Where will England finish in Group D?

[vegster]

http://waterfordwhispersnews.com/20...dson-after-failing-to-get-passed-group-stage/

They can't sack him, according to George Osborne he has to work til he is 70.

 

[SweatyMexican]

IF we do get though in 2nd, I assume we have to play someone from group C, (Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan), which we could make something of.

Maybe?

 

[elbowpatches]

Early exit.

Early removal of tacky car flags.

Every cloud and all that.

 

[Goring-by-Seagull]

I think we will the group.
Judge me in June.

You think we will what the group?

 

[pasty]

1st

Italy 1 England 2
Costa Rica 0 England 4
Uruguay 1 England 3

Nurse. He's at it again. Nurse.

 

[Stevie Boy]

Bottom, will fail miserably like nearly every time we play

 

[joeinbrighton]

Italy will win the group, England and Uruguay fight for 2nd. If this tournament was being played anywhere other than South America, then England would have a slight edge. Uruguay really reliant on Suarez and Cavani. Defensively they can be got at. I don't think they are as strong as they were in 2010, the question is whether England are. Having a tough group with the 2 hardest matches first could possibly work in England's favour.

Were England to finish 2nd though, their notional path to the final would probably be Colombia, Brazil/Spain, Germany, Argentina. Good luck with that.

 

[joeinbrighton]

Bottom, will fail miserably like nearly every time we play

Out of interest, when was the last time England finished bottom in their World Cup first phase group?

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

3rd

Italy 2-1 England
Uruguay 2-0 England
Costa Rica 0-3 England

 

[Mellotron]

Probably 3rd, maybe 2nd if we're lucky.

 

[Stevie Boy]

Out of interest, when was the last time England finished bottom in their World Cup first phase group?

I dont know, but i am being optimistic, anything better than is a bonus

 

[albion534]

5th

 

[RexCathedra]

It's a soft draw.... anything less than second is a disgrace. Football talent is normally distributed, and Uruguay's about half the the size of London.

If England weren't a footballing country, you might get an upset. But a 10-1 or more disparity in size -- that will tell. If the selectors do their job.

The group stage features two shockers per cup. Italy finishing bottom isn't happening twice. Uruguay leading their group isn't happening twice.

 

[Soulman]

Italy are notoriously slow starters in competitions, hopefully this tournament will be no different.

 

[JamesAndTheGiantHead]

3rd with a plucky 1 - 1 draw with Costa Rica to save our blushes.

 

[joeinbrighton]

It's a soft draw.... anything less than second is a disgrace. Football talent is normally distributed, and Uruguay's about half the the size of London.

That will explain how Uruguay have won 2 World Cups to England's 1 despite their major differences in population and how they came to reach the semi-finals in 2010 and won their continental tournament the following year, despite having (I would anticipate) the smallest population out of any country in South America that is in the CONMEBOL. Also using your logic, by now, China should be world beaters every World Cup rather than being a country that hasn't actually played in the finals tournament for 15 years. It would also mean Ukraine and Poland would be dead certs to qualify rather than such minnow ghost countries as Belgium and Bosnia. Far too simplistic to think population size gives you some kind of guarantee of success.

The reason Uruguay produce great footballers is because football is ingrained in the country's national culture and so children play the game in the street over there from a young age and quickly build their technique. Don't really have many street footballers in England these days, do we? All to do with green spaces being taken away and parents being sucked in by 'stranger danger' and paedophile hysteria.

 

[ExmouthExile]

I'm surprised we even qualified, so anything is a bonus!

 

[swiss tony]

Look at the dog's dinner we made of qualifying last time against USA, Slovenia and Algeria. Compared with that we are in a veritable group of death. However, something tells me we might just click this time. Beating the Ities is the key.

 

[W.C.]

Bottom.

Running around like headless chickens in the Amazon trying to get the ball off the Italians, then giving it straight back to them after 3 passes when we do finally get it. Finish the game totally spent. Lose.

Throw the kitchen sink at Uruguay in an attempt to get back into the group. Uruguay to soak it all up and hit us on the break with goals from Gus' mate. Lose.

Attempt to salvage some pride with a win against the 'minnows', only to find they're up for it even more than we are and we go home knackered and complaining that our season is far too long and tiring for us to stand a chance. Winter break campaign briefly ignites again. Lose.


Sorry, but that's just how I feel. Would love to be proved wrong though and we go on to have a fantastic tournament.

Pretty much how I feel. Particularly the bit in bold.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Costa Rica are utter dog shit though, we should at least be able to win that...

We haven't beaten them in a major tournament, nor Uruguay nor Italy.