Analyzing the Opponents: England[R for Friendlies] - Part 3

Hiddink goes with conventional wisdom in this post game quote:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...thing-to-fear-from-USA-says-Guus-Hiddink.html

The Telegraph seems to be the leader in the clubhouse for US bashing.

 

that was not a game played at altitude ....

when I see Rooney gasping for air in minute 60 after a long run - then you will know they are at altitude.

Separate from June 12th - which should be great theater - I look forward to the day that England goes to play Mexico in Azteca.

 

"Behind them, America is a land of opportunity for England."

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. As I wrote in my England analysis piece, England can be had with quick transitional play and attackers going at English defenders.

I hope the US team reads every piece of garbage the Telegraph prints.

 

I assume Bob will be posting these articles and quotes all over the locker room to do that little extra bit to stoke the intensity in the nats.

 

yeah, that's all it takes

england are a superior side to usa, expect your team to be 'had'

i think hiddink might know a thing or 2 more than u lot

 

Yeah, Guus Hiddink has spoken, we should'nt even bother to show up I guess.

 

the point is the guy getting worked up about it, we are a better side

it is possible we will lose but u are second favorites

 

You have a better collection of players. I am far from convinced you have a better team.

 

Yes, England is clearly the better side.

But this is a tournament, and crazy shite happens all time time in tourneys. Come the end of group stage, the side of the road is going to be full of "better sides" going home, while some lesser sides continue on. It's the nature of the beast.

 

England has a better collection of players, they also clearly have the better team. Now their form, is it better? Will it be better on June 12th? I believe that's a legit question. But still England are the heavy favorites, and I'm fine with that, I like the underdog role.

 

the underdog role can be a good weapon to have

and we are a much better team, however if we play as we have recently then u may well shock us

but i think capello will have the players sorted and at their best for june 12th

 

If we play like we did in the 2nd half against Turkey, the match is a toss up.

 

All this talk about better players, better team, better form is pretty irrelevant when luck plays an important role in all of this. A stray bounce of a ball, the illness of a player, low blood sugar, just not "feeling" right, or (especially this...) a missed call by the linesman or referee have decided more than a few matches. The fact is, in a limited sample size, its statistically unreliable to talk about anything but how the teams will show up the day of aside from England having a better side than the U.S. Every team has a chance because of factors still unknown.

 

my predeiction is 2-0 to england

are u guys worried about al;geria/solvenia?

 

Of course. Are you?

 

Exactly. The team that plays the better football (better chances) on the day, is also not necessarily the team that will win. We've played 2 poor games and won both. Spain battered the USA in the confeds and lost.

I expect us to win...but anything can happen.

 

not really

 

As a Dolphin fan, this is the best analysis of England yet:

http://theunlikelyfan.blogspot.com/2010/05/disclaimer-im-new-to-this-site-and-im.html

 

Of course Hiddink would say that.. he loves England, and I think I remember him saying that he would root for England as his second team somewhere.

 

That's the scoreline i'd bet on. 1-1 would be nice though, and not too unreasonable.

Slovenia is a solid team, they are cause for worry. Not so worried about Algeria, but as a fan I can overlook them, because I know that Bob and the team won't.

 

I would be amazed if Algeria beat anyone in this group.. that being said, I would like them to draw with Slovenia, just in case we did screw up..

 

likewise

 

They are capable of beating both the USA and Slovenia.....they are a rather unpredictable bunch, both in mentality and in actual play.

 

yeah, they are the type of team to get an amazing result then play awful the next game or get 3 players sent off lol

 

I am concerned facing them in the last match. Chances are they will be out and we would need a draw to move on. In Four Four Two the mag says they refer to us as "The great Satan". I don't think we would fail to get a result but they may be looking to hurt us.