World Cup 2014, Brazil

[Ybbon]

We see reports of some of the Stadia maybe not being ready, do you think it is just hype and everything will be in place?

[Sharpe]

Brazil is a joke, no doubt there will many things left unfinished and now I hear talk of London hosting some of the 2016 events due to the lack of progress on the Olympic sites. Unbelievable, I country has a chance for center stage and it would squander it.

London 2012 raised the bar for sporting events massively.

[Halie Satanus]

As I understand there are two stadiums which might not be ready but it may mean sections of the ground will be closed but games will still go on. That's info from a few sites inc the BBC, trying to read between the hype and hysteria.

England.

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion), Fraser Forster (Celtic).

Defenders:
Leighton Baines (Everton),
Gary Cahill (Chelsea),
Phil Jagielka (Everton),
Glen Johnson (Liverpool),
Phil Jones (Manchester United),
Luke Shaw (Southampton),
Chris Smalling (Manchester United).

Midfielders: Ross Barkley (Everton),
Steven Gerrard (Liverpool),
Jordan Henderson (Liverpool),
Adam Lallana (Southampton),
Frank Lampard (Chelsea),
James Milner (Manchester City),
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal),
Raheem Sterling (Liverpool),
Jack Wilshere (Arsenal).

Attackers: Rickie Lambert (Southampton),
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United),
Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool),
Daniel Welbeck (Manchester United).

Standby:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

John Ruddy (Norwich City), Jon Flanagan (Liverpool), John Stones (Everton), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Andy Carroll (West Ham United), Jermain Defoe (Toronto FC).

Err, I can't really pick a team out of that lot.

[Azog 150]

First XI: (Liverpool-style dymond?)



----------------Hart--------------

--Johnson--Cahill--Jones--Baines--

--------------Gerrard-------------

---Henderson-----------Wilshere---

--------------Sterling-------------

-------Rooney-------Sturridge-----



Good attacking formation with a core of Liverpool players who are used to playing together and in those positions. Of course some non-Liverpool fans may take issue.



Milner and Oxlaide-Chamberlain to replace Hendo or Wilshere if things go bad
Jagielka to replace Jones
Lampard to replace Gerrard
Lallana to replace Sterling
Lambert or Welbeck to replace Sturridge or Rooney

[snuggans]

Hart

Baines
Jagielka
Cahill
Johnson

Gerrard/Lampard
Wilshere
Oxlade/Milner
-?


Rooney
Sturridge/Wellbeck

[Wulfburk]

Brazil is a joke, no doubt there will many things left unfinished and now I hear talk of London hosting some of the 2016 events due to the lack of progress on the Olympic sites. Unbelievable, I country has a chance for center stage and it would squander it.

London 2012 raised the bar for sporting events massively.

There is a difference between brazil being a joke and our high level of bureaucracy and lack of government organization being one.

The problem was at the start, most world cups are only played in 8 or so stadiums, and the clever guys over here picked 12 (and three or even 4 are in a city and region that have such a weak football they dont have any teams even in the brazilian C division, and without any supporters as well as most brazilians cheer for the big ones wherever they are born).

It is no mistery that the stadiums that are behind schedule are the two ones that had to be built from the ground up AND that are 'owned' by a club, most of the time lost was because of the bureaucracy in the negotiations of the contracts between the clubs, their cities and some companies. I am sure they will be at the world cup, though they might have some things left out...

In contrast, Mineirão, which was just reformed, was finshed at the end of 2012, and the greatest team of all is playing (and won the 2013 brazilian league!) in it since then. Maracanã's reform was finished just a little time later as well.

[John ''True Grit'' Wayne]

Brazil has the sunshine and is a good holiday destination.The mood will be great.The women.The Booze.Samba on the beach barefoot,T shirts for goal posts.On me head lad.Goal-Gaza dentists chair.

Just have to watch it on HD TV instead.

[Wulfburk]

Just have to watch it on HD TV instead.

Ironically me and everyone i know will do the same

[Candy_Licker]

They already lost one last year, so even if they win the WC they wont continuer their streak.

lol who the f.. cares about the Confed Cup, it's a meaningless test tournament

Brazil has the sunshine and is a good holiday destination.The mood will be great.The women.The Booze.Samba on the beach barefoot,T shirts for goal posts

[Wulfburk]

lol who the f.. cares about the Confed Cup, it's a meaningless test tournament

Yep, but im sure EVERYONE who follows football agrees that a competition with Brazil, Italy, Spain and Uruguay (which normally would be Argentina) is just a strong as one with Germany, Spain, Italy and Netherlands (The two Euro's that Spain won that people make it sound they won three WC in a row and claim they are the best squad in history in terms of accomplishment... what a joke. Perhaps some are forgetting the fact that brazil won 3 World cups out of 4 in 58,62 and 70...).

So, like i said, their streak is lost already And in quite a humiliating way with a 3-0 loss.

[sabaku_no_gaara]

Muwhahahahahahahahahahahahahaha Not a single FC Brugge player has been selected

No Meunier and No Timmy Simmons hahahahahahaha

Spoiler for Timmy goes on a trip: 

Spoiler for Timmy stays home: 

And to rub it in to our arch enemies of Brugge:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Brazil has the sunshine and is a good holiday destination.The mood will be great.The women.The Booze.Samba on the beach barefoot,T shirts for goal posts.On me head lad.Goal-Gaza dentists chair.

Just have to watch it on HD TV instead.

In Belgium Child Focus (an org to combat the exploitation of children), is warning Belgians to not sleep with woman in Brazil that approach them because there's a chance they are underage prostitutes, apparently most street prostitutes are minors over there, and warning that even accidentally sleeping with a minor due to ignorance/euphoria/alcohol over there in Brazil, can still lead to prosecution for child molesting and registering as a paedophile over here in Belgium

[Petrucci]

They look more purple then red to me.

[lolIsuck]

I think van Gaal has called dibs on the fourth place in the poule, with this selection the Netherlands will perform worse than 2 years ago. 14 of the 30 of the pre-selection play in the Eredivisie...

[Knight of Heaven]

Brazil has the sunshine and is a good holiday destination.The mood will be great.The women.The Booze.Samba on the beach barefoot,T shirts for goal posts.On me head lad.Goal-Gaza dentists chair.

Just have to watch it on HD TV instead.

Isnt winter there right now? Thee sunshine will depend on the place of the matches.

[John ''True Grit'' Wayne]

they have a winter in Brazil?Learn something new every time I log in here.Still I hope it is compulsary women look hot and wear hot pants and thongs.

[lolIsuck]

Isnt winter there right now? Thee sunshine will depend on the place of the matches.

Well, that won't change anything in the tropical cities, it might be a bit cooler in the south but South America lacks the climate of western Europe. The winter might actually not be that positive, the temperature differences are much larger that way and that isn't good for sporters.

[Garbarsardar]

I think Engerland is a serious contender this time too. My ideal composition:

----Joe Hart----- Ben Foster---- Fraser Forster ----(the Fosters)
----Leighton Baines----Gary Cahill-----Phil Jagielka----Glen Johnson----(full backs)
---------------Phil Jones------Luke Shaw------Chris Smalling------------(fill the gap backs)
---------------------------a bus----------------------------------------(or Rooney)

[Candy_Licker]

I think Engerland is a serious contender this time too. My ideal composition:

Only if the good teams fail hard.

Surviving the group stage will be challenge enough for them.

[Garbarsardar]

Only if the good teams fail hard.

Surviving the group stage will be challenge enough for them.

Well, England does have an atrocious WC record, after their recent win in 1966, and it is currently 11th in FIFA rankings, but no one could possibly deny that this team has great potential especially if they use the strategy I advised above.

FIFA Rankings for the World Cup:


Spain - world ranking 1st
Germany - world ranking 2nd
Portugal - world ranking 3rd
Brazil - world ranking 4th
Colombia - world ranking 5th
Uruguay - world ranking 6th
Argentina - world ranking 7th
Switzerland - world ranking 8th
Italy - world ranking 9th
Greece - world ranking 10th
England - world ranking 11th
Belgium - world ranking 12th
Chile - world ranking 13th
USA - world ranking 14th
Holland - world ranking 15th
France - world ranking 16th
Russia - world ranking 18th
Mexico - world ranking 19th
Croatia - world ranking 20th
Ivory Coast - world ranking 21st
Bosnia - world ranking 25th =
Algeria - world ranking 25th =
Ecuador - world ranking 28th
Honduras - world ranking 30th
Costa Rica - world ranking 34th
Iran - world ranking 37th
Ghana - world ranking 38th
Nigeria - world ranking 44th
Japan - world ranking 47th
Cameroon - world ranking 50th
South Korea - world ranking 55th
Australia - world ranking 59th

[GoTW Kubee]

I reckon we'll do well if Sturridge, Sterling and Shrek all perform to their highest abilities up front. My prediction is we'll get to the semis and get knocked out by Brazil again. Having said that, there is a very real chance that we won't even qualify from our group, so it's gonna be a tense few weeks.

Our best lineup probably is probably:

--------------------Joe Hart-----------------------
Glen Johnson - Garry Cahill - Phil Jagielka - Leighton Baines
---------------Gerrard------Hendo-------------
Sterling------------------------------------Lallana
---------------------Rooney------------------
--------------------Sturridge-------------------------


My main concern is that our idiot manager will waste Sturridge by putting him on the wing and forcing him to 'track back'.