Really good draw for England. Belgium obviously have this insane Golden Generation, but they've long struggled to play as a team and you'd have to fancy your tactical wits coming up against Roberto Martinez.
I haven't seen them recently, but Tunisia are meant to be a decent side, but nothing more. A bunch of their players play in the domestic league there.
And Panama are not very good. Plucky underdogs and all that, but the type of team England need to beat to do anything of any significance in the tournament.
Belgium are no different to England in the 00s... They've got a great 'keeper | Defence | Midfield but they're suspect when it comes to their Striker and dont play together as a unit more like a bunch of individuals
Looking at the Tunisia team they've got four players who play in Europe; the rest either play in Tunisia or the Middle East
Tim Vickey says that the Panama players are mainly in their 30s and wont do a Costa Rica
No they have nowhere near the quality of player that Costa Rica did.
I was kind of alluding to the English golden generation when talking about Belgium. They do have some absolutely world class players obviously, and I think they have more of them than England did by far. But you're absolutely right, it's playing as a team and linking midfield to attack where they struggle. And Lukaku, as we're seeing with United but as we've seen with Belgium for years, needs space to run in behind. If you deny him that, he is very ineffective.
Whats interesting is it'll be like England v Wales from Euro 2016
Rather than a Premier League v Premier League "B" team like it was last summer it'll be an Premier League All-Star match!!
Happy enough with that draw, needed an easier start since I have promised my eldest Nephew in a desperate attempt to keep his recently discovered love for football high that England will definitely win the World Cup next summer.
No chance of that promise backfiring...........................
Russia 100% have a fixed draw there surely? That looks suspiciously easy.
Yeah mate I don't now how closely you follow events in Russia but I wouldn't go around accusing them of anything they obviously didn't do because they are a fine and not at all corrupt nation and they have my utmost respect.
Anyone else think Russia have a very easy group. I haven't paid much attention to the other qualifying regions (I didn't realise that Tunisia didn't lose a qualifying match same as England) but having to play Saudi Arabia, Egypt & Uruguay isn't the most difficult group going. Another fiddled draw by any chance ??
Anyone else think Russia have a very easy group. I haven't paid much attention to the other qualifying regions (I didn't realise that Tunisia didn't lose a qualifying match same as England) but having to play Saudi Arabia, Egypt & Uruguay isn't the most difficult group going. Another fiddled draw by any chance ??
This is flying around on social media. If you fix a draw you pick easier teams than them. Uruguay arent Spain but won't be the weakest team in pot 2. Egypt are arguably the best team in Africa and the Saudis had a very good qualifying campaign.
Anyone else think Russia have a very easy group. I haven't paid much attention to the other qualifying regions (I didn't realise that Tunisia didn't lose a qualifying match same as England) but having to play Saudi Arabia, Egypt & Uruguay isn't the most difficult group going. Another fiddled draw by any chance ??
"England’s group features an unprincipled tax haven, a country notorious for paedophilia, and a place where women are denied basic human rights, playing against Tunisia, Panama and Belgium.." Frankie Boyle
Anyone else think Russia have a very easy group. I haven't paid much attention to the other qualifying regions (I didn't realise that Tunisia didn't lose a qualifying match same as England) but having to play Saudi Arabia, Egypt & Uruguay isn't the most difficult group going. Another fiddled draw by any chance ??
To be honest if Russia were going to fix their group they'd probably have given themselves Tunisia and Panama! Egypt and Uruguay are both very capable of beating them.
Russia are poor, were beaten by both Slovakia and Wales in our Euro 2016 group and in the past year have been beaten by Qatar, Ivory coast, Costa Rica and drew with Iran.
we already know that Belgium have some good players who haven't done it for their country but this could be their year.
where we have been in decline since 1966, Wikipedia has already a section on Tunisia labelled 'Revival since 2014..' so they will be right on the up when we play them.
and everybody knows Panama are the new Costa Rica.
Comments
Rather than a Premier League v Premier League "B" team like it was last summer it'll be an Premier League All-Star match!!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgium_national_football_team#Players
No chance of that promise backfiring...........................
The boy really is an idiot. Get back to your Playstation, Mowgli
If not I want to see a ginourmous ROLAND OUT banner at the Belgium game
They are very very good at getting knocked out.
Frankie Boyle
Russia are poor, were beaten by both Slovakia and Wales in our Euro 2016 group and in the past year have been beaten by Qatar, Ivory coast, Costa Rica and drew with Iran.
where we have been in decline since 1966, Wikipedia has already a section on Tunisia labelled 'Revival since 2014..' so they will be right on the up when we play them.
and everybody knows Panama are the new Costa Rica.
we haven't a hope.