I'll be honest. I only got to see one game today, Spain v Switzerland. I do unfortunately have other commitments, largely school, so I'll comment on what I know of the games today.
From what I hear, Honduras v Chile was a surprisingly open and entertaining game. I think because neither have particularly high world cup hopes and because they are both small teams, they felt that they were both able to play attacking football, and try to win rather than try to avoid defeat. The goal came for Chile in the first half, and from what I hear it was no more than they deserved. Honduras will finish bottom of the group, there seems little doubt about that. Based on later events of the day, Chile will also be going home early.
Spain v Switzerland. What a shocker. I predicted fast, free-flowing football and a fantastic performance from the Spaniards. For parts of the game, that's what we got. Spain really moved the ball around well, and I doubt there are 3 men on earth who can pick a pass better than Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Alonso. Unfortunately, Switzerland set out their stall to play a form of football which basically should be illegal; anti-football. More content with not losing and trying to stifle their more illustrious opponents, they put men behind the ball and invited the pressure. I don't think anyone was quite expecting the outcome though. The first thing the Spanish defence had to do happened after 52 minutes, when Puyol and Pique failed to deal with a long ball downfield, Casillas spilled a shot and Fernandes slotted home from close range. From then on, Switzerland really defended. Spain really piled on the pressure, coming close on several occasions, but Switzerland were organised at the back and defended well. Up against Chile and Honduras, Switzerland should really have no problem. They showed today that their defence is good enough, and they should be able to attack sufficiently for the remaining group games as well. As for Spain, I think they showed that they are a very, very good side, and if they are allowed to play then they will be a force to be reconed with. All they need to worry about is bigger and better teams setting out their stall in the same way as the Swiss did. But against bigger teams, who feel that they might have a chance of beating Spain, we should be thoroughly entertained.
I feel sorry for South Africa. In the first game, I thought the hosts played really well, but they seem to have been run over by Uruguay this evening. It seems to me that the South Americans showed what a force they have when Suarez and Forlan play well together. Continue like that and they should progress from the group. South Africa will have to hope that France will have 'another one of those tournaments' and that their poor showing against Uruguay will turn out to have been more than a minor blip. The best the host nation can hope for is a draw between France and Mexico, to defeat the French and hope Uruguay can beat Mexico. They can now only finish second though, so their chances of continuing the trend of host nations doing well is rather slim.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 7- 17/06/10
Argentina 2-0 South Korea
South Korea gave a decent performance against a weak Greek side in their opening game, but shouldn't get any such joy against the Argentinians. Messi was on form in the opening game aganist Nigeria, and the South Americans were unlucky to only win by one goal. They should have a fairly comfortable run in against their opponents tomorrow.
Greece 0-1 Nigeria
These two sides were both poor in their opening matches, but Nigeria managed to hold Argentina to only a 1-0 win, while Greece conceded 2 against the much less illustrious South Korea. From what I've seen so far, Greece have one of the worst defences in the tournament, which could well cost them against Nigeria.
France 1-0 Mexico
France got their team selection totally wrong in the opening game, but they undoubtedly have the quality to beat anyone in the group. Start with Malouda and Henry against Mexico and they should just prove to be too much.
Wednesday, 16 June 2010
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
World Cup Day 5- 15/06/10
I never thought I'd be saying this, but I think the world cup has been a bit disappointing so far. Today saw a total of 4 goals in the 3 games, with a very boring 0-0 draw in what I thought would be the most exciting. I also started to realise why there have been so many complaints about the new Jabulani ball. The amount of times we've seen shots skyed over the bar or sail wide is ridiculous. For me, the ball is simply too light, so players get too much lift on it, or it gets caught slightly by the wind.
The first game of the day was between New Zealand and Slovakia, both competing in their first world cup finals. I'll admit I wasn't holding out high hopes for this one, but based on previous events of the day it was actually quite good entertainment value. Not too much in the way of chances, but both sides passed the ball well and showed some good defensive play. It's hard to tell whether Slovakia deserved their goal, play was fairly evenly balanced. It was a well taken goal though, with Robert Vittek glancing in a terrific Stanislav Sestak cross. Credit to New Zealand though, they battled hard and really played well, never giving up until the very end, when Winston Reid, who may have been at fault for Vittek's goal, got a free header in at the back post and equalized. I don't hold out much hope for either of these teams making it through to the next round, but they play some decent stuff at times. Both did well when up against a team of a similar standard, but I fear they may be out of their depth when it comes to facing Italy and maybe even Paraguay.
I'm not even sure I can be bothered to talk about the Ivory Coast v Portugal match. It was what you might call a snooze-fest. With the exception of an early moment of Cristiano Ronaldo brilliance which resulted in him crashing a shot off the post, there was little in the way of entertainment value. It seemed that Portugal were more concerned with not losing than they were with winning, so stuck to a more defensive style of play. The same could be said of the Ivory Coast, although their defensive set up was probably more down to their attacking options being limited by Didier Drogba starting on the bench after breaking his arm almost 2 weeks ago. Hopefully these two will open up and play some more attacking football for the next two games, because they are both quality sides who have the ability to cause problems to any defence.
The final game of the day was between Brazil and North Korea, and the first half was quite similar to the Portugal match. Fortunately, however, the same certainly could not be said of the second half, which came to life 10 minutes into the second half. Brazilian right-back Maicon scored the goal of the tournament so far, sprinting onto a reverse pass and bending a fantastic shot into the corner from almost on the goal line for a goal that was almost remeniscant of Roberto Carlos' goal for Real Madrid against Tenerifé back in 1998. From there, Brazil continued to push forwards, and were rewarded after 72 minutes when Elano latched onto a great through ball from Robinho and slotted the ball home for 2-0. Credit to Korea for not giving in though, they battled through obvious fatigue and were rewarded 2 minutes from time as Ji Yun-nam fired home to restore some Korean pride. The Korean gameplan seemed to be a catenaccio style plan, with the Asian side seeming content to try and stifle Brazil's creative influence on the game and hope to catch them on the break. That unfortunately broke down after Maicon's goal, and they showed from then that they really don't have the attacking ability to progress in the tournament. As for Brazil, they showed what they are made of in the second half. They were suppressed by Korea in the first, but when they are allowed to play, trust me they will play, and will be extremely difficult to beat.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 6- 16/06/10
Honduras 0-0 Chile
In my opinion, the two worst teams in the tournament. 'Nuff said. Two poor sides with no real quality, shouldn't make for a brilliant match. Still, I've only been right once so far...
Spain 4-1 Switzerland
Spain are many people's favourites for the tournament, and it's easy to see why. They have probably the best midfield in the world, playing either a 4-4-2 with Xavi, Iniesta, Xavi Alonso and Silva, or a 4-5-1 with Fabregas coming in as well. Ahead of that is one of the best attacks in the world, with David Villa on his own in the 4-5-1 or partnered by Fernando Torres in the 4-4-2. Defensive vulnerability (which they don't really have much of) may see them lose the odd goal, but overall it should be a fairly comfortable win. Hopefully this time I'll be right when I say that.
South Africa 1-0 Uraguay
As we come to the end of the first round of fixtures, we start again with the hosts in the evening. South Africa will be buoyed by their performance in the second half of their game against Mexico, and should perform well in front of their home fans. Uruguay rely heavily on Forlan and Suarez, the latter performing poorly against France meaning Forlans workload was doubled. If that continues, then the first ever world cup champions could be in trouble.
The first game of the day was between New Zealand and Slovakia, both competing in their first world cup finals. I'll admit I wasn't holding out high hopes for this one, but based on previous events of the day it was actually quite good entertainment value. Not too much in the way of chances, but both sides passed the ball well and showed some good defensive play. It's hard to tell whether Slovakia deserved their goal, play was fairly evenly balanced. It was a well taken goal though, with Robert Vittek glancing in a terrific Stanislav Sestak cross. Credit to New Zealand though, they battled hard and really played well, never giving up until the very end, when Winston Reid, who may have been at fault for Vittek's goal, got a free header in at the back post and equalized. I don't hold out much hope for either of these teams making it through to the next round, but they play some decent stuff at times. Both did well when up against a team of a similar standard, but I fear they may be out of their depth when it comes to facing Italy and maybe even Paraguay.
I'm not even sure I can be bothered to talk about the Ivory Coast v Portugal match. It was what you might call a snooze-fest. With the exception of an early moment of Cristiano Ronaldo brilliance which resulted in him crashing a shot off the post, there was little in the way of entertainment value. It seemed that Portugal were more concerned with not losing than they were with winning, so stuck to a more defensive style of play. The same could be said of the Ivory Coast, although their defensive set up was probably more down to their attacking options being limited by Didier Drogba starting on the bench after breaking his arm almost 2 weeks ago. Hopefully these two will open up and play some more attacking football for the next two games, because they are both quality sides who have the ability to cause problems to any defence.
The final game of the day was between Brazil and North Korea, and the first half was quite similar to the Portugal match. Fortunately, however, the same certainly could not be said of the second half, which came to life 10 minutes into the second half. Brazilian right-back Maicon scored the goal of the tournament so far, sprinting onto a reverse pass and bending a fantastic shot into the corner from almost on the goal line for a goal that was almost remeniscant of Roberto Carlos' goal for Real Madrid against Tenerifé back in 1998. From there, Brazil continued to push forwards, and were rewarded after 72 minutes when Elano latched onto a great through ball from Robinho and slotted the ball home for 2-0. Credit to Korea for not giving in though, they battled through obvious fatigue and were rewarded 2 minutes from time as Ji Yun-nam fired home to restore some Korean pride. The Korean gameplan seemed to be a catenaccio style plan, with the Asian side seeming content to try and stifle Brazil's creative influence on the game and hope to catch them on the break. That unfortunately broke down after Maicon's goal, and they showed from then that they really don't have the attacking ability to progress in the tournament. As for Brazil, they showed what they are made of in the second half. They were suppressed by Korea in the first, but when they are allowed to play, trust me they will play, and will be extremely difficult to beat.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 6- 16/06/10
Honduras 0-0 Chile
In my opinion, the two worst teams in the tournament. 'Nuff said. Two poor sides with no real quality, shouldn't make for a brilliant match. Still, I've only been right once so far...
Spain 4-1 Switzerland
Spain are many people's favourites for the tournament, and it's easy to see why. They have probably the best midfield in the world, playing either a 4-4-2 with Xavi, Iniesta, Xavi Alonso and Silva, or a 4-5-1 with Fabregas coming in as well. Ahead of that is one of the best attacks in the world, with David Villa on his own in the 4-5-1 or partnered by Fernando Torres in the 4-4-2. Defensive vulnerability (which they don't really have much of) may see them lose the odd goal, but overall it should be a fairly comfortable win. Hopefully this time I'll be right when I say that.
South Africa 1-0 Uraguay
As we come to the end of the first round of fixtures, we start again with the hosts in the evening. South Africa will be buoyed by their performance in the second half of their game against Mexico, and should perform well in front of their home fans. Uruguay rely heavily on Forlan and Suarez, the latter performing poorly against France meaning Forlans workload was doubled. If that continues, then the first ever world cup champions could be in trouble.
Monday, 14 June 2010
World Cup Day 4- 14/06/10
Another day, another 3 games. More surprises, more moments of brilliance and a lot more poor defending.
But before we get onto the games themselves, some good news emerged today when we were told that world cup authorities would NOT be banning vuvuzelas from games. Hooray for atmosphere and host nation tradition!
The first game of Day 4 featured my pick for the tournament, Holland, against Denmark. I think it's fair to say the Dutch really missed Arjan Robben. Rafael Van Der Vaart was drafted in as a replacement, but he is by no means a natural winger, and his similarity to Wesley Sneijder restricted the creative inflluence both of them were allowed on the game as they tried to do the same job. The Danes did well to stifle their opponents in the first period, making for an evenly matched game with a lot of possesion and tackling in midfield, but a lack of the free-flowing passing which we have become so accustomed to seeing from the Dutch during qualifying.
The second half, however, was a different story altogether. Denmark crumbled, starting with conceding a goal 50 seconds after the restart. Robbin Van Persie swung in a cross which Simon Poulson attempted to clear, only for his header to loop into the corner off Daniel Agger's back. From then on, the momentum was with Holland. The withdrawal of Nicklas Bendtner, who was replaced by Beckmann 17 minutes into the second half, didn't help, as the Danes were now very limited in their attacking options. The moment which, for me, really allowed the Dutch to play the free-flowing football we have become accustomed to, was the decision to bring on Elia in place of Van Der Vaart. Elia introduced some pace and trickery down the left which had been so lacking previously in the game, allowing Sneijder to fulfill his creative potential. Elia had a great game and deserved a goal, which he came very close to with 5 minutes remaining. He was put through on goal by a wonderful pass from Sneijder, and when his shot rebounded off the post, it allowed Dirk Kuyt to slot home a second for Holland and secure a victory which, on the basis of the second half at least, was very much deserved. Once Holland get Robben back, it should help them to play like that throughout the competition. And if they do that, believe you me, they will go very far.
The days 3 o'clock kick off was between Japan, who had never won a world cup match on foreign soil, and Cameroon, who had never lost an opening game at the world cup. This match, as much as anything else, demonstrated Cameroon boss Paul Le Guen's complete lack of tactical awareness. The Indomitable Lions went with a strike force of Webo alongside 21 year old Choupo-Moting, meaning Samuel Eto'o was deployed in a wide right position. This was all very well to try out, but it was clear to everyone that it wasn't working, so Le Guen should have changed it. Things got worse when Cameroon conceded a cheap goal. The right back, whose name escapes me, was dragged into the middle. He and Stephan Mbia jumped for the same ball, both missed, and allowed Honda to exploit the space where the right back should have been and fire home.
Cameroon found some urgency towards the end, rattling the bar with a fantastic 30 yard strike, but ultimately failed to find a goal. You have to feel that had Eto'o been used in his favoured position as a centre forward, the result could have been oh so different. While Le Guen's in charge, I don't hold out much hope for Cameroon. If Le Guen gets his tactics right, they may have a chance against Denmark. If not, they may well finish fourth. As for Japan, they played better than I expected. They move the ball around well, but again I don't see them as having much chance of progression. They will be slightly outclassed by Denmark and Holland.
I must confess, I wasn't able to watch the Italy v Paraguay match, so I'll just comment on the goals, which I saw. More extremely poor defending in evidence, Alcaraz being allowed to rise unchallenged between two defenders to open the scoring. No Paraguay defender even attempted to clear Pepe's corner before Villar completely missed it, allowin De Rossi an easy goal. Italy aren't what they were, but should still have the class to make it through to the next stage, and will be far better once Pirlo returns. From what I hear, Paraguay played a good match today, and were good on the ball, so they should be able to make the last 16 ahead of New Zealand and Slovakia.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 5- 15/06/10
New Zealand 1-0 Slovakia
Neither of these sides have any world cup pedigree, both appearing in their first finals. Neither will have the quality to progress to the next stage, but with the New Zealand strike force of Fallon and Killen, they should be able to just edge out the Slovakians.
Ivory Coast 1-3 Portugal
This should be a great match. Portugal have the obvious quality of Ronaldo, along with the likes of Deco and Simao, so should be just better than the Ivory Coast. Didier Drogba is a doubt for the elephants, and I would go so far as to say that they have no chance without him. They do however have good cover in Kalou and Doumbia, so will be no pushovers.
Brazil 3-0 North Korea
I only see this match going one way. Brazil are still one of the best sides in the world, and North Korea will almost definitely finish bottom of the Group of Death. Players like Kaka, Robinho and Fabiano in attack, along with Lucio, Maicon and Alves at the back mean this should be a fairly comfortable victory for the 5 times winners.
But before we get onto the games themselves, some good news emerged today when we were told that world cup authorities would NOT be banning vuvuzelas from games. Hooray for atmosphere and host nation tradition!
The first game of Day 4 featured my pick for the tournament, Holland, against Denmark. I think it's fair to say the Dutch really missed Arjan Robben. Rafael Van Der Vaart was drafted in as a replacement, but he is by no means a natural winger, and his similarity to Wesley Sneijder restricted the creative inflluence both of them were allowed on the game as they tried to do the same job. The Danes did well to stifle their opponents in the first period, making for an evenly matched game with a lot of possesion and tackling in midfield, but a lack of the free-flowing passing which we have become so accustomed to seeing from the Dutch during qualifying.
The second half, however, was a different story altogether. Denmark crumbled, starting with conceding a goal 50 seconds after the restart. Robbin Van Persie swung in a cross which Simon Poulson attempted to clear, only for his header to loop into the corner off Daniel Agger's back. From then on, the momentum was with Holland. The withdrawal of Nicklas Bendtner, who was replaced by Beckmann 17 minutes into the second half, didn't help, as the Danes were now very limited in their attacking options. The moment which, for me, really allowed the Dutch to play the free-flowing football we have become accustomed to, was the decision to bring on Elia in place of Van Der Vaart. Elia introduced some pace and trickery down the left which had been so lacking previously in the game, allowing Sneijder to fulfill his creative potential. Elia had a great game and deserved a goal, which he came very close to with 5 minutes remaining. He was put through on goal by a wonderful pass from Sneijder, and when his shot rebounded off the post, it allowed Dirk Kuyt to slot home a second for Holland and secure a victory which, on the basis of the second half at least, was very much deserved. Once Holland get Robben back, it should help them to play like that throughout the competition. And if they do that, believe you me, they will go very far.
The days 3 o'clock kick off was between Japan, who had never won a world cup match on foreign soil, and Cameroon, who had never lost an opening game at the world cup. This match, as much as anything else, demonstrated Cameroon boss Paul Le Guen's complete lack of tactical awareness. The Indomitable Lions went with a strike force of Webo alongside 21 year old Choupo-Moting, meaning Samuel Eto'o was deployed in a wide right position. This was all very well to try out, but it was clear to everyone that it wasn't working, so Le Guen should have changed it. Things got worse when Cameroon conceded a cheap goal. The right back, whose name escapes me, was dragged into the middle. He and Stephan Mbia jumped for the same ball, both missed, and allowed Honda to exploit the space where the right back should have been and fire home.
Cameroon found some urgency towards the end, rattling the bar with a fantastic 30 yard strike, but ultimately failed to find a goal. You have to feel that had Eto'o been used in his favoured position as a centre forward, the result could have been oh so different. While Le Guen's in charge, I don't hold out much hope for Cameroon. If Le Guen gets his tactics right, they may have a chance against Denmark. If not, they may well finish fourth. As for Japan, they played better than I expected. They move the ball around well, but again I don't see them as having much chance of progression. They will be slightly outclassed by Denmark and Holland.
I must confess, I wasn't able to watch the Italy v Paraguay match, so I'll just comment on the goals, which I saw. More extremely poor defending in evidence, Alcaraz being allowed to rise unchallenged between two defenders to open the scoring. No Paraguay defender even attempted to clear Pepe's corner before Villar completely missed it, allowin De Rossi an easy goal. Italy aren't what they were, but should still have the class to make it through to the next stage, and will be far better once Pirlo returns. From what I hear, Paraguay played a good match today, and were good on the ball, so they should be able to make the last 16 ahead of New Zealand and Slovakia.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 5- 15/06/10
New Zealand 1-0 Slovakia
Neither of these sides have any world cup pedigree, both appearing in their first finals. Neither will have the quality to progress to the next stage, but with the New Zealand strike force of Fallon and Killen, they should be able to just edge out the Slovakians.
Ivory Coast 1-3 Portugal
This should be a great match. Portugal have the obvious quality of Ronaldo, along with the likes of Deco and Simao, so should be just better than the Ivory Coast. Didier Drogba is a doubt for the elephants, and I would go so far as to say that they have no chance without him. They do however have good cover in Kalou and Doumbia, so will be no pushovers.
Brazil 3-0 North Korea
I only see this match going one way. Brazil are still one of the best sides in the world, and North Korea will almost definitely finish bottom of the Group of Death. Players like Kaka, Robinho and Fabiano in attack, along with Lucio, Maicon and Alves at the back mean this should be a fairly comfortable victory for the 5 times winners.
Sunday, 13 June 2010
World Cup Day 3- 13/06/10
At about 5:00pm this afternoon, I was mentally preparing this blog, talking about how it had been a disappointing day, and so far a disappointing lack of goals in the tournament. I think it's fair to say that's all changed now. Dayt 3 also saw a red card in each of the 3 games,with an element of controversy behind at least one.
But before we get onto the exciting stuff, let's get the more boring game out of the way first. Algeria v Slovenia was never going to be a huge thriller, but I think we all expected a lot more than what we got for the first game of Day 3. Algeria's only serious attempt was a Belhadj freekick early on which Slovenia goalkeeper Handanovic did well to tip over the crossbar.
It took around 72 minutes for us to all get wakened up, as substitute of 15 minutes Abdelkader Ghezzal recieved his second yellow card. There could be no complaints about either booking, the first coming seconds after Ghezzal came on as a sub, for shirt pulling. The second, barely a quarter of an hour later was, not for the last time in the day, a trully stupid handball. Diving for a cross, Ghezzal for some reason stuck his arm out, and promptly recieved his marching orders.
That decision may well have cost Algeria, as 7 minutes later Robert Koren's tame shot somehow crept through the arms of Faouzi Chaouchi and into the Algeria net, for what proved to be the winning goal.
I think it's fair to say that neither England nor the USA have anything to fear from these two. Neither side showed any real cutting edge, and the error from Chaouchi will make England feel much better about having Rob Green. England's main concern now should be their failure to beat the Americans, as topping the group could be vital to England's world cup hopes. Should the USA come top, England would likely play Germany in the last 16. Beat them, and Argentina would probably lie in wait in the quarters. If England somehow stop Messi and co., it will be Spain in the semis, barring a major shock in a previous round for the Spaniards. And if England somehow make it through to the final, it will most likely be against Brazil. Even if none of these four teams are able to win their groups or make it through the next rounds, the likes of Portugal and Holland will stand in England's way instead.
Away from Group C, Ghana became the third African nation to kick off their world cup campaign. I predicted a 3-2 win for the Ghaneans here, and while I may have been a way off on the amount of goals, I was certainly accurate on entertainment value. The two sides contested a terrific match, with Ghana's strength in midfield just about outplaying a Serbian side for whom it seems almost a requirement to have a surname ending in 'vic' in order to play for them. It was an open, end to end match, played at a frantic pace, though both sides seemed to lack a final ball at times. Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan hit the post in a second half in which Ghana were far the better side, with the Serbs trying desperately to feed 6ft 8" striker Nikola Zigic, who failed to make the most of the few clear-cut chances he was given. With just over 15 minutes of the game remaining, we saw the second red card of the day, as Aleksandar Lukovic recieved a second yellow for hauling down Gyan. Though initially it was unclear what his first booking was for, it later emerged that he had fouled Boateng shortly after coming on, an indident not noticed by TV cameras due to the referee playing a good advantage.
With 5 minute remaining, we had the second stupid handball of the day. Serbian substitute Kuzmanovic punched away a cross which didn't appear to be heading to anyone in a white shirt, and Asamoah Gyan confidently slotted home to finally give an African nation a victory at the African world cup.
Group D is a very tough group, with all four sides boasting strong sqauds. I have no doubt that Germany will top it, and on todays evidence it looks like Ghana will come second. They are a very physical side, and use that to their advantage to deny their opponents much in the way of serious possesion in midfield. With the likes of Gyan, who had a fantastic game today, leading the line, I think Ghana will be a tough team to beat and may well be the strongest of the African nations at this years competition.
By far the most exciting game of the day was contested between Germany and Australia. In my predictions for today, I said that Australia had a good defence, but may be let down by their attack. I was completely wrong, as the Aussie defence fell to pieces, allowing far to much space to Podolski, Klose, Mueller and Cacau as Germany romped to a 4-0 win. Germany coach Joachim Loew certainly proved a point today as well. With much debate going on over who he should play as his front 3, and Loew then being criticised for his final selection, the German team certainly answered those critics as all three strikers scored. No sooner had the third, Mueller, scored, another, Cacau, was introduced. No sooner had Cacau come on, he added a fourth to complete the rout.
The first German goal came after just 8 minutes. Thomas Mueller's drilled cross fell behind Klose, but no-one in the Australian defence picked up Podolski's far post run, and he slammed home the opening goal. Less than 20 minutes later it was 2, with Miroslav Klose continuing his fantastic world cup goalscoring rate by heading home Philip Lahm's fantastic cross. The defence was again at fault here, with Klose being allowed to run between two Australian defenders and head past Schwazer, who had commited himself to a punch he just wasn't going to make.
Ten minutes into the second half saw one of the worst refereeing decisions of the tournament so far. Tim Cahill went in hard on Bastien Schweinsteiger and was dismissed by referee Marco Rodriguez. Cahil was late, yes, but it was not a malicious tackle, it wasn't two-footed, it wasn't in the air and it wasn't studs up. Bookable, yes, sending off, no chance.
With just over 20 minutes to go, Germany added a third. Thomas Mueller twisted and turned on the edge of the box before firing a great shot into Mark Schwazers far post. More poor tackling on show from the Socceroos. It got worse just two minutes later when Cacau, barely on the field for a minute, was left unmarked in front of goal and latched onto the instrumental man-of-the-match Ozil's cut back.
I think Germany's hopes of winning the tournament may have now increased. Ozil was simply superb in midfield, Klose and Podolski have fantastic goalscoring records at the world cup, and th midfield was simply dominant today. As for Australia, their tournament is as good as over. Not just because of the lack of ability to mark at the back, but because of the woeful decision to send off Tim Cahill. The game was already beyond the Aussies, who were 2-0 down at the time, but Cahill will now miss the remaining group games, which could cost his country dearly.
Off the pitch, a major issue emerged today, when it was announced that South Africa would consider banning vuvuzelas. This is an outrage. The vuvuzelas create a fantastic atmosphere, there is nothing worse than a quiet football stadium. Players are complaining about not being able to communicate on the pitch, but to be honest they should be used to noisy stadiums, and if they're not then there's something wrong. Aside from that, the horns are a symbol of the host nation. Take them away and you take away the main factor in the match which reminds us that this is South Africa's world cup. This is the world cup which shows once and for all that football is more than 'just a game'. Let the hosts have their vuvuzelas. It's a symbol of who they are; a country that loves its football.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 4- 14/06/10
Denmark 0-3 Holland
For me, the Dutch are the strongest team at the world cup. Not only are they blessed with players like Robben and Snjieder, who set the Champions League alight this year, but they work extremely well as a unit and make the most of the creativity which they are so blessed with. There's no doubt they'll defeat the Danes. The question is, how much by?
Japan 2-1 Cameroon
Japan showed against England that they are a good side, and are not to be underestimated. Shunsuke Nakamura is still one of the best freekick takers around, so Japan should prove to be too much for Cameroon. Don't rule the African's out completely though...
Italy 3-0 Paraguay
Italy certainly aren't as strong as they were when they became World Champions four years ago, but they are still one of the strongest sides in the tournament. With a ruthless defence featuring 2006 world player of the year Cannavaro, a midfield bossed by the tough-tackling Gattuso, the creative force of De Rossi providing ammo to the likes of Gilardino, they should be able to outclass the South Americans.
But before we get onto the exciting stuff, let's get the more boring game out of the way first. Algeria v Slovenia was never going to be a huge thriller, but I think we all expected a lot more than what we got for the first game of Day 3. Algeria's only serious attempt was a Belhadj freekick early on which Slovenia goalkeeper Handanovic did well to tip over the crossbar.
It took around 72 minutes for us to all get wakened up, as substitute of 15 minutes Abdelkader Ghezzal recieved his second yellow card. There could be no complaints about either booking, the first coming seconds after Ghezzal came on as a sub, for shirt pulling. The second, barely a quarter of an hour later was, not for the last time in the day, a trully stupid handball. Diving for a cross, Ghezzal for some reason stuck his arm out, and promptly recieved his marching orders.
That decision may well have cost Algeria, as 7 minutes later Robert Koren's tame shot somehow crept through the arms of Faouzi Chaouchi and into the Algeria net, for what proved to be the winning goal.
I think it's fair to say that neither England nor the USA have anything to fear from these two. Neither side showed any real cutting edge, and the error from Chaouchi will make England feel much better about having Rob Green. England's main concern now should be their failure to beat the Americans, as topping the group could be vital to England's world cup hopes. Should the USA come top, England would likely play Germany in the last 16. Beat them, and Argentina would probably lie in wait in the quarters. If England somehow stop Messi and co., it will be Spain in the semis, barring a major shock in a previous round for the Spaniards. And if England somehow make it through to the final, it will most likely be against Brazil. Even if none of these four teams are able to win their groups or make it through the next rounds, the likes of Portugal and Holland will stand in England's way instead.
Away from Group C, Ghana became the third African nation to kick off their world cup campaign. I predicted a 3-2 win for the Ghaneans here, and while I may have been a way off on the amount of goals, I was certainly accurate on entertainment value. The two sides contested a terrific match, with Ghana's strength in midfield just about outplaying a Serbian side for whom it seems almost a requirement to have a surname ending in 'vic' in order to play for them. It was an open, end to end match, played at a frantic pace, though both sides seemed to lack a final ball at times. Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan hit the post in a second half in which Ghana were far the better side, with the Serbs trying desperately to feed 6ft 8" striker Nikola Zigic, who failed to make the most of the few clear-cut chances he was given. With just over 15 minutes of the game remaining, we saw the second red card of the day, as Aleksandar Lukovic recieved a second yellow for hauling down Gyan. Though initially it was unclear what his first booking was for, it later emerged that he had fouled Boateng shortly after coming on, an indident not noticed by TV cameras due to the referee playing a good advantage.
With 5 minute remaining, we had the second stupid handball of the day. Serbian substitute Kuzmanovic punched away a cross which didn't appear to be heading to anyone in a white shirt, and Asamoah Gyan confidently slotted home to finally give an African nation a victory at the African world cup.
Group D is a very tough group, with all four sides boasting strong sqauds. I have no doubt that Germany will top it, and on todays evidence it looks like Ghana will come second. They are a very physical side, and use that to their advantage to deny their opponents much in the way of serious possesion in midfield. With the likes of Gyan, who had a fantastic game today, leading the line, I think Ghana will be a tough team to beat and may well be the strongest of the African nations at this years competition.
By far the most exciting game of the day was contested between Germany and Australia. In my predictions for today, I said that Australia had a good defence, but may be let down by their attack. I was completely wrong, as the Aussie defence fell to pieces, allowing far to much space to Podolski, Klose, Mueller and Cacau as Germany romped to a 4-0 win. Germany coach Joachim Loew certainly proved a point today as well. With much debate going on over who he should play as his front 3, and Loew then being criticised for his final selection, the German team certainly answered those critics as all three strikers scored. No sooner had the third, Mueller, scored, another, Cacau, was introduced. No sooner had Cacau come on, he added a fourth to complete the rout.
The first German goal came after just 8 minutes. Thomas Mueller's drilled cross fell behind Klose, but no-one in the Australian defence picked up Podolski's far post run, and he slammed home the opening goal. Less than 20 minutes later it was 2, with Miroslav Klose continuing his fantastic world cup goalscoring rate by heading home Philip Lahm's fantastic cross. The defence was again at fault here, with Klose being allowed to run between two Australian defenders and head past Schwazer, who had commited himself to a punch he just wasn't going to make.
Ten minutes into the second half saw one of the worst refereeing decisions of the tournament so far. Tim Cahill went in hard on Bastien Schweinsteiger and was dismissed by referee Marco Rodriguez. Cahil was late, yes, but it was not a malicious tackle, it wasn't two-footed, it wasn't in the air and it wasn't studs up. Bookable, yes, sending off, no chance.
With just over 20 minutes to go, Germany added a third. Thomas Mueller twisted and turned on the edge of the box before firing a great shot into Mark Schwazers far post. More poor tackling on show from the Socceroos. It got worse just two minutes later when Cacau, barely on the field for a minute, was left unmarked in front of goal and latched onto the instrumental man-of-the-match Ozil's cut back.
I think Germany's hopes of winning the tournament may have now increased. Ozil was simply superb in midfield, Klose and Podolski have fantastic goalscoring records at the world cup, and th midfield was simply dominant today. As for Australia, their tournament is as good as over. Not just because of the lack of ability to mark at the back, but because of the woeful decision to send off Tim Cahill. The game was already beyond the Aussies, who were 2-0 down at the time, but Cahill will now miss the remaining group games, which could cost his country dearly.
Off the pitch, a major issue emerged today, when it was announced that South Africa would consider banning vuvuzelas. This is an outrage. The vuvuzelas create a fantastic atmosphere, there is nothing worse than a quiet football stadium. Players are complaining about not being able to communicate on the pitch, but to be honest they should be used to noisy stadiums, and if they're not then there's something wrong. Aside from that, the horns are a symbol of the host nation. Take them away and you take away the main factor in the match which reminds us that this is South Africa's world cup. This is the world cup which shows once and for all that football is more than 'just a game'. Let the hosts have their vuvuzelas. It's a symbol of who they are; a country that loves its football.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 4- 14/06/10
Denmark 0-3 Holland
For me, the Dutch are the strongest team at the world cup. Not only are they blessed with players like Robben and Snjieder, who set the Champions League alight this year, but they work extremely well as a unit and make the most of the creativity which they are so blessed with. There's no doubt they'll defeat the Danes. The question is, how much by?
Japan 2-1 Cameroon
Japan showed against England that they are a good side, and are not to be underestimated. Shunsuke Nakamura is still one of the best freekick takers around, so Japan should prove to be too much for Cameroon. Don't rule the African's out completely though...
Italy 3-0 Paraguay
Italy certainly aren't as strong as they were when they became World Champions four years ago, but they are still one of the strongest sides in the tournament. With a ruthless defence featuring 2006 world player of the year Cannavaro, a midfield bossed by the tough-tackling Gattuso, the creative force of De Rossi providing ammo to the likes of Gilardino, they should be able to outclass the South Americans.
Saturday, 12 June 2010
World Cup Day 2- 12/06/10
Poor, poor Rob Green. You have to feel for the guy. The debate had gone on for so long about who should start in goal for England's opening world cup game, Green (rightfully in my opinion) eventually got the nod. It was all going so well, with England successfully closing down the USA players and forcing them to resort to shots from distance. However, for one such shot from Clint Dempsey, Green failed to behind the ball, and could only palm the shot into the net.
Green can't be totally to blame for England's poor 1-1 draw with their transatlantic friends. After making a bright start, with Steven Gerrard slotting home inside 4 minutes, England played poorley. The reason for Emile Heskey's inclusion in the squad continues to elude me, particularly with Darren Bent scoring over 20 goals last season with worse players around him, in comparison to Heskey's 3. Save for a touch into the path of Steven Gerrard to set up the opening goal, Heskey did nothing. The main reason for his inclusion was due to his power and aerial ability, but even that deserted him today. He got beaten far too often in the air, gave away numerous free kicks trying to win the ball back, got caught offside a lot and missed 2 sitters. The bright side for Heskey is that he was hardly any worse than much of his England team-mates today. Rooney was completely ineffective in attack, with the exception of a long range shot which almost found its way into the top corner. Lampard likewise, his only meaningful contribution being to sting the palms of Tim Howard with a long range effort. Milner did nothing apart from get himself booked for two rash challenges, and was substituted after half an hour. The two wingers who finished the game, Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips, were also fairly inconspicuous, with Lennon once again lacking a final ball and Wright-Phillips providing a couple of relatively decent crosses, but never really troubling the USA defence. Capello will need to re-adjust his front line if he wants England to do well in the tournament, and the team will really have to step it up for their remaining group games against Algeria and Slovenia.
Earlier in the day, South Korea defeted Greece 2-0. Once again in the World Cup, some shoddy defending was on show, as Lee Jung-Soo was allowed to run unchallenged to the back post and fire home Ki Sung-Yueng's excellent free-kick. More defensive errors allowed Park Ji-Sung to double Korea's lead on 52 minutes, as Loukas Vyntra's poor touch allowed the Man UTD midfielder in to score goal 2. I had expected Greece to improve on their dismal performance at their last World Cup finals, but on the basis of today's performance I wouldn't bet against them once again leaving with no points, and no goals.
Else where in group B, group favourites Argentina defeated Nigeria 1-0 in a result which was kind to the second African nation to play in the tournament. Yet more poor defending was in evidence here, with no-one picking up Gabriel Heinze's run onto a Juan Sebastian Veron corner on 6 minutes. Argentina had many chances throughout the game, and more often than not it was Lionel Messi who was at the heart of it. Even when he wasn't gliding past players with ease, he was contributing by opening up space for his team-mates, with Nigeria requiring at least 3 men to mark him. This meant there was more space for Tevez and Higuain to exploit and run in at goal. As long as Messi plays well and the finishing ablility shown by Tevez and Higuain for their respective clubs doesn't desert them, Argentina could go very far in this competition.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 3- 13/06/10
Algeria 1-0 Slovenia
Two of the smaller teams at this years World Cup, shouldn't make for an overly interesting game. Slovenia are known for their poor performances in international tournaments though, and Algeria's decent performance at the Africa Cup of Nations means they should just about edge this one.
Serbia 2-3 Ghana
This should be an entertaining and well-matched game. Serbia have a strong sqaud this year and a good defence, helped in no small part by the defensive martialling of Man UTDs Nemanja Vidic. Ghana will be without their talisman Michael Essien, which could cost them overall in the tournament, but I still think that the likes of Muntari and Appiah will help the Ghaneans to just about take all three points in this one.
Germany 2-0 Australia
The Socceroos have a decent squad and should prove to be no pushovers to anyone at this years tournament. If the defence plays well, then the Aussies are in with a chance of beating anyone at the tournament. However, I feel that they are too weak in attack. Tim Cahill is an injury doubt and Harry Kewell is far past his best, so I don't feel that they are overly likely to take anything from a Germany team which is still one of the best in the world.
Green can't be totally to blame for England's poor 1-1 draw with their transatlantic friends. After making a bright start, with Steven Gerrard slotting home inside 4 minutes, England played poorley. The reason for Emile Heskey's inclusion in the squad continues to elude me, particularly with Darren Bent scoring over 20 goals last season with worse players around him, in comparison to Heskey's 3. Save for a touch into the path of Steven Gerrard to set up the opening goal, Heskey did nothing. The main reason for his inclusion was due to his power and aerial ability, but even that deserted him today. He got beaten far too often in the air, gave away numerous free kicks trying to win the ball back, got caught offside a lot and missed 2 sitters. The bright side for Heskey is that he was hardly any worse than much of his England team-mates today. Rooney was completely ineffective in attack, with the exception of a long range shot which almost found its way into the top corner. Lampard likewise, his only meaningful contribution being to sting the palms of Tim Howard with a long range effort. Milner did nothing apart from get himself booked for two rash challenges, and was substituted after half an hour. The two wingers who finished the game, Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips, were also fairly inconspicuous, with Lennon once again lacking a final ball and Wright-Phillips providing a couple of relatively decent crosses, but never really troubling the USA defence. Capello will need to re-adjust his front line if he wants England to do well in the tournament, and the team will really have to step it up for their remaining group games against Algeria and Slovenia.
Earlier in the day, South Korea defeted Greece 2-0. Once again in the World Cup, some shoddy defending was on show, as Lee Jung-Soo was allowed to run unchallenged to the back post and fire home Ki Sung-Yueng's excellent free-kick. More defensive errors allowed Park Ji-Sung to double Korea's lead on 52 minutes, as Loukas Vyntra's poor touch allowed the Man UTD midfielder in to score goal 2. I had expected Greece to improve on their dismal performance at their last World Cup finals, but on the basis of today's performance I wouldn't bet against them once again leaving with no points, and no goals.
Else where in group B, group favourites Argentina defeated Nigeria 1-0 in a result which was kind to the second African nation to play in the tournament. Yet more poor defending was in evidence here, with no-one picking up Gabriel Heinze's run onto a Juan Sebastian Veron corner on 6 minutes. Argentina had many chances throughout the game, and more often than not it was Lionel Messi who was at the heart of it. Even when he wasn't gliding past players with ease, he was contributing by opening up space for his team-mates, with Nigeria requiring at least 3 men to mark him. This meant there was more space for Tevez and Higuain to exploit and run in at goal. As long as Messi plays well and the finishing ablility shown by Tevez and Higuain for their respective clubs doesn't desert them, Argentina could go very far in this competition.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 3- 13/06/10
Algeria 1-0 Slovenia
Two of the smaller teams at this years World Cup, shouldn't make for an overly interesting game. Slovenia are known for their poor performances in international tournaments though, and Algeria's decent performance at the Africa Cup of Nations means they should just about edge this one.
Serbia 2-3 Ghana
This should be an entertaining and well-matched game. Serbia have a strong sqaud this year and a good defence, helped in no small part by the defensive martialling of Man UTDs Nemanja Vidic. Ghana will be without their talisman Michael Essien, which could cost them overall in the tournament, but I still think that the likes of Muntari and Appiah will help the Ghaneans to just about take all three points in this one.
Germany 2-0 Australia
The Socceroos have a decent squad and should prove to be no pushovers to anyone at this years tournament. If the defence plays well, then the Aussies are in with a chance of beating anyone at the tournament. However, I feel that they are too weak in attack. Tim Cahill is an injury doubt and Harry Kewell is far past his best, so I don't feel that they are overly likely to take anything from a Germany team which is still one of the best in the world.
Friday, 11 June 2010
World Cup 2010 Day 1- 11/06/10
So, South Africa 2010 has officially begun. After a wonderful opening ceremony, the Bafana Bafana kicked off Africa's first ever world cup with their game against Mexico at the incredibly Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg. Day 1 of the tournament is over and already we've had some great entertainment, some shocking defending, a fantastic goal, passionate fans, a red card and an appalling refereeing performance.
Opening ceremonies are not something I generally take a huge interest in. Be it world cup or olympics, I usually lose interest after about 15 minutes. In fact, my only lasting memory of an opening ceremony was of a huge novelty goal falling apart after Diana Ross sliced a 'penalty' from about 4 yards in a miss which Chris Waddle would have been ashamed of. This time, however, I was quite captivated with the array of culture on display as well as the South African people's incredible passion for football. Anyone who can watch that opening ceremony and still claim that football is 'just a game' and 'doesn't matter' needs their head examined.
Even before the kick off, the opening fixture between South Africa and Mexico lived up to its billing. The sight of the SA players singing and dancing in the tunnel before coming out reminded me of stories of the mighty Celtic team having a sing song in the tunnel before the 1967 European cup final when they became the first team in Europe to win the European cup.
The entertainment on the pitch was even better. Within just 3 minutes the Bafana Bafana defence had a scare when goalkeeper Khune spilled a cross which landed at the feet of Mexico's Giovani Dos Santos, only for Aaron Mokena to make the block. It was the start of a period of first half dominance from Mexico, who had the ball in the back of the net later on, only for Arsenal striker Carlos Vela to be flagged offside.
However, the hopes of, not just a country, not just a continent, but quite possibly every non-Mexican in the world were with South Africa, and they started the second half brightly, before the stadium really came to life after 55 minutes. Siphiwe Tshabalala latched onto a fine pass in behind the Mexico defence and fired home a blistering left footed shot into the top corner. The Bafana Bafana then came to life, and could have gone 2 ahead 15 minutes later when Siboniso Gaxa ran in on goal, but he couldn't get the ball out of his feet and Perez was able to make the block.
With 12 minutes remaining, the South Africa defence (as I predicted, I might add) let them down again. Andres Guardado picked up a short corner, and his cross found Rafael Marquez, one of 3 Mexicans in and around the 6 yard box, all being marked by Aaron Mokena. The Mexican skipper was allowed to set himself before firing the ball in the back of the net. South Africa might have won it in the last minute of regulation time, but Katlego Mphela could only hit the post from a tight angle.
So some great entertainment in the opening game, although the hosts will have to sort out their defence if they are to progress in the competition. No player in the opposition penalty area should be allowed to take a touch & set himself before finishing when the ball's come in from a short corner. Goalkeeper Khune looks a bit suspect as well, he got lucky in the first half when Vela's goal was ruled out, completely flapping at a cross, it was only because there was only 1 South Africa player on the line that Vela was offside. Still, the host nation have reached the semi-finals of the last two world cups, and with the backing the Rainbow nation have, it seems possible that they could go far.
Unfortunately, there was no such entertainment in the second match, between Uruguay and France. As with their group stage game at the 2002 world cup, it was pretty much your standard, boring 0-0 draw. The game was only really noteworthy for the tournaments first red card, and for some poor refereeing and managerial decisions. Japanese ref Nishimura had a nightmare, stopping the game for every little push, every player going to ground, almost any time there was contact between two players. He also produced a string of soft yellow cards, one of which proved costly for Uruguay's Nicolas Lodeiro. There was no doubt that his second booking was very much deserved, but his first was extremely soft. There were also some bizare decisions from France coach Raymond Dominech waiting until the 71st minute to make a much needed substitution. Thierry Henry was brought on, but for the lively Nicolas Anelka rather than his ineffective strike partner Sydney Govou. Another odd substitution 5 minutes later saw Florent Malouda replace Yoann Gourcuff, despite the fact that he had been France's biggest creative threat from set pieces, and Jeremy Toulalan had done nothing in France's midfield.
Uruguay didn't put up a great show, with France having most of the possesion and chances. Diego Forlan looked lively, but Luis Suarez didn't look up to the job. Overall, if Suarez can perform in the next game, Forlan will not have to do all the work and the duo could provide a formidable attack. If not, then the first ever world cup winners could find themselves going home after the first round, again.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 2, 12/06/10:
South Korea 1-2 Greece
Ok, I'll admit at this point that I don't know a huge amount about either South Korea of Greece (or, to give them their full name, Euro 2004 winners Greece.) However, it seems to me that South Korea will rely far too much on Ji-Sung Park as their source of creativity, and may find themselves exposed at the back. Greece are hardly the most solid side defensively either, but with Liverpool's Soti Kyrgiakos providing a tough barrier in central defence and the great Georgios Samaras leading the line, Greece might just prove too strong for the 2002 co-hosts.
Argentina 2-0 Nigeria
A much easier game to predict here. Nigeria traditionally don't perform well at world cups, and although Argentina hardly displayed world-beating form during the qualifiers, they do have a certain little gem known as Lionel Messi. Messi is the best player on the planet by a long way, and in my opinion better than Argentina coach & legend Diego Maradona ever was. If Messi plays well, he could destroy any side on his own. Even if he doesn't, a poor performance by his standard is a decent one by pretty much anyone else's, and Argentina still have the likes of Teves and Higuain to rely on. Should be a fairly comfortable win for the South Americans.
England 2-1 USA
This is the one which everyone here in England has been talking about. As a proud Scotsman, I will of course be cheering on America, who are a good side and may just be underestimated. However, the England team will know Landon Donovan from his loan spell at Everton, and David Beckham may have given them tips on how to deal with him after they played together at LA Galaxy (though Becks is more likely to have begged the players to break Donovans legs at all costs). America's attack is a force to be reconed with, and the England defense could look vulnerable, with Terry and King not used to playing alongside each other, and the choice of goalkeepers being the inexperienced Joe Hart, Rob Green, who has been criticised for his lack of communication with defenders, and David 'Calamity' James ('Nuff said). Overall though, the likes of Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard, Defoe, Lennon, Milner, (not Heskey), should prove too much for a weak American defence, and the three lions should just edge it.
Opening ceremonies are not something I generally take a huge interest in. Be it world cup or olympics, I usually lose interest after about 15 minutes. In fact, my only lasting memory of an opening ceremony was of a huge novelty goal falling apart after Diana Ross sliced a 'penalty' from about 4 yards in a miss which Chris Waddle would have been ashamed of. This time, however, I was quite captivated with the array of culture on display as well as the South African people's incredible passion for football. Anyone who can watch that opening ceremony and still claim that football is 'just a game' and 'doesn't matter' needs their head examined.
Even before the kick off, the opening fixture between South Africa and Mexico lived up to its billing. The sight of the SA players singing and dancing in the tunnel before coming out reminded me of stories of the mighty Celtic team having a sing song in the tunnel before the 1967 European cup final when they became the first team in Europe to win the European cup.
The entertainment on the pitch was even better. Within just 3 minutes the Bafana Bafana defence had a scare when goalkeeper Khune spilled a cross which landed at the feet of Mexico's Giovani Dos Santos, only for Aaron Mokena to make the block. It was the start of a period of first half dominance from Mexico, who had the ball in the back of the net later on, only for Arsenal striker Carlos Vela to be flagged offside.
However, the hopes of, not just a country, not just a continent, but quite possibly every non-Mexican in the world were with South Africa, and they started the second half brightly, before the stadium really came to life after 55 minutes. Siphiwe Tshabalala latched onto a fine pass in behind the Mexico defence and fired home a blistering left footed shot into the top corner. The Bafana Bafana then came to life, and could have gone 2 ahead 15 minutes later when Siboniso Gaxa ran in on goal, but he couldn't get the ball out of his feet and Perez was able to make the block.
With 12 minutes remaining, the South Africa defence (as I predicted, I might add) let them down again. Andres Guardado picked up a short corner, and his cross found Rafael Marquez, one of 3 Mexicans in and around the 6 yard box, all being marked by Aaron Mokena. The Mexican skipper was allowed to set himself before firing the ball in the back of the net. South Africa might have won it in the last minute of regulation time, but Katlego Mphela could only hit the post from a tight angle.
So some great entertainment in the opening game, although the hosts will have to sort out their defence if they are to progress in the competition. No player in the opposition penalty area should be allowed to take a touch & set himself before finishing when the ball's come in from a short corner. Goalkeeper Khune looks a bit suspect as well, he got lucky in the first half when Vela's goal was ruled out, completely flapping at a cross, it was only because there was only 1 South Africa player on the line that Vela was offside. Still, the host nation have reached the semi-finals of the last two world cups, and with the backing the Rainbow nation have, it seems possible that they could go far.
Unfortunately, there was no such entertainment in the second match, between Uruguay and France. As with their group stage game at the 2002 world cup, it was pretty much your standard, boring 0-0 draw. The game was only really noteworthy for the tournaments first red card, and for some poor refereeing and managerial decisions. Japanese ref Nishimura had a nightmare, stopping the game for every little push, every player going to ground, almost any time there was contact between two players. He also produced a string of soft yellow cards, one of which proved costly for Uruguay's Nicolas Lodeiro. There was no doubt that his second booking was very much deserved, but his first was extremely soft. There were also some bizare decisions from France coach Raymond Dominech waiting until the 71st minute to make a much needed substitution. Thierry Henry was brought on, but for the lively Nicolas Anelka rather than his ineffective strike partner Sydney Govou. Another odd substitution 5 minutes later saw Florent Malouda replace Yoann Gourcuff, despite the fact that he had been France's biggest creative threat from set pieces, and Jeremy Toulalan had done nothing in France's midfield.
Uruguay didn't put up a great show, with France having most of the possesion and chances. Diego Forlan looked lively, but Luis Suarez didn't look up to the job. Overall, if Suarez can perform in the next game, Forlan will not have to do all the work and the duo could provide a formidable attack. If not, then the first ever world cup winners could find themselves going home after the first round, again.
My Predictions for World Cup Day 2, 12/06/10:
South Korea 1-2 Greece
Ok, I'll admit at this point that I don't know a huge amount about either South Korea of Greece (or, to give them their full name, Euro 2004 winners Greece.) However, it seems to me that South Korea will rely far too much on Ji-Sung Park as their source of creativity, and may find themselves exposed at the back. Greece are hardly the most solid side defensively either, but with Liverpool's Soti Kyrgiakos providing a tough barrier in central defence and the great Georgios Samaras leading the line, Greece might just prove too strong for the 2002 co-hosts.
Argentina 2-0 Nigeria
A much easier game to predict here. Nigeria traditionally don't perform well at world cups, and although Argentina hardly displayed world-beating form during the qualifiers, they do have a certain little gem known as Lionel Messi. Messi is the best player on the planet by a long way, and in my opinion better than Argentina coach & legend Diego Maradona ever was. If Messi plays well, he could destroy any side on his own. Even if he doesn't, a poor performance by his standard is a decent one by pretty much anyone else's, and Argentina still have the likes of Teves and Higuain to rely on. Should be a fairly comfortable win for the South Americans.
England 2-1 USA
This is the one which everyone here in England has been talking about. As a proud Scotsman, I will of course be cheering on America, who are a good side and may just be underestimated. However, the England team will know Landon Donovan from his loan spell at Everton, and David Beckham may have given them tips on how to deal with him after they played together at LA Galaxy (though Becks is more likely to have begged the players to break Donovans legs at all costs). America's attack is a force to be reconed with, and the England defense could look vulnerable, with Terry and King not used to playing alongside each other, and the choice of goalkeepers being the inexperienced Joe Hart, Rob Green, who has been criticised for his lack of communication with defenders, and David 'Calamity' James ('Nuff said). Overall though, the likes of Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard, Defoe, Lennon, Milner, (not Heskey), should prove too much for a weak American defence, and the three lions should just edge it.
Thursday, 10 June 2010
World Cup Blogs
Ok ok ok... I know I said I would be updating this blog regularly and it wouldn't be all football related BUT... I've had AS exams recently which has taken up a lot of my time, and haven't really come up with and ideas on what to blog about.
That all changes now though, because tomorrow (well, today actually, it's currently 1:02 am) marks the start of the 2010 WORLD CUP! To anyone who knows me, you will know that as a huge football fan, this is quite a big thing.
So here's what I'm going to do. Every day, I'll be posting a blog about the days world cup goings on, with brief overviews on what's happened in each match, any controversies or notable moments, off the field incidents and my predictions on the next days fixtures.
So without further ado, my predictions for World Cup Day 1, 11/06/10:
South Africa 1-1 Mexico
South Africa will be looking to get off to a good start in front of their own fans, but may rely too much on Stephen Pienar as their source of creativity. Mexico are a far more defense minded team, which may well make for a low scoring team, but SA's weak defence means I'm going to go for a draw in this one.
Uruguay 1-3 France
The last time these two met in the world cup, it ended in a boring 0-0 draw, with both sides crashing out of the tournament in the group stages, and both failing to score a single goal. There shoudl be no such boredom this time around though. Uruguay have a powerful attack with two world class strikers in Forlan and Suarez, but for me, France will just be too strong with the likes of Henry, Benzima, Anelka and Ribery. It should be a terrific match up though.
Feel free to post your own World Cup predictions in a comment below!
That all changes now though, because tomorrow (well, today actually, it's currently 1:02 am) marks the start of the 2010 WORLD CUP! To anyone who knows me, you will know that as a huge football fan, this is quite a big thing.
So here's what I'm going to do. Every day, I'll be posting a blog about the days world cup goings on, with brief overviews on what's happened in each match, any controversies or notable moments, off the field incidents and my predictions on the next days fixtures.
So without further ado, my predictions for World Cup Day 1, 11/06/10:
South Africa 1-1 Mexico
South Africa will be looking to get off to a good start in front of their own fans, but may rely too much on Stephen Pienar as their source of creativity. Mexico are a far more defense minded team, which may well make for a low scoring team, but SA's weak defence means I'm going to go for a draw in this one.
Uruguay 1-3 France
The last time these two met in the world cup, it ended in a boring 0-0 draw, with both sides crashing out of the tournament in the group stages, and both failing to score a single goal. There shoudl be no such boredom this time around though. Uruguay have a powerful attack with two world class strikers in Forlan and Suarez, but for me, France will just be too strong with the likes of Henry, Benzima, Anelka and Ribery. It should be a terrific match up though.
Feel free to post your own World Cup predictions in a comment below!
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