Anyone else think England could win the next World Cup?

Fighting Irish

Rooney, Terry, Ferdinand, Gerrard, Lampard, the list goes on...

Should be very interesting

Lemlin

Ronaldinho, Adriano, Ronaldo, Emerson, Kaka. All players superior to the five you've just mentioned and the list goes on.

England are one of a few teams with a chance of winning it but I think Brazil will be favourites.

Villain

If it was down purely to the individual talent of each player, England could have won any of the last 10 world cups. Having the players is one thing, getting them to play together with the hunger and desire required to win a major trophy is another thing.

treefingers

Lemlin wrote:

Ronaldinho, Adriano, Ronaldo, Emerson, Kaka. All players superior to the five you've just mentioned and the list goes on.

England are one of a few teams with a chance of winning it but I think Brazil will be favourites.

one thing about your brazilian list is that there is a notable absence of defenders.

brazil have a better attack, but i think england are a more balanced side - great defence, midfield, (as long as lamps/gerrard play to potential), wayne rooney capable of anything and owen always good for a goal.

brazil are still rightly favourites though...

Guy:Incognito

Fighting Irish wrote:

Rooney, Terry, Ferdinand, Gerrard, Lampard, the list goes on...

Should be very interesting

I'd love to see them do it.(always good to have a couple of world cup winners in your team) But I dont think they will with Sven in charge. With Gerrard and Lampard in the middle, the team isnt defensive enoughfor the big games. A decent team will run through them.

I've said it before , but the best thing that could happen to England is if they pick up a couple of strategic injuries that force Svens hand and he has to play a holding midfielder (anyone who uses the word Beckham here gets a free voucher for a kick in the balls)

[Jackass]

Deffenatly have a shot anyway!!

I'd say Brazil are in front as a better team, and then about four teams underneath them who could win it, including England...

If they get a few lucky breaks, they could beat anybody.

Sure, if Greece can win the european cup, England can win the WC.

arbeitsscheuer

DubGuy wrote:

Sure, if Greece can win the european cup, England can win the WC.

This pretty much sums up my outlook.

As an England fan, I think we've got a shot... Probably an even better one now that Sven knows he's off after the WC, and so has less pressure on his shoulders than there was before: Win or lose, he knows he's off, so he might as well go out with a bang.

*Cue England losing all 3 Group games and not scoring a single goal, ala France in 2002.:rolleyes:

Jonny Arson

Of course they have a chance. They have world class players like Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard, Beckham and Terry so they are very capable of doing well and their group is very handy. However the Sven scenario I believe has and will cause further harm to England..... and the fact that he's a rubbish manger too doesn't help!

I'd say quarter-final mediocrity TBH.

Ruskie4Rent

Remember, it wasn't quality that won the euros. Same as the last two champions leagues. England can talk up their chances all they like but the truth is, when it comes to the knock outs anything can happen and they are just as likely to win it as spain, italy or even Germany.

Guy:Incognito

Ruskie4Rent wrote:

Remember, it wasn't quality that won the euro

Yes it was, great defensive quality. Greece preformed brilliantly as a team and to their strenghts.

arbeitsscheuer

Yeah, that tournament showed that Otto Rehhagel was the best tactician of all the national coaches, if nothing else.

He set his stall out, picked out the weaknesses in each opposing team they came up against, and played to their strengths.

Sven has tried the same with England, it just hasn't worked yet in games like Portugal 04 or Brazil 02. England seem to focus well for an hour, then switch off. Personally, I still think Sven is a better man for the job than anyone with the exception of Guus Hiddink, but what do I know?

A Dub in Glasgo

Anyone else think England could win the next World Cup?

Nope, can't see it

Blackjack

Stekelly wrote:

I'd love to see them do it.(always good to have a couple of world cup winners in your team) But I dont think they will with Sven in charge. With Gerrard and Lampard in the middle, the team isnt defensive enoughfor the big games. A decent team will run through them.

I've said it before , but the best thing that could happen to England is if they pick up a couple of strategic injuries that force Svens hand and he has to play a holding midfielder (anyone who uses the word Beckham here gets a free voucher for a kick in the balls)

Have to agree there. I think that the problem with the England team is that they've always played it around beckham, the result being that the other 10 players don't seem to give it the 110%. Drop or lose Beckham, or at least don't give him the pivotal status, and I see the others performing a lot better.

mike65

Yes, no, maybe.

Mike.

eyerer

its not impossible

applehunter

They definately have the players to do it, and of course they have Wayne Rooney.

Not that I want them to win.

PHB

It's a common myth that Brazil have a terrible defense, but its just not true.

How many goals were scored against them in the last world cup?

Turkey scored 1
Cost Rica scored 2
Belgium scored 0
England scored 1
Germany scored 0

4 in the entire world cup

Let's look at other teams defenses:
England - 3
Italy - 3(in 4 games)
Germany - 3

Terrible defense?
Brazil play possession football, just because they aren't out and out hard men, does not make them bad defenders.
Roberto Carlos - Left back for Real Madrid, many would consider him the best in the world.
Lucio is one of the best CB's in the world.
Juan not amazing, but certainly a top quality CB
Beletti - Right back for Barca(not too bad a team)

Also Felipe/Alex coming through

They have a great defense, and the best attack in the world. Huge favorites.

That said, not to write off the chances of any team, but I just hate this myth about Brazil having a weak defense

Necronomicon

The latest in the saga of Sven scandals has put a damper on things...still wouldn't rule it out though.

Guy:Incognito

PHB wrote:

It's a common myth that Brazil have a terrible defense, but its just not true.

How many goals were scored against them in the last world cup?

Turkey scored 1
Cost Rica scored 2
Belgium scored 0
England scored 1
Germany scored 0

4 in the entire world cup

Let's look at other teams defenses:
England - 3
Italy - 3(in 4 games)
Germany - 3

Terrible defense?
Brazil play possession football, just because they aren't out and out hard men, does not make them bad defenders.
Roberto Carlos - Left back for Real Madrid, many would consider him the best in the world.
Lucio is one of the best CB's in the world.
Juan not amazing, but certainly a top quality CB
Beletti - Right back for Barca(not too bad a team)

Also Felipe/Alex coming through

They have a great defense, and the best attack in the world. Huge favorites.

That said, not to write off the chances of any team, but I just hate this myth about Brazil having a weak defense

Not a hope in hell is RC the best Left Full in the world. For a start, just because the team sheet says he's playing there doesnt mean he spends any time there. He may as well be playing on the left of a front 3. If he didnt have the flair and attacking play nobody would have heard of him.

4 goals in 5 matches isnt a great record either. 4 of the teams they played would'nt exactly be classed as attacking powerhouses, the othe ris managed by Svennis. I'd be dissappointed if Ireland conceded 2 against Costa Rica.

It's not all about the back 4 either, as England find out with Svens tactics. A great back 4 needs good holding players in front of them or they will be horribley exposed by a good team.

What Brasil do have though is 11 very good players who, most importantly, play as a team.

Chong

I firstly would love to see the Dutch win, but I would also like to see England win should the Dutch not win.

scuba steve

its possible, would like to see an England-Brazil final!

TonyD79

If england went through the competition without losing any of their players (esp against brazil,france,argentina,italy) they could win it but alot of things would have to happen ie brazil to have a disaster in the group stages or get knocked out before the final.

I think the european championship is their best bet as rooney will have got better and players like lampard and gerrard will be reaching their peak.

gsand

with rooney they have a chance

lose him and their chances reduce dramatically and besides they only have 1 great game in 10 and the rest are mediocre/bad altho they tend to wake up a little bit in major competitions then bottle it...

Pigman II

If they play like they did against Argentina a while back they have a chance.

Sven's got to decide stick someone in the holding role first (either Carrick or Ferdinand or LedleyKing but at least somone) otherwise they're not going to win anything.

Raskolnikov

I think England can make the semi's at least. I honestly believe that on paper, they have one of the strongest squads with the best strength in depth.

Mark

What reckon ye of putting Parker in the holding role? I'm quite fond of him myself, and I haven't watched that much of Carrick for comparision. He always seems willing to get the boot in, very dedicated character, Newcastles best player this season. Outfield anyway, there's always the indomitable Given.*

*Incidently, Given is the smallest keeper in the Premiership at 6'0!

colster

They could do it but I think they're still weak on the wing. Beckham lacks pace and the ability to beat a man. J.Cole is improving but is still not best suited to left side midfield role.
Central midfield is also a problem. Gerrard should not be restricted to a DM role. I think he's a much better option going forward.
I think Lampard and Gerrard need to combine better. I.E. alternate between holding and going forward.

Pigman II

Mark wrote:

*Incidently, Given is the smallest keeper in the Premiership at 6'0!

West Ham have a goalie in their squad (can't remember his name) who's 5'11.

Mark

You speak of James Walker, the 3rd or 4th choice keeper. I wasn't aware of his lack of inches, the stat must relates to first choice keepers then. Take that Martin Tyler.

whiskeyman

Necromomicon wrote:

The latest in the saga of Sven scandals has put a damper on things...still wouldn't rule it out though.

Sven calls Rio lazy.... Rio scores last minute goal in crucial league game.. plays new role fror club... adapts brilliantly and is hailed by all his critics for his new found determination.

Sven says Owen is unhappy... Owen say he is committed to Newcastle and can't wait to return to help the struggling club.

Sven says Beckham is unhappy... Beckham reiterates his desire to end his career with Real Madrid.

Sven agrees deal with FA.... both happy with terms and now all focus is on the World Cup.



Any chance we can get a fake-sheikh to Stan before the qualifiers begin?

:v:



Can England win the cup?
I'd say they've a very good chance.... as long as they avoid injurys to key players and keep up their form.

Vokes

Pigman II wrote:

If they play like they did against Argentina a while back they have a chance.

Sven's got to decide stick someone in the holding role first (either Carrick or Ferdinand or LedleyKing but at least somone) otherwise they're not going to win anything.

But tbh, i don't think England wouldve won had Riquelme not been taken off.

Parker/Carrick should definitely be in there. Smith getting in the squad consistently ahead of Parker is shocking

GuanYin

They have a snowballs chance in hell.

Poor fullbacks (unless Cole will be fit, then they have 1), don't play their best defenders in central defence (Ferdinand is a liability), don't know their best central midfield - Lampard, Gerrard, Beckham?, no left midfielder, too much resting on Rooney, who is of suspect temprament.... oh and I don't think Robinson is that great either.

Individual players yes, they have them - but then in some cases only at club level - Lampard is good for Chelsea because the team is moulded around him, he's not half as good for England. Likewise Gerrard has rarely push England on like he does Liverpool. Only (and I am checking myself saying this) Beckham does it for England consistantly.

By and large I'd fancy any well organised team to quash/beat England. They've been poorly managed by SGE, were Wenger or Mourhino in charge they'd have won a trophy or two by now.