World Cup 2014, Brazil

[maxi90]

Who´s gonna win the Wolrd Cup this year? Well Algeria, obviously.

[Sir Adrian]

It's high time that an African country won it.

[Sharpe]

Go Ghana.

[Sir Adrian]

If they manage to win the group they have a clear path to the quarters or the semis, but it's a very tough group.

[Wulfburk]

Ivory Coast has got it IMO...

[Mary The Quene]

Ivory coast? hmm i only know Drogba

[Wulfburk]

And Yaya Toure, probably the best midfielder in this season.

[Candy_Licker]

Ivory Coast has got it IMO...

lmao sure. They had a really good squad for the last 8 years or so, but utterly failed with their 'golden generation'. Granted, they always were scrwed by being drawn in the best groups (2006 with Argentinia and Netherlands etc), but they have been really disappointing overall. They even regularly failed at the Africa Cup. And it's not that their team has become better since. No way they play any role for the title. They should advance from their group for a change, then we can talk.

Ghana has been doing well, and it was a shame how Suarez prevented the first African semi finalist with his handball, but Africa is as far as ever from winning a world cup.

Although they have some pretty good players, they still lack in many things. Overall, African football has been stagnating the last decade. Especially the promising nations of the 90s like Cameroon or Nigeria. The Asian teams make a lot more progress, especially Japan.

[Wulfburk]

What i meant with "has got it" is on being the african team that performs the best in the WC IMO, obviously not saying they will play any role for the title...... That IMO is a closed group of 4.

But ivory coast has indeed been unlucky at their groups, getting also Brazil and Portugal in 2010, at least it aint like it in this world cup.

[Sir Adrian]

Ivory Coast will play either Uruguay or Italy/England in round of 16, the latter being quite beatable. After that if they're lucky they can end up playing Croatia, Mexico or Chile (beatable) or Spain, Netherlands, Brazil (guaranteed elimination). With some luck can make it to the semis.

[Facupay]

African teams are all terrible and will never win or achieve anything relevant in a WC.

[lolIsuck]

I highly doubt the Netherlands will actually survive the group stage. The great majority of the players is young and plays in the Eredivisie (which is crap) or teams like Aston Villa, Stoke and HSV and of the star players only Robben has had a decent season. Van Persie has been injured most of the season, Van der Vaart and Sneijder aren't even certain of a spot and neither has played a great season. Besides, Van Gaal has a crappy selection procedure, he hasn't even called up Van Dijk who has excelled at Celtic this season, de Jong has barely been called up and he thinks the Eredivisie is one of the top competitions in the world. Too bad for the Netherlands that Strootman got injured, he would have been great on the midfield.
With this squad I think they'd have a chance to get through to the next round where they'll be mauled by Brazil.

GK Vorm (Swansea)
RB Van der Wiel (PSG)
CB Vlaar (Aston Villa)
CB Van Dijk (Celtic)
LB Emanuelson (AC Milan)
CDM De Jong (AC Milan)
RAMVan der Vaart (HSV)
LAM Sneijder (Galatasaray)
RW Robben (Bayern)
ST Van Persie (Man U)
LW Lens (Kiev)

Subs:
GK Cillessen (Ajax)
RB Janmaat (Feyenoord)
CB De Vrij (Feyenoord)
CB Martins Indi (Feyenoord)
LB Blind (Ajax)
CM Van Ginkel (Chelsea)
RM Bacuna (Aston Villa)
CAM De Guzman (Swansea)
LW Depay (PSV)
ST Huntelaar (Shalke)
RW Narsing (PSV)
GK Krul (Newcastle)

[Candy_Licker]

yeah doesn't look to bright for the Netherlands. VDV has been terrible. Huntelaar also had been cursed with injuries, but he came back pretty strong. Is he the only other striker van Gaal will call?

[John ''True Grit'' Wayne]

Argentina Di Maria Aguero Messi

Beat that front 3

[Sir Adrian]

Messi can't play if he doesn't have Xavi or Iniesta behind him.

[lolIsuck]

yeah doesn't look to bright for the Netherlands. VDV has been terrible. Huntelaar also had been cursed with injuries, but he came back pretty strong. Is he the only other striker van Gaal will call?

Well, Van Persie and Huntelaar are the only two good strikers the Netherlands has. Van Wolfswinkel is crap, De Jong hasn't really delivered for Gladbach and Newcastle, Dost isn't in the picture either and the strikers in the Eredivisie are not good enough (yet). Since it's van Gaal he'll probably take one from the Eredivisie though. I think he'll call up a ton of players from the Eredivisie and it will be another Euro12 failure.

[John ''True Grit'' Wayne]

I think the South Americans have the advantage of climate and their fans can easily get there.

[Ybbon]

African teams are all terrible and will never win or achieve anything relevant in a WC.

Well that's a particularly well thought and argued position, but how about you try and provide some well reasoned argument and substance to this statement or let's see if it is exactly the kind of opinion I think it is.

[Candy_Licker]

I think the South Americans have the advantage of climate and their fans can easily get there.

I think the effect of this gets a bit overestimated, Brazil is a huge country, there are considerable differences even within the country. I think the disadvantage for European teams really varies. Also, isn't it winter over there? Northern European teams might have a slight disadvantage in some areas, but not everywhere.

Sometimes it sounds (not aimed at you) that European teams won't win in Merica anyway because they never did before (invalid argument, it's not that there haven't been that many to justify some sort of 'curse') and because of climate.

Don't know which European team could win it this time tho. Spain just can't win freaking 4 tournaments in a row, and I don't think any other team is strong enough and in good enough shape to win it.

[Wulfburk]

In most of the cities the matches will be played there is slightly no difference between winter or otherwise, like Manaus, Cuiabá, Brasilia... (or just a small difference like Belo Horizonte and São Paulo).

The only cities that really get slightly close to "winter" is Porto Alegre and Curitiba.

Spain just can't win freaking 4 tournaments in a row, and I don't think any other team is strong enough and in good enough shape to win it.

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