The 2014 World Cup Thread - Football, Favelas and Financial Turmoil

[Sir Didier Drogba]

I watched in an Italian soccer cafe in Little Italy and they respected the fight we put up. Costa Rica beating Uruguay makes this really interesting now. IF we can take advantage of Uruguay defensive frailties in better conditions for us, we still have a good chance, assuming CR burn out by game three. Losing by one goal helps us if we draw with Uruguay and both of us end on 4 points. What we need now is the Italians to make a clean sweep, us pick up at least a point against the south americans and beat CR comfortably. I still fancy our chances.

 

[RobbieD_PL]

England will be good in 4 years; Southampton have some young fullbacks.

Germany, Argentina, France & England have got decent cracks at 2018. Brazil too; if they come in as defending champions.

I've also said that Germany could well end up winning the next two tournaments in their nemesis' backyards - 2016 Euro in France and 2018 WC in Russia.

 

[Mus]

I watched in an Italian soccer cafe in Little Italy and they respected the fight we put up. Costa Rica beating Uruguay makes this really interesting now. IF we can take advantage of Uruguay defensive frailties in better conditions for us, we still have a good chance, assuming CR burn out by game three. Losing by one goal helps us if we draw with Uruguay and both of us end on 4 points. What we need now is the Italians to make a clean sweep, us pick up at least a point against the south americans and beat CR comfortably. I still fancy our chances.

I reckon Costa Rica draw or beat Italy

 

[Mus]

Germany, Argentina, France & England have got decent cracks at 2018. Brazil too; if they come in as defending champions.

I've also said that Germany could well end up winning the next two tournaments in their nemesis' backyards - 2016 Euro in France and 2018 WC in Russia.

Italy have strong youth teams reaching at least the semis at all the levels

 

[ShiftyPowers]

Italy doesn't need talent to win World Cups, just those blue jerseys. No matter what anyone thinks, they always have a chance.

 

[Mus]

Italy doesn't need talent to win World Cups, just those blue jerseys. No matter what anyone thinks, they always have a chance.

The players are always underrated too, pirlo only got major recognition at the end of his career, Buffon is apparently inferior to casillas etc

 

[Sir Didier Drogba]

England will be good in 4 years; Southampton have some young fullbacks.

The next four years are so important for these young players and it is imperative that they get picked up by big clubs asap. Unfortunately, once again the premiums for English players look like they will force the big clubs to look abroad instead, Chelsea seem to have switched from Shaw to Luis, Liverpool cooling on Lallana and now looking at Shaqiri or Markovic, Fabregas arriving in London probably means no Barkley. You cant have a serious challenging side filled up with players from Southampton and Everton (even Tottenham).

 

[Arnau]

pfff i should join that

 

[ShiftyPowers]

The next four years are so important for these young players and it is imperative that they get picked up by big clubs asap. Unfortunately, once again the premiums for English players look like they will force the big clubs to look abroad instead, Chelsea seem to have switched from Shaw to Luis, Liverpool cooling on Lallana and now looking at Shaqiri or Markovic, Fabregas arriving in London probably means no Barkley. You cant have a serious challenging side filled up with players from Southampton and Everton (even Tottenham).

Brendan Rodgers is going to be the great savior of English football. He's turned these Liverpool kids into world class players in only a year or two with them. I also think that as long as Martinez is managing Everton, Barkley will be okay, of course his talent is so big that he'll likely end up at one of the big clubs sooner or later.

 

[Sir Didier Drogba]

Brendan Rodgers is going to be the great savior of English football. He's turned these Liverpool kids into world class players in only a year or two with them. I also think that as long as Martinez is managing Everton, Barkley will be okay, of course his talent is so big that he'll likely end up at one of the big clubs sooner or later.

Ideally we need Martinez to go to Arsenal and bring Barkley with him. Pochettino at Spurs could be a good thing, he did wonders for the boys at Southampton so it will be interesting to see if he can do anything with Townsend and Walker. Wenger and Pellegrini need to get the fuck out.

 

[Mus]

I think Martinez may be able to squeeze Arsenal out of the top 4 given time

 

[Sir Didier Drogba]

Things are getting very congested at the top. Provided Liverpool continue to build, and there is no reason why they shouldn't, a resurgent Man United could kick Arsenal out already. I dont see Everton carrying the clout to seriously compete.

 

[Arnau]

Seems that England has a plan

 

[Sir Didier Drogba]

All in all despite losing I was more impressed with our performance today than at any game in the last WC or Euros.

 

[Mus]

Things are getting very congested at the top. Provided Liverpool continue to build, and there is no reason why they shouldn't, a resurgent Man United could kick Arsenal out already. I dont see Everton carrying the clout to seriously compete.

I'd completely forgotten about United actually, yeah I think Martinez will need to go somewhere else to appear consitently in europe

 

[Juventino]

The players are always underrated too, pirlo only got major recognition at the end of his career, Buffon is apparently inferior to casillas etc

In my experience the 2006 generation definitely got the worldwide recognition, also thanks to Milan's Champions League victories. That team had incredible individual talent. I think Pirlo won all the major Man of the Match awards that tournament too.

I don't think Buffon got enough recognition because of his post-Calciopoli loyalty to Juve. That definitely removed him from the worldwide public eye for a lot of years while Casillas was pretty much a big player in every CL tournament, European Cup and World Cup. Buffon's one truly successful CL campaign was 2002-2003, and that's over 10 years ago. It's pretty sad to think of that. He did win the Champions League Best Player award that year, which is unique for a goalkeeper. Buffon's peak was insane, the best there ever was (in my humble bianconero opinion).

 

[Mus]

In my experience the 2006 generation definitely got the worldwide recognition, also thanks to Milan's Champions League victories. That team had incredible individual talent. I think Pirlo won all the major Man of the Match awards that tournament too.

I don't think Buffon got enough recognition because of his post-Calciopoli loyalty to Juve. That definitely removed him from the worldwide public eye for a lot of years while Casillas was pretty much a big player in every CL tournament, European Cup and World Cup. Buffon's one truly successful CL campaign was 2002-2003, and that's over 10 years ago. It's pretty sad to think of that. He did win the Champions League Best Player award that year, which is unique for a goalkeeper. Buffon's peak was insane, the best there ever was (in my humble bianconero opinion).

In the build up to 06 though they weren't even looked at as potential semi finalists

 

[ShiftyPowers]

Ideally we need Martinez to go to Arsenal and bring Barkley with him. Pochettino at Spurs could be a good thing, he did wonders for the boys at Southampton so it will be interesting to see if he can do anything with Townsend and Walker. Wenger and Pellegrini need to get the fuck out.

I don't think it's a bad idea to have "development" managers at places like Everton and Southampton that have great academies. Martinez and Pochettino are going to give youth a chance and they're going to turn them into top players. The more players they lose, the more they will produce.

 

[Mus]

England need a left sided attacking player (not Sturridge)

 

[ShiftyPowers]

In my experience the 2006 generation definitely got the worldwide recognition, also thanks to Milan's Champions League victories. That team had incredible individual talent. I think Pirlo won all the major Man of the Match awards that tournament too.

I don't think Buffon got enough recognition because of his post-Calciopoli loyalty to Juve. That definitely removed him from the worldwide public eye for a lot of years while Casillas was pretty much a big player in every CL tournament, European Cup and World Cup. Buffon's one truly successful CL campaign was 2002-2003, and that's over 10 years ago. It's pretty sad to think of that. He did win the Champions League Best Player award that year, which is unique for a goalkeeper. Buffon's peak was insane, the best there ever was (in my humble bianconero opinion).

I think the public perception has been that Buffon is the best keeper in the World from around 2004 until 2012, perhaps slotted behind Casillas because of the reasons you mention, but that's about it. He was definitely considered the best keeper in the world in the wake of the 2006 World Cup.

Pirlo definitely got respect because of those Milan teams. It took his managers awhile to figure out how to use him, but once he started playing Regista and destroying everyone alongside Gattuso he was considered great. If anything Xavi is the one who was not recognized until late in his career.