Football (Soccer)

Messi has been brilliant for Barca, how he's been for Argentina shouldn't really be taken into consideration... Argentina isn't in Europe. I'm not sure I'd give him the title, but I struggle to think of someone who would really deserve it more.

Originally posted by Bicnarok
Mind you when you consider their injury list it has to be expected. Van Persie out for 5 months, that´s sad for player, club & country.

Arsenal's main problem in my opinion is that these players more often than not refuse to take shots, they seem to want to dribble the ball in.

There back line is what needs work too, which injurys have effected.

When our backline is fully fit, it's one of the best in the league. Vermaelen is easily top three in the league when he's on form.

What you've got to remember, regarding taking shots, is that if a player does that; it's a wasted chance to do more if it doesn't go in. If a player dribbles, people say he should've shot.

-AC

Originally posted by Alpha Centauri
When our backline is fully fit, it's one of the best in the league. Vermaelen is easily top three in the league when he's on form.

What you've got to remember, regarding taking shots, is that if a player does that; it's a wasted chance to do more if it doesn't go in. If a player dribbles, people say he should've shot.

-AC

Don't get me wrong, they play some beautiful football and more often than not it works for them, so they're doing something right. I just wish they'd take a few more shots.

WORLD CUP DRAWINGS RIGHT NOW!!!

Group A

South Africa,
Mexico,
Uruguay,
France

Group B

Argentina,
Nigeria,
South Korea,
Greece

Group C

England,
USA,
Algeria,
Slovenia,

Group D

Germany,
Australia,
Serbia,
Ghana

Group E

Netherlands,
Denmark,
Japan,
Cameroon

Group F

Italy,
Paraguay,
New Zealand
Slovakia

Group G

Brazil,
North Korea,
Ivory Coast,
Portugal

Group H

Spain,
Switzerland
Honduras
Chile

Liking England's group! Group G will be awesome entertainment... Good to see North Korea getting royally humped.

I reckon the odd for USA to win are 9/11.
The odds for England are 7/7.

rofl. Sounds about right to me mate.

Originally posted by GCG
I reckon the odd for USA to win are 9/11.
The odds for England are 7/7.

You mean 1/1 right?

Odds will go out the window in this tournament in most cases, the USA have an excellent team as seen in the confed cup.

Feel sorry for S.Africa though, can´t see them getting through the group stages no matter how many annoying trumpeting fans they have present at the games,.

USA are looking good to go into the last 16, that's for sure... But as you say, anything can happen in the world cup.

Originally posted by §P0oONY
That's true, however Arsenal rarely shoot. I find myself while watching them almost shouting at the TV to 'just shoot!' (not an Arsenal fan, hence the almost). The number of times they have a player in the box, in space not taking a shot is staggering.

Don't get me wrong, they play some beautiful football and more often than not it works for them, so they're doing something right. I just wish they'd take a few more shots.

That's probs why they're so bad away.

Originally posted by Bicnarok
Odds will go out the window in this tournament in most cases, the USA have an excellent team as seen in the confed cup.

Feel sorry for S.Africa though, can´t see them getting through the group stages no matter how many annoying trumpeting fans they have present at the games,.

I'm backing England to get far and then lose again.

Of course, if they win then this country will no longer be a tolerable place to live.

Naturally I'm rooting for Brazil.

-AC

Im surprised, the Dunga's Brazil play more like Germany than the attractive football they used to produce. England won't get far unless they can discover a decent keeper rapid fashion.

Ivory coast is my favourite but Ill be rooting for the team which plays the most attacking football, not Greece for a start.

I think England does have a chance, they played extremely well in the qualifying matches and had kept a pretty consistent and good speed to the football on the pitch. Agreed, the goal keeping has been, well, to say the most, average. However, I think that England's high pressure style of play might prove to be key here seeing as how their group is fairly low pressure.

Brasil has been a bit of a dissappointment, they were a very solid team not so long ago, and now they are extremely boring to watch. They've got Portugal to play though, and hopefully they'll overcome that minor obstacle. Bloody portuguese.

Originally posted by ChakraStrings
I think England does have a chance, they played extremely well in the qualifying matches and had kept a pretty consistent and good speed to the football on the pitch. Agreed, the goal keeping has been, well, to say the most, average. However, I think that England's high pressure style of play might prove to be key here seeing as how their group is fairly low pressure.

Brasil has been a bit of a dissappointment, they were a very solid team not so long ago, and now they are extremely boring to watch. They've got Portugal to play though, and hopefully they'll overcome that minor obstacle. Bloody portuguese.

The two noteworthy teams they played both beat them. Admittedly they had an abysmal team against Brazil, but the score was only 1-0 because Brazil are far from their best.

They played Spain and got outclassed. It wasn't 5-0 thrashings, it was a comfortable 2-0 victory in which David Villa made Ferdinand and Terry look as if they weren't even there.

It's precisely what I hate about this country's England fans; they hype them up because they whoop some obscure country 5-0 then act surprised when they get dashed out by one of the better teams.

Another issue with England is the fact that there is no "team".

When was the last time England had a solid starting 11? Never mind a starting 11 that work as a team, but one that you could actually name? There was a time where Brazil had a starting eleven to the point that every player on the team was numbered 1 to 11. Every single player was a first choice. When can England say they've done that?

The problem comes with the opposite of what traditionalists would have you believe; foreign players ruining things. It's not. If English players were good enough on average to be exported to other leagues, they would get way more experience. No South American league is good, America's league is shit; do you see where I'm going? They export their naturally gifted players to places where they'll get playing time and experience.

England players are not good enough for others to want them. We have the best league ever, but that's not because our homegrowns are amazing.

I understand there's respect and everything, but England SHOULD be beating those teams five or six nil, they're nobodies. People will act like England are the shit for qualifying a group they should be winning, let alone qualifying. Then, when they get knocked out, people act like it's a surprise.

England have never played the best football in a tournament, they've never deserved to win it since they won it once. Most of their penalty shootout losses come because they can't finish games off.

-AC

Agreed with just about everything you said. And in correspondence to the Brasil game, the majority of Englands starting line up was out and they were playing in very hot conditions, it was expected of Brasil to win that one but only 1-0?

Now, yes, but you are also downgrading English players as well. Defoe, Rooney, Gerrard, Terry, you can't forget these players have a lot of skill and class behind the ball as well. I understand what you're saying, they are indeed overhyped quite a bit but don't admit it to the point where you downgrade there quality and class.

I think England have a decent shot at the Cup this time around, I understand completely though, they never seem to come together especially in key matches. We have the POTENTIAL of being the worlds top team if we could only get our head of our arses for a few matches. In all honesty though, I do think England sincerely have a decent chance for the Cup. Spain is performing fantastic, Germany is looking rather strong, but I'm not so sure teams like France and Brasil will be of much trouble should England decide to play well. I suppose time will tell though, Englands got a pretty average group (USA being the really only team that may cause problems if they allow that to happen) so let's hope for the best and see where the lads will go.

Terry has as much class as a cockney hooker and his "ability" is to score a header now and then, and recover from a mistake he made in the first place. He's not really good.

Rooney will never be as good as he once was, Gerrard is massively overrated and Defoe is the best one there. One of the best young strikers in the world at the moment.

It's not a matter of deciding to play well; I don't know they can even if the wanted to.

I've always rooted for Brazil since '94. I've never liked England. If they play well enough to win and were the team worthy of winning, fine. They won't be, though.

-AC

Originally posted by Alpha Centauri

Another issue with England is the fact that there is no "team".

Hit the nail on the head there, having a bunch of decent players from various clubs isn´t good enough.

The problem comes with the opposite of what traditionalists would have you believe; foreign players ruining things. It's not. If English players were good enough on average to be exported to other leagues, they would get way more experience. No South American league is good, America's league is shit; do you see where I'm going? They export their naturally gifted players to places where they'll get playing time and experience.

England players are not good enough for others to want them. We have the best league ever, but that's not because our homegrowns are amazing.

S American countries don´t export their players so they can get experience, its money.

The reason why Brasil has so many natural talented players is A. The population, providing a larger pool to choose from and B. because of Futsal which is very popular and due to the ball having less bounce and the tight spaces skill is developed.

Rooney will never be as good as he once was, Gerrard is massively overrated and Defoe is the best one there. One of the best young strikers in the world at the moment.

Rooney is a much completer player than he used to be, and faster. Dunno why you think he isn´t as good.

As for DeFoe, yes he´s doing well at the moment, but I´m surprised you didn´t mention Aaron Lennon who has improved even more, just hope he takes part in the world cup and not Beckham on the right wing.

I think England has the potential to win, I honestly believe that Capello can get the players working as a team, and as I see it, assuming our players are fit we have a hell of a team... granted our goalkeepers are lacking but even they're not atrocious and we have no end of talent up front, if games go our way we have the potential.

Originally posted by Bicnarok
Rooney is a much completer player than he used to be, and faster. Dunno why you think he isn´t as good.

He's nowhere near as clinical or feared as he was. He has spells of drought too often.

Originally posted by Bicnarok
As for DeFoe, yes he´s doing well at the moment, but I´m surprised you didn´t mention Aaron Lennon who has improved even more, just hope he takes part in the world cup and not Beckham on the right wing.

He hasn't "improved" he's changed. Instead of being fast with a shit final ball, he shoots instead. So now he's just growing into being a really fast guy who might score.

How he was ever compared to Walcott is a disgrace.

-AC