WORLD CUP 2018

guitars4you

I'm in France for a few days break. Watched the game with about 200 EU members. Nearly all supported Columbia 

a win is a win and our half of the draw allows a more favourable option of a semi final or final place. But I'd be worried about the lack of chances we created in open play 

Teetonetal

BTW, despite my earlier doubts over pickford, this is a world class save and had the resulting corner not gone in, this is all that would have been talked about:

BigLicks67

Great save, pity we conceded directly after that.
For those comparing Japan to England. In that game Belgium were looking to play not just defend and perform the dark arts. It was susbstantially hotter and more humid for Belgium, who failed to get close enough to the Japanese. I would guarantee on a winters day in northern europe Japan would have put to the sword by Belgium.
Btw Columbia is a state in the USA and were not playing last night.

I thought the referee for the game was an absolute disgrace, 3 minutes to take a penalty totally amateur and lacking in control and no red card for Barrios!

munckee

menamestom said:

Columbia posed more of a threat than Sweden will, but I do worry about Englands lack of penetration.  Not enough quality balls from midfield, nothing for the forwards to run onto.
Sweden will be organised and England need to up their creativity.

Looking at the odds, the bookies make England stronger favourites than they did against Columbia and you would expect England to progress, if nothing else Harry Kane should make the difference.

I don't think Alli has been fit all tournament, as much as I didn't think Loftus Cheek was awesome against Belgium I would play him next game.  Sweden will settle for penalties and we may need to rely on a set piece.  Over the tournament Sweden not as good as Colombia but came through the qualifying group with France and Holland in, beat Italy in the play-off and won the group that contained Germany and Mexico.  Plus they are our bogie team.

57Deluxe

I only watch it for the festival of hairstyling that is the World Cup...

Limehouse_Blues

BigLicks67 said:

Great save, pity we conceded directly after that.
For those comparing Japan to England. In that game Belgium were looking to play not just defend and perform the dark arts. It was susbstantially hotter and more humid for Belgium, who failed to get close enough to the Japanese. I would guarantee on a winters day in northern europe Japan would have put to the sword by Belgium.
Btw Columbia is a state in the USA and were not playing last night.

I thought the referee for the game was an absolute disgrace, 3 minutes to take a penalty totally amateur and lacking in control and no red card for Barrios!

Sorry to be a pedant but as a former resident of the District I have to remind you that it is not and never has been a state. A state of affairs - if you’ll excuse the pun - about which many in DC are unhappy. Taxation without representation and all that.

Anyway I agree with you about the ref although not the meteorological observations. Japan has cold weather too you know.

BigLicks67

Limehouse_Blues said:

BigLicks67 said:

Great save, pity we conceded directly after that.
For those comparing Japan to England. In that game Belgium were looking to play not just defend and perform the dark arts. It was susbstantially hotter and more humid for Belgium, who failed to get close enough to the Japanese. I would guarantee on a winters day in northern europe Japan would have put to the sword by Belgium.
Btw Columbia is a state in the USA and were not playing last night.

I thought the referee for the game was an absolute disgrace, 3 minutes to take a penalty totally amateur and lacking in control and no red card for Barrios!

Sorry to be a pedant but as a former resident of the District I have to remind you that it is not and never has been a state. A state of affairs - if you’ll excuse the pun - about which many in DC are unhappy. Taxation without representation and all that.

Anyway I agree with you about the ref although not the meteorological observations. Japan has cold weather too you know.

That (pedantry) being the case perhaps the you will spell Colombia correctly the next time you are referring to the country.

I wasn't making observations about Japan's weather, but a more obvious point about a footballer's ability to run around more comfortably in cooler temperatures, which would have limited the time the Japanese players had on the ball. All players can look good given the time and space to operate without a lot of pressure.

Snap

It was a ropey game. Colombia are not good, didn't play well really, and neither did England. However, regardless, I think we were the better team on the night, just, and deserved to win. Colombia played a crafty game and did their best to get under the England player's skins, roughed them up and got away with it, largely. Tactic almost worked. Ref was very poor, at least one red card should have been given, and tbh England benefitted from his soft attitude too. We almost got riled by it.

It was a good test in many ways, and its a great result to finally get through penalties.

Sweden are very poor lets face it. We should have enough to get past them. Cautiously optimistic of a win by one goal.

As for the next game, I think we'd beat Russia or Croatia, with a following wind.

Not saying ENgland are a great team, not at all, but we look capable of getting there. There are no particularly good teams in there now, even Uruguay and Brazil look a bit iffy. Well maybe only a bit...!

The good thing is that we do have a realistic chance of making the final. Not something I'd have thought possible for a long time.

roundthebend

@Teetonetal that is an immense save. It's also an immense strike on goal, which would have easily been 'spectacular' goal of the tournament.

Fretwired

menamestom said:

Columbia posed more of a threat than Sweden will, but I do worry about Englands lack of penetration.  Not enough quality balls from midfield, nothing for the forwards to run onto.
Sweden will be organised and England need to up their creativity.

Looking at the odds, the bookies make England stronger favourites than they did against Columbia and you would expect England to progress, if nothing else Harry Kane should make the difference.

I agree. The Swedes are organised at the back and are big. They also won't give away stupid free kicks or penalties. I think this could be a game that Rashford starts. The Swedes have shown themselves to be stout in defence but I've seen milk turn quicker than their back four. Someone who is strong and fast running at them at pace will trouble them.

Limehouse_Blues

BigLicks67 said:

Limehouse_Blues said:

BigLicks67 said:

Great save, pity we conceded directly after that.
For those comparing Japan to England. In that game Belgium were looking to play not just defend and perform the dark arts. It was susbstantially hotter and more humid for Belgium, who failed to get close enough to the Japanese. I would guarantee on a winters day in northern europe Japan would have put to the sword by Belgium.
Btw Columbia is a state in the USA and were not playing last night.

I thought the referee for the game was an absolute disgrace, 3 minutes to take a penalty totally amateur and lacking in control and no red card for Barrios!

Sorry to be a pedant but as a former resident of the District I have to remind you that it is not and never has been a state. A state of affairs - if you’ll excuse the pun - about which many in DC are unhappy. Taxation without representation and all that.

Anyway I agree with you about the ref although not the meteorological observations. Japan has cold weather too you know.

That (pedantry) being the case perhaps the you will spell Colombia correctly the next time you are referring to the country.

I wasn't making observations about Japan's weather, but a more obvious point about a footballer's ability to run around more comfortably in cooler temperatures, which would have limited the time the Japanese players had on the ball. All players can look good given the time and space to operate without a lot of pressure.

Hey dude I managed it four out of five times. My spelling’s as good as England’s penalty taking!

I think (perhaps subconsciously) you might have been thinking about the climatic conditions to which different players are accustomed. Otherwise why posit a cold night in Northern Europe rather than, say, a chilly winter’s afternoon in Matsumoto?

Anyway, don’t let this Irishman wind you up. England have a good shot at reaching the last stages. Good luck!

jonnyburgo

All this talk of balls and penetration has got me feeling a little frisky

Creed_Clicks

guitars4you said:

I'm in France for a few days break. Watched the game with about 200 EU members. Nearly all supported Columbia 

a win is a win and our half of the draw allows a more favourable option of a semi final or final place. But I'd be worried about the lack of chances we created in open play 

Don't worry. Next year, you won't be let into France for a few days break, so can be happy surrounded by your own somewhere in Cornwall

axisus

Please, no Stirling next match. He's had plenty of game time and showed nothing so far.

Fretwired

The Columbian player who missed the penalty has received death threats. Should he take them seriously? In a previous World Cup a Columbian player who scored an own goal was shot dead when he arrived home. The rest of the squad have been threatened for losing to England.

I see they're glum in the EU Parliament today. They obviously love supporting whoever plays England.

Creed_Clicks

Fretwired said:

I see they're glum in the EU Parliament today. They obviously love supporting whoever plays England.

YAWN... What will The Sun say if the EU citizens of Sweden knock you out on penalties.....

boogieman

Thought England deserved to win it, but only because they didn’t cheat like the Colombians. The ref though, wow.....lightweight decisions, had no control of the game and so got no respect from the Colombians.

It’s going to be really tough from here on. The England midfield look terrible and didn’t provide any service. Young got up the pitch to cross once I think. Vardy touched the ball about twice, Kane was backtracking to the halfway line all the time in the second half, both because they didn’t get the ball passed to them. Ospina didn’t make a save once in open play did he? Sterling did his usual running very fast and losing the ball a lot. Please god, don’t pick him again Gareth. 

Fretwired

Creed_Clicks said:

Fretwired said:

I see they're glum in the EU Parliament today. They obviously love supporting whoever plays England.

YAWN... What will The Sun say if the EU citizens of Sweden knock you out on penalties.....

YAWN .. it was an MEP in Brussels who made the comment, not the Sun.

guitars4you said:

I'm in France for a few days break. Watched the game with about 200 EU members. Nearly all supported Columbia 

Plus the above ... :-)

Fretwired

Former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson told reporters "England will struggle". Speaking to Swedish news outlet Expressen, he said: "England will struggle to score against Sweden. I believe it will be a Swedish win. And as a Swede my hopes are with Sweden, Eriksson told Expressen following England’s triumph against Colombia on Tuesday evening."

That's it .. England to win .. :-)

Creed_Clicks

Fretwired said:

Creed_Clicks said:

Fretwired said:

I see they're glum in the EU Parliament today. They obviously love supporting whoever plays England.

YAWN... What will The Sun say if the EU citizens of Sweden knock you out on penalties.....

YAWN .. it was an MEP in Brussels who made the comment, not the Sun.

guitars4you said:

I'm in France for a few days break. Watched the game with about 200 EU members. Nearly all supported Columbia 

Plus the above ... :-)

Well, you won't have to suffer anymore MEPs etc, next year.