The Official 2010 World Cup Thread

Italy are in a really shit group, so they'll likely have a lot of energy in the tanks for the knockouts. While that might give me hopes of another WC for the wops, I think their current squad is too much a bizarre combination of dinosaurs and infants. They also have no world class strikers. If Buffon is in typical form, they could still get deep into the tournament.

Oh, and no, I won't kid myself about the U.S. chances. They're incredibly overrated (yes, overrated) and any success they have will be shocking although I'll do backflips while farting the star-spangled banner if they beat England (or draw).

Favorites:

Spain and Brazil look awfully good with a side order of Dutch

Dark Horses:

Italy and France

Close but no Cigar:

Argentina and Germany, fucked manager and too many injuries, respectively

I Will Love Watching Them Lose:

North Korea, Serbia

I Will Love Watching Them Try To Win But Lose Anyway:

Ghana, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Cameroon The African nations.

Who? aka. I thought that was a city, not a country!

United States, Honduras, Japan

--

Okay, who's up? chenGOD?

England

  On 5/30/2010 at 12:38 AM, Benedict Cumberbatch said:

England

This is their year, right? Where have I heard that before? Oh, that's right. In 2002 and 2006.

You can add France to the list of teams I'll actively cheer against.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QNHlFDbxvY

CUNTS.

spain performs bad consistently at world cups. they'll lose in the quarters.

brazil will reach the semi's, at least. they just do, no matter how bad they play.

italy likewise. and also, although inter was in the CL finals, not a single italian player broke a sweat. in other words: they're onto something.

the dutch may have the best team in years, but the problem is (one of them anyways) that three key players played in the cl finals. two of them on the losing side. so the season was too long, and i expect some conditional/motivational issues. they'll be playing with the cl finals on their minds. still semi's material though.

and france? dunno. haven't followed them lately. going with that thought, they won't even make it into the quarters.

argentina and germany are traditionally good at the world cups. so they're the ones to watch as well. and the germans seem less susceptive to cl motivational/conditional issues, as opposed to the dutch. so the germans have more chance at making it to and through the semi's. except, when they have to play the dutch. in a direct match-up the dutch will win. there's this historical/cultural motivation which suddenly comes into play whenever the dutch have to play the germans. if the focus is there, they can beat any team.

Group A: France , Uruguay

Group B: Argentina , Greece

Group C: England , Slovenia

Group D: Germany , Serbia

Group E: Holland , Denmark

Group F: Italy , Paraguay

Group G: Ivory Coast , Brazil

Group H: Spain , Chile

Knockout Stage

Round of 16:

France VS Greece -

England VS Serbia -

Holland VS Paraguay -

Ivory Coast VS Chile -

Argentina VS Uruguay -

Germany VS Slovenia -

Italy VS Denmark -

Spain VS Brazil

Quarter-Finals:

France VS England -

Holland VS Ivory Coast -

Argentina VS Germany -

Italy VS Spain

Semis:

England VS Holland -

Argentina VS Spain

3rd Place: England VS Argentina

FINAL: Holland Vs Spain

can't argue with your favorite choices. But will add argentina as a dark horse.

I think Argentina's biggest obstacle is not the professional skier but their defense. Their offense is on fire, must be tough having to choose between Tevez, Milito, Messi, Higuain and Palermo.

England - out in the quarters (although I will be suspending rational thought and praying for them to make it to the final).

Wops - out in the round of 16

France - will struggle because Domenech has the mental faculties of a three year old with developmental issues. look to the mexicans to win that group, and Uruguay will give the french a match.

Portugal - utterly fucked (lol at tying 0-0 with Cape Verde)

Germany - easy group to come out of, but the side is disorganised.

Ivory Coast and Chile to surprise one of those teams makes the quarters

Looking for South Korea to beat the greeks and surprise the nigerians to come out of that group.

North Korea has a tough group (possibly the toughest group) so they won't go far, but this guy will turn some heads if he gets half a chance - striker Jong Tae Se:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ65eKjd6ak

Looking forward to the US not advancing (although they'll probably get at least a draw against Algeria), as well as Australia, just so I can laugh at pen expers.

USA will win and everyone will hate them for it.

(most likely brazil again)

ORANJE!

  On 5/30/2010 at 1:27 AM, GORDO said:

USA will lose and everyone will hate them.

 

(most likely brazil again)

fixt

I just want Germany to win, simply to annoy the largest amount of English football fans possible.

Some very good initial analysis, lads. I would give anything to see aan African nation get to the semis.

If the Greeks play that utter-boring defensive-score-a-goal-and they retrieve like a fucking coward possum style of football they played in 2004 , i can see them in the Semis (If they can evade France in the Round of 16)

P.S- World Cups and Euros are my Xmas

the greeks drew 2-2 with North Korea at home. They're not going anywhere.

  On 5/30/2010 at 1:50 AM, chenGOD said:

the greeks drew 2-2 with North Korea at home. They're not going anywhere.

Fucking LOL , yeah , you are probably right , Zagorakis is retired (and he was pretty much the heart of that 2004 team)

Fun Fact: North Korea will only broadcast the games they win , LOL ..

  On 5/30/2010 at 1:52 AM, Boxing Day said:

  On 5/30/2010 at 1:50 AM, chenGOD said:

the greeks drew 2-2 with North Korea at home. They're not going anywhere.

 

Fucking LOL , yeah , you are probably right , Zagorakis is retired (and he was pretty much the heart of that 2004 team)

 

Fun Fact: North Korea will only broadcast the games they win , LOL ..

So it's the 1966 victory over Italy on a loop then :)

(plu smaybe the first half against portugal from that same world cup)

My Uruguayan Grandfather was there for the Group Stages , he told me about North Korea , to quote him "it was weird , a bunch of funny-eyed midgets defeated the mighty Italians , no one could believe it"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t4tbehxqSM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swLNYmcaheg

I bet the Italians probably whined about officials after that match as well, just like they did in 2002.

[posting from the future]

it was too hot for our english lads in africa. they missed their own beds too.

  On 5/30/2010 at 1:26 AM, chenGOD said:

 

Germany - easy group to come out of, but the side is disorganised.

 

 

Lahm and Kross are going to be the stars of the German team.

As long as Kiessling plays and Klose returns to form (Unlikely) , the Germans will be fine up 'till the Quarters , then it gets tricky.

P.S- Ballack's injury is a blessing in disguise.

Don't forget Gomez and Podolski. They lack pacy wingers though, which will hurt.

Also why the fuck is Friedel not the US keeper?

Watching US-Turkey now. Turkey could be interesting with Hiddink as the manager.

what happened to hiddink's russia? i was looking forward to that.

Dunno...he probably likes the Turkish weather better than Russia. Plus you don't have to worry about the KGB in Turkey.

Hiddink is a managerial god though.

US defense will get shredded by England. Turkey is ripping them apart, and they're much older than England.