Englands Chance @ the 2010 world Cup

[Easy 10]

But when was the last time we went into a major tournament with the highest goal to game ratio of any team?

Qualifying is rarely a barometer to what will happen in the Finals though. Bearing in mind the qualification is done and dusted about with about 3/4 of the domestic season still to go before the tournament starts. So much can happen in terms of form and fitness during that time.

Plus the fact that qualification isn't (normally) the problem for us. We can usually be relied upon to roll over the likes of Belarus and Andorra, and do enough against the harder teams in group qualifying. Our problems start when we come up against the big guns in a knockout game - we ALWAYS come unstuck then.

 

[¤DãŃn¥ §êãGüLL¤]

We lack decent goalkeeping options and a good striker to go alongside Rooney to seriously consider winning it.

Semis at the very best.

 

[trancing]

I think I've probably seen this said about England in the run-up to just about every tournament we've qualified for.

What I will say is that unlike the last two World Cups, I honestly don't think we are going to go there and utterly STINK the place out. At 2002 and 2006 it was absolutely embarrassing how poor we were. Our performances (and the WAGS circus) made us a laughing stock in those tournaments, and thats not going to happen under Capello.

It'll be another gallant failure this time methinks.

we didnt have a lot of luck in 2002, 1st thing was Gerrard and Gary Neville were ruled out , beckham only just made it getting injured towards the end of the season, we were in the group of death with Argentina, Nigeria and Sweden and got through, smashed the danes in the second round and then faced the best side in the world and lost to a fluky goal. Yes Erikkson should have changed it in the 2nd half but thats Sven for you.

2006 Eriksson uttley f***ed it up, Rooney injured, Owen hardly played towards the end of the season and took only Crouch and Walcott who had never played a game for Arsenal when it was clear we needed to take Defoe and Bent at the time. We were shit through the whole campagin as we went out to pens to Portugal.

if Capello has luck on his side with injurys and hes going to take the best 23 players in form and playing for there sides towards the end of the season we have as good as chance as any one.

 

[Bhafcman]

I love the english optimism before every tournament

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

I believe we will get to the Final. We certainly have the players and the Manager to do that.

IF all our players stay fit and healthy.

Spain will play Brazil in one semi - we will play Holland in the other.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

I love the english optimism before every tournament

Normally with England I'm a 'glass half empty' person, but this time I really believe that the difference is the Manager.

IF all our players stay fit (esp. Rooney, Ashley Cole, Lampard, Gerrard, Terry) I also believe Michael Owen WILL go - and play a big part, albeit as a sub.

 

[Seagull73]

We lack decent goalkeeping options and a good striker to go alongside Rooney to seriously consider winning it.

Semis at the very best.

100% agree. Semi's and we'll have done really well.

 

[drew]

You can tell this is NSC, just swap the negativity about Brighton and put England in it's place.

FFS, we have a team that could win the world cup. That's not saying we will but to win the world cup you need to have a good team, which we have, and an element of luck, which we haven't had in the past. Spain and Brazil might be the two best ranked teams but whose to say they won't meet in the semi final? Nobody has mentioned the weather either. The temperatures for this world cup will be far lower than in previous tournaments as it is in the southern hemisphere and is their winter. Not quite as bad as ours but max temps of 17and min of 4 degrees in Johannesberg where the final is being played.

We should not be aiming for the semi finals as that is defeatist. You go to a tournament aiming to win.

Will some of the sad muppets on here please go and get a life.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

it will be the ref's fault....

 

[essbee]

Drew

I totally agree - let's stop al this negativity and start thinking we can win it....
do you think Brazil message boards would be so negative....and I am a Botofogo
fan!

Get a grip and start being positive me luvvlies!! We can win it.....

 

[Billy Mays]

Wait until the draw is made and pick the game we will f*** up in the group stages to put us in the harder half of the draw and a plucky narrow defeat in the quarters against the eventual winners. Not sure why Ferdinand has been mentioned on here as one of our likely stars. With his recent unhappy knack of school boy cock ups he should be very concerned about his place.

Dodgy right-back , no world class keeper and the inevitable late season injury to one of our star players and it will be another anti-climax.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

The right back and keeping area is a concern, I would play Hargreaves there myself as he cant actually defend. This of course is depending on him being fit, which he shold be.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

The right back and keeping area is a concern, I would play Hargreaves there myself as he cant actually defend. This of course is depending on him being fit, which he shold be.

Hargreaves in goal ? It's a long shot but it could work. He may struggle on crosses though.

 

[Austrian Gull]

Hargreaves in goal ? It's a long shot but it could work. He may struggle on crosses though.

Probably no worse than Ben Foster.

 

[Brovion]

Qualifying is rarely a barometer to what will happen in the Finals though. Bearing in mind the qualification is done and dusted about with about 3/4 of the domestic season still to go before the tournament starts. So much can happen in terms of form and fitness during that time.

Plus the fact that qualification isn't (normally) the problem for us. We can usually be relied upon to roll over the likes of Belarus and Andorra, and do enough against the harder teams in group qualifying. Our problems start when we come up against the big guns in a knockout game - we ALWAYS come unstuck then.

That is usually the pattern, yes. Even when we reached the semis in 1990 we'd only played Belguim and Cameroon in the knock-out phase. 'No disrespect to Cameroon' - but beating them didn't feel such a triumph as beating one of the top nations would have done.

However I do think Cappello is secretly relieved that our 100% record has gone. I read an article once where he said only one team with a 100% qualification record has gone on to win the World Cup - Brazil in 1970. He made reference to the fact that the Italian side he was in in 1974 also qualified for the World Cup with a 100% record - they stunk the place out and got knocked out in the group phase. He reckoned they were over-confident as as well as a perfect qulaifying record they'd also beaten a lot of other top teams in friendlies.

Personally I think we've got a 'puncher's chance' of winning it. We haven't got the best all-round squad and there are weaknesses so quite rightly we aren't favourites, but, well, you never know. I just HOPE, really, really, hope that this time we are spared all the 'Golden Generation' bollocks. Don't heap pressure on the team by saying how good they are and how anything less than a semi-final place is failure. We should take a leaf out of Spain's book; they too felt crushed by the weight of expectation at every tournament and for the 2008 Euros they adopted a slogan which they put on the side of the coach: "Whatever happens, happens. Spain for ever." We should do the same, let's just sit back and enjoy the ride.

 

[The Ringleader]

I think keeper is the problem, Almunia was beening spoke about as England keeper and he is probably 5th choice for Spain!!

Casillas, Renia, Valdes, Palop & Diego Lopez are all in front of him for Spain keeper then you look at Englands choices and you realise how strong Spain are. Marcos Senna is another example of strenght in depth...

 

[Commander]

If we were anyone else but England, with the squad of players we have, I'd say we have a chance. Problem is, we are England, so therefore we will miss out in either the quarters, or hopefully the semis, and we'll all have a new pantomime villain to hate. Who will it be this time? One of ours or a johnny foreigner?

 

[alan partridge]

That is usually the pattern, yes. Even when we reached the semis in 1990 we'd only played Belguim and Cameroon in the knock-out phase. 'No disrespect to Cameroon' - but beating them didn't feel such a triumph as beating one of the top nations would have done.

However I do think Cappello is secretly relieved that our 100% record has gone. I read an article once where he said only one team with a 100% qualification record has gone on to win the World Cup - Brazil in 1970. He made reference to the fact that the Italian side he was in in 1974 also qualified for the World Cup with a 100% record - they stunk the place out and got knocked out in the group phase. He reckoned they were over-confident as as well as a perfect qulaifying record they'd also beaten a lot of other top teams in friendlies.

Personally I think we've got a 'puncher's chance' of winning it. We haven't got the best all-round squad and there are weaknesses so quite rightly we aren't favourites, but, well, you never know. I just HOPE, really, really, hope that this time we are spared all the 'Golden Generation' bollocks. Don't heap pressure on the team by saying how good they are and how anything less than a semi-final place is failure. We should take a leaf out of Spain's book; they too felt crushed by the weight of expectation at every tournament and for the 2008 Euros they adopted a slogan which they put on the side of the coach: "Whatever happens, happens. Spain for ever." We should do the same, let's just sit back and enjoy the ride.

I'd go along with all of that.

I think the Spanish national team have benefited massively from the fairly recent migration of their players abroad. They used to be the same as English players plying their trade in their home league. They had their own 'choking' mentality at major tournaments. Seems to me they've managed to change that and I'm sure having top players playing abroad must have helped.

 

[beorhthelm]

I think keeper is the problem, Almunia was beening spoke about as England keeper and he is probably 5th choice for Spain!!

while its a valid point we are weak in depth for goalies, i dont think that is actually the problem. James and Green are pretty decent, as is Robinson. the real problem, which occurs through out the team, is disipline and concentration. We always get caught short by a rash challenge by a forward or midfielder, a wayward pass, an indesicion by a fullback who got out of position. Goalies mistakes are just easily highlighted, like Seamans positioning for that Brazilian goal.

I think with Capello we are cutting this out, he probably needs to send the keepers (and defence?) off to some sort of phsychological focus program for a week.

 

[Was not Was]

Regarding altitude, it seems that old Fabio is hoping to take the team for a weeks training up a mountain somewhere in Austria or Switzerland to get the players used to altitude.

That is symptomatic of the lack of ambition shown by the FA. Why can't the mountains come to us??