Group G Discussion

First topic message reminder :

England
Belgium
Tunisia
Panama

I'll admit England did well to get the win. I cant imagine Panama will be any more of a challenge so it comes down to the Belgium game to get a better idea of how you'll do going forward. Should already have qualified from the group by that point aswell.

Hypothetical, but already there could be a scenario whereby neither England or Belgium ideally would want to win the group. A draw always seems to open up, and it all depends if Germany finish second behind Mexico. Winning our group, would then take us over to the left side of the draw, whereby the QF could possibly be Germany or Brazil.

Coming second in our group, could mean anyone in Group H for the last 16 (Colombia/Senegal/Japan), but possibly a QF of Mexico or Switzerland/Serbia.

Lukaku on fire !

Belgium are going to slaughter Tunisia here

... Oops ! Tunisia pull one back !

Tunisia have shown a good deal more enterprise in this half hour than they did in the whole game against England.

Still think Belgium will take this , probably by more than the current 2-1 ; but if it goes on like this we will see some entertainment !

Makes you wonder why Tunisia didn't play like this against England.

A far better game than I thought it was going be. Belgium just doing enough, great at times attacking. Defensively can be got at.

Lukaka, wonderful Finnish. 3-1, that's game.

Tunisia are just horrific at the back

Lukaku takes his chance deftly again to make it 3-1 at the break

That was a cruel blow to Tunisia with just seconds of injury time left in the half ! The defender will be wishing he'd let that ball go out...

Belgium could easily destroy Tunisia and hopefully they do.

Hazard with another good Finnish 4-1. They have so much attacking threat.

Luke wrote:Hazard with another good Finnish 4-1. They have so much attacking threat.

Indeed they have ! I fancy they can sometimes be a little shaky at the back though...Tunisia haven't taken a couple of very decent chances.

Think any game involving Belgium will be entertaining ; and I reckon they might go pretty deep into this tournament...

With the opposition being such low quality in this group, possible risk of being undercooked going into the last 16 and beyond. Essentially same squad that got dumped out of the Euro’s by an average Wales side, so I’m not convinced really.

They’ve basically done to this god awful Tunisia side, what England should of done, but we’ve got no finishers, bar Kane.

To be honest, Belgium should have scored at least 8. Bathysui gets the 5th.

They can't pick the opposition. All you can do is beat them with a style and swagger, whilst building your confidence. Belgium have done that in both games. Whilst Lukaku scoring, Hazard looking good. And other players playing well.

Only issue I see, is that De Bruyne's isn't playing as well as he has this season. Him and Hazard really don't seem to be able to play in the same team.

Lukaku taken off after 59 minutes and is unlikely to be started against England.  Hazard also a doubt (taken off after 68 minutes), and there is some concern for Mertens. As Belgium have more or less qualified it looks like Lukaku and Hazard will be rested to get them fit for the knockout stages of the tournament.

Belgium resting players, as Martinez has suggested. Looks like finishing runner-up of this group, being more favourable, long term. Finish runner-up, and it’s the winner of group H in the last 16, followed by Mexico or Switzerland in the QF. Win the group, and it’s looking like Colombia in the last 16, followed by Brazil or Germany in the QF.

Sterling starts again today. Right decision IMO.

I doubt Panama will be pushovers but I doubt they'll be able to prevent us from scoring.

Will be an interesting game or at least that's what I'm hoping for.

all depends how panama approach this game. if they come out to just shut up shop we will struggle to break them down in the heat. if like the Belgium Tunisia game the weaker side comes out to win it could open the game up. think panama are just happy to be there and will frustrate us for large periods. the lack of creativity in this england side is a worry

Sterling 2 goals in 38 caps. Robbing a living

compelling and rich wrote:all depends how panama approach this game. if they come out to just shut up shop we will struggle to break them down in the heat. if like the Belgium Tunisia game the weaker side comes out to win it could open the game up. think panama are just happy to be there and will frustrate us for large periods. the lack of creativity in this england side is a worry

Agree with this. England do seem to be at a loss when (weaker) opponents just park the bus. However I do have hopes that this particular outfit might have a bit more patience - as demonstrated against Tunisia in the second half - and will eventually find a way through.

Still prefer it if Panama come out to play : will make better watching in any case.

(I have no problem with Sterling starting . But I think he needs to show something today or his later appearances might be limited )

Nathaniel Jacobs wrote:Sterling 2 goals in 38 caps. Robbing a living

18 premier league goals last year, you absolute plum.

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:

Nathaniel Jacobs wrote:Sterling 2 goals in 38 caps. Robbing a living

18 premier league goals last year, you absolute plum.

Most of those goals where tap ins laid on a plate by KbD, Silva, Bernardo etc. Sterling is trash

Everybody is a product of everyone else. Nobody is good.

Better touch and Lingard has a good chance there

Against top opposition, that’s England 1-0 down. Sloppy

England 1-0 Panama - Stones

Control, and should be game over

Karma for all the holding. Defend properly

Despite being 1-0 up, we've started averagely. Some mistakes and Panama doing okay.

Just have to make sure we get a second. At 1-0 you only need one bounce...

Be surprised if Rose doesn't play against Belgium.

It’s embarrassing. Panama can’t defend, without aggression. Be amazed if there’s no red today.

Kane penalty 2-0

Game over.

Panama can’t play football whatsoever

Hard to build a rhythm against a team like Panama that just kick you out the game. Eyes start to turn towards goal difference ahead of the last game against Belgium.

I can say I'm quietly confident that we'll win.

Having seen Kane take that penalty, I have very little doubt about them against Panama.

Luke wrote:Despite being 1-0 up, we've started averagely. Some mistakes and Panama doing okay.

Funny , isn't it ? Panama had actually had most of the play , but...

And now it's 2-0 and you'd reckon that's game over. Be nice to improve the goal difference given Belgium have been scoring so freely...

Need another 4

Do you want to win the group, GSC? Have you seen the draw? The bottom right section of the draw (after the last 16) looks more favourable, and that’s by finishing runner-up in our group. Looking like either Mexico or Switzerland in the QF, if we finish runner-up. Win our group, and we enter Brazil and Germany (most likely now) section in the QF.

Possession, accurate passing then every now and again rapid accelerated play, then skill on set pieces - this seems to be the tactics under hot / humid conditions.

Excellent from Lingard

OK the opposition is poor but that's a great goal any time...

Sterling is very good at intricate play and providing balls for others to score.

Embarrassing how woeful Panama are

Embarrassing how rubbish Sterling is. Missed from 5 yards out.

This could very easily be another version of Brazil vs Germany.

Riggs wrote:This could very easily be another version of Brazil vs Germany.

Difference being that Brazil have 5 world cups...

At last, holding at a corner given as a penalty.
Kane 5-0, Panama fallen apart.

Might as well take some players off, give the subs a run and rest some of the main players.

If this was a boxing match the ref would have called it off by now.

Does make you wonder about the mismatches we will see when the World Cup gets all those extra teams...

It looks like many national teams in this World Cup can't defend corners - so many defenders are just grabbing hold of strikers and pulling them to ground. Yet in the Premier League few corners result in goals and managers expect their teams to not concede at corners.

This is looking more and more like a ROMP.

And Panama looking more like Tunisia, cheating beggars.

Yes I want to win the group. Not wasting energy looking at potential draws.

Strategic booking coming for Kyle Walker at some point you suspect

Is there a point where cards are rubbed out - rather than accumulating throughout the whole tournament?

After the QF