Forlan will be like 36-37 by then, and he literily carried the team to the semis that had the easiest route. Argentina can destroy, but who are in their midfield? who can distribute that service to their amazing trident?
A European team has never won a World Cup hosted in South America (or outside of Europe, indeed). I expect Brazil with their home support to have a very good chance.
Look at the world cups they've hosted though, eras were south america was clearly dominant. This is an era of european dominance.
This Spain team is the first European team to win a WC outside of Europe, in S. Africa. They had never beaten Italy in regulation before this last match. Spain had never won a WC quarterfinal before this team. History seems irrelevant to them.
Well, I guess it's up to us then. After all, putting media favorites and Fifa darlings, in their proper place has always been kind of our "thing" to do. I hope everybody keeps thinking they're "the best team eva" please, otherwise it wont be that much fun. So in 2014 we'll be happy to send these sorry arses back to obscurity where they belong, back to being the "lovable chokers" they've always been. 2014 final 4 - England, Italy, Argentina, Uruguay(yes, you've heard it here first) and then just imagine Argentina- Uruguay, Uruguay-Argentina the final in Maracana by then i'll be laughing so hard that i wont care who wins it
As we say in Spanish, "el movimiento se demuestra andando," that is, actions speak louder than words. We'll find out who's right in a couple of years.
Phill Ball from ESPNsoccernet said we would not qualify from the next round group stages, but that troll knows about football about as much as Elmo quantum physics. Others were sold by an unproven over-hyped German team. Spain won three major tournaments at a high level and in today's football the quality and the competition would make Brazil's legendary team of the 70's look like Macedonia. Brazil is declined on their reign because, they no longer are the monopolized team that just to squash everyone else. Today they are 13 teams with a lot of caliber, which as before they were like 2 or 3! Germany, Italy, Brazil. The win only confirms what analysts have been saying for a long time and what I have repeated over the past years. When a team faces us, and doesn't park the bus inside their defense, that's the best possible outcome for us. I give props to Italy for doing what France could not, that is to face us, but commit mistakes, and it will be punished hard. And for those saying this will be the last golden generation..lol..This is the beginning of a better more talented upcoming generation. We might not win the World Cup in 2014, but we have a brilliant future and our academy system produces great footballers and could easily host 4 competitive teams. When Xavi, Puyol and Villa are gone...just like when Senna left and Busquet's took over... Sergio Rodriguez (Real Madrid) The next Cristiano Ronaldo. Isco (Malaga) ( Amazing midfielder and can play forward) Thiago (Barcelona) Ramalho (Athletic Bilbao) Oriol (Chelsea) Toral (Arsenal) Moises (Villarreal) Adrian (Atletico Madrid) Saul (Atletico Madrid) Angel Pozo (Real Madrid) Mourinho loves this guy. Suarez (Manchester City) Jeffren (Barcelona) Azpiziculeta (Olympic Marsselle) Munuain (Athletic Bilbao but probably heading to Manchester) Diego Capel (Sporting Lisboa) Pacheco (Liverpool) Moreno (Benfica) De Gea (Manchester United) Tello (Barcelona) Ramirez (Barcelona) Aaron Canales (Valencia) Pedro Leon (Getafe on loan from Madrid) Suso Fernandez (Liverpool) Cuenca (Barcelona) Manquillo Berellin (Arsenal) Torres (Real Madrid) Oliver (Atletico Madrid) Paco Alcacer (Valencia) This is guys is going to be amazing. and many more great players. A product of our Academy system that took years to mold. But is now producing the best quality. So yeah, we don't fear any team in Brazil. As far as quality is concerned, the only country that can possibly compete with us is Brazil, but I think we might have already taken over...
A 0-4 is quite embarassing if you ask me (it's unique in the history of the sport for a reason although Italy's lose against Brazil 4-1 in the final of 1970 is close).
You make a good point. (And I forgot about South Africa--a first for everything, I guess). Spain is scary at the moment. I was thinking about their bench at the Euro and realized their 'B' team would probably have been better than all but three or four of the starting XIs of the national teams there. They have system and infrastructure that is clearly working. We should never count out Brazil though. I think reports of their death are greatly exaggerated, to paraphrase Mark Twain.
Are you butthurt about something? I'm not saying Spain's last chance to win something will be 2014. I'm just saying that if they do continue to win after that, it will have to be with a different core group of players. Players like Cesc, Alba, Negredo and Silva are very talented but also unproven in the sense that they've never led a team to a major title - neither club or country. Its one thing to ride Iniesta, Iker, Alonso and Xavi's coattails to trophies. Quite another to lead a team to major titles.
UEFA teams are 1 for 9 in WC's outside Europe = 11% CONMEBOL teams are 1 for 10 in WC's inside Europe= 10% Pretty comparable. That said, I believe this is a statistical quirk. ie. It's partly a coincidence because, while I believe in home-country advantage, I'm not sold that there is such a thing as a home continent advantage. Despite what those stats say, UEFA has better than an 11% chance of winning in 2014 and a CONMEBOL team has a better than 10% chance of winning in 2018
The temperture isn't extreme enough, nor is the elevation. If a south american team were to win in 2014 it's because of their talent and hard work, not because it's in south america.
Uruguay in the semis? lol I doubt they can get lucky enough to get an easy route like that again. Who has this current uruguayan team beat in a competitive game? who?!??
Agree, except for Brazil cuz they are the hosts which is a huge advantage. They'll be favored to win before every match in that WC no matter who they play.
Temperature won't be a big problem in 2014 because then we have winter there and only in the northern parts of Brazil it could be hot altthough not as hot as Southern Europe in summer. => not a problem at all. Home advantage.. for a country like Brazil it's more pressure than advantage one can guess.
Well 9 out of the 12 host cities don't experience winter at all. Even Rio is 28 degrees as I type this and its not even noon yet. But I don't think this matters much. Spain just won a world cup in the cold of Cape Town and the high-altitude of Jo-burg. Yeah, don't buy that theory. Home teams consistently punch above their weight in World Cups. They get so many advantages. Not just the crowd and familiar stadiums, but playing in Group "A" ensures more rest between games and most likely an easy list of fixtures until the quarterfinals.
I would expect that Brazil has a decided advantage in the next WC - Brazil being Brazil, they always have a way to create a quality team, and 2014 is still a ways away. Playing at home is a MASSIVE advantage.
Brazil will play all their games in new stadiums that are being built for the WC and in distant places from Rio-São Paulo that is the main Brazil's football region.
Well 2 matches in Belo Horizonte which is a main football region of Brazil, where many players are probably from. And the final is in the Maracana where most players on Brazil probably played dozens of times if not hundreds. They'll play in them for the confederations cup too. Granted so will Spain and Italy. But aren't the stadiums just being renovated/upgraded, converted into all-seater stadia, etc? They aren't really new.
I love brasil... go watch the 70s brasil.... Brazil will win.... THIS IS EUROPE THIS IS THE UEFA EUROPEAN CUP.... give it a f-cking rest brazil will never play in this cup OK world cup sure but lets talk when that happens so dont cloud the water here with your brasil this and that holy c rap.... who knows Brasil could lose in the group stage with south korea and japan who knows? or spain could lose to ireland and italy who knows.... all I know right now is Spain dominated and won THIS European cup made history with most goals in a finals, defending their title and winning back to back 3 tourneys soo.... SHUT IT!
Current odds to win the 2014 WC: Brasil x.5 Spain x.75 Germany x1 Uruguay x1.8 Portugal x2.5 Argentina x3 Nederlands x5