World Cup Brazil 2014

[Liam]

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...

[Kerou 犠牲]

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

[SirBlaziken]

Although I don't really care for soccer in general, let's go USA!

[Liam]

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

[SirBlaziken]

^Um... I don't know soccer/football so I'll just say you're wrong and be in denial.

[the bread dragon]

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

[Kerou 犠牲]

^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

[SirBlaziken]

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.

[Wolstenholme]

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.

[Kerou 犠牲]

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.

[Milsap]

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

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.

[Kerou 犠牲]

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

[Liam]

Jay Rodriguez? He's been putting in the work this season.

[Kerou 犠牲]

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.

[Liam]

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.