england 2 new zealand 1
a gutsy new zealand performance was not enough, as they crashed out after a 2-1 defeat.
england's defending was atrocious, with perhaps only alex scott not really culpable. but faye white, rachel unitt, casey stoney all made glaring errors.
i am not convinced by faye white. and i think it is always awkward when you talk like that about an experienced player, a captain. but birgit prinz and faye white's underwhelming performances so far in the world cup underline why i never believe in age being a really important factor.
just look at the mathildas, who played with a maturity that belies their age against brazil.
these two players seem like the liability in their teams. but because these players are the captains, it is difficult to drop them when maybe that is the best way forward for the team.
of course i am crossing my fingers and hoping that birgit prinz won't make me eat my words with a show against my France.
anyway england didnt play well, but managed to turn the game around through determination and their quality.
england are almost through, barring a heavy defeat against japan and a mexico win against nz, or a defeat against japan and a big mexico win against nz.
silke rothenburg was saying that looking at the performance of england so far, it is hard to see them go far.
i always believe that the team that grows into a tournament wins the tournament. it is not about winning 4-0 in all 3 games in the group stage and then going out 1-0 in the next round.
germany arent playing well at the moment, but that doesnt mean they are no longer the favourites, because they have that inherent quality.
france and japan won 4-0 but that doesnt mean they are now favourites. in fact, i am more concerned that they won 4-0. it is about peaking at the right time, so i hope the french and japanese girls still have more to give.
should england qualify but not go far, it will not be because they don't have the quality, but because france and germany, either of which stand in their way in the quarterfinals, are quality teams.
in fact, should england qualify, all the 4 qualifiers from group a and b are quality teams.
i have seen brazil, germany and usa, and i can tell you that these 3 top favourites are all very beatable.
so from the quarter final onwards, every game is a final. and in a final, anything can happen.
england's defending was atrocious, with perhaps only alex scott not really culpable. but faye white, rachel unitt, casey stoney all made glaring errors.
i am not convinced by faye white. and i think it is always awkward when you talk like that about an experienced player, a captain. but birgit prinz and faye white's underwhelming performances so far in the world cup underline why i never believe in age being a really important factor.
just look at the mathildas, who played with a maturity that belies their age against brazil.
these two players seem like the liability in their teams. but because these players are the captains, it is difficult to drop them when maybe that is the best way forward for the team.
of course i am crossing my fingers and hoping that birgit prinz won't make me eat my words with a show against my France.
anyway england didnt play well, but managed to turn the game around through determination and their quality.
england are almost through, barring a heavy defeat against japan and a mexico win against nz, or a defeat against japan and a big mexico win against nz.
silke rothenburg was saying that looking at the performance of england so far, it is hard to see them go far.
i always believe that the team that grows into a tournament wins the tournament. it is not about winning 4-0 in all 3 games in the group stage and then going out 1-0 in the next round.
germany arent playing well at the moment, but that doesnt mean they are no longer the favourites, because they have that inherent quality.
france and japan won 4-0 but that doesnt mean they are now favourites. in fact, i am more concerned that they won 4-0. it is about peaking at the right time, so i hope the french and japanese girls still have more to give.
should england qualify but not go far, it will not be because they don't have the quality, but because france and germany, either of which stand in their way in the quarterfinals, are quality teams.
in fact, should england qualify, all the 4 qualifiers from group a and b are quality teams.
i have seen brazil, germany and usa, and i can tell you that these 3 top favourites are all very beatable.
so from the quarter final onwards, every game is a final. and in a final, anything can happen.
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