Why is that? Were they ahead on away goals? No...

If you apply your theory then actually they should, didn’t Ireland get a penalty that was not earlier in qualifying?

It wasn't just the handball.  The way they applied the seeding for the way teams got in was inconsistant as well and a fix by FIFA to try and ensure they were in.

Why is there no Netherlands on the list?
They have played better than England on the World Cup the last 30 years..

And how can the world champion not be on the list?
Italy is world champion and 4 times champion.

But Argentina who almost didn't qualify and played awful during qualification IS on the list.


Anyway,
I do think England might finally play a good tournement,
and of course I'm for the Netherlands! Hup Holland hup!

this thread is doomed from the very beginning...but i guess that being from the US doesn't help much when we talk about football (i mean the one that' actually played with feet not the one that's played with hands). Ok, I'm from Italy so i'm not the right one to ask to but i think that you can never count out Italy from an important tournament.
1)actually Italy plays its best matches when everyone else thinks that we have no chance (ask Brazil in '82 or Germany in '06) and its worst when everyone think that's one of the possible winner (I still remebre Argentina in '90 and Korea in '02).
2)even if you play the best footbal in this world you still have to consiedr the fact that playing against a tough and experienced defense isn't a simple matter...France that easily won the world cup in '98 had its toughest match against us (they won at the penalty kicks), Brazil in '94 won at the penaly kiks and the same goes for Spain in the last Euro tournament (the played great footbal against everyone except for Italy)...to win a game you have to score at least a Goal and I can assure you that one thing is scoring to Italy in friendly/lesser important match and another thing is doing the same in a World Cup. I really don't know why but it must be in our DNA: we do our best only (and sadly i should add) when it's really important (ok, we're talking about footbal so imprtant is probably not the right word but you get the point)

having stated this i think that England has the gratest chance to win this world cup....but they had to hire an italian coach to learn the simple lesson that when you can't count on at least 4 phenomenal players (like Brazil almost every world Cup or France in '98) the first and most important rule in Footbal is just avoiding the opposing teams to score (we say "primo non prenderle" (First don't get beaten).

I disagree, as a Brazillian I say that that's how you put everybody to sleep. Football is about scoring goals. Defense is not the most interesting or important part of the game. That's why we've got 5 cups and you only 4. Besides, in 94 we had a horrible team, were we had only three good players : Taffarel, Romário e Bebeto. When we had the best team ever to win a cup, in 70, we beat you 4-1 or 4-0, I don't remember,and with the last goal being a dance, were you weren't allowed near the ball for ner3 minutes before the ball got into the goal.

I agree, though, that Italy should be in there, after all you won 4 cups( god knows how).But please don't defend one of the ugliest and more boring way of playing football. This sport is about how you play beside who wins. My two cents.

in '82 you had one of the gratest teams in your history...and still we've beaten you 3-2 (remeber Paolo Rossi?) . We also know how to score when we are in top form. But BTW: you are the favourite

ah, in '70 you had the greates team ever (and won 4-1 for the records)...and we came from one of the toghest battle that footbal remeber (Italy Germany 4-3 after the extra time...with 5 goals scored in the extra time: had you watched the game you wouldn't have had the time to sleep i guess)

Sorry for the rant, reading it again now I realize it was a little hostile. But I get a little defensive of the atacking play stile.

Well in 82 we had a national team based on the flamengo team, we couldn't possibly win, since the Gods of Football wouldn't allow it. The flamengo supporters would be even more cocky then they are now. So a player that have not played a good game yet in the cup found all the football he got in himself and scored 3 goals in 1 match and 3 more till the end of the cup, helping Italy get it's 3 rd Cup. We couldn't do anything, fate I, reckon. ( flamengo are the biggest rivals of Vasco, my team). It repeated itself in 86, for the same reasons, against France.

BTW, we are not exactly favourites, is just that since no team is playing top football latelly, even Spain( Eurocup Spain is far away. In the confederation cup they lost to the US, so we can't be sure wich Spain we will see in the Cup 08 Spain or 09), so by default people point to Brazil, but even I am not so confident in the squad we have. Has being some time since the last good game I watched. This cup, anything can happen even a African team getting to the finals for the first time.

Australia...

Or more likely Brazil

I know this is a bit late, but seriously...shut it. That's about the most pretentious thing I've read recently. I'm a football fan, regardless of where I come from. I like the sport. And even if I didn't, I read the opinions of hundreds of other football fans. You wouldn't know that, however, because you refused to read (must come with being Italian or something).