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I seem to remember that at the last World Cup, they had a kickabout game like this in which one of their midfielders played in goal, got injured, and missed the whole competition...

Does Brazil get to keep the trophy again if they win it. Seeing as they got to keep the old one after winning it 3 times, do they get this one if they make it 3??

It's all fun and games now, but I'd love to see panic in their faces. Go on Croats, put at least three past them.

The Aussies are on a high. They'll do the rest.

Typical Northern European reactions to Brazilian calm, insouciance and devil-may-care.

You said it yourself Nigel, "it was great fun which may be the point." It is indeed the point. Brazil traditionally play with a commendable absence of fear...in particular, the fear of losing (which blights many European teams).

Isn't this the whole reason why we cherish their contribution to the "beautiful game"? To mangle a classic Father Ted phrase - "Up with this sort of thing!"

great stuff i hope england will beat dem iin da world cup final dat wud b wicked.

It's the Team Spirit that is important and that's what England lacks. Also Don鈥檛 forget England Introduced FOOTBALL to Brazil.

FOrget it little geeza no chance of england getting anywhere near the final! BRazil are the best and always will be!

Well English might have brought the game in Brazil... but does this signify any thing or imply any thing? i guess it doesnt. brazilians are the champs .... they have skill and yes game is more beautiful bcoz of them...i am from pakistan but a big big fan of brazil, becaus they play skillfully in the field not like the media hyped england:)

Forget it little geeza england wont get to the final!

Re: Brazil keeping the trophy if they win it again. I read or heard somewhere during WC2002 that FIFA had abondoned this policy and will keep the current trophy for hereinafter. Good job too in my opinion, I like the current trophy and I dread to think what bag of **** we would end up with if Mr Blatter gets the final say. This bloke is a megalomaniac. Would died and made him King of the World?

Peace up

Captain_Sasquatch

I see brazil walking with the world cup! No team can challenege the masters!

Ok England fans.You have to admit based on the evidenence of other team performances, even without brazil in it,football ain't coming home.Lots of sore grape replies expected.Brazil to rule again.unless the rest of the world keep scoring for england!!:)

e geeza england wont get near de final dey get knock out in quarterfinal by holland or portugal or argentina

England might have introduced football to the world but we have since lost the ability to play it properly. Brazil lead the way in pure talent and attitude to the game. They have taken what we gave them and turned it into an art form. If we were introducing football to the world today would anyone bother to watch it ?

I have tickets to the game...do you?
also.. a nice brasil t-shirt says it all "We have only won 5, and you?" :)

Pra frente BRASIL! HEXACAMPE脙O!!!

As a great brazilian fan since 1982 I never doubted the capabilities of brazil lifting the trophy each time. Their greatest enemy is overconfidence and in this edition slow pace of Cafu and Roberto Carlos who now are well in their thirties

Faisydinho, don't insult Englands football, don't see Pakistan doin anything!

watch the crotians shake with fear

i remember that; it was a DM who got injured

Charles William Miller, born on the November 24, 1874 in S茫o Paulo to a Scottish family, is considered to be the father of football in Brazil.

So, it wasn't the English who introduced football to Brazil, but the Scots.

England will qualify for the knock out stages this week.

Knock out competitions are not easily predicted. Brazil may be the best team, this does not guarantee victory in every game.

England faded badly on Saturday but in the first half they seemed as good as Italy, Holland and not far behind Argentina. In hot conditions our natural game (fast and pressing) does not work well.

We do have the players to win a tournament, but like all teams we will need some luck.

Being English nerves take over, and we assume that the team will 'bottle it' and crash out -I suspect that most fans feel that way about their own country -except of course Brazil.

We all know Brazil are the kings of football. So just sit back and enjoy the ride. After all they are the only team that play football the way we want to see it played - with a smile on their face. Take a leaf out their book england! Jatt!

It was Emerson who was injured. Saving a shot in training I think he broke his wrist.

England has started football but brazil will teach them how to play. IF brazil played like how england played againest paraguay the whole world media would be on their back saying they are over-rated. This is ment to be the best english side for years yet they still over indulge on the long balls. Even small teams like ivory coat play infintely better football than england. To be honest the way england play football is an insult to great players like gerrard ,rooney lamps and the rest

England has started football but brazil will teach them how to play. IF brazil played like how england played againest paraguay the whole world media would be on their back saying they are over-rated. This is ment to be the best english side for years yet they still over indulge on the long balls. Even small teams like ivory coat play infintely better football than england. To be honest the way england play football is an insult to great players like gerrard ,rooney lamps and the rest

argentina can match kaka with riquelme, also messi may be even better than little ron.
dont you think brazil might have their samba tangoed

My dear chaps. Brazil are wizard and will entertain all the way to picking up the cup on 9th July. They have style and charisma, and will entertain the world

argentina can match kaka with riquelme, also messi may be even better than little ron.
dont you think brazil might have their samba tangoed

My dear chaps. Brazil are wizard and will entertain all the way to picking up the cup on 9th July. They have style and charisma, and will entertain the world

Croatia won't be a walkover. I still expect Brazil to win, but Croatia will frustrate them; they're normally pretty sound in defence and I don't think Brazil are going to have much fun playing them.

The difference between the two teams is the quality of mid-field players.Both are defensively vulnerable.

Brazil means the Best and their players are simply just that. Ronaldinho the best ever? A big yes.

let us all enjoy the beautiful game and admire skill and techniqe from all corners of the world.lets encourage the third world teams to improve their game, after all it is what we all love to watch.

I am Angolan, and due to cultural ties support (Angola, needless to say) Brazil, Portugal,in that order and then England because I spent my formative years there. I - like almost everyone else - think that Brazil are indeed the guv'nors of this game and will most probably go on to win the cup. Football in the world cup is a very serious affair but is also the place where players can show their flair and exquisite skills, and no one has more of that than Brazil, so why are they being criticised for displaying it? I don't really wait 4 years to watch performances like England's or Portugal's. As for England, good players but you just have to face it not good enough. Why insist on Owen? A spactator in most games lately (for club and country, injury prone and a lazy so & so).

Brazil have been consistent ambassadors of intuitive football for many years. Sometimes their forwards loose focus when they attempt to score goals on their own. But their sheer skill while passing and in front of the goal is truly spellbinding. I think one should not judge other teams harshly. In the matches I have seen in 2006 world cup, many lesser teams have played with flair and remarkable precision. But then again, Brazil plays football like dancing the ballet on grass - they are just totally engrossed and happy to be on the football field and seem, more often than not, making love and winking the football to the goal! The best way to play against Brazil is to respect them and play for the love of the game. Only great teamwork can surpass them. In talent and pure knack - they are a generation ahead of other teams. Bravo Brazil!

I think England have no chance. Brazil are miles ahead of any other team and even if they were to get knocked out for any reason, I can think of at least 3 teams better than england of the top of my head. (Argentina, Czech Rep, France, Portugal).
Seriously, England think they can win with their backward mentality and with mediocre players like Lampard, who are turned into gods by the media. Rooney isn't half as good as Robinho, and He's on the bench for brazil by manager's choice. Before the complaints start rolling in, I'd like to remind you that Robinho has won two brazilian leagues, starting at 17 years of age, and the brazilian league is much much harder than the premiership, which always falls to three or four clubs.
England invented the game, but the brazilians perfected it.

Brazil plays football like the vway Wales played rugby in the 70s. Full of skill, passion and the sheer joy of the game. It sends a shiver up my spine just anticipating the kick off. The KO stage can be unpredicatble though and I just hope that form triumphs over function.

Go Brazil!

the may play the game in a more attractive style but thats not to say they cannot be beaten.

they have, in recent times, not always lived up to expectation.

we could have beat them in 2002 - with a weaker team than we have today - England have only played one game.

We will improve. Its only Brazil who can stop us, imho.

If they do beat us, then good luck to them because who would want anyone else to win but the circus that is Brazilian football...

I think England have no chance. Brazil are miles ahead of any other team and even if they were to get knocked out for any reason, I can think of at least 3 teams better than england of the top of my head. (Argentina, Czech Rep, France, Portugal).
Seriously, England think they can win with their backward mentality and with mediocre players like Lampard, who are turned into gods by the media. Rooney isn't half as good as Robinho, and He's on the bench for brazil by manager's choice. Before the complaints start rolling in, I'd like to remind you that Robinho has won two brazilian leagues, starting at 17 years of age, and the brazilian league is much much harder than the premiership, which always falls to three or four clubs.
England invented the game, but the brazilians perfected it.

I am Angolan, and due to cultural ties support (Angola, needless to say) Brazil, Portugal,in that order and then England because I spent my formative years there. I - like almost everyone else - think that Brazil are indeed the guv'nors of this game and will most probably go on to win the cup. Football in the world cup is a very serious affair but is also the place where players can show their flair and exquisite skills, and no one has more of that than Brazil, so why are they being criticised for displaying it? I don't really wait 4 years to watch performances like England's or Portugal's. As for England, good players but you just have to face it not good enough. Why insist on Owen? A spactator in most games lately (for club and country, injury prone and a lazy so & so).

I still come back to the fact that after the group stages the outcome becomes unpredictable.

Remember Greece in the European Championships, certainly not the best team and they certainly did not play the best football -they are champions of Europe...but failed to qualify for the World cup.

If you want to beat Brazil, you need to close them down quickly, play a 'ugly and physical game', probably picking up several yellow cards possibly red. I suspect that if a team beats Brazil, they will be lacking several players in the next game through suspension.

Can't seem to get past the mind set of Brazil haters. I don't care for those who take the Selcao's creative, and so called care free approach to attacking football as arrogance. World footy would be so much poorer without them. Anyone who dislikes the unrivaled popularity of brazils support every 4 years remember:

To play with such flash & flair takes the confidence true champions (5x no less).

1966 was 40 years ago, England invented football, Brazil made it beautiful. Brazil team would easily make footage on a alien tourism promo to earth.

JOGA BONITO!

Two points: Robinho twice as good as rooney? don't make me laugh. that guy has consistently underperformed for Real. Sure he has talent but at the moment is just a show pony with no end product. Charle Miller is credited with bringing football to Brazil but I question him being Scottish. When he wasn't in Brazil he went to college in Southampton, England and played football for the new sides starting up in Southampton. When he returned to his family in Brazil he brought with him the sport of England!!!!!

It was Emerson who got injured just b4 the last world cup.

England has a good team that is capable of playing good football and beating any team (if they catch Brazil on a bad day). But England's problem is attitude and tactics.

Sven does not have the courage to go for a second goal and the players are not capable of playing well in the second half. Lack of stamina?? How do they do it week in week out in the premiership?? Is it because they play against lesser opponents???

Brazil will win, however they are beatable. England are dire the football is not so sexy, long ball is for league 2 son. Brazil play the game the way it should be played. Im an England & Brazil fan and I real dont think long balls to crouch which come back 2 lamps who blasts it over the bar is a good tatic.

P.s John Terry is dodgy! great at club level but he hasnt stepped up to international level, hes too slow, people get past him at least once a game - he will lose the world cup for England. Bring back the rock of 2 world cups - SOL!!!

Robinho twice as good as rooney? don't make me laugh. robinho has talent but is currently just a show pony with no end product - another of the reasons why Real Madrid still struggle to get to the top.

Also Charles Miller's formative years spent in the UK were spent in Southampton, England. This is where he learnt how to play football which he then took back to South America.

Interesting to see all the negative comments about England who have only played one game and comfortably saw off a team that have beaten both Argentina and Brazil in the recent past. Everyone is building up Brazil who have yet to play, and Argentina who had a scare in their game. Nobody doubts the skill of the Brazilian players, but football is a team game - how many people expected West Ham to reach the F.A. Cup final this year? The beauty of it is that we can have these discussions for the next month while it all unfolds. Come on England!

No if Brazil win it this time they can't keep the trophy FIFA regualations says they have to return it, they will not be making a new world cup and rightly so.

Yall talk as if Brazil and England were the only two nations in this damn competition. Have you seen the Czechs play? They'll kick both your ass. And why the hell is Brazil so overestimated? I mean it's football not a circus! Anyways the tournament is on our soil and remember what the great Gary Lineker said: "Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win."

England can and will beat Brazil if they meet them as can several other teams - the only thing you can say for certain is that they've been beaten before and they will be beaten again.

all this talk about brazil being organised chaos!! ronaldo once said that if yo see brazil on the team bus singing and dancing thats normal, if you see the england team doing this you panic..brazil are naturally confident and have a samba feel to them. why cant we be relaxed instead we look like were going to court when they step of the team bus!! smile boys its the world cup!!

Robinho is probably more than twice as good as rooney. So far, his career is more impressive than that of ronaldinho at his age. You must remember that for a long period of time, Ronaldinho didn't play so well for PSG. It normally takes a while for brazilians to adapt to european football, kaka was an exception. But trust me, when Robinho gets his game going, he will become the top player in the world, filing ronaldinho's boots and continuing brazil's tradition of excellence and superiority.
Also, just bear in mind that for every Ronaldinho and robinho, another 3 are born in brazil all the time. Watch out for Kerlon and Rafael Sobis.
You can't take the english team seiously. You lack so much confidence that you need a swede to coach, who is by the way appaling. And Felipao was approached for England managers position. England have no dominance of any aspect of the game. Skill, tactics, physical strength or passion. There is absolutely no chance of england winning this world cup.

Robinho is more talented the Rooney by far....Rooney is highly over rated if you ask me.

When Robby put on some muscle (not fat as in Roony's case) you will be singing a different tune

About as much chance of England beating Brazil than of Little Geeza learning proper English instead of da rubbish stuff dat he sez.

C'mon, why so harsh on engand? They've showed that they have enough talent and ability on the squad to get round defenders and make an opportunity count. Although i'm worried their only options of scoring goals are through free kicks and becks against stronger teams. They have to be smart and not commit themselves too much when chasing the ball in early games like that czech striker. If England end up first in their goup which they probably will, and all other favourites do so too, they are likely to face Brazil in the semis. Sorry peeps, but the reality is with so many options that the Brazilians have, on the bench, it's bye bye to England. If England r to win the World Cup, they have to be lucky like in '66 when strong teams like Itlay, France and Argentina were drawn in the same group.

Robinho is more than twice as good as rooney. So far, his career is more impressive than that of ronaldinho at his age. You must remember that for a long period of time, Ronaldinho didn't play so well for PSG. It normally takes a while for brazilians to adapt to european football, kaka was an exception. But trust me, when Robinho gets his game going, he will become the top player in the world, filing ronaldinho's boots.
Also, just bear in mind that for every Ronaldinho and robinho, another 3 are born in brazil all the time. Watch out for Kerlon and Rafael Sobis.
You can't take the english team seiously. You lack so much confidence that you need a swede to coach, who is by the way appaling. And Felipao was approached for England managers position. England have no dominance of any aspect of the game. Skill, tactics, physical strength or passion.

I think the only way England could win the world cup is to invite brazilian immigrant over and their off-spring will bear fruit.....

COLLECTIVE CHAOS, Great for Brazil! bad for the rest, they don't know where the ball is half the time.They are so baffled by the way the Brazilians play it's great fun watchin it! Sorry England but u need the Gods on your side and without a smile on your face nottins gonna happen for ya. Hey C'mon this only happens EVERY 4 YEARS!

Rooney will be the FIFA player of the year for 4 or 5 years if he stays injury free.

Mr. Nigel Adderley comments about Brazil's training session as a "chaotic circus" is obviouly a stament of a person of lack of understanding of cultural differences around the world. Of course he may not like Picasso or many other master, because in his view it may be chaotic as well.

That is the why Brazil has won 5 world cups. That's why, because Brazilians estimulate talents and criativity, by given the masters freedon to express themselves.

Mr. Adderley, you could go back 100 years, and do very well in the Victorian England. There is no room for narrow minded in the new world anymore. Move forward, and learn about Global Cultural a little bit!

Football is a fusion of skill and organisation and Brazil have the former in abundance. England players unfortunately believe the media hype and feel they have to demonstrate they are better than they actually are - Lampard and Ferdinand are classic examples. Such self-interest works against the team ethic and England are incapable of keeping the ball as a result. Brazillians work very hard at the art of the game and spend less time asking for 拢140,000 a week and doing 'World Cup wind-ups'.

Let the guv'nors reign! BRASIL! HEXACAMPE脙O!!!

Football is a fusion of skill and organisation and Brazil have the former in abundance. England players unfortunately believe the media hype and feel they have to demonstrate they are better than they actually are - Lampard and Ferdinand are classic examples. Such self-interest works against the team ethic and England are incapable of keeping the ball as a result. Brazillians work very hard at the art of the game and spend less time asking for 拢140,000 a week and doing 'World Cup wind-ups'.

One thing that does irritate me about the over hyped "beautiful" football Brazil allegedly play is the amount of diving they partake in.
Watch how many times Jar-jar Binks dives, looks up at the ref with that silly grin and waves his hand, gesturing for the player to be booked.
Aren't refs suppose to be cracking down on this? Should be interesting.
One thing you'll never see from an English player!

Really sick and tierd of all the English hype half the team deserves to be there and the rest should be on the c**p heap. Mr Crouch is laughable Owen is past it and Beckham needs a zimmer frame when are we going to wake up and smell the coffee cause at the moment it smells Brazilian, most of the best players England are in the b team or was left at home. Sven is a total pratt and he aint got a clue our next manager will be even worse Mclaren is clueless O'neil would have been much prefered if they make it to the semi's i will eat my car

A total Gooner

Brazil will win. England honestly have no chance. Will be pleasantly surprised if they survive a tough second round (Germany??). Pure media hype. They don't have the men upfront.

But two things here. Brazil could get overconfident (Remember 1982 when hype was as much). Second Alberto Ferreira is defense oriented (1994). Inspite of his claims he will put Kaka, Carlos further back and that will hamper Ronaldo,Adraino. Still Brazil will prove to be a handful.

Great start to the World Cup so far, enjoyed many of the games I have watched. Brazil are favourites and rightly so, but that does not mean they will win it. The best playing team do not always win, everyone knows this.

I do not understand the comments from a lot of you on Englands chances though. We lack heart and confidence? I hope we play Brasil in the World Cup, and Gerrard will show the World what heart and confidence truly is.

my first post is 66... hmmm

Im off down the bookies lads...

I'm an Irishman. With our absence I began this world cup intending to give England a break for once, but the zenophobia and downright ignorance of the media - print and tv - makes it very difficult. I know that is no reflection on the genuine fans - but you don't get such blindness from any other country. Lampard number 2 player in Europe? Utter nonsense.

I think Brazil are clearly way ahead of any other team in almost all areas of the game. However on the day who knows what will happen? Take Cameroon's 1-0 win over Argentina when down to 9 men in the 1990 world cup, or Newcastle's defeat in the hands of lowly Hereford in 1972, not to mention Denmark's and Greece's European successes. If the better team always won their matches wouldn't we see Brazil lifting the World Cup every year? To be honest I'm surprised we don't. With their skill, determination and pure brilliance they should surely be walking over any team they come up against, but even the mightiest of opponents can be defeated. Maybe England or another under dog can be the David to their Goliath. Brazil should beat Croatia tonight and go on to lift the World Cup, but you never can be sure of what will happen...

Football as suggested by the name is played with the foot. watch the Brasilians do what they know best and make your comments later.I am Zambian and my bet is on Ivory coast to surprise many despite their loss in the first game,but my money is on the Samba dancers. Don't ask me why coz your guess is as good as mine. THey are simply the best.

THE POINT IS THAT BRAZIL STILL HAS THE BEST AND ARGUABLY THE MOST TALENTED GROUP OF PLAYERS IN THE WHOLE WORLD.

ALBEIT, THEY ARE BEATABLE REMEMBER 1982 AND PAOLO ROSSI. SO A TACTICALLY AWARE AND DISCIPLINE SIDE CAN BEAT THEM. BUT, I DONT THINK ENGLAND FILLS THAT BILL,MAYBE THE CZECH, ITALY OR ARGETINA (REMEMBER 1986).

HEY, BRAZIL ARE STILL THE BEST EVEN IF THEY LOSE THE WORLD CUP.

Brazil who? England who? Were you lot sleeping last night when the U.S.A got a lesson in how to play the beautiful game?
The latest news is that Jan Koller will be back next week for Italy. I hope that Czech actually comes second in the group and then the one truly talented European side can finally meet the South American side you are all hyping about and show the world what they are truly capable of. If you're not jumping, you're not Czech! Hop!Hop! Hop!

England d besssssssssssst

England: Set pieces and hard defence
Argentina and Rest of the World: Adventurous, attacking movements driven by precision passing.

I know what I want to watch!!

England: Set pieces and hard defence
Argentina and Rest of the World: Adventurous, attacking movements driven by precision passing.

I know what I want to watch!!

Brazil will disappoint today because expectations are too high - just as England disappointed on Saturday for the same reason. All of the teams at the world cup had to qualify, and so all must have achieved a reasonable standard. That means that there are unlikely to be any walk-overs for any of the teams. It also makes the Czech performance yesterday all the more impressive. Magnificently skilled individuals don't guarantee results - look at when Chelsea visited Middlesborough in the season just past. Brazil look unbeatable on paper, but football is played on grass!

Spain will win the world cup - so all this talk about England the boring and the sambamen is wasted effort.

Personally i do not believe Brazil have got this one coz of defensive frailties, plus a few of the players are getting on a bit, they mighht just end up relying on talent which is not a good thing!

Up the rams!

Wow, I didn't realise Brazilian fans were so arrogant. Before reading this thread I wasnt bothered whether they won or not but not I really hope they get humiliated. Perhaps the most entertaining moment of the last World Cup was Rivaldo's performance against Turkey.

I don't understand how people can compare Robinho and Rooney (they are totally different types of player). It is obvious though that whilst Rooney has been a great success at Man utd, Robinho has done very little for Real Madrid who are slowly turning into a very mediocre team.

It strikes me that this thread is not so much based upon how great Brazil are at football, but more towards how much other nations hate England,which is all rather sad.

I don't expect England to get very far in the World Cup, but I didn't expect Greece to get as far as they did in the European equivalent with their less than entertaining football.

Mandy...

To say that rooney is fat shows you know nothing about body types and strength.

He has showed pace and unbelievable strength for a young player in the premiership and for england.

I'd like to see robinho knock rooney off the ball!!!

hey tris i am not insulting any onehere, i am talking abt facts.... its the british media power making the english team a legendary one....infact its not....dont talk, show it on the field man and yeah pakistan is not there in the soccer but dont worry , our cricket team is coming to England :) so be ready.... remember what we did to them back in Pakistan? that much hyped ashes winners....that was a mere fluke (ashes)

p.s. english players shud only play the club football becoz they are only best at it ... they are not upto the levels of international cricket....

OMG how can you say that the appalling Robinho is better than Rooney. Ok, Brazil are favourites but the amount of showboating they do is not going to pay off for them.Each player will be getting angry at the other for being to greedy etc, look at the Portugal team with Ronaldo. England on there day can beat any team in the world including "the ulmitey Brazil"

There is no argument Brazil are a great team with fantastic individual talent.

But during this world cup, people will see that Rooney does not only have bags of sublime skil, but he also is effective in delivering the goods - he is a real match winner and has great perception of the game.

He is no show pony unlike many Brazilian players.

COM'ON THE ENGLISH CAN'T PLAY.
IN FACT, THEY HATE FOOTBALL. ENGLISH PEOPLE CONSIDER FOOTBALL WORKING CLASS AND WORTHLESS AND DIRECT THEIR ATTENTIONS TO RUGBY AND CRICKET. THEREFORE HOW ONE CAN EXPECT TO HAVE A REAL TALENT IN THE TEAM. THEY DONT ENJOY IT...FOR THE ENGLISH SQUAD IT IS JUST A WAY TO GET BIG AD CONTRACTS AND BE ON HELLO. THEY HAVE NO EXPERIENCE IN WINNING AND THAT IS THE BOTTON LINE. ENGLAND LAST MATCH WAS SAD AND THEY HAVE NO CHANCE.IF THEY PLAY BRAZIL AGAIN, THEY WILL BE SHAKING AND IT WILL BE A CARNAGE.

There is quite a simple reason that people want to see Brazil fail and that is that is just so boring when the same team wins all the time. It would be nice to see those huge egos brought down to earth for a change and wouldn't it be nice to see a new name on the cup this year (Holland perhaps?)Having said that I hope Brazil get to at least the semis so we can appreciate their flair and beautiful ball skills. England don't have a chance, even if Rooney is their best player since Gascoine (and make no mistake he is at least on a par with Robinho).

And what about the Germans? Germany Brazil final, please can Brazil thrash them. England no, shame but lacking up front. Fact is everyone wants to watch Brazil, they excite do n't think any other team has the presence.

The Germans? they are ABSOULUTELY TERRIBLE in defence, ok England have a few weakspots, but not as many as the Germans and there squad is to inexperienced!

'One thing you'll never see from an english player!' Really?? That sneaky toad Owen is such a frequent diver he'll probably turn up with his trunks on. Silly deluded prattling.

A neutral can't really like Brazil. I can admire their skills and like to see some great football, which they certainly provide. But they have a massive advantage in having a country far bigger than any of their rival football nations. Brazilians aren't any more talented than anyone else, they just have more people. The best players from a random selection of 6 million brazilians wouldn't neccesarily beat Togo.

on paper Brazil have the best team but i just have a feeling it's not going to be their year. As good as they are they aren't unbeatable and i think they may get over confident and screw it up.

Robinho better than Rooney ? don't make me laugh. In his first season at Real he played well for maybe 20 minutes on his debut and then was rubbish in every other game. I even saw a couple of games when he was at Santos and he did nothing. He's massively overrated and will no doubt get shipped back to Brazil once everyone realises he's rubbish.

Oh and faisydinho, every country's media makes the national team seem like that. The UK media isn't alone in doing that and it's certainly not a good reason to dislike the national team.

Lets just wait and see! The World Cup causes so many upsets year after year!

I must say i agree with you Andy, it is sad that so many people are against England. Brazil do have a quality side however the arrogance of those supporting Brazil has astounded me in all honesty.

As for commenting that our boys are unable to play above club level - are you having a laugh!!!! The premiership is one of the toughest leagues in the WORLD if not the toughest! If it is such a pony league to play in, then why do so many foreigners sign for premiership clubs?

England have played one match, not the best performance and if they don't improve then we do not have a chance. But lets give them a chance....

Great stuff , nice blog & info

%3Ca%20href="https://spanishfootballsports.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">https://spanishfootballsports.blogspot.com

Peace!

I am Brazilian and do think that today we are the best. However, there are other very good teams that can beat Brazil if they play well. See Argentina, Czeck Republic, England (yes, you do have a very good squad), Portugal and Italy. That's why football is so good, because it is unpredictable. The best not always win (see Brazil in 82 against Italy and in 98 against France). Although the Brazilian team is great and highly enjoyable to watch, I am afraid something is gonna happen and we will not get there (maybe because I think our manager, Parreira, is terrible. Can you believe he is not using Juninho, one of our best, and certainly the best free kick in the world). But even if we loose, I still think we have the best football in the world. Let's hope at least to see great games, magic players showing their skills in the pitch.

To the poster at the top, FIFA have scrapped the 'keeping the trophy after three wins' policy, so Brazil won't keep it if they win this time.

However, the name of the country who wins it is engraved on the underside of the trophy, and apparantly room is running out, and it's not known whether FIFA will cast a new one and keep the current trophy. I imagine that would be the case, as the new trophy is so iconic it seems wrong to simply give it away to a successful nation. It needs to be kept precious!

England 0 - 1 Trinidad & Tobago

REMEMBER - You saw it here first !

All this talk about england being useless and have no chance at lifting the trophy is utter nonsence. England may have had a rather poor performance against paraguay but they still won, which is the point isnt it? to win the games. Show boating can alot of the time lead to mistakes and mistakes leads to conceeding goals. Having said that England would need to do alot of work if they want to win the world cup.
On another note, any team can have an off game. I have seen even the so-called "almighty" Brazil crash and burn, so how about we just take each game as it comes instead of insulting other nations football teams.

Thanks

G

I'm afraid the problem with England isn't the players, it's Sven. Solid in defence, good in midfield and excellent up front (if Rooney is there to play with Owen) but that's no good if the tactics are wrong. The second half of the match vs Paraguay was 'deja vu', taking us all back to the games against Portugal and Brazil. If he hasn't learnt from his mistakes from four years ago, he's going to find it difficult to change his and his players' mindsets now. You have to learn how to finish teams off and how to keep control of the game through retaining possession, which the English team is remarkably poor at, considering the depth of quality in the team.

I am sorry to say this but England has no chance. Brazil have the flair and tenacity to win the cup whilst entertaining the world, all we do is struggle to beat a small South American country in a dull and predictable manner.

PS some of the spelling and grammar on this site is terrible...

How deluded England fans can be. England has a pretty good squad with some fantastic players but with that joke of the coach and his absolutely wonderful negative tactics, there is no way England will win this world cup.

Post Number 6 states: "Don't forget England introduced FOOTBALL to Brazil."
You might be interested to read the following article which suggests their introduction to the beautiful game might have been from elsewhere.
%3Ca%20href="https://heritage.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=795872006" rel="nofollow">https://heritage.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=795872006
"IN 1964, a 70-year-old guest was introduced to the crowd at S茫o Paulo's Pacembu football stadium. The people rose to their feet with the kind of roar which might have greeted a goal by Pel茅 or Ronaldo, but the spry figure, sporting a trademark bow tie, was a Scotsman. Archie McLean is largely unknown in his own country, but, according to a TV documentary showing tonight, is a hero in Brazil, where he is credited with introducing the fleet-footed "samba" style with which the South American country has come to dominate world football."

Brazil may be the best team in the world. But the last four games in world cup are knockout. So anything can happen. Teams like Argentina, Czech Republic, Portugal, Italy, France or England can beat Brazil on their day. Any top five to seven teams can win the world cup.

By going through the thread, I feel England bashing is as strong as the Media hyping. It is true every country idolises their heroes but the way Engalnd media hypes up mediocre players (Football,Cricket et all) there is nothing like the British scribe. Feels like no other country exist for them.If there is a win 'It is because of them. If they lose it is 'Inspite' of them and reasons are elsewhere.

Regarding Beckham's interview that heat was affecting the team, you cannot expect to play in cool temperatures every time. As a international team u gonna got to prepare and acclimatise to conditions and deliver. The true reason for England's pathetic 2nd half was the tall single forward on show could play Headball and not football.

By going through the thread, I feel England bashing is as strong as the Media hyping. It is true every country idolises their heroes but the way Engalnd media hypes up mediocre players (Football,Cricket et all) there is nothing like the British scribe. Feels like no other country exist for them.If there is a win 'It is because of them. If they lose it is 'Inspite' of them and reasons are elsewhere.

Regarding Beckham's interview that heat was affecting the team, you cannot expect to play in cool temperatures every time. As a international team u gonna got to prepare and acclimatise to conditions and deliver. The true reason for England's pathetic 2nd half was the tall single forward on show could play Headball and not football.

Oh my some people on here are ignorant.

True Englishman here. England through and through.

Even I can admit that some of Brazils players are better than most i.e. Ronalidinho, Kaka, Adriano and even though he's fat - Ronaldo, who'll still punish you if you underestimate him.

But please? England not good enough.

I dare Brazil to send Kaka, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo over to the Permiership.

Go on, try it. Bet they can't handle the pace.

Full credit to Gilberto, he's stood the test of time and proved his quality. He's one of your finest players and takes little-to-no-credit for it as well.

But the Samba dance in the Premiershup? - wouldn't get the time.

So keep quiet with your jibes.

It's quite simple, you talk of technical talent. The English game isn't always about doing fancy panzy tricks on the ball (although it is good viewing). It's about working.

Oh yeah and one last thing. How many goals did Kaka score last season?

I'm sorry, speak up, I'm sure it's less than Lampard or Gerrard.

In fact, did Ronaldo, Ronalidinho and Kaka even match Lampard and Gerrards combined total?

No, I'm not sure it did.

So it only goes to prove that sometimes it doesn't really matter whether you can do the Maradona or the Swish-swoosh.

All of that said, I believe Brazil will win for their approach to the game. They enjoy what they do more and that is important.

England, possibly aren't second favourites. Czech Republic are very good and my second favourites but they'll either meet Brazil next round or Semi's.

Spain & Portugal are both good but horrific underachievers. Portual will crash out, Spain will run on into Semi's.

Key teams this World Cup? (in my opinion)

Brazil, Argentina, Czech and England.

That's it.

It's a marathon not a sprint and Rooney and Owen will still be fresh 4/5 games into the competition.

...and don't underestimate Rooney whoever it was that said Robinho was better.

That's just nonsense and you need to watch Rooney more. Robinho's pacey, a class finsher but Rooney is the whole package. Strength and doesn't hit the deck like a little girl.

Best of luck to all nations.

A

People say Robinho is not so good as Rooney!!

Maybe so but Robinho will only be on our bench.

Kaka
Ronaldo
Ronaldinho

Do you want me to go on.

All better players and Brazil will win the WC

Ok ok, The Brazilians have the players thats undisputed. My worry is that England have a very, very, very talented team. Why when we play do we fail to inspire? Is it Erikson?

This just proves how laid back the brazilians are but who wouldn't be with players like ronaldinho, ronaldo , kaka, robinho and adriano just to name a few.

I hate it when english fans or any fans call hard gained tricks "fancy" or 'pancy". 90% of players cant do the tricks, tricks themself are part of the package of being class.

These following players won world player of the year:

Ronaldinho(2)
Zidane(3)
Ronaldo(3)
Weah(1)
Romario(1)
Baggio(1)
matheaus(1)

apart from lother matheus the rest had the "pancy" "fancy" tricks in abundance.
"fancy" tricks are as hard to master as any other footballing skill such heading, shooting etc
. so dont dismiss it.

England do have a great side which is unfortunately not played to the best of it's skillsets. Sven seems to love playing players out of their own ideal position, and the results speak for themselves.

I also suspect that most of the so call fans of Brasil posting here are of those types that support the team with the most chance of winning. Like your Man United supporter... oops no they are all Chelsea and Arsenal supporters now aren't they! ;-P

Brazilians are a gift to football. They embrace it because its a talent and they dont have to practice for hours to flick a ball over a rushing opponent in a pressured environment it is what comes naturally to them. Those before have done it the likes of Pele, Zico, Socrates, Jairzinho are now replaced with ronaldinho, ronaldo, adriano and Kaka. Things are not about to change are they?

There are a number of posts analysing the Brazilian player's performances in Premiership/Club matches. Let us remember it is a very different ballgame when you play with similar players with similar cultures and the prize in offer is world Cup.

It is difficult even for the Ronaldos and Robinhos to gel with the European system and coaches. Can we say Maradona shone as well at Naples as he did for Argentina?

I think Brazil always bring a team that can win the world cup but if they face Argentina at any stage they might go out.

Are the Brazilians overmatched at ANY position? They seem through and through a superior team.

Of coures the Brazilians are favourites to win the World Cup but i don't like " the hype" , commercial stuff etc around them. It would be nice if they would
meet the Cech Republic, maybe not that glamourous, but a classy side capable of beating the Brazilians!

Well, I don't know who will win, its either Brazil or England, if Brazil do win the cup this year, it would be the most valuable one for them as this year, the competition is a lot stiffer than it used to be. All the nations are getting better and will produce suprises. Such as the Sweden v Trinidad and Tobago.

Ronaldinho may be ugly, but he plays beautiful football :p

The arrogance of many Brazilian fans makes me nauseous. I think that Brazil are beatable, and I wish that people would stop pandering to them.

Brazilians are not arrogants whatsover, never. Brazilians are not the first one to say they are favorite, it is the entire world. This is media crazy need to create more emotion to the World Cup. Whoelse they are going to pick? Argentina, France, remember 2002. Therefore, stick with Brazil at least it is a beloved team and not a hated team like the overrated Argentinias, yet to prove something at international level

As an American, I probably have no right to comment, considering our poor showing in the first game and impending loss to Italy to come. I just can't believe so many people are quickly dismissing England with comments like they have no chance or no ability. It is ridiculous. They will surely be first out of their group, and a series of successes until they meet Brazil in the semis is completely reasonable. Not to say Brazil would win, if they do meet! It will obviously be tough, but they have as good of a chance this year as ever. Do the Brazil fans see them as an obvious threat? Is that why they come on here to bash them?

*Snigger*

That is all I can say after the quite BORING Brazil performance last night, especially after all the hype here from the plastic fans.

Ronaldo couldn't even be bothered to run at all, it's a wonder they kept him on for so long after only producing two shots.

Brazil were also very very lucky that Croatia didn't really put the ball anywhere but straight into Dida's hands.

Very poor and considering the hyperbole here I was expecting something even mildly interesting. I actually fell asleep just after half time!

England and the USA are suffering from the same bug...the HYPE bug. The fact is both teams are high on hype and low on skills. If the Cup were decided by quantity of hot air from media types than England and the USA would be in the finals. Brazil, on the other hand, shows superior skill, greater attitude and love for the match. The match with Croatia showed all of that. By the way, Croatia showed it has far more to crow about than England.

Let's be honest, Brazil won last night because Croatia could finish any of the 4-5 clear cut chances they had.

Better than England...close but on last nights performance I would back England to beat them.

I have not seen too many comments from the Brazil-Lovers since the game ended last night. An average performance at best and they were lucky that Croatia did not have that killer instinct in front of goal. This does not make Brazil a bad team but just puts England's Paraguay performance into perspective as a good result and something to build on.

COME ON ENGLAND!!

I refer you to my previous comment - No. 76. It was just so obvious what would happen and it's great to say I told you so!
I thought that some England fans were over-optimistic, but the Brazilians take the biscuit - they think that they just need to turn up!
It's a good thing that both teams - but Brazil in particular - have had a reality check - now, perhaps, they'll get down to some work and show us how they can really play. Brazil were very lucky not to suffer a real embarrassment last night.

Its all gone quiet on the on the Brazil Supporter Front!

Some moments of pure class, but they certainly didn't look unbeatable! Really quite fortunate that Croatia couldn't quite finish it....Not quite sure where Ronaldo thought he was...Just goes to show that every team needs to work to win the World Cup and not just show up...

mark, if your going to be pedantic then so shall i. england invented football and introduced football to scotland and the rest of the world, which probably includes Brasil too!

and as far as i can work out the furthest england can get before playing Brasil s the semis so the thought of an England Brasil final, although a nice thought, seems to be just a pipe dream

mark, if your going to be pedantic then so shall i. england invented football and introduced football to scotland and the rest of the world, which probably includes Brasil too!

and as far as i can work out the furthest england can get before playing Brasil s the semis so the thought of an England Brasil final, although a nice thought, seems to be just a pipe dream

So all the big teams have got off to shakey starts really.. narrow victories.. Germany did ok though I guess. We'll see how spain do later.. but the england performance seems pretty par for the course so far..

how likely is it we'll see rooney?

The entire world had the expectation that Brazil will beat any team easily. If Brazil does not win with a fantastic performance there is a frustration.

On the other hands, you see France strugling scoreless with Switzerland, England that could not even score a goal against the weak Paraguay, Argentina that suffered 1/2 of the game against Ivory Coast!!! Nobody mention anything. Because it is normal. They don't expect more than that.

Brazil won, and it is enough. Each game is a new story.

English people, we admire and respect your football because you invented it, but it is not fun to watch your national team play. It is boring, the players are selfish and lack of imagination. They seem to have no desire to win, maybe no guts at all. Come on!!! England one of the greatest country of last century, with an incredible history. Those rich players, that does not seem to fight for English Flag at all! Where is the English Blood in this team?

Can some Englishman explain me that? Why most of your players do not have the pride and the winning soul anymore???

Carlos - I find those comments about the English lack of patriotism incredible after witnessing the peformance last night. Ronaldo couldn't even be bothered to JOG for his flag!
I also find all these comments about how wek ateam Paraguay are incredible when they have beaten both Brazil and Argentina in recent matches! Equally absurd is all the talk about how our players are overpaid.. has nobody noticed that the recent surveys have Ronaldhino as the highest esrner of all players?

Carlos,
What do you mean no one says anything when Enlgand put in a poor performance? on these boards and elsewhere it hardly went unoticed that we were average against Paraguay. England and Brazil are both good teams, and the top two favourites to win the cup before it started and they've both had mediocre starts... but it's always best not to peak too soon and maybe the hard time the teams have been getting will help focus them.

by the way, what was up with Ronaldo? I like the player, has given me some great football memories.. but still, he was hardly there last night.

Davinho,

For your information 7 out of the 10 highest paid football players on Earth come from English Team!

Ronaldinho is the best player in the world 2005/2006, 2002 world champion, 2006 European champion, he deserves what he makes.

Your comments are very defensive, and you did not answer my question. Can you explain why England with such wonderful players on paper do not show full commitment with their own country?

That is what I want to know. Since 1966 I haven't seen England doing what is supposed to do, better than many other countries.

In order to meet at all, both England and Brazil will have to do better than they have in their opening games.

England did not have their best player on the pitch so improvement seems more likely for England than for Brazil.

It could be me but Ronaldinho got tackled more last night than I have seen for a while, and he still looked the best player on the pitch -by some margin. Apart from the Goal, (which defensively was a gift) Kaka was not impressive at all.

Brazil looked a bit one dimensional and if Ronaldinho has a bad day it's curtains to the samba boys.

Carlos,

In recent years England players have always been 'over-priced' and 'over paid'. It is more to do with the way the game is run in this country, were club football is seen as being more important than the national game.

This is reflected by the fact that most English players play for English clubs, this is not true of Brazilian players, plying their trade in Spain, Italy or even England.

I couldn't see Santos taking legal action against Brazil for playing a less than 100% fit Pele can you?

Clearly Real Madrid are ready to sue the current Brazilian team in the event that Ronaldo will not be fit -I don't think so.

It would be much easier for England to win the world cup if they had the backing of the premier league clubs. -who it appears would be happy risk Englands world cup aims in worthless end of season games.

English and Brazilian friends are equally frustrated with their own national team based on the first game.
As a Brazilian, I have chosen England as my second team to win this WC. Why because, I like England and they do have the best team as much as Brazil have.

I am double frustrated. My both teams disapointed me and our friends.

Now we have to show something on the next game, otherwise, the Italians, Germans, Dutch, maybe the lousy Argentinians can do better than us.

Makes a lot of sens Jobby! This is not good for the football though

What's with all the brazil hating
Im an english supporter and for the last 20 years i have heard the "this is our best team ever" speech.I do believe we can beat brazil but i dont think they are overrated ,there is a very good reason why they have been in 3 consecutive finals and so far they are the only team looking to buy a second trophy cabinet

being from a country that has hardly represented itself in the african championship doesnot mean that i am ignorant in soccer.
I just want to tell the british to stop marketing the commodity that does not sell. The team is full of qualities that are good for nothing. When we watch soccer we expect england both to entertain and play to win. dont just kick balls as if some one is getting rid of gabbages.

I like brazil and I think the team rocks. they could not impress the last game. that is ok. that was b'se the croats were just there to defend not to loose that aint soccer in my opinion

Whether England introduced football to the world or whether people had high expectations from Brasil and England..the fact is they are both out of the world cup.
Now its a matter of waiting and watching who finally grabs the cup. May the best team win!