swingers, like Rooney who swings his boot at the ball and causes the ball to swing towards the corner flag.
Until Wilshere comes on @ 50 minutes to attempt dribbles and fail at the first man he tries to walk through. I do think we'll win if we play like the other night though. Need Rooney behind the striker not on the wings and like I've said a million times the manager needs to tell him to '****ING STAY THERE AND STOP COMING OUT TO FETCH THE BALL'. Needs a strong manager to sort Rooney out or he thinks he 'has to do' everyone else's job. If Sterling fades like he did against Italy then I would have Lallana on at half time. Welbeck needs to be told to track back every time as well.
I expect most of you listen to this podcast as well but for those who don't they've got a Uruguayan football expert on today who's very pessimistic about their chances. http://www.theguardian.com/football/audio/2014/jun/19/world-cup-football-daily-podcast-spain-chile The England game talk starts at about 30 minutes in.
I've just got a funny feeling that it's going to be a tight, tense game, and everyone is going to be wittering on about Suarez.......but that actually Gastón is going to go and do something special. Hopefully an own goal, but.......y'know......he's got it in him.
Well, let's face it, he's been saving himself for almost two years. Should be the freshest player on the pitch by quite some distance!! (Joke)
Uruguay: Muslera, Caceres, Gimenez, Godin, Pereira, Gonzalez, Rios, Lodeiro, Rodriguez, Cavani, Suarez That's Alvaro Pereira, a left-sided player, not the suspended Maxi. So I guess Caceres switches to right-back? No Gaston. Lodeiro chosen over Gargano but there's little difference there. Same stupid shape as the Costa Rica game. Gimenez is a 19 year old centre-back with very little first team experience at club or international level. Currently at Atletico Madrid but yet to get into their first team.
A 19 year old with hardly any playing experience at the top level playing in a must win match at a World Cup. He will be ****ting himself. Lugano may be **** but he's experienced and he's got leadership skills so they will miss him.
