Soccer World Cup 2018

10 watchers

mattglen_ May 2018 7:36pm, 16 May 2018 34 posts	0 mattglen_ I'm actually feeling positive for this tournament
Wriggling Snake May 2018 7:43pm, 16 May 2018 18,553 posts	0 Wriggling Snake Stop that nonsense.
DavidAP May 2018 8:28pm, 16 May 2018 117 posts	0 DavidAP I am also positive. Positive that the English press will racially abuse quality players due to their ethnicity and leave certain Caucasian types untouched no matter how shit they play.
Chrisull May 2018 4:23pm, 23 May 2018 12,729 posts	0 Chrisull I can't feel confident, I did the World cup predictor. If England come second in the group (as is most likely), they will almost certainly meet Germany in the quarters (assuming they get over Poland, or Colombia or whoever qualifies from that group). Even if Germany are average,England will be at the perennial psychological disadvantage. Why won't England come first? Well I think England will have to beat Belgium, because you look at that Belgium team, and they have goals on every part of the pitch. De Bruyne and Hazard in midfield - with Naingollan and Dembele on the bench, while we get upset about ex-Bournemouth rejects being left out. Lukaku, Benteke, Batshuayi up front. They have one weak link, the manager. So in all likelihood if England draw with Belgium, they will have to outscore Belgium for goal difference. Our star midfielder (Sterling) has scored 2 goals in 37 matches. Can you see a Kane and Vardy front line hitting Panama or Tunisia for 5 or 6? Me neither.
lammo May 2018 4:28pm, 23 May 2018 8,984 posts	0 lammo Have to agree with you there Chrisull, assuming we get out of the group, in no way a given, we'll struggle to go any further
TRO Toddslayer May 2018 4:52pm, 23 May 2018 16,856 posts	0 TRO Toddslayer I'd say we are pretty unlikely to get out of the Group. I can see a 0-0 or 0-1 with Tunisia which will put us straight into 'must win' territory with Panama, and still needing a result against Belgium. Utterly unconvinced by the defence/GK, and the midfield seems to be 'neat' players without covering the basics - goals from midfield, leadership, moments of creativity.
Wriggling Snake May 2018 5:05pm, 23 May 2018 18,621 posts	0 Wriggling Snake Yes, agreed, they will not get out of the group. Goalkeeping has improved by leaving out the calamity that is Hart, defence could be ok, but the skinning of Jones is a worry, as Cahill is as likely to be treated so. Full back fine going forward, i.e quick, not necessarily great with the ball, but good enough. Midfield, I do not see us passing through a team. Attack, with a decent midfield, could well be good. I see Southgate being very cautious, keeping the ball, or trying too, funnelling back to prevent any goals, especially so in the first two games. I see then letting in a goal a game and panic ensues, perhaps 2 points from the first two games. We then lose to Belgium, out. I know the England footie captain doesn't matter a great deal, but I would still rather see a centre back or a centre midfield, at least you're in the action. If England get penned back in their half, I don't see how Kane, up the other end of the field with his hands on his hips s inspirational, or sets a standard. That is no criticism of Kane, who is a good player, it s just what will happen.
Chrisull May 2018 6:24pm, 23 May 2018 12,731 posts	0 Chrisull Nah, I can't see England not getting out of the group. Panama are weaker than Costa Rica were, only here because of the complete implosion of the US. Tunisia qualified from a nothing group and drew at home to Libya. They score as few as England do. They don't have a Mahrez or a Salah. Their best player Msakni is injured and will miss the World cup. They have a French manager willing to put in some French 2nd and 3rd division players at the expense of their current squad, doesn't speak well for squad cohesion either. Don't get me wrong, I fully expect England to balls one of them up, go 1-0 down and equalise in the 90th minute. But we're not looking at a Uruguay/Italy group, or even an Algeria/US one. England got out of the Wales group in Euro 2016 without breaking sweat. Neither Panama or Tunisia have the look of an Iceland. The England team is tidy enough to sleepwalk into the next round I reckon.
lammo May 2018 6:30pm, 23 May 2018 8,987 posts	0 lammo Chrisull are you a journalist? I don't believe anybody saw Iceland coming, and i think we went into Algeria / US very confidently, something that always proves our downfall, i hope we have TRO as the psychological coach
DavidAP May 2018 6:43pm, 23 May 2018 176 posts	0 DavidAP What ever happens it will be Raheems fault. Predicts Sun headlines along those lines.