World Cup 2006 - Football

Confirmed list of the 32 national teams classified for the World Cup 2006:

Europe: Germany, England, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, The Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Ukraine, Croatia, Serbia-Montenegro. (14)

South America: Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador. (4)

North-Central America: USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Trinidad-Tobago. (4)

Africa: Angola, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Tunisia. (5)

Asia: Japan, South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia. (4)

Oceania: Australia. (1)

 

Notable absences: Greece (Euro-champion), Belgium, Turkey, Denmark, Russia, Hungary, Scotland, Ireland, Austria, Romania, Bulgaria, Uruguay, Colombia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Algeria, South Africa, China.

sleeper wrote: Trotsky wrote: sleeper wrote: Germany joint favourite They havent won a competative match against established tough competition in 5 years. Im voting England (who else) as we proved a match for Argentina beating them 3-2 at the weekend (I promise not to glote).  Say what you want about Germany ... but try and show me the last time they didn't make at least the last 8 of the World Cup ... I think it was 1950 ... even when these guys are lousy (remember their form before the last World Cup) ... they seem to come good ... with home advantage and a  good draw (which seems to happen a lot!) ... who knows? I think they'll be the biggest challengers to the true GODS of football ... if you have to ask ... you either don't know your football history or you're in denial ...   Germany havnt had true world class form since the '98 world cup, they got lucky in '02 as the hardes team they faced before Brazil was the USA, dosent really say that much about Germany does it. I see Brazil are leading, suprise suprise, though my head says brazil and my heart says England

To me, sleeper, it does say quite a bit about Germany ... they had a lucky draw last time, even in 1998, until Croatia spanked them, they were lucky ... in 1986, I remember they were lucky in the second round againt Morocco and the quarter-finals against Mexico (which they won on penalties) ...

in 1974, West Germany started off by losing to East Germany and ended up beating Holland's greatest-ever  team in the finals, in 1954 they lost 8-3 to Hungary in the group stages, but fought back from 2-0 in the final to beat Hungary's greatest-ever team 3-2, in 1982, they started off losing to Algeria 3-2, had a highliy dubious 1-0 win against Austria, were dead and buried against France 3-1 a game which included Schumacher's foul of the century, and they still made it to the final ...

Granted most of those squads had better quality players than this current crop (Kahn and Ballack aside), but I still have this grudging acknowledgement of the resilience of the German football team ... a combination of home support, the good draw that usually comes with being hosts and mental strength makes them contenders in my book ... I'd be very surprised if they didn't make the last 4 ...

I dislike the German style intensely, but I always fear them ...

Brazil are not the force they were,I'd go out on a limb and say they will be lucky to progress further than the Q-Finals.
My thoughts:  Argentiina are very strong and Italy destroyed Holland recently.Do not discount the Germans on home turf,history suggests they will do well.England probably have as good a team as anybody on paper but they take too long to adapt tactically and Ericsson is not adventurous enough.

 

Trotsky wrote: sleeper wrote: Germany joint favourite They havent won a competative match against established tough competition in 5 years. Im voting England (who else) as we proved a match for Argentina beating them 3-2 at the weekend (I promise not to glote).  Say what you want about Germany ... but try and show me the last time they didn't make at least the last 8 of the World Cup ... I think it was 1950 ... even when these guys are lousy (remember their form before the last World Cup) ... they seem to come good ... with home advantage and a  good draw (which seems to happen a lot!) ... who knows? I think they'll be the biggest challengers to the true GODS of football ... if you have to ask ... you either don't know your football history or you're in denial ...

Germany havnt had true world class form since the '98 world cup, they got lucky in '02 as the hardes team they faced before Brazil was the USA, dosent really say that much about Germany does it.

I see Brazil are leading, suprise suprise, though my head says brazil and my heart says England

Edited by sleeper

Drew wrote: You mean Football is still popular?

Football will always be popular, but you will never be.


Anyway.. Brazil.

Edited by Logos

You mean Football is still popular?

sleeper wrote: Germany joint favourite They havent won a competative match against established tough competition in 5 years. Im voting England (who else) as we proved a match for Argentina beating them 3-2 at the weekend (I promise not to glote).

Say what you want about Germany ... but try and show me the last time they didn't make at least the last 8 of the World Cup ... I think it was 1950 ... even when these guys are lousy (remember their form before the last World Cup) ... they seem to come good ... with home advantage and a  good draw (which seems to happen a lot!) ... who knows?

I think they'll be the biggest challengers to the true GODS of football ...

if you have to ask ... you either don't know your football history or you're in denial ...

 

Edited by Trotsky

I love English football, I always watch Match Of The Day, I have visited many English games in Machester, Liverpool and London but it's always the same with England: bad penalties, stupid red carts or simply bad luck, despite Lampard, Owen, Beckham, Rooney and Terry I'm afraid that England won't even reach the last four, it seems to be their destiny  .... like Spain  , same story!

Greece is out.

Germany joint favourite

They havent won a competative match against established tough competition in 5 years.

Im voting England (who else) as we proved a match for Argentina beating them 3-2 at the weekend (I promise not to glote).