Rank Your World Cup Teams

[Azeem]

5 minutes ago, Stan said:

yeah I think I was perhaps harsh on Egypt there but any of the bottom 8 (apart from Tunisia/Panama) are all much of a muchness. Could mix them up a bit and there wouldn't be that much of a fuss.

I assume everyone one of you are basing your list on how you think they will performe and not taking into account their qualifiation campaign ?

[Danny]

53 minutes ago, Spike said:

It's a team sport. Using your logic Argentina would have three cups, and two copas by now. Sterling has 23 goals for Man City, hardly the same thing as England. He hasn't scored a goal for England in over three years.

Tell that to Ronaldo who turns Portugal from potential disaster to Euro 16 finalists. Again tell that to Messi who essentially singlehandedly pushed Argentina to the World Cup.

we've established Sterling wasn't very productive before this season, but he has gone on to score 23 goals. You are joking if you think Croatia on paper have a better strike force than us.

[Dan+]

Croatia's strike force is nowhere near ours.

[Azeem]

Croatia isn't nowhere near their own potential right now

[Dan+]

9 minutes ago, Devon Von Devon said:

Croatia isn't nowhere near their own potential right now

I see you've talked up Iran earlier in the thread. What do you think of Jahanbakhsh? I reckon Leicester should have a look at him.

[Spike]

37 minutes ago, Danny said:

Tell that to Ronaldo who turns Portugal from potential disaster to Euro 16 finalists. Again tell that to Messi who essentially singlehandedly pushed Argentina to the World Cup.

we've established Sterling wasn't very productive before this season, but he has gone on to score 23 goals. You are joking if you think Croatia on paper have a better strike force than us.

Ronaldo isn't Messi and it is bizarre to compare two different situations of nations. You can claim that Messi pushed Argentina to a World Cup, but you can't ignore that he is followed by a decade of failure with the NT. You can't just start talking about an orange when the topic is apples, ffs. 

It doesn't bloody matter what he did with ManCity! They play different football, with a different coach, and with a different supporting cast. He scores because he get two dozen chances a match, served on a plate by the best playmakers in the world. He doesn't get that in England and he never will. Mandzukic, Kalinic, and Perisic, may not be the most talented players but at least they've performed well for their nations in the past. It's not always simply the case of X scored more goals, than Y or Z had a great season. It isn't plub n' play there are differences between playing for two clubs let alone a national team and a club.

[Spike]

For crying out loud Messi scored 58 goals for Barcelona in 2015 but only one in that Copa America. Club form means nothing, it doesn't mean he is a bad player either. People overrate the individual and forsake the team.

[Danny]

Fucking hell son 😂

Its not inconceivable that Lionel Messi could finally push Argentina over the line to win a major tournament, really isn't. Messi and Ronaldo are in leagues of their own who have both carried their own countries for a while now, hardly apples and oranges.

It's also not inconceivable to think that because Raheem Sterling has scored 23 goals this season and had the best season of his life that he may be able to net one or two for England in the Summer. Club football doesn't always translate to international football you are correct but generally it's pretty normal to assume if someone's had a great club season they'll have a good chance of replicating that for country.

[Azeem]

1 hour ago, Dan said:

I see you've talked up Iran earlier in the thread. What do you think of Jahanbakhsh? I reckon Leicester should have a look at him.

Best player in the Eredivise this season top scorer and most assists and he isn't even a forward, although before this season he was more like Giroud of Dutch league. He doesn't want to play in Eredivise anymore, he said in an interview recently indirectly. 

Hope he makes any move before the world cup heard Napoli is interested in him.

[Azeem]

Of all the qualifiers of Iran i've seen. Jahanbakhsh barely shoots at the goal while playing for NT which is opposite of his club form. He plays as a more Orthodox winger for Iran.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Danny said:

Tell that to Ronaldo who turns Portugal from potential disaster to Euro 16 finalists. Again tell that to Messi who essentially singlehandedly pushed Argentina to the World Cup.

we've established Sterling wasn't very productive before this season, but he has gone on to score 23 goals. You are joking if you think Croatia on paper have a better strike force than us.

I agree that England have a better strike force than Croatia, but your arguements for it are a bit shocking. Ronaldo did fuck all in the last Euro's and Messi kind of cooled down after the knockout stages in the last World Cup. Also what Spike mentioned that seasons don't tend to mean much, at least for me anyways. Playing time is important, but form isn't always a deciding factor. Carrillo has had a terrible season with Watford and when he put on a Peru shirt he transformed.

[Fusion]

1. Germany

2. Spain

3. France

4. Brazil

5. Argentina

6. Portugal

7. Belgium

8. Uruguay

9. England

10. Croatia

11. Mexico

12. Denmark

13. Colombia

14. Serbia

15. Sweden

16. Japan

17. South Korea

18. Nigeria

19. Poland

20. Iceland

21. Senegal

22. Switzerland

23. Egypt

24. Australia

25. Morocco

26. Tunisia

27. Costa Rica

28. Russia

29. Iran  

30. Panama

31. Saudi Arabia

32. Peru

[Danny]

1 hour ago, Blue said:

I agree that England have a better strike force than Croatia, but your arguements for it are a bit shocking. Ronaldo did fuck all in the last Euro's and Messi kind of cooled down after the knockout stages in the last World Cup. Also what Spike mentioned that seasons don't tend to mean much, at least for me anyways. Playing time is important, but form isn't always a deciding factor. Carrillo has had a terrible season with Watford and when he put on a Peru shirt he transformed.

Ronaldo scored twice against Hungary (which put them through the knock outs) , scored in a penalty shoot out and scored the first goal against Wales. But what does my argument about Ronaldo have to do with my argument that Kane, Vardy, Sterling, Alli and Lingard are bigger goal threats than Croatia's forwards?

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Danny said:

Ronaldo scored twice against Hungary (which put them through the knock outs) , scored in a penalty shoot out and scored the first goal against Wales. But what does my argument about Ronaldo have to do with my argument that Kane, Vardy, Sterling, Alli and Lingard are bigger goal threats than Croatia's forwards?

I think you should be asking yourself that, you brought it up 

I agree with you though - Mandzukic is great but he's not better than Harry Kane. Neither is Kalinic.

[Danny]

14 minutes ago, Blue said:

I think you should be asking yourself that, you brought it up 

I agree with you though - Mandzukic is great but he's not better than Harry Kane. Neither is Kalinic.

Because Ronaldo was I reference to Messi and Argentina...not England.

[Carnivore Chris]

8 hours ago, Spike said:

For crying out loud Messi scored 58 goals for Barcelona in 2015 but only one in that Copa America. Club form means nothing, it doesn't mean he is a bad player either. People overrate the individual and forsake the team.

His best performance in that tournament was in the semis vs Paraguay, where he didn't score, but was the heart of every goal and put on a show. Since when did a player have to be the scorer to be instrumental?

 

[Carnivore Chris]

1. Spain

2. Germany

3. Brazil

4. France

 

The rest are shit and either depend on a few players to drag them out of the dirt, or are very unbalanced. France themselves seem destined to underperform, although talent wise they have everything needed. Brazil also aren't great and if you compare it to their past teams they are quite a weak outfit in fact, although compared to the rest, they have a strong side at the moment.

 

 

 

[Dave]

Great thread, @Danny.

Potential Winners:

1, Brazil - Experience in defence, workers with quality in midfield and scarily good attacking options they can play in various ways. This is the best Brazil team in a long time.

2, France - There depth is quite frankly unreal, but the thing that may prevent them from dominating everybody is the apparant lack of a leader. Who is going to grab the team by the scruff of the neck when things aren't going there way? If somebody like Griezmann could do that, good luck stopping them.

3, Germany - I'm looking forward to seeing how a different, yet just as promising German side, do I'm comparison to the winners of the last tournament. A very nice blend of experienced players combined with those that have torn through the age groups and their domestic league's. More than capable of winning it for a second time.

4, Spain - Defensively they look solid and there midfield is beginning to hit the outrageous phase again. I'm not convinced they have that World Cup winning forward but then again they won The Euros that time effectively without one.

Potential Semi-Finalists:
5, Portugal - They have Ronaldo, but unlike the last couple of tournaments he now seems to be surrounded by players that are progressing nicely (Bernardo Silva, Andre Silva etc). Weve seen at The Euros how structured they are defensively too. As long as Spain don't knock the stuffing completely out of them early on they could have a very good tournament.

6, Belgium - They're very good in every position, but what may hold them back is that England Golden Generation attitude they showed at The Euros. Plus Martinez being an odd choice for a Manager.

The Quarter-Final Aiming:
7, Argentina - On paper I'd have them this high because of the individual qualities in Messi, Aguero, Dybala, DiMaria etc. In the center they look good with Biglia and Benega. There defence however looks absolute crap.

8, Uruguay- They're not as good as they've been over the last two world cups but they still have the class of Suarez and Cavani. Defensively they look decent too with Ginemez, Godin, Pereira etc.

9, Croatia - There's a lot of experience in this team combined with quality within the spinr but they haven't seemed to click in the qualifiers. There quality will get them past certain teams but they may become unstuck against a team that's a solid cohesive unit with less quality.

10, England - We have one world class player in Harry Kane. Its a big opportunity for the likes of Walker, Rose, Alli, Sterling, Lingard, Rashford etc to pull their finger out on the international stage and give us some optimism going forwards.

11, Colombia - Defensively they're very good, and they have the class of Bacca and Rodriguez. One of three teams in that group who could very easily beat England on their day.

12, Denmark- Eriksen and Dolberg in particular seem class. Then they have players lile Delaney, Kvist, Kjaer, Vestergaard etc all around them. A good start is what will be crucial for them.

13, Senegal - Potential dark horses to beat England I reckon. Koulibaly, Mane, Niang, Balde etc. IF it wasn't for Sterling's goals and the progression of Walker I would be putting England lower than them.

Knock Out Stage Capable 
14, Russia - They have a solid yet inspiring side. A good mix of experience with Akinfeev, Dzagoev, Zhirkov combined with quality that's progressing nicely in Golovin and Mario Fernandez. With home advantage this tournaments come at the right time for time.

15, Poland - They're a bit like England in the sense they have their World Class stripe r and they'll be relying on the likes of Zielinski, Piszczek, Gilk etc to step up and pill through.

16, Mexico - They've got their standard 3/4 good flair players with the players that have done well in previous competitions. I wouldn't say they're necessarily any better than at previous tournaments but they're capable of going one further than usual which should be considered a success.

17, Switzerland - They're a team of seven out of tens in every position. Shaqiri and Embilo are capable of producing something special but ibwpuldnt be nervous if England played them.

18, Serbia - a team of organised brutes that seem to be 2/3 attacking players as good as Milinkovic-Savic away from having a very special generation of players.

19, Nigeria - I couldn't believe they got as far as they did in the last World Cup as they looked absolutely terrible. However this time round they've got more pace and skill with the likes of Ndidi, Iwobu, Iheanacho and Musa joining Moses. They must be kicking themselves they're in a challenging group.

20, Morocco - Defensively they are quietly solid with Benatia, Saiss, Hakim etc. And they have their flair players going forward in Ziyech and Belhanda. I think they're one or two good attacking players away from being taken seriously.

21, Iceland - No names that jump out at you but there unity quote frankly still scares the shit out of me which is why I've put them a lot higher than they should be on paper.

22, Egypt - One real class player in Mo Salah capable of anything. Without him they'd definitely be a lot lower.

23, Peru - They've done very well to qualify, and have some good individuals (Farfan, Tapia etc). They're more than capable of finishing second given the clear mentality they have as a group.

Thanks for participating:
24, Japan- They've got a couple of players experienced in Europe who they will be relying heavy on but I'd be very surprised to see them getbout their group.

25, Sweden - No names jump out to me any more but given there group have every chance of making the second round.

26, Australia - Not great in qualifying. No real immense star power. However, i do believe they are capable of finishing second in their group.

27, South Korea - Finished lower than Iran in qualifying which I've taken in to account. Without the individual quality of Son and Ki I would have them a lot lower.

28, Costa Rica - it obviously didn't stop them last time but there's no names in that squad that I would be specifically preparing for if I was England.

29, Iran - No real star names (Jahanbakhsh i imagine will be one by the next world cup) but they did very well in qualifying and that has to count for something.

30, Tunisia - Well they finished above Congo who are no mugs in African Football. Can't complain at being in the same group as them though.

31, Saudi Arabia - No real star names that stand out yet they performed just as well as Australia in qualifying.

32, Panama - Que for them to beat England.

[Azeem]

1 hour ago, The Palace Fan said:

Great thread, @Danny.

Potential Winners:

1, Brazil - Experience in defence, workers with quality in midfield and scarily good attacking options they can play in various ways. This is the best Brazil team in a long time.

2, France - There depth is quite frankly unreal, but the thing that may prevent them from dominating everybody is the apparant lack of a leader. Who is going to grab the team by the scruff of the neck when things aren't going there way? If somebody like Griezmann could do that, good luck stopping them.

3, Germany - I'm looking forward to seeing how a different, yet just as promising German side, do I'm comparison to the winners of the last tournament. A very nice blend of experienced players combined with those that have torn through the age groups and their domestic league's. More than capable of winning it for a second time.

4, Spain - Defensively they look solid and there midfield is beginning to hit the outrageous phase again. I'm not convinced they have that World Cup winning forward but then again they won The Euros that time effectively without one.

Potential Semi-Finalists:
5, Portugal - They have Ronaldo, but unlike the last couple of tournaments he now seems to be surrounded by players that are progressing nicely (Bernardo Silva, Andre Silva etc). Weve seen at The Euros how structured they are defensively too. As long as Spain don't knock the stuffing completely out of them early on they could have a very good tournament.

6, Belgium - They're very good in every position, but what may hold them back is that England Golden Generation attitude they showed at The Euros. Plus Martinez being an odd choice for a Manager.

The Quarter-Final Aiming:
7, Argentina - On paper I'd have them this high because of the individual qualities in Messi, Aguero, Dybala, DiMaria etc. In the center they look good with Biglia and Benega. There defence however looks absolute crap.

8, Uruguay- They're not as good as they've been over the last two world cups but they still have the class of Suarez and Cavani. Defensively they look decent too with Ginemez, Godin, Pereira etc.

9, Croatia - There's a lot of experience in this team combined with quality within the spinr but they haven't seemed to click in the qualifiers. There quality will get them past certain teams but they may become unstuck against a team that's a solid cohesive unit with less quality.

10, England - We have one world class player in Harry Kane. Its a big opportunity for the likes of Walker, Rose, Alli, Sterling, Lingard, Rashford etc to pull their finger out on the international stage and give us some optimism going forwards.

11, Colombia - Defensively they're very good, and they have the class of Bacca and Rodriguez. One of three teams in that group who could very easily beat England on their day.

12, Denmark- Eriksen and Dolberg in particular seem class. Then they have players lile Delaney, Kvist, Kjaer, Vestergaard etc all around them. A good start is what will be crucial for them.

13, Senegal - Potential dark horses to beat England I reckon. Koulibaly, Mane, Niang, Balde etc. IF it wasn't for Sterling's goals and the progression of Walker I would be putting England lower than them.

Knock Out Stage Capable 
14, Russia - They have a solid yet inspiring side. A good mix of experience with Akinfeev, Dzagoev, Zhirkov combined with quality that's progressing nicely in Golovin and Mario Fernandez. With home advantage this tournaments come at the right time for time.

15, Poland - They're a bit like England in the sense they have their World Class stripe r and they'll be relying on the likes of Zielinski, Piszczek, Gilk etc to step up and pill through.

16, Mexico - They've got their standard 3/4 good flair players with the players that have done well in previous competitions. I wouldn't say they're necessarily any better than at previous tournaments but they're capable of going one further than usual which should be considered a success.

17, Switzerland - They're a team of seven out of tens in every position. Shaqiri and Embilo are capable of producing something special but ibwpuldnt be nervous if England played them.

18, Serbia - a team of organised brutes that seem to be 2/3 attacking players as good as Milinkovic-Savic away from having a very special generation of players.

19, Nigeria - I couldn't believe they got as far as they did in the last World Cup as they looked absolutely terrible. However this time round they've got more pace and skill with the likes of Ndidi, Iwobu, Iheanacho and Musa joining Moses. They must be kicking themselves they're in a challenging group.

20, Morocco - Defensively they are quietly solid with Benatia, Saiss, Hakim etc. And they have their flair players going forward in Ziyech and Belhanda. I think they're one or two good attacking players away from being taken seriously.

21, Iceland - No names that jump out at you but there unity quote frankly still scares the shit out of me which is why I've put them a lot higher than they should be on paper.

22, Egypt - One real class player in Mo Salah capable of anything. Without him they'd definitely be a lot lower.

23, Peru - They've done very well to qualify, and have some good individuals (Farfan, Tapia etc). They're more than capable of finishing second given the clear mentality they have as a group.

Thanks for participating:
24, Japan- They've got a couple of players experienced in Europe who they will be relying heavy on but I'd be very surprised to see them getbout their group.

25, Sweden - No names jump out to me any more but given there group have every chance of making the second round.

26, Australia - Not great in qualifying. No real immense star power. However, i do believe they are capable of finishing second in their group.

27, South Korea - Finished lower than Iran in qualifying which I've taken in to account. Without the individual quality of Son and Ki I would have them a lot lower.

28, Costa Rica - it obviously didn't stop them last time but there's no names in that squad that I would be specifically preparing for if I was England.

29, Iran - No real star names (Jahanbakhsh i imagine will be one by the next world cup) but they did very well in qualifying and that has to count for something.

30, Tunisia - Well they finished above Congo who are no mugs in African Football. Can't complain at being in the same group as them though.

31, Saudi Arabia - No real star names that stand out yet they performed just as well as Australia in qualifying.

32, Panama - Que for them to beat England.

When it comes West African nations they always have well known individuals playing in Europe but they don't deliver as a team at major tournaments i.e Ivory Cost's golden generation, Cameroon to some extent.

North Africans are opposite of that lesser known players but great team work. I expect Egypt and Morocco to do better even though their groups are tougher.

[Spike]

21 hours ago, Danny said:

Fucking hell son 😂

Its not inconceivable that Lionel Messi could finally push Argentina over the line to win a major tournament, really isn't. Messi and Ronaldo are in leagues of their own who have both carried their own countries for a while now, hardly apples and oranges.

It's also not inconceivable to think that because Raheem Sterling has scored 23 goals this season and had the best season of his life that he may be able to net one or two for England in the Summer. Club football doesn't always translate to international football you are correct but generally it's pretty normal to assume if someone's had a great club season they'll have a good chance of replicating that for country.

Nobody said it's inconceivable. But if I use the same logic as you, looking at Messi's past will lead to failure; if Sterling's 23 goals lead to him scoring goals. You can't just disregard one for the other, which I'm also guilty of.

[Spike]

13 hours ago, The Rebel CRS said:

His best performance in that tournament was in the semis vs Paraguay, where he didn't score, but was the heart of every goal and put on a show. Since when did a player have to be the scorer to be instrumental?

 

When did I say that to be instrumental that goals have to be scored? Messi can't do everything, he can't playmake and finish all the time, and ultimately goals have to be scored to win matches; while it's a team sport Messi has also failed to deliver consistent goal scoring at internstional tournaments, precisely because he has to do everything.

[Guest]

I agree with everything except Croatia @The Palace Fan 

Even Colombia, who I don't rate. They have a relatively easy road to quarters so that is definitely possible.

[Dave]

19 hours ago, Blue said:

I agree with everything except Croatia @The Palace Fan 

Even Colombia, who I don't rate. They have a relatively easy road to quarters so that is definitely possible.

Modric, Rakitic, Kovacic, Brozovic, Mandzukic, Perisic. That's a lot of domestic experience. 

[Guest]

Just now, The Palace Fan said:

Modric, Rakitic, Kovacic, Brozovic, Mandzukic, Perisic. That's a lot of domestic experience. 

When we played Croatia we completely dominated that midfield. Having a good squad doesn't mean much if you aren't going to work.

I agree with everything else on your list though, good post.

[Carnivore Chris]

19 hours ago, Spike said:

When did I say that to be instrumental that goals have to be scored? Messi can't do everything, he can't playmake and finish all the time, and ultimately goals have to be scored to win matches; while it's a team sport Messi has also failed to deliver consistent goal scoring at internstional tournaments, precisely because he has to do everything.

I read you wrong mate, I should learn to read the whole discussion in future.

I agree with this though. You can't win a World Cup with one man. People say Maradona did it, but he had a team of players around him who played for him and constantly got him on the ball. He was ALWAYS on the ball in that World Cup.