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2014 FIFA World Cup


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How important is to be one of the top seeds? In recent years, there has only been one team that has managed to lift the trophy without being a top seed.

 

I dont believe in this theory myself as in the euros which is more difficult to win, except Spain last year I dont think a winner has been top seed since 1996 and even then im not sure if Italy was seeded ahead of Germany

 

 

How?

 

You think that Denmark or Greece could have won the World Cup?

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Greece beat Portugal(hosts) twice, knocked out Spain, France(holders) and Czech Republic(best team in tournament)

 

am sure they could have dealt with South Korea or Togo if they had to in that tournament

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I don't think it's harder to win but I see where he's coming from in that there are no weak links in the Euros. The Euros are basically all the European representatives that end up in the world cup but there are no makeweights. So it's probably harder to get out of your group. Where that logic falls down is in the latter stages where you don't have your Brazils and Argentinas to worry about. So it's not harder to win. It's easier by virtue of having fewer top sides.

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Greece beat Portugal(hosts) twice, knocked out Spain, France(holders) and Czech Republic(best team in tournament)

 

am sure they could have dealt with South Korea or Togo if they had to in that tournament

 

Pre-Salifou Togo, maybe.

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Greece beat Portugal(hosts) twice, knocked out Spain, France(holders) and Czech Republic(best team in tournament)

 

am sure they could have dealt with South Korea or Togo if they had to in that tournament

 

Then they would have lost to Brazil.

 

The World Cup is harder to win as evidenced by the fact that only 5 European nations have won the World Cup but 9 have won the Euros.

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That's flawed logic tbh.  From Spain's POV, they win the Euros by beating Germany.  They win the world cup by beating Germany ... and Argentina and Brazil.  There are more strong sides in the world cup.  Citing the weak ones is irrelevant because you don't win the world cup by beating Togo & Costa Rica.  You merely progress from your group by doing that.

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Spain won the World Cup beating Honduras, Paraguay, Germany. Portugal while Italy did it beating only European teams and Ghana and Australia.

 

neither had to go through Brazil or Argentina ;) on topic I cant really remember the last time Argentina were even relevant force in the World Cup maybe 1994

Edited by Zatman
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Meh, you're taking the point literally so as to miss it.  The World Cup is the Euros plus the strongest South American sides (in terms of reaching a significant stage in the WC I'm ignoring the other confederations).  To suggest a tournament is harder to win by having fewer good teams in it makes no sense.  The fact there's fodder at the bottom of the WC groups is irrelevant to winning the whole thing.

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Yeah, the Euros won't be easier to win in 2016 just because Scotland might be there.

 

Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Holland and Portugal will still be there.

 

If anything it will become harder because you have an extra game (hurdle) to overcome (Last 16 round)

 

EDIT: I agree about Argentina though. They haven't got past the quarter-finals since 1990 (same record as England) yet nobody writes them off like they do us.

 

We lost 4-1 to Germany in 2010 but they lost 4-0!

Edited by TRS-T
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thats the thing great players in attack but nothing at the back at all, last world cup they had Jonas of Championship Newcastle in right back and not just because Maradona was a nutter.

 

people look at their team but for me they lack bottle. 2002 they were best team on paper and went out 1st round and in 2006 they were best team in tournament until they choked

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Argentina really starting to click upfront although the Messi injuries cropping up are a worry. I have a feeling they'll win it though. They do struggle for world class centre halfs and a keeper though ever since Walter Samuel and Ayala retired.

 

Regarding the euros v world cup, in a world cup you can land in a pretty easy group....England last time out say had one of the weakest euro teams in Slovenia, a weak African team in Algeria and U.S. Spain had Honduras, Chile and Swiss.

 

Compared to the euro groups where Spain ended in with Croatia, Italy and....Ireland. England had Ukraine, Sweden and France. Weren't Germany in with Holland and Portugal so the group stages are of a much higher standard which perversely means the knock out stages might not always be as there's always a danger of losing a big team or two which is rarely a case in the world cup.

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