Place to discuss the tournament in Brazil this summer. Who will you be supporting ? I know we have some Welsh and Scots as well as Africans and people from the US who use this forum. How well will the Arsenal boys do ? Which players are you looking forward to watching ? Who do you think will win the tournament ?
Anyone watch the friendly last night? Yeesh we're going to get poned. From an Arsenal perspective I thought Jack was poor which is to be expected considering his return from injury. AOC looked pretty sharp in contrast which is fecking typical considering he got crunched and now is having knee scans. Yay international football.
England. I actually think we have a good side. I'm predicting we make it all the way to the Semis. I like Barkley a lot, Sturridge has been on fire for Liverpool, Baines is a TOP left back.. then if Gerrard can replicate this Seasons Liverpool form we are capable of beating anyone. It's a team with a good mixture of youth and experience. There's a lot of good South American teams. Although for me Brazil are arguably one of the weakest. I have to say I think Uruguay will be one of the most dangerous teams in this Tournament. Argentina have an amazing squad.. The prospect of Aguero, Messi and Di Maria linking up is pretty scary. Also Colombia have a decent side even without Falcao. I think Spain may be past it. Xavi and David Villa are on the decline. They still have a great team but not as good as a few years back.
Problem with England isn't the ability of the players, but their ability to the football that the manager wants. Gerrard is playing as a deep lying midfielder, but not the Pirlo or Arteta type who starts moves with short passes to players into space. All he wants to do is smash it to the right wing. Rooney doesn't fit into any formations properly, seeing as he can't play up front on his own, but isn't creative enough to be the second striker. And then Hodgson just gets the team to pass it around the back for ages.
I have to say that, without wishing to start an argument, my view could not be more polar to this one. England will huff and puff and Spain and Brazil will be in the final or thereabouts. Just sayin.
I can also see Brazil go very far this tourny, even through they don't have a team as impressive as the others. Also England have pretty good players, but whether the manager can get the best out of them is another matter. I think this is a world cup too early for them, as their main talented players - Wilshere, Barkley, Raheem, Shaw, Sturridge etc, haven't hit their peaks yet, or have enough experience. Next world cup will be interesting for England, but this depends on which manager they get too.
Hopefully this World Cup lives up to expectations, because the last one had to be the worse one ever, from boring games, to terrible stadium atmosphere because of those ****ing horns.
They say it was better back in the days. Was it better in your days? You had the pleasure of watching Yohan Cyruff's Holland and Zico's Brazil, it must have been great!
1998 was the last World Cup I remember being really excited by, but I was still a pup and not as cynical as I am now. I quite enjoyed the vuvuzelas last time though
Argentina have a FAR better squad than Brazil though. Bernard, Neymar, Fred, Jo and Hulk vs Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Lionel Messi, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Di Maria. I know home advantage and everything.. but for me this Brazil team is really mediocre.
When you factor all the players picked by both Argentina and Brazil and their likely starting XIs I'd say that they look more even. Brazil's likely back four of Marcelo-Thiago Silva-David Luiz-Dani Alves, protected by Fernandinho and/or Paulinho, is strong for a start, and both teams are going into the tournament with fantastic records (Brazil have won 15 out of their last 16). As an aside, Jo, Bernard and Fred sound like Tetley's Tea Folk.
All personal beliefs and political views aside, I want Argentina to win, I have a mammoth bet on them. I'm not convinced by the hosts and with so much turmoil going on in their own country I can see them struggling with the pressure. If Switzerland, Holland, Ivory Coast and Algeria all finish bottom of their groups I might just get the mortgage paid off, if any of them win the thing I'll be found hanging off the Emirates Clock with a noose round my neck on 14 July....
Somehow I can't get excited by players named Bernard, Fred and Jo for Brazil. Not sure about Bernie, but the other two aren't anything amazing. Player for player Argentina are better but its the team unit that matters. If Argentina can get a coach that is good enough, then they will be really dangerous.
Germany 6-1 Armenia Poldi scored one and assisted three; Ozil assisted one and hit the post. Both on as second half subs.
go to here to pick your greatest world cup team from history - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-27699398 and then post here your team http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-27699398#002023025027016090080087068103092