This overlooks the commitment required to turn back fiercely competitive opposition, particularly all those eastern Europeans with their - and their parents' - hunger for success.
Pietersen, however, has become the first England player to express his disappointment at Chris Gayle's continued absence from the West Indies team, conceding by implication that without their explosive opener the tourists offer far less attractive, or competitive, opposition.
Sure, we've got an easier path to the World Cup, but it also means we almost never play against competitive opposition, and therefore don't get the opportunities to develop our game.
"In the last five or six games we have been consistently competitive against significant opposition.
Locked out of Scotland by the SNP and the south of England by the Tories, PR would make Her Majesty's opposition competitive again at both ends of the UK.
If they can rectify some of the shortcomings, such as the tyre-warming issue, there is no reason to suppose that Brawn will not be highly competitive, although the opposition will be even stronger when Ferrari and McLaren get their acts properly sorted with their new cars.
Yes, Brazil against anybody brings out the competitive streak in the opposition to win even friendly matches — and the next one of those happens to be against the ultracompetitive Germany, in Stuttgart on Aug. 10.
In a tight race for re-election, Mr. Chen has stirred up anti-mainland sentiment at every opportunity, keeping himself competitive against a Nationalist opposition that favors more cordial ties with Beijing.
KICK-OFF: Wednesday, 7.45pm PAST MEETINGS… FC Nordsjælland 0 Chelsea 4 (Juan Mata 2, David Luiz, Ramires), group stage, October 2012 STATS… Their meeting on 2 October was the Danish champions' first competitive meeting with English opposition, while Chelsea's results at home to visitors from Denmark are less impressive than their results away.
"been impressed with our US partners the San Jose Earthquakes; they've been well organised and extremely competitive against some good opposition".
The Labour opposition is already competitive in the polls even though it lacks a leader, a vacancy the party will fill in September.These bleak odds, which the coalition was always going to face, could have intimidated it into soporific caution.
