Pre-game Match 37: Slovenia vs England, June 23

im actually really worried about the whole game..England is hurt and we all know that they can bounce back like tigers...but if we can manage the draw and u guys win the game then there is some justice left in this world

 

The thing that impresses me about Slovenia is they played with great team spirit and fire. They are hardworking and very tactically astute. Algeria gave you guys a really tough match, and you managed to still snatch the three points.

England is the most talented team in the group, but they don't play as a team. Team spirit seems to be lacking, and in the World Cup, that has to be taken into account. I just can't see them pulling it all together and beating Slovenia.

 

I think US and SLO shown true team spirit. I mean basicly our two teams dont have superstars but as a team they can beat imho anyone in this WC.

England on the other hand is different. u'r right about that.

 

Yeah those newspaper headlines are/where the views of the whole of England . No england fan thought it would be easy apart from the usually 1% of idiots our country possess and yes every other country has these aswell. The England team all said it would be a tough group too but no as always the rest of the world looks at our media (which doesn't represent us) and paints the whole of us the same colour as the given media so to speak.

This is why England fans hate our own media, never do anything but hurt the England team.

 

Hmmm... so the (admittedly few) English fans I talked to when I was over in Britain a few weeks ago pretty much dismissed the group out of hand. Several posters on this board had a similar attitude.

You're saying English fans in general really didn't think this would be an easy group?

I wouldn't blame you if you did; US fans probably slightly underrated the group, and overrated England.

 

So can someone explain why England isn't playing well? Is something wrong with the team. I didn't notice a reluctance to pass to each other during the US - England game. Everyone seems to be trying (unlike France).

So what is wrong?

 

I don't think we've seen Capello's honest first 11 yet. The 11 he put out should have beaten the U.S., with a draw a low odds possibility. Any 11 of the 23 should have beaten the Algeria handily. I think his strategy was to win the group, but still hold his cards close to his vest. If you don't play a formation, the other teams can't scout it and prepare for it. My 2 cents is he was confident of getting results. the team we'll see for the final group game will be the one he was holding back for the bigger knockout games. Strategy didn't work.

 

So when does he pull Wayne Rooney out of the lineup then?

 

Is that his status? I knew it looked bad when I rewatched the game last night. Freak accident.

 

I didn't get to watch the England/Algeria game. Only know what I've heard. Rooney stays. He put in a good shift against the U.S. but didn't get any service. I don't care how deep he comes for the ball, that's just part of the game. Any changes would be in he mid-field. Maybe drop Heskey and put 4 across the middle of the park, which could give Rooney better service. Defense has been very good, so no changes.

 

Slovenia, I actually really want to see Slovenia make it out of this group, and I really want to see Slovenia beat England because Slovenia is the underdog and people tend to underestimate the underdogs coming in, and England after their 2 matches have disappointed on a larger scale drawing with the US and with Algeria, so Slovenia I am really pulling for them in this match and I really want to see them beat England 1-0, 2-0 if you guys get lucky.

Slovenia better start Rene Krhin, I mean he's a superstar in the making man, he plays for Inter Milan, and yet you guys put him on your bench, when it is clear that he should be starting, and Rene he is young, and I think that he could frustrate England, if you guys start him.

 

Dont know. Couldn't handle the pressure?? Poor things

No. That was pretty much our strongest 11 (available).

He doesn't.

 

Looks like team England is feeling the pressure and there is discontent and also spirited discussions with the coach. This from a story in the LA times. See the link below.


quote========================
The latest problem to hit England's beleaguered team is the fallout from comments by Terry that some players had their own meeting to discuss grievances with team management. There were reports in the British media Monday that the former captain's teammates had told him to keep quiet. All this came at the same time the France's team staged a mutiny, turning on their coach and refusing to practice.


"I don't think anyone really likes to give away much about meetings. They are an in-house thing," Lampard said. "Really the manager just spoke. We watched the Algeria game, which we all know was a disappointing performance. We addressed that game, the manager addressed that.

"It's been completely overdone about a crisis meeting."

But Terry also said that, after the game in Cape Town, some of the players talked over the match among themselves.

Although he did not reveal exactly what they said, some media reported they decided to tell Capello the team needed to play with a 4-5-1 instead of 4-4-2 formation, with Wayne Rooney up front on his own and Joe Cole added to the midfield.

The reports said that the rest of the players were furious with Terry for revealing details of the meeting, which appeared to undermine Capello's running of the team.

end quote===============




http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2010/06/world-cup-france-england.html

 

come on england we can't go out in the group stages this would be so bad, even though if im honest we deserve to go out with the algeria performance was so so poor i know we can play so much better we were smashing teams in the qualifiers.

 

Who is suspended for this game?

 

I know Carragher is suspended for England, don't know about others.


For Slovenia, Pečnik (attacker who usually enters in about 75') was sent home with a broken ankle after the US game, and Šuler has a rib injury from the same game and probably won't play, but since nothing is broken it might also be a bluff, although I doubt it, taking his fall on the head/chest into account, so Mavrič will probablys start instead of him (he also played against England last time on Wembley, that time instead of injured Cesar).

 

Krhin and Matavž's time will come, they are both young (I think they are 20 and 21), they are here to learn and prepare for the future. Krhin played four games for Slovenia, and although he was among the winners of CL in Inter, he didn't show anything spectacular against New Zealand in recent friendly. But yes, I think there's the future of Slovenian team, although Kek just might give any of them a chance. I'd love to see that too, but still, I believe only the coach and the team knows how well prepared they are in the moment.

Offtopic: I do think Birsa will get a good opportunity for his career after this WC for the games he had shown (unlike Novakovič and Koren, who I believe are underperforming a bit after being great in qualifications).

 

England have not failed to get out of the group stage since 1958.

And that was a playoff that they lost.

Many World Cup winners have had poor group stages, including Germany and Italy. Jurgen Klinsman thinks the English press and public are over reacting.

England have been awful, but they are not the first team to do this and then excel.

 

Not really. That Algeria game was probably the worst competitive game I've ever seen from us. Unless they suddenly re-capture form (their last 5 games have been pretty poor) I wouldn't be shocked to see this end in a 0-0\1-1 draw.

 

England rarely play 3 bad games in a row.

They cannot play as badly as Algeria. I expect them to win. It might
be close but I can't see them letting this chance slip by.

As bad as they were, England have not lost a game yet. Unlike many world cup winners in the past.

 

Hope you're right, but you know what, if it's a choice between England and the USA, I'd rather see the USA, the way they've played so far.

 

I hope the rumour that Defoe is starting is true. At least we will have a forward on who is only thinking about scoring goals. Rooney is a worry in these pressure matches when he starts going back into his own half looking for the back and making rash challenges. Rooney isnt Superman is an article that points out the weakness in the theory that he can win the world cup on his own.