Scousers hate England National team and they'll cheer him on if he ends up beating England. It can't get any worse for Suarez than it already has among other teams and it's pretty much status quo for him.
Fifa World Cup 2014 Draw
- Thread starter vanthaman
- Start date
Scousers hate England National team and they'll cheer him on if he ends up beating England. It can't get any worse for Suarez than it already has among other teams and it's pretty much status quo for him.
France, sneaking it through qualifiers and they get a walk over of a draw.
I really have no confidence in the African teams. Their star players are on the brink of retirement.
Cameroon: They've got N'Koulou and Chedjou as their center backs. Not bad but not great either. At left back will probably be Bedimo, some Lyon defender, and at right back I don't know. Nounkeu. He plays for Galatasaray like Chedjou and has filled in there but is essentially a center back (I'm basing this all on a lot of CL watching, wiki and common sense).
Matip is probably a midfielder since they've got two good center backs. He might also play there. What they have in abundance are defensive midfielders. Matip, Makoun, Mbia, Song, Enoh and more. That's really what they have. Center backs and left backs, defensive midfielders and forwards. None of their players, besides the 32, by then it will be 33, year old Eto'o is known for scoring.
Ghana: Very small squad. Inexperienced. Look better on paper than Cameroon with Gyan, Ayew brothers, Kevin Prince-Boateng, Asamoah, Muntari and old Essien. Defense is seriously lacking. Cameroons 2nd string might be better than their first.
Nigeria: I probably recognize the least players here. They've got a Kennet Omerou, a 20 year old Chelsea player with 15 caps. Ever heard of him? The only African team with a decent goalie. Like Ghana, no real defender to talk about. Seems like a young team. Young teams tend not to do very well in the World Cups. John Obi Mikel, Joel Obi, Emenike, Moses, Martins, Uche and Obinna are the players to mention here. Decent enough attack but not great.
Ivory Coast: The only team capable of getting out of their group imo. Only because there's no frontrunner there. Sure, Colombia is the best team there but they don't have any achievements that make them stand out.
Drogba is the obvious star player. A very experienced squad. Their running on the same fumes as they did last time. The Toures, Drogba, Kalou, Gervinho, Zokora, Romaric, Eboue, Kone and Tiote. Added Doumbia, Bony and Lacina Traore to that mix. Really the only place where they didn't need to improve. Way too many strikers.
You know what you're going to get with this team. No surprises. They can make it to the last 16 and with a luck of the draw, to the quarter finals. Wouldn't be on them. It's not a team I expect to see at the WC in Russia. They're whole starting lineup will be 30-37 by that time.
Spain will send Brazil out in the first knock out stages with a Diego Costa goal.
I mean that I wonder whether the media will start picking on every dive, handball, etc. to build up his cheat status again. The scousers will indeed close ranks and breed that victim mentality again whic takes him completely off his game...
That would be interesting, shite for my NT and Suárez mentally, but interesting from a United standpoint.
Agree, weather wise they'll be in their element though, don't underestimate that. In Rio (exponential in Manaus) I used to shower and by the time I had gone down the elevator to get my car I was soaking wet again.
He wouldn't make it out of the stadium. Seriously. And he knows it.
Drogba isn't the same guaranteed starter for Ivory Coast that he always used to be but I think for the WC, his experience is invaluable.
England and Italy will qualify.
Argentina will win the darn thing. Bet your house on it.
A probably line-up
Buffon
Maggio Barzagli Chiellini De Sciglio
De Rossi Pirlo Montolivo
Candreva Rossi
Balotelli
Buffon
Maggio Barzagli Chiellini De Sciglio
De Rossi Pirlo Montolivo
Candreva Rossi
Balotelli
Forgot about Algeria. They've got an alright shot but it's a tough group for them. Their starting 11 players in strong leagues. A pretty young team overall. Might get strong in 4 years. Would still bet on them finishing last in their group. Star players are Bougherra, Mesbah, Yebda, Brahimi and their best player, Feghouli.
It should be funny seeing Brazil go out...
are there any draw simulators?
are there any draw simulators?
thanks
I'm loving this about the draw. I've literally never genuinely wished a player injured before Suarez came along, but I've broken the habit of a lifetime for this man... hopefully as we get towards the end of the season everybody he plays against will be aware that they'll essentially get a free pass from the English media if they take him out. Mirallas has already shown the way forward.
Also, as and when he inevitably does knock us out of the tournament, he's bound to do something massively cnutish which will be the final straw in terms of him being hounded out of the country. Think Ronaldo '06 x 1000.
it will be the solumn duty of every English player to see the cannibal finally gets to see a doctor...
• Coach anxious to avoid Manaus because of the tropical climate
• Virgilio: 'We hope to get a better team and a sensible coach'
England gets drawn at Manaus
I've just seen those quotes from the Mayor... what a whinging little tit.
"[Hodgson]'s one of the few people in the world who is not curious about the Amazon, who doesn't want to know about Manaus... Fortunately the English people are different than Mr Hodgson. It's polite to be able to value what is beautiful. And nothing is more beautiful than Amazonia, [the state of] Amazonas, and Manaus."
Yeah, oddly enough Hodgson is more interested in how his team will perform than what your city has to offer for tourists. What an uncultured, narrow-minded man, eh? Typical Brit abroad.
He wasn't slagging off your city you stupid prick. How thick can you be?
Maybe Bonucci in place of Barzagli and Abate in place of Maggio. But that's debatable. Also, no Marchisio?! I like Montolivo but I'd have Marchisio instead of him any day. Montolivo plays well but he's a bit meek going forward. Marchisio adds the drive and hustle and complements De Rossi's and Pirlo's abilities better. I'd quite like El Shaarawy and perhaps even Insigne to get a look in, during the latter stages of games, if the tournament's going well. Balotelli always seems to fade away badly, if he's having a bad day, so throw Rossi up front and he should do well, with Candreva/El Shaarawy/Insigne flanking him.
Very true. With De Rossi getting on a bit, Italy could probably do with someone who will run around a bit more rather than a playmaker like Montolivo (who is a good player in his own right).
I can't see how England will get out of this group to be honest. Italy's system is very solid and they are always a well organised side.
I've never heard of any of those players. But their FIFA ranking (despite it being quite unreliable) seems to indicate they are a decent side.
Anyone know the odds of Suarez taking a bite out of Gerrard?
Would not be surprised to see them not qualify to be honest. Easy group on paper, but you've got two South American sides in Ecuador and Honduras who will give them a tough game.
Zidane said something along the lines of he would've preferred a tougher group for them. And I think he is right.
do they have the match schedules and channel times for US TV?
What bollocks is that? A tougher group (like England's) and they're out.
You forgot FM legend Belfodil.
There's been plenty of evidence in previous tournaments where if you survive the group of death, you can usually make it quite far into the tournament.
Some teams need a kick up the backside to perform.
He's got a point. Looking back at their past groups, they always seem to struggle to get out of them.
2002: Last place with 1 point in a group containing Denmark, Senegal and Uruguay (nowhere near then to what they are now).
2006: Second place, with 5 points, in a group containing Switzerland, South Korea and Togo. They needed 2-0 victory on the last game against Togo.
2010: Last place in a group containing South Africa, Mexico and Uruguay (okay this was a decently tough group but they still should have topped it).
And in 2006 if South Korea had gotten a draw against the Swiss in their final game France would not have qualified I think. And then they stepped it up a gear in the knock out stages to beat Brazil and Portugal (in form side). I think the French will just about qualify this time around... but they won't blitz the group by any means. They will labour through it, probably confirming qualification on the third match day.
Their best players play in Spain and Italy. Usually it was France in the past but not so much now. You might remember Yesba for his loan stint at Portsmouth 3 years ago. Feghouli plays for Valencia. He was excellent in the CL last season.
Wouldn't call him a star player. Barely played for club or country. Promising enough for Inter to buy out half of him from Parma for around 7m.
Conversely, somebody just pointed out that England (like France) generally struggle in easy groups, so the draw may not be so bad. I guess there's certainly an argument that if we get out of the group, then it means we're fully up and running and ready for the knock-outs.
Yea, I think a 'tough' draw is better than an easy draw for England as it forces them to not be complacent. But I feel it will still be quite a challenge in this group for England. Italy and Uruguay are both very solid teams, with good chemistry and team work.
You never know though in tournaments.
I see. I think Belgium will run away with 9 points but the 2nd plc could be anyone's I feel.
I think it is good that expectations for England are going to be low - probably the lowest of any tournament ever, many dont even expect us to get out of the group
What's good about it? A country like England should be competing in the final stages.
I expect England to do well tbh.
get to the quarters at least.
get to the quarters at least.
People said all this about low expectations being good at Euro 2012 and still moaned when we lost in the quarter finals, on penalties no less. After topping our group. This will be no different, low expectations can and never will exist with England, those who shout loudest about them being so awful often being the most critical at any failure.
well the usual hype machine and sky high expecation is part of the problem - perhaps with the weight of expectation off their shoulders, the team can actually relax a bit and perform better.
personally i expect quarter finals and any further is a bonus
They're a poor side, who habitually take the field with 5-6 sub-standard players, add in a duff manager and they're not going to make it out of a group with Uruguay and Italy.