Who's winning it?

[Pliskin]

1 hour ago, Lionator said:

I’d say we’re favourites now given our attacking performances but France is the big one. Our defence against Mbappe is going to be anxiety provoking. 

But have England been tested? Wales are poor, Iran are shite, USA are overhyped and Senegal collapsed after the first goal. 
 

Brazil and France are the two clear favourites for me, and then potentially (pains me to say it) Argentina…. If England beat France then maybe, but I really can’t see it. France’s attack is far superior to England’s and it will probably be a case of our scoring one another. 

[Nick]

I think  the winner of France England takes the trophy.

[KrefelderFox666]

9 hours ago, Nick said:

I think  the winner of France England takes the trophy.

Or the winner of one of the other QF's. I'm not sure though

[Nick]

4 minutes ago, KrefelderFox666 said:

Or the winner of one of the other QF's. I'm not sure though

Keep me posted.

[Dahnsouff]

Stealthy Spain

[Aus Fox]

9 hours ago, Pliskin said:

But have England been tested? Wales are poor, Iran are shite, USA are overhyped and Senegal collapsed after the first goal. 
 

Brazil and France are the two clear favourites for me, and then potentially (pains me to say it) Argentina…. If England beat France then maybe, but I really can’t see it. France’s attack is far superior to England’s and it will probably be a case of our scoring one another. 

Have Brazil of France been tested yet?

I really don’t get this attitude when it comes to England. It’s a global competition and we’ve beaten the African Champions, the CONACAF champions, the best team in Asian qualifying and wales.

In doing that we’ve outscored every other team at this World Cup whilst conceding less than any other team.

We are one of only 3 undefeated team and playing some exceptional football. 
France are a top side, but I don’t think they’re anything for us to fear. 

We appear to downplay everyone we play, whilst building up others around us. 

[Manley Farrington-Brown]

26 minutes ago, Aus Fox said:

We appear to downplay everyone we play, whilst building up others around us.

Isn't that what football fans do?

Unless they're arrogant twats, but for normal fans it's natural behaviour, surely? 

[Pliskin]

41 minutes ago, Aus Fox said:

Have Brazil of France been tested yet?

I really don’t get this attitude when it comes to England. It’s a global competition and we’ve beaten the African Champions, the CONACAF champions, the best team in Asian qualifying and wales.

In doing that we’ve outscored every other team at this World Cup whilst conceding less than any other team.

We are one of only 3 undefeated team and playing some exceptional football. 
France are a top side, but I don’t think they’re anything for us to fear. 

We appear to downplay everyone we play, whilst building up others around us. 

Whilst I appreciate you’re point, it is of my personal opinion that they’ve had more testing games than England have. 
 

Wales were extremely poor (sorry Fin), Iran also provided no test at all, the USA huffed and puffed and caused England some problems, and Senegal completely collapsed after the goal. So I don’t think England have yet been challenged properly. 
 

Yes It is hard to gauge at this point for any team, but roll the clock back to the Euro’s and England lost to arguably one of Italy’s worst sides ever in a final that they really should have won. I just feel that we we will come up short in the big occasions, mainly because of the way Southgate sets the side up. These are all opinions people are allowed to have, and you can’t really blame anyone who’s not sharing the optimism of others, not everyone sings from the same hymn sheet. 
 

 

[Guest Col city fan]

26 minutes ago, Pliskin said:

Whilst I appreciate you’re point, it is of my personal opinion that they’ve had more testing games than England have. 
 

Wales were extremely poor (sorry Fin), Iran also provided no test at all, the USA huffed and puffed and caused England some problems, and Senegal completely collapsed after the goal. So I don’t think England have yet been challenged properly. 
 

Yes It is hard to gauge at this point for any team, but roll the clock back to the Euro’s and England lost to arguably one of Italy’s worst sides ever in a final that they really should have won. I just feel that we we will come up short in the big occasions, mainly because of the way Southgate sets the side up. These are all opinions people are allowed to have, and you can’t really blame anyone who’s not sharing the optimism of others, not everyone sings from the same hymn sheet. 
 

 

We always get this gubbins from the players apart how such and such a team ‘was a really tough test’ etc. Kane is always on about it. The reality is that England haven’t yet been tested. Our group was a piece of piss to get out of and Senegal were useless after they conceded. Wales were shocking, Iran poor and the USA are a team in development. 
You can only beat what’s in front of you, but the reality is that England face their first real tough test against the French. So far, it’s been a breeze really.

[SpacedX]

7 minutes ago, Col city fan said:

We always get this gubbins from the players 

Sorry if this comes across and unnecessarily pedantic Col, but 'gubbins' means disposable miscellanea - dispensable items and waste. Ask the man himself @Gubbins

[RowlattsFox]

22 minutes ago, Col city fan said:

We always get this gubbins from the players apart how such and such a team ‘was a really tough test’ etc. Kane is always on about it. The reality is that England haven’t yet been tested. Our group was a piece of piss to get out of and Senegal were useless after they conceded. Wales were shocking, Iran poor and the USA are a team in development. 
You can only beat what’s in front of you, but the reality is that England face their first real tough test against the French. So far, it’s been a breeze really.

No-one ever says that the other top teams have had it easy though do they? Who have France, Argentina, Brazil played so far? 

[CosbehFox]

I think the only group/team which really gave the bigger names problems was Japan to Spain (interestingly Southgate conceded that the team which took our scouts by surprise was Japan, everyone else fitted their billing). But even by then Spain could afford to rest a few. 

 

With the seedings and groups, big teams look at it in a calculated manner. England are getting the hang of this too now. 

[Samilktray]

42 minutes ago, RowlattsFox said:

No-one ever says that the other top teams have had it easy though do they? Who have France, Argentina, Brazil played so far? 

Saudi Arabia beat a first choice Argentina, Brazil lost to Cameroon albeit they did rotate but that 11 would have been expected to win. France much like ourselves have done well without really getting out of second gear. People love to talk down England for whatever reason but I personally am quite excited and optimistic 

 

Nobody for us to fear really, we can beat anyone in this tournament. 

[BKLFox]

England, Argentina, Netherlands, Portugal, France & Brazil all won their groups & were expected to because of the way the draw is done, the only shocks are Belgium, Germany not getting through & Spain advancing as a runner up, although their group had Germany also so probably the only group you couldn't call the order of which team was 1st & 2nd but again expected both to progress.

Let's not pretend all but ENG have had a rough time getting to the last 16 & 1/4s & that we are only there because we have had easy games because that's BS

[Footballwipe]

You guys make me feel like Nigel Fkin Farage in terms of my loyalty to England with your constant downplaying and moaning about this national team.

 

Whether it's slagging off the players, the manager, the style of football, the fact we "haven't played anyone." For some of you, nothing is good enough. It will never be good enough. Especially the weirdos who are desperate for Maddison to play, despite the fact if he played for Newcastle you wouldn't give a shit.

 

This tournament comes around every four years, so please excuse us lot who are actually excited, want to see us succeed and most importantly want to enjoy the World Cup.

 

If you want to spend the whole time negging on England then that's your choice but let me judge you by finding it so weird. Teams have proven time and again in major tournaments you don't need to be amazing to win. Portugal didn't win a game in normal time until the semi final in Euro 2016. They still won. Can you imagine if we did that the reaction on here "didn't win it proper though did we. Don't count."

 

I can't wait for the next few days of hype and build up, the hope, expectation and anticipation. Optimistic that we can do it. It's going to be great.

[Finnegan]

1 hour ago, RowlattsFox said:

No-one ever says that the other top teams have had it easy though do they? Who have France, Argentina, Brazil played so far? 

 

No but Argentina and Brazil are grossly over hyped on reputation and France have a much better all round team than you do and are the reigning world champions. 

 

IMO, England, Argentina and Brazil are all being ludicrously over hyped just to fill content. England have been extremely drab in games until teams roll over and they're good at punishing that. Argentina and Brazil have pretty much average teams on paper with the odd genuine star and both have looked sluggish at times. 

[Alf Bentley]

4 minutes ago, Finnegan said:

 

No but Argentina and Brazil are grossly over hyped on reputation and France have a much better all round team than you do and are the reigning world champions. 

 

IMO, England, Argentina and Brazil are all being ludicrously over hyped just to fill content. England have been extremely drab in games until teams roll over and they're good at punishing that. Argentina and Brazil have pretty much average teams on paper with the odd genuine star and both have looked sluggish at times. 

 

....he said, hoping that nobody would notice the tiny beads of sweat on his brow and the way his hands were gripping his armchair just that little bit too tightly....... 

[Finnegan]

2 minutes ago, Alf Bentley said:

 

....he said, hoping that nobody would notice the tiny beads of sweat on his brow and the way his hands were gripping his armchair just that little bit too tightly....... 

 

[KrefelderFox666]

As a German fan I would love to be as "boring" as England currently are. If by "boring" it means winning games and being clinical, so be it.

 

It's easy to say none of the big teams have been tested, but in a World Cup, groups will always contain minnows. You're not going to get a group with 4 world class teams in it. However, each team in a group poses their own challenge and threat. We messed up first game against Japan and it cost us. Argentina messed up but recovered. France, Brazil and Spain had very little riding on the final group match, with the first two completely changing their XI.

 

I still think France have not proved that they can defend the title. Should they beat England, then I really think they have confirmed they are title contenders. Brazil have the easy route on paper but Korea and Japan are tricky opponents (us Germans know!!!).

 

Assuming Spain, Portugal and Brazil go through, then we have some top class QF pairings (and obviously that would carry on to top class semis and final too).

[Foxxed]

I hate the football and manager but I think we have a good chance at winning the game and the tournament. We’re solid defensively, more so than a lot of the big names, dull and pragmatic, like a number of previous winners, and our attacking players are plentiful and on balance better than most teams—we don’t have Mbappe but Kane, Rashford, Grealish, Saka et al are nothing to be sniffed at. The manager and core team know each other well and are neither too young nor too old.

[Manley Farrington-Brown]

Everyone still in it is capable of beating anyone. On their day. Whether Morocco, Korea, Switzerland or Japan can do that three times in a row, or whether Portugal, or Croatia are still able to do that three times in a row is doubtful, which realistically leaves England, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Netherlands and France. I'm not sure there's much between any of that lot. Maybe France and Brazil silghtly ahead of the others? But not by enough to make anyone a real favourite. Anyone could win it, but also any of them could meekly tumble out in the quarter finals.

 

I just hope there are no penalty shoot outs. Folorn hope, I know. But I hate them.

[Jonezy]

Its time. You got this guys.

 

Just don't turn into insufferable arrogant pricks about it, when you do it. 

[Manini]

Got a proper chance here you know. Genuinely not sure anybody has been head and shoulders better than we have up to this point. France is obviously a mammoth task on Saturday, they’re a proper side, but if we go toe to toe with them I think we can win. Beat them and confidence will be sky high. 

[TJQuik]

51 minutes ago, Jonezy said:

Its time. You got this guys.

 

Just don't turn into insufferable arrogant pricks about it, when you do it. 

We're not going to win it and you know it

[The Bear]

We've still got to beat France, Spain and then one of Brazil/Argentina. 

 

We've got a chance but I don't see it happening. We don't control games enough due to the often too passive tactics of the manager.