Premier League preview 2010/11 part 2

MANCHESTER CITY

City are going to be one of the most interesting sides to observe over the next year. Having comfortably outspent the rest of the league put together, Roberto Mancini now has to trim down a strong squad into his twenty-five. His signings so far have been impressive – Yaya Toure and David Silva in particular are genuine world-class players – although Mario Balotelli is a huge risk. There’s no doubt about his potential (and, indeed, current) ability, but his attitude is awful and it seriously impedes him. When James Milner eventually arrives he, too, will be a good addition. City have fixed some of their defensive problems by signing Aleksandar Kolarov, an excellent attacking left-back, and Germany’s Jerome Boateng who will probably play at right-back, although centre-back is still a problem that needs urgent work. It’s impossible to discount City from having a serious title chance, although I think there are still questions over Mancini’s quality. If he does not at least keep pace with the challengers he’ll be gone, but there’s enough quality at Eastlands to finally break into the Champions League promised land. Verdict: 3rd

MANCHESTER UNITED

I don’t think it’s just my personal bias that leads me to think that United will slip down the table a little this year. Their greatest strength of two or three years ago, the central defensive partnership of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, is now something of a worry as Ferdinand’s body quietly falls apart and Vidic’s motivations are seriously questioned. The centre of midfield is either ageing to the extent that starting games will be unusual (Scholes, Giggs) or not quite top class (Carrick, Fletcher, Anderson, Gibson). Javier Hernandez is a great signing up front and has been impressive in pre-season but when you get past him and the utterly-vital Wayne Rooney depth in attack is limited to the underwhelming Dimitar Berbatov and sadly past-it Michael Owen. Of course you can never rule United out but for the first time in a long time they start the season looking slightly weaker than their local rivals. Verdict: 4th

NEWCASTLE UNITED

Put simply, Newcastle look no better than they did two years ago and will probably go back down to the Championship. Chris Hughton’s squad were too good for the second tier but they don’t look like Premier League quality in any area. Goals will be hard to come by, as is to be expected when a side relies on Shola Ameobi as the senior striker. Kevin Nolan is probably the club’s best asset, likely to play just behind Ameobi in the role that saw him score eighteen goals last season, but his efforts are unlikely to be enough. The behind-the-scenes circus which will inevitably flare up at some stage in the season will be no help either. Verdict: 18th

STOKE CITY

In two short years Stoke have established themselves as a Premier League club and are now able to start splashing cash on the likes of Kenwyne Jones, who is a little inconsistent but will bring much-needed power to the Potters’ front line. Tony Pulis has assembled a hard-working squad who may profit from other teams’ deficiencies to build further on their recent league finishes and break into the top ten. Goalkeeping is a strong point, with Thomas Sorensen and Asmir Begovic set to fight for the number 1 jersey, behind the improving Ryan Shawcross at centre-back. Backed by the loudest fans in the league, Stoke have every reason to be optimistic about their chances. Verdict: 9th

SUNDERLAND

Sunderland’s seasons have a habit of tailing off nearly as badly as Aston Villa’s, but I still feel they should do well this year. This is mostly down to Darren Bent, one of the most effective strikers in the division, who can be relied upon to hit the back of the net, and a midfield containing maturing young talents Lee Cattermole and last year’s Young Player of the Year Jordan Henderson which will be bolstered by Cristian Riveros, who was impressive for Paraguay at the World Cup. A lot will depend on how new signing 22-year-old Belgian keeper Simon Mignolet deals with being thrust straight into first-team action deputising for the injured Craig Gordon, but if Sunderland can find the season-long consistency that has eluded them for so long, then I think it will be a good year. Verdict: 8th

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

If, as is likely, Spurs overcome Young Boys of Berne to reach the Champions League group stages, then I have a feeling that they may get distracted by their European campaign and lose out on their newfound top four status. There’s plenty to be excited about at White Hart Lane, particularly former Southampton favourite Gareth Bale’s development into a devastating winger, but I think that Manchester City have gone further forward over the summer and Spurs are about where they were at the start of it. Not impossible that they can stay in the Champions League places but more likely that they just miss out. Verdict: 5th

WEST BROMWICH ALBION

Boing, boing, etc. The Baggies should continue their now-customary bouncing between the top two tiers and go straight back where they came from. Their problem remains the same as ever – chairman Jeremy Peace refuses to risk spending £10-15 million on two Premiership-quality strikers and so they don’t score enough goals in the top tier. Roberto di Matteo seems a talented young manager with a little more street smarts than the ultra-idealist Tony Mowbray but I don’t think there’s enough to work with in his squad to survive. Spanish defender Pablo, signed from Atletico Madrid, is a great transfer, though, and should be an important part of their fight against relegation. Verdict: 19th

WEST HAM UNITED

West Ham have done well to keep hold of their key players, particularly the spine of Rob Green, Matthew Upson, Scott Parker and Carlton Cole, and with Uncle Avram at the helm I think there should be some increased stability at Upton Park. That spine has been bolstered by some clever signings like dynamic German midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, pacy Mexican winger Pablo Barrera and, surprisingly, New Zealand World Cup hero Winston Reid, who scored that memorable last-gasp equaliser against Slovakia. West Ham won’t pull up any trees this season but they should be clear of the relegation places. Verdict: 15th

WIGAN ATHLETIC

Still struggling to attract many fans, Wigan are unlikely survivors in the Premier League but may escape again thanks to the low quality of the promoted teams. Roberto Martinez is commendable for trying to play stylish football on the awful pitch at the DW Stadium but has yet to have any success with it. Hugo Rodallega should score plenty of goals, although the jury is out on how well the much-feted new signing Mauro Boselli will adapt to life in Wigan. Charles N’Zogbia seems to have found his level here, as well, although rumours that he may be handing in a transfer request soon would be bad for both parties. Antolin Alcaraz and Maynor Figueroa will be reliable in defence as well. Verdict: 16th

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

Wolves finished fifteenth last year mainly thanks to the inadequacies of those around them and they should probably expect a closer brush with relegation this time around. The squad has not been particularly well strengthened (Steven Fletcher didn’t exactly set the world alight for Burnley last year) and I’m not convinced by Mick McCarthy as a top-flight manager. Goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann might be the difference between staying up and going down. Verdict: 17th

FA Cup: Manchester United

Carling Cup: Manchester City

Championship: Middlesbrough

League 1: Southampton (no, really!)

League 2: Wycombe Wanderers

Spanish Primera: Barcelona

Italian Serie A: Roma

German Bundesliga: Bayern Munich

Dutch Eredivisie: Ajax

Champions League: Chelsea

Europa League: Stuttgart

The CDB Awards: South Africa 2010

So, the greatest show on Earth has closed its curtains for another four years (at least until the first qualification match for Brazil 2014 is played in about 13 months’ time) and it’s time to have a look back at the good, the bad and the ugly of South Africa 2010 in the CDB Awards.

Best Match

For me, the most exciting match we saw over the competition was one of the most controversial games – Uruguay’s quarter-final win over Ghana could not be matched for sheer emotional drama. We were treated to some fluent attacking football by both sides, particularly by Uruguay, but Sulley Muntari’s long-range swerver just before half-time stole the initiative for the last remaining African side. Diego Forlan scored a great free-kick to equalise and both sides kept going for it, coming up pretty much on a par with each other and tiring a little. Extra time arrived and it got desperate by the end, with Ghana throwing a couple of kitchen sinks into the Uruguay box right at the death before the Hand of God 2: Hand Harder scandal. Luis Suarez’ instinctive block to deny a last-gasp winner spawned a ludicrously overblown furore, demonising the player for doing what any player (the Ghanaians included) would have done in his situation, and Asamoah Gyan’s failure to convert the penalty with the last kick of regulation play was a great shame, but you cannot deny the spectacle of it. Sebastian Abreu’s inappropriate but wonderfully ballsy chipped penalty to seal the win was the icing of the cake.

Runners-up: Slovenia 2-2 USA, Slovakia 3-2 Italy, Germany 4-1 England, Argentina 0-4 Germany, Uruguay 2-3 Germany

Best Individual Performance

Bastian Schweinsteiger’s unstoppable performance at the heart of Germany’s dismemberment of Argentina was a real highlight. It was a display of total dominance, with tough tackling that never became thuggery, sharp passing to start counterattacking moves, and involvement in two of the goals. His free-kick cross for Thomas Mueller’s opener and effortless slipping away from Angel Di Maria and Javier Pastore to supply Arne Friedrich were excellent. His performance only gets better when you consider that just one year ago, Schweinsteiger was an underachieving winger for club and country. Louis van Gaal has done wonders with him over the past season at Bayern Munich and no-one will have been prouder than him as Schweinsteiger announced himself as one of the world’s leading central midfielders.

Runners-up: Mesut Oezil (Germany 4-0 Australia), Diego Forlan (South Africa 0-3 Uruguay), Ryan Nelsen (Italy 1-1 New Zealand), Jean Beausejour (Chile 1-0 Switzerland), Thomas Mueller (Germany 4-1 England), Xabi Alonso (Germany 0-1 Spain)

The “Looks Like An Alien Sent From Outer Space To Play Just Off The Main Striker” Award

Mesut Oezil.

Best Hair

Honduras didn’t stand out for much in this tournament but fringe player (geddit?) Walter Martinez sported a breathtakingly silly dreadlock affair with the tips coloured alternately red and yellow. Stupendous effort.

Worst Individual Performance

I have never seen one player perform so badly and stay on the pitch the full ninety minutes as Wayne Rooney did for England against Algeria. He looked exhausted, uninterested and cripplingly short of ideas, and you could tell how angry he was with his outing by his outburst to the cameras at the end berating the fans for booing the team.

Runners-up: Abdelkader Ghezzal (Algeria 0-1 Slovenia), Sidney Govou (France 0-2 Mexico), John Terry (Germany 4-1 England), Felipe Melo (Netherlands 2-1 Brazil), Mark van Bommel (Netherlands 0-1 Spain)

Best Team Performance

Tough one to call, but I’m going for Spain’s slow-burning victory over Germany in the semi-final. They only won 1-0 and it was only through a Carles Puyol header from a corner, but what was so notable was the total cohesion and patience as they breezed past what had previously been the best team of the whole competition. Before the game there was reason to believe that Germany might neutralise Spain with their determined pressing all over the pitch but it turned out to be the eventual champions who took the German midfield out of the game, constantly hounding the defenders to force long balls forward, which just completely nullified Schweinsteiger, Oezil, and Sami Khedira. The scoreline suggested a close game, but it really wasn’t at all. Contrast Portgual’s 7-0 victory over North Korea where Carlos Queiroz’s side were no better than average at any stage.

Runners-up: Uruguay (vs. South Africa), New Zealand (vs. Italy), Germany (vs. Argentina)

Most Inspiring Team

Look no further than New Zealand – who would have predicted before the tournament kicked off that the All Whites would be the only team to leave South Africa with an unbeaten record? Ricki Herbert’s lower-leaguers and amateur bank clerks played with more pride than anyone else and you couldn’t help but wish they could have found that elusive goal against Paraguay which would have taken them through as group winners. Their backs-to-the-wall defensive performance to earn a draw with the holders Italy will live long in the memory.

Breakout Star of the Tournament

Turned out to be Bayern’s Thomas Mueller, the 20-year-old right-sided forward who came out of nowhere to sneak the Golden Boot with five goals and three assists. Displayed incredible poacher’s instincts to always arrive in the box at exactly the right time with lethal finishing to boot. Surely the natural successor to Miroslav Klose and now established as a world star.

Worst Team Performance

England’s dire 0-0 with Algeria wins on match alone, but France’s limp capitulation to Mexico takes the crown for its aftermath as well as the ninety minutes themselves. Literally nobody had a good game for France, utterly devoid of any desire and looking desperate to be eliminated just to get away from the clownish Raymond Domenech. Nicolas Anelka’s foul-mouthed tirade to the manager at half-time sparked a few days of hilarious self-destruction that brought such shame on everyone involved that President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed to personally conduct an investigation into the team’s performance.

Runners-up: Greece (vs. South Korea), England (vs. USA), Algeria (vs. Slovenia), Slovakia (vs. Paraguay), Switzerland (vs. Honduras), Honduras (vs. Switzerland), England (vs. Germany)

Team of the Tournament

Playing 4-2-3-1 as nearly all the successful teams did.

Iker Casillas (Spain); Philipp Lahm (Germany), Gerard Pique (Spain), Diego Lugano (Uruguay), Jorge Fucile (Uruguay); Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Sergio Busquets (Spain); Thomas Mueller (Germany), Andres Iniesta (Spain), David Villa (Spain); Diego Forlan (Uruguay)

Best Overall Player

Forlan for me was the only man to play really well in all seven games, leading his team to a fantastic fourth place finish with intelligence and flair. Never once did he dive or complain to the referee either, just got on with the job in hand. By all accounts the nicest man at the World Cup, too, always taking time to sign autographs or talk to journalists and fans.

Player Most Likely To Have Earned A Big Money Transfer

Most people will remember Luis Suarez for the handball against Ghana but don’t forget his three well-taken goals, including an absolute pearl against South Korea, his searing pace and constant willingness to get in the box and shoot. Considering his fifty-plus goals for Ajax last season, expect plenty of rumour regarding his destination in the next few weeks.

Runners-up: Mesut Oezil (Germany), Kevin-Prince Boateng (Ghana)

Goal of the Tournament

Look no further than Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s straight-as-an-arrow rocket blast against Uruguay in the semi-final. After several keepers had been caught out by the late movement of the Jabulani ball, Fernando Muslera could not complain about this one. From the moment it left his boot, it never deviated and struck perfectly off the inside of the far post and in.

Runners-up: Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa, vs. Mexico), David Villa (Spain, vs. Honduras), Fabio Quagliarella (Italy, vs. Slovakia), Keisuke Honda (Japan, vs. Denmark), David Villa (Spain, vs. Chile), Andres Iniesta (Spain, vs. Chile), Carlos Tevez (Argentina, vs. Mexic0), Miroslav Klose (Germany, vs. Argentina)

Alternative Team Of The Tournament

This is a team of players who might not have gone all the way in the tournament but still stood out as great without really getting all the praise they may have deserved. In many ways every bit as good as those who made the main team of the tournament. Also playing 4-2-3-1.

Samir Handanovic (Slovenia); John Pantsil (Ghana), Ryan Nelsen (New Zealand), Yuji Nakazawa (Japan), Carlos Salcido (Mexico); Anthony Annan (Ghana), Diego Perez (Uruguay); Landon Donovan (USA), Yasuhitu Endo (Japan), Jean Beausejour (Chile); Nelson Haedo Valdez (Paraguay)

Day 21: Wish You Were Here

The quarter-finals start tomorrow – good news for those of you who, like me, are suffering from withdrawal. While we wait for proceedings to begin again, though, I thought I’d take a look at those teams who will take no further part in South Africa 2010, having been eliminated already, and also one or two teams who didn’t qualify, whom it would have been nice to see involved in the tournament.

On the whole it’s hard to argue that the teams that failed to get out of their groups deserved to play any further part, but there are, I think, one or two notable exceptions to that statement. One side who I wish had been able to go further was the Ivory Coast. They’ll be looking at that shoddy opening match against a Portugal side who were there for the taking, and wondering how they let it finish 0-0. The last kick of the game, a conservative short corner rather than a cross into the box for someone to get a head on, is a moment that summed up a curious mentality going into that game that they realistically had to win to make sure of qualification, and so it proved. It’s something of a tragedy that probably the most talented African side the world has ever seen has been hamstrung by consecutive terrible draws at this World Cup and the last. Four years ago, they were dropped into a vicious Group of Death containing Argentina, the Netherlands, and what was then Serbia & Montenegro, an even more tricky group than they had this time around. Even if they’d qualified this summer they would have probably faced Spain. When you look at a side containing Kolo and Yaya Toure, Gervinho, Didier Zokora, you think they should be able to do well, but then you see Didier Drogba and you see a player who has such immense talent that with a slightly kinder draw he could have made history for African football. At 32, he has surely now missed his chance to make that impression on the biggest stage of all.

In a very different way it was also a great shame to see New Zealand eliminated. I think everyone took a shine to the All-Whites – written off before the tournament for being a squad comprised of lower league and amateur players, and dreaming of leaving the tournament with a point or even just a goal, they showed incredible determination and pride to bow out unbeaten, having held on for an historic draw with the world champions Italy, who they then finished above in the group standings. Their captain, Ryan Nelsen, had an immense tournament, marshalling the less experienced players like Tommy Smith and Winston Reid who also distinguished themselves against top class opposition. Reid’s last-minute equaliser in the first match against Slovakia to secure the Kiwis’ first ever World Cup point was a moment that will stick in my memory for a long time. Goalkeeper Mark Paston, coming in to the tournament second choice but playing due to Glenn Moss’ suspension, overcame a slightly nervy first game to deliver two assured performances against Italy and Paraguay, and up front young Chris Wood made a really good impression coming off the bench twice and was mere inches from scoring against Italy. It would have been wonderful to have seen them in the knockout stages.

The other team I’m sorry to have seen go was Chile. Their efforts in a losing cause against Brazil a few days ago were not as impressive as their group games, but they really were a breath of fresh air in the first phase. Marcelo Bielsa’s unwavering commitment to attacking football was delightful, and his truly original 3-3-1-3 formation was very effective. The players showed real flexibility in being able to get forward from any position or drop back when others did the same, and if only their star striker Humberto Suazo had been fitter they might have had more finishing prowess to put the icing on a fantastically entertaining cake. Alexis Sanchez seemed to draw all the plaudits from commentators and pundits but for my money the real emerging star for Chile was left winger Jean Beausejour, unoriginally nicknamed “The Frenchman” by his teammates. He showed pace, creativity, a willingness to cross whenever possible and the ability to pull it off most of the time. His goal secured the opening victory over Honduras and he was the most productive of the attacking quartet.

But what of the teams that might have, or maybe should have, been here? An obvious question is how would the Republic of Ireland have fared had they got through their controversial play-off with France? The answer, probably, is not hugely well, but let’s face it, they probably would have done better than the French. Ignoring the changes to group seedings which would have happened if France had not been present, you can’t imagine the likes of Glenn Whelan and Shane Long posing too much of a threat to Uruguay and Meixco, but the qualification alone would have been a significant achievement for Giovanni Trapattoni’s side, one that they would surely have appreciated more than the self-destructive French.

As for a team that really could have made a significant impact on the tournament but didn’t make it, look no further than African champions Egypt. The team that has won the past three Africa Cup of Nations finished inseparable with Algeria in the qualifying group requiring a one-off tie-breaker hosted in the neutral Sudan. Egypt-Algeria has always been a really spicy grudge match so it’s perhaps understandable that Egypt came out second best on the day, despite being unquestionably the best team from their continent, but I would really have liked to have seen how they fared against the rest of the world. I’m sure they would have put up a better fight than Algeria, who looked unpenetrative up front and disorganised at the back. Their squad is comprised of seriously talented players – Essam Al Hadary is by some distance the best African keeper. Ahmed El Mohammadi is an up-and-coming player who can play all along the right flank – at 22, he already has 38 caps and is moving to Sunderland this summer on a loan deal from ENPPI in Egypt. Amr Zaki and Standard Liege’s Emad Motaeb between them have 60 goals in 118 international games. And then there’s Mohammed Abou Trika, behind perhaps only Drogba, Samuel Eto’o and Michael Essien as Africa’s greatest player. It really is a great shame that they haven’t been here to contest the World Cup.

Still, they didn’t make it, and in the end it’s their own fault that they’re not. For those that did qualify, though, the action starts again tomorrow. I predict a win for Uruguay tomorrow over Ghana, but I really don’t know which way the Netherlands vs Brazil will go. My gut feeling is changing constantly, but I’ll listen to my head and say Brazil.

Day 14: I Told You They Were Pasta Their Best

Slovakia 3 – 2 Italy

Paraguay 0 – 0 New Zealand

Denmark 1 – 3 Japan

Cameroon 1 – 2 Denmark

Six groups have now been resolved as the first phase of South Africa 2010 nears its conclusion, and there was a big shock in store as the reigning champions Italy were dethroned by a Slovakia side who looked reborn after two indifferent previous games. Looks like I picked the wrong game to focus on in Paraguay-New Zealand.

I did have both games on in front of me but paid most attention to the 0-0 draw that secured Paraguay’s place at the top of the table, even after Robert Vittek scored the unlikely opener, running onto a delightful pass from Juraj Kucka after Daniele de Rossi gave away posession poorly, because from that moment on it became apparent that the only next goal that could change the shape of the table would be a New Zealand one. So I kept watching, and while the goals kept flying in at both ends on the other screen, the All Whites (today in all black) and Paraguay played out a pretty dull stalemate. Paraguay were quite a way below the levels of their previous performances. Oscar Cardozo, so prolific for Benfica this season, was neither as dynamic, energetic or effective as Lucas Barrios, who was really missed and came on as a sub too late to lift the rest of the tam. Nelson Haedo Valdez put in a shift but couldn’t get any joy and it was little surprise to see him taken off as well. They did what they had to do, though, and took the draw, certainly giving New Zealand far fewer chances than the Azzuri did a few days ago. They’ll need to rediscover that energy in the knockout stages, though.

From what I did see of the Italy defeat it looked like a real classic, though – when Vittek joined Gonzalo Higuain as the tournament’s top scorer in the second half taking advantage of a moment of indecision by Giorgio Chiellini, it seemed impossible that even Italy, who so often squeeze through through sheer force of will, would be able to recover but they came close. Fabio Quagliarella, brought on at half-time with Christian Maggio as Marcello Lippi sought to correct a poor first half, had a shot sensationally cleared just off the line by Martin Skrtel, and later was involved in a strange incident literally inside the Slovakian goal when Antonio di Natale pulled one back with ten minutes to go. Quagliarella tussled with goalkeeper Jan Mucha to pick the ball out of the net and when Kucka intervened both men ended up on the floor, Quagliarella claiming to have been hit in the face. There was little time to dwell on it, though, as soon after, Italy conceded a really soft goal, allowing substitute Kamil Kopunek to run unchecked into the path of a simple throw-in and slot easily past Federico Marchetti. Quagliarella went on to score a good goal in injury time, but Simone Pepe wasn’t able to convert a far-post chance that would have equalised and spared Italian blushes.

For Italy this will be a real kick in the teeth despite low expectations coming into this tournament. On paper they really should have got out of this group, but the ageing elements of the squad were shown up today. Fabio Cannavaro in particular finished his exceptional international career with a shocking game today, lucky to have avoided a second booking for a lunge on Marek Hamsik, and Gianluca Zambrotta and Gennaro Gattuso hauled off at half-time. Cesare Prandelli, who will now take over from Lippi, will need to do some serious spring cleaning to rejuvenate this side, many of whom are sure to be in for a savaging by the Italian press.

In Group F, however, things went pretty much to plan for the top seeds as the Netherlands confirmed top spot with a relatively painless 2-1 win over Cameroon, who leave with nothing after a really poor World Cup. Robin van Persie finally opened his account for the competition with a decent finish from a wide-ish angle and, although Samuel Eto’o equalised from the penalty spot, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar put a straightforward rebound from the returning Arjen Robben’s post-rattling shot to take the points and book a meeting with Slovakia in the next round, which is more appetising than manager Bert van Marwijk could have expected, even accounting for the massive boost that Slovakia will feel having vanquished the holders.

I was more focused on Japan’s impressive victory over a limp Denmark, however, in what was essentially the first straight knockout match of this tournament. In the early stages Japan looked content to play on the counter, as a draw would have suited them, but Denmark had few ideas up front, with Jon Dahl Tomasson particularly having a poor game. The game really came alive when Keisuke Honda netted the first absolute belter of a free-kick of this tournament, following Park Chu-Young’s more measured effort two days ago, from a huge distance out. He was helped by Thomas Sorensen, who made the first mistake of a really bad game by positioning himself badly in relation to his defensive wall, and consequently being stranded when the ball flew past him. It was a spectacular strike, though, take nothing away from it. What was incredible was that the next free-kick was even better, Yasuhito Endo producing a very David Beckham-like curler from a slightly shorter range that again Sorensen prepared badly for, placing the shortest member of the wall on the edge which made it easier for Endo. By that stage Japan looked totally dominant and the result was really a foregone conclusion from then on. It was evident that Denmark just didn’t have any ideas of how to break down a very solid Japanese defense, resorting to aimless long balls in search of Nicklas Bendtner that led to nothing.

In the second half Honda really took control of the game, causing constant trouble for Lars Jacobsen and Daniel Agger as he drifted in and out of the inside left position, and he made the third with a powerful run, keeping hold of the ball magnificently with great strength and ball control before laying it on a plate for the substitute Shinji Okazaki. This came after Denmark had pulled one back with a penalty, given slightly softly for a foul on Daniel Agger, who immediately gave the ball to Tomasson, who had showed exactly why he hadn’t scored in his past fourteen internationals, having been stuck one behind the all-time Danish goalscoring record. He did his best to avoid equalling that record, his average penalty being saved by Eiji Kawashima and nearly fluffing the rebound from a tiny distance, but luckily for him it did just trickle in. The two teams had been about equal in their previous two games but on this evidence it is impossible to argue with Japan’s qualficiation, which is their first appearance in the knockout stages not on home soil, a fine achievement for a nation that will surely grow larger as a footballing power in the coming years.

Man of the Day: Keisuke Honda really ran the show for Japan today, although Yuji Nakazawa was also brilliant at centre-back and Daisuke Matsui was an industrious, creative influence in the midfield. Robert Vittek must also get a mention for his fine example of a good poacher’s performance, but I’m sticking with Honda, who really caught the eye with a performance hinting at greater quality.

Tomorrow will probably begin with a Brazilian win over Portugal, alongside what I suspect will be a draw between North Korea and the Ivory Coast. The real fun happens in the evening, in a Group H with plenty of permutations. I don’t really see Switzerland scoring many against Honduras, and I’m going to plump for a draw there, with Spain to beat Chile and secure qualification. See you tomorrow.

Day 13: They’re Ghana Keep Going

Slovenia 0 – 1 England

USA 1 – 0 Algeria

Ghana 0 – 1 Germany

Australia 2 – 1 Serbia

It’s been a good day for the first African World Cup as Ghana reached the last sixteen ensuring that at least one nation from the continent can carry the local support into the second round. I’ll come to the Group D resolution in a few moments, after I’ve dealt with Group C, where England produced an acceptable performance to beat Slovenia and scrape through to schedule a defeat to Germany on Sunday.

If you were watching England edge Slovenia on the BBC you would be forgiven for thinking that it was the most impressive performance since records began. It is a sad indictment of just how bad the first two games have been for Fabio Capello et al that Guy Mowbray and Mark Lawrenson were purring as if they were watching Brazil circa 1970, because England were not exactly what I’d call impressive in victory. They were certainly much improved, pulling themselves together after a first few minutes that were largely in the same tone as the Algeria game. After about fifteen minutes things started to settle – Steven Gerrard actually listened to his manager’s instructions and stuck more strictly to the left wing, which allowed for better link-ups with Ashley Cole, who was one of England’s better attacking influences. James Milner, replacing Aaron Lennon, put in a much better performance than his stinker against the USA, showing the drive and work-rate he’s been putting in for Aston Villa this season, and gave much better end product than Lennon, the more natural winger, by providing some great crosses, none better than that which led to the only goal of the game. I don’t often have much to say in favour of Jermain Defoe, I’ve never really rated his ability to influence a game, but he made an excellent timed run to meet the cross and volleyed too strongly for the otherwise brilliant Samir Handanovic to save.

England continued to dominate through the first half without really creating many more great opportunities. The first twenty minutes of the second half should have seen them cement the victory though, Defoe in particular narrowly missing a chance he should have done much better with, and Handanovic being equal to a John Terry header that looked promising. But England just couldn’t pull the trigger and it became evident that Slovenia were becoming more confident from being reprieved. Towards the end things got tense as England were mostly on the defensive, and substitute Zlatko Dedic would have scored if not for an immense last-ditch tackle from Matthew Upson. England were overall worth the win, Slovenia having not really fulfilled the promise from their first half against the USA, but they will need to be far more ruthless if they are to stand a chance against a Germany side who are better all over the pitch than Slovenia (except for in goal). This performance was the minimum that is required from a side with quarter- or semi-final aspirations.

I saw very little of the USA-Algeria game but enough to recognise some shameful finishing from Rafik Djebbour for Algeria, and Jozy Altidore of the US, who blazed ridiculously over the bar from barely any distance out at all. It’s a good thing the States got the win because they had for the second time in this group had a perfectly reasonable goal disallowed, this time for offside, but the complaining that I read from some Americans on the web to the tune of “if FIFA wants us to be interested in the World Cup, stop giving us bad referees” was silly – bad referees happen to everyone. It’s part of being a fan. Anyway, I am pleased that the USA got through, I think it would have set back football in that country if they hadn’t, and they are quite a fun side to watch, more so than Slovenia. I would fancy their chances of making the quarter-finals, as well.

And so to Group D, where I would say that Ghana secured their qualification, but they didn’t really – it was thanks to Australia that they made it through. Ghana themselves lost an exciting and open game to Germany. It could have gone either way in the first half, with plenty of chances for either side and a suspicion of handball against Phillipp Lahm who blocked a goalbound header from a Ghanaian corner. Mesut Oezil was the star of the show again for Germany, making brilliant forward runs and slippery passes, and he scored the only goal of the game, an absolute belter from outside the area that Richard Kingson, who had a pretty good game generally, could do nothing to stop. Germany were clearly missing Miroslav Klose – Cacau just doesn’t seem as influential and powerful up front – but pressed their advantage in the second half as Ghana started to run out of ideas.

Ghana attacked plenty, with Kevin Prince-Boateng playing with freedom and adventure, but couldn’t quite find the goal they needed, which means that they have qualified, the first team in my memory to do so, without having scored a goal from open play. Only two Asamoah Gyan penalties have earned them their passage and it is arguable that they did not so much deserve to get through the group as Australia, who picked themselves up remarkably from their opening defeat. Gyan will need to assert himself more against the USA and those who surround him, particularly Andre Ayew, must polish their shooting boots, to find the finishing to reward their industrious midfield play.

As I say, it’s something of a shame for Australia not to have qualified. Their typically plucky effort to recover from what looked like a disastrous opening hammering at the hands of Germany culminated in a 2-1 win over Serbia that ended Radomir Antic’s hopes of leading his team to the next round. I wasn’t able to take in a great deal of the flow of the game but I was impressed by the Australian goals, two in four minutes that briefly raised hopes of the miraculous four-goal swing that they needed to displace Ghana. The first was a typical strong header from the returning Tim Cahill, exactly the sort of late run and score that Australia had hoped to use much more of before his unfortunate dismissal against Germany, and the second was a brilliant long range shot from Brett Holman, who was allowed too much space by Serbia and hit low and powerfully past Vladimir Stojkovic. Holman’s a player who I am told has been heavily criticised by Australian fans but I’ve been really impressed by what I’ve seen of him at this World Cup – I’d be interested to see what Australians now think of him. He may be their Owen Hargreaves now.

So today has set up USA-Ghana on Saturday and Germany-England on Sunday. My instinct would be to expect wins for both the group-toppers. Germany have looked far better and more cohesive than England and Oezil is exactly the sort of player who has far too much intelligence and pace for the likes of John Terry to cope with. The USA will need to match Ghana’s midfield work-rate but as long as they don’t concede any penalties I don’t see where Ghana’s goals are going to come from at this rate.

Man of the Day: Oezil. I’ve just been so impressed by him throughout the group stages and he showed today he has goalscoring power as well as creativity.

Tomorrow, Groups E and F reach their conclusion (although for some reason Group F will play the afternoon fixtures). I’m going to stick my neck out and say that draws for Italy and New Zealand against Slovakia and Paraguay respectively will see the first use of the drawing of lots to decide a World Cup elimination (though I am aware that this is unlikely, I just can’t bet against the All Whites). The Netherlands will probably field a team of reserves but Arjen Robben should be back and they should beat Cameroon who have nothing to play for, while I think Japan’s greater defensive organisation will allow them to edge out Denmark.

Day 10: Everything Turned Out All White

Slovakia 0 – 2 Paraguay

Italy 1 – 1 New Zealand

Brazil 3 – 1 Ivory Coast

It was a day to remember at the World Cup as we saw the most surprising, inspiring result so far in the tournament, as well as an impressive showing from a dark horse and some refereeing controversy.

I’ll start, as ever, with the lunchtime kick-off (only one more of those left!) and Paraguay’s routine win over Slovakia. A win was always expected Gerardo Martino’s side but it’s fair to say that we were hoping for a bit more from Slovakia and their captain Marek Hamsik in particular, their best player who was disappointing against New Zealand and completely anonymous today. Paraguay took full advantage of an off-colour Slovakian performance to comfortably record a victory that puts them in pole position to qualify (and on this form they’ll be glad to have earnt a two point cushion before facing New Zealand themselves), this time moving to the formation I was hoping to see them play with three up front, Roque Santa Cruz returning to the starting lineup. There were worries that they might not have enough width but that really wasn’t a problem at all. Nelson Haedo Valdez, in a performance that reminded me more than a little of Carlos Tevez, put in a brilliant all-action shift on the left of the forward three giving support to the full-back Claudio Morel. Neither Santa Cruz nor Lucas Barrios really took up the same role on the right flank but Slovakia were poor enough not to offer Carlos Bonet any significant resistance on his trips up from right-back. Ironically for a strikeforce that a) has been so lauded pre-tournament and b) has done quite a lot to justify that so far this tournament, none of them have scored yet, with midfielder Enrique Vera popping up to snatch the first goal in great style, latching on to a wonderful pass by Barrios to flick the ball confidently into the corner while being tackled by a Slovakian defender. For me that was the goal of the tournament so far. Cristian Riveros sealed the victory with a powerful shot, although had Oscar Cardozo and Vera not got in each other’s way just before one of them might have scored instead.

Paraguay have started really strongly, as good as Argentina I would argue, though obviously in a different way. They are solid, athletic, with clever passing and a really energetic frontline who should cause any team in this World Cup problems. Valdez in particular has been a real star.

Things may yet get more complicated for them, though, because their final group game will be against a team who will believe they can do anything – New Zealand, who made today the greatest day in their footballing history by bravely and exceptionally holding on to a 1-1 draw against holders Italy. They shocked the reigning champions by taking the lead after just six minutes, although the debate will rumble on about whether Shane Smeltz was offside when he poked it past Federico Marchetti. I was worried that their will might break when Tommy Smith conceded a soft penalty by holding Daniele De Rossi’s shirt and Vincenzo Iaquinta calmly converted the spot-kick, but they clung on until half-time and during the second half produced one of the most resilient, determined defensive performances I’ve seen in a long time. Inspired by the magnificent captain Ryan Nelsen, they blocked every shot, intercepted every pass, won every header to emerge unscathed from a barrage of Italian pressure. They might even have won it if the thoroughly impressive substitute, young Chris Wood from West Brom, had had just a little more luck when he did really well to power past two defenders and get a shot away. It was only a matter of inches away from restoring their lead.

Ricki Herbert has clearly done a fantastic job motivating this group of players, some of whom, like today’s late substitute Andy Barron, are semi-professionals who had to ask for special leave from their day jobs to play at the World Cup. They have nothing to lose and have channeled that into two performances full of pride, and now they have as good a chance as anyone to make it to the second round. Not even a spot of disappointingly blatant cheating by some Italian players when it came to feigning injury from inocuous challenges (mentioning no names, Domenico Criscito) could stop them. Italy didn’t play all that badly, either – they constantly pressed and changed their formation to keep asking questions of the All Whites. It was just that New Zealand handled everything they threw at them. There are problems for Italy going into their decider with Slovakia, though – Alberto Gilardino looked lost again today and doesn’t look like scoring any time soon, and Claudio Marchisio, supposedly one of the great hopes of this new-look younger Italian side, also had another very poor game. Marcello Lippi may be tempted to bring back an old hand or two into the starting lineup to try to ensure qualification.

The most anticipated game of the day came this evening as Brazil met the Ivory Coast. Sadly, it turned out to be both a one-sided and quite dull game, despite the scoreline. For most of the first half Brazil were unadventurous and uninteresting but too solid for the Ivorians to get anywhere, the returning and obviously below-match-fitness Dider Drogba forlorn and isolated up front, and then out of nowhere they fought their way through and Luis Fabiano hit an unstoppable shot from an improbable angle to give them the lead. It was a very impressive strike indeed, as was his second five minutes into the second half – pity it should have been disallowed for not one but two handballs as he forced his way into a shooting position. There was a laughable image that followed as the referee simply asked Fabiano if he had handled the ball. No prizes for guessing the answer, and that was that.

If it wasn’t already, the game looked totally dead and buried when Kaka suddenly remembered he was a good footballer and made a great run out wide before cutting the ball back right into the path of Elano who made it 3-0, but soon after the Galatasaray midfielder was taken off injured, having been caught painfully right on the shin bone. No word yet on if he’ll be back, but Dunga, who’s always been a big fan of Elano despite his struggles for consistent good form at club level in recent years, will have his fingers crossed. That will be especially true with Kaka suspended for the final group game against Portugal. Yes, Kaka got sent off this evening, given a ludicrous second yellow by the referee who had no view at all of the incident where Kaka simply put his arm out to ward Kader Keita off, it bumped into the Ivorian’s chest and then Keita shamefully crumpled to the floor clutching his face and screaming in “agony”. The Ivory Coast, seeing their teammate on the floor, appealed, then started a stupid scuffle with the Brazilians as they tried to remonstrate with Kaka, and the referee, who had been looking the other way and therefore could not fairly give a card for the matter (which of course was nowhere near a booking anyway), judged by their reaction and showed the Real Madrid man his second yellow. It was disgraceful refereeing, and astonishingly we are now at nine red cards in just ten days.

Man of the Day: Honourable mention to Nelson Haedo Valdez but the best player today was Ryan Nelsen, who was always one step ahead of Italy and who marshalled a less experienced defence to a stirring result. I can’t help but also give shoutouts to Mark Paston, Winston Reid, Tommy Smith, Simon Elliott, Leo Bertos and Ivan Vicelich – it really was an oustanding performance all over the pitch for the All Whites.

Tomorrow, an iffy Portugal may just struggle against North Korea but will probably depressingly scrape it 1-0 or some such, Chile should beat Switzerland and I fancy Spain to regain some confidence by giving Honduras a mighty battering, and then that’ll be that for round two of the group stage!

Day 9: Eto’Oh No!

Netherlands 1 – 0 Japan

Ghana 1 – 1 Australia

Cameroon 1 – 2 Denmark

Nine days in and we have both our first confirmed qualification and first elimination of this World Cup, in Group E where results combined to ensure the Netherlands’ passage into the round of sixteen and also confirm the exit of the first African nation, Cameroon.

The Dutch played first and though they had to wait a few hours to get confirmation of their qualification, they knew after their 1-0 win over Japan that they had almost certainly done enough. Their performance was pretty much a carbon copy of their last, with the same problems occuring, specifically trying to put Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart in the same team. With Arjen Robben still not available I would have turned to Eljero Elia to start on the left, who was excellent when he came on against Denmark and did reasonably well again today as a substitute. There was a definite feeling that Bert van Marwijk was being unnecessarily conservative by picking the same eleven that beat Denmark, as Japan were clearly going to set up to defend and so fielding two holding midfielders in Nigel de Jong and Mark van Bommel didn’t really make much sense. Indeed it might have helped van der Vaart to fit in if he and Sneijder were playing centrally in a midfield three and Elia was allowed to work the left hand side.

In any case the Dutch got the win they needed and Sneijder’s goal was a pretty good one, even if he was given a little help by Eiji Kawashima’s poor attempt to grasp the shot. They haven’t really got going in the same way that Argentina and Mexico have, though, and so will want to step it up against Cameroon before facing a tough Italy- or Paraguay-shaped opponent in the second round.

The first African side has been eliminated today and after a really disappointing game this afternoon, Ghana, who have the most realistic remaining chance of qualifying, made it a real possibility that none of this continent’s teams will get through. I really hope that doesn’t happen because the home fans have obviously been disheartened by South Africa’s nearly confirmed exit and if they don’t have an African team to support in the knockout stages that would be a huge shame, which would hurt the tournament as a whole.

Ghana really did miss a trick this afternoon, though, playing three quarters of the game against the ten men of Australia, who this time could have no complaints about the red card. Harry Kewell’s handball on the line was so blatant that it was funny and a little pathetic watching him plead with the referee to look at the big screen for the replay. The Aussies were angry because the penalty it led to, converted brilliantly once again by Asamoah Gyan, canceled out the great work they put in the first twenty minutes, including Brett Holman’s inspiring snatched goal after Richard Kingson fumbled Mark Bresciano’s clever free-kick. Holman may have his critics among the Australian supporters but I though he did really well in the Tim Cahill role today and deserved his goal. As Ghana sat back and refused to press their advantage, content to endlessly shoot from long range rather than push hard and try to wear their opponents out, Australia did well to come back into the game and in the end were the more likely winners. The substitutes Scott Chipperfield and particularly Josh Kennedy gave fresh impetus and each had good chances to sneak a winner. Australia still stand the worst chance of qualification – I expect Serbia to play more intelligently against them than Ghana – but have at least given themselves that chance after looking lost following their opener. Ghana, meanwhile, must play Germany in the final game, and need to win to guarantee qualification. Playing for the draw would be ill-advised against Germany.

As I said, I do hope they get through, because one of my better hopes for an African qualifier, Cameroon, are now definitely out as a result of a really exciting battle with Denmark. In a game littered with mistakes it was Christian Poulsen who gifted the opener to Cameroon, his lazy backpass intercepted by the opposition and given to Samuel Eto’o, who doesn’t miss those kinds of opportunities. Denmark fought back well, though, with two good goals, the first a great long-range hoick by Simon Kjaer into the path of the outstanding Dennis Rommedahl who pulled it back across goal for Nicklas “I’m One Of The Best Players In The World” Bendtner to tap in. The second was down to poor defensive work by Jean Makoun more than anything, standing stock still as Rommedahl ran at him, cut inside and slotted uncomplicatedly past Souleymanou Hamidou at the far post. Cameroon didn’t lose heart like they did against Japan and pressed solidly for the last fifteen minutes, and came closest to an equaliser when Thomas Sorensen, capable as always, saved brilliantly at the last minute from Achille Emana who’d made a great run in.

Now Denmark and Japan will duel for the second spot in the next round in a tie that could probably go either way, though I would lean towards Japan who seem better organised all over the pitch.

Man of the Day: Dennis Rommedahl can blow hot and cold but had a very good day today, tormenting Benoit Assou-Ekotto on the Danish right flank. His blistering pace made the first goal and scored the second.

Tomorrow, Paraguay should have too much for Slovakia, Italy will probably put a few goals past New Zealand, and I have a feeling Brazil may embarrass the Ivory Coast.

Day 5: Ki-we didn’t see that coming…

New Zealand 1 – 1 Slovakia

Ivory Coast 0 – 0 Portugal

Brazil 2 – 1 North Korea

Due to outside circumstances I wasn’t able to devote my complete attention to all the games today but luckily there were only a handful of important moments rather than entire games of tension and excitement. New Zealand versus Slovakia encompassed this completely. The first half wasn’t much of a spectacle but that played right into the Kiwis’ hands. They started solidly and determinedly, not giving much away to the Slovakians who enjoyed the majority of posession. Slovakia seemed a little low on ideas. Captain Marek Hamsik tried his hardest and Vittek took his chance well to open the scoring but they would have been flattered by a 1-0 win and so justice was done in dramatic fashion as, in the 93rd minute, right-back and former Danish under-21 international Winston Reid ran up to the opposition box to head home and secure the Kiwis’ first ever World Cup point. That was a great moment to watch as the New Zealand players went nuts.

But crikey, Ivory Coast – Portugal. That was dull as dishwater. We probably should have seen it coming – of course neither team wanted to lose that game and were always going to play cautiously, but I suppose I assumed that both sides’ being loaded with attack-minded players would override that. Bloody Ronaldo’s early long range shot that rattled the crossbar was probably the best chance of the match although by my reckoning the Ivorian forwards were more impressive, giving some hope if they have to start without Drogba again in the big game next up against Brazil. He didn’t seem to have much more to offer when he did eventually make it on, either. A just result all told, neither team deserved to get more than a point out of that, and seeing as both sides clearly would have taken 0-0 before the game, it leaves you wondering exactly why they bothered playing it at all.

Speaking of Brazil, we all expected them to beat North Korea in the final game tonight but it certainly wasn’t supposed to be quite so close. The Koreans went into half time at 0-0 having admirably kept the samba stars at bay, their five-man defensive line standing firm against admittedly a Brazil team somewhat lacking in inspiration, and once or twice nearly got star striker Jong Tae-se through on goal. When Maicon put Dunga’s team into the lead 10 minutes into the second half with a tight-angled strike that swerved in enough to raise questions over whether he really meant it, you did feel that it was inevitable, and there were understandable worries that it would cause a landslide as the Koreans’ work came to naught, but to their credit they kept going and even after they conceded a second (Elano’s fabulous one-touch finish one of the best goals so far this tournament)  you couldn’t help but smile when they grabbed a late consolation. The delight on Ji Yun-Nam’s face was a joy to see, doing justice to the one North Korean fan’s poster saying “forget politics for 90 minutes”. I certainly did.

Man of the Day: Robinho’s second half against North Korea saw him express himself very well and he threaded through a pinpoint pass of real class for Elano’s second goal. Probably the standout performance for me today.

Tomorrow, Honduras should lose to Chile, my picks Spain should get a good result against an average Switzerland, and then the hosts South Africa face Uruguay in what might be a tight game. My feeling is another draw.

Day 4: No Pun Found

Netherlands 2 – 0 Denmark

Japan 1 – 0 Cameroon

Italy 1 – 1 Paraguay

Netherlands midfielder Rafael van der Vaart summed up his team’s performance yesterday quite well – “Germany played like us and we played like them”. The Dutch opened their campaign with a game less full of attacking penetration than we expected but kept the ball well and in the end comfortably saw off Denmark. The Danes were a little unlucky that Simon Poulsen’s own goal, a pretty dreadful attempt at a headed clearance that went completely the wrong direction and rebounded off one of his teammates into the net, came just after half time, as it visibly deflated them when they would have hoped to be at their brightest. In the first half Denmark had been growing into the game, fashioning a chance or two for Nicklas Bendtner (albeit chances finished in true Bendtner style) and you felt that if they started the second half strongly that an upset could have been on the cards. Their Plan B never materialised after conceding, though, and the match was almost surrended entirely when Morten Olsen withdrew Bendtner to avoid any reoccurance of an injury after just an hour.

Van der Vaart himself had an average game, taking so badly to his role as Robben’s replacement on the left wing that Wesley Sneijder had to be moved out of his most influential position in the hole to let van der Vaart come back inside. It wasn’t until the young winger Eljero Elia replaced him that the Dutch looked really potent up front, with Elia immediately making an impact. He tore the Danish right back Lars Jacobsen to shreds on more than one occasion with blistering pace, great ball control and one or two sumptuous teasing balls into the box. He was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet with the dinked shot that came off the post for Dirk Kuyt to wrap up the victory.

Elia’s performance was certainly much more assured and exciting than anything in Japan’s 1-0 victory over Cameroon, which for a long time was a very very dull game indeed. Japan were set up for the 0-0 from the get-go and Cameroon were quite clearly set up in a way that didn’t play to their strengths, with Samuel Eto’o stranded out on the right wing and never brought back inside. It’s all very well him filling that role at Inter where his central striker is Diego Milito, but when he’s the best player in his team by miles, giving his best job to Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is just not good enough. Major mistake by Paul Le Guen. Credit must go begrudginly to Japan, though, who at least looked more determined once Keisuke Honda’s goal shocked everyone out of their comas, and deserved their three points having held on well. Cameroon’s Stephane Mbia must also be mentioned for hitting the best long shot we’ve seen so far in the tournament, crashing against the corner of the crossbar and post just before stoppage time.

Speaking of teams obviously not playing to their strengths, I was surprised by Paraguay, who I would have expected to play more of a 4-3-3 to take advantage of their excellent strength in depth up front. They wouldn’t have needed to sacrifice their hard-working defensiveness as the three man midfield could have gotten behind the ball when Italy were in posession, but the best way to test an ageing Italian defense would surely to have started Oscar Cardozo, who’s a really gifted player, alongside Barrios and Valdez and really ask questions of Al-Ahli-bound Fabio Cannavaro. I would only have been more encouraged to do this in the second half when Federico Marchetti had to replaced Buffon in the Italian goal after the great Gigi suffered a back injury (he’s expected to be fit for the next match, by the way).

That aside, Paraguay played well although the Italian equaliser clearly took the wind out of their sails in a big way. You felt as the game drew to a close that Italy could score at any moment but Paraguay managed to cling on to what will end up as a good point for both teams. They had the better of a slightly off-colour Italy side for much of the game, until Mauro Camoranesi was introduced to make a more orthodox 4-4-2 and allow Iaquinta to play in his more natural role through the middle. Aureliano Torres provided some great deliveries from set plays, none more so than the free-kick that set up Paraguay’s goal, centre-back Alcaraz heading home confidently, and they will be confident on this form of beating both other teams in the group and maybe managing to top the table.

Man of the Day: Simone Pepe impressed me today, as did Thomas Sorensen, but the standout performance was Elia’s, who totally transformed the Netherlands when he came on and terrorised Lars Jacobsen and the rest of the Danish defence. He should have made enough of a case to start the next game if Robben isn’t available again.

Later today I fancy New Zealand to snatch a draw with Slovakia, the Ivory Coast should beat Portugal (please! I drew them in a sweepstake), and Brazil should royally thump North Korea. We could finally see some serious goal action.

World Cup Guide: Group F Preview

GROUP F

ITALY

FIFA World Ranking: 5

Team Colours: Blue shirts with white trim and a strange and complex darker blue pattern on the front, blue shorts with white trim, blue socks with white trim. Away kit is white shirts with blue and gold trim, white shorts with blue trim, white socks. Both kits have a snazzy Italian flag on the front of the waistband.

Manager: Marcello Lippi is one of the managers who commands the most respect on the world stage. The only coach to have won both the Champions League and the World Cup, he was named by the Times as one of the top 50 managers of all time. He returned to the Italian job (heh heh) after two years out having led them to victory in Germany four years ago, following Roberto Donadoni’s uninspiring reign culminating in a quarter-final exit in Euro 2008. In Lippi’s book Il Gioco delle Idee: Pensieri e Passioni da Bordo Campo (A Game of Ideas: Thoughts and Passions from the Sidelines), he discussed his managerial philosophies, including primarily the importance of team spirit and unity, and picking players who have good relations with each other and can work together effectively, saying “the best team does not necessarily include the best players”.

Form: Unbeaten Italy finished comfortably top of their group, six points ahead of the Republic of Ireland, though they did not particularly dazzle. Pragmatism and efficiency were the watchwords with attacking verve a little lacking. Recent friendly results have been underwhelming, too, with Cameroon holding them 0-0, Switzerland hanging on for a 1-1 draw and Mexico beating the Azzuri in Brussels. Italian fans, however, are optimistic.

Captain: At 36, and heading to Al-Ahli Dubai at the end of this tournament, centre-back Fabio Cannavaro is entering the final phase of his career. Originally he intended to retire from international duty at the end of Euro 2008 but when a last-minute injury kept him out of that competition he resolved to come back and lead his country’s defence of the World Cup, but while his class and experience remain, there have been signs this season that he may be a fading force physically, having been part of a leaky Juventus defence which was at times seriously exposed as the Old Lady finished a disappointing 7th in Serie A.

Key Man: The obvious choice would be Gianluigi Buffon, still only 32, but, from what I can see, far more important is midfielder Daniele De Rossi, the heir apparent to Francesco Totti’s captain’s armband at Roma. The all-action central midfielder is an excellent well-rounded player with a great physical presence, plenty of skill and an iron will. I’ve not been his biggest fan since he introduced himself to me with an ugly elbow against the USA that earned him a red card, and that wasn’t really an isolated incident (playing next to Gennaro Gattuso must have rubbed off on him), but it’s impossible not to respect this hugely gifted player. At 26, De Rossi is reaching the peak of his powers and, surrounded by the ageing, fading Gattuso, Pirlo and Camoranesi, he needs to be the man running the show if Italy are to go far.

Man to Watch: He’ll start on the bench behind Alberto Gilardino, but 25-year-old Sampdoria striker Giampaolo Pazzini is definitely one to keep an eye on. After four slightly frustrating years at Fiorentina, Pazzini has found a new lease of life with the resurgent Sampdoria where in two years and 56 games he’s already scored 30 goals, drawing the attentions of several Champions League clubs. Strong and imposing, he has combined to great effect with omitted troublemaker Antonio Cassano at club level and could prove a similar foil for the similarly creative Antonio Di Natale if given the chance by Lippi.

Prediction: I’m not quite sure what to think about Italy. On paper they look impressive but their form over the last year has been less than that, and their older generation is definitely fading. They should definitely be solid enough to top their group but when it comes to the knockout stages I think they could be vulnerable to an upset by a team with enough pace and dynamism in midfield. My head says they’ll be out in the quarters at the hands of the Spanish – my gut is making noises about Denmark in the second round.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)

12. Federico Marchetti (Cagliari)

14. Morgan De Sanctis (Napoli)

Defenders

2. Christian Maggio (Napoli)

3. Domenico Criscito (Genoa)

4. Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)

5. Fabio Cannavaro, captain (Al-Ahli Dubai)

13. Salvatore Bochetti (Genoa)

19. Gianluca Zambrotta (A.C. Milan)

23. Leonardo Bonucci (Bari)

Midfielders

6. Daniele De Rossi (Roma)

7. Simone Pepe (Udinese)

8. Gennaro Gattuso (A.C. Milan)

15. Claudio Marchisio (Juventus)

16. Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus)

17. Angelo Palombo (Sampdoria)

21. Andrea Pirlo (A.C. Milan)

22. Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina)

Forwards

9. Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus)

10. Antonio Di Natale (Udinese)

11. Alberto Gilardino (Fiorentina)

18. Fabio Quagliarella (Napoli)

20. Giampaolo Pazzini (Sampdoria)

PARAGUAY

FIFA World Ranking: 31

Team Colours: Red shirts with white vertical stripes and trim, blue shorts with white trim, blue socks with white trim. Away kit is white shirts with blue and red trim, white shorts with blue and red trim, white socks with blue trim.

Manager: Nominated by fans of Newell’s Old Boys in his native Argentina as the club’s greatest ever player, Gerardo Martino nonetheless only made one appearance in the blue and white of his national side. Since retiring from playing in 1996, Martino has spent several short spells managing several clubs in the Argentinian and Paraguayan leagues, leading to his appointment as Paraguay manager in early 2007. Since then he has presided ably over Paraguay’s most successful qualification since the current South American system was introduced.

Form: For the first time in the current CONMEBOL qualification system, Paraguay broke the 30 point barrier to finish third on 33 points behind only Brazil and Chile, and tied with Chile for the most wins (10). They sealed their trip to South Africa by beating Argentina, prompting the President to declare a national holiday in celebration. Their recent friendlies have been a mixed bag, dominating posession but unable to prevent a defeat by the Republic of Ireland, earning a hard-fought draw with the Ivory Coast, and then dispatching Greece 2-0 in their most recent game.

Captain: Described by the BBC’s South American football correspondent Tim Vickery as “the Paraguayan Nobby Stiles”, 35-year-old centre-back Denis Caniza is the only Paraguayan footballer to be selected for four World Cup squads, having appeared first at France 98. He was voted captain by his international teammates so enjoys their total respect, although he does have to be described as “captain when he plays” for the amount of games that he has a habit of missing through niggling injuries and suspensions.

Key Man: With Manchester City’s Roque Santa Cruz injured for most of the qualification campaign it was Benfica’s Oscar Cardozo who stepped up to lead the line for Paraguay, and he did so ably, partnered with Nelson Haedo Valdez and between them the two scored 11 goals. Cardozo, though, will be the main threat up front, having scored a monstrous 38 goals in all competitions for Benfica this season. He has a frightening goals-to-games ratio of nearly 2 in 3 for his club. Primarily a left-footed player, Cardozo is tall and strong and has an explosive long-range shot.

Man to Watch: Paraguayan fans are less than thrilled that Argentinian-born Lucas Barrios is playing for Paraguay these days, but politics aside, the Borussia Dortmund striker is an exciting prospect. He’s already scored 3 goals in 3 games for his adopted country, having moved to Dortmund off the back of a mind-blowing 49 goals in 53 games for Chilean side Colo-Colo. Due to Paraguay’s embarrassment of riches up front he may start on the bench but you can be sure that he will get some playing time this summer and if given a chance in the box, he’ll almost certainly take it.

Prediction: Paraguay look very strong this year, boasting an experienced side with lots of attacking firepower to juggle around, and should have no trouble qualifying for the second round. I wouldn’t rule out them getting a result against Italy, either, but I suspect they will probably come second and thus face the Netherlands in the round of sixteen. That should be a fascinating match but my money would be on the Dutch there, whose similarly varied attacking talent should expose their main weakness, goalkeeper Justo Villar who is a little short and vulnerable in the air. This should definitely be their strongest showing yet, though.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. Justo Villar (Valladolid)

12. Diego Barreto (Cerro Porteno)

22. Aldo Bobadilla (Independiente Medellin)

Defenders

2. Dario Veron (Pumas)

3. Claudio Morel (Boca Juniors)

4. Denis Caniza, captain (Leon)

5. Julio Cesar Caceres (Atletico Mineiro)

6. Carlos Bonet (Olimpia)

14. Paulo da Silva (Sunderland)

17. Aureliano Torres (San Lorenzo)

21. Antolin Alcaraz (Wigan)

Midfielders

8. Edgar Barreto (Atalanta)

11. Jonathan Santana (Wolfsburg)

13. Enrique Vera (Atlas)

15. Victor Caceres (Libertad)

16. Cristian Riveros (Sunderland)

20. Nestor Ortigoza (Argentinos Juniors)

Forwards

7. Oscar Cardozo (Benfica)

9. Roque Santa Cruz (Manchester City)

10. Edgar Benitez (Pachuca)

18. Nelson Haedo Valdez (Borussia Dortmund)

19. Lucas Barrios (Borussia Dortmund)

23. Rodolfo Gamarra (Libertad)

NEW ZEALAND

FIFA World Ranking: 78

Team Colours: White shirts with black trim, white shorts, white socks with black trim. Away kit is the inverse.

Manager: 49-year-old Ricki Herbert is a veteran of New Zealand’s only previous appearance at the World Cup (Spain 1982) and currently manages not just the All Whites (the irony of a team with that nickname coming to South Africa is not lost on anyone) but also Wellington Phoenix, the New Zealand representative in the Australian A-League. He was also the first Kiwi to play in England, having made 45 appearances for Wolves between 1984 and 1986. His achievement in bringing New Zealand to South Africa has earned him plenty of popularity with the fans.

Form: As expected, New Zealand had no trouble in winning the Oceanian qualifying section, where their closest rivals were New Caledonia, but faced a tougher test in the shape of Bahrain in the playoff with the fifth-placed Asian team. In a hard-fought tie, the first leg away in Bahrain finished 0-0 before Rory Fallon scored the winner on home soil with a headed goal on the stroke of half time, and goalkeeper Mark Paston made a heroic penalty save early in the second half to seal the success. They’ve put in some determined performances in the build-up friendlies, which did include losses to Australia and Slovenia, but also a surprise 1-0 win against strong-looking Serbia.

Captain: Reliable Blackburn central defender and captain Ryan Nelsen is one of the most capable players in the New Zealand line-up, and has been a revelation in recent years for the Lancashire club after they picked him up on a free transfer from MLS side D.C. United. He will need to be an absolute rock for the Kiwis if they are to spring any surprises in South Africa.

Key Man: Voted New Zealand Footballer of the Year in 2007 ahead of Nelsen and then-Celtic forward Chris Killen, forward Shane Smeltz became the first footballer to play for admirable fans’ club AFC Wimbledon to win an international cap. He’s scored 16 goals in 30 games for the All Whites, including the only goal in the recent friendly victory over Serbia, and the German-born striker, now playing for Gold Coast United, should start up front for the Kiwis.

Man to Watch: Highly-rated West Brom striker Chris Wood has been prolific for the Baggie’s youth and reserve sides and at just 17 years old last year became only the fifth New Zealander to play in the Premier League. Now 18, and with a long-term professional contract with the side now returning to the top division, the youngest member of the Kiwi squad will be on the lookout for his first international goal, and could be a secret weapon for Herbert.

Prediction: It’s going to be tough for this New Zealand side but they are not incapable of surprising people. They will be largely unknown to their opponents and have nothing to lose, but realistically they would be delighted to get more than a point in this group. Italy and Paraguay should make short work of them.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. Mark Paston (Wellington Phoenix)

12. Glen Moss (Melbourne Victory)

23. James Bannatyne (Team Wellington)

Defenders

2. Ben Sigmund (Wellington Phoenix)

3. Tony Lochhead (Wellington Phoenix)

4. Winston Reid (FC Midtjylland)

5. Ivan Vicelich (Auckland City)

6. Ryan Nelsen, captain (Blackburn Rovers)

18. Andrew Boyens (New York Red Bulls)

19. Tommy Smith (Ipswich Town)

Midfielders

7. Simon Elliott (unattached)

8. Tim Brown (Wellington Phoenix)

11. Leo Bertos (Wellington Phoenix)

13. Andy Barron (Team Wellington)

15. Michael McGlinchey (Motherwell)

16. Aaron Clapham (Canterbury United)

17. David Mulligan (unattached)

21. Jeremy Christie (FC Tampa Bay)

22. Jeremy Brockie (Newcastle Jets)

Forwards

9. Shane Smeltz (Gold Coast United)

10. Chris Killen (Middlesbrough)

14. Rory Fallon (Plymouth Argyle)

20. Chris Wood (West Brom)

SLOVAKIA

FIFA World Ranking: 34

Team Colours: Blue shirts with white trim, blue shorts with white trim, blue socks. Away kit is the inverse.

Manager: Vladimir Weiss’ father, Vladimir Weiss, represented Czechoslovakia at international level, Weiss himself played for both Czechoslovakia and Slovakia, and his son, Vladimir Weiss, is in the Slovakia squad for the World Cup. You got all that? Good. The middle Vladimir was a reasonably successful footballer in the Slovakian leagues and has managed Saturn in Moscow and Artmedia Bratislava, closer to home, thrice, even leading them into the Champions League group stages in 2005-06.

Form: Slovakia surprised many by topping qualification group 3 ahead of Poland, the Czech Republic and fellow surprise qualifiers Slovenia, who beat Weiss’ side home and away to make top spot far from a done deal. Automatic qualification was secured eventually by a 1-0 win in Poland, coming after other impressive away wins in Prague and Belfast. They lost 1-0 to Norway in a friendly in March but more recently drew with Cameroon and thumped Costa Rica 3-0 to put themselves in decent nick ahead of the tournament opener against New Zealand.

Captain: 22-year-old Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik is one of the hottest properties in European football. He’s an attacking central midfielder who can also play on the left if required with exceptional vision and passing and an eye for goal, too, with 30 goals for his club and 8 for the national side in 30 appearances. He is very much the leading light for Slovakia and is a good tip for the player most likely to make a big-money move on the back of his World Cup performance.

Key Man: Bochum striker Stanislav Sestak is the main man going forward for Slovakia, with a goal every three games to his name in national colours. His two late goals in quick succession turned a 1-0 loss at home to Poland into a vital victory early in the qualifying campaign and he will be relied upon for similar heroics this summer. The 5’11″ striker scored six in qualifying and can also play on the right wing.

Man to Watch: Alongside the much-hyped Hamsik will be his creative midfield partner, Ankaragucu’s January signing Marek Sapara, who twice won the Norwegian league title with former club Rosenborg. Sapara has not been a regular in the Slovakian side since his debut in 2005, but is a solid, determined player with a clever dribble and wide range of passing. If Hamsik makes the headlines chances are Sapara will be just behind him keeping things going in midfield.

Prediction: Slovakia will be confident following their qualifying group win but for my money they look a little less well-rounded than Slovenia, who they edged out in that group. With Hamsik and Sestak they should have some attacking potency but against the Italian and Paraguayan strikeforces I think their defence will buckle. A gallant third in the group.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. Jan Mucha (Legia Warsaw)

12. Dusan Pernis (Dundee United)

23. Dusan Kuciak (Vaslui)

Defenders

2. Peter Pekarik (Wolfsburg)

3. Martin Skrtel (Liverpool)

4. Marek Cech (West Brom)

5. Radoslav Zabavnik (Mainz)

16. Jan Durica (Lokomotiv Moscow)

21. Kornel Salata (Slovan Bratislava)

22. Martin Petras (Cesena)

Midfielders

6. Zdeno Strba (Xanthi)

7. Vladimir Weiss (Manchester City)

8. Jan Kozak (Timisoara)

10. Marek Sapara (Ankaragucu)

15. Miroslav Stoch (Chelsea)

17. Marek Hamsik, captain (Napoli)

19. Juraj Kucka (Sparta Prague)

20. Kamil Kopunek (Spartak Trnava)

Forwards

9. Stanislav Sestak (Bochum)

11. Robert Vittek (Lille)

13. Filip Holosko (Besiktas)

14. Martin Jakubko (Saturn)

18. Erik Jendrisek (Schalke)

Il Gioco delle Idee: Pensieri e Passioni da Bordo Campo (A Game of Ideas: Thoughts and Passions from the Sidelines)Fo

World Cup Guide: Group D Preview

GROUP D

GERMANY

FIFA World Ranking: 6

Team Colours: White shirts with black trim and a single gold vertical stripe, black shorts with white trim, white socks with black trim. Away kit is black shirt with white and red trim, white shorts with black and red trim, black socks with white trim.

Manager: Joachim “Jogi” Loew succeeded Jurgen Klinsmann following Germany’s third place finish at the 2006 World Cup and started well by guiding the team to the final of Euro 2008, although by coming second to Spain they fell short of Loew’s stated aim of winning that competition. He had also pledged to continue the attacking brand of football introduced by Klinsmann but has perhaps faltered a little from that compared to his predecessor. The snappily-dressed manager has been accused of disrupting squad harmony during the qualifying campaign by bringing in newer faces to spark internal competition.

Form: Germany were unbeaten in qualifying, comfortably taking top spot in their group by beating second-placed Russia 1-0 in Moscow in the penultimate match, and only conceded five goals during that campaign. Their pre-tournament friendlies have gone well, including a 3-0 win over Hungary and a 3-1 victory against Bosnia & Hercegovina who were impressive nearly men in qualifying. Their plans have been disrupted by the loss of captain Michael Ballack, though.

Captain: Stepping into Ballack’s sizeable shoes is 26-year-old right-back Philipp Lahm, who is one of only nine players in the squad with more than twelve caps. He scored the memorable opening goal of the last World Cup in the opening game against Costa Rica with an absolute pearl of a long-range shot, but is not usually known for his scoring. He can also operate as a winger, though, which tells you about his attacking ability. He is also a very solid defender, though, and will be a reliable player for his team. It remains to be seen whether he will take to the captaincy.

Key Man: It has to be the man who fills Ballack’s role in a positional sense, Bastian Schweinsteiger. He will be more familiar to non-Germany fans as the bustling wide player who lacked a little in end product from previous international tournaments, but in the last season Louis van Gaal has transformed the Bayern midfielder into a central player who can both win the ball and spray it around as a playmaker. He would have played alongside Ballack but will now be thrust into the spotlight as the most experienced midfielder by far and needs to translate his excellent club form into a talismanic performance for Germany.

Man to Watch: Germany’s midfield is highly inexperienced but it does contain a quartet of rapidly rising stars – it’s hard to choose between Stuttgart general Sami Khedira, who will likely start alongside Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos, the attacking midfielder who has impressed, scoring 1 in 4, on his now-finished 18-month loan to Bayer Leverkusen from Bayern, and Marko Marin, the Bosnian-born Werder Bremen winger, but the most exciting of all is Mesut Oezil, the 21-year-old also playing for Bremen who exudes the most natural finesse of all four. He’s very forward-thinking with a gifted left foot and an eye for goal. Of the four, he is most likely to dazzle for Germany this summer, but all four need to be ready for the big time if the decision to leave behind more experienced heads is to pay off.

Prediction: Germany’s problems are twofold – first is the astonishingly young and inexperienced squad, most obvious in goal where the first-choice keeper, Manuel Neuer, has just 5 caps which is as many as his two deputies put together. The second is up front, where Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski and Mario Gomez are all very much out of form and their backups have little international pedigree. At least Loew has six of them to play around with, but it may take too much time to find a successful combination. There’s no doubt that this Germany team is the most vulnerable one for many years, and they have been dealt a tough group. They should be relatively evenly matched with Serbia and it will probably come down to who can get the best results against the other two teams, and I suspect Germany may just edge that, but I can see a second-round exit looming against probably the USA.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. Manuel Neuer (Schalke)

12. Tim Wiese (Werder Bremen)

22. Hans-Jorg Butt (Bayern Munich)

Defenders

2. Marcell Jansen (Hamburg)

3. Arne Friedrich (Hertha Berlin)

4. Dennis Aogo (Hamburg)

5. Serdar Tasci (Stuttgart)

14. Holger Badstuber (Bayern Munich)

16. Philipp Lahm, captain (Bayern Munich)

17. Per Mertesacker (Werder Bremen)

20. Jerome Boateng (Manchester City)

Midfielders

6. Sami Khedira (Stuttgart)

7. Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich)

8. Mesut Ozil (Werder Bremen)

15. Piotr Trochowski (Hamburg)

18. Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich)

21. Marko Marin (Werder Bremen)

Forwards

9. Stefan Kießling (Bayer Leverkusen)

10. Lukas Podolski (FC Koln)

11. Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich)

13. Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)

19. Cacau (Stuttgart)

23. Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich)

AUSTRALIA

FIFA World Ranking: 20

Team Colours: Yellow shirts with green sleeves and a white horizontal stripe across the chest, green shorts, yellow socks. Away kit is dark blue with lighter blue sleeves and a yellow horizontal stripe across the chest, dark blue shorts, dark blue socks.

Manager: Dutchman Pim Verbeek was assistant to Guus Hiddink at South Korea for the 2002 World Cup and was in the same post under Dick Advocaat in 2006, but took the Australia job in 2007 after Hiddink left it behind. He will be leaving it himself at the conclusion of the tournament to take up a youth development post with the Moroccan national side. Verbeek has been a vocal critic of the Australian A-League, frequently calling it out on its lack of quality and criticising national team midfielder Jason Culina’s decision to move back there from PSV.

Form: Australia were the second team not called South Africa to qualify for the finals, and did so just one hour after Japan, whom they eventually overtook in their group as they comfortably made it to the tournament. They were unbeaten in the final phase of qualifying despite one or two close calls, particularly against Bahrain where they were thoroughly outplayed but managed to sneak a 1-0 win. They looked poor in their lucky 2-1 victory over neighbours New Zealand and yesterday’s lacklustre loss to the US, though.

Captain: Lucas Neill moved to Galatasaray in January having spent 15 years in England. The 32-year-old right-back can be a little hotheaded and dirty sometimes but is hugely committed to the cause and has generally been reliable for his country. He is perhaps the most robust of the Australian defenders and will need to be on top form to keep Australia from being caught out at the back.

Key Man: Everton midfielder Tim Cahill is a level above the rest of the squad in terms of ability and if he doesn’t play well, Australia have little chance of escaping from this group of arguably more lethal death than Group G. His specialty is late runs into the box to meet a cross with his head, but has a good shot on him as well and plenty of energy to run a game at his tempo. He has a dazzling scoring record of 20 in 40 caps for the Socceroos. A little injury prone, though.

Man to Watch: The only other man who could potentially earn Australia points on his own is goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, who at 37 shows no sign of declining following another outstanding season at the heart of Fulham’s European adventure and finding himself rumoured to be the subject of interest from Arsenal. Always solid and occasionally spectacular, Schwarzer could benefit from a group in which no team contains a world class goal threat.

Prediction: Australia should not be short of effort but do lack quality and strength in depth, particularly up front where their only three forwards are a one-trick beanpole (Josh Kennedy), a fading cripple (Harry Kewell), and a relatively untried winger (Nikita Rukavytsya). They need Cahill and Schwarzer to be on fire to stand a chance of getting out of this group, and the smart money says they should come last here.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. Mark Schwarzer (Fulham)

12. Adam Federici (Reading)

18. Brad Jones (Middlesbrough)

Defenders

2. Lucas Neill, captain (Galatasaray)

3. Craig Moore (unattached)

6. Michael Beauchamp (Melbourne Heart)

8. Luke Wilkshire (Dinamo Moscow)

11. Scott Chipperfield (FC Basel)

20. Mark Milligan (JEF United)

21. David Carney (FC Twente)

Midfielders

4. Tim Cahill (Everton)

5. Jason Culina (Gold Coast United)

7. Brett Emerton (Blackburn Rovers)

13. Vincenzo Grella (Blackburn Rovers)

14. Brett Holman (AZ Alkmaar)

15. Mile Jedinak (Antalyaspor)

16. Carl Valeri (Sassuolo)

19. Richard Garcia (Hull City)

22. Dario Vidosic (Nuremberg)

23. Mark Bresciano (Palermo)

Forwards

9. Josh Kennedy (Nagoya Grampus)

10. Harry Kewell (Galatasaray)

17. Nikita Rukavytsya (FC Twente)

SERBIA

FIFA World Ranking: 15

Team Colours: Red shirts with blue trim and a white cross on the front, blue shorts, white socks. Away kit is all white with red trim on the shirt.

Manager: Radomir Antic is very popular with the Serbian fans and has quite the impressive CV as well. As well as being one of only two men to have managed both Real Madrid and Barcelona, he is the only man to have managed those two as well as Atletico Madrid, where he enjoyed the most success of his managerial career, returning there twice and winning the league and Copa del Rey.

Form: Serbia finished top of their qualifying group despite taking just one point from favourites France, who stumbled elsewhere. They were at their most impressive thrashing Romania 5-0 to seal qualification but were cohesive and competent throughout and were eventually deserving winners. Their friendly results have been mixed – a shock 1-0 loss to New Zealand was followed by a frustrating 0-0 draw with Poland, but yesterday they produced an excellent display to come from behind twice to vanquish Cameroon, the sternest test of the three. Things may be coming together.

Captain: Dejan Stankovic is a highly accomplished midfielder who has won six Serie A titles and now the Champions League with Inter. A versatile player, he prefers to play in an advanced midfield role but can also be utilised on either flank or deeper in a holding or playmaking capacity and is a great passer of the ball. His experience and influence will be key for Serbia.

Key Man: It has taken some time for 29-year-old Milan Jovanovic to make a name for himself thanks to three unhappy years hardly getting a game for Shakhtar Donestk and Lokomotiv Moscow, but 52 goals in 116 games for Belgian side Standard Liege earned this deep-lying forward international recognition and a free transfer to Liverpool this summer. He will likely line up behind man-mountain Nikola Zigic with freedom to roam to the flanks if necessary and should be Serbia’s most potent attacking threat.

Man to Watch: Lazio left full-back Aleksandar Kolarov brings to mind Serbian legend Sinisa Mihajlovic with his runs down the left flank and rocket-propelled shot. Still just 24 years old, Kolarov has an impressive technique and should prove himself one of the best emerging defenders in the world game this summer.

Prediction: Serbia will surprise people. They have quality running right through the side with a reliable central defensive pairing of Nemanja Vidic and Branislav Ivanovic and Stankovic running things in midfield alongside creative 22-year-old Zdravko Kuzmanovic. They will be a serious threat and could be the ruin of a big name or two. I suspect they will meet England in the second round which should be a relatively evenly matched game, and really I wouldn’t know which way to call that one. If things fall into place a semi-final place wouldn’t be beyond their reach, but my gut says they will lose against England (though probably deserving to win).

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. Vladimir Stojkovic (Wigan Athletic)

12. Bojan Isailovic (Zaglebie Lubin)

23. Andelko Duricic (Leiria)

Defenders

2. Antonio Rukavina (1860 Munich)

3. Aleksandar Kolarov (Lazio)

5. Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)

6. Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea)

13. Aleksandar Lukovic (Udinese)

16. Ivan Obradovic (Real Zaragoza)

20. Neven Subotic (Borussia Dortmund)

Midfielders

4. Gojko Kacar (Hertha Berlin)

7. Zoran Tosic (Manchester United)

10. Dejan Stankovic, captain (Inter)

11. Nenad Milijas (Wolves)

17. Milos Krasic (CSKA Moscow)

18. Milos Ninkovic (Dinamo Kiev)

19. Radoslav Petrovic (Partizan Belgrade)

22. Zdravko Kuzmanovic (Stuttgart)

Forwards

8. Danko Lazovic (Zenit St. Petersburg)

9. Marko Pantelic (Ajax)

14. Milan Jovanovic (Liverpool)

15. Nikola Zigic (Birmingham City)

21. Dragan Mrda (Vojvodina)

GHANA

FIFA World Ranking: 32

Team Colours: White shirts with one grey sleeve with a dark grey star and black trim, white shorts, white socks. Away kit is red shirts with yellow vertical stripes and trim, red shorts, red socks.

Manager: Serbian Milovan Rajevac will lead Ghana into battle against his home country and the rest of Group D. He had only previously managed in Serbia and had not been in one job for more than two years before being hired in 2008. He is a strict disciplinarian who has earned a reputation as a shrewd tactician having overseen an impressive flawless qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations against a much-fancied Mali side, although Ghana’s second-round exit from that competition proper was less pleasing for the fans.

Form: In qualification Ghana were unstoppable, winning their group with a nearly 100 per cent record and becoming the first African nation (aside from the hosts) to qualify. They suffered a resounding 4-1 loss to the Netherlands in a pre-tournament friendly, though, and have had their preparations seriously disrupted by the withdrawal through injury of their best player, Chelsea’s Michael Essien, who will be a huge loss for them.

Captain: Stephen Appiah nearly hasn’t played at all at club level for two and a half years following a serious knee injury while he was at Fenerbahce that caused him to miss the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations and only made his debut for new club Bologna as a substitute on the 9th of May this year. However he is still in the squad as captain, which has given some Ghanaian fans cause for concern as they would rather see a fit, regularly playing man starting games in a tough group against physically strong opponents like Serbia and Germany. Appiah does have plenty to give if he is fully fit, but he must be disadvantaged by his lack of game time.

Key Man: Michael Essien plays further forward for Ghana than he does for Chelsea, and so with him gone so is some of Ghana’s attacking prowess. The onus now falls squarely on the shoulders of Asamoah Gyan, the 24-year-old Rennes striker who has scored exactly one goal every two games for his country. He’s a powerful unit, strong and fast and able to keep on running and running, and will cause problems for defences.

Man to Watch: Dominic Adiyiah is a 20-year-old forward who earned himself a dream move to A.C. Milan after being an integral part of the Ghana team that won the 2009 Under-20 World Cup. He has scored 17 goals in just 16 games for the youth side and has been blooded recently by Rajevac with a view to having a similar impact in this tournament. He probably won’t start but could be a surprise package coming off the bench.

Prediction: The impact of Essien’s absence cannot be underestimated and it is made worse by suggestions that Sulley Muntari may not be fully fit in time for the opening game against Serbia a week today. Ghana can’t be counted out completely though, and should be reasonably competitive, but they should be overpowered by Germany and Serbia. A gallant third in the group.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. Daniel Adjei (Liberty Professionals)

16. Stephen Ahorlu (Heart of Lions)

22. Richard Kingson (Wigan Athletic)

Defenders

2. Hans Sarpei (Bayer Leverkusen)

4. John Painstil (Fulham)

5. John Mensah (Lyon)

7. Samuel Inkoom (FC Basel)

8. Jonathan Mensah (Free State Stars)

15. Isaac Vorsah (Hoffenheim)

17. Abdul Rahim Ayew (El Zamalek)

19. Lee Addy (Bechem Chelsea)

Midfielders

6. Anthony Annan (Rosenborg)

9. Derek Boateng (Getafe)

10. Stephen Appiah, captain (Bologna)

11. Sulley Muntari (Inter)

13. Andrew Ayew (Arles)

20. Quincy Owusu-Abeyie (Al-Sadd)

21. Kwadwo Asamoah (Udinese)

23. Kevin-Prince Boateng (Portsmouth)

Forwards

3. Asamoah Gyan (Rennes)

12. Prince Tagoe (Hoffenheim)

14. Matthew Amoah (NAC Breda)

18. Dominic Adiyiah (A.C. Milan)

World Cup Guide: Group C Preview

GROUP C

ENGLAND

FIFA World Ranking: 8

Team Colours: All white. Away kit is red shirts with white trim, white shorts, and red socks.

Manager: Fabio Capello has stamped his authority on the England team, forcing discipline and professionalism into training where Shteve McClaren let the players run the show. The Italian, who guided A.C. Milan to the Champions League in 1994, has yet to make England an excellent team but has certainly steadied the ship after McClaren’s disastrous reign. Refuses to be bullied by the media but doesn’t quite seem to have settled on his preferred tactics yet, having previously favoured pairing Wayne Rooney with Emile Heskey up front but deviating from that in the preparatory friendlies.

Form: One of the first European teams to qualify for the finals, England made good work of their qualifying group, with nine straight wins to seal their place before losing the dead rubber against Ukraine, and scored a European high of 34 goals during that campaign. The stats perhaps flattered them a little – the only game in which England really shined was the Theo Walcott-inspired demolition of Croatia in Zagreb that earned revenge over their Euro 2008 qualifying nemesis. More recently England have been uninspiring – they won friendlies against Mexico and Japan that they deserved to lose, having been outplayed in both and causing several players to lose their places in the squad, including Walcott.

Captain: Following yesterday’s tournament-ending injury to Rio Ferdinand, England are spared the most uninspiring captain of all time (Rio probably thought that when Capello told him he was the captain that they were going to pretend to be pirates) and instead Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard takes the armband. This is a huge tournament for Gerrard – coming off the back of a disappointing season for his club, he has never played consistently at his best for his country and at age 30, this may be his last chance to make an impact at the World Cup. Rumours of a £30 million bid for his services by Real Madrid will follow him throughout the summer, but Gerrard may well find the captaincy liberating, allowing him to drive the team on in the same way that he has done in the past for his club.

Key Man: It’s tempting to say Frank Lampard, but you just can’t look past Rooney, the only English striker who can really do damage to the top teams. Everything comes down to how England make room for him – it’s the unfashionable option but I think Heskey needs to play alongside him. Rooney himself has said that he prefers playing with Heskey, and Capello’s inclusion of the Aston Villa striker in the squad against his previous statement that he wouldn’t pick players not playing for their clubs shows his importance. It will also be vital that Rooney doesn’t lose his temper – he’s shown signs of improved maturity over the last couple of years, but he will be one of the first to grow frustrated if the game isn’t going well.

Man to Watch: Four years ago Owen Hargeaves won back the hearts of an entire nation by being the only English player to visibly run all over the pitch with 100% effort and determination, and this year, though he’s already better known to English fans, James Milner will be the one who can be absolutely relied on to keep going even if everything seems lost. Has been a revelation since his club manager Martin O’Neill moved him into the centre of midfield, but he can play pretty much anywhere on the pitch except maybe centre-half or in goal, and will likely be the first person that Capello turns to off the bench.

Prediction: England have a thin squad with the possible exception of the midfield and need to avoid any more injuries to key players. They do have the virtue of a kind draw, though. They should easily move past this group and you would expect them to overcome Serbia in the second round. A potential rematch with Mexico awaits in the quarter finals, which could be a stumbling block, but again England would be favourites for that. But as soon as England bump into a really good team – most likely Brazil in the semi finals – they will probably be brushed aside.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. David James (Portsmouth)

12. Robert Green (West Ham)

23. Joe Hart (Manchester City)

Defenders

2. Glen Johnson (Liverpool)

3. Ashley Cole (Chelsea)

5. Ledley King (Tottenham)

6. John Terry (Chelsea)

13. Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa)

15. Matthew Upson (West Ham)

18. Jamie Carragher (Liverpool)

20. Michael Dawson (Tottenham)

Midfielders

4. Steven Gerrard, captain (Liverpool)

7. Aaron Lennon (Tottenham)

8. Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

11. Joe Cole (Chelsea)

14. Gareth Barry (Manchester City)

16. James Milner (Aston Villa)

17. Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City)

22. Michael Carrick (Manchester United)

Forwards

9. Peter Crouch (Tottenham)

10. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

19. Jermain Defoe (Tottenham)

21. Emile Heskey (Aston Villa)

USA

FIFA World Ranking: 14

Team Colours: White shirts with a grey diagonal stripe and red trim, white shorts with red and blue trim, white socks. Away kit is dark blue shirts with a white diagonal stripe and red trim, dark blue shorts and dark blue socks.

Manager: 52-year-old Bob Bradley managed first in college soccer and then in the MLS for nine years with Chicago Fire, MetroStars and Chivas USA. He was originally named interim national team manager following the 2006 World Cup as everyone expected Jurgen Klinsmann to take over, but while negotiations with the great striker fell though, Bradley was busy building with young players as if he was already the full-time manager. He was eventually given the job permanently in early 2007 and presided over a largely successful qualification period.

Form: The US only lost twice in the final phase of CONCACAF qualfication, once to Mexico (understandable) and once to Costa Rica (an aberration). Their form during that qualfication was at times very impressive, the win away in Honduras to secure their ticket to South Africa a particular highlight as well as a flashy 8-0 thrashing of Barbados. They’ve also made sure to play several friendlies against top quality teams (and England) in the last year or so to gain experience, and also sprung a surprise at last summer’s Confederations Cup by beating Spain in the semi finals.

Captain: Former Fulham centre-back Carlos Bocanegra now plies his trade at Rennes. He’s a solid if unspectacular defender who can also ably fill in at left-back or as a holding midfielder if necessary. For a defender, he has a pretty good international scoring rate of 12 in 78, too, so expect him to be marked heavily at corners and free-kicks. Should lead the back line well.

Key Man: Only one man – if Landon Donovan plays to his potential then the USA will be a force to be reckoned with. The most talented male footballer his country has ever produced, Donovan will play behind the forwards and look to slip in from behind and look for a shooting opportunity. He’s never quite produced the goods at a major tournament before but is now in his prime – if he doesn’t make this World Cup one to remember he may never do it.

Man to Watch: 22-year-old central midfielder Michael Bradley has fought off the predictable shouts of nepotism (he’s the manager’s son) to make himself a vital part of the American XI. At just 18 he earned a transfer to Europe with Heerenveen in Holland, where he impressed, scoring 16 goals in 52 games (including 15 in his second season, the most by any American player in a foreign league), and is now in Germany with Borussia Monchengladbach. He’s a dynamic player who likes to get forward and could have a real impact on this group.

Prediction: The US are a strong side with some great goalkeepers and a handy midfield – Donovan and Bradley will be joined by Clint Dempsey, who’s had an excellent season for Fulham, and Rangers winger DaMarcus Beasley – but they have a somewhat inexperienced forward line (past Jozy Altidore and Donovan, their other three forwards have 10 caps between them) and their full-backs could be exposed by a couple of good wingers. They should definitely get out of this group and will give England a run for their money but will probably finish second. They would be underdogs in the second round where presumably Germany await them, but not incapable of springing a surprise. In fact I have a sneaky feeling that this could be a good year for the Americans. I’ll stick my neck out and say they’ll make the quarter-finals.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. Tim Howard (Everton)

18. Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)

23. Marcus Hahnemann (Wolves)

Defenders

2. Jonathan Spector (West Ham)

3. Carlos Bocanegra, captain (Rennes)

5. Oguchi Onyewu (A.C. Milan)

6. Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96)

12. Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA)

15. Jay DeMerit (Watford)

21. Clarence Goodson (Start)

Midfielders

4. Michael Bradley (Borussia Monchengladbach)

7. DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers)

8. Clint Dempsey (Fulham)

10. Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy)

11. Stuart Holden (Bolton)

13. Ricardo Clark (Frankfurt)

16. Jose Francisco Torres (Pachuca)

19. Maurice Edu (Rangers)

22. Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus)

Forwards

9. Herculez Gomez (Pachuca)

14. Edson Buddle (LA Galaxy)

17. Jozy Altidore (Villarreal)

20. Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)

ALGERIA

FIFA World Ranking: 30

Team Colours: All white with one grey sleeve and green trim on the shirts. Away kit is all green with thin vertical red and white stripes on most of the shirt.

Manager: Rabah Saadane, whose playing career was prematurely ended by a car accident at 27 years old, is now incredibly in his fifth spell as Algeria manager. He’s pretty much spent the entirety of his managerial career in the Algeria job but found time to win the African Champions League in 1989 with Raja Casablanca.

Form: Algeria’s qualification for the tournament was impressive at home but unconvincing away – which doesn’t bode too well for their trip to South Africa. They won all six games at home in the final two qualifying phases but finished deadlocked with Egypt at the end, necessitating an atmospheric tiebreaker match in neutral territory, which Algeria won. Their Africa Cup of Nations campaign went OK, starting with a terrible 3-0 loss to unfancied Malawi, but recovered to reach the semi-finals, where Egypt exacted revenge to put them out. They lost to Nigeria in the third-place playoff. They were roundly humiliated by the Republic of Ireland, who really should be here instead of France, losing 3-0 in a friendly last week, and do not look entirely ready to make a fist of this group.

Captain: 32-year-old defensive midfielder Yazid Mansouri is the most experienced member of the Algerian squad, having made his debut in 2001 and earning 65 caps since. He played briefly on loan for Coventry City in 2003 but had his contract terminated when he left to play in the Cup of Nations without his club’s permission. He doesn’t score or get forward much, and isn’t a particularly gifted player, but his experience will be important if this squad are to force their way out of the group against the odds.

Key Man: Since joining Portsmouth in 2008, Nadir Belhadj has caught the eye in an otherwise uninspiring club side, with some exciting displays down the left-side as a defender or winger. He’s plenty willing to bomb forward in search of a cross or a shot but has a tendency to blow hot and cold. Algeria need him at his best as if he plays well he is a key attacking asset.

Man to Watch: Karim Ziani is a versatile player who primarily operates down the right side of midfield but can also be utilised as a second striker. His classy performances for first Sochaux and then Marseille in Ligue 1 earned him a move to German champions Wolfsburg last summer but he has struggled for games this season. With 52 caps he is one of the more experienced players in the Algerian side but he needs to score more goals, with only 4 for his national team.

Prediction: Algeria’s squad is shockingly inexperienced – it contains 6 players with just 1 international appearance, one with only 2, three more in single figures and one, defender Carl Medjani, with none at all. They also lack a prolific striker. It’s hard to see this somewhat ragtag bunch of players making a serious impact on the group, though they may have strong periods during games against England or the USA, it seems unlikely that they would be able to dominate entire games against the likes of those teams. Qualification for the round of 16 would be a really huge achievement.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. Lounes Gaouaoui (ASO Chlef)

16. Faouzi Chaouchi (ES Setif)

23. Rais M’Bohli (Slavia Sofia)

Defenders

2. Madjid Bougherra (Rangers)

3. Nadir Belhadj (Portsmouth)

4. Antar Yahia (Bochum)

5. Rafik Halliche (Nacional de Madeira)

12. Habib Bellaid (Frankfurt)

14. Carl Medjani (AC Ajaccio)

18. Abdelkader Laifaoui (ES Setif)

20. Djamel Mesbah (Lecce)

Midfielders

6. Yazid Mansouri, captain (Lorient)

7. Ryad Boudebouz (Sochaux)

8. Mehdi Lacen (Racing Santander)

15. Karim Ziani (Wolfsburg)

17. Adlene Guedioura (Wolves)

19. Hassan Yebda (Benfica)

21. Foued Kadir (Valenciennes)

22. Djamel Abdoun (Nantes)

Forwards

9. Abdelkader Ghezzal (Siena)

10. Rafik Saifi (Istres)

11. Rafik Djebbour (AEK Athens)

13. Karim Matmour (Borussia Monchengladbach)

SLOVENIA

FIFA World Ranking: 25

Team Colours: White shirts with green trim and funky green zigzag pattern across the chest, white shorts, white socks. Away kit is green shirts with yellow trim and funky yellow zigzag pattern across the chest, green shorts, green socks.

Manager: Matjaz Kek was always more known for his leadership skills than his playing ability as a player and appeared just once for his national side, but has enjoyed more success as a manager. He spent six years at Maribor, the club he finished his career at, winning two Slovenian league titles. After spending a few months coaching the Slovenian under-15s and under-16s he was given the full national team job in 2007 and upset the odds by leading Slovenia’s charge towards qualification alongside eventual group winners Slovakia, both of whom put pre-qualifying favourites Poland and the Czech Republic into the shade. He’s done a really good job with a team nobody fancied to get here.

Form: Slovenia’s surprising qualifying campaign was built on defence, conceding only four goals (only the Netherlands conceded fewer, and they played two fewer games), and they were in the hunt for the automatic qualifying spot at the top of the table until the very last day. This included two wins over the group winners Slovakia. Their playoff against Russia was thrilling, with Russia quickly taking a two-goal lead before Nejc Pecnik scored a late goal which allowed Slovenia to dig deep in defence and snatch a one-nil home win to go through on away goals. They outclassed New Zealand 3-1 in a recent friendly but will need to be ready for sterner tests than that in this group.

Captain: Robert Koren was surprisingly released by his club West Bromwich Albion having played more games for them than any outfield player in the 2008/9 Premiership season and then helping them to promotion back to the big time this year, so he will see this tournament as an opportunity to sell his services as well as lead his country. A reliable central playmaker, Koren is one of his country’s most vital assets with the most caps (46) and the most effortless talent in the squad. He picks an excellent pass and has racked up plenty of assists.

Key Man: Milivoje Novakovic is at the peak of his powers. The 31-year-old Cologne striker has a superb record of 51 goals in 108 games for his club and scored five in qualifying. He is far and away this team’s most potent goal threat and at 6’4″, he will pose a serious aerial challenge for opposition defences.

Man to Watch: This could be the summer that 25-year-old goalkeeper Samir Handanovic really makes a name for himself. The young Udinese shotstopper was part of arguably the meanest defence in Europe through qualifying and has recently won himself a bumper new contract at his club alongside talismen like Fabio Quagliarella and Asamoah Gyan.

Prediction: Slovenia should not be taken lightly. Expect some determined defending in exactly the sort of way that England, for example, usually have serious trouble with, but a lack of squad depth in midfield and up front will probably tell for Slovenia in the end. They should pick up a point or two, and could definitely get a result against Algeria, but making it to the second round is unlikely.

Squad List:

Goalkeepers

1. Samir Handanovic (Udinese)

12. Jasmin Handanovic (Mantova)

16. Aleksander Seliga (Sparta Rotterdam)

Defenders

2. Miso Brecko (FC Koln)

3. Elvedin Dzinic (Maribor)

4. Marko Suler (Gent)

5. Bostjan Cesar (Chievo Verona)

6. Branko Ilic (Lokomotiv Moscow)

13. Bojan Jokic (Chievo Verona)

19. Suad Filekovic (Maribor)

22. Matej Mavric (Koblenz)

Midfielders

8. Robert Koren, captain (unattached)

10. Valter Birsa (Auxerre)

15. Rene Krhin (Inter)

17. Andraz Kirm (Wisla Krakow)

18. Aleksander Radosavljevic (Larissa)

20. Andrej Komac (Maccabi Tel Aviv)

21. Dalibor Stevanovic (Vitesse Arnhem)

Forwards

7. Nejc Pecnik (Nacional de Madeira)

9. Zlatan Ljubijankic (Gent)

11. Milivoje Novakovic (FC Koln)

14. Zlatko Dedic (Bochum)

23. Tim Matavz (Groningen)