[Ze da Fiel]

Well,
Portugal lost, spain will always tremble, Argentina is drawing every game, England losing.


THen you get:
Brazil won every gme this year, italy beating Engalnd and France trashing Scotland, Germany coming back after a win (although i don't rate them as title contenders, but you can never underestimate the german power!).


Are the big boys growing when it matters? I do think so...as i said all the time in the last 2 years!

Let's wait for the World Cup lads!

 

[Kostas]

Do you mean that Argentina is not a big boy?

 

[Pila]

Portugal easily took the worst beating out of all of them, but as long as we keep it to the friendlies we should be OK.

 

[mutu1875]

I dont think so. Eng - Italy for example, a pen in the last min of a friendly game makes Italy twice as likley to win the World Cup, and England's chances next to nothing, does it? I Dont think so...

However, France's performance, as ive mentioned before on this board was truely exceptional and i think that does improve their chances.

 

[Gabemar]

Right now France is looking really sharp, but let's see what happens when it matters.

 

[SZeppelin75]

Friendlies don´t matter much, i remember Argentina winning every single friendly before the WC 98, and look how we did, and Brazil was playing uglu, losing and tying or barely winning their friendlies and they got to the Finals, France winning 5-0 at home to a fresh coached Scotland doens´t mean anything.

 

[1-1-GoalessDraw]

I am one that subscribes to the notion that if scores are kept, you should try to win... that being said, friendlies are a dangerous lot for teams going to the World Cup...

It could make you over confident if you win all your friendly games and when you lose, you realize that you are not as good as you might have thought you were...

Most of these countries losing friendly games have quality coaches who go into these friendlies with the intention of learning a thing or two about their team....

You want your players going into a tournament without feeling complacent. You want them to believe that they can be beat not just thinking that they are invincible...

 

[czar]

You make some very valid points so in principal I agree with your astute comments.

I am one that subscribes to the notion that if scores are kept, you should try to win... that being said, friendlies are a dangerous lot for teams going to the World Cup...

It could make you over confident if you win all your friendly games and when you lose, you realize that you are not as good as you might have thought you were...

Most of these countries losing friendly games have quality coaches who go into these friendlies with the intention of learning a thing or two about their team....

You want your players going into a tournament without feeling complacent. You want them to believe that they can be beat not just thinking that they are invincible...