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The Deceiving Draw of the 2014 Qualifiers for the Home Nations
Scotland's football fans were on their high horse as we saw our team avoid the big guns like Spain, but is it all good news for the home nations?
Before I start, I'd like to point out that, yes, I am a patriotic, porridge eating, pragmatic Scotsman. I am incredibly proud of our victories as a country, mainly outwith football, but of course, the one victory in football that is forever engrained in my head. When we, Scotland, home to the currently inconsistent, underperforming national team, emerged as unofficial World Champions in 1967, beating the Auld Enemy at their home ground, Wembley a year after they topped the world. A moment so proud that a Scottish newspaper included a dvd of the victory a few years back, just for us Scots to revel in a rare moment of success which we have been restricted too in recent times. This article will also encompass the draws of all home nations' as well as the favourites.'
On their, hopeful, road to Brazil 2014, Scotland will face; Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and fellow home nation Wales. By no means' is it impossible, I can imagine Craig Levein was probably thanking his guardian angel as Santos Midfielder and probable star of the 2014 World Cup, Paulo Henrique Ganso pulled Scotland's name out of pot four at just the right group. However it could be a decieving group if Scotland are not careful.
However, we must not underestimate nations like Croatia, Serbia and Belgium. They have squads featuring players' of supreme calibres, Nemanja Vidic, the Manchester United rock and instrumental Serbian defender hosts an unimaginable amount of accolaides and awards both as an individual likely to give Craig Levein and his team nightmares, like two times Premier League Player of the Year and twice shortlisted for the Balon d'or, and with Manchester United, as Champions League Winners and three times finalists. As well as this, my last article, http://footballspeak.com/post/2011/07/22/The-Emergence-of-Talented-Belgians.aspx titled, The Emergence of the Talented Belgians' focused on the new crop of young stars being brought through both in Belgium, and those progressing in overseas' clubs. Players like the "critically acclaimed" 18 year old goal machine and physically imposing Romelu Lukalu pose an incredibly serious threat to our chances of progressing, Lille OSC's playmaker Eden Hazard is also, well, not to sound cheesy, but a 'Hazard' to our chances. And last, but not least Croatia, the birthplace of a player whose unsettling at Tottenham and interest by Chelsea has been one of the big headlines on the backpage of many a newspaper over the transfer season, Luka Modric, fellow Croats in the Tottenham set up Nico Krancjar and Vedrun Corluka, along with Bayern Munich striker Ivica Olic and former Arsenal fans' favourite Eduardo, now at Shakhtar Donetsk.
"Tough draw but have a good chance nothing is impossible."
-- Charlie Adam, Liverpool and Scotland Midfielder, via his official twitter page.
Continiued at http://www.footballspeak.com/post/2011/08/02/The-Deceiving-Draw-of-the-2014-Qualifiers-and-Englands-one-too.aspx
Scotland's football fans were on their high horse as we saw our team avoid the big guns like Spain, but is it all good news for the home nations?
Before I start, I'd like to point out that, yes, I am a patriotic, porridge eating, pragmatic Scotsman. I am incredibly proud of our victories as a country, mainly outwith football, but of course, the one victory in football that is forever engrained in my head. When we, Scotland, home to the currently inconsistent, underperforming national team, emerged as unofficial World Champions in 1967, beating the Auld Enemy at their home ground, Wembley a year after they topped the world. A moment so proud that a Scottish newspaper included a dvd of the victory a few years back, just for us Scots to revel in a rare moment of success which we have been restricted too in recent times. This article will also encompass the draws of all home nations' as well as the favourites.'
On their, hopeful, road to Brazil 2014, Scotland will face; Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and fellow home nation Wales. By no means' is it impossible, I can imagine Craig Levein was probably thanking his guardian angel as Santos Midfielder and probable star of the 2014 World Cup, Paulo Henrique Ganso pulled Scotland's name out of pot four at just the right group. However it could be a decieving group if Scotland are not careful.
However, we must not underestimate nations like Croatia, Serbia and Belgium. They have squads featuring players' of supreme calibres, Nemanja Vidic, the Manchester United rock and instrumental Serbian defender hosts an unimaginable amount of accolaides and awards both as an individual likely to give Craig Levein and his team nightmares, like two times Premier League Player of the Year and twice shortlisted for the Balon d'or, and with Manchester United, as Champions League Winners and three times finalists. As well as this, my last article, http://footballspeak.com/post/2011/07/22/The-Emergence-of-Talented-Belgians.aspx titled, The Emergence of the Talented Belgians' focused on the new crop of young stars being brought through both in Belgium, and those progressing in overseas' clubs. Players like the "critically acclaimed" 18 year old goal machine and physically imposing Romelu Lukalu pose an incredibly serious threat to our chances of progressing, Lille OSC's playmaker Eden Hazard is also, well, not to sound cheesy, but a 'Hazard' to our chances. And last, but not least Croatia, the birthplace of a player whose unsettling at Tottenham and interest by Chelsea has been one of the big headlines on the backpage of many a newspaper over the transfer season, Luka Modric, fellow Croats in the Tottenham set up Nico Krancjar and Vedrun Corluka, along with Bayern Munich striker Ivica Olic and former Arsenal fans' favourite Eduardo, now at Shakhtar Donetsk.
"Tough draw but have a good chance nothing is impossible."
-- Charlie Adam, Liverpool and Scotland Midfielder, via his official twitter page.
Continiued at http://www.footballspeak.com/post/2011/08/02/The-Deceiving-Draw-of-the-2014-Qualifiers-and-Englands-one-too.aspx
