Vocabulary and grammar: World Cup regrets
Pre-intermediate to upper intermediate level (A2-B2) 

Yesterday the England football team learnt that they had failed to get through to the next stage of the World Cup.

In terms of winning and losing, this is the worst World Cup performance of an England team for many decades. Many fans will now be wondering if things could have gone better. The manager has few regrets but let’s see what the fans and commentators have been saying:

If only we had had a better defence.

We shouldn’t have played Rooney on the wing.

It was a mistake to use so many inexperienced players.

The manager seemed rather too laid-back and the players are definitely paid far too much.

At least some of the younger players played well.

We just weren’t good enough.

Gerrard underperformed.

We allowed Suarez too much space.

At least I don’t regret buying my ticket to Brazil!

However, a lot of people feel that generally England have actually played better in Brazil than they did in South Africa and that Costa Rica have been the big surprise. Others suggest that the real problem is with the large number of foreign players in the Premier League. This means some top English players don’t get a chance to play for the best teams and get the experience they need.

Which team is your money on to win the competition?