Talking about the form now, France has lost 1 and drawn 3.
We also lost to a weaker france team than the one currently playing like poo. Frankly they still have a very good team, if Platini wasn't bumming Domenech then France would be major contenders for the World Cup, yes Domenech got them to a final, though that was "mostly" the team managing itself with a MASSIVE leader/playmaker in Zidane playing off previous training/management and tactics. In reality when Zidane was replaced the team needed heavy guidance with tactics and learning to play without maybe the best player in the world. Zidane was the player of that tournement, bar his headbutt he was outstanding.
As for the other teams listed, France, Italy and Holland as they are, have teams with major weakness in them, but its surprising how experience can drag a team like Italy through to a final and a win even though undeserved.
England haven't been close to tested, Croatia were nothing in that game, their midfield wasn't there, Olic was seemingly played completely unfit, he was huffing and puffing within minutes, looked sweaty and under the weather straight off and didn't put a foot right throughout, grimacing from injury or illness I don't know but he clearly wasn't there. Croatia last qualifying group were a much stronger and better team without injurys and Russia were a very strong side, obviously, we had quarter finalists in our qualification group and thats why we didn't qualify.
Our group this time doesn't have any teams that would make the knock out stages.
We've still only played France, Spain and the dutch under Capello, and we've looked woeful in those games and lost 2 and drawn 1, against the weakest of the 3. We've played other games with big results like last night before and after all those games, so last night tells us nothing.
The biggest issue for winning in the world cup is, Spain, even if they take several key injuries they will still be incredibly strong. Brazil don't have much strength in depth and play a bizarre system that isn't working great at the moment.
England need someone else to knock out Spain, no one to be smart and get a new manager for France, have Brazil knock out all the big guns and have a poor game in the final.
...i said making them 3rd faves to win the WC by the bookies is optimistic at best...for me the faves or the teams that could potentially win the WC are....Brazil, Spain, Holland, Germany, France and even Argentina, if they qualify...those are the teams id put well above England when it comes to betting on which team could win the WC.
