Group G - Belgium, Panama, Tunisia, England

[wpdavid]

This feels very weird, but I’m sort of finding the people being sceptical about England more delusional than England fans. The Irish journalists are desperately talking themselves out of admitting that England look like one of the better teams around, with a very favourable draw in a weak field. Just imagining the reaction if an England fan went with a ‘They didn’t look that impressive until they suddenly scored 5 goals in the first half’ line about their next opponents.

It was an odd match really. I know what Southgate meant about them not playing as well as they have done, even if I could finish that sentence with 'either side of the six goals'.
Perhaps it just wasn't possible to play flowing football against a side with 11 men behind the ball who were generally given the freedom to be as thuggish as they wished. And I totally understand why they eased off in the second half rather than risk an injury that would take them out of the next match or two.

Lingard the big plus of course. Sterling still mostly anonymous but still found time to miss another sitter, even if Stones was on hand to bury the rebound.

Southgate's very impressive though.

 

[Uppercut]

It was an odd match really. I know what Southgate meant about them not playing as well as they have done, even if I could finish that sentence with 'either side of the six goals'.
Perhaps it just wasn't possible to play flowing football against a side with 11 men behind the ball who were generally given the freedom to be as thuggish as they wished. And I totally understand why they eased off in the second half rather than risk an injury that would take them out of the next match or two.

Lingard the big plus of course. Sterling still mostly anonymous but still found time to miss another sitter, even if Stones was on hand to bury the rebound.

Southgate's very impressive though.

Yeah, I'd agree with Southgate too. It's just hard to judge a team when they quickly score a few goals then spend the rest of the game conserving energy.

But nobody else looks any better, except Brazil, and even then not by much, and they could still easily go out to a pretty decent-looking Serbia side. My brother is in Germany and says everyone there thinks England have as good a chance as anyone. But in the English-speaking world it sort of feels like England aren't allowed to have a pretty good team "because they're England".

 

[sledger]

This is the best England side at a major tournament since 2006 imo. For once I feel really confident than if(when) they go out it will be to a better side, rather than the usual exit shenanigans. Sadly I suspect that might be in the round of 16, and the masses will use the relative lack of progression to denigrate their performance, ignoring the fact that actually this team is far better than some of those that have gone before it.

 

[sledger]

Honestly watching this side gives me a similar feeling to how it felt to watch England in 96 or 98. Not as good as those sides obviousy, but there is so much to be said about how great it is not to have the old ogres like Lampard ,Gerrard, Rooney, Hart etc. plodding about and the team having to be built around them. Just a team of nice, fluid, free-flowing footballers with maybe the best centre forward in the world up front. Have been crying out for something like that for donkeys years.

 

[BoyBrumby]

It's hard to know how much to read into dicking as bad a team as I've seen at a world cup, but one thing I will give Southgate credit for is choosing his formation and selecting the best players for it rather than having the usual suspects inked onto the teamsheet and cobbling a team around them.

He's the first England manager since Hoddle to do this. There's no way Sven, Dutch Schteve, Capello or Woy would've left Gascoigne or Hart at home like Glenda & Southgate respectively did.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Panama are the worst side I have seen since USA in 1990 who were terrible and got a very respectable result against Italy due to Tony Meola playing them on his own. I honestly thought at half time that we could have doubled it given the way Panama were just fouling constantly and picking up so many cards.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Panama are the worst side I have seen since USA in 1990 who were terrible and got a very respectable result against Italy due to Tony Meola playing them on his own. I honestly thought at half time that we could have doubled it given the way Panama were just fouling constantly and picking up so many cards.

North Korea in 2010 were pretty toilet, tbf.

Reckon Panama are vaguely on a par with them.

 

[Uppercut]

2002 Saudi Arabia are up there too. I'm not sure Panama are worse than this year's Saudis, though it's hard to judge. Saudis are built to demolish bottom-tier Asian teams but get eaten alive by anyone better than them, whereas Panama's strategic-violence oriented game is better for playing as the underdog.

 

[Stapel]

This post, as well as a few others, has been triggering me.

Are you trolling? Or serious? Anyway.......

But nobody else looks any better, except Brazil, and even then not by much.

About a dozen other teams, perhaps? We're talking about the team that barely beat Tunesia and than had a field day beating the East Crappingham Pub Team, right?

My brother is in Germany and says everyone there thinks England have as good a chance as anyone. But in the English-speaking world it sort of feels like England aren't allowed to have a pretty good team "because they're England".

There's only 7 teams making it into the final in the last 50 years. Two of them not present, so it's between Arg, Bra, Ger, Fra & Spa. Portugal & Belgium as most notable outsiders, to join that list.. And then there's Mexico, Croatia, and a few more. And yes indeed, England have as good a chance as anyone of those, I suppose.

In Holland, I haven't noticed anyone thinking England are contenders.....

 

[marc71178]

Struggling to see the relevance of the 7 team stat.

 

[Howe_zat]

Struggling to see the relevance of the 7 team stat.

If you make it 'finals of the last 50 years', you get to include Netherlands but not England.

'Semis of the last 30 years' would include both, 'winners of the last 70 years' would include England but not Netherlands. You gotta hit that sweet spot for maximum England disparagement.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Implying that Mexico and England have the same chance to win the Cup is next level. Stinks of someone who's watched 2 Mexico games in 4 years.

 

[mr_mister]

Mexico have a crazy record of reaching the round of 16 and no further

 

[Pratters]

England's chances are probably better than they have been for a fair while. They have played well so far.. showed some synchronisation..

 

[sledger]

England's chances are probably better than they have been for a fair while. They have played well so far.. showed some synchronisation..

Yeah, unlike Mexio

 

[Pratters]

I wasn't really talking about Mexico at all.

 

[sledger]

I wasn't really talking about Mexico at all.

Neither was I, I said Mexio.

 

[Pratters]

You were comparing the two actually, so yeah, you were doing exactly what you say you were not doing.

 

[sledger]

You are a very confused chap.

 

[Pratters]

Not really. You are a sweet lad.