England

[RodneyCisse]

Battle to lose faster 

[Kaizero]

Players just scoring obvious own goals like a game of FIFA when someone's a bad loser.

[sbnufc]

 

Would be the winner of the 4 teams on Sunday in the semi final too if we came 2nd (as opposed to the winner of the saturday teams)

 

Be pretty weird watching an England world cup game and wanting us to lose

[Mole_Toonfan]

Throw.

 

You've got to go, before you can throw.

 

[samptime29]

Battle to lose faster 

 

:lol:

[sbnufc]

Battle to lose faster 

 

:lol:

If it's a draw (surely 0-0 incoming?) it'll go down to discipline

 

Chuck Alexander-Arnold on (who won't play anyway) and get him to headbutt someone imo

[TRC]

Now Germany are out makes sense to try and win? Not scared of Brazil.

[54]

Dier confirmed to start tomorrow.

[Mole_Toonfan]

Dier confirmed to start tomorrow.

 

For Henderson or is he playing them both?

[54]

Dier confirmed to start tomorrow.

 

For Henderson or is he playing them both?

No idea. Would assume it's for, but wouldn't surprise me if he started both.

[samptime29]

A possible Japan game next round, then Swiss/Sweden QF?

 

Must lose match IMO. 

[Wullie]

We'll already know our potential R16 opponents by then as well.

[Infinitely Content]

Lukaku ruled out.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

Play to win ALWAYS.

 

You can’t start plotting a path to the Final man. Obviously you would if you could choose a lesser team, but this is England who were knocked out by Iceland in the Euros. I’d fancy us to give anyone a game based on what we’ve seen from all teams thus far.

[Kaizero]

Play to win ALWAYS.

 

You can’t start plotting a path to the Final man. Obviously you would if you could choose a lesser team, but this is England who were knocked out by Iceland in the Euros. I’d fancy us to give anyone a game based on what we’ve seen from all teams thus far.

 

Sounds like a team that needs to plot their path to the final

[Ginola]

Throw.

 

You've got to go, before you can throw.

 

[Wullie]

I don't see what the last Euros have to do with it. It's a bit like saying "we got knocked out the FA Cup last year by Rotherham so I'm not bothered that we've drawn Chelsea in this year's third round"

 

If Brazil win their group and Japan win H, it's 100% in England's interests to finish second. No amount of moral grandstanding about playing to win will change that. We'll not get a bonus goal for it to help us against Brazil while Belgium face Sweden for a place in the WC semi final.

 

Personally I think Belgium are likely to fuck the game off and we'll play in the spirit of the game, win, and regret it later.

[Ketsbaia]

Belgium are being so obvious about their intentions to come 2nd that I'm not sure England COULD do it.

[Bizza]

This game is going to be absolute shite, neither team will want to win with the way the draw is shaping up.

[Fugazi]

Be like that baseball episode of South Park when both teams are trying to lose.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

I don't see what the last Euros have to do with it. It's a bit like saying "we got knocked out the FA Cup last year by Rotherham so I'm not bothered that we've drawn Chelsea in this year's third round"

 

If Brazil win their group and Japan win H, it's 100% in England's interests to finish second. No amount of moral grandstanding about playing to win will change that. We'll not get a bonus goal for it to help us against Brazil while Belgium face Sweden for a place in the WC semi final.

 

Personally I think Belgium are likely to fuck the game off and we'll play in the spirit of the game, win, and regret it later.

 

I’d rather we just won the group and worry about who we face when we go on the pitch. We will have to face a top team eventually, eliminating one sooner could give us the confidence to keep going. I fancy England to give anyone a good team if we maintain the way we have started the tournament. My worry is our mental strength and how we deal with pressure. Southgate could be key in that as he seems very calm, so does Kane who doesn’t look like someone who would crumble if he missed a goal or didn’t get a sniff all game.

 

Either way I’ll be happy if we turn up and perform and do our best even if it means we don’t make it to the next game.

 

You can keep extra time and penalties though, fuck that

[Wullie]

That's fair enough but "we'll have to play a good team eventually so might as well be now" is a ludicrous position to take in a tournament with a maximum of four games left. Portugal finished third (third!) in their Euros group then played Croatia, Poland and Wales on their way to the final. At no point were they thinking "ffs we'll have to play France in the final so wish we were playing Germany instead of Wales".

[Guest Howaythetoon]

That's fair enough but "we'll have to play a good team eventually so might as well be now" is a ludicrous position to take in a tournament with a maximum of four games left. Portugal finished third (third!) in their Euros group then played Croatia, Poland and Wales on their way to the final. At no point were they thinking "ffs we'll have to play France in the final so wish we were playing Germany instead of Wales".

 

I honestly don’t think players really give it too much thought once they are into a tournament, it’s pundits, media and fans like us who try and plot a route through based on favourable teams. Don’t get me wrong I understand what you are saying and I would rather we faced a so-called lesser team, but I would far rather we went out to win the group and just go for it regardless of who we face next because that’s the best approach for me and the only approach or should be.

[Bizza]

Win group - potential quarter final against either Brazil or Mexico, semi against France, Argies, Uruguay or Portugal

Finish 2nd - potential quarter final against either Switzerland or Sweden, semi against Spain, Russia, Croatia or Denmark

 

Howay Belgium!

[Ketsbaia]

Be like that baseball episode of South Park when both teams are trying to lose.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbados_4%E2%80%932_Grenada_(1994_Caribbean_Cup_qualification)