WC 2010: Group D Chat (Germany etc)

[Ponky]

People write the Aussies off at their peril - yes they are older and perhaps lack cutting edge but they are very well organised and the nucleus of that team has been together for about 8 years - and they have been playing that same dutch system for 5 of those years and they all know their roles, are adaptable and most importantly they know how to grind out results. To me the Serbia v Australia match will decide who finishes 2nd in that group.

I think it's inconceivable that Germany would not finish first.

[Rainer]

I think Germany and the Aussies to qualify for me.

[maqroll]

Another interesting group. Germany to win it, and anyone else could nick 2nd.

[Davies4England]

They have alot of good players.

Subotic, Ivanovic, Vidic, Jovanovic, Stankovic, Kuzmanovic, Kacar and as seen with Crouch on an international stage, Zigic will cause problems arielly.

Exactly people haven't even watched them, just because they have a bunch of great players, everyone has them down as the dark horses, when in fact I think Slovakia and South Korea are better teams then them and more worthy of that tag.

[AVFC-Prideofbrum]

Well to be honest, no I haven't seen much of them, nor South Korea nor Slovakia. It's hard to watch international games from random countries, hence just pick a team that did well in qualifying and with good players who possibly all aren't world class.

[Zatman]

Most of them players mentioned wont even start 1st game like Kacar, Subotic and Kuzmanovic

[mozyFresh]

Germany group winners, serbia runners-up, Ghana third and the Aussies fourth.

[claret75]

1. Der Deutschen

2. Aussies

[SoccerHQ]

Krasic is a brilliant player, best one on the pitch when we played Moscow at VP 18 months ago.

[BOF]

Premier League Most Wanted - Miloš Krasić

CSKA Moscow winger Milos Krasic is attracting a lot of attention this summer, the 25-year-old Serbian will be hoping to have a good World Cup so that he can earn a move to a bigger club.

The tricky winger has been likened to a Serbian Pavel Nedved due his marauding runs down the flanks, his strong physical presence, and of course his long blonde hair. Before his step up to the senior Serbia squad, Krasic was an integral part of the Under-21 team and helped them finish as runners up in the Euro 2004 Under-21 Championships. He has now gone on to make his presence felt in the main team, he will definitely be one to watch in South Africa and is the kind of player whose price tag could go up by another £10m should he have a good tournament.

He has won all the major honours in Russia, on several occasions, winning the Russian Premier League twice in 2005 and 2006, the Russian Cup in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009 and the Russian Super Cup in 2006, 2007 and 2009. He will now be looking to test himself in a stronger league and the Premiership would fit the bill perfectly.

Arsenal and Manchester United are the two sides believed to be interested in securing Krasic’s services, and the latter will no doubt be the more familiar with him, after he scored at Old Trafford in CSKA’s 3-3 draw with United in the Champions League. According to the latest reports, Juventus are in fact in pole position for his signature, but no deal has been done yet and with the Premier League currently having a stronger pull than Serie A then by no means are they out of the running. Both of the sides could do with an extra midfielder and Krasic fits the bill perfectly, particularly for Arsenal as they really need to sure up their midfield with some strength. With Krasic offering that plus being a good passer of the ball he would be just what they’re looking for.

Krasic will definitely be hot property this summer and could well make a difference for Serbia in the World Cup. With Juventus said to be in the driving seat, Premier League clubs will need to move fast to secure his services and if someone can land them then he could be a key player for them next season.

[Zatman]

He has said he wants to go to Juventus as his first option where he will be loved like Nedved was

[bickster]

table and results grid updated after first game

[The_Rev]

Counting my chickens before they hatch here, but I cant see Australia making it out of this group now Cahill is looking at a suspension. England vs Ghana in the second round?

[Milfner]

Looks that way.

[villa4europe]

this group could all be over after the 2nd game, germany vs ghana will make a great final game, but means the likes of marin wont get a start in the 3rd game

[The_Rev]

Well, as the mods decided to lock a thread in which a discussion was clearly still happening, I'll copy and paste the response I spent ten minutes writing and stick it in this thread instead. :|

OK. I wasn't sure about that one actually. There are plenty of other examples too, I am sure.

He lived in Wales, or something, didn't he? Or am I going completely mad?

He is from Northop, which is about ten miles west of border with England. The nearest maternity hospital to Northop is Chester, which is quite literally on the English side of the border (in fact, Chester City FC's pitch is in Wales but the offices at the stadium are in England.)

"Naturalised" players is something I'm not a huge fan of, in any sport. It's very difficult to come up with a rule though because there are places which are, well, just different but impossible to quantify as to why. People from former colonies for example. Jamaica was part of Great Britain until the year before John Barnes was born, his parents were eligible for British passports and there was a huge influx of people moving from Jamaica to the motherland in the years immediately following Jamaican independence. It's the same with the large crossover between France and Algeria too.

The large number of Polish born players who represent Germany. That border has moved back and forth like a really bad person in the lifetime of parents and grandparents. Again, it's difficult to define eligibility. I dont really have a problem with it. Ditto Le Saux playing for England, the Channel Islands are a British crown dependency and dont have a FIFA recognised football team so if you are born there you have to make a choice. I believe you are eligible for any of the home nations if you are from the Channel Islands, I have heard you are eligible for France too, not sure how true that is.

What I personally dont like is the situation like Owen Hargreaves, who hadnt even lived in England before he played for us. Or Cacau who scored for Germany tonight who only plays for Germany because he has been living there for a few years and cant get into the Brazil squad. That would be like us giving Arteta or Almunia an England cap. It is difficult to write down a reason why Arteta playing for England is different to, say, John Barnes playing for England but it clearly is different. I dont think we are ready yet as a country to give caps to people who moved over here as professional footballers and cant get into their home nation's team for whatever reason, but it will probably happen one day.

I guess I have stumbled into saying what I mean, but when somebody plays for a country they werent born in or have no roots in as a job then I am just not a fan. Eventually you will just reach a point where you can effectively buy the world cup. What happens if Qatar or some other oil rich country decides to get in the most talented 16 year old kids from round the world, give them a reason to move to there (say a top notch university education or something) and puts out a team full of them five years later?

[ozvillafan]

I guess I have stumbled into saying what I mean, but when somebody plays for a country they werent born in or have no roots in as a job then I am just not a fan. Eventually you will just reach a point where you can effectively buy the world cup. What happens if Qatar or some other oil rich country decides to get in the most talented 16 year old kids from round the world, give them a reason to move to there (say a top notch university education or something) and puts out a team full of them five years later?

I'm in agreement with you but Cacau really made no difference to the game against Australia. He's a bench player at best. He only came on because, at 3-0, Low wanted to rest Oezil and Podolski before another Aussie carved them up.

[legov]

Losing Ballack might turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Germany. He's 34 and it's time for some of the young talent to take centerstage. Ozil and Muller are cracking players, so is Schweinsteiger. They are MORE than capable of filling Ballack's shoes. Only cause for concern is whether anyone in the team has the leadership ability Ballack has to spur them on when they're down 1-0 to England or any other team.

[Genie]

Thought Germany looked the real deal last night. Compare their calm and composed style to the 'rabbitt in the headlights' that you saw from England.

[briggaman]

Thought Germany looked the real deal last night. Compare their calm and composed style to the 'rabbitt in the headlights' that you saw from England.

I agree that they played very well. They are the best team in the tournament so far, based on that performance. However, let's not overlook the fact that Australia were extremely poor and were giving Germany acres of space to play in.