Predictions.

[Furn]

1. Winning team and the teams involved in the final. England 4 Germany 2 (extra time)
2. Top scorer. Peter Crouch
3. Tournament's MVP. Gerrard
4. Teams who will surprise (if any). Serbia
5. Teams who will disappoint (if any). Italy
6. Who will have the better tournament out of Messi/Ronaldo/Rooney. Rooney

 

[GrandBlue]

Winners: Spain 3-2 over Brazil
Top Scorer: Fernando Torres
MVP: Xavi
Surprise Team: Denmark
Dissapointmens: Italy, Germany
Rooney, Rolando, Messi

 

[timmah]

Winners: Spain
Runners up: Brazil
3rd Place: Argentina
Surprsie team: Chile
Disappointments: France, Italy
Ronaldo

 

[weagles_fan]

Winners: Brazil
Runners up: Ivory Coast
3rd Place: Germany
Top scorer: Drogba
MVP: Schweinsteiger
Surprsie team: Ivory Coast
Disappointments: France, Italy, England, Argentina
Ronaldo

 

[Power King]

Everyone is expecting Italy to disappoint, so I don't think they can really disappoint if everyone is expecting them to not do well.

 

[Donstuie]

1. Winning team and the teams involved in the final.
Spain over Argentina

2. Top scorer.
Torres

3. Tournament's MVP.
Messi

4. Teams who will surprise (if any).
Ivory Coast to make semis (if you call that a surprise)

5. Teams who will disappoint (if any).
Italy

6. Who will have the better tournament out of Messi/Ronaldo/Rooney.
Messi

 

[Bomber Bears]

1. Winning team and the teams involved in the final. Spain over Netherlands, England and Brazil beaten semi-finalists
2. Top scorer - Villa
3. Tournament's MVP. Robben
4. Teams who will surprise (if any). Netherlands by making it into the serious stuff
5. Teams who will disappoint (if any). France, Italy
6. Who will have the better tournament out of Messi/Ronaldo/Rooney. Wayne Rooney

 

[Riggy1]

I'm not going to do all these individual awards
I'll just do a comprehensive prediction on where teams go and all that crap

Group A
France 9 +6
Mexico 4 0
South Africa 4 -1
Uruguay 0 -5

Group B
Argentina 9 +8
Korea Republic 4 -1
Nigeria 2 -3
Greece 1 -4

Group C
England 9 +6
United States 4 -1
Algeria 3 -3
Slovenia 1 -2

Group D
Germany 5 +3
Australia 5 +1
Serbia 4 -2
Ghana 1 -2

Group E
Netherlands 7 +6
Japan 4 -1
Cameroon 2 -1
Denmark 2 -4

Group F
Italy 7 +6
Slovakia 5 +3
Paraguay 4 +2
New Zealand 0 -11

Group G
Brazil 9 +5
Cote d'Ivoire 2 -1
Korea DPR 2 -2 (4 GF)
Portugal 2 -2 (3 GF)

Group H
Spain 9 +10
Switzerland 4 -2
Honduras 3 -6
Chile 1 -2

rounds of 16
France--------3
Korea Republic-1

England--1(3)
Australia-1(4)

Netherlands-3
Slovakia----1

Brazil-------4
Switzerland-0

Argentina-1
Mexico----2 (AET)

Germany------2
United States-0

Italy--1(4)
Japan-1(2)

Spain--------3
Cote d'Ivoire-2

Quater Finals

France---3
Australia-1

Netherlands-3
Brazil-------1

Mexico--0
Germany-1

Italy-1
Spain-2

Semi Finals

France------2(4)
Netherlands-2(5)

Germany-3
Spain----4 (AET)

3rd place match

France---0
Germany-1

Final

Netherlands-2
Spain-------3

 

[bus24]

Fitness is a concern.

Pretty much. Has barely played this season, and he always struggles for a good month following any sort of injury lay off.

 

[Godzke]

**** me Riggy, if your predictions come true I'll be ****ing stoked.

Ousting those bloody Poms in a shootout would be gold.

 

[Surkin]

1. Winning team and the teams involved in the final. Spain def England 3-1
2. Top scorer. Iaquinta (5)
3. Tournament's MVP. Xavi
4. Teams who will surprise (if any). South Africa, USA
5. Teams who will disappoint (if any). Germany
6. Who will have the better tournament out of Messi/Ronaldo/Rooney. Rooney

 

[DeanoT]

1. Winning team and the teams involved in the final. Spain def England 2-1
2. Top scorer. Messi (7)
3. Tournament's MVP. Torres
4. Teams who will surprise (if any). Mexico, Denmark
5. Teams who will disappoint (if any). Brazil
6. Who will have the better tournament out of Messi/Ronaldo/Rooney. Messi

 

[Power King]

So if England bow out in the quarters, is that a disappointment?

For a team everyone believes is one of the best in the world, they sure do know how to **** themselves every world cup. Or maybe it's just that they aren't that good.

Can't wait for England to fail once again.

 

[belfast_bomber]

So if England bow out in the quarters, is that a disappointment?

Hell no!

 

[Naitashuey]

1. Holland 1 Brazil 0
2. Higuain 5.
3. Robben.
4. Argentina (Despite Maradona, still a decent side), Uruguay(Will top group and make Quarters)
5. Spain(Quality side, get the feeling they might be a bit Brazil 06), Germany (Not a great defence and lack a bit of bite up front
6. Messi will outshine Ronaldo, unsure on Rooney`s fitness

 

[jd2006]

1. Winning team and the teams involved in the final.
England over Spain

2. Top scorer.
Villa & Rooney with 6

3. Tournament's MVP.
Rooney

4. Teams who will surprise (if any).
Slovenia to push England in the group stage, and then give Serbia/Germany a massive scare in the 2nd round
Serbia and Denmark both have the young talent that could suprise a few

5. Teams who will disappoint (if any).
Italy, France, South Africa (worst host performance)

6. Who will have the better tournament out of Messi/Ronaldo/Rooney.
Rooney

 

[belfast_bomber]

1. Winner - Brazil 2 Italy 0

2. Golden boot - Drogba with 5

3. MVP - Cristiano Ronaldo

4. Teams that will surprise - hopefully us but can't see it. I'm going to tip England for the semi-finals, there I said it.

5. Teams that will disappoint - Sarf Efrica clearly set for being the worst host nation EVER. Be nice if ze Germans crash and burn at our expense.

6. Best of Rooney/Messi/Cristiano - Cristiano. Hopefully Rooney gets a nice minor knock early on so he can start next league season relaxed and in top shape

 

[Duncan Disorderly]

So if England bow out in the quarters, is that a disappointment?

For a team everyone believes is one of the best in the world, they sure do know how to **** themselves every world cup. Or maybe it's just that they aren't that good.

Can't wait for England to fail once again.

Definately a failure.

Semi-final stage is the minimum for us.

I'm not sure about your second paragraph. I've been watching England in world cups since 1986 and referees cost us in 86, Chris Waddle bottled it in 1990 (I will maintain til the day I die that Trevor Steven should have taken that pen), no need to discuss 1994, 1998 was more reason to dislike Charlie Ince, 2002 we were never good enough (Danny Mills, Trevor Sinclair -need i say more!) and 2006 we were never good enough, but **** whoever decided it was a good idea to give that level of responsibility to Carragher.

I would say it was individuals bottling it rather than the general misconception that we **** up every world cup.

 

[belfast_bomber]

But that's England's problem all over isn't it. Great individually, but somehow less than the sum of its parts.

 

[Bourky23]

But they're not that great personel wise IMO.

I've never understood the fuss over the English side 'horribly underperforming' after every major tournament. I reckon although they've been disappointing at times they haven't finished too far off to where i'd rate them.

not anywhere near my top 5 International sides in the world on paper. QTR finals would be deemed a success IMO, anything more and they've overachieved.

close to the most overrated sporting side on the planet.

Lampard and Rooney are the only blokes I reckon are anywhere near world class.

sure, the EPL is arguably the best league in the world but most of their gun players are internationally based.

 

[alfamito]

1.Italy beating Spain in the final
2. Pirlo
3.
4. Australia and Argentina to be the losing semi-finalist
5. Italy
6. Ronaldo, Messi and Rooney both to score 4

 

[r dub 19]

Lampard and Rooney are the only blokes I reckon are anywhere near world class.

Cole, Gerrard, Terry, Rio on their day are easily top 5 in their respective positions.

 

[Bourky23]

Cole, Gerrard, Terry, Rio on their day are easily top 5 in their respective positions.

Cole - Certainly, but in reality LB is close to the most irrelevant position on the pitch.

Gerrard - not anymore, he's almost become irrelevant at Liverpool, let alone the national side. IMO there is only room for one of Lampard and Gerrard in that side and Lampard > Gerrard.

Terry & Rio - I might be jumping the gun but i'm convinced the game has passed Rio (of the small handful of united games I've seen him play in the last few years he's been ordinary. Struggles against quality opposition)

Never been a big wrap for Terry (but that's just me). Always been protected by playing in a good side. I know plenty will disagree but I don't think he's 'world class'...

I'm not one to rate defenders though. Sure, they are important but the phrases "elite talent, world class player etc." and a defender don't really go hand in hand.

a good defence is built around 4 blokes and a keeper being a unit. Put a great defender with 3 spuds around him and he'll look ordinary, put a world class midfielder/striker in an ordinary side and all of a sudden they win games (eg. Tim Cahill)

Spain, Brazil, Germany, France, Argentina and the Netherlands are all definitely better than England IMO on paper and you could mount cases for Italy and maybe even Portugal.

 

[r dub 19]

Cole - Certainly, but in reality LB is close to the most irrelevant position on the pitch.

Gerrard - not anymore, he's almost become irrelevant at Liverpool, let alone the national side. IMO there is only room for one of Lampard and Gerrard in that side and Lampard > Gerrard.

Terry & Rio - I might be jumping the gun but i'm convinced the game has passed Rio (of the small handful of united games I've seen him play in the last few years he's been ordinary. Struggles against quality opposition)

Never been a big wrap for Terry (but that's just me). Always been protected by playing in a good side. I know plenty will disagree but I don't think he's 'world class'...

I'm not one to rate defenders though. Sure, they are important but the phrases "elite talent, world class player etc." and a defender don't really go hand in hand.

a good defence is built around 4 blokes and a keeper being a unit. Put a great defender with 3 spuds around him and he'll look ordinary, put a world class midfielder/striker in an ordinary side and all of a sudden they win games (eg. Tim Cahill)

Spain, Brazil, Germany, France, Argentina and the Netherlands are all definitely better than England IMO on paper and you could mount cases for Italy and maybe even Portugal.

Say what you want but the players I named are considered world class.

 

[Power King]

Cole, Gerrard, Terry, Rio on their day are easily top 5 in their respective positions.

Cole - arguably yes

Gerrard - used to be england's best player, more so than lampard and probably rooney... has fallen by quite a bit in recent times. i like him though, seems to have heart.

Terry - overrated, see the above post

Rio - just no.

Rooney is world class.

and 2006 was suppoed to be the golden age of english football... the team was massively rated going into the tournament