Bad teams at international tournaments

[wpdavid]

That draw is against Algeria is probably the most angry I've ever been about a team I supported. I've lived through some **** so that says a lot.

I was pretty intoxicated but on my way home rang anyone who'd answer to tell them what I thought of Capello

I was trying, unsuccessfully, to remember the 2nd group game. I managed to remember the 1-1 draw with USA and the 1-0 win against, I think, Slovenia. And obviously the loss to Germany in the last 16. But the Algeria game had totally slipped my mind, thankfully.

 

[GIMH]

I'm normally one to cling to bad decisions etc. In the immediate aftermath of the Germany game I certainly did. Lampard's goal stands and its 2-2 and anyone's game. Cold hard reflection tells me it probably would have finished 6-2 to Germany.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

I'm normally one to cling to bad decisions etc. In the immediate aftermath of the Germany game I certainly did. Lampard's goal stands and its 2-2 and anyone's game. Cold hard reflection tells me it probably would have finished 6-2 to Germany.

I seem to remember I was trolling England and you quite hard during this World Cup

Probably not my finest moment but that England team deserved it

 

[GIMH]

I seem to remember I was trolling England and you quite hard during this World Cup

Probably not my finest moment but that England team deserved it

I think we talked on Facebook a few months later and agreed it was nobody's finest hour

I've mellowed in my older age anyway. Though it would have been tested had anyone tried it the night the mighty whites dropped out of the league

 

[GIMH]

What really frustrates me about 2010 is this.

The 'golden generation' maybe didn't deliver, but hey under Sven they made the quarters three tournaments in a row, and injuries blighted each one.

Under Roy, in 2012 the quarters was as good as we could hope with the players and turmoil at the time, and in 2014 though it was grim, at least we lost to a better side (Italy) and a magic player (Suarez).

In 2010, okay it was a good Germany side that put us to the sword but we just didn't turn up. It was nondescript and all this after an impressive qualifying campaign.

Honestly, it all went wrong when he put his name to the capello index

 

[Furball]

2010 was hilarious.

ITV pundits all confidently predicting an England win pre-game because man for man, not a single German player would get into England's XI.

Whoops.

 

[sledger]

Haha did they really do this? I don't remember the punditry for that match at all, but surely Germany had been put down as strong favourites for that match by nearly everyone. They were already self-evidently really quite good, and I can remember tuning in to that match fully expecting to see England get beat.

 

[Cabinet96]

 

[cpr]

Haha did they really do this? I don't remember the punditry for that match at all, but surely Germany had been put down as strong favourites for that match by nearly everyone. They were already self-evidently really quite good, and I can remember tuning in to that match fully expecting to see England get beat.

My hazy memory of it is this was the match that everyone (in the pundit/Helen Keller universe anyway) finally realised that this Germany team were actually rather good, and not some passed it/too young blend of nothingness.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

The CW posting was also entertaining

Neuer >> James


Lahm >>> Johnson (basically the same going forward, one of them not a positional liability at the back)
Friedrich = Carragher (neither World Cup winning calibre)
Mertesacker < Terry
Jansen/Badstuber << Cole (either a left winger or a central defender...ugh)


Schweinsteiger < Lampard
Khedira < Barry (not much in these, given them on basis of international experience)


Özil < Gerrard (experience again)
Müller > Milner (neither particularly proven, Müller has some good CL games under his belt though)


Klose < Rooney (even a half-fit Rooney is better than Klose)
Podolski = Defoe (Morton's fork)


So pretty close. Six English better to four Germans I suppose.

 

[Furball]

Haha did they really do this? I don't remember the punditry for that match at all, but surely Germany had been put down as strong favourites for that match by nearly everyone. They were already self-evidently really quite good, and I can remember tuning in to that match fully expecting to see England get beat.

I think a lot of it was based on the logic of 'I've never heard of these players so they must be crap.'

 

[andruid]

Jamaica 1998
Cameroon in most World Cups since 1990

 

[Lillian Thomson]

England 1066-world end.

I think the decline set in before the Battle of Hastings. William of Normandy made promises in 1051 that he was unable to implement.

 

[sledger]

I think a lot of it was based on the logic of 'I've never heard of these players so they must be crap.'

Yeah, that does ring a few bells actually. Will watch the video cabinet posted later on.

 

[Furball]

I can't believe Hansen was allowed to steal a wage for as long as he did.

 

[cpr]

Too early to add Portugal 2016 to the list?

 

[Cabinet96]

Yes

 

[Furball]

The CW posting was also entertaining

Haha went back and checked the knockout thread. My pre-game post was spot on:

This part is complete rubbish IMO. A few pundits have come out with similar guff in the past few days, and it can only be based on the fact that the Bundesliga is relatively low profile in the UK.

England are a team choc full of average players, with a sprinkling of top talent which has made a career out of underperforming internationally. Germany on the other hand have a side who have reached the semis of the last World Cup and the final of the last European Championships, which is a far more proven recent tournament pedigree. They've also got 4 of the side which won the U21 European Championship - so this side know how to win things.

(the "bolded part" referred to was Brumby suggesting England were better than Germany man for man.)

 

[Redbacks]

I think it is ingrained in the English psyche to underestimate Germany regardless of the situation.

Also comparing teams man for man works 'ok' in a 5 match test series but is pretty useless in football as only the midfield really go head to head. Having a better keeper, wingers and back four than Argentina doesn't mean much for example.

 

[Cabinet96]

The CW posting was also entertaining

Hard to disagree with that (from a 2010 perspective) tbf. Müller over Milner a good call at the time too.