Scott 5World Cup Preview Part 2 (Groups E-H)
June 10th 2010 13:58
Now I bring you part 2 of my World Cup Preview
Group E
Cameroon
Cameroon have had a very comfortable ride to the World Cup again. They topped Group 1 (in round 2) and also topped Group 1 (in round 3). Under French coach Paul Le Guen (ex-Lyon coach), they’re playing a lot better and more together.
Samuel Eto’o is without a doubt the biggest key for Cameroon. He is their best striker by far and his goals are always important.
Honesty, Cameroon may have improved but against the likes of a Holland or Denmark, they’re going to struggle. Sounds really negative but that’s the reality of the situation for them
Prediction: First Round
Holland
The Dutch easily qualified for the World Cup topping the group with 8 wins from 8 games and looked very impressive. They scored quite a lot of goals and defended better than ever. They’ve had a build up that was relatively trouble free until Arjen Robben hurt his hamstring.
For the Dutch to be a success they need Wesley Sneijder to be at his absolute creative best. He is the creative genius in this team besides Robben and he will be relied on to provide the final ball for Dirk Kuyt and Robin Van Persie.
The Dutch have always promised much and delivered very little and really, they are the world’s biggest underachievers. They’re very capable of going all the way again but somehow, I just don’t see it happening
Prediction: Quarter Finals
Denmark
Denmark topped a very tough group 1 ahead of Portugal and bitter-rivals Sweden. They’ve had continuity for the past 10 years with Morten Olsen as manager and they look very settled and capable of having a reasonable cup run.
For them to be a success, it’s important that Nicklas Bendtner is there leading the front line and scoring goals. His goals will be handy but he’ll be assisted by Christian Poulsen.
They’re a very capable team and finishing ahead of Portugal and Sweden says they’re no duds and I believe they have what it takes to get out of this group. Sadly they then run into Italy and that’s where the Danish story ends
Prediction: Round of 16
Japan
Japan topped Group 2 (round 3) and then finished 2nd in Group 1 (round 4) behind Australia but they do maintain their consistency of making world cups. That’s 4 in a row now. According to a magazine, their coach has tipped them to make the semi-finals. This is rank suicide in all honesty and I’d expect the coach to go after the group stage.
For Japan to even remotely be a threat, they need Shunsuke Nakamura performing from the dead-ball and pulling the strings in midfield
How could this team possibly make the semi-finals? Against physical teams like Holland, Cameroon and Denmark, they don’t stand a chance. Physically they’re inferior and they don’t score enough goals either
Prediction: First Round
Group F
Slovakia
Slovakia topped Group 3 ahead of Slovenia and the Czech Republic and this is a noticeable effort for them. It’s the first time we’ve seen Slovakia since their predecessor, Czechloslovakia made the World Cup in 1990. It’s been a long time between drinks in all honesty
For Slovakia to be competitive, they need Marek Hamsik to be at his best. He has been touted as a potential star and this is the stage he needs to shine on to fulfill his promise
Honestly, it has been a long time between drinks and I just don’t know how the Slovaks are going to score their goals.
Prediction: First Round
Italy
Reigning champions from 2006, Italy made the World Cup after finishing top of Group 8. Similar to 2006 though, they enter the World Cup under a match-fixing scandal (this time concerning the conduct of Inter and the judicial process used in the first trial). We all know though, how the Italians responded in the midst of the first scandal? They’re capable of doing the same again.
For Italy to be a threat, they need keeper Gianluigi Buffon to be performing at his best. He’s still got the legs and reflexes to achieve something special and his keeping will determine how far Italy go
They’re capable the Italians and they can never be underestimated. Do not be surprised to see Italy resort to playing dour and defensive and pinching 1-0 wins though.
Prediction: Quarter Finals
Paraguay
They came 3rd in a very tough South American marathon and finished ahead of Argentina and Uruguay. They’re capable on their day but they’re far too inconsistent.
For Paraguay to be competitive, they need Nelson Valdez at his best in front of goals and score quite a few goals.
Don’t expect a lot from Paraguay against Italy but expect them to be at their best against Slovakia and New Zealand
Prediction: 2nd Round
New Zealand
New Zealand have qualified for their second ever World Cup and coach Ricki Herbert is the hero that masterminded their success in Oceania and then a famous 1-0 win over Bahrain.
Sadly New Zealand are building a plan based on counter-attack and this means that Ryan Nelsen is the key as he’ll have to get in a lot of work and tackles to keep that defence tight. His leadership will be vital
The Kiwis are almost the biggest underdogs at the World Cup and if they get a point or a goal, they’re going to celebrate. It’s going to be a very quick exit for them though
Prediction: First Round
Group G
Ivory Coast
They topped Group 7 (round 2) and also topped Group E (round 3) with ease but right now they will be bemoaning their luck at being drawn again in the Group of Death. No team could be that unlucky but sadly the Ivorians have proved that they are the unlucky combo. Didier Drogba’s injury also adds some gloom to their camp
Drogba incidentally is the key and if he can make a miracle recovery from elbow surgery, his goals will be very important at this World Cup. Any chance he gets, he’s going to have to take certainly/
They’ve been unlucky the Ivorians. Being drawn against Brazil and Portugal is rotten but they won’t be outclassed by any means. Under Sven Goran Eriksson, they have an experienced operator and this should give them some hope but they’re not quite good enough
Prediction: First Round
North Korea
Who are they? The secretive communist state has made the World Cup for the first time since their famous cup run in 1966d no-one knows anything about them. All I know is they beat Mongolia on aggregate in Round 1 and then finished 2nd behind South Korea in both Round 3 and Round 4 and tipped out Saudi Arabia on goal difference in Round 4.
I’ve been told that Jong Tae-Se is the “Wayne Rooney of North Korea” and he’s one of a very rare few that play overseas. I say this without knowing what the quality of the Nth Korean league is like.
Honestly, this is going to be an educational experience. I don’t know enough about this team but I do know they’re going to get outclassed quite heavily.
Prediction: First Round
Brazil
Finished first in South America, won the Confederations Cup, is there anything this team can’t do? This team has been criticized for the lack of “joga bonito” (beautiful football) but Dunga won’t care as he’s built a team in his image, that is, hard and tough to beat.
For Brazil to be a success, they need Kaka firing at his best. He didn’t have a great season at Real Madrid and without Ronaldinho, Kaka is now the creative force in this team
There is no reason why Brazil cannot win for the 6th time at all. They have a strong team, score goals and are a tough team to beat. Sadly, I feel that there is still a team that cannot be beaten and that’s the Spanish and Brazil will run into this brick wall later in the tournament.
Prediction: 3rd
Portugal
The Portugese struggled through to the World Cup after finishing 2nd behind Denmark. Carlos Quieroz has certainly had some issues and sometimes it seems to me that he’s a good assistant coach but not a great manager, so to speak. Still, having Cristiano Ronaldo always helps.
Speaking of Ronaldo, he’s the key here this tournament for the Portugese, no doubt about it. He’s dominated club football for the past 3 years and he now has to transfer this to the national stage.
The Portugese are very capable of beating the best and they should qualify from this group. Sadly though I see them running into the Spanish and this will end their tournament
Prediction: Round of 16
Group H
Spain
This team have become the new “buzz team” over the past 3-4 years. After their failure in 06, they finally achieved success and won Euro 2008 under Luis Aragones. Since then Vicente Del Bosque has taken over and steered them to the World Cup without dropping a single point. This makes them favourites in my book.
For the Spanish to perform, they need goals and who other than Fernando Torres to step up and deliver. Torres is a very good player and has been rested following extended injury spells. All that looks behind him though and look to him to lead the front line for the Spanish
Spain are my favourites to lift the trophy. They look strong and very confident and the belief in the squad is unbelievable. Really, Spain’s underachiever tag has been warranted for far too long but they shed it at Euro 08 and now need a World Cup to become the number 1 team in the world
Prediction: Winners
Switzerland
Topping Group 2 ahead of Greece is no mean feat and the Swiss looked very impressive in doing so. They had a great adventure in 06, making the Round of 16 before losing to Ukraine in the worst game of the tournament and will be looking for something similar.
For that to happen though, they need Alexander Frei at his absolute best. He may be a veteren but he’s still capable of scoring goals for the Swiss
The Swiss are capable of getting out of this group but if Frei is shackled, who’s going to score the goals? Sadly I see a struggle for the Swiss here
Prediction: First Round
Honduras
Nice to see them back at a World Cup after many years away from the world’s biggest party. They qualified by beating Puerto Rico on aggregate (Round 2), topping Group 2 ahead of Mexico (round 3) and finishing 3rd ahead of Costa Rica (round 4).
For the Hondurans to be respectable, they need Tottenham’s Wilson Palacios to provide the grit and determination and get the ball to the front men.
Honduras are no duds considering they qualified from CONCACAF but I just feel that they may be out of their depth here.
Prediction: First Round
Chile
What a story this is. Wooden spoon last qualifying, 2nd this time. Marcelo Bielsa is the man who deserves all the credit for getting Chile to play at their best. It’s been the story of qualifiers but how will it end at the World Cup?
Humberto Suazo is the key here as he scores a lot of goals for Chile and you’d think they’d need plenty of goals to make the next round of the World Cup
Surprisingly I think they can do it. They can get out of the group stage and make the Round of 16. They won’t ever match their best finish of 3rd but they will give it their best shot
Prediciton: Round of 16
So ends the World Cup Preview and I hope everyone looks forward to the upcoming World Cup Finals
Group E
Cameroon
Cameroon have had a very comfortable ride to the World Cup again. They topped Group 1 (in round 2) and also topped Group 1 (in round 3). Under French coach Paul Le Guen (ex-Lyon coach), they’re playing a lot better and more together.
Samuel Eto’o is without a doubt the biggest key for Cameroon. He is their best striker by far and his goals are always important.
Honesty, Cameroon may have improved but against the likes of a Holland or Denmark, they’re going to struggle. Sounds really negative but that’s the reality of the situation for them
Prediction: First Round
Holland
The Dutch easily qualified for the World Cup topping the group with 8 wins from 8 games and looked very impressive. They scored quite a lot of goals and defended better than ever. They’ve had a build up that was relatively trouble free until Arjen Robben hurt his hamstring.
For the Dutch to be a success they need Wesley Sneijder to be at his absolute creative best. He is the creative genius in this team besides Robben and he will be relied on to provide the final ball for Dirk Kuyt and Robin Van Persie.
The Dutch have always promised much and delivered very little and really, they are the world’s biggest underachievers. They’re very capable of going all the way again but somehow, I just don’t see it happening
Prediction: Quarter Finals
Denmark
Denmark topped a very tough group 1 ahead of Portugal and bitter-rivals Sweden. They’ve had continuity for the past 10 years with Morten Olsen as manager and they look very settled and capable of having a reasonable cup run.
For them to be a success, it’s important that Nicklas Bendtner is there leading the front line and scoring goals. His goals will be handy but he’ll be assisted by Christian Poulsen.
They’re a very capable team and finishing ahead of Portugal and Sweden says they’re no duds and I believe they have what it takes to get out of this group. Sadly they then run into Italy and that’s where the Danish story ends
Prediction: Round of 16
Japan
Japan topped Group 2 (round 3) and then finished 2nd in Group 1 (round 4) behind Australia but they do maintain their consistency of making world cups. That’s 4 in a row now. According to a magazine, their coach has tipped them to make the semi-finals. This is rank suicide in all honesty and I’d expect the coach to go after the group stage.
For Japan to even remotely be a threat, they need Shunsuke Nakamura performing from the dead-ball and pulling the strings in midfield
How could this team possibly make the semi-finals? Against physical teams like Holland, Cameroon and Denmark, they don’t stand a chance. Physically they’re inferior and they don’t score enough goals either
Prediction: First Round
Group F
Slovakia
Slovakia topped Group 3 ahead of Slovenia and the Czech Republic and this is a noticeable effort for them. It’s the first time we’ve seen Slovakia since their predecessor, Czechloslovakia made the World Cup in 1990. It’s been a long time between drinks in all honesty
For Slovakia to be competitive, they need Marek Hamsik to be at his best. He has been touted as a potential star and this is the stage he needs to shine on to fulfill his promise
Honestly, it has been a long time between drinks and I just don’t know how the Slovaks are going to score their goals.
Prediction: First Round
Italy
Reigning champions from 2006, Italy made the World Cup after finishing top of Group 8. Similar to 2006 though, they enter the World Cup under a match-fixing scandal (this time concerning the conduct of Inter and the judicial process used in the first trial). We all know though, how the Italians responded in the midst of the first scandal? They’re capable of doing the same again.
For Italy to be a threat, they need keeper Gianluigi Buffon to be performing at his best. He’s still got the legs and reflexes to achieve something special and his keeping will determine how far Italy go
They’re capable the Italians and they can never be underestimated. Do not be surprised to see Italy resort to playing dour and defensive and pinching 1-0 wins though.
Prediction: Quarter Finals
Paraguay
They came 3rd in a very tough South American marathon and finished ahead of Argentina and Uruguay. They’re capable on their day but they’re far too inconsistent.
For Paraguay to be competitive, they need Nelson Valdez at his best in front of goals and score quite a few goals.
Don’t expect a lot from Paraguay against Italy but expect them to be at their best against Slovakia and New Zealand
Prediction: 2nd Round
New Zealand
New Zealand have qualified for their second ever World Cup and coach Ricki Herbert is the hero that masterminded their success in Oceania and then a famous 1-0 win over Bahrain.
Sadly New Zealand are building a plan based on counter-attack and this means that Ryan Nelsen is the key as he’ll have to get in a lot of work and tackles to keep that defence tight. His leadership will be vital
The Kiwis are almost the biggest underdogs at the World Cup and if they get a point or a goal, they’re going to celebrate. It’s going to be a very quick exit for them though
Prediction: First Round
Group G
Ivory Coast
They topped Group 7 (round 2) and also topped Group E (round 3) with ease but right now they will be bemoaning their luck at being drawn again in the Group of Death. No team could be that unlucky but sadly the Ivorians have proved that they are the unlucky combo. Didier Drogba’s injury also adds some gloom to their camp
Drogba incidentally is the key and if he can make a miracle recovery from elbow surgery, his goals will be very important at this World Cup. Any chance he gets, he’s going to have to take certainly/
They’ve been unlucky the Ivorians. Being drawn against Brazil and Portugal is rotten but they won’t be outclassed by any means. Under Sven Goran Eriksson, they have an experienced operator and this should give them some hope but they’re not quite good enough
Prediction: First Round
North Korea
Who are they? The secretive communist state has made the World Cup for the first time since their famous cup run in 1966d no-one knows anything about them. All I know is they beat Mongolia on aggregate in Round 1 and then finished 2nd behind South Korea in both Round 3 and Round 4 and tipped out Saudi Arabia on goal difference in Round 4.
I’ve been told that Jong Tae-Se is the “Wayne Rooney of North Korea” and he’s one of a very rare few that play overseas. I say this without knowing what the quality of the Nth Korean league is like.
Honestly, this is going to be an educational experience. I don’t know enough about this team but I do know they’re going to get outclassed quite heavily.
Prediction: First Round
Brazil
Finished first in South America, won the Confederations Cup, is there anything this team can’t do? This team has been criticized for the lack of “joga bonito” (beautiful football) but Dunga won’t care as he’s built a team in his image, that is, hard and tough to beat.
For Brazil to be a success, they need Kaka firing at his best. He didn’t have a great season at Real Madrid and without Ronaldinho, Kaka is now the creative force in this team
There is no reason why Brazil cannot win for the 6th time at all. They have a strong team, score goals and are a tough team to beat. Sadly, I feel that there is still a team that cannot be beaten and that’s the Spanish and Brazil will run into this brick wall later in the tournament.
Prediction: 3rd
Portugal
The Portugese struggled through to the World Cup after finishing 2nd behind Denmark. Carlos Quieroz has certainly had some issues and sometimes it seems to me that he’s a good assistant coach but not a great manager, so to speak. Still, having Cristiano Ronaldo always helps.
Speaking of Ronaldo, he’s the key here this tournament for the Portugese, no doubt about it. He’s dominated club football for the past 3 years and he now has to transfer this to the national stage.
The Portugese are very capable of beating the best and they should qualify from this group. Sadly though I see them running into the Spanish and this will end their tournament
Prediction: Round of 16
Group H
Spain
This team have become the new “buzz team” over the past 3-4 years. After their failure in 06, they finally achieved success and won Euro 2008 under Luis Aragones. Since then Vicente Del Bosque has taken over and steered them to the World Cup without dropping a single point. This makes them favourites in my book.
For the Spanish to perform, they need goals and who other than Fernando Torres to step up and deliver. Torres is a very good player and has been rested following extended injury spells. All that looks behind him though and look to him to lead the front line for the Spanish
Spain are my favourites to lift the trophy. They look strong and very confident and the belief in the squad is unbelievable. Really, Spain’s underachiever tag has been warranted for far too long but they shed it at Euro 08 and now need a World Cup to become the number 1 team in the world
Prediction: Winners
Switzerland
Topping Group 2 ahead of Greece is no mean feat and the Swiss looked very impressive in doing so. They had a great adventure in 06, making the Round of 16 before losing to Ukraine in the worst game of the tournament and will be looking for something similar.
For that to happen though, they need Alexander Frei at his absolute best. He may be a veteren but he’s still capable of scoring goals for the Swiss
The Swiss are capable of getting out of this group but if Frei is shackled, who’s going to score the goals? Sadly I see a struggle for the Swiss here
Prediction: First Round
Honduras
Nice to see them back at a World Cup after many years away from the world’s biggest party. They qualified by beating Puerto Rico on aggregate (Round 2), topping Group 2 ahead of Mexico (round 3) and finishing 3rd ahead of Costa Rica (round 4).
For the Hondurans to be respectable, they need Tottenham’s Wilson Palacios to provide the grit and determination and get the ball to the front men.
Honduras are no duds considering they qualified from CONCACAF but I just feel that they may be out of their depth here.
Prediction: First Round
Chile
What a story this is. Wooden spoon last qualifying, 2nd this time. Marcelo Bielsa is the man who deserves all the credit for getting Chile to play at their best. It’s been the story of qualifiers but how will it end at the World Cup?
Humberto Suazo is the key here as he scores a lot of goals for Chile and you’d think they’d need plenty of goals to make the next round of the World Cup
Surprisingly I think they can do it. They can get out of the group stage and make the Round of 16. They won’t ever match their best finish of 3rd but they will give it their best shot
Prediciton: Round of 16
So ends the World Cup Preview and I hope everyone looks forward to the upcoming World Cup Finals
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