Brazil's version of Porkie

[Chinaman]

Brazil today look anything but World Champ. They must have the slowest duo of strikers. Ronaldo is their version of Porkie. He's all bloated from hi head down. He was so clumsy with the watermelon that he swallowed whole getting in his way time and again.

With a bit of luck and better confidence in themselves, Croatia should have won.

[England's No.1]

But...

a) they still got 3 pts, which is what they needed

and...

b) they looked better than England, not that that would of been hard to do

[Spur]

My sunday League team play better than England.

[Billywhizz]

So would my Sunday league team but not with Eriksson in charge

Ronaldo's finished

[Gregzy]

I think we'd be pretty silly to write Brasil off on the evidence of the opening match, but I agree they didn't give many teams a reason to fear them tonight. In fairness though, none of the major teams have looked much better than mediocre on the evidence of their first match. Let's hope the quality of football picks up in the next batch of games...

[Danishspurs]

Was so dissappointed with Ronaldo... He was extremely lazy, slow and didn't looked like someone who has the chance of being the most scoring player ever in the WC...

[Angelcynn]

But...

a) they still got 3 pts, which is what they needed

and...

b) they looked better than England, not that that would of been hard to do
What a crock. Brazil were very pedestrian and NO WAY better than England. By the way, it is "would have", not "would of".

[shoot_ffs]

they looked weak at the back and poor up front, i thought france might win this year but they looked pretty disinterested too. Still think our game had the least quality.

[Houdini logic]

if brazil don't pick up, someone like the Czechs will take em apart, same for england...

[Welsh Spur]

I'm sick and tired of people slagging off England, it's quite frankly pathetic. While you all have a right to an opinion, why can't you realise that as England supporters you are meant to support England, and in doing so you GET BEHIND THEM. The first game all they did wrong was have a poor second half, they looked good in the first, and at the end got the three points. Would you all rather England played Paraguay off the park and drew 0-0? I don't think so. They only have to win the next game to go through. Look on the bright side, for ****'s sake, or just **** off and support Brazil.

[England's No.1]

I honestly don't think Brazil played as badly as everyone is saying, I know I'm in the vast minority here but they had the expectations of the world on them and just because they didn't blow the opposition away they are getting slated. The last 20 mins, esp, they showed they are capable of playing good football, they made like 20 passes in a row. Croatia are a good side and my dark horses, it was always gonna be a tough game for Brazil. I still think they will go on to win the World Cup. Agreed that Ronaldo wasn't in the game at all, however.

<runs and hides from the comments that are sure to follow>

[DonJolSpurano]

I honestly don't think Brazil played as badly as everyone is saying, I know I'm in the vast minority here but they had the expectations of the world on them and just because they didn't blow the opposition away they are getting slated. The last 20 mins, esp, they showed they are capable of playing good football, they made like 20 passes in a row. Croatia are a good side and my dark horses, it was always gonna be a tough game for Brazil. I still think they will go on to win the World Cup. Agreed that Ronaldo wasn't in the game at all, however.

<runs and hides from the comments that are sure to follow>

brazil played lazy, but confident football, simple as.

they didnt exactly need to push themselves. they didnt play badly and they didnt need to be at their best as they where playing a poor team that couldnt put away their half chances.

when you play teams like that, you have to expect lots of physical tough play and little flair. brazil knew, much like we did last season, that eventually their quality would shine thru and give them the win they needed. that team are supremely confident in themselves, although they wont win the world cup.

[Danishspurs]

Brazil didn't play 100%... It was the opening match for them and with the friendlys they have played you couldn't expect them to play really good...

[spurs61]

brazil played lazy, but confident football, simple as.

they didnt exactly need to push themselves. they didnt play badly and they didnt need to be at their best as they where playing a poor team that couldnt put away their half chances.

when you play teams like that, you have to expect lots of physical tough play and little flair. brazil knew, much like we did last season, that eventually their quality would shine thru and give them the win they needed. that team are supremely confident in themselves, although they wont win the world cup.

Brazil didn't even get out of first gear last night, did any of their players finish the game huffing and puffing? England are just not capable of performing like that, it is a case of "all or nothing" as far as the national team are concerned.

All the press talk about England playing patient and measured football is just nonsense, the only way England can play successfully is to rely on the natural strengths of the game over here. So doubtless they will spend most of tomorrows game playing nice subtle football which ultimately gets them nowhere, until they score a jammy goal at which point the press will hail Sven as a tactical genius and declare that we can spank anyone at the tournament with one leg tied behind our back.

[Welsh Spur]

**** off you anti-english arsehole. I sincerely hope you're not english...i'm fed up of it get behind the team for god's sake......BELIEVE!

[spurs61]

I am English but I am not blinded by rabid and idiotic jingoism. I only support Spurs unreservedly and without question and even then I have my gripes.

The fact is that all of England's performances prior to and including last Saturday have been abject at best. And don't mention Jamaica, it was the equivilant of Spurs playing a First Division XI. I have seen no evidence that England are in any way superior to Brazil, Argentina, Holland, Italy, Czech Republic or Portugal either in terms of personnel or tactics. No other nation has brought only three recognised strikers to the tournament (and two are unfit) and no other team has placed such an emphasis on a highly talented but very young player, Italy would have coped without Totti and even the Ukraine were prepared to play without Shevchenko.

I hate all this tub-thumping, flag-waving mania which surrounds a major football tournament and I hate the way the English press (and ergo the general public) have no knowledge of the football world outside of "we invented the game so we must be the best". Any true exponent of world football will tell you that England are not in the top 5 nations in world football and clearly only have an outside chance of victory. Unless you read the Sun or Mirror or watch Sky Sports, in which case we have been building this team for six years so it is inevitable that we will win because no other nation has done this, aren't we clever?!!!!

Oh, BTW, aren't you Welsh? When/if Wales ever qualify for a major competition you will be in a position to comment on my support of England, but until then.....

[Welsh Spur]

Your points are very controversial, sorry for the outburst it's just it seems everyone's bashing the team, and since an english grandfather (which I have, also from the capital) would qualify me to play for England (if i was that good! :D ), i should qualify as a fellow fan also. Wales probably won't qualify in my lifetime....and football is nothing here, I live in an egg chasing country mate. You say England are not one of the top 5 teams, i find this wholly untrue, I'd like to know who you think is better. England, for me, cannot be seperated from Argies, Brazil, or Holland. The other teams are all inferior.

[Chinaman]

Yeah, they never got out of first gear; but I would expect the likes of Ronaldo, Adriano and Emerson have nothing more than a first gear. Unless they have the gall to drop Porkie II, and one or two others who were not performing, they will have a hard time retaining the cup.

[JJ]

Performance wise, England aren't in the top 5 in the world.

But as far as the ability of the players, you pit them man for man against the majority of nations and it's clear that we one of the strongest starting line ups in the world.

And it's that hope that i hang on to, the hope that one day these players will actually play the football that they are individually capable of, but as a unit.

[spurs61]

Your points are very controversial, sorry for the outburst it's just it seems everyone's bashing the team, and since an english grandfather (which I have, also from the capital) would qualify me to play for England (if i was that good! :D ), i should qualify as a fellow fan also. Wales probably won't qualify in my lifetime....and football is nothing here, I live in an egg chasing country mate. You say England are not one of the top 5 teams, i find this wholly untrue, I'd like to know who you think is better. England, for me, cannot be seperated from Argies, Brazil, or Holland. The other teams are all inferior.

It's ok, we all get a bit heated during these long summer months. BTW, I'm an egg chaser as well, used to play for Wasps in my youth.

In answer to your question regarding superior teams to England, obviously Brazil, Argentina and Holland are better but I also think the Czechs, Portuguese and Italy (at a push) have the advantage over England. All of these nations have a recent succesful history in past tournaments and only Brazil have the weight of an expectant nation hanging over their heads but that is something they are used to. England, on the other hand, have a history of flattering to decieve and choking when it really matters. You may be too young to remember (not patronising but I noticed you said you've watched footy for 11 years) but England faced a very mediocre German side in the semi-final of 1990 World Cup and blew it in spectacular fashion, there are far more good teams in this tournament than than and Englands past history against top class opposition in competitive matches is at best poor.

[Welsh Spur]

Yeah WC1994 was my first....but I have seen that game and I can't disagree, England fell apart somewhat appallingly in that game. I really don't think that any of the sides mentioned can be separated from each other, by which I mean a potential tie between any of them would be too close to call.

[spurs61]

Oh yes, without doubt any game between England and another top class nation would be a tight affair, I'm just not convinced England have the attacking prowess to truly disturb the better defences this summer.