2014 FIFA World Cup

[Matt]

Apparently, one day out of 889,000 tickets, 71% came to brazilians.

You realise that's an average of less than 15,000 tickets per match. Fairly sure that there has to be at least double that amount just to meet the minimum criteria for a world cup stadium

[Lineker]

Death toll has now been revised down to two.

[Starvinho]

The draw will be live on BBC Two here in the UK, coverage starts at 4:30pm.

[Lineker]

It's next week isn't it?

[Starvinho]

Yeah, next Friday.

[Adam]

Can't see Uruguay winning after needing playoffs to qualify.

Pretty sure they qualified via the play-offs last time and they went on to make the semi-finals. They'll be a threat as long as they have the likes of Suarez.

I always fancy the Germans to do it, but honestly, Brazil will win this I feel. We'll see how the draw falls for everyone but I can see them taking it on home soil.

That's if it even still happens in Brazil.

[Starvinho]

The thing with Brazil is they've been playing shit for the last four years, including in the Confederations Cup (apart the final). Even England have beat them at Wembley and come within a whisker of beating them in Brazil too. And just because it's a home tournament, that isn't exactly a positive. There is gonna be massive pressure on the team, their fans are gonna demand that they win every game, and win it playing the Brazilian style. I really don't see them winning it, infact I'd be surprised if they made it as far as the semi-finals. A bold statement I know, but it's just my opinion from what I've seen from Brazil over the last few years. I'd love to be proved wrong though, Brazil winning it is pretty much best case scenario, after England of course.

[Rafael]

The team is complacent. Great part of the media makes people think we're playing well when we're not. I feel like it's going to be 2006 all over again.

[GoN_]

The thing with Brazil is they've been playing shit for the last four years, including in the Confederations Cup (apart the final). Even England have beat them at Wembley and come within a whisker of beating them in Brazil too. And just because it's a home tournament, that isn't exactly a positive. There is gonna be massive pressure on the team, their fans are gonna demand that they win every game, and win it playing the Brazilian style. I really don't see them winning it, infact I'd be surprised if they made it as far as the semi-finals. A bold statement I know, but it's just my opinion from what I've seen from Brazil over the last few years. I'd love to be proved wrong though, Brazil winning it is pretty much best case scenario, after England of course.

Classic Scolari team...

[stokeriño]

Ah, fond memories of Scolari's "erm...I dunno" (*shrug*) post-match interviews when asked why his team played so shit.

[Colly]

To be fair, I think Jose's running out of witty excuses to make the press chuckle.

Speaking of which, did you see the one yesterday where he accused Lukaku of talking too much about everything other than why he's not at Chelsea? Bizarre to say the least, even if he's a massive cunt he's still scored more league goals than Chelseas actual strikers put together.

[stokeriño]

Forget witty excuses - having your manager give that bewildered lost look in front of the camera for several weeks in a row is another step down from even just saying dull and/or mean things.

As for Jose yesterday, he was just indirectly reminding people that Lukaku was the one who asked to go out on loan, in response to the usual "Why on earth did you send him to Everton" question. And he was being asked this on the back of Lukaku's "well maybe I could stay at Everton next year, who knows [/anythingcanhappen]" quotes.

I didn't see the big fuss about what either of them said, to be honest.

[Colly]

Jose just seemed to word it in a very odd way, felt like he was implying something, although you're right that the alternative would be a straight admission that it was a poor decision which he doesn't usually do until after the event.

[stokeriño]

...? This is the quote I read. I guess without the context of knowing what he's said in previous interviews it might seem like odd wording.

“I’m happy that he’s scoring goals against our direct rivals and he doesn’t score against us because he can’t,” said Mourinho with a mischievous smile.

“It’s phenomenal that you have a player, that even when not playing for you he’s scoring goals against your opponents. From a practical point of view, that's very very good.”

Mourinho has said in the past that the decision to go out on loan was down to the player as much as the club and that Lukaku is wrong to suggest otherwise.

“Romelu likes to speak. He's a young boy,” said the Blues' boss. “But he didn't say why he went to Everton on loan.

“I keep private my conversations with my players, for ethical reasons. But for example, when he scored the other day, he was saying I hope Jose is watching.

“It’s almost like saying why did he let me go? I'm saying now: Tell the country why you left. Why did you leave Chelsea on loan one more season?”

[Colly]

I think it was the way he said it, I'm not sure if that was the exact one I saw, but either way even if he has asked to go on loan, thats surely only because Mourinho's told him he'll not get games. In which case his last point just sounds weird, and a poor excuse for letting a top player out.

[GoN_]

Ah, fond memories of Scolari's "erm...I dunno" (*shrug*) post-match interviews when asked why his team played so shit.

I have fond memories of our national team being awful in all the friendlies up to Euro 2004 and then getting to the final, for the first time ever. Or Brazil in 2002 "doing badly" (I remember that for a while they seemed to have to do the playoff to get there and just barely made it without it) in the qualifying rounds for the world cup and then won it.

[stokeriño]

Then good luck to Brazil.

They're probably the 'big' team I'd quite like to win the most next year. Certainly above Spain, Germany, Argentina, etc.

(You will note that England do not get counted as a 'big' team in this statement. )

[METALMAN]

I would like a team that hasn't won the World Cup before to win it, provided it isn't Holland, I suppose Belgium have the best opportunity.

I wouldn't mind France winning again.

[Colly]

Nigeria. All the way.

[Chris the Human]

I do not fancy Australia's chances of progressing at all. Osieck's time at the top did irreparable damage to the next generation. It's going to take the new coach a while to weed out the dead weight and season the younger guys who had been left out in the cold by Osieck.

Only Group 2 nations I see having a chance of progressing out of the group are Japan and Mexico.