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Weekly Prize - Join Any Time - Tip Round 10
The Golden Ticket - MCG and Marvel Medallion Club tickets and Corporate Box tickets at the Gabba, MCG and Marvel.
I sincerely hope not.Arnold extension in 3..2..1..
I don't think anybody has high expectations.Have been reading that we are apparently in the "group of death" which is nothing more than a lazy position trotted out by ignorant imbeciles every four years. We are the 4th seed in the group, hence we have drawn 3 teams that are demonstrably better than us. France are obviously the reigning World Cup champion but Denmark and Tunisia are pretty standard fare at a World Cup.
We are unlikely to get much more than a point, if anything at all in Qatar but that will be a reflection on our lack of quality and not the myth that we have drawn some super tough group. I am pleased we made it but let's be honest, it is a rather uninspiring and limited Australian team. We should temper any expectations.
Denmark is a very good team at the momentHave been reading that we are apparently in the "group of death" which is nothing more than a lazy position trotted out by ignorant imbeciles every four years. We are the 4th seed in the group, hence we have drawn 3 teams that are demonstrably better than us. France are obviously the reigning World Cup champion but Denmark and Tunisia are pretty standard fare at a World Cup.
We are unlikely to get much more than a point, if anything at all in Qatar but that will be a reflection on our lack of quality and not the myth that we have drawn some super tough group. I am pleased we made it but let's be honest, it is a rather uninspiring and limited Australian team. We should temper any expectations.
Have been reading that we are apparently in the "group of death" which is nothing more than a lazy position trotted out by ignorant imbeciles every four years. We are the 4th seed in the group, hence we have drawn 3 teams that are demonstrably better than us. France are obviously the reigning World Cup champion but Denmark and Tunisia are pretty standard fare at a World Cup.
We are unlikely to get much more than a point, if anything at all in Qatar but that will be a reflection on our lack of quality and not the myth that we have drawn some super tough group. I am pleased we made it but let's be honest, it is a rather uninspiring and limited Australian team. We should temper any expectations.
Denmark is a very good team at the moment
That said, NZ's prospective group (Spain, Germany, Japan) will be significantly harder than ours
Some groups contain more strong teams than others. That's the inevitable result of a) seeding, and b) ensuring even representation across all groups from the different confederations. With the 1st seeds, the difference in quality between them all is minimal. With 2nd seeds the quality diverges a little. With the 3rd seeds the quality is spread thinner, and by the time you get to all the 4th seeds there can be a large discrepancy in quality. So those who identify apparently stronger groups are not 'ignorant imbeciles', they are simply stating reality.
And 'group of death' is not a 'lazy position'- it's convenient (and colourful) shorthand to describe the inevitable inequities in determining the groups. You cannot possibly contend that all groups are equally easy, or equally difficult!
As it happens the group of death is probably Germany, Spain, Japan and NZ/Costa Rica, although ours isn't too far behind, compared to others. You're right that destiny is in your own hands, and you can't blame a 'super tough group' for your fate- but that doesn't mean tough groups are a 'myth'.
Oh, OK, fair point. There are certainly tougher groups than ours. And sadly I also agree that commentary on soccer in Australia lacks appreciation of our true capability. People seem to think we can be as competitive in soccer as, say, the Wallabies or the Boomers in their respective sports, simply because we qualify, and if we don't succeed it must be because we faced particular hardship, but you're right, that's not an informed view.My point is that our ignorant supporters declare that Australia cops the so called “group of death” at every World Cup.
That is utter nonsense. Our group in Qatar is pretty standard in terms of quality. There are tougher groups than ours.
Oh, OK, fair point. There are certainly tougher groups than ours. And sadly I also agree that commentary on soccer in Australia lacks appreciation of our true capability. People seem to think we can be as competitive in soccer as, say, the Wallabies or the Boomers in their respective sports, simply because we qualify, and if we don't succeed it must be because we faced particular hardship, but you're right, that's not an informed view.
Canada finished top of their qualification group, they are are a decent team these days. NZ struggled to get past the Solomons, even if they sneak past the Ricans, they will do very well to get a point in that group (Spain, Germany and Japan).All I want is for Australia to do better than Canada, and New Zealand of course, if they actually qualify.
Do you find it funny how people are now saying it’s a disgrace we make it in whereas say Italy don’t.
Or that I’d we were part of uefa or CONMEBOL we wouldn’t make it?
Good question, unbelievably nowhere it seems.Anyone have confirmation which channel/s will have the NZ vs Costa Rica game on Wednesday morning?
Cheers