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2010 World Cup Qualifying
Topic Started: Sep 9 2008, 05:12 AM (3,179 Views)
shelsoccer
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His head coaching stint in MLS wasn't exactly a resounding success either.
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gaviota
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Group 5:
Belgium v Spain, Gp 5, 19:45
Bosnia-Herzegovina v Armenia, Gp 5, 19:15
Estonia v Turkey, Gp 5, 19:30

Belgium and Turkey have both made sound starts in what still for now looks like a chase for runners-up spot behind Spain. Even though they're at home I suspect that if you offered Belgium a draw this week they'd probably take it. Turkey should be able to build some momentum by beating Estonia.


Good analysis and I agree with your view in this group. Turkey did have to coem from behind last weekend against Bosnia but Estonia did not show much against Spain last saturday and I do not expect tem to put up much resistance tonight versus Turkey.

Belgium-Spain though should be one of the better matches of the night and the young Belgian team are an improved lot, but if Spain gets it's passing game going, which may not be assured since the pitch is reported to not be in good condition, then they will do fine. Good test for Del Bosque's team but the mental strength this Spain team have shown since last losing in a friendly against Romania in November 2006 has allowed them to get through tougher tests than this.

Germany-Wales might be an interesting match tonight too as Wales often are competitive against Germany and gave Russia a good match last month in Moscow.

Austria-Serbia is a game where the winner will take early control of that qualifying group.
CHAMP13NS
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Simon
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Another really pleasing England win, 4 out of 4 and we are in command of Group 6. Belarus showed themselves to be a very good team and apparently in the last year they've beaten Holland and drawn with Germany and Argentina so winning 3-1 out there represents an excellent result. Another tremendous performance and two-goal haul from Wayne Rooney, is second being the pick of the night. He dummied a pass to create space, chased onto Gerrard's through-ball and cleverly let the ball come across his body to beat a defender before lifting a cool finish past the keeper. He's got such great touch and awareness and his partnership with Heskey is really producing results. It should have been 4-1 as, with an open goal, Gerrard hit the post in a miss worthy of inclusion on our bloopers reel videos! But Belarus are a gifted side who were on top for spells and who equalised Gerrard's opener with a great goal that came from a 23-pass move. I'm sure one or both of Croatia and Ukraine could drop points in Minsk so it was a very satisfying night's work.

I also saw some of Germany-Wales and Gaviota called it right, it finished 1-0 to Germany which was about right but this was another very ordinary German performance and they struggled against Bellamy's pace. Brave performance by the Welsh who missed some good chances. Wales have a good generation coming though and look like they have the nucleus of a competitive side. Portugal's struggles continue as they could only draw 0-0 at home to an Albanian side who played the majority of the game with 10 men. It may well be true that Quieroz is best as Sancho Panza (I liked that sidekick list!) but we should also remember that these results are similar to ones the Portuguese obtained in qualifiers under Scolari, most notably their dismal draw with Liechtenstein. Spain are firmly in the Group 5 driving seat with a come-from-behind win in Belgium, especially as the Turks couldn't beat Estonia. And Serbia won convincingly in Austria, which really puts the pressure on France who will be playing catch-up when qualification resumes next year.
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raconteur
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Good review of the matches, I saw the German goal by Trachowski which was a nice one as he cut back and fired an angled shot to the far post. Germany are in good position in the group but I would like to see Wales get a chance in this group. But with Russia also present, and they won easily over Finland 3-0, it will be a tough task for Wales, they'll need to beat Russia and maybe Germany when they play in Wales.

Italy won 2-1 over Montenegro. It was not that great of a game but Aquilani officially was credited with both goals. The first came when a poor clearance by Montenegro's left back came to Simone Pepe and his shot was blocked by the keeper and Aquilani pushed the ball into the empty net. Montenegro then equalized through Mirko Vucinic, back in Lecce where he started his Italian career as he bamboozled Chiellini and beat Amelia. Then an Aquilani shot was deflected by a defender into the net for the game winning goal.

Italy did enough to win which ultimately is what is important but this has not been an impressive week for the Azzurri as to me they showed how important the missing Andrea Pirlo is to the team. Without him the team huff and puff to get goals but lack inspiration. After talking up Giuseppe Rossi all week, Marcello Lippi did not put him into the game!

Slovakia got two late goals from Stanislav Sestak to win at home over Poland 2-1. The Czech Republic beat Slovenia 1-0 too but Slovakia now lead the group by 2 points over Poland and Slovenia and by 5 over Northern Ireland and the Czech Republic in what should be an intriguing conclusion next year to this group.
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historyman
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I’ve been lying low in the cyber world over the last few days after Northern Ireland’s painful defeat against Slovenia in Maribor last weekend. I can’t remember the last time that I saw the team dominate the second half so much, only to lose to two very late sucker punches from the home side.

Unfortunately losing by conceding goals near the end of the match is a trait that NI have struggled with over the years, and so the trend continues. There have been a few reports in the media about Slovenia coming good again, but having watched that match in Maribor I can assure you that the score line is deceptive. Slovenia lost 1-0 to the Czech Republic last night, so maybe that will inject a dose of reality into talk of qualification prospects.

There was a measure of redemption last night as NI beat San Marino 4-0 in Belfast. Obviously a win was expected, but like many countries NI traditionally struggle against weaker opposition, and so many fans were a little nervous about what to expect. There was little need to worry though. SM did not threaten to score at all, and NI scored some well taken goals. It was good to see record scorer David Healy get off the mark again, as his confidence has taken a bit of a battering in recent times.

So, our qualification prospects don’t look too promising, but at least the group is a little tighter now after last night’s results. Slovakia are the surprising front runners after their 2-1 victory over Poland last night. With the Czech Republic and Slovenia also in the mix, let’s hope that all these ‘next door neighbours’ can take points off one another and allow NI to stealthily climb up the table!

Meanwhile, the Republic of Ireland scraped through in Dublin last night with a narrow 1-0 win over Cyprus. Trap O’ Toni was a relieved man after the final whistle, since Cyprus dominated the match after the break and had a number of excellent opportunities to equalise.

Robbie Keane scored the goal as early as the 5th minute, but that was the high point as far as the ROI’s performance was concerned. Cyprus are a much better side than many expect, and they could have beaten Italy at the weekend had they taken their chances better.

So it was a solid, if unconvincing display by the Irish, and the most important thing is that the three points were gained. Bulgaria dropped two points away to Georgia last night and have drawn their first three matches. So the ROI now lie in second place behind Italy, having played one game less.

Sorry, just realised that I should have posted this in the 'Two Irelands' thread, but it's all relevant!
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Manzanares
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Nothing like playing San Marino and seeing your team score some goals to lift the spirits, eh historyman???!!!

Simon is right while we all are surprised by Portugal's scoreless tie at home against 10 man Albania, these struggles do mimic the problems they had in qualifying for Euro 2008 under Luis Felipe Scolari, so the problem is not entirely Carlos Queiroz' doing. For all their talent Portugal just have trouble scoring goals. And you also have to add that Cristiano Ronaldo does not look fully recovered from his injury.

Estonia holding Turkey to a draw in Tallinn sure makes Spain's easy win there look all the better now. Spain just keep finding ways to win games, a sure sign of a good team. Needless to say I am enjoying this current run, it sure helps make up for so many years of heart break!
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Mr. Pither
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Holland were givena tough time of it in Oslo by Norway but won the match 1-0 on a van Bommel goal. A lot of injuries, you already described the goalkeeping situation plus Robben, van Persie and Sneijder. Then babel went out early with an ankle injury after a bad tackle form Pedersen. But Holland kept it simple and found the goal in the second half. Defensively the team are pretty strong now and we all know ther eis plenty of offensive talent on the squad so the unbeaten team are looking pretty good now after 4 qualifying matches.

As Simon wrote, Wales were competitive with Germany. They defended well and used Bellamy at what he is best at, being available on the break. Still Germany always looked like scoring and eventually did through Trochowski's nice cut back and long distance shot. Toshack has made Wale sinto a compact team and ther eis some pretty good young talent coming through. But it is hard to find a European group which has two teams as tough as Germany and Russia in it so qualifying will be a long task for this lot. Like somebody noted, Wales will need good results at home against both Germany and Russia to have any hope.

Well said Merengue, Carlos Queiroz=the Sancho Panza of coaching! :lol:
P-I-T-H-E-R ...as in Brotherhood, but with PI instead of the BRO and no HOOD
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Don Balon
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Well said Merengue, Carlos Queiroz=the Sancho Panza of coaching!


Now that is good!

Portugal once had an excellent defense but since Euro 2008 that has not been the case and right now it seems like Portugal are going to be as good as Cristiano Ronaldo is. Now he is not fully fit following injury and without him Portugal are just an above average team, not the elite class international team they've been the last 5 years or so.
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Nkono
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France have vital games away then home against Lithuania on 28 march and 1 April. This is the roster Domenech ahs named for thsoe matches:

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Cedric Carrasso (Toulouse)

Defenders: Gael Clichy (Arsenal/ENG), Rod Fanni (Rennes), William Gallas (Arsenal/ENG), Philippe Mexes (Roma/ITA), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal/ENG), Sebastien Squillaci (Sevilla/ESP), Patrice Evra (Manchester United/ENG), Adil Rami (Lille)

Midfielders: Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid/ESP), Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux), Samir Nasri (Arsenal/ENG), Jeremy Toulalan (Lyon), Abou Diaby (Arsenal/ENG), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich/GER)

Forwards: Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea/ENG), Karim Benzema (Lyon), Jimmy Briand (Rennes), Thierry Henry (Barcelona/ESP), Andre-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse)

The big news is a first time selection for league top scorer Andre Pierre Gignac of Toulouse. A good reward for him but in typical Domenech fashion there is no continuity as previous forwards he's selected have been left off (i.e. Savidan, Gomis, Sinama Pongolle, Cisse). Plus there still is no room for PSG's in form striker Guillaume Hoarau.

Injuries have deprived the defense of Abidal, Boumsong and Escude but Lille's Adil Rami, a centerback gets his chance.
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Mr. Pither
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The intriguing feature of France's team to me is with all the talent they have at forward and attacking midfield, the team has trouble scoring goals. In that instance then it is not a real surprise that Domenech would turn to the legaue's current top scorer. Go with the player in form.

Both Oliver Kahn and Germany's current goalkeeper coach Andreas Kopke are lamenting Germany's lack of a world class keeper,

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=afp-...v=afp&type=lgns

Neither Rene Adler or his number 2 Robert Enke have really staked a claim to the position. Maybe this is where Tim Weise or Manuel Neuer should be given the opportunity? Unfortunately the once promising Timo Hildebrand has fallen into a rut even since his return from Valencia. Although I must say I like Rene Adler and he is still young, I think he has the qualities to develop into a top notch goalie, you can not expect him to now be equal to Kahn or Lehmann were in their primes as Adler has not yet approached his.
P-I-T-H-E-R ...as in Brotherhood, but with PI instead of the BRO and no HOOD
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Merengue
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I read today where Adler has an elbow injury and will miss this weekend's match and that Enke has been named as the starter with Weise his backup.

It is only natural after two goalkeepers, Kahn and Lehmann, were in goal for so many years for there to be a vacuum once they've elft the picture. But Germany have always produced good goalkeepers and I have little doubt that soon one of these keepers mentioned here will step up and develop into a solid goalie for the national team.
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Nkono
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Saturday's schedule of matches in Europe:

Albania v Hungary, Gp 1, 19:30
Armenia v Estonia, Gp 5, 16:00
Belgium v Bosnia-Herzegovina, Gp 5, 19:45
Cyprus v Georgia, Gp 8, 18:00
Germany v Liechtenstein, Gp 4, 19:45
Holland v Scotland, Gp 9, 19:45
Israel v Greece, Gp 2, 19:00
Lithuania v France, Gp 7, 19:45
Luxembourg v Latvia, Gp 2, 16:00
Malta v Denmark, Gp 1, 19:00
Moldova v Switzerland, Gp 2, 16:45
Montenegro v Italy, Gp 8, 19:45
Northern Ireland v Poland, Gp 3, 17:15
Portugal v Sweden, Gp 1, 20:45
Rep of Ireland v Bulgaria, Gp 8, 19:45
Romania v Serbia, Gp 7, 18:45
Russia v Azerbaijan, Gp 4, 14:00
Slovenia v Czech Republic, Gp 3, 19:45
Spain v Turkey, Gp 5, 21:00
Wales v Finland, Gp 4, 15:00

France travel to play Lithiania before hosting the same team next week. After a slow start Domenech's team can not afford to lose this game. The expected France team looks good on paper: Mandanda - Sagna, Squillaci, Gallas, Evra - Toulalan, L. Diarra - Ribéry, Gourcuff, Henry - Benzema.

But can they actually approach their club form with Les Bleus? I like the pairing of Squillaci and Gallas in central defense an area which has been problematic at times with neither Mexes nor Boumsong always looking comfortable there. But even away from home an attack with Benzema, Henry, Gourcuff and Ribery needs to produce goals.

A vital match for Portugal at home to Sweden too. Portugal's start to qualifying is much worse even than France's and the team Scolari took to the Euro 2004 final, the semiifnals of World Cup 2006 and the quarterfinals of Euro 2008 is now in danger of not qualifying for World Cup 2010. Anything less than a home win over an Ibrahimovic less Sweden and Portugal will be in serious trouble.

They talk about this in more detail in the Spain forum, but the battle in Madrid between the Euro 2008 champions Spain and semifinalists Turkey is the marquee matchup of the weekend. And as an added bonus they'll repeat it on Wednesday but then it will be played in Istanbul.
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Hector
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A vital match for Portugal at home to Sweden too. Portugal's start to qualifying is much worse even than France's and the team Scolari took to the Euro 2004 final, the semiifnals of World Cup 2006 and the quarterfinals of Euro 2008 is now in danger of not qualifying for World Cup 2010. Anything less than a home win over an Ibrahimovic less Sweden and Portugal will be in serious trouble.


I would not be that dramatic, Portugal, although playing one match more, are actually ahead of Sweden on goal difference in the group as neither nation have got off to a good start in the group. They have already played in Sweden and that match last fall ended 0-0. This game will mark the half way point for Portugal whose poor results were losing at home to Denmark and tying with Albania. But they still have time to make up for that defeat. Winning tonight would be a start. Deco is back in the team after being out injured and the ex Sevilla, now Malaga left winger Duda also is expected to start for Portugal but he will be playing behind Simao in Portugal's 4-3-3. A loss tonight leaves one of Portugal or Sweden really on the ropes in this group.
iPuerta amigo, Sevilla esta contigo!
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Yogi
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Italy won 2-0 away to Montenegro, goals by Pirlo from the penalty spot and a 2nd half goal by Pazzini in as a sub for Iaquinta. Bulgaria stayed alive in the group with a draw in Dublin against Ireland, a result which helps Italy but still leaves Ireland in pretty good shape too.

Serbia with a big victory at Romania 3-2. US fans may note that Neven Subotic who represented the US at the U-17 level came on as a 2nd half sub for Serbia. Ribery with the lone goal as France won in Lithuania 1-0. Benzema did not start, Luyindula did instead but shortly after benzema came on for him France scored! Oh what a tactician is that Domenech! :lol:
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Sporting
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Mixed results for the British teams last night. I was born in Wales (though with a lot of English family as well) so Wales's capitulation to Finland saddened me somewhat, even though by now it's par for the course. Northern Ireland had a great victory but the Republic of Ireland (okay, not really a British team!) will be kicking themselves for conceding a late own-goal. As for Scotland, a 3-0 defeat away against the Netherlands was probably the best they could have hoped for.

On edit: sorry, posted this in the wrong section! :blink:

Moderator's note: And now it has found its proper home!
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