World Cup 2010 Pre-Tournament Thread

[Cronky]

Changing the rules just before the game's most important competition has never made any sense to me.

 

I think the fact it's the most important competition is the reason why it makes so much sense. It's hardly a wholesale change of rules. Now everyone will see what FIFA deem to be the official rule on a certain aspect of the game, on the world's greatest footballing stage.

 

 

I take your point there, but the whole thing seems unfair on both the players and the referees.

 

This change isn't so drastic, but last time, I seem to remember the big rule change was a red card for tackles from behind. Problem was, it was too drastic and nobody really knew how seriously to take it. Rule changes need to be tested out at other levels of the game beforehand.

 

And on the matter in hand, I can't see what's so wrong about feinting when taking a penalty. Why take a technique out of the game? It's not as though feinting and wrong-footing the opposition is considered unfair in other parts of the field - in fact, we call it skill.

[Village Idiot]

The keeper is at a serious disadvantage. In open play feinting a shot can make you lose time before a defender or the keeper itself gets to you. In open play, there's no such danger. I personally think it's a cuntish technique.

[nufcmichael]

Quick question, is Capello allowed to add new players to his squad up until june 1st when picking the final squad.

 

 

[Guest je85]

In the event of injury, yes I believe so.

[Guest Geordiesned]

He could change the entire 30 now if he wished. Nothing has been given to FIFA yet. They're only interested in the 23 man squad that will be handed to them on 1st July. Injured players can still be replaced in the final squad after that date but I think a FIFA doctor needs to confirm the injury and it has to be a serious injury not a muscle strain that might mean the player missing one or two games.

[Fenham Mag]

Penalty Feints banned ahead of world cup.

 

Penalty-takers will no longer be allowed to halt at the end of their run-ups to try to fool the goalkeeper.

 

The International Football Association Board has decided it is "unsporting behaviour" and made it a yellow card offence in time for the World Cup.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8690435.stm

 

They encourage it in the FIFA world cup game .

[Village Idiot]

Sport has published what they say is the Spanish squad that will be announced tomorrow:

 

GKs: Casillas, Reina and Diego López.

Defenders: Albiol, Arbeloa, Capdevila, Marchena, Piqué, Puyol and Sergio Ramos.

Midfielders: Xabi Alonso, Busquets, Cesc, Iniesta, Senna, Silva and Xavi.

Forwards: Navas, Pedro, Llorente, Torres, Villa and either Mata or Güiza

 

So no Valdés, De Gea, Martínez, Azpilicueta, Cazorla or Negredo

[Ketsbaia]

Who'd you take out of Mata or Guiza? Surely Mata?

 

Thats quite a formidable squad.

[Village Idiot]

Who'd you take out of Mata or Guiza? Surely Mata?

 

Thats quite a formidable squad.

 

Mata of course. Güiza has no business in the national squad. Can't believe they didn't call Bojan or Soldado in his place for example.

[Raconteur]

Where are all the Aussies in this thread? After wading through 23 pages of England shite I found a single Aussie poster 

 

Australia to be knocked out in the group stage. Chances are Scott McDonald will be lone striker. Tbf, we do have Cahill though.

 

Scotty Mac will not be the lone striker - Josh "Jesus" Kennedy is the main man up top, and rightly so. Scotty Mac is shite and might very well not make the final 23...

 

The first part of your past is valid though - even though it's largely the same squad as 2006, we're riddled with injuries, we're largely on the wrong side of 30 and Verbeek is no Huddink.

 

I'd start with something like:

 

------------------Schwarzer----------------

 

Emerton---Neill---Moore---Chipperfield

 

------------Culina------Grella---------------

 

Bresciano---------Cahill-----------Kewell

 

--------------------Kennedy----------------

 

And if that's the best XI we have then we'll get trampled. Never mind who missed out and who is lucky to be in the 30, only 7-8 of those players deserve to be on the world's grandest stage. Chippers and Moore are way too old (while Moore is a shadow of the player he was in 2006), Grella is not good enough (but better than Jedinak and Valeri) while Kewell is playing on one leg at the best of times and his only competition is an 18 year old who hasn't played for five months.

 

I remember Germany's first game of the 2002 World Cup, and fear a repeat 

[Ronaldo]

I really wish we'd got Australia, what an absolutely abysmal outfit.

[Raconteur]

I guess you can cheer yourself up by considering you got the softest group in the whole damned Cup

 

Besides, if we make it out of our group then you'll probably get your wish - and I'll be sure to revive your remark

[cubaricho]

Was really pushing for Australia in the last cup only to see them knocked out by such a horrific Italian dive.  Absolute shit.

[Village Idiot]

Australia could actually benefited to be lumped with the Asian qualifiers, playing some decent opposition instead of all those tiny island nations + New Zealand.

[Shayno]

I'm an Aussie.

 

We are horrible at the moment    Bresc and Kewell have barely played this year and won't go into the cup with alot of match prep. We have so few players that are cutting the mustard in European leagues.

 

I'd play something like this...

              Schwarzer

Williams--Milligan--Neill--Chipperfield

---------Wilkshire--Jedinak-------------

Carle--------------------------Bresciano

-------------------Cahill--------------------

------------------Kewell-------------------

 

 

I think Serbia are the most talented team in our group. The only team I feel we could get anything from is Ghana especially without Essien.

 

[Razor]

Aye we're pretty screwed, theres just been such a lack of talent actually coming through, we've never been brilliant but when you think of Viduka, Kewell, Cahill, Schwarzer, Neill thats alright, but they're all past 30 and some over the hill... there's noone like them coming through thats over 20 really... Playing in all the Asian qualifiers is good, but we werent that brilliant in most of the matches anyway... just aslong as we don't get thrashed.

[Fugazi]

Sport has published what they say is the Spanish squad that will be announced tomorrow:

 

GKs: Casillas, Reina and Diego López.

Defenders: Albiol, Arbeloa, Capdevila, Marchena, Piqué, Puyol and Sergio Ramos.

Midfielders: Xabi Alonso, Busquets, Cesc, Iniesta, Senna, Silva and Xavi.

Forwards: Navas, Pedro, Llorente, Torres, Villa and either Mata or Güiza

 

So no Valdés, De Gea, Martínez, Azpilicueta, Cazorla or Negredo

 

What is your preferred starting XI?

[Neil]

Sport has published what they say is the Spanish squad that will be announced tomorrow:

 

GKs: Casillas, Reina and Diego López.

Defenders: Albiol, Arbeloa, Capdevila, Marchena, Piqué, Puyol and Sergio Ramos.

Midfielders: Xabi Alonso, Busquets, Cesc, Iniesta, Senna, Silva and Xavi.

Forwards: Navas, Pedro, Llorente, Torres, Villa and either Mata or Güiza

 

So no Valdés, De Gea, Martínez, Azpilicueta, Cazorla or Negredo

 

What is your preferred starting XI?

 

I'll have a go, in a 4-4-2 narrow diamond:

 

Casillas

 

Capdevilla

Pique

Puyol

Ramos

 

Senna

Xavi

Iniesta

Silva

 

Torres

Villa

[Guest je85]

Is Busquets defensive enough to pick the spot of Senna? He's been impressive in the, albeit few, games I've seen him feature this season.

[steve_69]

I'm an Aussie.

 

We are horrible at the moment    Bresc and Kewell have barely played this year and won't go into the cup with alot of match prep. We have so few players that are cutting the mustard in European leagues.

 

I'd play something like this...

              Schwarzer

Williams--Milligan--Neill--Chipperfield

---------Wilkshire--Jedinak-------------

Carle--------------------------Bresciano

-------------------Cahill--------------------

------------------Kewell-------------------

 

 

I think Serbia are the most talented team in our group. The only team I feel we could get anything from is Ghana especially without Essien.

 

 

I thought the Aussie's had some young whizkid who plays up front? I remeber hearing something about him recently but can't remember his name or who he plays for. Helpful eh?

[Guest Roger Kint]

Tommy Oar? Left winger was someone macca was talking about a while back. Just joined Utrect a month or so back

[Shak]

Pisses me off no end that Fabregas can't actually get his game for Spain.

 

Meanwhile, Glen 'I'm Shit' Whelan is comfortably the #1 option in the middle of the park for Ireland.

[Dokko]

I hope I get Spain as my top seed in the WC draw.

 

 

[Raconteur]

 

I thought the Aussie's had some young whizkid who plays up front? I remeber hearing something about him recently but can't remember his name or who he plays for. Helpful eh?

 

Nikita Rukavytsya? Plays for FC Twente but has been on loan at Roeselare in Belgium - but only two full caps and unlikely to have made any great waves in the foreign press.

 

Tommy Oar, suggested by Roger Kint, is the "prodigy" of Australian football; he's an 18 year old left winger who hasn't played since the Australian league finished, but has joined Utrecht and has been training with them since then

[Fenham Mag]

What happened to James Troisi ?