2014 World Cup Group D: Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy

[StinkyBoHoon]

the first bit is so true. there are some people up here still complain about the media hype in the lead up but really they're just being biased against england themselves, most people in scotland will now happily concede they don't bounce into every tournament expecting to win it and expectations are more muted and in line with reality.

the hype after uruguays loss and the performance against italy (which imo was actually quite decent, it just lacked nous and intelligence) got very silly.

lets also not kid ourselves, if Hodgson decides to drop some of the old players and starts with some of the younger guys like shaw, barkley, jones and oxlade-chamberlain, and then england win and get through (which is not a far out possibility) then we will again be subjected to the idea that perhaps this group of raw, young, talented players will go all the way. after all, who are colombia really but some 2nd rate, coke snorting south american lot, and then brazil, they look iffy this tournament, imagine sterling running at them... WITH PACE! The germans? well, they do look good but you know, anything can happen in these tight rivalries, which they totally think playing us is. because of the war 70 years ago. Italy in the final? this is a new team, all bets are off, imagine barkley running at them... WITH PACE!

 

[shravi]

lol

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/wo...celebrating-winner-against-England-named.html

 

[War]

People thought the italy performance was a lot better than it actually was. People thought Uruguay would be worse than they were due to the costa rica performance. so a couple of years of somewhat realistic expectations were undone in about 4 days. Pretty funny to see all the england fans fuming now after expecting to win.

Against italy it may have been a far better performance than the one two years ago, but it still wasn't really all that good. It was as if people saw sterling's run and shot in the third minute and decided there and then that it was a positive, enterprising performance.

I think the Uruguay manager just completely ballsed it up against costa rica. Lugano is past it. Forlan was way off the pace. Gameplan built around an absent suarez and non-existent without him.

I think Shearer summed it up. he said "this is the same Uruguay that last 3-1 to costa rica"

Linekar "plus a certain mister suarez"

shearer "yes, same back 4. minus the captain"

A) there were 5 changes for Uruguay between the two matches. 5/11 players is not the same Uruguay.

b) the RB was suspended, so it's half the back four different, not just missing the captain

The whole country deluded themselves from "as long as we play positively i'll be happy" to "we'll have these. these are crap" "they lost to costa rica. Who are they? Scotland?"

and it was completely ludicrous.

I don't think anyone was deluded after the Italy game to expect ENG to topple Uruguay. The same way how some people were suggesting b4 the tournament that Barcelona's struggle could be a potential detrimental factor for Spain into this tournament - the same permutations were suggested at Uruguay.

They were genuinely looking poor & ageing in world cup qualifiers in the 18 months, even when Suarez was playing fully fit. So the Costa Rica result was looking pretty much like a continuation of that bad form.

Watching the BBC coverage, even that british south american expert Tim Vickery was saying similar & giving England the edge after the performance vs Italy. Nobody watches S America football more than vickery for EURO journalist.

Uruguay won the tactical battle vs England in mid-field. If you look at how Uruguay tactics were in the qualifiers, you might observe the majority of the time they played a rigid 4-4-2 formation with 2 of their 3 known dogged defensive mid-fields (Arvelos, Diego Perez, Gargano) starting - Uruguay in CONMEBOL Qualifying 2014 fixture. This was done vs Costa Rica also.

But vs ENG they made a subtle change to a 4-3-1-2 -

Only one of those dogged mid-fielders, Arveloa played & he basically man marked Rooney. Lodiero played between in hole keeping, Gerrard occupied (the post match talk on BBC was Uruguay's play was to "stop Gerrard the thermometer of England).

This is why I and many was never comfortable with Gerrard playing in mid-field two since way back in the qualifiers. He has good attributes as a playmaker (although he is no Pirlo), but he needed more protection, which is why Rogers uses the 4-4-2 diamond tactic. It remains puzzling why in all the warm-ups Hodgson never tried this.

ENG never used their pace to unsettle Uruguay all game, its criminal that Sterling never got a chance to properly test their left back Perreira. Gerrard/Henderson were too slow & Sterling kept coming inside to try and get the ball.

This game sort of reminds be of the EURO 2004 game vs France. We got a clear in decline France team, they were worried about us - but we just froze on the occasion and never expressed ourselves. And coincidentally just like this game it was horrible error by Gerrard in the end that lost us the game.

And we eventually saw how poor France were, since they lost the Greece anyway. I'd wager when Italy play Uruguay, they will do a better job of exposing their issues.

 

[shravi]

"If Luis Suarez were English, Roy Hodgson would start Danny Welbeck over him".



Agreed on all the points War made. Gerrard cannot play in a midfield 2. He has shown that time and again for Liverpool when played alongside Lucas/Allen. I don't know why Hodgson hasn't realized that yet. At least he won't have to now, as Gerrard will retire after this tournament.

 

[Skater]

lol

Scotland fan spotted with Uruguay fans celebrating winner against England named | Mail Online

Oh vote yes and bugger off.

 

[War]

"If Luis Suarez were English, Roy Hodgson would start Danny Welbeck over him".



Agreed on all the points War made. Gerrard cannot play in a midfield 2. He has shown that time again for Liverpool when played alongside Lucas/Allen. I don't know why Hodgson hasn't realized that yet. At least he won't have to now, as Gerrard will retire after this tournament.

Ye unfortunately. Another major journalist highlighting it England's struggles down to a lack of consistent identity - ESPN FC

It was curious that an England team with a strong Liverpool slant didn't replicate the three-in-central-midfield-formula that has so obviously brought out the best in Gerrard as well as the attackers ahead of him.

 

[Dutch]

Costa Rica deserve to go through ten times more than England. Shows you what a well organised,,passionate team can do.....
And especially a savvy team.....
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Pack your bags boys and leave the football to the big boys......

 

[Dutch]

Dear oh dear oh dear.....what does this now say about Englands performances. Costa Rica have just shown how to play tournament football....

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Well done Costa Rica....absolutely earnt......brilliant, and I am genuinely happy for them........

 

[War]

Loving this world cup, could this be a world cup where an unexpected team wins like when Denmark won EURO 92 or Greece won EURO 2004?

 

[ParkedTheBus]

What is the difference between England and tea bags?

Tea bags stay longer in cups.

 

[Dipak]

Costa Rica come out the group of death - maybe as winners. who would have imagined them qualifying at the expense of the Italians or Uruguayans?

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FORZA ITALIA!

(That'll please my new Italian girlfriend... ha ha)

whichever team you have supported till now, lost

 

[War]

This Costa Rica win is probably more impressive cause their all-time leading scorer Alvaro Sobario is out & star left back Bryan Oviedo.

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

Costa Rica come out the group of death - maybe as winners. who would have imagined them qualifying at the expense of the Italians or Uruguayans?

they've already won, neither italy nor uruguay can pass them due to costa rica's head to head record against them.

 

[ste_mc_efc]

they've already won, neither italy nor uruguay can pass them due to costa rica's head to head record against them.

it's goal difference.

 

[Skater]

it's goal difference.

Goal difference, yes, but I can see England losing to Costa Rica so I fancy them to win the group.

It's been a great World Cup so far, unfortunately England have added nothing to it. Excellent against Italy, rubbish last night, rightly going home.