Segun Oluwaniyi

Because glamour whores need to latch on to extremely foolish, mildly famous men that can help them maintain financial stability and cultural relevancy. It is a perfect couple. Also, Negusha clearly deserves to be starting at this point in her career.

Meanwhile Brazil has Nigerian/Newcastle-itis. Continually smacking long balls to their "big" striker who has failed to win anything all match and continually loses the ball. Though Emenike is not as rubbish as this Fred.

I really dislike almost everything about David Luiz's way of playing.

That girl has scary eyes and a strange nose. Mexico have improved dramatically since their struggles in 2013. Very impressed in the first two games.

So the replacement is Rakitic? It is a bit bizarre to see Xavi, Fabregas, and Thiago leave within the space of one year.

It is hard to disagree about this club's uselessness, but I'm not convinced Lescott is a a good investment at all from a playing perspective, never mind the financial ramifications.

I am so tired of supporting Nigeria. I will hold back criticism for now, as a result against Bosnia (seemingly unlikely, I know) would likely assure qualification and don't want to pull the trigger too quickly. But today, every thing was awful. Every aspect of the game. It is lucky that Iran were also rubbish and played cowardly (They might have stopped parking the bus when they realised we had no threat) because a loss would have been deserved. It has been this way since Confed Cup, and it makes one question what is really going on with this team because this is not normal. People kept telling me that the tournament last summer and all these friendlies didn't matter, but here we are on the world's biggest stage being thoroughly outclassed by Iran. Once again, making complete buffoons of ourselves. The players don't even seem to be exerting anything other than the bare minimum (see Obi Mikel, John: midfield dynamo from ACN and Confed Cup walking around in slow motion serially losing the ball) and the fraud Keshi isn't fussed. A waste. Ghana-US match was very entertaining. I don't believe Germany intends on exiting this group with anything less than nine points and a massive goal differential, so the US-Portugal game is absolutely crucial. Ghana aren't dead yet, either. A scenario where Germany ends on nine points, while every else has three is highly probable, imo.

Looking forward to the first 0-0 of the tourney against youse lot tomorrow, mate. According to latest report, Queiroz is pulling a Low/Wilmots. Playing 2 CBs at fullback, and 2 attacking fullback as wingers, leaving two of our Europe based players on the bench. An early goal should open the game up...but I somehow doubt we'll see an early goal. Hope Shola starts as trequarista in that #10 role. If all the reports are true and everyone is still fit, it will be this imo: Enyeama Ambrose Oboabona Omeruo Oshaniwa Onazi Mikel Obi Azeez Musa Moses Emenike I think the only way Shola appears is if the team is desperate for a goal and wants a "dominant" aerial presence in the box. I'm hoping for 2-0 to the SE, but the day is finally here, so we will see in ~17.25 hours.

Argentina had a number of chances to end this match and wasted them all. Annoying for my purposes that they only won by the odd goal. Neither team looked very solid at all defensively. Iran is probably the best defence in the group, tbh.

Italy looked remarkably nonathletic and slow in both midfield and defense. It seemed as though Cheliini, De Rossi, and Prilo were being walked past most of the match. Any side with a decent amount of pace and explosiveness will trouble them a bit based on that effort. Manaus may have played a factor, but the match was in the evening, so conditions were far from extreme. England wasted a chance to win with some fairly silly defending and missed chances (very African performance). Cote D'Ivoire should definitely get out of their group now, tbh and looked quite impressive in the first half. For the two African sides debuting on Monday, a win is also crucial.

Not to question Brazilian infrastructure or the knowledge of all the commentators, but how can a city of two million only be accessible by plane or boat? I suppose the likes of Sardinia are the same, but it still seems ridiculous.

No it's not I am hoping so much to join you in this emotion. I haven't (at a WC, anyway) since being a small child. Sturridge strikes me as the sort of player that will vastly underperform at a major international tournament, tbh. Also embarrassed to say I have never even heard of this Darmian.

The World Cup is so entertaining and enjoyable until you have to watch your own team play.

Honestly, once you move out of the major Western European powers, international form and club performance seem to correlate less and less. The boy has done alright whenever I have borne witness to his performances for his country, and there is no reason to believe that will not continue.

Nigeria share a similar pain Emenike is a bit more of a handful than Cahill.....

I mean, someone at FIFA should have noticed how laughable this technology nonsense is by now. Send an email to the graphical team.

Spain as Barcelona have just become too easy to play against in an attacking sense. In the absolute prime of both teams, the pressure and will to win the ball back immediately was incredible. This is gone now, and the defense is far too easily exposed when they run out of ideas. People dismissed the Confed Cup, but these are the same flaws they displayed there. Fwiw, I think they will still make it out of this group.

Absolutely no contact until Costa stepped on his leg. Like Grosso in 2006, no penalty.

Plantain boys have not had any control in midfield this entire match.

Cameroon's defensiva shape has been terrible thus far. They look decent going forward, though.

Germany-Portugal, Naija kicking off on the green grass, and the quadrennial Yankee-Ghana war. I really do think 2nd spot in the US-Ghana group is very available if Ronaldo is anything less than totally fit. They are no better than the other "average" European sides without him. Why do you associate yourself with Ghanamen?

The Koreans made suya with those things.

Cameroon-Mexico will be the most entertaining game today by a distance.

I think Mourinho would love to partner him with Matic deep in a 4-2-3-1 if he has the workrate. They missed a deep creative player last season. Maybe infront of Matic/Mikel/Ramires in 4-3-3 against bigger sides.

Fabregas' game isn't heavily reliant on explosive athleticism like Torres and he is more disciplined than Rooney. I don't see any obvious reason he would fall apart at 27. Most players at top clubs have been at a fairly high level since 18/19.