[World Cup 2018] Group G (BEL - ENG - PAN - TUN)

[-james-]

I said before the tournament that their results against Tunisia and Panama wouldn't be much use when judging England as a team. Every team in the tournament has had great trouble breaking down deep blocks like the one Tunisia employed in the second half.

It's worth looking at how the favourites have performed in the first round:

Brazil - creating next to nothing against Switzerland, drew 1-1
Germany - Were much worse than Mexico, could have lost by a few
France - Scored via a penalty and a long range fluke. Were lucky to win against Australia, created absolutely nothing.
Spain - Were good against Portugal. The best side in the tournament
Argentina - Created absolutely nothing against Iceland, didn't deserve to win
Belgium - Played the worst side in the tournament, had very little cohesion & relied on individual magic

England - Created more chances than any of the sides above in the first half. Conceded no chances all game, gave away a questionable penalty. Should have won about 3-0.

[Mellberg]

Harry Kane has more World Cup goals than Wayne Rooney.

[Pepe]

The fuck is Panama the worst side in the tournament.

[Giggles]

I said before the tournament that their results against Tunisia and Panama wouldn't be much use when judging England as a team. Every team in the tournament has had great trouble breaking down deep blocks like the one Tunisia employed in the second half.

It's worth looking at how the favourites have performed in the first round:

Brazil - creating next to nothing against Switzerland, drew 1-1
Germany - Were much worse than Mexico, could have lost by a few
France - Scored via a penalty and a long range fluke. Were lucky to win against Australia, created absolutely nothing.
Spain - Were good against Portugal. The best side in the tournament
Argentina - Created absolutely nothing against Iceland, didn't deserve to win
Belgium - Played the worst side in the tournament, had very little cohesion & relied on individual magic

England - Created more chances than any of the sides above in the first half. Conceded no chances all game, gave away a questionable penalty. Should have won about 3-0.

Not including European champions Portugal in your list?

Your still absolutely delusional anyway. Politician.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The main positives are a) that Kane is good and b) Southgate is loving it. I think we'll make the last eight but against a proper side our defence will cave in.

[-james-]

Not including European champions Portugal in your list?

Portugal are terrible, just as they were 2 years ago. Their goals were a defensive error leading to a penalty, a David De Gea error, and a once in 45 direct free kick. They won't reach the last 8.

[Yevrah]

Portugal are terrible, just as they were 2 years ago. Their goals were a defensive error leading to a penalty, a David De Gea error, and a once in 45 direct free kick. They won't reach the last 8.

If we played them who do you think would win?

[-james-]

If we played them who do you think would win?

I'd be with England. Morocco will cause them trouble on Wednesday.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Portugal are terrible, just as they were 2 years ago. Their goals were a defensive error leading to a penalty, a David De Gea error, and a once in 45 direct free kick. They won't reach the last 8.

You're still looking at sport as though we're playing over a 1000 game simulation. We're not, it's a 7 game tournament in which intangibles become more valuable than tangibles.

[Yevrah]

It's worth looking at how the favourites have performed in the first round:

Brazil - creating next to nothing against Switzerland, drew 1-1
Germany - Were much worse than Mexico, could have lost by a few
France - Scored via a penalty and a long range fluke. Were lucky to win against Australia, created absolutely nothing.
Spain - Were good against Portugal. The best side in the tournament
Argentina - Created absolutely nothing against Iceland, didn't deserve to win
Belgium - Played the worst side in the tournament, had very little cohesion & relied on individual magic

England - Created more chances than any of the sides above in the first half. Conceded no chances all game, gave away a questionable penalty. Should have won about 3-0.

But it's not worth it though, because that's another thing we do every time and with the possible exception of Belgium, I guarantee you that any one and all of those teams knock us out if we come up against them.

[-james-]

You're still looking at sport as though we're playing over a 1000 game simulation. We're not, it's a 7 game tournament in which intangibles become more valuable than tangibles.

The fact that it's a seven game tournament is exactly how that Portugal side can win a tournament. They are rank.

[Yevrah]

I'd be with England. Morocco will cause them trouble on Wednesday.

Well then you've run mad.

Not a chance in this world or the next that we'd knock Portugal out.

[Yevrah]

The fact that it's a seven game tournament is exactly how that Portugal side can win a tournament. They are rank.

They're not very good to watch, I'll give you that, but they're organised as fuck and have the best player in the world on a personal mission to cement that as best player ever. They'd properly turn us over.

EDIT: And by that I don't mean we'd lose 8-0, but we wouldn't beat them and we'd never really look like doing so.

[-james-]

He was awful at euro 2016 and didn't play in the final. In the first game here he has scored 3 improbable goals. It's all narrative.

[Boom-Boom-18]

He was awful at euro 2016 and didn't play in the final. In the first game here he has scored 3 improbable goals. It's all narrative.

He had two man of the matches, including the semi final in which he scored and bagged an assist.

3 goals and 3 assists. He was not awful.

[Disco]

Yeah he's rubbish, he only scores improbable goals multiple times a match.

[Reg]

Every team in the tournament has had great trouble breaking down deep blocks like the one Tunisia employed in the second half.

Yep. Teams that are good at it are club sides and Spain 2008-2012 (near enough a club side). Obviously there will be times teams manage it better than we did tonight, but it's not easy.

We definitely had a poor spell in the second half. And we looked extremely nervy following the Tunisia goal. It will be interesting to see how the nerves hold up if/when we get through.

Lots of our players are better when they have space to break into, particularly Lingard and Sterling. Lingard's not suited to those types of games; I think Loftus-Cheek would be a better choice v Panama.

[-james-]

He had two man of the matches, including the semi final in which he scored and bagged an assist.

3 goals and 3 assists. He was not awful.

The header against Wales was good, but it's a bit lol to call the second goal an assist. The only good side they beat was Croatia, and I don't think he did anything all game. He certainly didn't carry them to victory.

[-james-]

Yeah he's rubbish, he only scores improbable goals multiple times a match.

He's obviously an amazing asset to have, but I don't think relying on him like they have is sustainable. They nearly didn't qualify from their Euro 2016 group (featuring Hungary, Iceland and Austria) because he kept on lobbing free kicks 10 yards over.

[Disco]

He's obviously an amazing asset to have, but I don't think relying on him like they have is sustainable. They nearly didn't qualify from their Euro 2016 group (featuring Hungary, Iceland and Austria) because he kept on lobbing free kicks 10 yards over.

They won that tournament, how much more sustainable do you want?

[-james-]

They won that tournament, how much more sustainable do you want?

They won the tournament, but they weren't the best side in the tournament.

I'm talking about how good I think teams are, because that's how you try and work out how they might do in the future, and I don't think Portugal are very good.

I don't think recent finalists, France and Argentina, are very good either, for the record.

[Lewis]

This is like when I tried rationalising Leicester. Go on lad.

[Jimmy Floyd]

It doesn't matter who's good, it matters who wins.

[Cheddar]

I can never seem to get behind England in tournament or anything else, I just don’t seem interested. I’ll watch them but I couldn’t really care if we go out or not.

[Disco]

They won the tournament, but they weren't the best side in the tournament.

Fuck off

[-james-]

Fuck off

Spain, Germany or Italy would all have beaten them in the final. Tournament football is weird and unpredictable.

[-james-]

It doesn't matter who's good, it matters who wins.

All I'm doing is saying who I think might win.

[Pepe]

Worse than a Harold thread, this.

[Reg]

Dino's point is perfectly understandable. They're cup competitions. Wigan won the FA Cup, doesn't mean they were the best team in it.

Although I'd say Portugal were good. And relying on one player is perhaps usually unsustainable, but it's Ronaldo. They could win it, I think.

[Waffdon]

Eden Hazard is the best player at the tournament.

I gotchu, James x

[Jimmy Floyd]

Winning often comes about as a result of qualities other than being good. Being mentally resilient, for example.

[Bam]

When someone like Yev talks about football I fall asleep. The guy has no idea Dino.

[Giggles]

When someone like Yev talks about football I fall asleep. The guy has no idea Dino.

Dino's gone to sleep it off.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Well this game has spawned an Alan Shearer/Simon Schama twitter spat, and for that it will go down as one of the classics.

[Lewis]

Alan Shearer seems like the most likely leave voter of the England pundits.

[mugbull]

The Tunisian Ben Youssef has got to belong to some local tribe with weird isolated genes. Dude's an actual redhead.

[phonics]

I was at the fanzone where I was sat in front of four blokes who only referred to each other as 'big lad' at the beginning and end of every sentence. That was between bellowing out some chant to the tune of 'one of our own' but about drinking pints. It was beyond parody.

During the anthems, they absolutely belted the first three lines of God Save the Queen before remembering they knew as much as the players.

[Panda Bear]

The Tunisian Ben Youssef has got to belong to some local tribe with weird isolated genes. Dude's an actual redhead.

Just the opposite, actually. The Silk Road introduced a whole bunch of genes that are still floating about.

[mugbull]

Just the opposite, actually. The Silk Road introduced a whole bunch of genes that are still floating about.

Yeah, I doubt anybody in Tunisia developed the gene on their own, but they've got to be interbreeding the redheads they've got given how recessive that trait is.

[Browning]

Pretty much their entire squad was born in France anyway.

[mugbull]

He was born in Tunis

[ItalAussie]

And they will at every tournament until we find a way to stop them qualifying.

I reckon they're one bad World Cup cycle away from splitting AFC qualification geographically. They do it in the AFC Champion's League, to ensure that one of the oil teams makes it the final.

[Byron]

Eden Hazard is the best player at the tournament.

I reckon, if you really work you might be able to fit his whole cock in your mouth.

[Waffdon]

I reckon, if you really work you might be able to fit his whole cock in your mouth.

I was taking the piss to take the heat off James, mate. Regardless, my gag reflex is elite.

[SincereTheRebel]

Regardless, my gag reflex is elite.

[Mazuuurk]

Winning often comes about as a result of qualities other than being good. Being mentally resilient, for example.

Are you suggesting having a good leader for a captain matters here?

[Panda Bear]

The most important intangible in the entire world across all fields is luck.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Team has been leaked apparently.

Alli out with an injury will be replaced by Loftus-Cheek and Sterling will make way for Rashford.

Seems logical if true.

[Lewis]

Yep. Rest Sterling for the decider.

[Bob Sacamano]

Drogba with the Marko Marin disprespect ha.