Good luck.

We'll have barry soon. Who's proven to be a class player for england. Advantage of barry over hargreaves is he's left footed and that makes a big difference to balance of distribution when all your other midfielders are right footed.



What's capello trying to achieve with his midfield?



He's trying to put all our best players in their best position. I find it bizzare you call our midfield pedestrian. Lampard and gerrard and are up and down like yoyos. Look at the 2006 game after we went down to 10 men, our midfielders were trojans. There really is nothing llike adversity to bring out the english lion spirit.

Part of the issue with English midfielders is that they are judged more on their workrate than their ability.



Do you reckon Spanish fans sit down and watch Xavi then turn to each other and complain about how he's not constantly going from box to box and isn't the quickest over 10 yards?

You think having a left footed midfielder is a bigger advantage than having a quick, strong and tenacious midfielder? Jesus Christ, you'll have to tell all those coaches that play right footed midfielders then, the lefty is key to victory.



But Capello isn't putting players in their best position, and if he did, it would work even worse for balance. He plays Gerrard on the left, he plays Lampard in CM in a 4-4-2 when he's far better in a three man central midfield, as is Gerrard. Rooney has had some excellent games this season up front on his own, although I think he works just as well with a partner, I think 4-4-2 is the wrong formation for England.



Lampard and Gerrard work best in a three man midfield, preferably being the most advanced of the three. It isn't all about work rate and running around the field, discipline, protecting the defence, reading the game well and breaking up play is massive in a game of football. Our midfielders were trojans and it was Hargreaves who won MOTM in that game IIRC. Why do you think that is? Because he was the quick, industrious midfielder we'd been crying out for, and still are. Honestly, considering we're hardly a great passing side, we have to make ourselves 'hard to beat' against better sides, Lampard and Barry in midfield is not hard to beat.

The thing with Xavi is he's clever enough to make up for his limitations, although he does work better with a Toure or a Senna next to him. He reads the game well defensively, he doesn't get stuck in as much but he closes down well, without looking like a headless chicken.

Senna is not a Gattuso/Mascherano type "tenacious" defesive midfielder. He's a deep-lying midfielder who can read the game and break up play when required and then distribute the ball effectively. In fact, he's exactly the same sort of player as Xabi Alonso, Busquets and Javi Martinez, so Spain, with their system, are hardly missing out in not taking him.



The fact is that Spain don't need a terrier DM because they hardly ever lose the ball. England, on the other hand...

For me the Golden Boot will be between Messi, Villa and Fabiano. Fabiano has the upper hand as North Korea are in Brazil's group.

The North Koreans will run around like idiots and make it hard for the opponents if they are anything like the South Koreans.



Villa could get a hatful against Honduras with the midfield pulling the strings behind him, not to mention possible goals against the Swiss and Chileans.

Javi Martinez isn't like Alonso. If he's like anybody, he's like a lesser Ballack. A strong, box-to-box player with a good engine. Senna isn't as quick as Mascherano, but he was certainly tenacious. Whenever the opposition went into Spain's half, he was at their heels winning the ball back. For Spain, he didn't play the Alonso type role, for Villarreal he does, though.



Alonso and Buesquets are capable of doing this defensive role, Alonso probably less so because he isn't quick over any distance, but he reads the game well and is a terrific man marker.



England don't really have any kind of defensive midfielder, if it was to be anyone, it would be Barry or Huddlestone. I don't think THudd is quick or mobile enough in a two man midfield, whilst I think Barry is only average at anchoring the midfield, and will be shown to be average by any half decent side.

France

South Africa



Argentina

Greece



England

USA



Germany

SERBIA



Holland

Denmark



Italy

Paraguay



Brazil

Portugal



Spain

Switzerland



All to progress from the group stages: 2649/1.

Where did you get odds on that?



I've been wanting to do a similar one but not been able to on the couple of sites I tried.

Paddy Power is the only site I can find that will offer you odds for that.



EDIT: [url=http://www.paddypower.com/football/international-football/world-cup-betting?ev_oc_grp_ids=273872Here's the link.[/url



£50 free bet for new customers too.

I can't wait. I'm going to meet a lot of my girlfriends friends for the first time on Saturday, wearing my Maradonna Argentina shirt, and singing the Yanky national anthem cheering on the good old U S of A.



I may not be alive to post after.

Cheers, I'll sort mine out tomorrow.

I received a threat the other day after promising to take the Serbia flag to the pub. I can't wait.

Berthold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

España! España!

Take your flag and parade it.

wenger talking about england ''[uwe[/u will need goals from them (gerrard and lampard)''

Nothing untoward there. A few on this thread proudly support a country other than their own so Wenger is no different. He's probably embarrassed France are there. I've heard they are training in private as they have been getting too much abuse from fans and media, probably a load of bulltosh but it wouldn't surprise me.

I may be barking up the wrong tree, but isn't Wenger an Alsatian. If so he might not really have a great passion for the national team, like a lot of people in similar places such as Merseyside, Catalonia, or the Independent Republic of Mancunia.



Also, that bet that Paddy Evra's got on can be done as a dual forecast multiple on Betfair as well, although I'd imagine the odds won't be quite as good.

Strange isn't it

Im only a USA fan for the sweepstake you will understand





I obviously want Ingerland to win

Chile as a very good dark-horse tip for my money at 70/1.



Best young side in South America (only 2 players in the squad over 30), 2nd place in the SAm qualifiers, one of the best young (and largely unheralded so far) talents in world football ready to announce himself to a wider audience, an experienced coach who banished the old heads/bad lads in the squad for the young uns after they messed about too much, a relatively easy group (other than Spain who they play last anyway when both should be through), very attack-minded side who score plenty of goals...



[size=50Knowing me they'll get dumped out in the group stages now...[/size



Top goalscorer wise...Milito of Argentina has to be decent value at 28/1 and as a dark horse Podolski at 50/1 should be considered.