South Africa 2010

That was very much Brazil's second string side. They were without Kaka, Robinho, Elano and Felipe Melo. When they're back to their full strength, they'll be pretty much unbeatable. It was clear that Brazil were content with a draw today, and Portugal didn't really look like they wanted to win the game either.

Looking at the next round, I think Uruguay v South Korea, Germany v England and Spain v Portugal are the pick of the round. All the teams have to go and give it everything now, so hopefully we'll start seeing some truly world class performances.

South Korea v USA
England v Argentina
Japan v Spain
Netherlands v Brazil

My predictions for the quarter final fixtures.
 
Brazil never are the team they usually are.
I hope Chile beat Brazil, they're probably the most aggressive team, and one of the most exciting teams too.
 
Uruguay almost paid for trying to sit back and defend their 1-0 lead. Nice winning goal though.

And Ghana looking much improved from the group stages.[/font]
 
GHANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

they easily deserved to win. their goalie was fantastic (apart from the penalty)

fuck you america :mokken:

THE OPRESSED WILL RISE AND BEAT YOU (in the world cup)
 
The United States once again was horrible in the defensive end. Didn't show much promise in the midfield as usual and in the end deserved to lose. It didn't seem like they cared enough about winning to actually win the game. Congratulations to Ghana seeing as they worked hard at taking the game to the US.

Hopefully in 4 years we'll have the right personnel especially in defense to turn things around. Overall the United States met expectations but in the end wasted a fantastic opportunity to make it into the semis.
 
^^


Totally agree. We sucked hands down.

Ghana was the same team we lost to back in 2006 if I recall correctly :hmmm: They just had so much more speed then the USA and out-moved us.

Congrats to them... I guess :mokken:

I wasn't totally shocked tbh we've been playing like shit from the start.

Tomorrow's game is England. I probably will end up watching it :hmmm: Just cause i have nothing better to do x]
 
I think some people are being a bit harsh on USA, they had the better of the second half (after a first half where Ghana threatened to overwhelm them) and the well taken goal early in extra time just knocked them out cold. Of course they cared, but they just looked too exhausted to fight back again.

England to beat Germany today, provoking the usual wave of over-optimism that is then ruthlessly crushed in the quarters or semis.
 
Germany kicked England ass.

4-1 was the final.

its been the most scores allowed since 1954.

Though England got screwed over :hmmm: It should have been 2 instead of 1 goal.

Whoever wins with Argentina and Mexico will go against Germany in the QFs.
 
A predictable outcome. Even though I didn't really want to accept it, I knew Germany would beat England today.

Let's face it. England's performance was just lacklustre today. Rooney for example, was just invisible. Where was all that greatness he promised? What has he actually done in this whole world cup campaign? What was all that about him being back to his full form during training? Heck, was he even on the pitch today, because he was hardly noticeable.

Yes, I was very irritated that the goal was disallowed, but that was made almost irrelevant towards the frenzy of the second half when Germany scored a couple more goals. The disastrous second half just throws the controversy of the disallowed goal out of much importance now.

And congratulations to Germany as well. They played really well. :dave:
 
I don't think Wayne Rooney can be blamed a lot for that, England's midfield wasn't good enough to give him the ball where he could do a lot. When England played well for that 15ish minute period after half time, Rooney was impressive, if not dominant.

England's defence was woeful, Germany could have at least 6, and probably a lot more if they didn't give up after they put the game beyond doubt. England hardly qualify as a golden generation if some 21 year old completely outplays their whole team. I think England were out of their depth.
 
Meh, I wouldn't say Germany played that well, we were just an absolute disaster and have been all World Cup and they capitalised on that, the problems were there to see in the group stage. It's our own fault since we didn't finish top of the group.

We have too many players who are there solely because of their name, yet never perform at a top international level: Terry, Lampard, Gerrard, Rooney etc. As well as people who shouldn't even be in the squad like Carrick, Heskey, Warnock since they add nothing to the team. Again another tournament we hyped up and were let down by bad management and useless players at international level.

On top of that, Capello needs to walk. We get a goal not long before half time and once we started attacking Germany were all out of sorts and looked rocky. So what do we do after the break, oh, try and contain them. Then we take Milner off for Joe Cole when we're 3-1 down but leave a holding midfielder on the pitch. Then on top of that we bring Heskey on for Defoe. :ffs:

Reshape the team, drop the players who don't perform and get a decent manager in as well. Preferably not one from that shitty, sub-standard Italian league.
 
England - the Newcastle United of international football?

Terrible decision aside for the Lampard goal (and to the BBC's credit after the game they didn't use it as an excuse, even juxtaposing it with England's third goal in 1966 at the end - considering the petulance of the pundits in 2004 and 2006 after England's exits this was a pleasant surprise), England were awful. I think Germany might not get past Argentina if they face them but they were very good today, and made a mockery of the ' they're not all that' comments about the German team in the English press in recent days. Got to admire their consistency, the last time they failed to make the last eight of a World Cup was 1938! Aside from 60 minutes or so against Slovenia England haven't performed yet again, and you wonder if anything will ever get done about their major tournament malaise.

I hope Capello stays anyway, the idea of Redknapp ever being England manager is hilarious (and not in a good way). He's not from the 'shitty, substandard Italian league', for starters he had great success when Serie A was the best league around, and he's won two titles with Real Madrid as well (or is the Spanish league crap niow as well?). You don't think Capello is a decent manager? Then who is?
 
Darkb1ade said:
Reshape the team, drop the players who don't perform and get a decent manager in as well. Preferably not one from that shitty, sub-standard Italian league.
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An Italian team won the Champions League this season and Capello has great success at domestic level. Just look at his record. What exactly do you want?

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I hope Capello stays. It takes time for a coach to change a team I think the media will turn on Capello even though they jizzed in their pants during the qualifying stages.

This is just me, but I think there is too great an expectation on the team in the first place. They just aren't that good IMO.

In all likelihood, he'll be sacked and England will go through the cycle again.
 
Graye said:
An Italian team won the Champions League this season and Capello has great success at domestic level. Just look at his record. What exactly do you want?
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At Italian team just won the Champions League under the same bloke who also won it with Porto...and someone who isn't so stubborn they'll change tactics when they know it won't work?

Graye said:
This is just me, but I think there is too great an expectation on the team in the first place. They just aren't that good IMO.
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Not really, we should expect to win. We arguably have one of the best teams in the world on paper and some of the very best club players. We just don't seem to win when it matters.
 
.Warbsimog said:
The United States once again was horrible in the defensive end. Didn't show much promise in the midfield as usual and in the end deserved to lose. It didn't seem like they cared enough about winning to actually win the game. Congratulations to Ghana seeing as they worked hard at taking the game to the US.

Hopefully in 4 years we'll have the right personnel especially in defense to turn things around. Overall the United States met expectations but in the end wasted a fantastic opportunity to make it into the semis.
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I thought we were OK defensively for the most part, except for DeMerit and Bocanegra falling asleep on the ET goal. Tough to blame the defense for Clark's turnover in our own end on the first goal.

On that note, Ricardo Clark? Really? Had he even played in the group stage? Why not Maurice Edu?

We do need to shore up a bit defensively. But as much as that, I think we need a striker who will actually finish. How many genuine strikes for goal did we have? One from Donovan against Slovenia. And Donovan's not the type to do that game in and game out. Altidore is the perfect candidate for it. If he can become a world-class type of finisher around the goal, I think that'll go a long way.

Also, can we not just sit there and launch balls deep and hope they connect? How about a little possession once in a while?

charliepanayi said:
I think some people are being a bit harsh on USA, they had the better of the second half (after a first half where Ghana threatened to overwhelm them) and the well taken goal early in extra time just knocked them out cold. Of course they cared, but they just looked too exhausted to fight back again.
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Agree completely. Ghana barely held on in the second, and frankly they were lucky it went to ET. Gyan's goal was a sucker punch that probably took the wind out of our sails.

Overall, I think we held our own. Looking forward to Brazil.
 
At Italian team just won the Champions League under the same bloke who also won it with Porto...
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So?

Also, I believe Capello won all his Serie A titles a couple of years back when the Italian league was at it's pinnacle IIRC.

You should only expect to win when England actually show the capability to win the big games on an international level. They haven't shown that for over 40 years. If you can't win when it matters then how can the players be called great?

Like I said, it was all happy when things were going well.
 
Darkb1ade said:
Not really, we should expect to win. We arguably have one of the best teams in the world on paper and some of the very best club players. We just don't seem to win when it matters.
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England should expect to win? This is the England side who has only made it past the quarter final stage of a major tournament just four times (and only two of those on foreign soil), who have not won a World Cup in over 40 years and who have never made a European Championship final (something the likes of Belgium, Denmark, Czechoslovakia and Greece have all managed). And an England side that has been very poor now in two successive World Cups. They should expect to win? You don't think this overconfident attitude might not be one reason for the continued lack of success?
 
Graye said:
So?

Also, I believe Capello won all his Serie A titles a couple of years back when the Italian league was at it's pinnacle IIRC.
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May be, but I'm not questioning his honours at club level where he might be a fantastic manager. The Italian defensive tactics will not work with an England National team, we don't have the players to do that, we've seen that the past 3 games in the group stages, Mexico and Japan and he refused to do anything about it.
You should only expect to win when England actually show the capability to win the big games on an international level. They haven't shown that for over 40 years. If you can't win when it matters then how can the players be called great?
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See below.

charliepanayi said:
England should expect to win? This is the England side who has only made it past the quarter final stage of a major tournament just four times (and only two of those on foreign soil), who have not won a World Cup in over 40 years and who have never made a European Championship final (something the likes of Belgium, Denmark, Czechoslovakia and Greece have all managed). And an England side that has been very poor now in two successive World Cups. They should expect to win? You don't think this overconfident attitude might not be one reason for the continued lack of success?
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And the same players who play for the best club teams, play in the best league, earn the highest wages, won countless medals between them and bar last season were consistently in the Champions League last 4/8 shouldn't be expected to win?
 
No, because (and here's the thing), club football is not international football. What works in the Premiership and the European Cup doesn't necessarily work in the World Cup. But England have no ability to play any other way. They shouldn't be expected to win because experience over the last 40 years of international tournaments has not suggested they can. It's arrogance to expect success with this recent history. Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Germany, they can possibly expect success at times. England need to earn such expectations.
 
charliepanayi said:
No, because (and here's the thing), club football is not international football. What works in the Premiership and the European Cup doesn't necessarily work in the World Cup. But England have no ability to play any other way.
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This I agree. England lack players with technique as their main asset. Lampard is probably the only World-class player known for his technique, the others are more known for driving forward with pace and power.

A good team generally has good mixture of skill and physique. English players playing abroad might help this problem; look at Spain with Torres, Holland with Van Persie, Portugal with Ronaldo; they have players than know how to handle powerful defenders because they've played against them in the Premier League.

Anyways my opinion on today; disappointing. England were terrible and Tevez was amazing, I know. But if we don't get goal-line technology or video replays soon there'll be chaos. It cannot go on like this. The England decision was a bad one, but the Tevez non-offside was just shocking. The worst part is the ref and the linesman knew they got it wrong yet couldn't do anything since they found out through video replay. With videos the Kaka red would've been avoided, this goal would've been avoided and many future problems will be solved.

Cannot include modern technology Sepp Blatter? YOU FUCKING ALLOWED THE MANUFACTURE OF A PERFECTLY SPHERICAL BALL THAT COSTS £85 TO BUY USING MODERN TECHNOLOGY. Where's the sense in that? Ridiculous.
 
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