Football 2014 FIFA World Cup

[jorped]

Portugal! Portugal! Portugal

Favorite to win this for me are Spain, Germany and Brazil.

Argentina is just like Portugal ... has some good players but the team overall just doesn't work sometimes.

 

[zelllogan]

I don't believe in the netherlands at all. If chile needs to surprise one of the two big teams, I see the oranje most likely to be beaten than Spain.
Their squad is far from impressive:

Goalkeepers: Jasper Cillessen (AFC Ajax), Tim Krul (Newcaste United FC), Michel Vorm (Swansea City AFC).

Defenders: Daley Blind (AFC Ajax), Daryl Janmaat (Feyenoord), Terence Kongolo (Feyenoord), Bruno Martins Indi (Feyenoord), Joël Veltman (AFC Ajax), Paul Verhaegh (FC Augsburg), Ron Vlaar (Aston Villa FC), Stefan de Vrij (Feyenoord).

Midfielders: Jordy Clasie (Feyenoord), Leroy Fer (Norwich City FC), Jonathan De Guzman (Swansea City AFC), Nigel de Jong (AC Milan), Wesley Sneijder (Galatasaray AŞ), Georginio Wijnaldum (PSV Eindhoven).

Forwards: Memphis Depay (PSV Eindhoven), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (FC Schalke 04), Dirk Kuyt (Fenerbahçe SK), Jeremain Lens (FC Dynamo Kyiv, Robin van Persie (Manchester United FC), Arjen Robben (FC Bayern München)


I don't know why Hardy is seeing them that good. It's a "between generations" team. Van Persie is not at his best. Defense is made of players out of the very weak dutch league. Not a great keeper as well. I don't believe in that team. On paper, it's the weakest team they had in 25 years.

Ok, Van Gaal is the coach but still, a finale would be a miracle

 

[Akainu]

I'm in the ESPN thing as well o/
Is there a reason the brackets you guys produced so far don't show the choice of "champion" or is it just not visible to others like the whole bracket?
Either way, mine doesn't make much sense from a sporty pov, don't expect too much ;D

 

[Hardy]

I don't know why Hardy is seeing them that good. It's a "between generations" team. Van Persie is not at his best. Defense is made of players out of the very weak dutch league. Not a great keeper as well. I don't believe in that team. On paper, it's the weakest team they had in 25 years.

Ok, Van Gaal is the coach but still, a finale would be a miracle

It's mostly the fact that almost every other big team (except Germany) isn't at their best either. If you see the draw I did, they big teams they beat are imo Spain (a team I've talked shit for years now) and Italy... it's not like I made them beat Germany and Brazil.

Portugal! Portugal! Portugal

Favorite to win this for me are Spain, Germany and Brazil.

Argentina is just like Portugal ... has some good players but the team overall just doesn't work sometimes.

You wish...

We're 2 times World champions and 2 times runner ups. 3 out of 5 of the best players in history were born here.

I'm in the ESPN thing as well o/
Is there a reason the brackets you guys produced so far don't show the choice of "champion" or is it just not visible to others like the whole bracket?
Either way, mine doesn't make much sense from a sporty pov, don't expect too much ;D

You can't see others' brackets till the WC starts. You'll have to share it printing the screen like I did or something.

 

[zelllogan]

3 out of 5 of the best players in history were born here.

Maradona and Messi ok. But I don't see an someone from argentina among Pele, Cruyff, C.Ronaldo and Beckenbauer ...

 

[Hardy]

Paraguay were more lucky than good and Spain even being on equal ground with them was evidence of how poorly Spain were playing.

Dunno what was so lucky about them, they actually played well. In fact, they lost against Spain because Iker saved a penalty and in the next play they get a penalty against them, a bit unlucky imo.

I do not. The only standout moment from that match is the flying kick.

Over an entire season, it's different and your outfield players aren't always going to perform. The La Liga matches Iker got to play, well, the team was generally bad and Iker wasn't that good.

To me, part of the winning three CL titles has to do with Madrid having the two Galaticos eras, so a spending money issue, whereas Juve hasn't been that relevant, outside of the Serie A, for a number of years. Sure, they had a decent performance in the 12/13 CL, but that was it and it wasn't repeated the next season. On the other hand, Buffon hasn't had to face players like Messi or Ronaldinho on a regular basis.

Your memory is garbage then, lol.


And the team didn't play as bad as you're saying when Iker was in. He only played 2 matches (both of them in the last month, to get prepared for the CL). In Mourinho's last year it wasn't because he was doing a bad job nor he was injured, it's pretty obvious.

Juventus has always been the ¨galacticos¨ of Italy. Buffon himself is the most expensive keeper of all time.

Maradona and Messi ok. But I don't see an someone from argentina among Pele, Cruyff, C.Ronaldo and Beckenbauer ...

Di Stefano, son.

 

[jorped]

What does that even matter? Ok Argentina won the WC 2 times and there has been some great Argentinian players, but so what?
Argentina hasn't performed at all in a while, god even us have performed a lot better in the past 10 years ...

Dude, you need another game like the one you had vs Germany some years ago to stop being so cocky

 

[Hardy]

What does that even matter? Ok Argentina won the WC 2 times and there has been some great Argentinian players, but so what?
Argentina hasn't performed at all in a while, god even us have performed a lot better in the past 10 years ...

Dude, you need another game like the one you had vs Germany some years ago to stop being so cocky

What? Ignoring the fact that in the last World Cup we stayed longer than you WITHOUT A COACH, in the 2006 we lost against Germany in penalty kicks (and the fact that Abbondanzieri got injured had a lot to do with it), it wasn't a bad performance at all. You lost to that same team of Germany, in that WC, 3-1, amirite?

2002 was a fiasco.

You have no history if you look past that time (besides Eusebio's odyssey in the most rigged WC of all time, lol). Compare yourselves with England, not with us.

---------- Post added at 12:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:49 PM ----------

Also, we haven't played well in a while? We haven't lost a match in like 3 years (only against Uruguay recently, when we played with subs).

 

[jorped]

Yeah we got Spain after the group phase while you got Mexico. You wanna compare? And we lost to Spain 1-0, nothing humiliating there. While you were completely humiliated by Germany.

I didn't know loosing 4-0 vs Germany and looking horrible and helpless (you could had lost for more) is the same as loosing for 3-1 but showing a good performance.
In what world do you live? You are the one bringing these stupid comparisons and you are just digging yourself a bigger hole.

Plus we have been performing quite well on the latest Euro, and even though Argentina is so GOOD they haven't won "Copa América" in such a long time, despite it being arguably a lot less competitive than Euro for instance.

 

[Hardy]

How is it a stupid comparission? You're the one mixing your 2006 performance with ours in 2010, lol. As discussed before, Spain was pretty bad even though they won, so I dunno how losing to them 1-0 > winning against Mexico 3-1

And why do you say ¨we did quite well¨ but you compare it to us ¨not winning¨ the Copa America. Not a fair comparission, isn't it? As far as I know, neither Argentina nor Portugal won them, and both teams lost against the team that ended up being the champion.

That 4-0 match is stuck in a lot of people's heads. It only happenned once, and it will never will again. Thank Maradona.

---------- Post added at 01:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:35 PM ----------

You also got to play against Spain because you qualified 2nd in your group (not my fault), otw you would had played against Chile

---------- Post added at 01:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:38 PM ----------

In any case, wtv, see you in the top 8, have fun playing against Belgium.

 

[Leoat12]

What happened with Germany in that friendly match with Cameroon? When teams who should win easily tie that way with WC on the corner, they lose credibility with me.

 

[Hardy]

...not really, considering it's just a friendly match. A lot of things like this happenned in the last days. Italy had a tie against Ireland, France against Paraguay, Portugal against Greece, and the Netherlands and Spain barely won against Ghana and Bolivia respectivly. If we're gonna base ourselves in friendly matches, then no one will win the Cup

 

[Leoat12]

...not really, considering it's just a friendly match. A lot of things like this happenned in the last days. Italy had a tie against Ireland, France against Paraguay, Portugal against Greece, and the Netherlands and Spain barely won against Ghana and Bolivia respectivly. If we're gonna base ourselves in friendly matches, then no one will win the Cup

Based on my predictions, they will not.
What I meant is that those friedly matches are supposed to be a preparation for the WC, therefore they should play as if they were in the WC. Apparently, it was not the case.

 

[Hardy]

Dude, you talked yesterday about players getting injured in these friendly matches, and now you want them to play every friendly as if it was part of the WC?

 

[Leoat12]

Dude, you talked yesterday about players getting injured in these friendly matches, and now you want them to play every friendly as if it was part of the WC?

What one thing has to do with the another? You don't want to have injuried players during the World Cup as well, so they play in WC in a way they don't get injured.

 

[xi0]

Take that, Turkey. WC 2014 champions USA incoming ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

 

[Hardy]

Show me your moves bracket Gary,

Spoiler

Don't link it, as I said 40 times we can't see each others in the site until the WC starts

 

[Leoat12]

Take that, Turkey. WC 2014 champions USA incoming ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

This one I can say with 100% of certainty. It's not gonna happen.

 

[xi0]

This one I can say with 100% of certainty. It's gonna happen.

Thanks bro, thanks for believing in the apple pie!

'MURICA

 

[FrostyMouse]

Thanks bro, thanks for believing in the apple pie!

'MURICA

Technically, if Portugal plays terribly and Ronaldo is somewhat hampered by his leg issues, the US could sneak into the knockout stages. I don't think it'll happen, but the reason you play matches is because nothing's a formality.