Which Top Seed Looks Most Vulnerable?

[songjim]

If your team is not a top seed, which top seed would you like at the head?

[Colm]

If my team wasn't a top seed then i'd say Mexico

for a team that came 2nd in concacaf qualifying group, QF exit in the gold cup and last 3 world cups have been 2nd round knock outs

for me they are the weakest seeded team.

[PanchoM]

If my team wasn't a top seed then i'd say Mexico

for a team that came 2nd in concacaf qualifying group, QF exit in the gold cup and last 3 world cups have been 2nd round knock outs

for me they are the weakest seeded team.
I agree , Mexico is the weekest team as a seed, Nevertheless whoever meets them will be in for a very tough game.

[Autogolazo]

I'll disagree and say Spain. I think Mexico could beat them right now if they met in, say, a Confed Cup-type match.

Spain may have better players than Mexico, but Mexico knows how to get up for big competitions without fear. Spain is all about fear and self-doubt right now. They have an imbecile for a coach. Beating Slovakia (with the help of some bogus reffing to boot) isn't going to help matters.

Mexico has emerged into the next round from the following groups in the last three World Cups:

'94 with Ireland, Italy, Norway (won the group)
'98 with Holland, Belgium, Korea
'02 with Italy, Croatia, Ecuador (won the group)

As a US fan, I hate Mexico, but I don't disrespect their tournament play.

Spain, on the other hand, needs a psychiatrist.

[ChaChaFut]

I disagree with your input on the coach but I totally agree on your views of the team about not being at a great level of mental strenght. Spain is a team you really don't know what to expect from, but I feel they can be very vulnerable in any given match against a team that plays agressively, both tactically and psychologically speaking.

[CL_2004]

Spain they are over-rated, barely made the world cup(having to go through the playoff route), and are probably not going to have their top striker Raul back in time for the tournament. They are not only vulnerable, but they are finished and you should expect a first round exit for them. :D

[Joelzinho]

Spain they are over-rated, barely made the world cup(having to go through the playoff route), and are probably not going to have their top striker Raul back in time for the tournament. They are not only vulnerable, but they are finished and you should expect a first round exit for them. :D

Maybe....!

[Lowecifer]

Spain.

Never underestimate Mexico.

[Colm]

Spain.

Never underestimate Mexico.How about

never underestimate Spain.

[Charlie Beagle]

From waht i know about these teams mexico are easily the worst

[tamachan]

France for sure they are rubbish at the moment. 1st round exit again im afraid :D Also Spain and Mexico look weak but they can scrape wins even when playing mediocre. They are both massive chokers!. They cant handle pressure and never get good competition before the finals. Spain always get the easiest pool in qualifying for some reason and Mexico well CONCACAF is a joke.

[leonidas]

I think France are the most vulnerable top seed, if they are even seeded. They didnt look very good against Costa Rica...and both their third and fourth strikers were the ones who scored.

This is still a similar team as the one in 2002. France still doesnt have a good third striker. Cisse just doesnt play enough for Liverpool. He needs to go on loan. If Anelka can get routinely called up to the national team, i'd say he is a more than adequate third striker.

France still heavily relies on Zidane. If France had depth, he would probably be better served playing 60-70 minutes a game. He isnt even really in form this year with all the nagging injuries. He better rest up during the winter break because I'm not so sure, especially considering how Real are playing this year. He might get worn out from the chaos that's going on there. hah.

I think Mexico are solid. They arent obviously of the same quality as the more established seeded teams, or even the Czechs or Dutch. But I'd still be weary of them. They definitely have the potential to get to the quarters, especially with their style of play. Again though, this all depends on their draw though. I'm also a bit unsure about Spain. The only reason why they're in the cup is because they lucked out on getting Slovakia. They wouldve had more trouble against Norway or Switzerland. Whatever. That's the past though. They have to get their act together and they have 6 months to do so.

Back to France. They are about 3 years away from returning to their 98 levels, and even that is debateable. They have a lot of quality young talent out there with players like le Tallec, Pongolle, Ben Arfa, Menez, Nasri, Mehgni, and Ribery. Ben Arfa is really in a league of his own. Ribery and Menez are probably after him. All depends on whether these guys pan out though... The key is this would be in three years. Not now. I think France should be able to pick it up. We'll see...

[Otaku]

I would say Spain. Only seeded team that played a playoff spot to get in

Mexico has show in the past 3 WC they can fight out of the group stage. They won their group in 94 and 02 and tied for first in 98 with the Netherlands (tied all stats except for Goals Againts, which put them in second).

[Excape Goat]

I will wait until the draw before I said anything.

[afgrijselijkheid]

How about

never underestimate Spain.
really? based on what?

[Clint Eastwood]

I'll disagree and say Spain. I think Mexico could beat them right now if they met in, say, a Confed Cup-type match.

Spain may have better players than Mexico, but Mexico knows how to get up for big competitions without fear. Spain is all about fear and self-doubt right now. They have an imbecile for a coach. Beating Slovakia (with the help of some bogus reffing to boot) isn't going to help matters.

Mexico has emerged into the next round from the following groups in the last three World Cups:

'94 with Ireland, Italy, Norway (won the group)
'98 with Holland, Belgium, Korea
'02 with Italy, Croatia, Ecuador (won the group)

As a US fan, I hate Mexico, but I don't disrespect their tournament play.

Spain, on the other hand, needs a psychiatrist.

Please don't bring facts into a bigsoccer discussion. It iritates the CONCACAF haters.

I agree with you completely about Mexico. They are a tough team. I hope the people saying they're the weakest watched the Confederations Cup this summer. Ask Argentina, Brazil, and Germany how strong Mexico is.

I don't know about Spain either. They had a strong WC02, and were really jobbed by the ref in their match against Korea. They don't complain about it as much as the Italians, but they were really hosed.

It all depends on the groups. Before the last world cup I would not have said Argentina was vulnerable. Sure enough they got bounced out of the first round. Portugal looked to be in OK shape with a group of Poland, USA, and S. Korea. So it's all a crap shoot.

[midknight]

How about never underestimate Spain.
Nah, ,no need to underestimate them, they always do it themselves anyway... :rolleyes:

[songjim]

I'm surprised at the number of people saying France and Spain. The tournament isn't too far away for either of these teams. No one thinks that maybe Argentina looks vulnerable playing away from home?

[Pints]

I'm surprised at the number of people saying France and Spain. The tournament isn't too far away for either of these teams. No one thinks that maybe Argentina looks vulnerable playing away from home?

I don't think that has much to do with it.
Maybe it is merely a CONCACAF point of view but Mexico really should not be taken for granted. My vote, Spain.

[Lowecifer]

How about

never underestimate Spain.

Okay, how about never overestimate Spain.

:)