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Misc => Random Randomness => Sports => Topic started by: Liam on December 06, 2013, 20:30

Title: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: Liam on December 06, 2013, 20:30
Group A: Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon.
Group B: Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia.
Group C: Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan.
Group D: Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy.
Group E : Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras.
Group F: Argentina, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Iran, Nigeria.
Group G: Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA.
Group H: Belgium, Algeria, Russia, South Korea.

Brazil 2014 is set to EXPLODE! I can't wait, so many quality teams, stars and young players on show!

LOL England, gonna go home empty handed again. Can't see them getting points against Italy or Uruguay...
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: Kerou 犠牲 on December 06, 2013, 20:40
Shola Ameobi's gonna get the Golden Boot



I expect the obvious will happen with this tournament; Ronaldo will carry Portugal out of the groups, Messi will do well; Brazil, Spain, Argentina and Germany will get to the semis

Should be a good tournament. Obviously I want England and France to do well but we'll have to wait and see

Dark horses? Colombia, they're a very solid unit atm
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: SirBlaziken on December 06, 2013, 23:44
Although I don't really care for soccer in general, let's go USA!
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: Liam on December 06, 2013, 23:50
yeahhhh... but USA are gonna get smacked by Germany and Portugal.
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: SirBlaziken on December 07, 2013, 00:13
^Um... I don't know soccer/football so I'll just say you're wrong and be in denial.
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: the bread dragon on December 07, 2013, 00:16
yeahhhh... but USA are gonna get smacked by Germany and Portugal.
on top of that, i didnt think U.S was great in the first place
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: Kerou 犠牲 on December 07, 2013, 00:50
^Um... I don't know soccer/football so I'll just say you're wrong and be in denial.

Germany have (on paper) the best squad in the world
Portugal have (arguably) the best player of 2013 and one of the great players of all time
USA have Altidore... To put it bluntly, you're absolutely screwed lol
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: SirBlaziken on December 07, 2013, 01:32
Germany have (on paper) the best squad in the world
Portugal have (arguably) the best player of 2013 and one of the great players of all time
USA have Altidore... To put it bluntly, you're absolutely screwed lol

Like I said, don't know soccer.
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: Wolstenholme on December 07, 2013, 11:18
Well stop posting here then, you! ^

I don't know all that much about footy (I know who is good and who is bad and that Brazil have won the world cup 5 times but nothing more) but I suppose I should make input.

England really don't stand a chance against Italy (they won the world cup recently, didn't they?)


Who is actually in the England squad then? I know a fair few England players but I have no idea who is in the squad.

Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: Kerou 犠牲 on December 07, 2013, 12:06
Italy are very much beatable but the conditions in the first game suit Italy's style of play much more (if they perform well or we fail to nullify their midfield). They last won it in 2006; a lot of things have changed since then

England squad won't be announced until March I believe? Or May?
Either way expect the likes of Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, Ashley Cole, Joe Hart, etc. to be there plus an addition of youth and freshness like Barkley, Lallana, Jones, Smalling, etc.
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: Milsap on December 18, 2013, 14:08
Quote
Who is actually in the England squad then? I know a fair few England players but I have no idea who is in the squad.

I'd expect to see out of any of these:

GK: Joe Hart (The bitters), John Ruddy (Norwich City), Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion)

DF: Leighton Baines (Everton), Kyle Walker (Tottenham), Kieron Gibbs (Arsenal), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Michael Dawson (Tottenham), Phil Jones (Man United)

MF: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal), Tom Cleverley (Man United), Adam Lallana (Southampton), Andros Townsend (Tottenham), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal) Ross Barkley (Everton),

FW: Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Ricky Lambert (Southampton), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Wayne Rooney (Man United), Danny Welbeck (Man United).

But then again, some young guns to watch out for will be Raheem Stirling, Josh McEachran, Jonjo Shelvey, Luke Shaw, Jack Butland, Saido Berahino, Ravel Morrison and Tom Carroll

Quote
yeahhhh... but USA are gonna get smacked by Germany and Portugal.

If Germany only put three past the USA they'll have played badly. Portugal are a two man team (Ronaldo and Nani) with Pepe being just a thug.

Germany v Brazil final for me. Spain's style of football has been undone recently and they'll struggle.

Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: Kerou 犠牲 on December 18, 2013, 17:51
Fraser Forster is ahead of Ruddy in the pecking order atm

You've got two more spaces (23 man squad), Chris Smalling and Frank Lampard will go (especially as Frank is vice captain). Walcott will be deployed as a wide midfielder rather than a forward.

Milner might be in there ahead of one of Lallana, Townsend or Chamberlain; I'd pick him ahead of Townsend since if he gets found out he'll be pretty much useless over there.

Carrick's got a great chance of going

McEachran has no chance of going, same for Carroll and Voldemort. Morrison could be a late shout but a) Barkley's better and b) Roy previously said there probably won't be any new faces going

I wouldn't be too surprised if Henderson went either, been surprising good this season and an industrial style would work well with the conditions
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: Liam on December 18, 2013, 18:22
Jay Rodriguez? He's been putting in the work this season.
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: Kerou 犠牲 on December 18, 2013, 18:28
He wasn't great for England and whilst he's better in the middle I can't see him being picked ahead of the other strikers. He is doing well this season though!

EDIT: Today is more evidence that Henderson should go to the World Cup. Vastly improved since he was initially signed by Liverpool.
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: Liam on December 22, 2013, 22:51
I think England's problem is that although they have a team of good players, they're being thrown into a world cup in a time where the other teams are composed of absolute world beaters.
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: Awkward Squirtle on December 22, 2013, 23:16
I agree that the players aren't as good, but I don't think that's England's problem. our problem is that we manage to have a good squad, but consistently fail to make them play like a good team. The whole "Gerrard and Lampard can't play together" thing people always used to talk about really applies to the whole team. In friendlies against what should be far weaker teams, the general quality of our play makes us look on about the same level. I can't remember too many games I've watched and thought "we actually had a really good game there."
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: Kerou 犠牲 on December 22, 2013, 23:23
The Lampard Gerrard problem arose because neither of them were suited to playing in a 4-4-2 with both as CMs because they did very similar roles at their clubs in their prime (as in offensive minded box-to-box midfielders) and then as time went on England got progressively worse and worse. Without that central fire as it were which should have been our strongest position we really struggled. A change of formation would have worked best but then that may have sacrificed other players; at that point neither Rooney or Owen would have been capable as playing as a lone striker and there would have been a massive backlash if Heskey was picked ahead of them. We've always needed an influential left winger too, something we still lack now (although I do think Lallana could be a productive impact sub there).

Now our team just isn't great. Our defence is pretty weak bar left back and our midfield is getting old (plus Wilshere hasn't been great this season and Cleverley hasn't developed as well as predicted). We just need that spark that Beckham, Lampard, Gerrard, Rooney had that just wasn't applied consistently enough. Barkley could be it in years but this WC will come too soon for him to properly influential I feel.

Really is more of a transitional period for England more than anything. 2018 could be okay but the U21s have also been under performing so maybe they're not that good either :P
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: Awkward Squirtle on December 22, 2013, 23:50
2018 might be interesting, not for the U21s as much as the players who are starting to emerge who are first team already. Henderson as you've mentioned, Lallana, maybe sterling, Phil jones if he has a position.
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: Kerou 犠牲 on December 23, 2013, 00:02
2018 might be interesting, not for the U21s as much as the players who are starting to emerge who are first team already. Henderson as you've mentioned, Lallana, maybe sterling, Phil jones if he has a position.

As a prediction I expect it to be

Rooney

Lallana Barkley Ward-Prowse
Wilshere Chalobah

Shaw Jones Smalling Clyne

Hart

Depends how the likes of Will Hughes, Zaha and Morrison develop though
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: Milsap on December 23, 2013, 14:46
The other problem is that if you don't play for United, Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea you've got no chance of playing for England. Even though there's players at Everton (Jags and Baines being an exception) and Southampton that could get in.
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: Liam on December 23, 2013, 18:42
I was gonna say you missed out Man City Milsap then I realised that they don't do English players :laugh:
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: Kerou 犠牲 on December 23, 2013, 20:29
The other problem is that if you don't play for United, Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea you've got no chance of playing for England. Even though there's players at Everton (Jags and Baines being an exception) and Southampton that could get in.

Tbf to Hodgson he's been giving more chances to players outside the big clubs
Title: Re: World Cup Brazil 2014
Post by: Milsap on December 23, 2013, 22:51
I was gonna say you missed out Man City Milsap then I realised that they don't do English players :laugh:

Richards, Hart and Milner are their only three I think :P