QuoteNot in the slightest. Are Sweden an easy team? Are Paraguay? No. The only easy team in that group is T&T.Originally Posted by gustavo
France and Switzerland in the same group after being in the same qualifying group????
I thought this wasn't allowed to happen???
Not in the slightest. Are Sweden an easy team? Are Paraguay? No. The only easy team in that group is T&T.
Life without Rovers, it makes no sense...it's a heartache...nothing but a fools game. S.R.F.C.
Thats a tricky one alright, but Brazil, Croatia, Australia & Japan is also a tricky one. I've a feeling there could be a shock in that one and can see the other three pushing Brazil all the way and wouldnt be that suprised (or dissapointed) if they didnt make it through the group stages, bit like France in 2002 after winning it in 1998.
Easiest group is probably the Spanish one, Saudis are pathetic, Tunisia arent much kop either and that leaves them and the Ukraine.
My group predicitions
Winners
-------
Mexico
Germany
Holland
Italy
Japan
France
Spain
Sweden
Runners Up
----------
Portugal
Poland
Serbia
Czechs
Auzzie, Auzzie Auzzies
Korea
Ukraine
England
Think Mexico are a class act, and they and the Portuguese will be too strong for the inexperienced Angolans and the Iranians (who only seem to cut the Mustard at home).
Hard to look beyond Germany (home teams always do well) and Poland in the group, think Costa Rica are lacking in quality and Ecuador will struggle without the talismanic Alexi Aguinagua, and Kaviedes has been in poor form over recent years.
The next group Ivory Coast, Argentina, Dutch and Serbia is a real cracker. All those teams play great football and I expect great matches from that group. Its a tough one to call but the Dutch have grown in strenght over the last 18 months and have some great young players coming thru (like the lad at Hamburg, Bulharoius). The Ivorians are good, imo the best African team in the cup, but fate has dealt them a cruel blow here and in any other group I'd fancy them, but I fear a lack of experience will cost them. So the last match will see a head to head Serbia v Argentina, this will be a cracker make no mistake - I just fancy the Serbs to eek through like the Swedes did in Japan against Argentina.
The next group will probably be simple enough for the Italians, leaving Ghana, the Czechs and USA going for the last place. I think the Ghanians will struggle, and again it will be a last match decider between the Czechs and the USA, think the Czechs will just scrape it.
The next group will be the suprise imo. I think Auzzies will cause lots of problems as theyre well organised and have a big man upfront (Viduka) which can cause teams problems. Think the Japanese have a good set of technical players (Kodji Nakata, Ono, Takahara, Nakamura, Hide Nakata) and will be very quick on the ground and have the stamina to last through the full 90 and beyond.
Think the French and Korea will get thru the next group. Could have been us and I'd have fancied us to get far
Spain and Ukraine should walk the next group.
England, Sweden, Paraguay and T&T. I can see the Swedes winning this, think the Paraguayans have a chance (England usually play badly in their opening matches in cups), but i would be suprised if the English didnt make it.
Last edited by Closed Account 2; 09/12/2005 at 9:54 PM.
Who said anything about easy ?
you in your original post said they said it was "the best they could have got"
big difference between that and easy
Yeah but what do you think he meant by that?
Life without Rovers, it makes no sense...it's a heartache...nothing but a fools game. S.R.F.C.
Go to this page and click on the link for the score predictor:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...06/default.stm
I gave it a lash and came up with the following 1/4 final pairings:
Germany v Holland
England v Argentina
Italy v France
Brazil v Spain
i got
GermanyvHolland
EnglandvArgentina
Czech RepvFrance
BrazilvUkraine
The winners from Group A (likely to be Germany or Poland) play the runners-up from Group B (likely to be England or Sweden).
Group A will be completed before the final games in Group B (England v Sweden and Paraguay v Trin/Tobago). I suspect England would prefer to play Poland and if by any chance Poland top Group A, it would not be any surprise to see an England v Sweden result which would see England second in the group. However, if England did top their group and avoided the Germans in the second round they are still likely to be facing Holland, Portugal or Argentina in the quarters.
If by some chance. England make it to the semi-final, I think they will win it.
Honest! I am not a secret Tim nor a closet Sham - I really am a Seagull.
I got...
England-Portugal
Sweden-Holland
United States-Ukraine
Brazil-France
"Jacques Santini...will be greeted in every dugout of the country by "one-nil, one-nil" - Clive Tyldsley, 89th minute of France-England June 13, 2004.
"Ooooohhhh Nooooooo" Bobby Robson 91st minute.
I got
QF1
GermanyvPortugal
QF2
SwedenvHolland
QF3
JapanvSouth Korea
QF4
AustraliavFrance
Q/F:
Germany - Holland
England - Serbia
Italy - Spain
Brazil -Ukraine
Ps, who honestly thinks Brazil won't come out of their group. I can apprecaite that upsets sometimes do happen, but there will never be disharmony in the Brazil camp a la France 02. Whenever (during the group stages) you think, "thats grand little Japan have Zico managing them he'll want to put one over the motherland, thats worth tenner" - stop - look at yer bank balance, close yer eyes and think " Kaka`, Adriano, Robinho, Ronaldo, Julio Baptista, there's one other fella...oh yeah Ronaldinho". Arguement. End of.
On a side note. England have a fcuking great chance. The only reason that bothers me is that we'll never hear the bleedin end of it.
I personally don't see too many upsets this time round. In fact, in keeping with the theme of utter German efficiency, I see the big guns in the clearer groups being devastatingly clinical.
In terms of the quarter finals there really could be some good games, and even though it may seem obvious, the knockout stages will be good. I think the groups (with the exception of 2/3) will be boring and straightforward.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
No it ain't. Brazil will emerge from the group and probably win the tournament due to the current poverty of international football, but to suggest that the players cited above are invincible or pantheon material is ludicrous. Kaka and Ronaldinho are the two most effective attacking players in world football at the moment, but in an era when a player's career peak lasts 6-18 months they may well be burned out by June.
As for the others...Adriano is lazy and overrated, Robinho has been exposed for the skinny little runt he always was, Ronaldo is an overweight has-been and Julio Baptista probably won't get a game.
I'm always amused when people make this assertion. You're not obliged to listen to the British media, y'know...On a side note. England have a fcuking great chance. The only reason that bothers me is that we'll never hear the bleedin end of it.
A leading authority on League of Ireland football since 2003. You're probably wrong.
just watching the draw and the build up, some highlights on tv, is making me sad again, we are not there!Could you imagine us being in France's group again instead of the Swiss??
Second Round:
Germany vs. Paraguay
Sweden vs. Poland
Holland vs. Mexico
Portugal vs. Argentina
Italy vs. Japan
Brazil vs. Czech Rep
France vs. Ukraine
Spain vs. South Korea
Quarter Finals:
Germany vs. Holland
Sweden vs. Argentina
Italy vs. France
Brazil vs. Spain
Semi-Finals:
Germany vs. Italy
Argentina vs. Brazil
3rd/4th Play-off:
Italy Vs. Argentina
Final:
Germany Vs. Brazil
Life without Rovers, it makes no sense...it's a heartache...nothing but a fools game. S.R.F.C.
Unbelievable. I couldn't care less if we had been going with a team of 11 one legged players so long as we were there. Empty empty feeling watching the draw and one of huge envy for all the teams there.
As for it being fixed, stuff and nonsense. Conspiracy with hundreds of people required to be in on it. Sigh - some people are always seeing shadows where there are none.
Agreed, it's utterly impossible to "fix" a game. Play football and you'll understand.
One thing I always look for is colony v. colonist battles like Senegal France in Japan.
This time there's Togo France and Angola Portugal. Should be good.
Extratime.ie
Yo te quiero, mi querida. Sin tus besos, yo soy nada.
Abri o portão de ouro, da maquina do tempo.
Mi mamá me hizo guapo, listo y antimadridista.
You can fix a game ok - it was fixing the draw we were talking about.
Yes, colony vs colonist are good ones (Ireland vs England Italia 90
Over here in Ireland there's no escape you know,you can't just switch off,and by the sounds of Garth Crooks,Motson and Lineker they almost have the thing won already
MOT
And the middle paragraph in your qoute above is what I was trying to say aswell.
MOT
All attacking players. Brazil have dodgy/average keepers. Dida is good at saving penalties but is error prone especially at long range shots when his positioning can go horribly wrong (eg Champions League final, Smicer's goal or Milan's away match at Shalke this season). There other keeper Julio Ceasar isnt exactly setting the world alight at Inter, and both these keepers have much better defenders in front of them for club matches than they will at the world cup.
Moving on to Brazil's defence, its great going forward especially the full backs, but they only have one quality defender (Cris at Lyon) and even then they pick Lucio and Juan ahead of him. They probably have the worst defence of all the top seeded teams, and - despite all the attacking skills they might have - that will tell.
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