[WC] World Cup 2014 - General Talk Thread (27 Viewers)

[Pablo]

How are they going to line up in midfield? I can't see any holding midfielder, or any other midfielder with any kind of tackling or defensive ability in that squad.

Not watched liverpool this season have you !?!

 

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[The Curr]

How are they going to line up in midfield? I can't see any holding midfielder, or any other midfielder with any kind of tackling or defensive ability in that squad.

Haven't you heard? Gerrard is the greatest holding midfielder ever.

 

[icemaη]

Hey @Fred, how's DD doing with France? How do you see them performing this summer?

 

[CrimsonianKing]

Engerland squad. No surprises.

Joe Hart
Fraser Forster
Ben Foster
Glen Johnson
Phil Jones
Gary Cahill
Phil Jagielka
Chris Smalling
Leighton Baines
Luke Shaw
Steven Gerrard
Jack Wilshere
Jordan Henderson
Frank Lampard
James Milner
Ross Barkley
Adam Lallana
Raheem Sterling
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Wayne Rooney
Daniel Sturridge
Danny Welbeck
Rickie Lambert


Standby list:
John Ruddy
Jon Flanagan
John Stones
Michael Carrick
Tom Cleverley
Andy Carroll
Jermaine Defoe

Eww. Not getting through the group stage. Shit team as usual.

 

[Fred]

Not watched liverpool this season have you !?!

Haven't you heard? Gerrard is the greatest holding midfielder ever.

I know Gerrard has been playing as a deep lying playmaker this season, and sitting in front of defense, but he really isn't much of a tackler, and Pool aren't exactly the best example when it comes to defending. I think one of the main reasons their defense struggled this season is because they didn't have enough protection from midfield. Juventus play Pirlo as a deep lying playmaker, but he's a better defender than Gerrard and he gets lots of protection from two world class ball winners in Vidal and Pogba.

 

[JuveJay]

I actually think the England team might surprise a few people, considering how they are completely written off. There are some young and vivacious players in the team who will be quite fearless, assuming Hodgson allows them to play that way. Maybe not in the first game against Italy, as that is a cagey opponent in a cagey fixture, but the likes of Sterling or Sturridge will play with freedom.

- - - Updated - - -

I know you've all been waiting for the Japan squad, so here it is:

Eiji Kawashima (Standard Liege), Shusaku Nishikawa (Urawa Reds), Shuichi Gonda (FC Tokyo)

Masato Morishige (FC Tokyo), Yasuyuki Konno (Gamba Osaka), Yuto Nagatomo (Inter Milan), Maya Yoshida (Southampton), Masahiko Inoha (Jubilo Iwata), Atsuto Uchida (Schalke 04), Hiroki Sakai (Hannover 96), Gotoku Sakai (VfB Stuttgart)

Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Keisuke Honda (AC Milan), Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United), Makoto Hasebe (FC Nuremberg), Hiroshi Kiyotake (FC Nuremberg), Hotaru Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka), Toshihiro Aoyama (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)

Manabu Saito (Yokohama F Marinos), Shinji Okazaki (Mainz), Yoichiro Kakitani (Cerezo Osaka), Yuya Osako (TSV Munich 1860), Yoshito Okubo (Kawasaki Frontale)

Probable (4-3-3/4-4-2 variant):

Kawashima

Uchida - Konno - Yoshida - Nagatomo

Honda - Hasebe - Endo

Okazaki - Kakitani - Kagawa​

Maybe Okazaki #9 with Kiyotake instead.

 

[CrimsonianKing]

Nah mane.

This team cannot beat the likes of Italy and Uruguay. Especially not the latter on S. American soil. It's against the rules of logic of the universe.

England will finish 3rd.

 

[JuveJay]

Nah mane.

This team cannot beat the likes of Italy and Uruguay. Especially not the latter on S. American soil. It's against the rules of logic of the universe.

England will finish 3rd.

I've seen plenty of English teams beat Italian teams at club level, when they use their high paced game. But the national team are generally hopeless in tournament.

 

[CrimsonianKing]

English teams rely, heavily, on foreigners. With the national team it's a whole 'nother story.

 

[JuveJay]

English teams rely, heavily, on foreigners. With the national team it's a whole 'nother story.

I had noticed, but it can be something of an Achilles heel for Italian teams. Prandelli always looks to control possession, so I expect England will play more of a counter attacking game.

 

[CrimsonianKing]

I imagine a quite boring match between those 2.

 

[Pablo]

I know Gerrard has been playing as a deep lying playmaker this season, and sitting in front of defense, but he really isn't much of a tackler, and Pool aren't exactly the best example when it comes to defending. I think one of the main reasons their defense struggled this season is because they didn't have enough protection from midfield. Juventus play Pirlo as a deep lying playmaker, but he's a better defender than Gerrard and he gets lots of protection from two world class ball winners in Vidal and Pogba.

The main reason the failed was because they have a right back at left back, a headless chicken at right back, and centre back with more own goals that Torress has goals.

Gerrard & Henderson have been fantastic for Liverpool, and i hate Liverpool.

The centre back partnership for England is not top class, but its league's above Liverpools.

 

[JuveJay]

Cahill-Jagielka is decent enough, but after that the depth is absolutely terrible. It's easily the worst selection I've ever seen, but you could say the same about many national teams these days, with Brazil, ironically, the exception.

 

[swag]

One of my favorite moments of any World Cup is when England is eliminated.

 

[zizinho]

Haven't you heard? Gerrard is the greatest holding midfielder ever.

not sure if serious...

 

[Fr3sh]

One of my favorite moments of any World Cup is when England is eliminated.

The "unexpected" disapointment
Gets me everytime

 

[Nicholas]

I foresee Italy being eliminated in the group stages and I usually laugh at our national side, but I do feel we'll put Italy out, if Hodgeson picks the right team.

 

[swag]

The "unexpected" disapointment
Gets me everytime

Reality can be so cruel

 

[icemaη]

I foresee Italy being eliminated in the group stages and I usually laugh at our national side, but I do feel we'll put Italy out, if Hodgeson picks the right team.

lol

 

[zizinho]

I foresee Italy being eliminated in the group stages and I usually laugh at our national side, but I do feel we'll put Italy out, if Hodgeson picks the right team.

not sure if serious...