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The World Cup Thread

35K views 334 replies 45 participants last post by  Pyotr 
#1 ·
I don't know if there are many football fans here but I thought seeing as there's a hockey thread a World Cup thread was in order.

Who do you think's going to win it then?

I'm really not sure this time round but I think Spain have got a great chance even if they always seem to underperform in the WC. Brazil have always got to be considered as well, even though I do think they have a pretty weak side this year. Argentina have got some excellent players in Messi, Tevez and Milito but they only just qualified and whilst Maradona might have been a good player, I wouldn't consider him a good manager. I don't think Germany have much chance, especially without Ballack, but no doubt they'll make it to the semi's again. I think Cote d'Ivoire will go the farthest out of the African teams but only if they manage to qualify in that difficult group. Other teams like Holland, Italy and Portugal can't be written off but I think it's going to be between Spain and Brazil.

As for England, I really can't see us getting past the last 16 going off our form in the friendlies against Japan and Mexico and also previous World Cup's. We've got some good players and Rooney is world class but I have little confidence in them performing against the big boys. However, Capello is a great manager and if things don't go to plan I hope the papers don't just maul him aloney for the results (unless he doesn't play Rooney).

Anybody here actually going to South Africa for the tournament?
 
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#285 ·
I think Brazil will get turned over in the quarter finals as long as Belgium don't bottle it. The so-called 'samba magic' is a thing of the distant past. Because all of their better players are snaffled up by European clubs at an early age the national team doesn't really play any differently to the likes of Italy these days. Too many teams still treat Brazil with too much respect, as if they permanently have a team of Peles or Zicos on the pitch. In the last world cup Germany showed how Brazil can crumble if you have the guts to take the game to them.
 
#289 ·
Thank you - and we didn't choke this time!
 
#291 · (Edited)
Sweden 4-2 England (2012 friendly)
Sweden 2-3 England (Euro 2012)
England 1-0 Sweden (2011 friendly)
Sweden 2-2 England (World Cup 2006)
Sweden 1-0 England (2004 friendly)
England 1-1 Sweden (World Cup 2002)
England 1-1 Sweden (2001 friendly)
England 0-0 Sweden (Euro 2000 qualifier)
Sweden 2-1 England (Euro 2000 qualifier)
England 3-3 Sweden (1995 friendly)

Foregone conclusion, judging from the above!
 
#298 ·
Bye bye cry-baby. And what a save by Courtois in the dying seconds.
Yeah. I won't miss the perennially over-hyped Brazil, least of all him. Now he can go back to being a big fish in a small pond playing his bush-league football with PSG.
 
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#299 ·
Neymar has been a disgrace. Always glad to see the Brazilians go out. As has been said, overhyped. Better at the last World Cup where the Germans humiliated them in their own backyard. That was wonderful. Special mention to our lad, Kevin De Bruyne. How he didn't get player of the year wa a travesty. Best midfielder I've ever seen in a City kit (he even tops Colin 'The King' Bell and I never thought I'd ever say that).
 
#300 ·
Totally agree re KDB - he's the engine room of Manchester City and doesn't 'hide' when things get a bit tough, unlike some expensive imports have done for City (and virtually every other premier league club) in the recent past. Great player.
 
#303 ·
I wonder if Becks needed a spellchecker...
 
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#305 ·
Just looking at the BBC news. It shows photos and videos from around England during the match. One made me laugh: there was a giant TV screen at the Church of England General Synod (the legislative body). The article reports that the Bishop of Willesden was heard to shout out "Close him down!"

:lol:
 
#307 ·
as I start the day with Beethoven 2nd and 4th performed by Maag etc I reflect on an e mail from one of my brothers to the effect that if 1966 was 'made' in West Ham then it would be equally appropriate to ascribe the current success to Sunderland......not the N.E. and not Tyneside but Sunderland.......but this whole thing demands an even more partisan attitude as one of the players went to the same schools as myself, my brothers and my son.......so what you might say, and really I might be inclined to agree with you but this club (of which I am a long term season ticket holder) has done nothing but let down it's fans and embarrass us in front of the wider football world (I was even laughed at when talking to a football obsessed bar owner in Sarajevo last summer)........and I have personally been disappointed by my hometown's response to EU/Brexit referendum.......

......so now perhaps it is an opportunity to restore a little pride in this town after all that has happened over the past few years!

(I am fully aware I have mentioned a personal perspective regarding politics, not interested in debating it, just adding to the 'narrative')
 
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#309 ·
what a pity, Russia - England would have been a marvelous semi (for reasons not strictly related to football of course)
Croatia has played two 120 minutes games in a row and the semi will be played in four days, huge advantage for England.
Overall a very disappointing world cup, I guess athleticism and highly organized zone defense kill talent, Belgium seems to be the most talented team (Hazard has been the only guy worth wearing a #10 in this tournament), with France a close second, I hope one of them will win it all.
 
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#310 ·
Overall a very disappointing world cup,
Oh, I don't know. I've enjoyed most of the games I've watched, especially SPA v POR, BRA v BEL and FRA v ARG. RUS v CRO last night was exhausting - not as skilful as expected, but still very dramatic.

The standard of football overall has been high, the refereeing perhaps less so, with variable inclination to use VAR and too much grabbing, pulling and even piggybacking at set pieces.

What has been most noticeable is that we can all now see that there are few easy games, and five of the Big Teams (BRA, SPA, POR, GER, ARG) have been found wanting by both superior and inferior opposition.

IMO, a truly inclusive World Cup.
 
#312 · (Edited)
Just about recovered from last night's celebrations. I rary eulogise about my country's football team (and rarely care that much, tbh) but they've done themselves and their manager proud by reaching the semis. They've been well organised, incisive and defensively superb (Stones, MacGuire and Pickford have been immense) . Anything from here is a bonus. I'll be at a friend's house in Derbyshire on Wednesday night for the semi. Should be interesting. I've not been impressed by Croatia much in this WC so if we can get at their shaky defence we have a chance.
 
#316 ·
Yes, I saw it in the paper this morning. Hell of a player, even during his veteran years.
 
#315 ·
England have shown something that they have had precious little of over the last fifty years - nous. Added to that, Southgate undoubtedly has the dressing room (i.e. the team are totally united behind him). Even if they bow out at the semi-final stage I take my hat off to them because before the competition started I wouldn't have given them a cat in hell's chance of getting this far, especially with a relatively inexperienced manager at the helm who didn't exactly cover himself in glory during his one and only stint in club football. This is still quite a young team - I hope the best is yet to come.
 
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#317 · (Edited)
I don't follow football much any more and I wasn't aware of most of the players names when I started watching England matches last year. Nevertheless, my impression was that they would do well, and as a result I have been watching many games in this World Cup for the first time in a couple of decades. My confidence was based partly on the team atmosphere and lack of petulant stars, but mainly that they were scoring late goals, whereas in the past decade they have been conceding late goals. This seems to me to be a key indication of a team's resilience and also the last few minutes have decided the result of many matches in past tournaments.
 
#319 ·
It wouldn't be an authentic World Cup if the English Team didn't choke-this one, arguably, the hardest Brexit to take, as they really did have a superb team. I underestimated them at first, but they won me over and looked like a team that would go all the way.

Anyhow, what a superlative effort by a come from nowhere Croatian squad.

Bravo Croatia!! One more time please!!! :)
 
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